September Dreaming

Well here is my entry for this years fabric8 competition run by Spoonflower and Moda fabrics. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, it's just a shame I missed the deadline for entry! Never mind there's always next year and it will make a nice edition to my online portfolio. 

My reason for not finishing on time is that I was visiting my Mum and soaking up some much needed sunshine in Far North Queensland for the two weeks before it was due. It was worth it! It has been the coldest winter in thirty years here in the Grampians. Yesterday, while I was putting this design together there was a little glimmer of hope. The weather was lovely (for a couple of hours) I had the door open, listening to the chorus of lawn mowers and loving the smell of the fresh-cut grass. Nothing smells sweeter than the promise of Spring. So I've decided to call this collection 'September Dreaming'. Which I guess will only make sense in the southern hemisphere :)

I've still got some co-ordinates to create and will make the whole range available for sale in my Spoonflower shop soon. 

Settling In

So It's been nearly three months since we moved into our new abode and I have been busy busy busy. There is so much to do! But I did stop to treat myself to a house warming present. I had been eyeing off this gorgeous print by Emily Rickard for ages. I just love it! It brings a smile to my face every time I walk into the room. 

I've also re-opened my shop and started listing some new lamps (of which there are many more to come). I took some photos over the last few days because I'm really excited to finally have a big studio with lots of natural light and space!

Elephant & Rose is moving (and shaking)

It's just over a week now until we will be packing up and moving into our new house (eek!)  I'm having a big sale to celebrate so I'll be out of action for all of December and January.

I've been calling it a 'moving studios' sale because that sounds much more glamorous than a 'finally moving into an actual studio' sale. I started this business over two years ago in a slightly wider than average hallway and then upgraded to the corner of a tiny spare bedroom. Yep, designing, cutting, sewing, packing, everything! in just a few square metres of borrowed space. So I can not wait to have a dedicated room! Here's a pic. It may not look like much but trust me it's what dreams are made of. 

So look out for a bigger, better Elephant & Rose in 2015!

Colour Loving!

I always love colour. Lately I have found myself even more drawn to it than usual. I think it is because spring is in full bloom here in the Grampians at the moment and I just can't help but be inspired by it. Here are some lovely, colourful images that have been catching my eye lately. 

The beautiful home of The Grummet family featured on The Design Files a couple of weeks back

The textile art and amazing studio of Natalie Miller. Also featured on The Design Files. 

The hedonistic clash of colour and pattern that is Jumbled Online. I only just found these guys on Instagram and I hyperventilated a bit. So. Much. Eye candy!

Feeling Homely

We bought a house! A lovely little piece of mid century modern in the Grampians, Victoria. It's nothing flash but it has got some lovely features like timber floors, a stack stone fire place and a great little courtyard that I know we will be making excellent use of this summer (at least on the days that are under 40 degrees anyway).

After years of living in drab rentals I can't wait to move in and start making it into a home. I'm not going to post any pics of it yet but I will as I work on it. In the mean time our land lord is selling the house we currently live in and a we had a professional photographer take photos of it the other day. I was a bit blown away by how colourful the shots came out and just a bit chuffed by how nice it looked (for a rental) Below is a shot where you can't see the hideous tiles in the kitchen so I thought I'd share :)

I've finished off a couple of DIY projects that I've been meaning to do for ages like the pink and orange velvet cushions and the black clock. I think they bring the room together quite nicely.

Hello Spring!

Here are just a few of the new fabric design ideas I've been playing with. Spring is definitely in the air! I've been trying out new colours as well and am feeling even a bit more daring than usual. I'm not quite sure where I've found the time to create them as I've been extremely busy buying a house over the last little while (very exciting!) 

There are quite a few new designs available for sale in my etsy, Spoonflower and Society6 Shops. 

Holiday!

I'm heading off on a lovely winter break and will be back on July 14. See you then x

NEW - Winkelen Magazine is out today!

Today is the launch of the seriously gorgeous Winkelen Magazine! Check out the Elephant & Rose tea towels featured within it's lovely pages! If you love beautifully designed, local and handmade furniture, art and home wares then this is definitely for you!

I'm very please to be featured in with such a lovely bunch of designers. Might I add right next to one of my local heroes Rachel Castle!

Artist Crush - Lisa Lapointe

I just can't get enough of these beautiful drawings by Sydney artist Lisa Lapointe! After studying painting at the College of Fine Arts in Paddington and working in textile and interior design, Lisa now works exclusively with coloured pencils, creating large and very time consuming works on paper (Each piece can take months to complete). I find her use of colour and shapes absolutely mesmerising. 

 

'Under the Sea' 2014

Collaboration with Mitchell Connely

 

'Boundary Line' 2013 by Lisa Lapointe

New Prints

I've been creating a whole lot of fresh new prints lately which I hope to be making into new products very soon. Watch this space! Today though,  I wanted to share three prints that I designed specifically for a competition being run by Digital Print, a company in Sydney. The theme was 'Botanical Extract' and the brief was to design up to three prints with a botanical theme using hand drawn or painted elements. It sounded like just my thing! We were restricted to a palette of colours which was a little challenging as I love my colours clear and bright and these were mostly quite muted and earthy. I think it's good to be restricted with choice though because it pushes you to make the best work you can with what you've got and there will almost always be restrictions placed on you when working with a client. So here are my three designs and some of the preparatory sketches. If you'd like to vote on my design then please visit either the facebook page or Pinterest board and leave a comment on one of my designs. Fingers crossed!

An Elephant & Rose Mothers Day Giveaway!

To celebrate Mothers Day 2014 Elephant & Rose is giving away three prize packs to three lucky people. Each prize is one Elephant & Rose product of your choice (Tote, Tea towel or scarf) and one greeting card in the design of your choice. That's Mothers Day sorted! 

There are three easy ways to enter

#1 - Right here on this blog!

Simply have a look at the Elephant and Rose shop here, decide which product you like best and tell me in the comments below. Don't forget to leave your email address. This gets you 1 entry.

#2 - Instagram

Follow @elephantandrose on instagram and get 1 entry. Regram or screenshot the giveaway image with the tag #elephantandrose and receive 1 entry. 

#3 - Facebook

Follow Elephant & Rose on Facebook and receive 1 entry. Share the above image with your friends and receive another entry! I think you're definitely getting the hang of this : )

Time to get started!

Terms and Conditions

-Open to Australian and New Zealand residents only.

-This give away is not endorsed by Facebook, Instagram or blogger. 

-Entries are limited to one of each option given above per person per day. 

-Winners will be contacted via email or private message.

-Three winners will be selected at random. Decisions are final.

-Entries close Friday 2nd May 2014 at 11:59 AEST.

-Each individual prize is valued at up to $59.95 AUD and can not be redeemed for cash.

Artist Crush - Jason Woodside

 The internet is an amazing tool! When I was at Art School we had access to a state of the art library that I would spend hours upon hours in poring over beautiful artist books (oh yeah and studying). While there is nothing like the tactile experience of picking up a real book, I don't think I would have been exposed to as much amazing art and design as I am while perusing the internet. I discover a lot of artists and designers that I admire on websites, blogs, instagram and pinterest but every now and then I come across something that makes my heart feel like it's going to jump out of my chest and I start to hyperventilate (just a little bit). Jason Woodside is one such artist. His work is pure joy! I don't even know what else to say. The pictures speak for themselves. 

Hello Beth Ditto!

2013 was just about the biggest year of my life. The birth of my daughter Eden, running a pop up shop with a tiny baby and then a big interstate move threw my life into momentary chaos until I was left blinking in the sun in country Victoria. The last half of the year flew by in a whirlwind of baby bliss and it was probably just about the happiest I've ever been.

So after a fairly long break, Elephant and Rose is back up and running! I have an order to send off to Sturt Gallery in Mittagong shortly and there will be more stockists announced throughout the year.

I also just finished making a doll to enter in the Reginald CAE Portrait Prize. The brief was to design and make a plush portrait of a pet or person that you admire. I had a pretty long list of potential candidates including Jenny Kee, Twiggy, Clare Bowditch, Katie Noonan, Margaret Pomeranz but I finally settled on Beth Ditto (lead singer of band The Gossip) and I'm glad I did because she makes up into a rather gorgeous doll! The photo I chose was of her modelling some Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture. Making her tiny little dress was the most fun and my years of dress making really paid off. I'm sure I've made quite a few adult sized dresses that took way less time to make than this one! I had to take a bit of artistic licence with it because it was a very detailed dress that was hard to make out in photos, I also had to work with what I had on hand so it is made from a mix of a dyed petticoat, a floral bed sheet, tulle from underskirts and an enamel brooch. Her body was cut from a beautiful old linen table cloth. She is made entirely from materials that I have collected from op-shops. See! I knew all that stuff would come in handy one day.

I made the pattern for her body out of my head and sketched her face and tattoos directly onto the fabric which I then meticulously embroidered. I would estimate that she took me about thirty hours to complete. I just had to steal moments while Eden was asleep or busy with her toys. 

I just received an email from Ararat Regional Gallery confirming an exhibition I will be involved in for May so it's on to the next project for me and fingers crossed that Miss Ditto will make it into the exhibition at the CAE. If not, I know a certain little lady that has been eyeing her off big time!

A Big Move!

We have finally settled from a big interstate move and Miss Eden is not so new born any more so I have (slightly) more time on my hands. Yes, I moved interstate with a tiny baby! Oh and did I mention that I ran a pop up shop for two weeks before that! Apparently I think I'm Super Woman.

This is me running a shop with baby attached!

Gorgeous products in the shop by Elephant & Rose and the lovely Deirdre from Third Bird

It was so much fun and such a success but I won't be doing it again anytime too soon. For now I would just like to settle into my new home, spend time with my little family and create some fresh new designs.

Pretty Birdies

Birds have been a big hit in the art and design world for a few years now but this seasons neon and pastel colour scheme really showcases them in all their glory don't you think?

1.Jessica Breakwell 2 & 3 Inaluxe 4. Miranda Skoczek 5. Martinich 6. Bonnie & Neil 7. Miranda Skoczek for Douglas & Hope 

Elephant & Rose on Society6

The Elephant & Rose Etsy shop is now closed until the end of March (baby due on Friday OMG!) If you're in Canberra you can still find us at The Portrait Gallery Store and Craft ACT.

The great news is that we've opened a Society6 shop so you can still go shopping there to buy our prints on a range of products like iPhone cases and tote bags. Some of the pieces feature prints from the new Fiesta range which will soon be available to purchase as fabric on Spoonflower. 

Summer Time Fiesta!

This is what I'm dreaming of today. It's a real summer here this year and what better time to party! 

The truth is that I'm nine months pregnant and there's no way I could get my swollen feet into those lovely flats, I haven't seen my waist for months and definitely no cocktails for me this summer. I have been eating plenty of ice cream though so it's not a  total write off!

Necklace by Emily Green. Earrings by Faux Real. Pinata by Wilkinson. Tassel Garland by Confetti System. Nails by Trophy Wife Nail Art. Shoes by Yes Walker. Hair Clip by Ban Do. Cushion by Beci Orpin for Urban Outfitters. Dress by Alanna Hill. 

A Beautiful Blog Feature

The lovely Julie from Tractor Girl Blog recently wrote an article on Jiah's fabric designs. Here is a snippet. 

Surface design : Jiah Harrison

Did you ever get bored as a child? Jiah Harrison says she never was, but always had an endless amount of energy for drawing and painting. “My mother is really artistic and I always felt very nurtured and encouraged to pursue my creativity. I went to a screen printing workshop with her when I was about five and I loved it. I’ve never considered pursuing anything other than art or design since.”

Jiah’s prints are fresh and clean, with a palette of citrus and mint, put together with a light touch.

You can keep reading here. 

Make Mine Mint!

or teal or aqua or seafoam...

I just can't get enough of this colour palette lately. It's so fresh and summery!

Satchel by The Cambridge Satchel Company. Nail Polish by Butter London. Fridge by Smeg. Necklace by Homako . Shoes by Nelly . Chalk board Paint by TMOD . Chair, cushion and fabric samples all by Elephant and Rose

An Elephant & Rose Christmas

We'll be at the Old Bus depot markets again this Sunday November 22nd. Check out these gorgeous Christmas stockings, gift tags and Christmas tree decorations. All lovingly hand made in our studio.

We've also been busy painting up some beautiful new chairs. Check out this little ray of sunshine in the making. Hopefully we'll see you at the markets this Sunday. It's gonna be hot!