Sooooound + Ooid + Linn Olofsdotter

Today's collection is such a wonderful way to begin the weekend. I'm excited to be showcasing work from both here in NZ and in Australia, and also from good ol' Portland Oregon...check them out...


Sooooound

I was so excited when I discovered the work of Melbourne based illustrator Shuxin Liang of Sooooound. Shuxin pretty much uses all my favourite mediums in her works - collage, watercolours, stitching. letterpress -mmmmmm! I think Shuxin's work is divine!

(images from Sooooound)

NOTES:
visit Shuxin's store
read Shuxin's blog

Ooid

New Zealand based Ooid Design produce a fun range of environmentally conscious products. Ooid are responsible for the ever popular Sprout Bag range. Sprout Bags are more than just an alternative option to using plastic bags, they have printed onto their fronts limited edition artworks from NZ based designers.

"The concept of the project is to give designers a place to showcase their work while at the same time encouraging people to use reusable cloth shopping bags to replace plastic bags."

Ooid also produce this clever wee range of ‘urban tribal affiliation’ badges through the Belong Badge Project. The ‘Urban Bird Watchers Society’, ‘Local Food Enthusiasts’ and ‘Carbon Credit Collector’ badges have real groups attached to them, and information about their blogs can be found in the notes below.

" 'Belong' canvases some pretty hefty issues, but lightens the load a little."

(images and quotes from Ooid)

NOTES:
visit Ooid's website
visit Ooids store
visit the blogs of the Urban Bird Watchers Society, the Local Food Enthusiasts and Carbon Credit Collector

Linn Olofsdotter

It was by chance that I stumbled across Linn Olofsdotter's work. I was actually on the hunt for something else but the 'something else' was quickly forgotten about when I dove deeper into Linn's portfolio.

I was mesmerised from the word go! Have you seen it? You really should take a look - just a warning though - you'll get lost in there!

(images from Linn Olofsdotter)

NOTES:
visit Linn's website
visit Linn's store

Ahhh another weekend! What do you have planned? We have more family, more friends and more food - my favourites! Also, a super special birthday celebration for Miss Isabel who is turning One ♥ I'm so looking forward to it : )

Thanks so much for joining me, I hope you weekend is full of love and laughter (and full bellies too!)

See you Monday for P! xxoo

Thursday Make and Do

♥Create

So, I when I first started thinking about today's post, I was thinking about all the amazing DIY packs you can get at the moment - everything from Knitting Kits to windowsill Herb Gardens. All this thinking about DIY triggered my memory for this great little (well it's now large) range of fantastic DIY packs from NZ based company Seedling.

There is something to be said about taking the time out to create and to do it yourself - whether you are a child, or an adult. I encourage you to make something, anything - may be do some baking, make a card for someone, or start (or finish!) a knitting project. It doesn't matter how big or small, or how long it takes. Create.

If you need some inspiration, have a look at the fabulous Seedling images below that are packaged full of inspiration - or take a trip back through the last 4 Alphabets and find something that takes your fancy... and most of all, have fun!

What started out as four fun Seedling products has now grown into over 50 unique and inspiring kits, ranging from 'Paint your own Russian Dolls' to "The Little Spanish Art Kit'. From this collection of packs has grown a retail outlet and a stockist list that reaches around of the globe...

Aimed mainly at children, the Seedling philosophy is "for a good old-fashioned experience that means time shared, skills gained and something that kids can really dig their teeth into".

From one small seed a mighty tree will grow! enjoy!

(images from Seedling)

NOTES:
visit the Seedling website
read the Seedling blog
contact Seedling for stockists
visit the Seedling store at 297 Ponsonby Road. Auckland. NZ



As I said yesterday I am taking tomorrow off because my lovely husband has taken time off work - yay!!! So make sure you have a wonderful day today and tomorrow, and I'll join you here again on Monday...


See you Monday for A! xxoo

T and U

T & U

Another round of catch up today... my computer is getting sicker and sicker : ( so here I am on Steve's again, attempting to catch up!!

We have some delicious eye candy today... we are starting off with some fab NZ jewellery and then we are going to sink our teeth into a feast of screen printed goodness! - enjoy!

Taprobane Design

The lovely Karen from Taprobane Design emailed me a link to her fab jewellery collection (yay!).

"Taprobane is a quirky new label producing a range of jewellery inspired by childhood memories and translated into elegant pieces, with a contemporary twist."

I am in love with her 'Alphabet Soup' series of individual letters in a serif font! And her 'Wrought Iron' series is simply stunning! - have a look:

(images from Taprobane Design)

NOTES:
visit Karen's website
shop online at Ponoko and Felt

Tikoli

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Beautiful screen printing gets me every time! And Tikoli is no exception.

"Ten unique tea towel designs: fresh, modern and made to mix and match. Now there's no longer a need to keep your kitchen linens in hiding!"

The little blurb on the Tikoli 'About Us' page is great! You should pop over and read it.. while you are there check out the whole collection - it's fantastic!!

(images from Tikoli)

NOTES:
visit the Tikoli website
visit the Tikoli shop
read the Tikoli 'About Us' page

Umbrella Prints

More screen printing goodness! This time from Australian designers Amy Prior and Carly Schwerdt. Umbrella Prints have a wonderful collection of fabric squares and fat fat quarters (fabric larger than a regular sized fat quarter) and an adorable range of flip dolls.

Their prints are modern, vibrant and fun and the colour palette is gorgeous! check it out:

(images from Umbrella Prints)

NOTES:
visit the Umbrella Prints shop
read Amy's blog
read Carly's blog

And there we have T and U... yay!

NEWS....

As you know my computer is dying a slow and painful death : ( this also means I have lost programs like Photoshop as well as files that will take some time to retrieve/ re work... so...At the end of this alphabet (this Friday) I am taking a break. I had been thinking about taking a break over the summer so I get to spend heaps of quality time with my boys, so I am just going to start that break a bit sooner than anticipated.

So, as from this Friday, The Design Alphabet will be on holiday until 2009. I can still be reached via comments and email, so please do still keep in touch!

But no need for good-byes just yet! We've got an alphabet to finish!

- see you tomorrow for V!

n is for......

An eclectic bunch for you today - enjoy!

Norma V. Toraya

I have to be honest, I only discovered 'Crankbunny' yesterday...and Oh My! Norma V. Toraya (the designer behind Crankbunny) is one clever gal!! My soft spot for her amazing puppets meant that I just had to squeeze her into this 'N' post..

"Some things in life are slick, polished and blatantly obvious. But for Norma V. Toraya, who is also known as Crankbunny, these are exactly the things she shies away from. Instead, she's more inclined to explore timeless concepts like subtly, curiosity, texture and awkwardness. Her hand-drawn and computer-animated creations are often described as dark, sometimes noir and always magical."

I love them!! have a look!

(images from Crankbunny)

NOTES:
visit Norma's website
see more of Norma's work
buy from Crankbunny

notNeutral

I have been a fan of notNeutral since I discovered it a couple of years ago. I love the fact that the collection doesn't shy away from bright poppy colours and that it continues to offer a slick, modern and down to earth option for every day home wares, accessories and furniture.

Have a look:

(images from notNeutral)

NOTES:
shop at the notNeutral website
visit notNeutral at: 639 N. Larchmont Blvd. Suite 101. Los Angeles CA 90004
download the notNeutral catalogue

Nut and Bee

Annette Lauder is the designer and creator behind the super cute stationery line Nut and Bee. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Annette's designs are developed from 'Nut and Bee's Sketchbook Sweeties' that are a series of illustrations published three times a week.

Annette also has this really snazzy feature on her website where you can vote to have your favourite 'Sketchbook Sweetie' made into a particular product - cool! take a peek:

(images from Nut and Bee)

NOTES:
visit the Nut and Bee website
read Annette's blog

And there we have it, officially in the middle of our second alphabet set! Time sure is flying by! I hope you are enjoying it so far - feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts, it is always nice to hear from you : )

So... tomorrow??? you guessed it...O! I'm looking forward to it!
have a great day! x