Proteaflora

Proteaflora print series (looking curiously small here, though they're actually quite big!)

So you might have picked up on the fact that I've been feeling a wee bit creatively flat over the past little while. But it recently occurred to me that I've been putting a whole bunch of restrictions upon myself as a creative individual, mostly subconciously. These subconcious thoughts were telling myself that I should be designing textiles, because that's what I do, end of story.

But then I thought back to times in the past when I felt most creatively fulfilled, and that was when I was designing/making just for the hell of it. Not for commercial purposes, not as part of my business but just for fun. So the last little while I have been exploring that, and it's been so, so satisfying. I feel like I've rediscovered a source of happiness in my life that has been sorely neglected.

On that note, this print series is something that has emerged from my creative ramblings and I'm quite happy with them! I had fun experimenting with blending a bit of vintage poster style with bold geometric shapes. Originally they were just for my wall at home but the girls have encouraged me to edition them and put them in the shop. So why not. The very lovely Jeremy from Imagescience printed these for me on a wonderful, achival Bamboo stock, and the results were stunning. Thanks Jeremy!

They're quite large though they don't necessarily look it in the photos! These ones are A1 in size but I'm also printing them in A2.

'Proteaflora' in A1


'Leucadendron' in A1

'King Protea' in A1

Hope you like! xx

Windows

A little bit excited this week to spend some time in the windows of my favourite stores Wilkins & Kent. Those guys are just so talented, and their stores are just so gorgeous thanks to their great team. It was quite a priviledge to be asked to do a little display for them.


Timber love seat in the window of the Brunswick St store


Vessels of southern hemisphere natives - I'm glad this random idea from my head actually turned out okay!


W&K city store - beautiful timber queen sized bed featuring Moochie Lou bedlinen.

xx Lara

The less cycled path

Bicycle related oddities - knitted bike hoops and a bicycle tree

Currently my bike route to work has lots of detours in place whilst council works to reconstruct sections of the path. Strangely this is feeling very much like an apt metaphor for life right now.

As much as I long to follow my safe, reliable, well trodden route (and can see exactly where I want to be beyond the signs that are directing me elsewhere), I also concede that a detour is a good way to discover new things; open my eyes to new sights and experiences. Who knows, perhaps I'll end up somewhere completely different and much more exciting than where I wanted to be in the first place.

Textures and colours. I love old signage in all it's forms.

I like this colourful bridge in it's unlikely setting, sandwiched between freeway, commission flats and muddy creeklands.

 
This strange undulating grassland always catches my eye, it's very odd- what used to be here? And these overhead triangles, they make nice shadows in the morning.

xx

A bit of light experimentation

Lasercut lamp holder

Sometimes you need to make something different just for the sake of it. I feel like I've been boxing myself in, telling myself that I should be designing textiles and textiles only. But I think back to some of the most inspired times of my life and they were when I felt like I could design anything. Not for commercial gain, just for fun.

...hanging in the studio

We redesigned the shop section of our studio at the start of the year and this was the last piece of the puzzle, finally done. My good friend Sass from next door planted the seed of this idea and I ran with it. It was the technical design process that I enjoyed the most; I lost myself in it. I've missed that feeling!

x

Birdwood

Birdwood Sandal by Wootten

I should really make more of an effort on this here blog to write about awesome creative things made by people I know. Like these gorgeous sandals. The nicest bit of footwear I've ever owned and made by my friend Jess (who, as it must often be stated, is a boy).

Birdwood Sandal by Wootten

It probably would have made more sense to buy these at the start of summer than the end, but hey, life sometimes gets in the way. And now that you've seen them (and doubtless want a pair) you can spend the next 6 months saving up and looking forward to getting some made for next spring. Because lovingly & locally made wares are where it's at, folks.


Birdwood Sandal by Wootten

The Birdwood Sandal comes in black, brown or tan (or if you're special, maybe even yellow!). Head into Wootten bespoke shoes to try on a fitting pair and Jess will stitch a pair up for you! How awesome is that.

xx

Being mindful

 

Ginkgo. Sunlight. 

Living in the moment is something most of us find nigh impossible. We know it's good for us to do so, but generally we suck at it. It's like we're programmed (or society has programmed us) to always want more. Always be pursuing. Always be focussing on the next step. The next challenge. The next life goal. Career. Partner. House. Kids. Better house. More kids. More money. More stuff.

I do love that Dalai Lama quote that's been floating around the Internet of late:

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, he said:

“Man.
Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;
the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;
he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

It's so apt isn't it?

Currently, I find myself in a particular place in my life where I very much need to be able to live in the moment and practice mindfulness. The future right now feels like an ambiguous one, I feel suspended, in limbo. For someone who has spent much of their adult life in relationships, always either trying to fix things or focussing on that "next step", it feels insanely impossible to shift my thinking and just focus on the here and now.

But slowly, slowly I'm getting there. I think. I hope. I have moments that are just good. Good for how they are right in that moment. Nothing more. Not as part of some grand plan. I'm going to hold on to those moments and cross my fingers I can master this art.

x

Flowering Gum duvet cover

It's kind of crazy to think that in one week (on March 20th to be precise) it will be the 5 year anniversary of my very first print run of fabric. 5 years! I still remember that feeling of terror I had that I wouldn't be able to sell a metre.

I think it's also kind of crazy that it has taken me a full 5 years to get around to making myself a duvet cover from my own fabric. It's quite nice to finally replace those faded, threadbare sets that have been gracing my bedroom for the good part of a decade.

Flowering Gum Duvet cover

 

Flowering Gum Duvet cover

Of course in true Ink & Spindle style the fabric I used to make this set isn't available anymore. But we have a very similar Flowering Gum in Black & Greylead (grey instead of white branches) which would look equally great, and the Dashes in Snow is still available for the edging.  The pale blue fabric is a GOTS certified organic cotton sheeting from Organature. You can buy it by the metre to back the duvet cover and if you're slightly-more-sane-than-me you can buy a flat sheet and fitted sheet from Organature pre-made. There's a time saving idea ;)

xx

Hello Autumn

It's Autumn! How did that happen? Hmm it's been almost a month since I've posted here! It's been a weird and exhausting kind of month, there's been good stuff and not so good stuff. I have moments where I feel really grateful for all the good things in my life (friends, family, living in a nice home & neighbourhood... and work of course), but other moments where I feel like I'm constantly just trying to make lemonade from lemons and it'd be nice to just have a break and be given some mangoes or something.

But on a more positive note, one thing that's definitely making me smile is the new collection of textiles we've just released over at Ink & Spindle. I'm actually hesitant to use the word "collection" because that's not how we do things, we don't do collections or seasons (you might have noticed), but I can't think of a better word. Anyway, here's some pics from the photoshoot we did earlier this week, more pics over at I&S :)


New textiles in the shop

Photography: Eric Ronald
Model: Camilla Mckewen
Studio: Manysquaremetres

It's been so nice to produce something we're both really proud of. After taking a step back over the Christmas break and having some head space to think about what direction we want to take the business, we've ended up changing things quite a bit. We've discontinued a whole chunk of our stock range and products. And it feel really good - now we'll have the time and (hopefully) finances to pursue new things. Yay!


x

A collection of locally made

Jewellery hanger by Stämpel

Looking at my wall the other day, I realised that my jewellery hanger is an homage to an assortment of melbourne jewellery designers and makers. Which is really nice. I feel so lucky to be a part of this local creative community. At the end of the day that's what makes coming to work so fun - it's the people we get to interact and collaborate with, share advice & wisdom with, and drink tea and eat tim tams with.

If you're curious, clockwise from top:

- Brooches by States of Nature
- Fimo necklace by Emily Green
- Wooden locket by So Little Time
- Ceramic pendant by Goldenink
- Sharpening necklace by Victoria Mason

xx

Ron D Swan

Summer in Melbourne is great for enjoying a blissful, car-free existence. I'm sure when the next bitter, erratic and squally winter comes around I'll be singing a different tune, but right now I'm loving the head space and sense of freedom and connection with my surroundings that I get from jumping on my bicycle to get where I need to go.

It's also handy that my home and work are both located just a stone's throw from the Capital City bike path; a 20 minute ride is all it takes to get to work versus 40 or 50 minutes on tram and bus. That's good motivation!

Anyway naturally since moving house I threw myself with enthusiasm back into riding my beloved (yet somewhat neglected) bicycle and requested a pannier as an xmas present from my family. Not just any pannier mind you, but a locally & ethically made Ron D Swan bike pannier that was made in Castlemaine!

Ron D Swan pannier on my bicycle

The extra cool thing about this pannier is that the hooks are attached to your rack rather than the bag itself, and it comes with a nice wide shoulder strap tucked inside. This means you can carry the pannier around comfortably like a normal bag when off your bike. Clever!

Ron D Swan pannier - as a shoulder bag and attached to the rack

Totally love it and highly recommend getting one ... and as a bonus you're supporting a small local business. Win.

x

Melbourne maker collab

In what turned out to be a bit of an unlikely incidental "collaboration" of sorts, my mum's Christmas present this year consisted of my Leuca print made into a shade by a lovely Melbourne company, sold by Wilkins & Kent, and then put together with a gorgeous turned base from Southwood Home.


Leuca drum shade and base

Hmm, timber and textiles. Just need to find a local furniture maker to officially collab with :)

xx

Hobart!

I am not very good at sitting still. Holidays intimidate me - that long stretch of nothing planned, commitment free time. This is some people's dream, but for me and where I am in my life at the moment, not so much. So for the first week I kept very busy. I built things, rearranged things, gardened, tidied, cleaned out my computer, saw friends. In the second week I kind of got into the swing of slowing down and spent some time on the road, on the beach and in the bush. Nice.

But throughout it all I was very, very glad that Dana and I had planned a little trip to Hobart. It was one of those spur of the moment "OK lets book tickets right now!" kind of things ... after we'd quickly made sure someone was free to look after Dana's kidlets and that we'd have somewhere to stay. And somewhere-to-stay we indeed did have. No less than the awesome, gorgeous, art-deco-granny-mansion that is Beth-Emily & Tom's South Hobart home. Have I told you how lovely these people are? We met Beth and Tom at a market in Adelaide and have been buddies since. Not only did they provide us with a comfy bed and delicious brekkie every morning, but they also spent three days showing us around their hometown and helping us eat Hobart. Because that's what we did. We pretty much just ate our way around town. And it was good.

Here's a little of our trip in pictures!

The home of Beth & Tom and the view from their harbour-side studio rooftop - I do love rooftops!

My gorgeous travelling buddies - Tom, Dana & Beth

MONA! Also known as The Place Where it's Impossible to Take Non-Blurry Photos

More MONA

Relaxing in beanbags on the hill at MONA, Tom my fellow photographer

Views and sights abound!

Food, delicious food! Highly recommend Ethos, Smolt, Garagistes & Piccolo

Yay, thanks Beth & Tom for such a great time :)

xx

I like this place

So, 2011 was a pretty good year, but not without it's ups and downs. I haven't been writing much as I've been busy settling into my new home and routine and headspace. But... I'm very much looking forward to what 2012 has to offer. I'm cautiously optimistic that this year is going to be a good one.

Here's a little snippet of my new Nth Fitzroy home. I do very much like it here.

A happy new year to everyone. Here's to making 2012 a year for fulfilling dreams and finding your place in the world. xx

Last open studio for the year! This Saturday!

It's our last Open Studio for the year! That totally spins me out. Please come and say hi and help us bid adieu to 2011!

xx

MARKit at Fed Square

MARKit is on again this Sunday at Fed Square! Teegs and I will be there as usual, spruiking our wares and taking turns to sneak away from the stall so we can catch up with fellow stallholders and friends :)

We're gunna have some new xmas-present-worthy kits and also my new Leuca print will be making it's debut (can I have another word? I don't like that one) which is pretty exciting.

Hope to see you there!

x

Looking up

the ceiling of manysquaremetres, our studio neighbours

So things are looking up, since my post about a month ago. I'm still in the midst of a big transition phase in my life but I'm feeling positive about the future, there's brightness ahead. I'm also about to move house (again, I know) to North Fitzroy, which I'm pretty excited about as I've never lived in the North before. And I'll be able to ride my bike to work again which will be nice.

Here's to making lemonade from lemons.

xx

Newness...

New things that are keeping me smiling...


'Leuca' on screen and ready to print


Gorgeous custom colourway (Large Birch in Olive on Hemp/Yak)
for a local customer's curtains

xx

Colour...

A sneak peek at a couple of new kits we're launching in the next few weeks. Out of my head and into reality, finally. Loving the abundance of colour.

Thanks to Manysquaremetres for the location!

P.S. - thank you all for the new print love! Glad you like it :)

Leuca

It's strange how sometimes when one part of your life starts to crumble you finally find the time and motivation to fix other things that aren't right. Or maybe it just requires the luxury of a long weekend...

Whatever the cause, I am so, so, SO happy to have found some design mojo again and finally conquered my latest print. Sometimes it can be quite a battle, turning an idea from my mind into a reality. I knew I wanted to do another botanical print, I knew I wanted it to be quite detailed, and I knew I wanted the subject matter to be something from the Proteaceae family.

So I did lots of research, bought lots of books, brought home lots of specimens...

Referencing...

I drew a lot, experimented with shading and form, got frustrated, dilly dallied, changed tack a few times....

Experimenting...

And finally decided upon the gorgeous Leucadendron as my subject matter...

Drawing...

So I drew some more, scanned, edited, arranged and rearranged, layered, measured...

And "Leuca" finally came to life.

"Leuca" - textile design for meterage

"Leuca" - textile design for meterage

Sure, that process was probably more drawn out than it needed to be. Sure, once upon a time I had the luxury of time and head space to design new things every week. Sure, I could have busted out 10 new prints over the last year if I'd really wanted to. But that process no longer fits with my ethos. These days I want to design prints that I'm exceptionally proud of, that are versatile and have inherent longevity. It's tricky to do all those things within the constraints of hand printed meterage. But extra rewarding in the end when it comes together :)

Looking forward to printing this just in time for xmas!

xx Lara.

New developments...

New developments

So last time I posted here I wasn't feeling all too good. And things haven't really improved... they've somewhat taken a bad turn. I won't talk about it now, but maybe soon. I'm ok though. And I'm trying to stay positive.

I love this fern because it reminds me a little bit of bracken and hiking trips in the bush. This one is an Kiwi native called a Wheki and it's so rewarding watching the little koru unfurl. Especially when fuelled with some worm tea - my fern is literally going insane with growth right now. Me too, I hope.

x Lara.

Sitting, thinking, should be doing...

Sitting at my laptop. Doing a little freelance work. Watching this very inspiring video. Thinking about creativity, life, meaningfulness, inspiration, the importance of following your gut. Right now I feel at a loss, both creatively and fundamentally. But I don't know where to turn for inspiration or how to pull myself out of this rut. The studio is going great. I have a new design slowly progressing. But I don't feel fulfulled. I don't feel like I'm making the most of my days or doing enough things that are meaningful.

But... I'm sure I'll find my way.

On a lighter note and because it's in my field of vision right now, I thought I'd share a photo of this little porcelain origami bird. A gift from the lovely Gemma. Not sure where he came from but I love him and I love the little corner of my home in which he resides.

Perching ceramic origami parrot friend

x

Birch decals!

Hey remember aaaages ago I did that limited edition collab with the lovely ladies from The Wall Sticker Company? And how I used to have that Birch wall sticker in my bedroom in my flat before I had to vacate and go live on the East side?

Well finally after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing the Birch decals are available for sale again! They've been simplified slightly so instead of having the trunk markings cut out to show the wall behind, they are now printed with a second colour that you can choose to either match your wall or printed darker as an accent! It was a change borne from practicality but I quite like how it looks with darker markings like a real birch tree.

Birch Decal in my bedroom from The Wall Sticker Company

Birch Decal with darker markings, available from The Wall Sticker Company

Hope you like!! x

I am 30

On Saturday 1st of October I turned 30.

Turning 30 is a bit like the first time you're riding on a tram that you hear a mother tell her child to "mind the lady" and you realize she's talking about you. But I'm just a girl! When did it become fitting to address me as a "lady"? And now, since when did I become a fully grown woman, student days far behind her, a full gamut of grown up responsibilities on her plate?

How I feel about turning 30 changes from day to day. Some days I feel completely fine about it, other times I struggle with the concept.

There are days when I feel immensely proud of all I have seen, done and achieved in my 30 years. But there are other days when those things seem meaningless and insignificant. How does one more organic cushion in the world help anyone? How can I make more of an impact, do something even more meaningful and significant with my life? What's next?

That all said, I do feel very lucky. Lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful, supportive people, and lucky to call Melbourne my home.

x

Introducing... 'The Formula'

This morning on the train I decided it was time to write that post I've been meaning to write for a long time. Spurred by a increasing frustration with people's general lack of understanding of cost and 'real cost' (be it an 'expensive' handmade item or a cheap $15 tshirt) I want to share with you how we price our goods, and why pricing correctly is extremely important.



Read the full blog post over here at the Ink & Spindle blog. Enjoy!

x