Monday, September 20, 2010

Mum's High Tea Treats

I spent a good part of Sunday drooling over all the goodies my mum made for a High Tea she was holding for her work friends. I had the all important job of taste testing everything - for quality control, of course. She's hoping to one day provide a High Tea service as a side project or small business in the future. Here are some of the yummy treats!



Pistachio and Raspberry Jelly Cakes


Smoked Salmon and Herb Sandwiches


Mum's friend brought these amazing cupcakes!


Almond Coffee Slice


Strawberry Powder Puffs



 Crab and Spring Onion Mini Quiche

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

In Love With Letterpress

I have a lot of respect for people who can print using letterpress. I tried my hand at it during an Advanced Typography course I took as part of my university degree, and let me tell you it is not easy! It is time-consuming and fiddly, and you need endless amounts of patience and attention to detail - however the results are absolutely stunning! Well, in my case they were, um...interesting, but the ones below are unbelievably classy!




















































{Bella Figura}





























{Mika 78}


































{The Dingbat's Agenda}

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Shop Envy!











































{all images belong to Kate at Bendy St Emporium}

One of the great things about blogging and Twitter is discovering gems such as the Bendy St Emporium! Located in Canowindra NSW, Bendy St Emporium takes you back to a time when "when products were not mass produced, when quality and design were important and when brown paper packages were tied up with string." What a great concept!

This treasure trove is fitted in an a hundred year old shop front with stained glass windows and original shop fittings, and is home to a wide range of goodies such as soaps, jewelry, books and homewares.

I think it's time for a road trip!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The Sketchbook Project

The Sketchbook Project: 2011

If you're the kind of person who loves to doodle in a sketchbook any chance they get, then this is the project for you. The Sketchbook Project is run by the Arthouse Co-op in the US. They send out thousands of blank Moleskine sketchbooks to people all over the world, who spend a couple of months drawing it in with different mediums, writing interesting quotes, pasting in bits and bobs, and generally making it look fantastic. The sketchbooks are then sent back and exhibited in galleries and museums around the US, and then finally end up in a permanent collection at the Brooklyn Art Library.

You can keep from a wide selection of themes to guide you in your sketches for example: 'Things found on restaurant napkins', 'Figuring you out', 'The view from up here' and 'I'm sorry I forgot you.' Each book is given a unique barcode so you can track how many times people have viewed your work!

This project sounds so intriguing, imagine the possibilities! I wish I had the time and drawing skills to participate, and the money to go see the exhibition in New York!

If you'd like to participate, head on over to their website! (Do it!)

Friday, June 25, 2010

What I've been up to...

I've been terribly neglectful of the blog this month and I apologise. I've been consumed by my part-time job, making journals for my first market stall at Poppyseed Markets, fulfilling wholesale journal orders, applying for full time graphic design jobs, and various freelance design projects. But I'm pleased that I have several new journal covers to show off to you (and much more to come very soon)!



































Friday, June 11, 2010

Yummy Paper Goods

Two of my favourite things in the world are paper goods and food. Dessert especially! Etsy seller imeondesign has combined the two...catch me as I swoon. Each of the cake slices is a little box that you can put gifts or lollies into and is perfect for parties or bridal/baby showers.
















A Ladybug's Picnic
















Two Tiered Butterfly and Flower Paper Cake



















Strawberry Cheesecake















Chocolate Paper Cake with Blue Flowers

Friday, June 4, 2010

sammiabrie designs

My level of squeeing rivaled that of a group of Twilight fan-girls seeing Taylor Lautner topless when a clutch purse that I ordered from sammiabrie designs arrived in the mail today! (My sister was NOT impressed.) Amie uses a large range of fun fabrics for purses designed for everyday use, and she also has a range of stylish evening clutches. The purse is hand made and the quality is fantastic. You can look through the various albums on her Facebook page an contact her if you want her to make one for you!































Friday, May 28, 2010

Market Stall Inspiration

For the past few days I've been trawling through Flickr and through blogs looking for inspiration on how to display my journals at Poppyseed Markets. I was particularly drawn to these homely and inviting market stalls and was inspired by the creative use of space, including props, signage and price tags. And HOW CUTE are those mini suitcases!















{image by acoate}















{image by monkeyminddesign}

 

{image by priscilla at the locker}

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Poppyseed Markets

Nothing Sketchy is going to have a stall at the Poppyseed Markets on Sunday the 11th July! It will be held at:

St George PCYC
9 Ador Ave, Rockdale NSW

The Poppyseed Markets is a fairly recent venture - their first market was held last week and the July market will be their second - but it is already flourishing and gotten a wonderful response. The stalls specialise in "showcasing shabby, vintage, retro, chic looks which are affordable" and the majority are handmade/hand crafted goods.

I'm so excited to be a part of it - I've been visiting a few markets in Sydney for a bit a research to figure out which would be the most suitable for Nothing Sketchy, and the Poppyseed Markets is just perfect. I also can't wait to meet the other stallholders and just people who are passionate about crafty/handmade things in general!
 

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Little Mo and Friends

I discovered children's illustrator Little Mo & Friends through Twitter and instantly fell in love. Helena Tay is behind these beautifully detailed and fun illustrations which are inspired by her love of trees, bedtime stories and animals. And even better - she has her own stationery range featuring Mo and her cute furry woodland friends! You can buy her paper goods - which are all printed on 100% recycled paper using green printing processes - at her Etsy Store.















{Sourced from the Little Mo and Friends Gallery}















{Pinic Slumber Notebook}















{Garden Friends Banner}















{Bear, Mo and Teddy Stickers}

All images are copyright to Helena Tay.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Little Paper Lane

A new paper boutique has just opened up in Mona Vale, Sydney - Little Paper Lane. They stock "beautiful products from around the world and from our very own backyard! We stock, notebooks, wrapping paper, ribbon, gift cards, invitations, and lots of little gifts!"

I haven't had a chance to visit yet, but the store looks fantastic in the photos! Like a cosy little treasure trove. What an amazing job owner Jayde has done...congrats!
























































All images sourced from Little Paper Lane's Facebook album, Introducing Little Paper Lane.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Nothing Sketchy on Style Collective

Today I got an email from Style Collective, an online urban living, fashion and design magazine, telling me that they featured Nothing Sketchy on their website! What a wonderful surprise! The article is under their Urban Living section.






Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Hyperactivitypography

This book is perfect for the typography obsessed! It's called Hyperactivitypography: From A to Z and is essentially an activity book with heaps of typography related excercises and quizzes. How fun!















Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Nothing Sketchy on Facebook

So I've gone an made a Facebook Page for Nothing Sketchy. I've had a few people asking if I had one so I thought it might be a good way to both promote Nothing Sketchy and connect with other crafty businesses/individuals (provided I utilise it properly of course!). Do you have a Facebook fan page for your business? Do you think it's a good method of promotion?

Monday, May 17, 2010

A little bit of press

Amanda at Calico & Co has a great feature called Monday's Spotlight, where she interviews indepedant Aussie designers and crafters. This Monday Nothing Sketchy has kindly been featured! Yay! There is a special offer for readers of the interview

Friday, May 14, 2010

Email Subscription

Amanda from Calico & Co suggested that I offer email subscription to blog readers some time ago - I have finally gotten around to doing it! If you would like to recieve an email when the Nothing Sketchy blog is updated, type your email into the little box on the right and follow the prompts - easy! This is especially handy if you don't have an account with Blogger.

Thank you Amanda!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Contemporary Handmade Alliance

The Contemporary Handmade Alliance is a Facebook community created by Tania of Chicken Ink Creative  which "provides the Australian contemporary crafting community a space through which is shared high quality information, to assist and support members in their crafting endeavours; including the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, packaging and selling of their products, as well as networking opportunities".

It has only been up for a day, but it is already thriving! It is a really positive environment where independant crafters or designers can share their business experiences and give each other advice and support. The are opportunities to promote your business, get involved in discussions, learn about handy online tools or new suppliers...the list goes on! An extremely valuable resource for a newbie like me. 

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

More journals for sale!

Four new designs are now for sale at the Nothing Sketchy store. Here's a quick peek...





















Oh Deer

Another Madeit seller rave! I love Aussie designer Oh Deer and their collection of vintage inspired jewelry. Below are three of my favourites - so gorgeous, and reasonably priced as well!
















Sweet Memories Locket
















Masquerade Mask Necklace
















Swinging Birdy Necklace