I'm yet to own a precious piece of Jonathan Adler's modernist animal ceramics (one day, one day I shall start my collection) but his holiday collection of animal tree ornaments isn't a bad place to start.
Each unglazed white decoration starts at US$24, and is beautifully presented in a blue gift box, making them fantastic presents for those few people on your list who have left you stumped. As well as the squirrel, dachsund and cat (above), there's also a hippo, owl, elephant, poodle and seahorse.
I'm also loving the new pop menagerie ornament collection (see below), featuring a lovely lion with bright splashes of geometric colour, stylised peacock with golden swirls and an elephant adorned with a turquoise paisley design. Each glossy white piece comes in an utterly gorgeous matching gift box and is priced at US$28.
Phew. I'm a bit puffed. We moved into our new place last weekend and I've been trying to conquer the seemingly expanding mountain of boxes (I think they're breeding) while dealing with a 27-week baby bump and an ever-growing list of utterly mad pregnancy maladies.
But I was so delighted to take a break on the weekend and finally delve into some Australian independent design, in the form of the brilliant Finders Keepers market at Eveleigh's CarriageWorks.
It was my first visit to CarriageWorks and my first real foray into Australian independent design since returning from London. And after covering so many design markets in London (including Bust) and seeing the best of UK talent, I wasn't really sure what to expect. After all, when I left Sydney in February 2007, there wasn't an awful lot happening with local design and craft, but the scene has really taken off since then.
And joy, oh joy, Finders Keepers was an absolute treat! I was not only impressed by the high standard of work but also the diverse and beautifully collated line-up of 75 exhibitors, spanning furniture, fashion, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and stationery. The carefully considered mix of designers offered a new surprise at every turn (my head was just about spinning), neatly avoiding the trap of 'samey-ness' that can sometimes plague design markets.
CarriageWorks itself is a wonderfully cavernous and light-filled industrial location to hold a busy Christmas design market on a humid Sydney weekend, complete with an excellent bar and cafe.
Here are some of my Finders Keepers highlights, with more posts to come over the week. Overseas readers can also purchase some great Australian design by clicking on the websites, which link through to contact details, blogs and online stores.
Super-sweet rabbit characters adorn The Storybook Rabbit's collection of vintage plates.
Loved the 'Noice' biscuit tea-towel at Materialistic's stall.
Sophisticated simplicity from Mr & Mrs White's range of homewares and furniture.
Charming handprinted stationery at Write to Me features adorable vintage motifs.
Loving Bride and Wolfe's Scandi-inspired circle wall shelves – perfect for collectables and displaying children's figurines.
Vintage fabric and a whimsical timber panel illustration combine to make a gorgeous and unique handbag at Oktoberdee.
The Missing Piece's handcrafted stools feature beautiful organic design and unexpected pops of colour.
The most splendid pre-loved vintage books have been repurposed as journals, photo albums, diaries and sketchbooks at Rebound Books.
'Scratchie' cards, advent calendars and beautiful graphics at TMOD.
Adorable handcrafted creatures (think pugs, owls and foxes) and whimsical embroidery at Cat Rabbit. (Nice website, too.)
Lox+Savvy's brilliant installation of a paper metropolis and eye-popping collection of stationery.
Finders Keepers markets are bi-annual events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Visit their website (and check out their brilliant blog) for more information about the next event.
Just found some more Christmas stocking (and birdy) joy by way of South-east London design company Roddy & Ginger's range of homewares, bags and prints. Scandi and folksy-inspired birds and owls are hand screen-printed across a collection of the loveliest natural linen homewares, including tea-towels, cushions and Christmas stockings. Beautiful and affordable gift ideas!
Did I tell you that I visited David Jones' Christmas shop last week? (David Jones' is a major Australian department store, kind of like John Lewis in the UK). I know it's unfair to compare DJs to Liberty's magnificent Christmas shop floor, but I couldn't help but be disappointed by the sad and overpriced stock on offer. Who is doing DJ's buying??? And whose great idea was it to hide the Christmas shop in a dim little room at the back of the fourth floor of the men's store? And where's the magic??? Any chance DJ's can entice Yasmin Sewell back to Sydney? She did a superb job at Liberty. Gawd, even I'd put my hand up for the job.
Anyway, it took me all of three minutes to do my rounds of the DJ's Christmas shop (good Christmas shops usually have me lingering in their magical wonderlands for at least half an hour), and it left me kinda cold and uninspired. So I headed back to the safety of my favourite shops online in search of Christmas stockings and found these three beauties:
UK designer Donna Wilson is white-hot at the moment, isn't she? She's featured quite a few times in my gift guides, and her homewares range is spot-in, with genuine hand-made charm, gorgeous colour palettes, and just the right kind of kookiness. Her hand-knitted Christmas stockings, above, are AU$40 from Third Draw Down.
Ahhh yes, you can trust good old Fortnum & Mason to deliver on the luxe goods, with this sumptuous velvet stocking hand-stitched with silver balls and a soft white cuff. It's pricey but it looks it. And it will last forever. £85 from Fortnum & Mason (ships internationally).
Have you seen any other gorgeous stockings? Tell me about them in the comments. Australian readers, what do you think of DJ's Christmas stuff this year?
Are the days of the dodgy family photo card behind us now? I certainly hope so, and these exceptionally charming cards from the Rifle Paper Co prove that you can still go to town with your annual family portrait Christmas card – just with a lot less cheese. Featuring hand-painted portraits in your likeness and lettering by Anna Bond, you can expect a one to two week turnaround for your card.
Some of my favourite wee finds for blokes, including some good blokey present cliches, like socks (but look, they're Happy Socks!), chocolate (but look, it's shaped like a penknife!) and shaving stuff (but look, it's beautiful old school English stuff!). How did I do?
I can't help missing London right now, with all the sparkling Christmas lights, glowing department store windows, mulled wine in little shops, and a sprinkling of snow. I'll especially miss the little traditions I started over three years, like my annual Christmas shop at Fortnum & Mason, where I stocked up on pretty tins of biscuits, Fortnum's potted stilton and special Christmas tea.
So my Advent Calendar pick this year is a very special Fortnum's one, depicting the beautiful facade complete with festive windows and the famous Christmas trees lining the awning. An unfilled calendar is £95, but you can refill it every year with your own treats, like homemade sweets and chocolates. The filled calendar is £125, and is filled with Fortnum's treats including sugar mice, chocolate coins, jelly beans, truffles and Fortnum's chocolates. Pricey for an advent calendar (and I still have a soft spot for the humble cardboard nativity version) but it's a lovely keepsake and souvenir of London.
You might want to 'like' it if you want to stay up to date with my pick of the best sample sales in London and Australia, as well as extra pics and bits of news from me. See you there…
I loved putting together this crafty gift guide – and it's an extra big one because there was so much GOODNESS out there. You'll notice that there's a mix of some of the best Aussie and British designers – some old favourites (can you guess who?), and some new ones, too. What takes your fancy?
In the first of my Sydney shop reviews, I decided to head back to my old stomping ground of Surry Hills, where we lived for three happy years before we moved to London. It’s changed a wee bit since then – most significantly, we can’t afford to live there any more. And like Shoreditch in London, this inner-city suburb has not only ushered in a new class of residents, but a new direction in retail with the likes of posh grocers and upmarket butchers lining Crown Street.
But head down to Cleveland Street and you’ll find a bit of the grit from days gone by, even if the retail scene has vastly improved. In fact, the line-up of unique and eclectic shops, cafes and restaurants call themselves The Cleveland Cluster, and include the likes of David Met Nicole (review coming soon), Dinosaur Designs Extinct and Garden Life.
I couldn’t go past Bird Textile Emporium for my very first Sydney shop review (not with a name like that, anyway). The brainchild of creative director Rachel Bending, Bird produces a range of hand-printed organic fabrics, which have been developed into over fifty product ranges spanning fashion, homewares and craft. The whole business has solid eco credentials with a commitment to sustainable design.
Housed in a heritage-listed former pharmacy dating from the 1890s, the shop is a delightful space and rare example of Sydney’s retail history, featuring old Australian tiles, the original cabinetry and fittings. It’s a fitting platform for Bird’s range of retro-inspired textiles, which are influenced by mid-century Scandinavian and Japanese design.
Fabric is sold by the metre in three different weights, and there is also an in-house upholstery and curtain-making service. The fashion range has been recently pared down to a tidy capsule collection of five classic designs, which are available in a host of fabrics.
But it’s the homewares and crafty ranges that are the main attraction, with made-to-order lampshades (starting at AU$220) amongst the store’s best-sellers. Equally popular is the chook doorstop (AU$75), packets of buttons and fabric remnants at $25 each.
Crafty girls can pick up an organic patchwork kit for $30, and a DIY chook doorstep kit for $35 . Don’t miss the sales catalogue online for updated reductions in fabric, homewares and fashion.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 10am-6pm Saturday 10.30am-5.30pm
Refuel at Tea Parlour Take tea and nibble on dainty scones and sandwiches. Prices are very reasonable, too.
579 Elizabeth St
Redfern NSW 2016
Open Thursday to Sunday 1pm-8pm
Tel. 0414 335 224
