letterpressed calling cards

Business cards for the kiddies! Picture from Bespoke Press

I've always loved the look of letterpressed stationery - there's an old-world feel about receiving an invitation or card with etched patterns. And since my dealings with the lovely Alischa from Bespoke Press, I know why. It's a long, archaic process involving an antique printing press machine from 1893 to make something so beautiful and makes me appreciate the workmanship that goes into it even more. A few weeks ago Alisha graciously offered to make me some mummy calling cards after I blogged about the trend at Mini Meez. She sent me a few designs and I picked my fave, changed a few colours around and the result is above: beautiful and bright calling cards to exchange with potential playmates (for the kids) and their parents (for me). I received them on Wednesday and already used one on Thursday with a new mum we asked to join our mother's group (such the exclusive club it is!!!) Makes a simple and stylish way to give someone your phone number without having to dig through a car-sized bag filled with all sorts of, well, crap, with one arm with a baby on your hip and a toddler hanging off your leg to try and find a pen. Let alone something to write on.

How they arrived. I felt bad ripping the paper! Image from Bespoke Press

I just wanted to thank Alisha so much for my beautiful cards - and want to send you all over to her blog where you can not only see for yourself the step-by-step process of making my cards, but witness her own home renovation, and website to drool over gorgeous wedding packages (invites, menus, table cards) and invitations she's created for clients. The full website will launch soon, but if you're getting married, having a baby or just want to celebrate something in style, Alisha is your girl for gorgeously unique stationery. And too-pretty-to-unwrap packaging!

cute and easy idea

Draw your way to priceless heirlooms. Pics from Lille Lykke

And you thought plain, white modern wardrobes were boring! I've heard of wallpapering them, decal-ing them, covering them in photos and of course painting to jazz them up, but this takes the cake: a whimsical antique princessey armoir drawn on the doors. As odd as this sounds, to look at it, you really only notice the outline. Simple, clever, stylish!

La la lovely

Great idea for a girlie bedroom without the antique price tag, but perfect for little princesses!

EDITED: when did ceiling fans get funky?

Not sure how effective the odd-sized blades are but how sculpturally cool is this? Def one you want to make a statement with! Sycamore $595

I didn't get this memo. I only discovered this while looking around for new ones for our place. I'm incredibly boring and not very rich so won't be going for any of these funkier options, but thought I'd share them cause who knew ceiling fans could be cool (as well as cooling)? All from Beacon Lighting

If the light fitting wasn't so weird looking, I'd get this clear-bladed one. Zephyr $199

Sail away! Avalon, $699

You really can't not see this one can you? Fijian, $269

Very industrial - reminds me of an aeroplane propellor! Industrie II, $295

On this topic, my hubby wants a Balinese-ish wooden fan with light for our living room but the more modern chrome with light for the other rooms. I don't want ANY really, but know we need them. He had a good point: I'm in winter mode so am forgetting how stifling hot it gets in our house in the warmer months. Still doesn't make me want to rush out and buy them though (except for the fact, we want to get them all installed and done before our builder comes back to rip out another wall).

The one we'll probably go with: Futura Lucci, $199

I'm all for mixing things up, but not convinced a different style fan in the living room that will probably draw attention to itself is something I want to do. Especially when we'll be getting a very modern kitchen and flash open-plan dining space that will open up the entire room with a few sleeker light fittings etc. Am worried a chunky wooden style fan will then look out of place. Any thoughts? Am all ears...

[EDIT] PS: Lovely Cstar from Hydrangea Blue just posted a guide to buying ceiling fans which is hugely helpful if you're looking to upgrade or install for the first time.

PPS: Yes I changed my banner again. Bear with my sad attempts at jazzing it up. Despite the fact I work amongst brilliant (and incredibly busy) designers I have no graphic design experience myself, no proper program at home and no real talent. So Renae if you're reading this, I'm still counting on you to make me look nice! If you ever get a spare second... x

odd inspiration: charlie and lola

Is it just me? Or is this somehow inspiring to you too?

Is it weird to be inspired by a children's book? Cause I totally am. I was just about to turn off the TV after Playschool the other day (that Zak was watching, not me. Well not just me), but then these little characters with adorable British accents popped onto the screen and I had to see what it was. Turns out it's my new favourite TV show: Charlie and Lola. They're hilarious and cute and I actually made Zak watch it before I got him dressed cause I was a little bit enthralled. It's like Bridget Jones for kids. But while he liked the actual show and characters, I was more interested in the very cool sets. Which is quite bizarre because the show is illustrated (aside from a few paper and fabric swatches incorporated very mixed-media-like). For some reason, the child-like drawings of funky white furniture against colourful, printed backdrops really appeals. And while I'm not exactly going to redecorate with cardboard furniture to get the look myself, I do have some new ideas for the kids' playroom when it's time to decorate. And I actually think parts of this "look" could look quite cool in the right home.

Cool chair, cool wallpaper - what's not to love?

I guess I'm not the only one: Domino once featured the house of one of its contributors, Rita Konig, and I remember the funky cardboard fireplace she had in her living room that her mother had commissioned by a set designer.

Rita Konig's cardboard fireplace as seen in Domino. Pic courtesy The Peak of Chic

I also found on The Peak of Chic's blog (while looking for said fireplace!) the cover of this book, below, that features a faux mirror, table legs, lamp shade and possibly wall mouldings. In fact, they did such a good job, it's hard to tell what's real and what's fake!

What's real, what's not? Pic from The Peak of Chic

And Jen from Made By Girl posted some pics of a house the other day that features a similar vibe: bold white animated wall sconces on a bold wallpapered wall.

Wall sconces in Pamela Bell's home. Pic courtesy of Made By Girl

I think this look would be perfect for store windows and fittings, kids rooms and for a humourous talking point in a living room. And if you're no good at painting or can't find the right piece, there will be a wall decal to help you out! Like this chandelier from Luka or hall stand from Lola et moi. To really give the decal a bit of punch, stick disguised scones on the wall with real candles and hooks for real coats. Cute? Or naff?

Chandelier wall sticker, $34.99, Luka

Hanger wall vinyl, $155, Lola et moi

On the subject of Charlie and Lola, you must, must check out their fab website and that of their creator, Lauren Child. I'm 31 years old and was colouring in, playing the games and watching the clips. But it's also a brilliant site for the kids old enough to navigate a computer (so, what, 2 these days?!). The books are also being sold at Kmart. I've started the collection for Zak - he thinks it's about Layla, not Lola! Ha!

attention wallpaper commitment-phobes...

Velvet feature panel decal, $60, The Wall Sticker Company

...this one is for you: decal wallpaper! The Wall Sticker Company have come up with this ingenious idea. In panels of 1 metre long by 63cm wide, it makes a pretty feature panel that can be removed so easily when you tire of it, would rather it on another wall or wished it was 10 centimetres to the left of where it currently is! At the moment it's only available in this pattern above, but hopefully it'll take off and they'll come up with more varieties. Each panel is $60. Check it out here

EDIT: Have just heard from Fiona from The Wall Sticker Company who wanted to let me know this cool wallpaper panel is available in a STACK of colours and also custom design - so if there is a particular design you want, they can do it for you. How very awesome!

top trend: deer antlers

Freedom's antler chandelier, $399: hot or not?

I've suddenly noticed a whole heap of deers and and their antlers used in decor at the moment. In fact, I even have some in my house - artwork, flat-pack wood deer head... But the real trend is in the antler lamps and chandeliers. Freedom have jumped on the bandwagon and have no less than three versions of antler lighting.

Freedom's antler table lamp, $169. A floor lamp and pack of two antler decorations ($89) are also available.

I personally quite like the sculptural element of them and the fact they're not REAL antlers (well, I really hope so anyway), but wonder if they'd overpower a room a little too much. What I do like, is how random (again, hopefully fake) antlers as decoration have sprung up, replacing driftwood as the coffee-table nature display of choice.

Antler, $85, from Cotton Love

I've considered buying a nice white one like the one above to pop against the brown wall in my living room. But my question is: would this, along with a real cow hide (which should be arriving any day) and numerous animal-print fabrics throughout my house and, um, deer stuff as mentioned above make me look like a crazy wildlife hunter? Or do I already look like one? Because I most certainly am not one of those... I just happen to like these items from nature in a home environment. And aside from the hide - which, well, let's just say will come from a multi-purpose cow - none are real. But I'm curious, what do you think about these animal trends that keep popping up?

Sweet tweet

Hanging steel bird, $36, Nomades at www.realshopping.com.au

In case you've been living in a cave somewhere with no magazine and internet access, just thought I'd let you know bird motifs are huge. They're everywhere! I'm not sure why or what started this particular trend, but from fabric to wallpaper to stationery to shop emblems to store windows to blog logos and way beyond, little tweeties and their woody homes are adorning everything.

Anthropologie store window. Pic from A Design Affair

Look! A trend within a trend: wallpaper-covered birdhouses by Osborne & Little (and Anthropologie, above)

I thought this was one trend I'd managed to bypass, but a quick look around my home discovered in the past two years I've bought notepaper with bird motifs, an address book covered in sparrow silhouettes and have stuck little paper doves on my son's bedroom wall. I also own a bird necklace and have often carried a little wooden birdcage to the counter at my local store but put it back because I can think of many other ways to spend that $50.
But then last week our builder's wife found a real bird's nest knocked out of a tree across the street and being attacked by magpies (the same week I saw a spider wrap an ant up in its web and kill a fly - the Discovery Channel had come alive in our place!) Not sure what to do, she shooed the maggies away and rescued it - complete with one poor little cracked egg - to show Zak. In the day I left it on our porch that poor little egg was been smashed to oblivion by other birds, but I thought the nest was worth keeping so here is my take on the bird trend - and yes, I had to add a little bird to it of some kind, so I cut a bird shape out of pretty paper and stuck it on the wall!!

Tweet tweet!

Any ideas of what to do with the actual nest? I don't know if I should put anything in it or leave it bare. Nice spot for the Easter Bunny to leave a yummy chocolate egg though don't you think?!