Friday 28 June 2013

DRAWN BY HAND

there is something about hand drawn images that cannot be conveyed in a something created on a screen. check out these images taken from the sketchbook of anna emilia laitinen that were on design sponge recently. they are line drawings with watercolour, some are just sketches to keep the creative juices flowing, while others are sketches of final images...

image: design sponge

image: design sponge

image: design sponge


and these are some of her final illustrations. you would have to agree she is very talented and her images are beautiful...
image: design sponge

image: anna emilia laitinen

image: anna emilia laitinen

image: anna emilia laitinen

image: anna emilia laitinen

Wednesday 26 June 2013

BLACK & WHITE TYPE

image: kat teutsch via desire to inspire

image: kat teutsch via desire to inspire

image: kat teutsch via desire to inspire

image: kat teutsch via desire to inspire
type can transform a space to something 'wow'. kat teutsch is a food/still life/interiors photographer that has captured these spaces and vignette's beautifully. the black and white type in each of these images creates a statement, whether it be the focal point of the image or a strong background. it gives an industrial and vintage edge to each of the images. do you like it?

Monday 24 June 2013

A NOSTALGIC CANDY SHOPPE

image: sweet paul via inside & out

image: sweet paul via inside & out

image: sweet paul via inside & out

image: sweet paul via inside & out

image: sweet paul via inside & out
i've been watching 'the paradise' lately and when reading 'inside & out' i came across these images that reminded me of the store in the show. doesn't this store look amazing?! so many candy delights! and such intricate detailing for the store fitout! the franklin fountain opened in 2004 and is committed to the old ways of sweets. they use all the old tools and methods and just look at it! i could spend hours looking through the shelves and picking out sweet delights.

Friday 21 June 2013

A SPACIOUS FEELING IN A TIGHT SPACE

image: micasa via cush & nooks

image: micasa via cush & nooks

image: micasa via cush & nooks

image: micasa via cush & nooks
happy friday lovelies! i am so glad it is almost the weekend. and what a nice way to finish the week - with a bright and colourful apartment. isn't it cute? dimensionally it is quite small, but it doesn't feel like that from the pictures. there is heaps of natural light and pops of colour in every corner...lots of personal items that reflect the people who live here. its amazing what you can fit into a small space without it feeling or looking tight.

Wednesday 19 June 2013

BROOKE HOLM AT THE SCHOOL

on saturday i went to visit the school to do their 'photography 101 for bloggers' course run by the amazing brooke holm. i can now use the 'manual' setting on my camera! how exciting! brooke is a very talented photographer who has done some beautiful work - check out her website and blog. she did a great job of taking us through getting light in your pictures. i've had it explained to me before, but on saturday i just got it and am excited to use my camera on 'M'! brooke also showed us about post production and editing your images and i have used what i learnt already. very useful not just for interiors or blogging, but photography in general.

lunch was provided - homemade sausage rolls by fire cracker event - soooo tasty!

megan morton, who runs the school was there also - she is sooooo lovely. so ready to hear what each person in the class was doing and eager to share her knowledge and experience with us. the school run many courses, from styling masterclasses to inspiration to photography to instagram to screenprinting. i thoroughly recommend attending any or all that you are interested in! i met many lovelies who are all interested in interiors, styling etc. and i hope to keep in touch with a few of them. i am already petitioning my husband for which class i can attend next! below is some of my handiwork from the weekend - they are by no means brilliant but an improvement on my previous photography efforts...enjoy.






Monday 17 June 2013

COSY COUNTRY KITCHEN

image: house to home
doesn't this look like somewhere you could call home? somewhere that is comfy and lovely. i think usually i would say this is too matchy matchy, but i like this one for some reason. i like the details - the blue plates wallpaper, the dining table, the tiles, the shelf with displays above and below but it has been pulled together really well. and of course, the timber chopping boards and the natural fabric for the cushions provide the finishing touches to create a space that is not too crisp. what do you think? too matchy matchy or is this space pulling it off?

Friday 14 June 2013

WALL COLLECTION

image: plaza interior via mechant design
i like this collection and i love that it is personal. there are people in the pictures and found objects, and i can imagine there being a story behind each of these items can't you? what also helps make this collection successful i think is the mixture of sizes and shapes - its not all exactly the same size rectangles. there are feathers, a deer and circles and even a camera! and having some of the pictures stuck on the wall with washi tape creates a kind of casualness in the arrangement. have you thought about some small collections around your home that aren't so formal? washi tape and 3m hooks are your friend!

Wednesday 12 June 2013

SHOPS I LOVE: MARKETS

Who doesn't love a good vintage market find? Or a handmade special something? Something preloved or something that can be transformed into something else.

The markets in Sydney that I have spent time at include:

The Finders Keepers
Held twice a year, these art and design markets are lovely... so many beautiful hand crafted goodies. All sellers are independent designers and creators who make all of their own products. Pretty much without fail i will buy several brooches, a print etc. whenever i go. Markets also occur biannually in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Paddington Markets

Every Saturday from 10am at 395 Oxford Street. A bit more upmarket (ha! a funny!), these markets contain handmade arts, crafts, clothes, jewellery etc. there are some seriously nice things here, but it is more pricey as you are paying for something unique and handmade. A feature piece maybe?
http://www.paddingtonmarkets.com.au/

Rozelle Markets
These markets happen every Saturday and Sunday between 9am and 4pm at Rozelle Public School. Bric a brac, collectables and second hand. There are some jewels among the large volumes of stuff. Like most markets of this nature, sometimes you win, sometimes not so much. Vintage suitcases, old doilies, silverware, letterpress letters, clothes etc.
http://www.rozellemarkets.com.au/

Etsy, Made It and &Able
Online markets. I know, its not the same as a leisurely walk through stores of hand made goodies, but there is soooo much lovely stuff. Etsy is a worldwide option with tonnes of beautifully handcrafted and vintage things, while Made It is like an Australian version of Etsy. &Able is similar again, but it also helps to fund micro loans for people in need.
http://www.etsy.com/
http://www.madeit.com.au/
http://www.andable.com/

Monday 10 June 2013

A CREATIVE MINT FOR CLOUD 9 FABRICS

image: cloud 9 fabrics via decor8

image: cloud 9 fabrics via decor8

image: cloud 9 fabrics via decor8

image: cloud 9 fabrics via decor8

image: cloud 9 fabrics via decor8
how lovely are these prints! author of 'a creative mint' has recently designed this range of watercolour fabrics for cloud 9 fabrics - aren't they beautiful! i discovered them recently on the decor8 blog. the watercolour texture is stunning and i love the mix of geometric prints and florals! the beauty in these for me is in the changes in colour as if it were a painting - each bit of orange is a little different to the next. don't get me wrong, i love blocks of colour, but this is a pretty change...

Friday 7 June 2013

A WHITE BATHROOM MADE WARM

image: home is where the heart is
its amazing how a small something can make or break a space. in this case, its the candles. a white bathroom could feel cool or warm and the candles and the wreath from twigs make the space feel warm and inviting. don't you want to just hop in a hot bubble bath in the beautiful claw foot bath. the light above the mirror is an industrial touch, and i like the geometry of the hamper.

Wednesday 5 June 2013

HOW TO: MOODBOARD/INSPIRATION BOARD

mood boards can be soooo helpful when it comes to working out or refining your style. since having my own virtual moodboard (i.e. pinterest) i have been able to refine my style so much more which means the decisions i make for my home I generally end up much happier with! so, how do you do this exactly? its really quite simple, it can just take some time to nail it! there are two methods of preference, however the method is generally the same.

1. find material that you like
this can come from several different sources and doesn't need to necessarily be interiors focussed. my suggestions for inspiration would be as follows:
- magazines
- books
- blogs
- fabric
- wrapping/packaging
- photos
- prints
- type/font/words (for the content or the typeface)
- ribbon
the material you select can be picked for any number of reasons...you like the colour scheme, the feel of the image, a pattern, an object, the lines in the picture. it could be interiors, clothes, outdoors, balloons, people...anything that you look at and go 'there is something about that'!

2. collate
to get a really thorough idea of your style, collating the images into one location is best, as the single items you love give you a glimpse into part of your style, however everything together gives a much more holistic view of what you love. putting it all together, you will also start to see recurring colours, styles etc. that you are drawn to.

3. physical or virtual
boards can either be virtual or physical. its really up to you!

physical: all of your pretties can be mounted to a piece of cardboard, pinned on a corkboard, sticky taped to the wall (you could use washi tape for a fun spin on it - pick one you like so it says something about your style), put in a frame (again, be selective about the frame). my preference is to use a flat medium as opposed to a folder as its all in front of you in one glimpse. having said that, i also stick things in my notebook and enjoy flicking through that (i did this for our wedding). once you've decided on your medium, lay everything out and stick it down. put it up somewhere so you can look at it as you go about life, and feel free to add or take away over time either based on your changing taste or your further refinement.

virtual: my virtual method of choice is pinterest, but tumblr blogs are also heavily image based and could be utilised. alternatively there is photoshop, illustrator or indesign if you want all your material in one print or image. for pinterest, you will send a request to join and they send you an email once they've let you in. you can see pinterest and everyones boards before this, you just won't be able to create your own. once you get your own login, you create boards. you also follow people. initially they suggest people and you can add people who's pins you like so they come up in your 'feed'. you can repin the images to one of your boards or you can pin images from anywhere on the internet (except facebook) onto your boards. this then means that all you images are stored in one place. pinterest also saves the links for all your pins with the image so you can get back to the original source of yours or another person's pin. again, feel gre to add or take away as your taste changes or you refine your taste.

a note before you get started - whatever your taste is is ok. please don't feel like you have to pick things you think others would like, or what your friends like, or what style your existing spaces are. let loose. lots of people have different taste to me, but i have learnt the long way around that if you are trying to fit into someone elses style for whatever reason, you won't be happy with the outcome.

the end. yep, its that easy...and there's no wrong answer or right way to do a moodboard...so go get started!!!!! here is some inspiration...

image: shannon fricke

image: shannon fricke

image: shannon fricke

image: brown dress with white dots

image: decor8

Monday 3 June 2013

SHOPS I LOVE: AFFORDABLE

I am all about mixing it up. There are not many who can afford a home full of expensive designer furniture and homewares, and you can still have a lovely home without breaking the bank 1,000 times over. I find that these stores are great for picking up things that might complement a feature piece. I have purchased from all of these stores and am happy with how they work together with my handmade pieces and the few splurge items I have picked up along the way!

Ikea
Who knew how many looks you could get from an Ikea catalogue! They have so much in so many different styles that there will be something that goes with what you already have! And really, all these products are kind of designer still (it's all designed in Sweden), just without the price tag. Ikea work hard to ensure that they make nice pieces that are affordable.
Unfortunately you can't purchase online, but check out the web to see if there is a store close by.
www.ikea.com

West Elm
A recent discovery with the help of one of my friends from the states. Well made, contemporary, funky and fun furniture and homewares that don't cost a gazillion dollars. If you are lucky enough to live in Sydney, they have just opened a store with Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma (also great stores but a little more pricey) in Bondi. If you are not in Sydney, they ship anywhere in Australia. They don't have all the products you can get in the states, but they are continually expanding the range to include more of what you can get overseas.
www.westelm.com.au or, if you aren't in Australia, www.westelm.com

Target
An unlikely candidate I know, but sometimes you can pick up that something that you are looking for. I bought a nice tall silver lantern from there for $30 or something and you would never know. Try it out from time to time and you might just get lucky! You can now shop online, but there should also be a store near you!
http://www.target.com.au/html/homepage/home_fw.htm

Typo
Trendy paper goods and home decor items, Typo is a goodie! Lots of cute little accent items that can be worked into your setup! i particularly like the strings of 10 lanterns, some of which are patterned. the patters change from time to time. Maybe just also keep in mind to check the quality of the item you are buying prior to purchasing. I've had mostly good things but the occasional item that doesn't last long.
http://shop.cottonon.com/shop/typo/

Saturday 1 June 2013

SHOPS I LOVE: ANTIQUES

My style of antique is more rustic and vintage and the stores below have it in bucket loads! You will surely find more lovely things than what you need. Allow a while for exploring!

Scout House (Melbourne)Ah Scout, how do I love thee? Beautiful and unique second hand wares sourced from Australia and overseas, you will surely find something that takes your fancy (see also 'boutique').
http://www.scouthouse.com.au/

Mitchell Road Antique & Design Centre (Sydney)
Two storeys on antique goodness! Upstairs are more individual stores, with downstairs being kind of like a warehouse full of so many pieces of furniture. I could spend so much time rummaging finding beautiful object after lovely piece of furniture and so on.
http://mitchellroad.wordpress.com/

Doug Upon Bourke (Sydney)
Another large store in an old factory that is full of charming aged pieces. I could fill my house with this stuff! Find something you love in all its worn vintageness or something you can do up to be even more unique!
http://www.douguponbourke.com.au/


Izzi & Popo (Melbourne)
European antiques and collectables that are all second hand and lovely. Think coat hooks, demijohns, bird cages, furniture and the like, with all of it imported from Europe.
http://www.izziandpopo.com.au/