Attention: indie art & design is taking a short break until mid-June 2024. During this time orders will not be taken but we look forward to seeing all of our valued and future customers very soon!
indie art & design blog
quick - it's mother's day!
It's last days to make the most of our Mother's Day offers: FREE upgrade to Express Post* and a complimentary greeting card! BE QUICK - orders placed before 5pm on Thursday afternoon will be Express Posted straight away, so that people within Australia Post's next day delivery area will receive their gifts on Friday at the latest - just in time for Sunday 9th May.
*for all orders under 500g within Australia
Our store is packed with so many beautiful Mother's Day gift ideas, such as those pictured above! Handmade messenger bags by Mingus, sweet ceramic pendants from Iggy & Lou Lou, lovely woollen purses handmade from recycled jumpers by Gaye Abandon, beautiful art prints by Belafonte, clever kitchen accessories by Ute (note - these weigh over 500g), original jewellery handmade from recycled materials by Mainichi, exquisite silver jewellery by Finchbird and unique contemporary ceramics by Little White Dish.
Simply choose standard post at checkout & we'll send it Express - and in the 'comments' field, don't forget to tell us which Non-Fiction greeting card (RRP $5) you'd like us to include (and a special message for us to write inside if posting directly to your Mum).
finder keepers sydney applications
Have you submitted your application yet for the upcoming Autumn/Winter Finders Keepers Markets in Sydney? If not, you'll want to get a move on! Applications close this Friday (2nd April) and with thousands of design & art fans visiting, you don't want to miss out on the opportunity to showcase your own products!
There are 80 stall spaces available, and Finders Keepers directors Sarah & Brooke are always looking to introduce new designers and new products to keep the lineup fresh & exciting for customers & supporters. The application process is straightforward and you'll find links to online application forms at www.thefinderskeepers.com/apply.php.
The Sydney Autumn/Winter markets will be held on the 7th and 8th May 2010 at Sydney's best contemporary art centre CarriageWorks in Sydney’s Inner West. First round designers announced include Dreamers & Believers (NSW), White Square (WA), Blinking Flights (NSW), Hideyo (TAS) and indie fave temono (VIC). We'll be bringing you more news about the stallholders closer to the date...
The gorgeous flyer artwork is by another indie fave, Madeleine Stamer of Little Circus Design - so pretty! We most recently featured Madeleine's work when we supported the Three of a Kind exhibition last year...
Applications have also just opened for the Brisbane Autumn/Winter markets (to be held on the 26th and 27th of June) but we'll remind you again before applications close!
melbourne shopping: Campbell Arcade
The Cats Meow shop window
Here you will find The Cats Meow - definitely one of my favourite boutiques! Though the store is small, it has so many local labels on offer and everything in store has been made in Australia. The Cats Meow is owned by Karen & Kylie, both of whom have their own labels, Berserk and Kylie Jane respectively.
I'd had my eye on the Berserk skirt pictured below for quite some time... and I wasn't leaving without it! Karen's designs are made in a wide variety of sizes so it's easy to find the perfect fit. I love the elegant style, the gorgeous print, and the detailed rows of turquoise stitching around the white layer!
Berserk skirt at The Cats Meow
In the historical subway you'll also discover a number of artist spaces run by Platform Artists Group Inc., one of Australia's longest operating artist-run initiatives. The spaces showcase the work of young and emerging artists from Australia and around the world, and with more than 35,000 people a week passing through the Platform exhibition sites, it offers an impressive debut to the general public.
Inside the Sticky Institute
Platform also supports the popular artist book and zine shop, Sticky Institute. Sticky redefines the notion of a retail environment as a non profit arts space dedicated to Australian and international zine culture. Sticky's instore artist program involves open monthly arts talks, workshops, zine launches, and ongoing discussion and debate. Sticky also travels to various art and literature festivals around the country to show off the work of our local zinesters.
If you make your own zines, and are interested in having your work exposed to a wider audience, check out the "stock your work with us (HOW TO)" page at www.stickyinstitute.com.
Subject to Change
Subject to Change is another Campbell Arcade store bursting at the seams with local independent fashion. I found the gorgeous dress pictured below & fell in love. Unfortunately, due to sizing, it wasn't to be, but the style, fabric & imaginative detailing - gathers & trim - were gorgeous and on the right person, it would be really stunning...
The design of the Corky Saint Clair store (below) matches the unique designs in store! Here you'll find a large range jewellery & objects, gifts & homewares displayed in beautiful glass cabinets. In house label Corky offers quirky & contemporary jewellery in silver, stainless steel & cherrywood. Check www.corkysaintclair.net to browse the range - you're sure to find something you love...
This is just a selection of the boutiques located in Campbell Arcade & I'll let you discover the rest for yourselves! Campbell Arcade is closed on Sundays, but from Monday to Saturday, you'll find stairs leading to the subway halfway down Degraves Street, and also around the corner on Flinders Street. Enjoy shopping!
melbourne shopping spree: TNK
Not long ago, I spent a long weekend in Melbourne with my mum & sister. While I didn't make it to all all the shopping strips I would have liked (as I had to be 'diplomatic'), I did get to visit many of my favourite boutiques in the city - and take some pics to share with you!
Our first stop was the new Tomorrow Never Knows shop in the city. (Half of my suitcase had been filled with our latest Non-Fiction delivery for TNK, and I had to make room for new purchases to travel home!)
Many of you be familiar with the fantastic store Tomorrow Never Knows have had in Fitzroy for years (at 415 Brunswick Street), through which they sell the TNK inhouse brand tees & hoodies as well as a large selection of local labels. Well, now there are twice the tomorrows with the addition of a shiny new store in the Capitol Arcade in Melbourne City. The new store is light & spacious and brimming with goodies... we spotted Mingus & b.sirius bags, fun new jewellery from LabThreeOFive, and of course, tees, tees & more tees!
Have you been to the Capitol Arcade TNK store yet?
peppermint hearts summer
Do you have your copy of Peppermint Magazine's Issue 4 yet? As always, it's gorgeous, minty and fresh, and this cover features Phoebe Montague - known in blogland as Lady Melbourne! (For fashion inspiration, visit her blog at www.ladymelbourne.com.au...)
This time, there's no need to hunt down your copy at the local newsagent - you can order Issue 4 right here in the new indie art & design store! First, you might like to enter the draw for one of the two FREE copies we're giving away. Simply leave a comment on this post this week & we'll draw a winner next weekend on Sunday 28th February. Good luck!
On p94, you'll find an interview with indie fave Hayley Lau from Heidi & Seek (accompanied by a gorgeous photo).
Bathing Beauties shows off glamourous vintage swimwear & tells you where to find it...
The theme for Issue Four's Art Eco Competition was "fashion for a better looking world" and the winner was Amy Dunis from Calamvale in Queensand. She describes "We create our own harmonies with the world. It's a personal decision we make that's seen outwardly by others. It characterises us. And if our fellow inhabitants follow, the world is a better place."
The two runners up were Meg Minkley (from Asquith, Sydney) and Christy Jarvis (from Perth).
A Little Birdy Told Me takes us to a world of high key colours & romance, ruffles & rosettes. Feminine fashion photographed beautifully by Brisbane-based Rose Bertwistle of Fallen Rose Media. These features and so many more make Issue 4 the largest Peppermint Mag so far and already, we're eagerly awaiting the next instalment!