29. Dezember 2009

10. Dezember 2009

:: Thursday trash

I know that I skipped last weeks thursday trash post but I'm busy producing for Holyshit. It's my last market for this season. So I hope to post very extensively next week.
And now back to the production line.


Paint by numbers at Quatrefleur

8. Dezember 2009

:: Christmas shopping week

Christmas shopping tour de force this week! It started with Trendmafia last weekend and will continue next weekend at Holyshit Christmas Shopping. So I'm busy working at my little factory again. The pillows and the mushroom pins were quite a success. I also made some handmade rubber stamps and used them for notebooks.

4. Dezember 2009

:: Ready to hit the stalls

In the mood for some decent christmas shopping and fine Glühwein?
Visit me tomorrow and on sunday, 5. + 6. 12. at Trendmafia in Brunnenstr.68/Berlin.

Everyone coming and quoting my blog will get a surprise!

Or pop by next weekend, 12. + 13.12. at Holyshit Christmas Shopping at Postbahnhof/Berlin.
Click on the banner on the right side for more information.

26. November 2009

:: Paper Snowflakes II

From Peppersprouts (via Poppytalk). Not made of paper but out of acrylic. It kills me.

:: Totally lost


Today I actually wanted to spend not much time in the internet but Cafe Cartolina drew my breath away. I forget about time, about doing the laundry, about everything. Very spectacular findings. Not to mention the fabulous stationary they design. They are very unique and unseen. I'm a sucker for such things.
Until sunday is a great giveaway of the christmas cards. Visit and dance!

:: Trash Thursday

A window I walked by on the way to one of my favourite flower shops. They held their annual christmas flower show last weekend which is always a hit and quite a tradition. Although it was quite mild - about 14° - I had my first Glühwein.

25. November 2009

:: I love a good beard

Surprisingly mustaches in all kinds and forms are very popular. To commemorate men finest hairy parts I came up with this little pillow. I know we see them on mugs and nearly everywhere else but I had to eternalize them in a way. The truth is, I like a good beard.





From Modcloth



From 3 Lambs Graphics





20. November 2009

:: Chic & cheap: paper snowflakes


This year I was looking for some simple chic windows decorations. Cut paper snowflakes seem to be perfect if you don't want to buy new decorations but also want something new. As a child we used to cut these stars at kindergarden. You can use golden and silver foil as well.
Here's a little pic and DIY from Jelene.

Christmas decoration is always a challenge. Of course you can buy a whole deco concept but I think especially for christmas you have to make something on your own. It's the season to be crafty. And it's cheap.

19. November 2009

:: Thursday trash

OMG, I'm sitting here - after 5 hours stitching - surfing through the net and searching ebay for a folkloristic jacket when I found at Creature Comforts these pics by Dottie Angel reminding me of my thursday trash column. I know it's late, thursday is almost over here at Berlin but I was so absorbed in doing some research for my christmas decoration that I nearly forgot. Tomorrow more about a simple but very decorative window deco DIY. And about my moustache project.

18. November 2009

:: Presents from Bejing

Look what I found in my post box today: fabrics to die for and some nice buttons. So little things to brighten up a grey november day.



16. November 2009

:: Collections: Messy or artsy?



By C. Engman
As I was rethinking my interior habit it suddenly dawned on me: I intensely like collections and collecting. My latest collection are white porcelain animal figures.



Here are a list of things I used to collect: art postcards, fabrics (still active), ribbons, patterned paper, buttons, Royal Family mugs (still active), books (still active), white porcelain firgures (still active), cooking books (still active), hats, vintage vest (sadly I gave them away. Bought them in Oxford, they were a bit uncomfortable for my curvy figure but lovely. Some could be worn on two sides), coloured bottles, everything with birds on (still active)...and quite new: zakka and all things japanese where I can get a hand on.

From NYT

By minimega

This nice collection is from
Minimega . Little things and schnickschnack you really don't need. But just for the absurd and the cuteness of it they are essentially collectable. They are all from kiosk, supplier of rare things and bric a brac from around the world. Warning: you might get addicted.

12. November 2009

:: Trash thursday

Wow, that it easy. Just find a running theme and post a picture. It's a bit lame. But I'm running behind time with my production. So I try hard to squeeze some blogging in.
Anyway, I like to post a bit about christmas windows at large departement stores. Most famous are of course the Bloomingdales windows. In Germany they are not as elaborated as abroad. The Kadewe in Berlin and Breuninger at Stuttgart do the best...as far as I'm informed. So I keep my eyes open for spectacular christmas decorations.



From The best things


Salt and pepper from Happy about nothing

11. November 2009

:: New cards



I'm getting ready for the two markets I have in december. So here's a glimpe of my Holiday Card Collection. The colour framed cards will be also available in red and green but I also like the light blue with the red. This will be my color theme for the holiday I guess.

9. November 2009

:: November 9, 1989 / 1938

I won't get to political but in Germany there's remembrance day today. The 9th of november captures two crucial dates in german history: the Reichsprogromnacht in 1938 where systematically all jewish synagogues and shops were destroyed by Nazis and the fall of the Berliner Wall in 1989, a peaceful revolution against the didactorial GDR/DDR. I can only recommend watching the breathtaking movie "The lives of others" to get an idea how the regime worked and destroyed their own people. It also won an Academy Award for best foreign language film in 2007.

Imagesoure

5. November 2009

:: Trash Thursday

Voilá: introducing Trash Thursday. Every thursday will now be dedicated for a bit of trash. This is a tricky one because I adore trash. Recently I also had a short conversation about Kitsch vs. Trash. Kitsch is for me Hello Kitty, angles, stuffed animals that you win at a Kirmes (fairground attraction) and Dallas, things with a childish vibe. I feel Trash more grown up, with an attitude. What to you think?


From The Nine Stories

4. November 2009

:: I'm the great pretender (II)


If I would live in NYC I would visit Moomah every day

How young are you? Moomah in NYC is a creative neighborhood cafe, an art school for kids, a cozy hideaway for cold afternoons (first snow in Berlin today!): a favourite cafe.
It has a great emphasis on kids. The locations is sort of a living classroom, there are art classes and they serve great organic food. Everything has a very holistic lifestyle philosophy and they would like to encourage adults and kids to spend more time together, to slow down and to take time just for wondering and musing.
Check out their website. Awesome grafics.

Photos from Moomah
Via Cup of Jo

3. November 2009

:: Etsy Shopping



Fritzi aka the Serious Stinkmaker and I are feeling a bit ill lately. I catched a running nose and a staccato cough that every professional smoker would be envious of. Fritzi is already in hibernation. He sleeps a lot but eats very little. So to cheer us up, I ordered some zakka at etsy. I discovered Stefanie Style. She has the loveliest selection of fabric and trims.

30. Oktober 2009

:: Best cover ever

Ideas, wishes, thoughts, dreams, musings - even the littlest thought deserves to live in a nice place. This book looks perfect for this occasion.

From Liberty

:: Wrapping Week: eys's delight II


How clever is that. Tissues boxes not famous for being decorative and now look at this nice idea.

Giving sox as a gift will never be an embarrassing situation with this sophisticated packaging.

I always liked supermarkt shopping at Migros in Switzerland. They have absolutely beautiful designs. The older ones even had a charming retro appeal. The new ones as the one above are simple and very high end. Would even turn a vegetarian to buy a slice of meat.
The products are quite cheap. The whole of Switzerland shops there. It can be compared to Aldi in Germany. But compared with the package design of Migros Aldi is a shame.



No comment. Just perfect.



The japanese just know what they are doing very very well.

All photos from Lovely Packages

29. Oktober 2009

:: Selected wrappings: eye's delight

Food packaging is perfect for field studies in packing and wrapping. I'm always drawn to products that come in a unexpected packaging, extraordinary colours and with nice illustration.

Seed sticks from Cox and Cox.




Jamie Oliver food collection


A warm wrapping for candles.


Eggshats from Heidi Burton


:: Heavy production ahead


Today I just received the conformation that I will be presenting Eden at Holyshit Designer Market in Berlin! Hooray!

27. Oktober 2009

:: Wrapping Week

Christmas is officially 58 sleeps away and I think it's legal to speak now about the most creative aspect of the holidays: wrapping and packging. So this is wrapping week. And it will be all about nicely designed boxes, bottles, tins, industrial design and eco packaging.

I like to start with furoshiki, the traditional japanese art of gift wrapping.
Unsurprisingly in Japan everything centers on the presentation. Just think of sushi. So this is a clever, eco friendly and aesthetic gift-giving experience for both, the giver and the recipient.
Read more here.


This handprinted furoshiki is by Persimon and Pine.They also have a etsy shop.

24. Oktober 2009

:: Happy Sunday

Perfect and cosy to spend the sunday in bed with books. Or dreams (Picture from NYT).

:: Newbies


Now I own one of the magical turn arounder this delicate mushroom embroidery can be turned easily into a little brooch.