current vignette on my sidetable

Good morning mes amis, it’s a super drizzly and dark Saturday morning here in Sydney-  feels more like a European autumn day, which I don’t mind at all because it reminds me of how much I love it in the north. Maybe it’s the change of season but I do find myself missing Amsterdam and being so close to Paris. Romain and I can’t wait to take Laly to Paris, I think our little French girl would love it…

morning cuddles are the best

So there are only 14 days left to raise the funds to be able to publish Little Treasures: Made by Hand, far out! And we are 35% of the way. I’m anxious and hoping with all my heart we can make this happen! Most of all I’d love this book campaign to help shape the future for fellow creative spirits. Deep in my heart I want this book campaign to be a template for those of you out there who have longed to create your own book, or your own shop, or studio or just CREATE. It costs a lot of money to start your own business and in this case, to make a book the way you want – in my case using eco friendly paper, printing it locally, and gathering the best people for the job. It all adds up. But dreams can become realities, and I hope this will be one of them.

So over the next 14 days I will be showcasing some of the awesome packages we have exclusively available for this campaign. The first one I want to share with you is the two hour photography and styling workshop we will be hosting in Sydney in April!

portrait of me by sweet jenni booth

I’ve had many requests for an event such as this over the months, so I thought it was a wonderful idea of Fran’s to offer it through this campaign. Here are the details:

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Come and spend two hours with me for a special styling & photography workshop and afternoon tea in Sydney.
Bring your own favourite ‘little treasure’ which I will help you style and photograph as a special memento for Mothers’ Day (note: the workshops will take place in Sydney on April 6).
You will also receive a signed copy of Little Treasures and your name will also appear in the thank you list on my blog.

$250

only 40 tickets available
{date & place to be determined at the end of the book campaign}
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I’m really looking forward to this event, it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for ages. To book your ticket, make your pledge on pozible for the amount and that’s it! We will be in contact in a few weeks time to discuss the details.

xx

PS For French readers, pour mes lecteurs francophones, il y a maintenant une version française de la description de Petits Trésors : faits à la main, ici. hourrah! x 

shelf / life, photography by daniel shipp, styling by kam huckins

There is a beautiful store here in Sydney called Shelf / Life, tucked away in the creative enclave of Surry Hills. It’s one of my favourite shops. Owner Jess has incredible taste, but she also takes great care to handpick items that are kind to the Earth. I asked Jess if she would consider creating a holiday gift guide for you, my readers. She has come up with a fabulous guide, separated into three categories: “homebody”, “pamper” and “entertainer”. Most of the items are available online in her store or directly from the artisan themselves. Thank you dear Jess!

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Hello, I’m Jess, owner of Surry Hills store, shelf / life, and today Pia has been kind enough to let me share my festive gift guide with you. The weeks leading up to Christmas are my favourite time in the shop. The weather is warming up, people are happy to be out and about, and every day we receive a new and exciting parcel in the mail filled with fresh products for our shelves. It’s a vibrant and happy time of year and, although busy, it’s really rewarding to see customers excited about giving our products as gifts.

Born from a desire to showcase works from my favourite designers and increase conscious consumerism, shelf / life was established in late 2009 and continues today with an ever-evolving range of home wares, stationery and gifts handpicked for their considered design. The little gift guide below features some of my favourite products from shelf / life as well as my top picks from a few other independent designers that I admire. I hope you enjoy it!

(Click here to read more…)

Emma is a textile designer, teacher and researcher based in Sydney. Her blog, feeling fuzzy, is a great source of inspiration as Emma features her latest textile creations and exhibited pieces, like you see above. Emma also holds workshops, and last week for Country Style, I interviewed Emma to find out more about her upcoming workshops, her love for felt, and her inspiration. Read the full interview here.

Photographs by Emma’s sweet sister, Hannah, featuring Emma’s work at COFA.

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…

1…
…wisteria abloom all over sydney.

2…
…stop.close your eyes. and breath.

3…
…my rope collection.

4….
…props on the table, ready for action.

5….
…spot the baby hidden among the props.

xx