that little extra touch




Wow! what a beautiful spin on the normal plastic sleeve & flower pot.
Designed by Nimrod Gavish, a 3rd year design student in Israel.

victoria, victoria...



I was just looking at the victoria n' bird blog, & then onto the victorian bird etsy store. Spied this skirt. Liked it. Added it to my christmas wish list.... now all i wish is that mum had a credit card (what is she thinking?!)

diamond are forever




Its going to be a fair while till I get a diamond anything, so am thinking maybe one of these would do for the time being?!
Am loving these pieces by Cheryl Sills, especially the rings.

out of the box



Tonight I went to controlled chaos a.k.a the 'out of the box' exhibition opening at Seed Gallery.
Wine glass in hand, a throng of people & 300 works for $60 each, the push to get 'the best' work was fierce. I however, said with smile on face, managed to nab myself a work by Stafford Allpress - a 'wee room' featuring a spilled cup of coffee.
There were a few other works I could very easily have purchased but I was very self constrained & thought I had better leave something for those waiting to get in :)


"To celebrate the holiday season, Seed Gallery has invited 30 different artists, working across various disciplines & media to work with a set template: a 60mm cylindrical wooden box. The resulting exhibition will showcase 300 artworks reflecting each artists exploration of the limitations & possibilities of this form. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to acquire works by some of our most promising artists for only $60 a piece"

The exhibition runs until the 14th December.

the person behind the lens








Does anyone know where these images are from? My only clue is that they were found on a blog - the photographer captures her kids & surroundings etc & then posts them on her blog.
I could however be completely wrong...

photographic inspiration






Ive been hunting high & low for hero shot inspiration for an up & coming photoshoot (next week, eeek!)
Although totally unrelated to what I do, I just love the photos posted on the Camilla Engman & Elizabeth Dunker blog, Studio Violet.
The soft tones, the playful compositions, angles & subject matter...magic!

I have also had a bunch of other photographic references thrown at me by my colleague. One reference is particular is simply amazing & portrays the wintery feel we want to replicate. Unfortunately the source is unknown, or rather has been forgotten (boys...useless!!), & I would love to find out where they came from/who it is. Ill post these later so if you can help me out, that would be great!

once upon a time...


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

On a brighter note, check this out, I can guarantee it will to put a smile on your face. A future in storytelling is ahead for this little cutie.

(p.s - Ive just worked out how to post videos - so happy!)

just aint gonna work out



This about sums up things in my life at the moment.

and now for the paper




If i was building or renovating a house (its a long way off, but dreams are free right?!) I would have my paints sorted with Bio Paints; & as for wallpaper, this stuff by Trove is pretty amazing. 
Adopting a less traditional take on wallpaper, Trove explores a painterly or photographic approach giving their papers an element of excitement, quirkiness & uniqueness.
My favourite of the four pictured above has got to be the dark grey one with pink & white dots (top left), closely followed by the birds. Im picturing my wall/s now, & it/they looks great!

painting NZ red & blue & green & pink &...



It makes me proud when you hear of NZ companies doing their part for the environment. Yesterday I discovered one such company - Nelson based Bio Paints.
Here's what they have too say -

'Once upon a time all paint was made from natural ingredients.
At Bio Paints... ours still is.

Bio Paints brings you naturally beautiful finishes for use in & around your home & living environment... we use "nature's gentle chemistry" to make our products simple mixtures of raw materials.
We avoid all processes that manufacture artificial products like plastics which can't be returned to nature's natural cycle. This means our products are bio-degradable.

Pure ingredients, traditional methods & the inspiration of the New Zealand environment - a simple philosophy for a sophisicated world.'

a decision to be made


I really really want to buy this print from kiwi etsy seller sugarloop, but with the USD/NZ$ exchange rate it makes it that much more expensive.
Maybe ill sit on it for a week and then make a decision...maybe treat myself.

kebabs anyone?





Look at these amazing lamps!
Designed by Londoner's Clare Page & Harry Richardson of Commitee, these Kebab Lamps are custom made using the 'junk' they find in & around south east London.

"At first glance the colourful assortment of pottery animals, vases, figurines, boxes & other bric-a-brac clinging to Commitees Kebab Lamps look like a cheerful jumble of random objects. Gradually it becomes clear that the choice was painstakingly considered, & that Clare & Richard spend days finessing sequences of objects to explore a theme or to tell a story."

At first glance I pictured these lamps as something you put on your bedside table only to discover by leafing through an old issue of HOME than in fact they are large, corner of the room type lamps. For me, this made them that much more exciting.
If I started a wish list I would put one of these lamps would be somewhere near the top.

from wall to couch



Continuing on from below, Gorgi have included Anna & Nikki in their brand new 'design incubator' range.
Cushions 'In the News' & 'Tiki Lynn' take Anna & Nikki's work off the wall & into gorgeous homeware textiles. 
Through their design incubator range, Gorgi creates 'a unique portal for our up & coming artists, product designers, graphic designers (to name a few) to inspire & be inspired.'

topography / icons


A wee bit last minute, but...
Anna Church (all time fav stylist) & Nikki Apse exhibition opening tomorrow night at Momentum gallery.
For a little taster, here is one of Anna latest works, Cameo....
 

give & support







Need to send some chrissie cards? The range from MessageMark is great & helps support the cure4cf charity.

"Our greeting cards are printed on 100% recycled card, include an envelope, & are neatly packaged and delivered directly to your door."

Cards are also available from Mixt in Kingsland.

365 days of luxford st







I buy myself a new diary every year & with 2009 fast approaching its about time I got myself sorted with a nice new one.
I have seen these little treats by Luxford St over at toggle. I am loving the little added details & the fact that each diary is part of a limited edition.

this is...my favourite thing from nature




Dramatic lighting & colour. It never fails to amaze me.
These are photos from my last trip to Queenstown. The sun hits its target while everything else remains in monotone.

vessels of desire




These beautiful vessels by Zekiah Heath have been popping up all over the place. Their soft colouring & unglazed surface give them a delicate look which makes me want to wrap them in cotton wool.

fingers crossed for my loose change





Ive been after a little coin purse for a while now & have just seen these over at etsy. With christmas just around the corner (holy smoke!) I think ill keep my fingers crossed for a little parcel under the tree :)

love birds




If the dollar was stronger I would definetly be getting myself some love (birds). These gorgeous graphic prints are by aussie artist Naomi Murrell.
Keep up with Naomi's happenings via her blog (- where I have just seen this lovely brooch...)

too good to use






100% tea towel, 100% artwork.
Tea towels from our current summer range. I have a set at home & although I use them regularly I want to tuck them away to keep them clean or hang them on my wall.