Etsy shop: Storybook Rabbit.
Who: Kelly, a Sydney-based illustrator who lives with Juno the bunny “in a little house filled with tiny ceramic animals, brightly coloured dresses, vintage treasures and rabbit-chewed furniture.”
What: Re-worked vintage plates with decals of Kelly’s ridiculously cute animal illustration – think Hipster bunnies in peter-pan collars, baby deer in party hats and French bulldogs in Breton stripes.
Best Buys: Little Shy Bunnies vintage plate, Lovely little hipsters on green ’70s floral plate as well as handy plate hangers and stands.
How much: A baby pug vintage plate starts at US$27.
Read more: Storybook Rabbit’s blog and Facebook.
Etsy shop: Draw Pilgrim.
Who: Pilgrim Lee, a Melbourne-based graphic artist who loves the design and style of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
What: A collection of bright and bold decorative children’s prints which are evocative of vintage picture books, wallpaper, décor and toys. There is also a range of tote bags, badges and cards.
Best buys: Alphabet poster print; Ahoy art print; and ‘Little Girls Made Of’ art poster.
How much: The Ahoy art print (above) costs AU$15.
Read more: Pilgrim’s blog and Twitter.
It’s a Week of Aussie Etsy on Wee Birdy, in celebration of Etsy Success Sydney on Saturday. Click here for more Australian Etsy goodness.Do you have a favourite Aussie Etsy shop? Or are you an Australian Etsy seller? Tell me all about it below in the comments!
Etsy shop: Pannikin.
Who: Illustrator and jewellery designer Holly Leonardson, who lives in Brisbane.
What: Limited-edition jewellery (each piece has a run of 100) inspired by animals and nature made in Brisbane. Many of Holly’s pieces feature hand-painted Queensland Maple veneers, which have been engraved and laser cut from her illustrations.
Best buys: Super-Kinder necklace, paper-plane stud earrings, and mountain brooch.
How much: A pair of the darling little paper-plane stud earrings are AU$32.
Read more: Pannikin’s website.
It’s a Week of Aussie Etsy on Wee Birdy, in celebration of Etsy Success Sydney on Saturday. Click here for more Australian Etsy goodness.
Do you have a favourite Aussie Etsy shop? Or are you an Australian Etsy seller? Tell me all about it below in the comments!
Shop: Aunty Cookie.
Who: Shannon Lamden, a Melbourne-based freelance designer who specialises in textile design and illustration.
What: Original screen-printed fabrics with an assortment of homewares, including graphic cushions, fabric sampler packs and playful printed totebags.
Best buys: ‘Hello my name is’ loot bags, ‘Bargain’ cushion and ‘Papercut blooms’ screen-printed fabric.
How much: Tote bags start at US$15.
Read more: Aunty Cookie’s blog.
It’s a Week of Aussie Etsy on Wee Birdy, in celebration of Etsy Success Sydney on Saturday. Click here for more Australian Etsy goodness.
Exciting times in Sydney and London this week, birdies. While Jubilee preparations reach fever-pitch in London, Sydney’s most iconic buildings are currently ablaze with colour for Vivid, the annual festival of light, music and ideas.
Ranked in the Top Ten global ideas festivals by the Guardian, this year’s Vivid Sydney features an excellent line-up of speakers including Cory Doctorow, author and co-founder of Boing Boing; fashion designer Henry Holland; Jake Nickell, founder of Threadless and VICE founder and CEO Shane Smith. There will also be installations and concerts with the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Karen O.
I’m speaking on a panel at Etsy Success Sydney* on Saturday, which is part of the Vivid Ideas program. It’s not just for Etsy sellers – anyone with a creative business would benefit from the talks and workshops led by the likes of Frankie editor Jo Walker, PR professional and blogger PottyMouthMama and US Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson.
In celebration of Etsy Success Sydney, I’ll be showcasing my favourite Australian Etsy shops this week on Wee Birdy and shining a light on some of our most talented designer-makers.
First up is the creative duo Cat Rabbit and Isobel Knowles, who have collaborated to produce this rather crafty and clever children’s book, Owl Know How – which is also this week’s birdy pick. I’ve been a long-time fan of Cat Rabbit, whose incredibly imaginative range of felt animals (think hipster rabbits in Jarvis specks and hoodies) and brooches will be featured on Wee Birdy later this week.
In the book, published by Thames & Hudson, Cat Rabbit’s felt owls and rabbits come to life with a problem-solving narrative that weaves its way through a whimsical city made of cardboard. The crafty aesthetic is warm and inviting, and the book comes with a pattern and instructions for children to create their own felt owl. You can buy a hand-signed book from Owl Know How’s Etsy shop, with a bonus gocco-printed bookplate for AU$26.
Their Etsy shop also features a very sweet Owl Know How hankie for $15, as well as some very special limited edition hand-made plush characters from the book – Cornelia Rabbit, Orvi and those inimitable owls.
* My competition for two double-passes to Etsy Success Sydney will be announced later today.
I haven’t done a themed week in a while so I was inspired to run “A week of Modern” on Wee Birdy to celebrate the Sydney launch of Australian Modern magazine.
The timing of the mag, by Chris Osborne Publishing, couldn’t be better. There has never been so much interest in the mid-20th century modernist movement, thanks in part to the popularity of Mad Men which has inevitably influenced fashion and design in recent years.
For instance, Louis Vuitton’s unashamedly feminine Spring Summer 2012 collection featured mid-century silhouettes in a spectrum of ‘50s milkbar hues, Peter Pan collars and exaggerated broderie anglaise. Meanwhile, Christian Dior revisted the glory days of their mid-century New Look with full skirts, cinched-in waists, and a reworking of their iconic bar jacket.
And back to those Mad Men, I know I’m not the only one coveting Don and Megan’s Manhattan apartment featuring an amazing sunken lounge in the latest series (five).
Australian Modern is a welcome addition to the niche magazine market, as it shines a new light on 20th century Australian design and architecture. Apart from its sister publication, Brisbane Modern, the only other magazine catering for mid-century modern enthusiasts was US-based Atomic Ranch.
In the launch issue, Australian Modern delves beyond the obvious and well-known names in Australian design and art history, with features on artist Ludwik Dutkiewicz’s oil paintings, Clement Meadmore’s chairs and Peter Travis’ ceramics.
It also does a fine job in covering mid-century architecture around Australia, from the brutalist Henty house in Launceston to ‘60s suburban modern homes in the Brisbane suburb of Aspley.
Other entertaining stories include a fascinating look at the prevalence of Googie in Australia (oh, how I’d love to go on a Googie-scouting roadtrip) and the impact of mid-century French fashion on the local Australian industry, which rather interestingly reveals just how fashion-forward and innovative David Jones once was, collaborating with the likes of Christian Dior in bringing the New Look to our shores. Perhaps some valid lessons which could be learnt today?
The launch 2012 edition of Australian Modern is on sale now for AU$16. Click here for stockists (around Australia and online).
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