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They might have faces only a mother could love, but that doesn’t stop the waiting list of customers keen for their very own Cotton Monster to cuddle and keep. Baltimore textile artist Jennifer Strunge makes each Cotton Monster by hand from recycled clothes and linen [and without a pattern!] so they’re totally unique in their own ‘special’ way. Check out the photo album on cottonmonster.com to see all the little monsters and their snaggle-toothed friends. |
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You’ll need to be quick to pick up one of these Playing with the Queen of Hearts pendants. Part of a limited edition range from Melbourne jeweller Iggy and lou lou, the pendant is hand made, multi-fired and delicately tied to black grosgrain ribbon. Shop for it at Iggyandloulou.com.au. Want to see more from Iggy and lou lou’s designer, Irene Grishin-Selzer? Visit Craft Victoria from 25 September – 25 October for the exhibition Love You More Than Life. |
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Kidz Kastles by Kalamazoo Kidz are the perfect hideaway for little ones [and they sure beat bed sheets draped over the lounge suite]. Made from 100% cotton in navy, pink or red stripes, they’re easy to dismantle and store away in their own canvas carry bag. Check out the full range here. |
| 4 |
Vintage buttons feature in the new range from Melbourne knitters Sheeps Clothing. They embellish hair clips, open knit wool hats and – our favourite – the button-up scarflette and show good things can come from form over function. Visit http://sheepsclothingknits.blogspot.com for the full range. |
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Fiskars have collaborated with Ink by Steph to launch a range of edgy papercraft products that attract a younger audience. One such product is the Lucky scissors – sporting skulls on the blade, they’re just the thing for customising skinny black jeans and My Chemical Romance t-shirts. They’re available at Spotlight stores nationally. |
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Melbourne designers Jane Barwick and Iris Saar Isaacs exhibited their creative work at London design show Top Drawer earlier this year. Their jewellery label Insyncdesign uses bold geometric shapes to produce original earrings, bangles and brooches. The brooches have been a hit this winter on black or charcoal overcoats. They’re available at Craft Victoria’s shop, Counter. |
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Why just embroider your clothes or soft furnishings when you can do your walls too? That’s the question posed by Montreal jewellery and craft label Nea. It takes vintage embroidery hoops and embroiders them with images, patterns or letters to decorate a bland wall. Clever and crafty! |
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Brisbane’s Australian Library of Art [at the State Library of Queensland] has curated an exhibition that’s sure to inspire. The Freestyle Books: artists’ books from the collection features 60 artists’ books, selected from the library’s collection of over 1,000. They’re not books about art or artists but handmade artworks that use the form of a book, and incorporate many more materials than just paper and ink. |
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We expect our cameras and laptops to be on the go 24/7, so why can’t we do the same with a photo printer? Look no further than Canon’s new fully portable photo printer – the SELPHY CP770 photo bucket. It prints out 6 x 4 inch photos anywhere, any time – making it perfect for creating on-the-spot mementos. |
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Lovers of minimalism and cool, calm interiors will love the newest online retailer on the block. Whiteport offers a range of stylish home furnishings and accessories and, as the name suggests, it’s a colour-free zone. White is well-suited to most homes in a sunny climate, especially city loft apartments and beach homes. Founder Jennifer McCabe found a gap in the online homewares market when she returned to Australia after six years in London, and currently stocks products to fill every room in the house [as photographed by Jennifer in her own home!]. The range includes the recently launched Royal Doulton fragrance range, Egyptian cotton bed linen and French country homewares. |
