Archive: Nov 2012

1. The 20 best Christmas Crackers for 2012

   November 24, 2012 1:25 am 2 Comments If you're not already starting to feel just a wee bit festive, now's the time to don a paper crown, blow a plastic whistle and read a bad Dad joke, because it's time for Wee Birdy's annual Christmas Cracker Awards! Since 2007, every November I spend weeks scrutinizing hundreds of brightly wrapped specimens to make my final edit of the top 20 crackers. Here we go... 1. THE AWESOME DIY JEWELLERY CRACKERS Tatty Devine Deluxe Christmas Crackers, (also pictured at top), £75 for a set of six from Tatty Devine. Hand-crafted in England, each cracker features a different perspex shape as the decoration, and contains chains, jump rings and instructions to make the shape into an awesome necklace, along with a party hat and a joke. The collection includes jewellery-making pliers to share and jewellery boxes. 2. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LIBERTY PRINT CRACKERS Liberty Superior crackers, £45 for a set of six from Liberty. Made in the UK, each Liberty print cracker contains gifts such as a compact, compass and pen. 3. THE NEON CRACKERS Great British Crackers, £45 for a set of six from Pedlars. Hand-crafted in Wales, each cracker contains a motto, joke, paper hat and a cool gift. 4. THE TRADITIONALLY FESTIVE CRACKERS Red Joy Crackers, £12.95 for a set of six from Emma Bridgewater. Each cracker contains a hat, motto and a gift such as coloured pencils, mini make up brush set, mini sewing kit, mini stapler, mini nail clippers and mini tool kit. 5. THE DESIGNER SCENT CRACKERS Maison Martin Margiela Christmas cracker gift set, £40 for a set of six from Selfridges. Each cracker, wrapped in limited edition Maison Martin Margiela newsprint contains a 7ml bottle of Maison Martin Margiela's Untitled fragrance, which includes notes of galbanum, lentiscus, orange blossom and incense. 6. THE POSH BRITISH CHOCOLATES CRACKER Conran Christmas Crackers in Gold Glitter, £65 for a pack of six from The Conran Shop. Each cracker contains a hat, motto and a Rococo chocolate truffle box. 7. THE STATIONERY-NERD CRACKERS Present & Correct Christmas crackers, US$18 for one cracker from Present & Correct's Etsy shop. Handmade by "some nice ladies in Dorset", each cracker contains a 2013 tag book calendar, a rubber stamp, a christmas pencil & vintage eraser, two metres of airmail string, an old paper clamp & a scrabble magnet, a lucky chocolate sixpence, some confetti and labels. 8. THE EXTREMELY POSH CRACKERS The King of Crackers, £500 for a set of six from Fortnum & Mason. Each cracker, covered in red velvet and decorated with ribbons, tassels and a glittering crown, contains a paper hat, joke and a luxurious high quality leather gift, such as a keyring, luggage tag, purse or credit card holder. 9. THE STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL CRACKERS BPL Christmas Crackers, £40 for a set of six from Ben Pentreath Ltd. "Lovingly handmade in Dorset", each cracker is covered in Judd St Papers and contains a hat, snap, joke and a really lovely gift, such as a wooden nail brush, wooden dice, cookie cutter, marbles, strawberry seeds or a set of pencils. You can also choose from the Pollock's Zeotrope Strips design; Pollock's Pantomine Characters design; or the Margaret Calkin James design. 10. THE FINE TEA CRACKERS Famous for Tea Christmas Crackers, £100 for a set of six from Fortnum and Mason. Each cracker contains a silver-plated F&M caddy spoon and a tin of one of Fortnum's classic loose-leaf teas, such as Earl Grey Classic or Queen Anne Blend. 11. THE DIY CRACKERS In this charming tutorial, craft blogger Mini Eco shows you how to make your own graphically simple crackers. The beauty of DIY crackers is that you can fill them with your own choice of present, as well as a hand-made hat, which can be rather fun. 12. THE JUBILEE CRACKERS London Superior Crackers, £45 for a set of six from Liberty. Made in the UK, each cracker contains gifts such as a compass, pen and screwdriver set. 13. THE BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CRACKERS Choc on Choc Chocolate Crackers, £15.95 for a set of six from Harvey Nichols. Each cracker includes a paper hat, joke and filled with Belgian chocolate. 14. THE 'YOU'D BE CRACKERS TO SPEND ALMOST 600 QUID ON CRACKERS' CRACKERS Harrods Romanov Luxury Christmas Crackers, £599 for a set of six from Harrods. Each individually handcrafted cracker contains handmade bespoke crown, joke and trivia booklet and superb individually-wrapped gift. Gifts include a Stag corkscrew and bottle opener, crystal-encrusted Cloisonne box, Italian-made leather card case, Crown Monde earrings, leather USB and chrome pen and silk scarf and crystal scarf pin. 15. THE MUSICAL CRACKERS Harrods Peppermint Cracker Collection, £39.95 for a set of nine from Harrods. Each hand-crafted cracker contains a crown, joke, trivia booklet and a different xylophone key so that they can be played together as a kind of impromptu family orchestra. The collection includes a conductor's baton and musical scores. 16. THE PAPER PLANE CRACKERS Flights Of Festive Fancy Crackers, £8 for a set of six from John Lewis. Each cracker contains a hat, snap and a make your own paper aeroplane game. 17. THE DESIGNER PARTY HAT CRACKER Philip Treacy for Asprey Christmas Cracker, $2,000 for one from Asprey. This limited edition cracker contains a party hat designed by Philip Treacy, confetti, joke and a collector's sterling silver thimble engraved with Philip Treacy's signature. One of the eighty crackers contains a winning ticket for a bespoke Philip Treacy hat. 18. THE 'SAVE THE BIRDIES' CRACKERS RSPB Bird crackers, £12.99 from the RSPB. Each red and gold bird-designed cracker contains an individually-wrapped organic Fairtrade Coco chocolate bird, a bird fact, a joke and a hat. 19. THE NUTCRACKER CRACKERS Meri Meri Nutcracker Tale Crackers, £18.50 for a set of eight, from John Lewis. Each cracker contains a musical whistle, a hat and a joke. 20. THE MAGIC CRACKERS Magical crackers, £9.99 for a set of eight from the RSPB. Each cracker contains a magic track, a joke and a hat. So there you go, my Christmas Cracker round-up for 2012. Which one is your favourite?

2. What to order now for Christmas: Cards and goodies from Upon a Fold

   November 21, 2012 7:30 am 2 Comments I've blogged about the plethora of paper ephemera and stationery goodness at Sydney-based online shop Upon a Fold before, and at Christmas they really have a knack for tracking down the most unique cards and stunningly beautiful decorations from around the world. Here's my edit of their new Christmas range: These delicate paper-cut coasters (see above) come in a set of four tiny festive designs. Along with the perfectly-cut Christmas tree, you'll also get a miniature deer, Santa and snowman duo. They are designed by Naoki Terada from Terada Design in Japan, and they're priced at AU$12.95 for a set of four. Don't you love a card, gift and decoration folded into one? Perfect for overseas presents! This 'Merry Christmas' card (above) folds out to make a long festive banner, which would look great on a mantle or windowsill. Merry Christmas Decoration and Card, AU$6.95. This super-sweet Japanese card (above) has peek-a-boo windows and beautiful details that transform and tell a Christmas story as the envelope is opened and the card is read. Santa's Surprise Card, AU$6.95. These party hat kids are way too fun, and they can be used as gift tags or Christmas decorations. Let's Party Christmas Cards (Set of 3), AU$8. Designed by Miya Suwa and made in Japan, this washi snowflake card (above) can also double as a delicate ornament for the tree. Snowflake Washi Ornament/Card, AU$7.50. Any card which involves pulling Santa's beard to reveal a secret message (above) is OK by me. Lots of fun interactive features for kids who love little details. Sunshine Santa Card, AU$6.50. This stunningly beautiful hand-printed furoshiki is a collaboration between Lucinda Newton Dunn and The Link Collective. Furoshiki are a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth and it can be re-used in myriad ways, from a chic scarf to a festive tablecloth, which makes it the ultimate eco-friendly giftwrap, really. Red Stripe Furoshiki, AU$58.

3. What to order now for Christmas: Little Branch cards

   November 19, 2012 7:30 am 3 Comments I'm always fascinated by Australian interpretations and portrayals of Christmas. When we're not pretending we're living through a northern hemisphere winter complete with snowflakes, icicles and sleighs, we roll out Aussie Christmas cliches of barbecues on the beach and sunburnt Santa surfing the waves. (Weird, because the only people I know who spend Christmas day at the beach are English backpackers - although I do love a late afternoon swim after everyone has recovered from their post-lunch naps.) Maree Oaten and Anna Johnson are the creatives behind the Sydney-based art and design studio, Little Branch, and they've called their collection of cards for 2012 'A Mythic Bush Christmas':

   "Cicadas are screaming, sunlight is streaming and we’re all dressed up with somewhere to go. Lit up like a Christmas tree drinking champagne out of a chipped tea cup, where did the time go and who do you love? It’s time to tie a red ribbon round your wrist to forget me not and gift wrap your devotions."

   While the colours in Little Branch's designs are big, bold and vibrant, reflecting the brilliance of Australia's summer flora, the illustrations are rather whimsical and romantic, with young lasses in Christmas-tree frocks and candy-striped stockings. The 'Little Branch Cards', AU$5.50 each, are printed on chlorine free, 100% recycled paper and made entirely in Australia, while the smaller 'Miss Miniature Cards' are priced at AU $3.50 each. They're perfect for sending some a wee bit of Aussie Christmas cheer around the country - and abroad. Disclaimer: Little Branch is a Wee Birdy sponsor, but this is not a sponsored post. I just happen to dig their work, and hope you will too!

4. A wee chat with Beci Orpin

   7:30 am 1 Comment I know I'm not the first bird to have a bit of a lady crush on Australian design wunderkind Beci Orpin. I've been a long-time fan of Beci from her fashion label Princess Tina days, and in the past I've blogged about her beautiful bird collage (see below), as well as her sterling silver cloud-and-raindrop necklace. And let it be known that Beci was making clouds waaay before every lady and her umbrella jumped on the rainy cloud motif bandwagon! It's this very pioneering spirit, endless creativity and originality that allows Beci to rise above the parochial and produce the kind of work that not only features her signature kaleidoscopic use of colour, but sets new trends on the design landscape. And now Beci can add another feather to that brilliantly-hued bow: her first book, Find & Keep , has just been released. Featuring 26 fun and fresh new craft projects, (including the DIY giant confetti wall featured on Wee Birdy last week) it's a goldmine for inspiration as well as providing a unique insight into her creative process. It would make an excellent Christmas present. Beci, firstly congratulations on a truly beautiful and inspirational book! You're one clever birdy. Actually, if you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be - and why? Thank-you so much! Hmmm… what bird would I be? That is a tough choice as I actually love birds a lot (my alternative career choice is an ornithologist!). I really like swallows a lot, so maybe just a plain old welcome swallow? That or a finch - my grandma used to breed them. I think Gouldian finches are my favourite (and they are Australian too!). I love colour, but I know that lots of people are sometimes scared to be big and brave with it in their home. What's your number one tip for making colour work - for beginners? I think you can start adding smaller pops of colour through things like artwork or vases or cushions. Or even if that is too scary, just go for the brightest flowers you can find and work your way up from there. You're clearly an awesome collector. Can you tell us your top five shops in Melbourne for finding awesome stuff? 1. Coburg flea market. I used to frequent Camberwell market when growing up but now i am north-side it's a little to far to travel first thing on a Sunday morning, so Coburg flea is my new spot. I love it because it's real trash and treasure… some weeks you find amazing things, some weeks nothing at all. 2. Scout House When i do find myself south-side, Scout House is one of my first stops. Orlando's selection is pretty wonderful, as is his colourful iron beds (as seen in my book!). 3. Third Drawer Down I love all the Third Drawer Down collaborations and the other objects they stock too (ceramics are amazing there at the moment!) 4. Any local op shop I have a few within walking distance of my house and I can't keep away. The tiny churchy old-school type ones are my favourite. 5. Loom Rugs are my new obsession and the last one I brought was from Loom. They have an insanely beautiful selection - it was SO hard to choose. Plus owner Down is so helpful, too. (See image below, via Loom.) 4. Who or what would be your dream collaborator? What would you make? I'd love to collaborate with someone with batik or weaving expertise to make contemporary versions of traditional fabrics. I'd also like to make rugs. Oh, and working for Tsumori Chisato or a company like Hay (see image below) would be amazing. 5. Christmas is just around the corner. What does your Christmas tree look like and how do you decorate it? Despite my best efforts of keeping things tasteful and colour co-ordinated, our Christmas tree is generally our kids' domain. They like to throw all kinds of things on there so it ends up being a bit of a twinkling mess. It's pretty great actually. Click here for a Wee Birdy Melbourne map, showing Beci's favourite shops. Find & Keep is AU$39.95 and can be found in all nice shops and book stores right now. It would make an amazing Christmas present and you can also buy it online from Booktopia and Amazon. You can find Beci Orpin online right here.

5. What to order now for Christmas: Ello There customised cards

   November 16, 2012 4:00 am Leave a Comment I do love a personalised Christmas card, and a customised portrait of your family in Ello There's inimitable cartoon style is an ace way to send your annual season's greetings. And it will make a lovely keepsake for years to come, too. If you're thinking of putting in an order for Christmas, move quickly because they've been inundated with requests. The starting price for customised design is US$80 for two figures, with US$25 for each addition. Folded cards start at US$2.50 each. And if you're getting married, you might like to check out their gorgeous wedding invitations.

6. What to order now for Christmas: Cards by Alice Potter

   November 15, 2012 11:28 pm Leave a Comment These sweet Christmas cards by London-based designer and illustrator, Alice Potter, features a graphic winter wonderland with clean lines and simple shapes, but with the added charm of woodland creatures peeping around trees and hipster girls with cool hair-dos playing hide and seek and building snowmen. You can buy them as single cards, or in a set of nine for £10 from Alice Potter's Etsy shop. There is also a set of four cards featuring different festive patterns for £6.

7. How to make Beci Orpin’s giant confetti wall

   November 13, 2012 7:00 am 17 Comments How amazing does this giant confetti wall look? It's just one of the superb DIY projects you'll find in Beci Orpin's fabulous new book, Find & Keep. Published by the super-cool Hardie Grant peeps (also publishers of Meet Me at Mike's books), this book is definitely a find - and a keeper. Check out the incredibly vibrant cover! Just in time for Christmas, it's the perfect present for anyone who's a wee bit crafty, a wee bit colourful, and a wee bit cool. I'll be having a chat with Melbourne-based Beci very soon, but in the meantime, here's how to make a giant confetti wall, Beci-Orpin-stylee. Over to you, Beci! "Confetti has become a bit of a rarity these days. The proper old-school tissue paper kind, anyway. Whenever I find a newsagent that carries it, I buy up big, and subsequently have a small cupboard full of confetti boxes. My son Ari discovered these boxes one day and had a fantastic time spreading confetti all over my studio, until I discovered him and broke up the party (and it did look like a party – a really big one at that!). In the following weeks, while I continued to find confetti in every nook and cranny of my studio, I came up with this idea. Here’s how you can make your room look like a party – a much cleaner version than Ari’s, but just as much fun. You will need:

   • lots of different coloured paper and card (scraps will do fine)
   • traced or photocopied circle template (click here for the template)
   • scissors
   • Blu-Tack
   • a wall!

   Let's get started. 1. Gather your paper together. Scraps of paper of different colours and textures will work very well. 2. Using the template as a guide, cut out as many circles as possible from your coloured card. 3. Once you have cut out all the circles, arrange them roughly by colour. This will help you get organised and it looks nice, too. 4. Using Blu-Tack on the back of the circles, start sticking them onto the wall. Start with one circle and try to make the other circles look like they are floating away from that point in different directions. 5. Continue until all your circles are on the wall. On corners or where the wall meets the floor, use halfcircles with the flat edge flush against the straight line. These details create an overall better effect for your confetti wall." This project is re-published with the kind permission of Beci Orpin and Hardie Grant. Find & Keep is AU$39.95 and can be found in all nice shops and book stores now. You can also buy it online from Booktopia and Amazon.  You can find Beci Orpin online right here.

8. A wee birdy week, in pictures

   November 12, 2012 12:39 pm 3 Comments According to Instagram, my week looked like this:

   • I went to the beach - again! That makes it two weekends in a row. Must be a record for me.
   • I attended my first ever Kids Business Bloggers Brunch - and found some quick and easy Christmas crafts from Spotlight. (Quick and easy being key words for me.) I'm on my way to Spotlight this afternoon!
   • I also met the girls from Brown Sugar at the Bloggers Brunch, who gifted me a beautiful coral striped scarf, which went fabulously with my coral Dinosaur Designs bangle and Tom Ford lipstick in Wild Ginger.
   • I'm still loving Sydney's magnificent show of jacarandas this year. Front lawns and footpaths everywhere are awash with jacaranda confetti. And the sight of backlit jacarandas in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun is one of my favourite Sydney sights. It means summer is just around the corner.
   • I went to an excellent Blog Photography Workshop to brush up on my DSLR skills. Hosted by the fabulous Little Paper Trees (check out her blog now) and led by lifestyle photographer Emma Scamell, we covered an incredible amount of skills in just one wee day. The workshop was held in the studios of one of my favourite Sydney shops, Little Paper Lane, so it was a day filled with lots of laughs, creativity and neon. It's a very neon Christmas this year at Little Paper Lane - check out the riot of colour in their window displays!
   • If you're in Sydney and you need some Christmas present inspiration, make the trip to Little Paper Lane in Mona Vale. Or check out their superb online shop. I dare you to resist pulling out your credit card! I shopped up a storm, and stocked up on Washi tapes, ribbons, an awesome extra-large alphabetical stamp set and neon gift cards. So lovely.

   

   • I also met a very cute duckling (it had just hatched in my friend's home incubator!)
   • I found the sweetest-smelling baby pineapples from the organic grocer in Avalon.
   • I stopped by The Boatshed in Palm Beach for some ice-cream. They always have the most magnificent displays of fresh fruit and flowers.
   • I took out 10 minutes to watch the Melbourne Cup, and decided to make a last-minute bet. Should have stayed at home.
   • I took delivery of a very sweet box filled with Chupa-Chups, and the latest candy-inspired collection of lip gloss, nail polish and eye-shadows from L'Oreal Paris.
   • I met the guys from Rust-oleum at the Bloggers Brunch and discovered a brand new world of magic paint and spray paints. I've got to get a can of their white matte spraypaint which gives your average jam jar a beautiful white ceramic-like finish. Genius.

   Phew, what a week. Did I mention that I also launched a brand new craft tutorials website, Crafttuts+? More on that very soon! Tell me, what did you get up to? You can follow me on Instagram here. I'd love to see your Instagram pics, too! p.s. I made 2000 'likes' on Facebook! Hooray! Thanks everyone for following me. X

9. What to order now for Christmas: Stockings

   November 10, 2012 11:23 pm 3 Comments This week I'll be bringing you my pick of the best gifts, cards and decorations that you need to order now to make sure your goodies arrive in time for Christmas. The vast majority of these things are handmade and many sellers on Etsy are so inundated with orders that they're already calling last orders. In fact one Etsy seller, who makes the best hand-knitted and personalised fair isle stockings is already taking orders for Christmas 2013. Wowzers. So if you spot something you like, for goodness sake, don't dilly-dally, snap it up! I love these simple and graphic Christmas stockings by Etsy seller RikRak, which uses 'ecospun' felt made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. The stockings are available in 60 different colour combinations, from the minimalist cream stockings with green trees to retro jewel-tones embellished with rick-rack. The personalised stockings are particularly lovely, and with prices starting at US$12 they're also very good value. Rikrak is taking customised orders until November 19 or until her schedule is filled.

10. A wee birdy week, in pictures

    November 5, 2012 9:36 pm 5 Comments According to Instagram, my week looked like this...

    • I made a last-minute makeshift Halloween costume for my 20 month-old toddler. We already had a lion's hat from IKEA, so I crafted a matching mane/bib out of three different squares of felt. I traced around a mug to make the neckline, and then I used scissors to cut different lengths of fringing. I layered them on top of each other and fastened it at the back with a safety pin. Too easy and it took all of three minutes. He loved it.
    • I went to my first ABCD meet-up (Artists + Bloggers + Crafters + Designers) on the weekend, which was held at the lovely Polli design studio in Sydney. It was a 'sweet treat' Pot Luck, which resulted in a table groaning with cakes and slices and biscuits. I ended up leading an informal chat session about privacy on Instagram. Can't wait 'til the next one.
    • Sydney is in bloom at the moment! Bougainvilleas, hibiscus and jasmine spill over front fences and brick walls, while this year's jacarandas are putting on a magnificent show. So beautiful.

    I also tackled the coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi and caught the final day of the incredible Sculpture by the Sea, which is an annual exhibition in Sydney. There was a really fabulous line-up this year, and I also loved hiking along the cliff tops of six magnificent beaches and bays. It's been many years since I've done the walk (with London, pregnancy and bringing up baby being the major distractions) so I immensely enjoyed taking in the spectacular natural beauty of this major Sydney must-do. Tell me, what have you been up to? Has anyone else seen Sculpture by the Sea?

11. Frock on Friday: Poppy

    November 2, 2012 1:00 pm 1 Comment I can't count the number of times I've seen a really gorgeous little frock for a three-year-old and wished there was a version in my size. And apparently I'm not alone. It was only last week at my local childrenswear shop that I discovered that the lovely tiny wee toddler's frock in the gorgeous tropical print had also been the object of many a grown woman's affection. And - hurrah! - word had got around that Zimmermann had a dress in the exact same print. For (much) bigger girls. So I'm delighted to hear that UK childrenswear designers Poppy Children have responded to popular demand for adult versions of their delightful vintage-inspired kids frocks with the launch of their first womenswear collection. Featuring Poppy's trademark storybook illustrations, the collection is inspired by a 1950s aesthetic and is available in a range of prints, styles and sizes (10-18). Naturally, I adore their new London print, which also features on a range of frocks for little girls. Each dress comes with its own story book about Poppy and Fred's adventures in London. I love that the vintage-inspired design features a thoroughly modern London, complete with the Gherkin, London Eye and a wandering giraffe. The collection is made in the UK and is one hundred per-cent cotton. My favourite style is the Beatrice dress, which is superbly flattering with three-quarter length sleeves, a wide bateau neckline at the front and a V at the back, which can be worn either way and is available in five colour ways, for £129.99. Ladies can also purchase a matching petticoat for extra swoosh factor, as well as a pair of stripey cotton tights for winter. The London print is also available on the Millie dress for girls, which features a Peter Pan collar and looks ridiculously adorable with a matching little cardigan. It would make a super-sweet London-themed bridesmaid's frock, and it comes in sizes 0 to seven years for £62.50. There is also a range of matching fluffy petticoats and darling stripey tights for little ones. www.poppychildren.co.uk

12. Wee Birdy’s Christmas ad bookings are OPEN!

    November 1, 2012 4:07 pm Leave a Comment

    It's been a busy few weeks here at the Wee Birdy nest, with plans for Christmas blogging well and truly underway. I really love curating my Christmas Gift Guides - it's like my annual edit of the best and brightest stuff around. I actually start work on them early in the year - so it really is a labour of love. And then there is my annual Christmas Cracker round-up (can you believe I missed out on pulling a cracker on Christmas Day last year? Travesty!) as well as my guide to all the prettiest and twinkly-est decorations around. There will also be Christmas crafts, Christmas food, and a peek into my Christmas decorating at home. I'd love you to join in the fun. Traditionally, Christmas is a VERY BUSY time on Wee Birdy, and I was blown away last year when unique visitors increased by a whopping 78.57% during the period of November 23 to December 23, compared to the previous month (October 23 - November 22)*. And visits increased overall by 81.7%*. Wowzers! This year, I'm offering a very special deal: book an ad space RIGHT NOW, and your ad will go live until December 31, 2012. So if you book an ad today, you'll effectively get one month of advertising free. Of course, I'll be taking bookings throughout November and December, but it really will pay to get in early. Interested? I'd love to hear from you. Click here to email me and I'll send you the Wee Birdy media kit and special Christmas rate card. Can't wait! * Google Analytics. Email me for a screenshot of last year's stats!