Irene Klar

When I was at the printmaking studio, I saw this book, "Common Threads: The Etchings of Irene Klar" on the shelves. It was a real visual treat looking at her etchings. Soon after the workshop ended, I searched for more information on Irene Klar, and I found her studio here. To my surprise, she offers more than just etchings and serigraphs. She has her artworks on posters, magnets, note cards, coasters, mousepads, bookmarks, and tapestries. Her subjects are mostly women wrapped in gorgeous textiles with big, bold, and strong colors/patterns.


Here are some of my favorites, with the black-and-white "Moussem" ranks the top. But most of the artworks available on the site are rather small in sizes though. I wonder if she had them in bigger sizes. Hmmm..... I can imagine the much bigger version of "Moussem" in a middle of Kelly Wearstler style living room. ah perfect! ;-)


You could purchase Irene Klar's artworks, tapestries, gift items, or the book I mentioned above at her site, she has all the details there. Or you can find her watercolours at selected galleries in Canada and U.S. Enjoy!

Lollipop Tree

I took a short 2-day course on Reduction Color Linocut few weeks ago. It was just for fun really. I picked up the prints I made last Thursday, and here's half of them. I got a chance to make eight prints actually, but I only have four presentable prints to show off here. The other four are complete disasters. :)

Natassja called it Lollipop Tree once, when I was carving the lino plate at home. And I thought it's a pretty nice name, so Lollipop Tree, it is. My first linocut.

Linocut is definitely harder than I thought it would be. I really had to control the tools in order to get the exact drawn lines carved onto the lino, which I was not very good at. Plus, I have shaky hands, so this doesn't do any good on registering the color either. But my instructor was encouraging enough to say that sometimes mistakes can add characters to the print. Hmm, really? I know she's just being nice. :) Nonetheless, I enjoyed it very much, and next, I'll be introduced to etchings. I can't wait!

Plastisock

Plastisock is an infant/toddler apparel company based in Malmo, Sweden. Their clean, bold & monochrome patterns won me over. Available in Australia, UK & Europe.

O.I.C.

ORGANISATION of ILLUSTRATORS COUNCIL (O.I.C.) is a Singapore based entity, newly founded by a group of illustrators for illustrators to showcase and discuss their work. They are continuously inviting illustrators to join, in time, you'll see more and more great artworks by our local talents. Hurrah!

Go and check them out here. I've found my favorites already, but I'm not telling. ;-)

Thanks for the tip, FLEE!

It's Boontje. Tord Boontje at Target!

Look! decor8 mentioned the super find of the century from Happy Mundane! Being the biggest fan of Tord Boontje's work, this found has made me jumped for joy. I just have to spread the word today!

Target is really becoming a fantastic place to shop nowadays. During my years in the states, I could barely find designer goods there. Well, that was nine years ago. Now, you could find numerous famous designers designing goods for Target. Check out Tord Boontje collection at Target Red Hot Shop. It's time to use your vpost account folks! ;-)

Lace Paving Slabs by Jethro Macey

I found this super cool tile at Art Esprit couple days ago, and I fell in love with it instantly.

The Lace Paving Slabs were created by using both conventional materials and high tech surface design techniques, converting lace into a three dimentional form using CNC miling and cast in concrete. The tiles can be used for both interior and exterior wall and flooring. Available in white, grey or charcoal, all tiles are handmade to order. I can imagine all the tiles in white. What a beauty!

Don't miss Jethro's Birthday Candelabra, too. Love it.

Hari Raya Idul Fitri

It's kinda like a long weekend here to some of us, with Monday in between two public holidays. Today, the nation celebrates Hari Raya Puasa, a.k.a. Hari Raya idul Fitri, a.k.a. Lebaran. To those who celebrate it, SELAMAT HARI RAYA!

(image was taken from visitsingapore.com)

DEEPAVALI, the Festival of Lights

To those who celebrate it, HAPPY DEEPAVALI! Have a prosperous new year!

This image of Singapore's Little India was taken from here.

New from MOZI

I posted about MOZI, Australia, last December, and they were kind enough to include me in their October newsletter mailing list. I guess I should've looked up regularly for new items from the designers/stores I posted here before. Thanks to MOZI for the good reminder.


It's actually quite easy to pick favorites from MOZI's new arrivals. I'm loving their medina apron, peacock brooch, designer panels, and all the cute christmas decoration deers. I'm getting greedy here. :)


I'm sure Danielle (MOZI agent for Singapore) would have the new collection here soon. I know Antropology and Egg3 have some MOZI products in their stores now. So watch out folks, these new goodies are making their way to our local stores. ;-)

House Style, Denmark

I can't never get enough of melamines especially if they are all looking pretty like these. Oh the drawer knobs are not melamines, they're porcelains, but I love them, too. :)


I'm not sure if they are available anywhere else other than in Europe, since they only list their european agencies. Oh well, I can just drool.. ;-)

Fabiia

Fabiia is the brainchild of Shija Walia, a UK based creative director. Her Water Plant Collection is a fusion of eastern and western influences, contemporary and traditional. Her cushions, lampshades, throws, and wall panels are beautifully inspired by foliages, and have been featured in Living etc, Ideal Home, Homes & Gardens, and more. My top favorite would be her reversible padded throws. Lovely!

Hooray to another Pattern blog!!!

This is so incredible! I'm such an addict for pretty patterns, and here it is, another gorgeous looking blog from San Francisco, ohmyGooshness, covering patterns and labels.

Now we have both UK and US, showing off their prettiest finds. Soon, we would have the whole world covered. This could only mean one thing for a pattern addict like myself. Heaven.

Thanks, Ana!

Chris Chun

Chris Chun is an artist and award winning designer based in Sydney, Australia, who has over 12 years experience working as a textile designer & stylist in the UK, Italy and Australia. Chris creates designs, illustrations, concepts and style, ranges from textile, to stationery, to homeware, to product development. He also licenses his designs.

When you see his paintings, it's really hard not to get tempted to purchase one. It is such a delight to see his work, I can imagine myself staring at it everyday. I adore his use of texture, soft and playful colors on objects like food, tableware and cutlery. Well, you all know how much I love plates, and flowers, and chocolates, and cupcakes, and pretty patterns, and his paintings are the only ones that have all of these! Definitely in my wish list! So, anybody else gets tempted? Contact Chris here.

Max Longin

I was surprised to see his float bed image in my mail for one good reason. I first saw it last friday at a conference about the 2007 Fashion and Home Trends. One of the issues covered there was about today's traditional designs vs. contemporary designs, and they displayed his float bed on the screen along with other samples. I didn't even get the designer's name at that time, so it was a nice surprise, indeed. Thanks, Max.

Max Longin, born 1964, is the Mannheim/Germany-based mathematician behind these two innovative designs, Float Bed (2004) and Stream Chair (Sept. 2006).

Stream Chair is a sculptural series of chairs, with each individual asymmetry creates energy, and in a row, it leads to a whole new dimension. If you're curious about this mathematician cum designer, check out Sensory Impact's past interview with Max Longin.

Cutting Scale by Jim Termeer & Jess Giffin

I don't normally post kitchen items here, other than this toaster, but this cutting scale is really something I'd want for myself. Designed by US designers, Jim Termeer and Jess Giffin, the cutting scale is a concept for a cutting board that has an integrated scale within a defined area on its surface. It won third prize Your Way to Coway, International Kitchen + Environment Design Competition 2006 sponsored by Designboom with Bussel, Milan, Italy. This will certainly speed up the whole cooking process.

ARTSeats Design Competition

ARTSeats Design Competition is organized by Land Transport Authority, Singapore, working with the DesignSingapore Council and Singapore Art Museum, in search for Art Seats to be produced for installation at 26 underground MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) stations along the Circle Line. The Circle Line MRT, currently under construction, is the latest addititon to Singapore's expanding urban rail network. The competition is open for both local and international talents.

The prize: SGD 50,000, plus (for overseas winner only) one return economy flight to Singapore and one week accomodation in Singapore. To find out more about the competition's technical and other requirements, click here. Dateline: November 22, 2006.

Good Luck!

D*S SHOP is OPEN!!!

Grace Bonney of design*sponge has just launched d*s shop today. For this month, d*s shop is filled with six exclusive designs, each from the following artists/designers: karin eriksson, lena corwin, maria of port2port, paula of henry road and amy adams of perch design. Best of all, they do international shipping! Yay!

With different designers every month, offering exclusive and limited items, d*s shop is definitely a shop that you need to keep on your shopping list.

Oh one more thing, don't miss the ThisNext interview with Grace Bonney, where Grace tells Aunt Beep about the inspiration behind d*s shop. Enjoy!