Based in Amsterdam, with roots from Germany and the Middle East, Siba Sahabi’s draws upon her inspirational heritage and to create ceramics of a different form.  No clay in sight, these are made from felt and paper.  Some are made from wallpaper, which Sahabi believes is stronger and has a greater resistance to the damaging effects of light. I just love the creativity, and the hours of care that goes into making something like this. Even down to the detail of the grooves, whi

When asked what she always bought home from her travels, the answer was an illustrated children’s book.  And where would she most like to travel… Vienna to dress up in full costume and take part in “The Sound of Music Singalong Tour”.  With answers like that it is easy to see where the whimsical comes in to Californian designer and blogger, Brittany Watson Jepson’s, creations. I also love her mums favourite quote…”a creative mess is better than tidy idleness”….. I must try th

If there is such a thing as a paperholic, I would have to say I am one, but  I am not looking to be cured any time soon.  I have all sorts of journals and note pads, wrapping paper, ribbons, stamps, cardboard… the list is endless…. stashed away.  Partly because I love to write journals of my travels and collect things that I see that may one day eventually help when I am lacking a little inspiration….and as much as the trusty iPhone can do most of this for you, I still need t

How much fun would it have been as a kid to have one of these in your dress up box??? Welcome to the whimsical world of Barbara Keal and her felt work. The Keal “sheep family” Barbara creates her quirky and fairy tail style hoods from felt.  Usually having 8 or 10 different bags of local fleece open and mixing and layering freely to achieve a wide range of colours and textures. The creatures come from both her imagination and from pictures of animals…. creating everything fro

Typography on Limestone For those who love to give the gift of words, then you may like to sample a little of the lighthearted and whitty work of UK based Mark Coulson and his team of local artisans. With a strong emphasis on using reclaimed materials such as wood, metal, stone, fabric and recycled papers, they design pictures which incorporate a play with words which is fun and quirky.  For those who prefer pictures you are not forgotten either. Even the inks are “green”! Ma

Janetta Kerr-Grant is a Melbourne based ceramics artist.  Originally training as a painter, before going into journalism, Janetta found that she missed the world of art and headed back to the studio where she focuses on ceramics.  Janetta’s work has been the recipient of a number of awards and also featured in a number of publications, most recently Adam Liaw, winner of Australian cooking show Masterchef’s, cook book. In between a busy few months, and what sounds to be an exc

Well today “Out of the Birdcage” turns one, it was exactly a year ago that I started to embark on the blogosphere and, thinking I would probably be talking to myself, I am really honoured to have picked up a few followers on the way, and have been given the opportunity to meet and chat with some truly talented people. To celebrate I thought I would share the cake (courtesy of Donna Hays ideas book) I made for my nephew who turned one at the end of last year and my wonderful d

Ok…. I could not manage to lay my hands on any Calling Birds (completely sold out!)….. but I have hopefully made the next best thing.  Having married into a Greek family, Christmas is never a small affair, nor a particularly quiet affair ( I am told that they are just expressing themselves… but to me it sounds like they are screaming to each other!!) I guess that, like a hot Christmas that is one thing I will never get used to.  Anyway, to try and avoid an “expressive discuss

Well there is no escaping it, we are creeping up to Christmas, and with December firmly here I feel that I can legitimately start to get a little Christmassy….. having moved to Australia from the UK 12 years ago there is still something not quite right about a hot Christmas, but I am not going to complain.  Even better this year will be the first year that I will have spent Christmas day with my immediate family from the UK since I arrived so very excited. While we wait for t

Hendzel + Hunt is a  young, very vibrant design studio based in South London in the UK.  Using reclaimed and sustainable materials they specialise in manufacturing and designing bespoke furniture and their own range, inspired by their location, “Made in Peckham”. Using their background in engineering “Hendzel and Hunt highlight the origins of a product using balance, proportion, and composition to transform rough materials into objects of desire.”  There are lots of fab proje

A little bit of fun today… I bet you cannot look at these images with at least a little smile on your face!! Dutch textile designer Anne-Claire Petit began her career as a designer for the clothing label Esprit, before taking the plunge and setting up on her own. Soon, Anne-Claire Petit Accessories, became well-known for its shawls and other fashion accessories. But her creative talents have not just stopped there.  Feeling a little constrained by the seasonal cycle that come

Something a little fun today, these little wish boats by Dutch paper designer Jurianne Matter.  Just write your wish (or a personal message) and give your boat a name. They can be used as name places, or decorations just let your imagination take you with your wishes….. What would your wish be?  There are eight in a pack so don’t forget to make a wish for me…. on with the colourful journey. #juriannematter #art #children #design #PaperArt #weddings #boats #Paper #Childrenspar

Sydney based artist, designer and illustrator Bethany Linz has a pretty impressive CV.  Moving to Sydney to design for the prestigious Mokum textiles in 2006, where she travelled around the world to present collections, and worked with the Oscar winning costume and production designer Catherine Martin, you could say she has a pretty good pedigree in the world of design. Bethany has now left Mokum textiles to pursue her fine arts talent full time, with her collection of emboss

Chris Ruhe trained as a furniture maker in Amsterdam and opened his atelier in 2005, where he now makes furniture to order….  From spring inspired stools and pickle jar lighting to bespoke recycled door cabinets and fully bespoke kitchens…. A little bit of fun in a sometimes too serious world………Let me know your thoughts…. Cupboards and Shelves The combination of crooked doors and virtually no (functional) handles makes the kitchen and the cupboards appear to be a little bit o

It is fair to say I love Tasmanian born Tara Badcock’s work, and it has featured in a few posts as testament to that.  So I am very excited that Tara agreed to do an interview for my little blog.  So are you sitting comfortably with a nice cup of tea, coffee or even glass of wine……. This is a long interview but Tara talks with such passion I could not bare to edit it out… It is so lovely to see someone so passionate about what they do!!! I use a combination of textiles and st

Parisian Manon Gignoux is cited as one of the many influences of my interviewee tomorrow. My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to investigate… and I am glad I did! Gignoux describes her work as the meeting between clothes, body and decor, and as such creates unique hand made fabric sculptures, clothes dressed objects and accessories.   The result lies between art and fashion….. not a bad place to be!!! I love the inspirational photo’s as much as the finished pieces

Well it is Friday again… hooray and time for another interview with one of the wonderful artists, creatives and designers that I have featured over the last few months who have agreed for me to invade their lives for a bit with a few questions… A virtual coffee or cuppa.  So less of me…… A couple of weeks ago you may recall a blog post on paper artist Jennifer Collier and and her beautiful work.  Well Jennifer has kindly taken so time to stop by and tell us a little bit more

The trend for Ikat is nothing new, both in terms of it’s origins, and in terms of it’s resurgence in the designs of current fashion and styles. It’s longevity and continual appearance in interior and fashion magazines is possibly due to the fact that, whilst it is distinctive in it’s style and bold patterns, it will sit alongside most styles and fashions quite comfortably.  Whether you are looking for a bohemian, tribal, or clean modern feel you can generally find something t

One thing everyone seems to complain about is that they never have enough storage. Possibly because we hate to throw out things – as you never know when the safari suit will come back in to fashion, or we will need to look at that December 1984 issue of Homes and Gardens magazine. Pack your cases Inspired by a little clip about  Ki Nassauer,  a “junk entrepreneur”, and her suitcase shelving below, I thought I would look at some fun ways to create storage using my favourite wo

Source Amy Butler As a kid a haberdashery would be the next best thing to a sweet shop, yes before the world of Nintendo DS and iPads, I enjoyed sewing and making stuff in general. I had a dream that I was going to be a fashion designer and would make outfits for my Barbie dolls and my brothers Action Men (although alas I fear most of my designer army wear was not appreciated – maybe I was just ahead of my time adding in florals)… so this is perhaps why I ended up studying La