LETTER

Super cute leather envelope purse by Left Road
Just the right size to carry your cards and some notes. Available from Corky Saint Clair $24AUD

JAPAN

I never travelled as an adult until the end of 2009 and my very first destination was Tokyo. I absolutely loved it and despite having travelled much further since then Japan is still my number one travel destination. The clothing there is unbelievable.	Fashion in Melbourne seems pretentious yet pedestrian after spending time in Japan. In Tokyo everyone is so keenly groomed. I felt like the dirtiest person in the whole city.  Beyond fashion, all the Japanese people I met there were so lovely. It seems incredible that such a densely populated country can operate so harmoniously. I couldn't believe people didn't lock up there bikes in Tokyo. This story broke my heart a little.
I have donated a solid silver brain locket to the SOS Japan Charity Auction, that has been set up to assist with the recent earthquake and tsunami there. All money raised from the SOS Japan charity auction goes to the the Red Cross Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal.
You can bid on this locket and other choice items by designers such as Romance is Born, Joshua Hall, Gala Curios, Henry Roth, Elke Kramer, Does Not Equal, amongst others. There are some really inspiring pieces being offered at great prices and it is for a very worthy cause so please take the time to have a look. Thanks.

SKULL

I love wearing skulls - they have to be a bit spazzy and crafty looking-I don't like the boganesque, scary skulls favoured by the Harley Davidson set. This cute little handmade skull comes on an 80cm Italian sterling silver fine curb chain. Available from Corky Saint Clair. Top value at $30AUD
Q: What happens when you combine the deep healing powers of a quartz wand with a sterling silver skeleton with articulated limbs? A: You get a stylish necklace that is fun to wear. Available from Corky Saint Clair. $89AUD

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MELBOURNE

Finders Keepers Melbourne Autumn/Winter 2011was the cruisiest design market I've done so far. There was a cute origami theme going on.
Nick and I set the world record for bumping in. We arrived at 9.40am and had to be ready by 10am so I felt kinda shakey the first hour. Lots of other stall keepers were laughing at us, which was truly hilarious.
I had a great time at Finders Keepers. It's  nice getting a chance to chat to old customers and people I have known in the craft scene outside of the shop. Claudia got our stall looking really neat. That is the neatest set up I've ever had and it made the whole day just roll by.
Richard the Carrot caused a mini explosion with the gingers at the show. Everyone seemed to have a ginger friend who needed Richard or at least needed to comment upon him. Design market sales arm. Notice all the reasonable price points we offered our customers.

AMETHYST

Solid Amethyst candle holder.  Paleolithic chic at it's most extreme.
Available from Corky Saint Clair $100AUD. Sorry I keep posting about crystals - I have gone pretty much crystal crazy.

SELENITE

Selenite lamp. Available from Corky Saint Clair. Includes light fixture. $140AUD.

DRUZY

Q: What could be prettier than a little slab of druzy?

A: A purple druzy necklace on an 80cm Italian sterling silver fine curb chain

Purple druzy necklace on an 80cm Italian sterling silver fine curb chain available from Corky Saint Clair $65AUD

MELBOURNE

I am doing Finders Keepers Melbourne. It's my first design market this year and I'm pretty psyched.

It's on the 26th + 27th of March.

With my new collapsible jewellery display stands it'll be easy bumping in.

I'm working with Akiko to design some super cute zaishu style display stands that we can cut out of cardboard - that'll make future shows even easier. 

Less stress, less mess.

OWL

Hootie sterling silver owl pendant by Corky version 3.0. We achieved a new finish on this Corky Classic which is shiny but not too shiny.

This pendant comes on a custom made 42cm Italian sterling silver chain.

Available from Corky Saint Clair, Kids in Berlin, Ikeguchi and Lenko. RRP $65AUD

DREAMER

Little Dreamer by Future Islands. The reprise near the end is amazing.

MONKEY

Let the French Monkey take care of all of your lower level decision making! 

The French Monkey says "OUI"
The French Monkey says "NON"

Material: Sterling silver

Designer: Christopher-Hussein Bril

Dimensions: 1 inch wide x 1 inch high

Chain: 80cm (32 inches) fine Italian sterling silver curb chain

Two French Sisters by Pants Yell

NAUTICAL

Current season nautical knit sweater from Jaspal.

NAUTICAL

Allie: Why didn't you tell me? Why? Nautical wasn't over for me, I waited for for nautical to come back for seven years. But now it's too late.
Noah: I posted 365 nautical related fashion images on tumblr. I posted everyday for a year.
Allie: You posted... on tumblr?
Noah: Yes... nautical isn't over, it still isn't over!

BIRDS

PUT A BIRD ON IT

AUSTIN

Guess who's going to Austin, Texas  for the Renegade Craft Market? Me! I don't even know that much about Austin except for what I have gleaned from watching all those Mumblecore movies. Apparently it's like the Melbourne of Texas?

The 2nd Annual Renegade Craft Fair inAustin will be May 21 + 22, 2011, from 11am – 7pm at the Palmer Events Center! Featuring hundreds of today’s most exciting makers of handmade goods and severalhands-on crafting activities, our free-to-attend indie-craft marketplace is sure to begood rollicking fun! Food, beverages and libations will also be available! 

At the Renegade Craft Fair you can expect to find only the best indie-craft and DIY artisans! Featuring both local and national talent, shoppers can anticipate a vast arrayof independently designed jewelry, clothing, paper goods, home + garden goods, posters, artwork, plush objects, bath + body products, and so much more!!

Here is a list of the designers who will at the Fair.

HEART

Witch house and fashion gothiness are so huge right now. If I had a nu-gothic or fashion goth girlfriend or an emotionally complex and sexually amorphous fashion boyfriend I would get him/her one of these anatomical Heart lockets which.....
...open to reveal weird clustering pigeon detail, remiscent of H.R. Giger's work for the Alien Quadrilogy.(or was that the Alien Heptalogy?Did Alien VS Predator and Alien VS Predator: Requiem count as official sequels?)
....the revelation of the heart shaped birds within the human heart is a metaphor for pain finally released
....and only in separation are the the birds finally free Gothy Anatomical Heart locket with heart shaped pigeons Pendant. Solid Sterling silver. Available from Corky Saint Clair $400AUD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3OHLEYBiFE

GEODE

Tiny Geode earring with sterling silver settings and hooks. I have two pairs and I think they are awesome!

Available from Corky Saint Clair $75AUD

SNAKE

One night when I was kinda drunk and wandering through the city I thought I saw two snakes kissing forming a love heart. It turned out to be some rockerbilly chick with a complicated hairstyle but the image stuck with me.

I got my carver to carve this sweet snakes kissing love heart charm. He did a really great job. I think I might do a larger version at some point in the future.

Sterling silver snakes kissing love heart charm available from Corky Saint Clair $65AUD

DISPLAY

One of the perks of my weird life/career is that I get to travel to different cities to show my work as well as buying other people's fine wares.

One of the challenges in setting up a show is having a stand that looks cool but is easy to dismount.

I got these custom built display cases designed and built for me by Akiko Ueda and Vin Chan. They come apart and pack flat, which is perfect for taking my Jewellery Show on the road. The display cases are supposed to be reminiscent of the jewellery display cases we have at the shop - which are infact 1950s lolly cabinets.

The perspex shelves can slot out of the cases to be used as display trays.

SECRETS

DOTS

Hand printed dot teeshirts. Each one is different. Their imperfection reflects their hand made nature.

Available from Corky Saint Clair $49AUD. We have four of them.

MUSCLES

CHERRY

Got these new cherry red loafers by a label called 'PAINKILLER'. They seem to attract an inordinate amount of attention.

These loafers are so cute, they beg the question: "why on earth wouldn't you wear brightly coloured leather shoes?"

WOOL

Wool Filler Kit from the Netherlands. Yeh, it's basically strong foam with two needles with tiny grooves placed near the tip. The grooves force the unspun wool into the woolen weave of the garment to be repaired, creating a fine felt surface.
You also get five balls of the most gorgeously coloured wool. I chose colours to patch up my navy blue cashmere sweater.
*sigh* these colours are like the sistine chapel of wool.
I have had this cashmere sweater for over ten years. I refuse to throw it away even though the arms are now so thin you can see through them. Everytime I wore it it felt like it would finally die.
The wool filler creates a felt like patch work on the weaker areas of the garment. You aren't trying to create a seamless or invisible repair - the repair work becomes part of the design.
It is so addictive and satisfying using the wool filler, as this short video proves.