+ Otto & Elisabeth Dunker

Hideehi!

I hope the end of the week is shaping up nicely for you. I'm looking forward to sliding into the weekend not too stressed and hopefully with an outfit for my brothers wedding! I am also on a mission to make 21 tissue pompoms for wedding decorations : )

Something fun and inspiring to share with you today - ready?

Otto and Elisabeth Dunker

Are you familiar Elisabeth Dunker's (from Studio Violet fame) blog Fine Little Day? At the beginning of this week on Elisabeth's blog she announced a new side-kick - finelittleday.com...

"Fine Little Day is a multidisciplinary art and design platform and brand.Sprawling, impulsive and inconsistent. It is not faithful to any single line and does not have the ambition to be cohesive or even well thought through.

Fine Little Day specializes in playful creating based on pleasure and joy.The main goal is to work with interesting and stimulating tasks. To produce happy and environment-friendly products, work shops and lectures for both adults and children. Our desire is to be kind, friendly and of course to have fun on the journey. The aim is also to have collaborations with creators of various kinds."

What is super duper cool about Elisabeth's first collaboration is that it is with her 8 year old son Otto. Otto (just like his mama) is super talented and has created two wallpapers for Elisabeth's .com store. How cool is that!?

Take a peek:

(images and quote from Fine Little Day)

NOTES:
visit Elisabeth's .com
read Elisabeth's blog
visit Elisabeth's store
Think you might like to try your hand at wallpaper design? visit photowall.eu

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Happy Thursday!

See you tomorrow! xxoo

+ Debra M Smith

Hi!

Here we are at Thursday, sliding towards the end of the week already! How has your week shaped up so far? I do hope it is coming together nicely for you.

Shall we get going?

Debra M Smith

Debra M Smith's name has been written in my catalogue for a while now - and looking through her portfolio I have to question why I haven't shared her work with you earlier... I really have no answer, except that I am really glad to be sharing it with you now.

Debra's work consists of a variety of vintage fabrics that are cut and sewn back together in a somewhat haphazard, yet beautiful way. Each piece comes together to form a striking collection of works. Debra's pieces fondly remind me of what the land looks like when I fly into my hometown - patchworks of paddocks, roads, rivers and ponds, the square roofs of the farm houses and the odd blue rectangular pool. It is a sight that takes my breath away every time I see it.

"I am not a poet or someone who draws, but I feel that my use of vintage textiles as a medium brings a history, a weight, a poetry to the work before I even begin to cut, sew, and piece the work back together. Allowing the work to intuitively flow through me I do feel the end result is similar to a drawing or poetry."

(images and quote from Debra M Smith)


NOTES:
visit Debra's website

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Thanks so much for joining me today, it's a pleasure having you drop by : )

Have a wonderful Thursday!

See you tomorrow xxoo

Melissa Dixson + Danielle Thompson

Hello, welcome to D!

let's jump right in!

Melissa Dixson

I thought I'd showcase something a little different today...

I have a special person in my life who is turning 6 in February - She LOVES animals, wants to be a vet when she grows up and is the only person I know who can sit at the rock pools for hours on end trying to catch one of those impossible-to-catch teeny tiny fish (patiently using a zip-lock sandwich bag no less!). She has no qualms about life or death, is pretty straight up about putting animals to sleep when she's a vet, and even though I know she would do her best to save a wee critter and to prolong it's life, I know she would love, love, love the work of Melissa Dixson.

"I am beginning to explore the possibilities of taxidermy as the "ultimate" trophy, whether it be the spoils of the hunter, or the spoils of merely having reached a certain level of power or accomplishment. Art, in itself, is a trophy. In the context of my work, nature becomes art, and therefore, trophy."

I did actually look for a taxidermied gift for my friend, but this type of art is a bit beyond the six year old birthday budget...

have a look, I think they're beautiful!

(images and quote from Melissa Dixson)

NOTES:
visit Melissa's website
visit Melissa's store

**Please note that just like The Design Alphabet, Melissa is an avid animal lover. She only uses animals harvested as nuisances due to overpopulation, (which prevents disease and starvation), stillborn animals that never had a chance at life, and animals harvested for meat by hunters who have donated the hides. For full details please visit Melissa's website.


Danielle Thompson

Did you see these these gorgeous images on Design*Sponge on Christmas Eve? As soon as I saw them I went on a hunt to find out more about photographer Danielle Thompson. Oh My! Where do I begin?

Well firstly, Danielle is a talented photographer... Her flickr site is brimming with beautiful images (I've selected a few to share with you here). She's also a super talented crafter, she writes an amazing blog, runs two fun stores (TinyBazaar and Kitschy Digitals Goods) that sell her own fantastic products. She has a blog that also sells 'KitschyDigitals' (you should check it out, there are some gorgeous vintage photo surrounds), and then there's her other store 'I play with Dolls' where she sells her own printed t-shirts. Oh, and she lists her occupation as 'Part time Graphic Designer'.

I have no idea when this lady finds time to eat!!

(images from Danielle Thompson)

NOTES:
visit Danielle's Thompson Family blog
visit Danielle's flickr site
visit Danielle's TinyBazaar store
visit Danielle's Kitschy Digitals Goods store
visit Danielle's KitschyDigitals blog
visit Danielle's I play with Dolls store

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We've got a pretty full day planned today...I'm looking forward to it!

Have a great day! xxoo

Double Parlour + Dadaya + Darling Clementine

Hey.

How's the middle of the week treating you? Well I hope.

There is a really nice mix of goodies to share today - and a minimum of printed items too : ) - not that I don't have printing on the brain, I do! but we all need a bit of variety in our lives right? - And I'm sure you'll all appreciate not being overdosed in printed loveliness... ready?

Double Parlour

Ernesto and Cassandra Velasco are the creative dynamic duo behind the fab Double Parlour collection. Based in San Fransisco, Ernesto and Cassandra work independently and collaboratively and together they create a gorgeous collection of prints, sculptures, original paintings and t-shirts.

I am in love with their little polymer sculptures, and this first one below 'Lydie' is just divine!

(images from Double Parlour)

NOTES:
visit Ernesto and Cassandra's store

Dadaya

I don't know why I haven't written about

Dadaya before, it has long been included in my resource list, but for some reason it keeps missing the boat each time the alphabet sails past.

Maybe it is because I was waiting for mittens! I know it is nearly summer here, but I can't go past these fabulous mittens that I spotted recently in the Dadaya store....look!

(Oh, that cute wee number pictured 4th below? That's a beret : )

(images from Dadaya)

NOTES:
visit the Dadaya store

Oh Darling!

"What started as place to share personal projects and thoughts has turned into a daily source of inspiration for style, decor, and design.

Whitney Deal, the voice behind Darling Dexter has trained and worked as a graphic designer, helps run the family photography business with her hub, and is gradually developing a small fashion line.

Darling Dexter is a place to share what excites her in the design community and continues to serve as showcase for personal projects. "

(image and quote from Darling Dexter)

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Well here we are heading to the end of another week...here's hoping the week continues on the happy path it's on at the moment : )

Have a wonderful day!

See you tomorrow for E! xxoo

Mike Dutton + Dana Robson + Design Crush

Hello : )

Sorry it's been a bit slow to get underway today, I have been visiting with a friend and her brand new baby boy...I have been waiting for the right moment to meet him, and today was the day! - He is so beautiful and I am very much looking forward to watching him grow...

Watching babes sleeping does not get alphabets up and ready to roll, but it will be worth the wait - promise!

let's get started...


Mike Dutton

I mentioned yesterday about looking for art that boys (and their parents) would love...I was thinking about Christmas presents and was hoping that I would find an artist who's works would stretch across a variety of age groups...Mike Dutton's work does just that.

Check out his cutie-pie critters and then his more edgy hot air balloon and pig piloted flying machine - perfect don't you think? If you like what you see below you will love the body of work on his website - go check it out!

(images from Mike Dutton)

NOTES:
visit Mike's website
visit Mike's store


Dana Robson

I mentioned back in alphabet*six's letter V that I have a soft spot for typography and maps... Ooh-la-la! have you seen the gorgeous embroidery work from Dana Robson??

This series of work melts my heart - mapping and hand embroidery... I think that would pretty much be my favourite combination ever!!

"Nature is filled with tiny things that can have a big impact: tiny creatures digging in the dirt, tiny moments in time that can change your life, a tiny gesture that stays in your heart forever. While science gives us the mechanism of memory, our nature gives us the desire to hold certain memories close… and all too often, gives us the desire to forget.

Drawing with thread, Dana asks questions about how our memories evolve over time, spotlighting the search for real connections to others and the drive for every creature to find its place in the world."

(images and quote from Dana Robson)

NOTES:
visit Dana's website
visit Dana's store

Design Crush is a new find for me...but it is oh, such a goodie!

Design Crush beautifully combines all my favourite things - gorgeous goodies, beautiful photography, fabulous food and give-aways!! What more could you want?

I totally recommend you add it to your favourites, I know that it will definitely be a regular stop-over for me - enjoy!

(image from Design Crush)

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And there we have 'D'... I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you : )

Have a wonderful day! see you tomorrow for E! xxoo