A Very Bondville Christmas 2014

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you are enjoying the silly season and relaxing with family and friends. We are enjoying the sunshine and warm weather on the Sunshine Coast with family - lots of beach time, catching up with friends, and a massage from the very best (my Mum!).

Come and follow along on Instagram, if you can stand looking at lots of photos of the beach and sunshine. Here's beautiful Peregian Beach where we spent Christmas Eve today:

IKEA Hack - RAST drawers geo decals

Belinda from Petite Vintage Interiors is so clever! On top of her great eye for designing kids' bedrooms, she has also collaborated with the several companies to create products to make our children's rooms even more beautiful. The first is are these decals made specifically for the IKEA RAST drawers. What a great IKEA hack!

Oh my, oh my, what a beautiful little girl's room. I spy with my little eye a stunning mint Incy Interiors bed, and products from Love Star, Sonny Angel, Armadillo & Co., Lah De Dah Kids, Little Village Handmade, Darling Clementine, Family Love Tree, Lucky Boy Sunday and many more. But my eyes are drawn to the amazing geometric decal-decorated drawers. Take one set of IKEA RAST drawers and totally make it over with these cute decals by Petite Vintage Interiors in collaboration with Urbanwalls.

If you love this room, head to Bel's blog where she shares all the details of her daughter's room. And watch this space, I have a new room that Bel has designed to share with you soon!

You can find the geo decals at the Petite Vintage Interiors store. Delivery for the first set is 6 weeks and there are only 100 sets available. A monochrome version is underway which will suit boys' rooms too.


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Image: Petite Vintage Interiors

I got Mum this Kim Wallace Ceramics bowl for Mother's Day

Yesterday I visited my friend Kim Wallace at her ceramics studio on the Sunshine Coast for a catch-up and a lovely lunch. We chatted as Kim stamped a few of her pieces and talked about colour trends and her whopping 300-bowl order for Matt Moran's new restaurant. So fun! Thank you Kim!

I was also there to pick up a Mother's Day gift for my Mum and fell for this shallow bowl - one of the new pieces from her Ebb Tide collection. I can't wait to see what Mum thinks.

You can find Kim Wallace ceramics in the online store. Watch out for a huge sale this week on the Vintage Lace collection - get in quick.

Image: Steph Bond-Hutkin | Bondville

Carley Cornelissen animal wall art for kids rooms

If you are looking for something very special for your child's room, you can't go past the work of Melbourne-born and Sunshine Coast-based artist Carley Cornelissen, who I follow on Instagram. Her artworks are fun and whimsical, featuring animals and a very modern urban art style. I love this cute and cuddly wombat on a starry background.

We are also so lucky that Carley offers a range of art prints, as well as her original art, including these beauties:

Sunshine Coast Summer holidays 2012

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you have had a lovely holiday and feel good about getting stuck into a new year. We had a great time at the Sunshine Coast with my parents, and drove home via Yamba and Forster, with a quick swim and a stop or two along the way. Here are a few of my favourite pics that I posted on Instagram over the last few weeks.

These were taken at sunset at Peregian Beach on Christmas Eve for carols by candlelight. The big surprise for the kids was Santa arriving by helipcopter!

My Wooden Heart screen-printed tea towels

Whenever I am at the Sunshine Coast, I scout the Eumundi Markets for fun up-and-coming designers. This trip, I loved the cheeky, hand screen-printed tea towels from Tewantin designers My Wooden Heart.

Spun Mud ceramics

The ceramics of Spun Mud artist Bec Lindemann caught my eye at the Eumundi Markets this morning. Dinnerware, vases and jewellery sat side-by-side embellished with Bec's own retro flower, tattoo and paisley designs.

It turns out that Bec and I have lots of shared friends in the QLD ceramics world. We chatted about the local handmade scene while I tried on adorable coral pink patterned rings.

Bec is based at Mothar Moutain on the Sunshine Coast where she throws each pot on the wheel (powered by solar energy) and decorates with original screenprinted transfers. Each piece is hand painted to finish and stamp bowls are pressed with hand-carved clay stamps. Pots are bisque fired and then gloss fired with a clear glaze to around 1240 degrees in Bec's gas kiln.

I'll be back to pick up some of Bec's lovely rings and I'm really tempted by the milk and sugar set. Love the Eumundi Markets - yet another great find.

You can find Spun Mud in the Etsy store and at the Eumundi Markets, Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Keep up-to-date on Bec's designs through the Spun Mud Facebook page.

Images: Spun Mud

Stylish Kids: fINNIGAN fINN

We spend a lot of time on the Sunshine Coast and whenever we are there I always find myself scouring the Eumundi Markets for up-and-coming kids fashion labels. It's where I discovered Humble Bumble, Birikini, Butterscotch Castle, Funky Monkey sock monkeys and my favourite girls clothing label, Wild Bear.

Children's label fINNIGAN fINN is another Eumundi find that I'd love to share with you. fINNIGAN fINN was established in Queensland in 2004 by sisters Deborah and Linda (who has won numerous awards during her 20 years in the fashion industry). The collection includes infantwear, boys and girlswear in sizes 000 to 9.

I've bought two different tights for my girls (see above) that have lasted a number of seasons, and a great quality corduroy tunic (in green above). I particularly like the jeans for both boys and girls, with white stitching detail, tie waist and oversize pockets.

You can find fINNIGAN fINN in the online store, and at the Eumundi Markets, Eumundi, QLD.

For more Australian-designed clothes for kids, head over to Bondville Kids where the Stylish Kids articles are compiled.

Images: fINNIGAN fINN

Event: Two Golden Hours

Two Golden Hours is a gorgeous shopping event that my friend Lesley alerted me to. Hosted by the super-creative sisters Kristina Powrie (oldyarns) and Georgina Hobson (perpetual one), the pop-up shop will be held over the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

It promises all sorts of magical delights that you won't find elsewhere including vintage and reclaimed wares with an exclusive range of products handmade by local artisans. The pop-up store will also include a cafe serving refreshments.

I love the sentiment that Kristina and Georgina express about their collaboration, "two golden hours draws on their sense for finding uncommon beauty in vintage and handmade objects and their talent for styling and staging memorable events." Sounds like a fabulous excuse to head to Yandina for a few hours to immerse yourself in history and beauty.

Here are the details:

Sunday 12 and Monday 13 June 2011 (10am to 4pm daily)

Yandina Station Homestead

684 North Arm-Yandina Creek Road

Yandina Creek, QLD

Special guests include many Bondville favourites:

paper boat press: designer and author Kylie Johnson creates beautiful handmade ceramics, giftware and has published two books of poetry.

Kylie Gartside: Kylie is a contemporary jeweller and designer from Brisbane working in recycled silver, all her ranges tell a story going beyond conventional adornment.

loose leaf paper: eco design, stationery, jewellery and photography by Louise Lindgren in Brisbane. (you may know Louise from ABCD meetups.)

Little Laundry: simple, chic dresses, tops and skirts in natural cottons by Sunshine Coast local, Leanne Ruegg.

oldyarns.: utility tote bags made using reclaimed linens and textiles by Brisbane-based designer Kristina Powrie.

You can find more info on the Two Golden Hours website. And if you go, please let me know what fabulous goodies you snared!

PS - For more information about some of these artists, read these articles on Bondville for Kylie Gartside, paper boat bress and oldyarns.

Images: Two Golden Hours

Stylish Kids: Butterscotch Castle

Here's one for the kids and for the Mums too - fabulous fashion for babies, girls and women, made from men's business shirts. Butterscotch Castle designer Debra Lee Cheyne incorporates cottons, laces and men's business shirts into her range of swimwear and leisurewear for girls and women.

The girls' range includes bikini's, one-pieces, shirt dresses and skirts. It's a little bit Moulin Rouge and a lot of sweet and sassy with plenty of shirring, cleverly-puckered hemlines - textile techniques that Debra applies for that wow factor.

Based in Noosa, Debra was inspired by her two children to create limited edition pieces for girls. But then the mothers buying the shirt-dresses and skirts for their daughters wanted the edgy fashion lines for themselves, so Debra started designing for women also. Light, breezy and totally unique, these pieces of art are great for expectant mothers too.

You can find Butterscotch Castle fashion at the Eumundi markets on Saturday mornings (where I discovered this label) and you can contact Debra via the Butterscotch Castle website.

For more great Australian kids fashion, head over to Bondville Kids.

Images: Butterscotch Castle (photography by Katja Anton Photography)

Stylish Kids: Birikini

I find some of the coolest clothing at art and craft markets, and the Eumundi Markets in particular is a treasure trove of cool. It's also the only place (apart from online) that you can find the ultra-hip children's label Birikini.

Designed on the Sunshine Coast, Australia, Birikini is not your everyday children's fashion. Think architectural lines, folksy trims, and mod houndstooth. These are really special pieces for your little one.

The line covers boys' and girls' clothes from size 000 to 8. You can find Birikini at the online shop and at the Eumundi Markets every Saturday, from 6:30am - 2:00pm.

You can find more Australian children's designers at Australian Designer Baby Clothes. Shop online for kids fashion from great stores in the Australian Online Kids and Baby Store Directory.

Image: Birikini