signing off for a wee while

I had grand plans to have done a whole backlog of posts which I would slowly post everyday while on holiday....but didn't happen. As I am heading home to North Canterbury and my parents slow (slit your wrists in frustration!!!) dial up internet connection...this will be the last you hear of me for a while. Am looking forward to a great chill period with the fam and a short break at our holiday house in the Marlborough Sounds. (my sister there above) Will be back around the 12th ....have fantasies of blogging before then but can make no promises.

A fantastic, merry, funny Christmas and New Year to you all!!

layers

A VERY styley women walked into the store the other day and I could hear Anna twittering about her fantastic clothes...turns out she had designed EVERYTHING she was wearing! Sherie Muys is the designer behind the modern, edgy label sherieyvonne.

"The label retains its identity by the use of strong silhouettes and a monochromatic palette, emphasising design, quality, cut and fit."

hand in pocket

Poketo are celebrating their 5th anniversary with 15 wallets designed by aussie artists.
FANTASTIC and massively tempting!

my folk loving

Having a last minute etsy trawl before I am submitted to the pain of my parents dial up internet connection for a month. argh.
The every wonderful Catherine Campbell's store is FULL to the brim of her artful goodness. Had a good read through her blog too which revealed a fantastic wallet that she has designed for Poketo!!

company of strangers

There is no excuse for how long it has taken me to post about the raw, industrial new kiwi label Company Of Strangers. I spotted some of Sara Aspinall's early range over 6 months ago...slack. Sara had worked with the power house Margarita Robertson for 6 years then this year launched her own range of metal jewellery and leather bags. Her webstore is still under construction but her great site features all of the collections and she will take orders via email.

and a golden gnome for you!

It has been a crazy few weeks for my great friend Anna. 3 weeks ago she was a distributor for the exciting Italian brand Seletti...now she has added a store to her workload! ANNNDDD I am so lucky to be the little lady holding fort in the back office with my interior design biz. The store is a work in progress but the Queenstown folk gave Seletti an awesome opening with bubbles and purchases on Wednesday night...bubbles lots of bubbles....
So if any of you are lucky enough to make it to beautiful Queenstown, come visit and I will pour you bubbles on the BEAN BAG SOFA!!!

" The Ultimate Truth "

I am signed up to so many newsletters now, that checking my emails has become a dangerous distraction!! The latest news from Ambiguous Horse came soaring into my inbox this afternoon, and with it news of a new jewellery label Firinn, designed by Sydneysider Chloe Elizabeth. Visit the Ambiguous Horse online store for some of your own handmade goodness.

seatbelts on

Just grabbed this magazine in passing (as us mag addicts tend to do!) and have just spent a good portion of my "hardworking" afternoon with my head buried in its pages. Fantastic. Fresh. Creative. Visual feast.

If you have got a minute take the time to read about Pilot below. Hits the nail on the head why magazines are still appealing in the internet age.

Don’t think the thought hasn’t crossed our mind. It’s a strange and challenging time to be launching a new magazine, this much we know. Our view is that if you’re going to launch a new magazine today, there’s little point in not aiming high. Different kinds of magazines exist for different kinds of reasons. For instant media gratification the Internet will always be king. Always current, bursting with a bewildering array of information, images and viewpoints catering to each and every audience you can imagine and some you couldn’t. The Internet has changed the media landscape but the beautiful romance of the printed page will always hold a special kind of allure. There’s a unique kind of visual pleasure that belongs to the self-contained universe of the magazine alone. The very best magazines today are fighting to break out of the ‘magazine’ genre itself. These carefully curated titles aspire to reach beyond the disposable nature of the mass-market. Blending different qualities to create a crafted hybrid of manifesto, art gallery, magazine periodical, exhibition space, collectable archive, and yes, book - PILOT aspires to be all of these and more.

PILOT celebrates contemporary creative culture, showcasing a diverse mix of art, design, fashion, architecture and photography. PILOT champions a new Zeitgeist based on creativity, authenticity, ethical consumption and a new appreciation for the role that art, design and technology play in shaping our lives. Drawing on a global network of creative talent, PILOT presents fresh perspectives, stunning art and photography, and a grand visual narrative that connects the dots between past, present and future.

PILOT is about the necessary, the interesting, the fresh and the new.

Issue #1 in stores now.

GOOD ONE!!

Finding a good stool (particularly a bar stool) is constant painful battle for me....but all my little stool prayers have been answered by Alistair Keating and Simon James Design. The spunky "good one" stool above is simple but fantastic and available in both 450mm and 650mm heights. Inside. Outside.

bow down

ooooohhhh....looking for a prezzie for your girlfriend????????????? pretty sure you would be a winner with this one! New from kowtow at endemicworld.com

Greg Natale = interior design wizard of oz!

I am about to move office (for the second time in 2 months). This time to the back of a new design store being set up by a good friend of mine. She is the distributor for the crazy brilliant Italian design brand Seletti, so I am more than a wee bit excited about (a.) being surrounded by brilliant STUFF! all day and (b.) people thinking that my biz may in fact be as cool as the Seletti brand!! Providing that impression does in fact rub off on people.

So, this got me thinking about inspirational spaces AND they way I would like my biz and me to be perceived. One down under designer who NEVER fails to provide inspiration and wow factor is Greg Natale. I have just been on his site for the last 30 mins ogling his bold use of colour and pattern and how fantastic it all is!! Definitely worth a visit.

lovely little ladies

Just received the latest World Sweet World mag in the mail and first thing to catch my eye were the brilliantly retro, cartoonish ceramic tiles by Little Ladies. Wellington based artist, Anmea Hoskins is the lady behind the art, citing the illustrative style of the 40's and 50's as a major inspiration. You can purchase direct from her site.

versatile to the extreme...and they look good!

I WILL have my own little Zaishu one day...in the mean time I just visit the Zaishu site to keep up with their ever changing collection.

"Zaishu is an award-winning, slot-together seat or small table that is decorated with unique designs from international artists. The name Zaishu is derived from the Japanese word ‘zaisu’, which refers to a traditional seat without legs used in Japanese homes.

Designed and made in Australia from native plantation pine, each Zaishu is printed using water-based inks and varnish. Certified as a Good Environmental Choice product, Zaishus are sold flat-packed and each part is simply slotted together for easy assembly.

Zaishu was launched in 2004 by Australian designers Matthew Butler and Helen Punton at the prestigious Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in Melbourne and internationally at the Milan Furniture Fair and Milan Art Fair. In 2006, Home Beautiful magazine named Zaishu ‘Product of the Year’ and the Sydney Powerhouse Museum has two Zaishus in their permanent collection."