india



"Im leaving on a jet plane, don't know when ill be back again..."
Im off! but I do know when Ill be back again :) Im being shipped off to India for a week & boy am I excited!! I absolutely, positively can't wait!!!
So, there will be no more posts for a bit...but check back around the 10th & hopefully I will have recovered from my jet lack, organised myself & posted some photos of my trip.
See you lovelies soon.
x

Image found here

pronounced chee-tah

Our summer 08 range is about to hit the shops, so I thought I would post a small seek peek especially for you.
What is the brand you ask? Citta Design New Zealand. How do I pronounce that you ask?! It tells you in the title yo!
No one ever knows how to pronounce Citta. The word is constantly butchered & hearing all the feeble attempts continuously makes us laugh!
The images Ive posted below are cushions from our two theme - Art Deco & the Far North - & a smidgeon of what inspired us...

Napier city Art Deco features inspiring Collage, Ziggurat & Breezeblock printed cushions

These Art deco cushions, by Imogen Tunnicliffe, are a personal fav. I love the bold graphic prints inspired by the eclectic nature & diverse aesthetic of the Art Deco era. 

"Amid two world wars, an industrial revolution, & in Napier a devastating earthquake, Art Deco art & design was experimental, expressive & new. This was a time when people were concerned with pleasure, escape & luxury."

The above attitudes piqued Imogens imagination when designing for this new summer range. She found the uninhibited ideas of Art Deco exciting & thus created a diverse range of products that reflect the freedom of expression that dominated this particular era.

Karikari beach inspiring Plume, Flax & Kina embroidered cushions

Above are the cushions that I designed. When creating this seasons range I was particularly drawn to the muted tones & intricate textures found on New Zealand's Far North coastal areas.

Inspired by fragments collected from Karikari beach I decided to step away from a literal interpretation of each piece & instead focused on texture & colour, reworking them into simple, modern designs. The colour palette, taken directly off the beach, was used to create a feeling of relaxation, lazy summer days & the casualness of far north holidays.

To be honest, I initially struggled with the Far North range. Although I was completely inspired by the colour palette I found the imagery surrounding a beach inspired theme slightly cliche. After numerous explorations I ended up back at square one & developed my original ideas focussing on texture & colour - they say your first idea is always the best idea, & in this case it was true! Our not-yet-started summer 09 range will also be centered around a beach theme, so I have my thinking cap on already & am keeping an eye out for something that sparks a different take to the usual shell imagery. Fingers crossed its a success! 

wino



This isn't a very good picture, but these are drinking glasses made out of recycled wine bottles by NZ potter Jo Wilson. cool idea huh?!

new found passion



For a long time I considered still life painting as boring; something we had to do in fifth form art in order to pass. That all changed in April after popping into gallery thirty three in Wanaka & seeing the work of Glenda Randerson. All I can say is that I was speechless, & still am. I had my nose right up against the work - almost touching! - as I took it all in.

(Thats a funny thing I do - if I cant touch something then I need to get as close to it as I can. And that usually means leaning right in & inspecting every little inch. Is anyone else the same?? haha.)

If you ever come across work by Glenda I fully recommend checking it out. Its simple, but it has a quality to it that is just so magical.

to nice for you! :)




Since Im on the topic I found more amazing cards. Now there's really no excuse...

...On second thoughts, don't expect to get one of these off me, they are way to nice to give away!!


happy birthday goodness





Im a bit of a useless & always, always forget cards when giving presents. I just found these fun cards by katydidpapergoods on etsy, so will have to remember to buy one next time I have a present to give. Lets see how good I am at remembering!

in the kitchen with





I love food & adore the smell of baking - Im sure Im not alone! Unfortunately I hardly ever find the time to do it - my mixer has been sitting in the cupboard gathering dust since I got it (sorry mum!) I was checking out the weekly 'in the kitchen with...' over at design sponge & fell in love with the illustrated photographs of the baking process. Im inspired. Might be time to dust of the mixer...

fun house








Wow! This London town house is seriously cool!! Belonging to director Roland Emmerich, the house is one bold item after another - rooms are adorned with taxidermy zebra, propaganda inspired murals, WWII airplane parts & a waxwork pope - hmmm...
The designers brief - to make the house as "unfrumpy as possible"  so that "when the neighbours peek in, they might want to call the police or something".
Classic!

just what we need...


...another bloody water. Believe it or not, but thats its bloody name, & it has 'another bloody blog'  too. This australian brand has a straight up, no mucking around attitude that I just love. Its downright clever.

muscari







Im not big on putting things in my hair. I think it comes down to A) not knowing what im doing & B) the fact that my hair never seems to stay in place. Despite this I LOVE these hair pieces.
The necklaces on the other hand are totally do-able, no skill required & would look absolutely fabulous hanging around my neck. 

Handmade by Easter Yu each piece is crafted with a mix of feathers, silk, dried botanicals, beads & other found objects. Ideas come from a love of nature & an obsession with colour, pattern & texture. Using ordinary materials in not so ordinary ways Easters pieces are just to die for. Agreed?




craft-d



While at craftwerk the other week I did a bit of a whizz around & collected a heap of business cards - my graphic design training takes hold & I always seem to leave events with a mountain. You get a good feel of what a persons work is like through their business cards - which are, in there own right, works of art themselves. On such a small piece of card you have to make a mark.

Anyway! I picked up the business card for craft-d. My memory is quite rubbish & I can't recall what they were selling on their stall but I remember the pixel like, swirly graphics caught my eye. 
Craft-d began as an independent zine by Bethany McIvor in 2007 to explore the issue of craft in design. Through research & experimentation Bethany developed craft-d as a brand to encompass her style of design, creating limited edition prints which reflect the ability to mix aspects of graphic, textile & product design. 

jane vile...clever bastard

this is Jane (-hi Jane!)

tui maraca pendant with chain

endevour brooch

half penny concave ring

This is such a great way of showcasing a piece of NZ history. 
Scouring flea markets for old coins & jewellery Jane Vile turns pieces of our past into contemporary art objects. 
"In a fantastical workshop, yesterdays treasures are crafted into classic modern jewellery".

rekindled china cabinet...


Im a sucker for to an interesting brooch & this one, by Lindsay Pemberton, caught my eye at the recent craftwerk.
Best known for her bangles, Lindsay's work evolved through a fascination with the simple domestic ritual of making a cup of tea, leading her to explore & experiment jewellery making with the humble, salvation army rescued, teacup. 

weird & wonderful things


Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear?

Goldfish

The Foxy Lady

Blossom

A 'kind of' friend (- what do you call the people you would talk to if you passed them on the street  but you wouldn't call for a chat, or arrange to meet for a coffee?...) thrust a magazine (cant remember the name sorry) into my hands the other day & told me to have a look. I was flicking through & caught a glimpse of Australian "drawer" Courtney Brims work. Her mainly pencil illustrations, inspired by the love of nonsense & absurdity, fairytales & daydreams, are so insanely detailed they drive me crazy. Good crazy. Mixed with a touch of jealousy :)

someone i forgot...






Whoops! I completely forgot to include photographer Derek Henderson in my 'favourite speakers at Semi-Permanent' round-up. But better late than never right?...
 'Simply stunning' is the best way to describe Dereks photos (as seen above). His presentation at Semi-Permanent was laid back, uber funny, & his laptop desktop was an absolute mess - nice to see im not the only one!

semi-permanent 08


Right - Semi-Permanent. Where do I start? It was two full on days of listening to amazingly talented people talk about their work & what drives them. Some were brillaint to listen to, while others (dare I say it!) were a bore - I guess we cant all be animated, talented speakers. I know I definitely couldnt have done what they had to do! But all in all, everyone had work that blew me away.

My absolute favourite speakers were the following:

"everything I do, I do for love"
Marian was my absolute favourite speaker. Her work is just brilliant. Mainly text based her work is amazingly detailed, intricate & precise. The hours she spends completing a piece often far exceeds what she gets paid, yet the phrase above "everything I do, I do for love' drives her to finish a piece until its perfect.
Valentines day is a favourite yearly event for Marian, & every year she sends out a specially designed valentines for her clients & friends. All I can say is 'can I be your valentines too Marian?... please?"

hats off to those of you who can decipher this...

...and this - though i know what this one says :)




2. dumbo feather, pass it on
Aussie based kiwi Kate Bezar is the inspiring talent behind 'dumbo feather, pass it on' an award winning publication best described as a 'mook' - a cross between a magazine & a book.
Before Semi-Permanent I had never heard of dumbo feather, but am now hooked & desperate to get my hands on a copy to see what its all about. Im one of those people that needs to touch the things that capture my attention which is why im itching to flick through a copy of dumbo feather.
Dumbo feather is, well, its beautiful. I dont have any more photos to share with you, so you'll just have to trust me on that! 


Stefan is considered one of the most important graphic designers in the world today, so its pretty special to say that I have had the opportunity to hear him speak.
He has, at times, a side splitting sense of humour & works in a way which has resulted in his talents being sort after worldwide.