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.
You didn’t think you were going to escape a massive dose of Union Jack love on Wee Birdy this weekend, did you? While the flag is flying high throughout the United Kingdom, luxury fashion brands and niche labels are also embracing the Union Jack in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Here are my top 14 patriotic picks. Which one is your favourite?
You have no idea how PLEASED I am to see that the humble souvenir tea-towel has really come into its own with the Jubilee. As many of you know, I do love a good tea-towel, and some of these designs are most worthy of an IKEA Ribba frame job. Instant art, my dear birdies, instant frameable art! I’ve had so much fun having a good dig around for some of the best on offer. Here are my top 10 finds.
Above: Maiden x Luke James “Photo Finish” Diamond Jubilee Tea Towel, £16.50 from Culture Label.
Etsy shop:Spin Spin. Who: Susan Fitzgerald, a Melbourne-based graphic designer who specialises in textiles. What: Screen-printed fabrics and homewares with a strong design sensibility. Think bold yet simple prints inspired by typography. The pared-back colour palette (often two-toned or contrasting colours) in eco-friendly, water-based ink makes a bold impact on the crisp European linen. Best buys: The two-tone green ‘Tree Towel’; Trees cushion cover and the ‘Akzidenz’ hand-screen printed fabric. How much: A screen-printed card is AU$4, while tea-towels are AU$22. Read more:Susan’s blog and Flickr.
Etsy shop:not Tuesday Who: Sydney-based Rachel Wightman, a former interiors magazine stylist who now “explores her crafty side”. What: Hand-made polymer clay bead necklaces in an array of bold and vivid colour combinations. Best buys:‘Not quite round’ handmade bead necklaces and the ‘Not quite cylinder’ necklaces. How much: Prices start at AU$45 for a necklace. Read more:Rachel’s website.
Etsy shop:Handmade by Kitiya Palaskas Who: Kitiya Palaskas, a craft-based designer from Sydney. What: Playful old-school cut-and-paste zines and colourful accessories. Best buys: Geometric mobiles, macrame plant hangers festooned with pom-poms and Partycraft Zine, which features mini projects and inspiration for the sweetest party decorations.
How much: Prices start at US$4.86 for the ‘Save Room for Cake’ colouring book. Read more:Kitiya’s blog and website.
I’m delighted to announce that the two winners of the Etsy Success Sydney competition are Claire Wright and Emma Lee. Congratulations – you’ve each won a double pass to Etsy Success Sydney valued at $200. I will be in contact with you by email.
p.s. the Sydney Opera House (above) and the Museum of Contemporary Art (below), are just two buildings that have been transformed by incredible light installations for Vivid Sydney 2012. If you’re in Sydney at the moment, head down to the Quay before lights out on June 11.
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.
To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee next weekend, I’ve designed some special Wee Birdy cupcake toppers and cake banners! They’re free to download and print and super-easy to assemble.
Jubilee cupcake toppers
All you need is a colour printer, some cardboard (a cereal box will do or some red or blue cardboard would look great), some scissors or pinking shears, glue and toothpicks.
Print out the free downloadable PDF here* and glue the back of the sheet of cupcake toppers to an A4 piece of cardboard, then cut around each circle. I used pinking shears for a cute finish. Stick a toothpick to the back of each cupcake topper with sticky tape. If you want it to look super-slick, print out another sheet of toppers and glue another topper on the back, covering up the toothpick. Ta-da! How good do they look?
Jubilee cake banner
All you need is a colour printer, some scissors, glue, cardboard and wooden skewers.
Print out the free downloadable PDF here* and glue the back of the banner/s to some cardboard. Cut around the border, making sure you don’t cut over the coloured edge. Stick two skewers on a slight angle to each end of the banner with sticky tape. You’re done – now just pop it in the Victorian Sponge and it’s ready for your Jubilee street party. If you’re having a table of cakes, pop a different design in each cake. They’ll look spectacular. Enjoy!
* The Wee Birdy Jubilee Cupcake Picks and Cake Banners are free downloadable pdfs and are for personal use only. Please feel free to pin, blog or tweet about these free printables, but please link back to www.weebirdy.com and to this actual post’s URL. Please do not link directly to the downloadable file. Thank you.
Another day, another pop-up shop. But this is one that you won’t want to miss – and it’s a Wee Birdy favourite, too. St Jude’s is a British-based company with two studios – one in Norfolk, England and the other in Morayshire, Scotland. Founded by Simon & Angie Lewin, the company collaborates with a variety of artists to design and produce a range of fabrics, wallpapers and other homewares.
I’ve been a long-time admirer of this little gem of a company and when we moved into our new flat in Sydney, I bought a pair of Angie Lewin’s beautiful dandelion print cushions and had them shipped over to remind me of the British countryside.
Many of Angie’s prints feature motifs inspired by nature – blossoms, seeds, berries, leaves, stems and stamens – that are distinctly British in style, and are reminiscent of mid-century designs.
Alongside St Jude’s range of artist-designed cushions, fabrics and wallpapers, Emily Sutton‘s ‘High Street’ series of original paintings will also be exhibited at the pop-up shop in central London, alongside new work by Mark Hearld and Angie Lewin.
Each work portrays a traditional Victorian shopfront with the most exquisite details. Pigeons peck at crumbs outside the bakery and community notices are plastered all over the door of the pet shop. The paintings are available to purchase for £495 each.
And have a look at Emily’s series of birds, which I’ve never had an opportunity to showcase on Wee Birdy before.
These glorious hand-painted and hand-stitched birds were created for a past show, and have long since sold-out. I’m super-pleased to finally feature them here.
St Jude’s in The City 30 Tottenham Street London W1 Nearest tube: Goodge Street Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 11am-6pm until Friday 1 June 2012 daily
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.
