Black Swan Designs

Hi there,


My wee guy is still under the weather and is in need of lots of cuddles and company... so I'm going to jump right in... will you join me?


Black Swan Designs


Mel Blowes graduated from Christchurch (NZ) Polytech with a Bachelor of Design, she also carries a couple of certificates that acknowledge her talent as a photographer. Mel obviously has an eye for composition and this, along with her impeccable attention to detail is showcased beautifully in her own label - Black Swan Designs.


I have chosen to share some of Mel's pendants here today, but make sure you jump over to her website to check out her whole collection...

(images from Black Swan Designs)

NOTES:
visit Mel's website
visit Mel's store here and here
read Mel's blog

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Have a great day!

See you tomorrow! xxoo

Wood and Wool Stool

Hi there!

It's been a couple of days I know! Things have been hectic! I havent stopped thinking about this wee alphabet though and have been wanting to find the time to finish it off in a manner in which it deserves... finally, I have a moment to share these last four letters of alphabet*eight... let's go!

Wood and Wool Stool

This is another great discovery by the lovely Deborah over at Kickcan and Conkers. I followed Deborah's advise and visited Ingrid Jansen's Wood and Wool Stool website and blog - and oh me, oh my, Ingrid is one clever gal!

I have always loved crochet, we used to stock gorgeous crochet by Anne Claire Petit in our store - love! The day I find a perfect vintage granny square blanket I will march it directly to the end of one of my boys beds!

Ingrid's vibrant colour choices and her effortless combination of traditional crochet with rustic wood, bring together to a collection that is both welcoming and beautiful - you should check it out...

(images from Wood and Wool Stool)

NOTES:
visit Ingrid's website
visit Ingrid's store
read Ingrid's blog

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So, given that is is already Friday and we still have 3 letters to go, I'll get them out next all in one go - are you ready?? come back soon to check out X, Y and Z!

xxoo

Warpe Design + Roma Winkel + Wren Handmade

Hello!

Welcome to W : )

We only have a couple more days left in this alphabet... alphabet*eight is already shaping up to being a bumper edition... I think approx 700 different artists, crafters and bloggers have graced the pages of these alphabets of ours - seven hundred! I am still finding more and more to include, and as always I am in awe...

Shall we add a few more to our collection? Let's go!


Warpe Design

It is often the simplest things that can be the most beautiful. These hand punched cards and shades from Warpe Design are a combination of simplicity, skill and beauty....don't you want to run your fingertips over them and feel their texture?

"The hand punched holes appear flat and decorative when held up directly to light, but they transform into a low level bas relief when tilted revealing their textural, embossed edges. It asks to be played with, admired from all angles."

(images and quote from Warpe Design)

NOTES:
visit the Warpe Design store
read the Warpe Design blog


Roma Winkel

If you have been reading these alphabets for a while you will know about my Softie love - It's been a while since I wrote about them huh? Well this Softie love combined with my new "I want to do printing" obsession pretty much gets summed up as these gorgeous creatures from the talented Roxy Marj - aren't they fab?

Roxy doesn't just print softies, her Roma Winkel store is full of all sorts of goodness, you should check it out : )

(images from Roxy Marj)

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

Wonderland....

I really wanted to include the Wren Handmade blog in our wonderland today. I have written about the wonderful work of Laura Normandin before, she's super talented and it seems she can turn her hand to almost anything...

Laura's blog is an inspirational insight into her daily makings and doings. I find it really fascinating to see the work processes and creative spaces of different artists and crafters, and the Wren Handmade definitely hits the spot.

Make a cuppa and go visiting...

(image from Wren Handmade)

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I hope you find some inspiration here today...will you join me again tomorrow for X and Y?

See you soon! xxoo

Scott Waterman + Kim Westad + Bride and Wolfe

W is for Wow it's Wednesday! Already the middle of the week! I am in the process of finalising next weeks content as we will be in our 'between alphabets' week. - and then it will be head long into Alphabet6 - can you believe it? I know, I know, I say "can you believe it" at the beginning and end of every Alphabet, but I do still find it super (actually super-duper!) exciting that the Alphabets keep rolling through : )

Enough excited rambling! Let's get this 'W' underway!

Scott Waterman

Scott Waterman emailed me a couple of weeks ago to introduce me to his portfolio of work. I tell you, I spent a very, very long time over at his flickr site, and immediately added him to our 'W' catalogue. - thanks Scott!

It took me quite a long time to choose which images to show you. I always think it is fun (and inspiring) to see where artists create their work - and the opportunity to see works in progress. Scott has an extensive collection of studio photographs, and I have chosen to share a snippet of these with you today. I do suggest you jump over and take a look at the whole collection.

(NB: these images below are from a collection dated 2006. See the Notes below for links to these and more recent works.)

(images from Scott Waterman)

NOTES:
visit Scott's website here and here
visit Scott's flickr site

Kim Westad

Starting her creative career as a Graphic Designer, Kim Westad found herself longing for a different creative outlet. After a friend suggested taking a pottery workshop, Kim realised that working with clay filled the creative void she had been feeling in her life. She threw in her day job, and devoted all her time and attention to ceramics.

Kim's, strong beautiful and textural pieces are testament to her formal art training -

"the human body, nature and modern industrial design and architecture all have an impact on my work...

Form is the most important aspect of my pieces which I augment by manipulating fluid lines and curves to enhance the beauty and function of each piece.
It is important to me that people enjoy handling and using my vessels as much as viewing them, so each pieces is built to be aesthetically and tactically pleasing."

(images and quote from Kim Westad)

NOTES:
visit Kim's website
visit Kim's store here and here

Bride and Wolfe

Bride and Wolfe designer and founder Miranda Moreira creates these gorgeous hand crafted silhouettes in her garden studio. Miranda returned to Australia from a six year stint in France inspired by a tiny timber Hansel and Gretel silhouette she spotted behind a shop counter in Paris.

That fairy tale imagery had stayed with her and became the cornerstone of what has become Miranda's Melbourne based business Bride and Wolfe.

"Bride&Wolfe pieces are inspired by Chinese paper cutting, fossicked embroidery and fabrics, European folklore, and vintage Disney films. These influences are the touchstones for modern, resonant designs that evoke fairytales, forests and the magic of childhood."

(images and quote from Bride and Wolfe)

NOTES:
visit Miranda's website
visit Miranda's store

Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope your day is wonderful!

See you tomorrow! xxoo

W onderful!

Posting today has been a bit disrupted.. do you want to know why???

When I was younger, in my early to late teens, I painted constantly, all day, every day. I stopped when I was about 25. I don't know why, I just didn't feel inclined, everything got more serious, relationships, money, needing a job. Luckily I always had pretty creative and social jobs so maybe I got my fix there. Since having children I have dabbled a bit here and there, but nothing ever got my juices flowing, you know got me into that space where I wanted to paint and paint and paint. This blog has definitely lit a few candles to warm my need to be creative... and then I discovered Amy Walsh. I don't know what it is about her work but I tell you.. a fire has been lit! Maybe it is all the inspirational people I come across here that have built up inside me and Amy's work was the key to opening the floodgates! who knows! it's pretty damn exciting though! - maybe I'll show it to you sometime : )

Let's get this W underway...

Amy Walsh

So as you know from reading above, I am loving the work of Amy Walsh. The collection I am showcasing below is from her City ("definitely veering off into rural territory") Collage and City Drops series. Using found stationery - like a milkman's journal or an electrician's notebook, with strong organic shapes, hints of pencil typography and a nice addition of found goodness like heavily embossed wallpaper and old street maps, combine to make these collections of Amy's an example of meticulous craftsmanship and they're beautiful to boot!

These two series are just a (very) small glimpse into Amy's work. Do pop over to her store and blog to check out the rest of her collection.

"If it involves cutting, pasting, painting, collecting, organizing, hoarding, glueing, arranging, obsessing, tasting, listening, pilfering, filling, pouring, resisting, protesting, tearing, sewing, pretending, peeking, hiding, or constructing altered realities, I'm into it."

(images from Amy Walsh)

NOTES:
visit Amy's store
read Amy's blog
see more of Amy's work on flickr

Wilkintie

There's alot of love around toady, because I am LOVIN' Wilkintie and the whole Wilkintie philosophy...what is Wilkintie I hear you say?? Well, here's the lowdown...

Wilkintie is a project by Carly Hargreaves and Niels Oeltjen. Inspired by the illustration they came into contact with as children, Carly and Niels commission top notch illustrators to contribute works to the Wilkintie Project. The artists on board are pretty impressive, and include Tim Biskup who I first wrote about here, and Klaus Haapaniemi a super talented Finnish artist - just to name two!

Carly and Niels have a fantastic business philosophy, paying both suppliers and artists fairly and they're also committed to producing quality works for a fair price - three cheers for that!

Oh and you can purchase work by subscription too!!

Here's a glimpse:

(images from Wilkintie)

NOTES:
visit Niels and Carly's website
visit Niels and Carly's stores here and here

Orange Willow

Wendy Owens is an exceptional artist. The works she has in her Orange Willow store are bold, and beautiful. Wendy Owens is also an exceptional mother. The birth of Wendy's second daughter Penelope in March this year has resulted in not only a beautiful baby girl but a large medical bill.

Wendy is using her Orange Willow store to generate income to pay for the hospital fees. All of Wendy's prints are heavily reduced, allowing her to pay for her bills while continuing to create artworks that we all love.

So here's your chance. Fabulous Art, for a good price and a great cause! enjoy...

(images from Orange Willow)

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

W really was W-onderful! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. I'm looking forward to tomorrow too!

See you then for X and Y! xxoo