beautiful work by mehwish iqbal…
Posted in artists, sydney October 15th, 2012 by pia

Just up the road from where I live here in Sydney, there is a gorgeous little gallery called Little Paper Plane. I pass the space daily, while walking with Laly to our favourite French cafe, LaBancz. Over the months I’ve seen some beautiful art showcased, including this stunning textile and print work by Mehwish Iqbal

Mehwish has screen printed as well as embroidered over pattern paper – I love her technique, and the layering of textures is striking. The exhibition is titled “The Silent Diaspora”, and explores the course of integration, assimilation and separation experienced by migrants living in Australia: ” The Silent Diaspora conveys the space and divide that exists within our multicultural country.”

It’s a stunning collection, and although its last days were this weekend just gone, hopefully we’ll get to see more from Mehwish soon…

The Alchemist’s Shack II at Mildred’s Lane…
Posted in artists, handmade May 16th, 2012 by pia

How exciting is this: My talented friend Natalie has been accepted to attend an art fellowship called The Alchemist’s Shack II at Mildred’s Lane in Pennsylvania… you read correctly, Mildred’s Lane! Remember I wrote a post about this magical place run by J Morgan Puett & partner Mark Dion back in 2009? (click here to refresh your memory)…

In order to get to the States and pay for the fellowship, Natalie needs support and has cleverly created a fund raiser on indigogo. Here she shares a gorgeous video to give you an idea of her style and creative talents, and you can purchase all sorts of fabulous, unique wares made by her like hand embellished antique plates, tin type prints, and even handwritten letters which she will post to you from Mildred’s Lane…

I’ve just purchased one of the  hand embellished antique plates with an image of an Australian native flower. There are only 20 of these available.

Congratulations Natalie, I’m so excited for you and I can’t wait to hear all about your upcoming adventure!

xx

Note: there are only 34 DAYS LEFT to show your support for Nat, so please click here for more info, thank you dear friends.

amy merrick’s fairy tale flowers…
Posted in artists, creative ventures, nature, stylists December 9th, 2011 by pia

all images featured in this post are courtesy of Amy Merrick.

I wanted to write this post in time for Thanksgiving since that is when I first met sweet Amy last year. Shall we pretend I did  actually manage to write this in time for the occasion? okay yes, well then this is what I wanted to say:

“This time last year, I received an email from Brooklyn-dweller Amy Merrick, informing me of her upcoming trip to Amsterdam and how she’d like to meet up if I had the time. I’d admired Amy’s work, blog, and ‘living in’ posts (where she puts together a collection of homewares and furniture inspired by the sets of favourite movies) on design*sponge for some time, and was rapt to know that I’d have the opportunity to meet her in person. Amy was traveling with her dear sister Micha and they happened to be in Amsterdam on Thanksgiving day. So I decided to surprise them and book a table at the only place in the city that serves a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner – lovefood. Perhaps it was going to be more of a treat for French Boy and I as the last time I’d had a real Thanksgiving meal was 15 years prior when I lived in Pennsylvania, while French Boy had never had a Thanksgiving feast. French Boy, my dear friend Heidi and myself rode our bikes to the restaurant on the prinsengracht to meet the girls. It was a gorgeous, crisp Amsterdam evening, and we rode side by side, chatting and catching up on the week’s happenings.

In we all went, took our seats, and didn’t stop chatting for the whole evening, dining on turkey, homemade cranberry sauce and all the Thanksgiving trimmings that could fit on the table. It was such a memorable evening, I was captivated by Amy’s stories of recent travels and life in New York, and hearing about Micha and Amy’s childhood memories and ambitions. I’m so thankful for that evening, it meant a lot to me to enjoy that special meal with such beautiful people.

In the conversation, Amy mentioned her transition into a solo career in floral design.  She had ideas to start a website and work from her Brooklyn apartment. In August of this year, I was delighted to find out she’d done just that, and has created such a delightful online showcase of her work as a prop stylist and floral designer, take a look at some of her work in the following images…

Stunning, non?  Take a moment to read her post on how it all came about, and how she was inspired by her visit to Amsterdam. And while you’re visiting her blog, an apple a day, take a moment to read her most recent post about her visit to Florida with Micha, which tells of how their parents met (it’s the ultimate “Most Romantic Meeting Story of All Time”)…

Amy is not only a beautiful genuine soul, but incredibly talented as you can see. I’m excited to continue to follow her journey to see what she creates in the years to come, and how her creations will evolve over time.

“Happy Thanksgiving mes amis.”

So that is my very belated thanksgiving post featuring dear Amy. I figure, better to give thanks late than never, right?

xx

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+All images courtesy of Amy Merrick.
+To peruse Amy’s new website, click here.
+To read her blog “An Apple a Day”, click here.
+And to view her awesome ‘living in’ posts on design*sponge, click here.

artist nicola hensel’s home in country style…
Posted in artists, australia, interiors April 19th, 2011 by pia

There is a fabulous article in the april issue of australian country style magazine about artists Nicola Hensel and John Turier’s weatherboard cottage. Have you seen it? I’m enamoured…

This is a home with heart, filled with treasures found, foraged, and made by hand. Incredible art line the walls, vintage rugs are strewn across the floors, and an old piano is played everyday. Nicola’s niece once said that the house was like a giant cubby. I think that’s rather wonderful…

The full story is delightful, if you can get a copy of the april issue, you’ll love it. You can also see more photos and read a bit more about Nicola and John online right here. The photographs are by Sharyn Cairns, who I recently had the pleasure of working with, more about that amazing experience in a post to come.

I’m inspired.

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+photography by sharyn cairns, and styling: geraldine munoz for country style magazine.

+for more information about Nicola Hensel’s art, visit the Jan Murphy gallery here.

+to see some of John Turier’s sculptures, click here.

the latest creations from string gardens…
Posted in amsterdam, artists, nature March 3rd, 2011 by pia

pear, blueberry, and rhubarb. wow.

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see more here.
and in this post I wrote last year about my visit to droog.