12 Australian Father's Day gift ideas for hip Dads 2015

Father's Day is only two week-and-a-half away! He says he really only wants a handmade card and a cuddle, but you can sweeten the deal with these Australian-designed gift ideas:

The best of Etsy 2015 - vote to win $100

The Australian Etsy Design Awards are here again, and this year's finalists are amazing. Vote for your favourite by 20th August 2015 for your chance to win a $100 Etsy gift card.  The winning of the Community Choice Prize heads off to the Etsy HQ in Brooklyn, NY and will be featured in the October issue of InsideOut magazine - such a boost for indie design talent. Here are a few of my favourites from the 54 finalists:

10 Moon trend artworks for kids

Along with the current love for all things boho and gypsy, celestial, and the new New Age, there has been a mini-trend towards the use of moon artwork in kids' interiors. Of course there is the huge popularity of the I Love You To The Moon And Back phrase, and artwork associated with it, but I've also seen a lot of moon photography and moon phase designs being used. Here are some great lunar-themed interiors ideas from Etsy stores in Australia for your inspiration:

1. Moon wall dot decal from Little Sticker Boy

Etsy gift ideas and Australian Etsy Design Awards - you choose

It's that time! I'm getting started on Christmas shopping this year by supporting local Australian handmade and indie labels on Etsy. To make gift buying even easier, Etsy have chosen 58 finalists for the first Etsy Australia Design Awards. Vote here for your favourite Etsy seller for your chance to WIN a $250 Etsy gift card. Here are a few of my favourites (click on each below to see their stores):

Come to our Craft Party in Sydney

Come and join us for a free craft party! Lisa (the red thread) and I are hosting an abcd social in collaboration with Etsy Australia in Sydney on Saturday 7th June 2014. Bring an old photo, have a cup of tea and a chat and get your craft on with other friendly creative types.

Local Etsy surprise gifts and win $75 Etsy voucher

The lovely folk at Etsy Australia asked if I would put together a list of 20 great last-minute 'surprise' gifts from local Australian Etsy sellers. What do you think? Choose your favourite, and you could win $75 to spend on anything you like on Etsy! (read more below).

Ella's First Birthday Sweet Shoppe Party

Primary school teacher and blogger Kate Korber (of Happy Ella After) put together a gorgeously girly Sweet Shoppe party for her daughter Ella's first birthday. With a tight palette of pink, red and white and a touch of Peppa Pig, Ella's party is a sweet tooth's dream come true. I looooooove the DIY Peppa Pig cake kit - what a great idea. Read on for Kate's tips and advice to put together your own Sweet Shoppe party.

Party: Ella's first birthday party
Organised by: Mum Kate Korber (Happy Ella After), my husband Daniel and our families. My sisters Jane and Monica helped immensely with the decorations.
Location: My Mum and Dad’s house in Melbourne, VIC.
Theme: Ella’s Sweet Shoppe

Whimsy Millieu printable hipster placemats

I follow the delightful Jacqueline Chan from Whimsy Millieu on Instagram and when she emailed to let me know about her cuter-than-cute printable DIY placemats, I couldn't resist sharing them with you.

These placemats are so fun for the hipster little kids (and big kids!) in your life. Imagine a Moonrise Kingdom themed birthday party with camping placemats for table settings (I'm looking at you Miss Lonny!). Or a pretty Spring baby shower or tea party set with wreath placemats and delicate tea cups. And of course the bunting theme goes with everything for the little girls in your life.

Simply download and print as many times as you like on your home printer. And the beauty of printables is that you can use them again and again for different events. So great!

You can find these placemat printables (and many more designs and printables to come) in the Whimsy Millieu Graphics online store.

Images: Whimsy Millieu

Lego party for 6 year old William

Lego just seems to be universally loved, across generations and genders. It's such a great theme for a child's birthday party, and Sydney Mum Danielle put together a beautiful party for her son William's sixth birthday recently. If you've already got bucketfuls of Lego at home, you already have the basis for the decor. Danielle's used the classic Lego colour palette of yellow, blue, green and red to set the tone for a fun, happy event. Wait until you see the Lego Wheels racetrack - it's genius! We're so lucky to have Danielle share her tips and advice below...

Party: William's 6th Lego Party
Organised by: William's Mum Danielle
Location: At home in Sydney, Australia.
Theme: Lego!

So Little Time painted wooden jewellery

I love my So Little Time wooden laser-cut earrings so much that I literally have not taken them off since my birthday. In fact I am wearing them right now! I have these cute-as-a-button neon orange dipped wood disc earrings that were given to me by my dear friend Anni...

Partners Kirsty and Josh hand-craft their earrings, brooches, and necklaces from locally-sourced or recycled wood, shaping them and painting them in their Melbourne studio. I particularly love the geo ball and faceted necklaces - like wooden crystals!

 How gorgeous is this wooden locket for keeping a pic of your loved ones close to your heart...

I can hardly resist this sweet ice cream brooch - what a gorgeous gift or party favour for a little one...

Thank you so much Anni for such a thoughtful gift - you know me so well! x

You can find So Little Time jewellery in the online Etsy store and at the upcoming The Finders Keepers market in Sydney next weekend (their last market for a long time!). Tell them I sent you.

Images: So Little Time

Sweet family portraits and embroidered jewellery from Dandelyne

What an amazing birthday present. Four of my lovely girlfriends got me the most thoughtful gift - a custom family portrait and necklace embroidered by the supremely talented Sonia Lyne of Dandelyne! Here's my family portrait - so cute!

And here are some of Sonia's other amazing creations:

Australia's first West Elm stocking Australian Etsy sellers

You've probably heard the buzz about the US lifestyle brand triumvirate of Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and West Elm arriving in Australia. I'm one of the many people who have been anticipating the stores openings. We had our wedding registry with Williams-Sonoma! And West Elm launched when we were living in New York City and we were so excited to be able to find reasonably priced products with a fresh, modern edge. Harris even carried our living room rug home over his shoulder and on the subway from the Dumbo store!

The three brands open their retail doors tomorrow in Bondi Junction, NSW, and I'm more than pleased to let you know that West Elm has partnered with Etsy to stock a number of local handmade artisans. How fantastic! I'm particularly taken with the embroidered artwork of Sydney designers Maricor/Maricar who have designed this amazing special edition "welcome" tote for West Elm Sydney:

And presenting the other Australian designers who will be represented in-store and online:

Maze and Vale delicate screen-printed textiles and artwork

I first met Leslie Keating from Maze & Vale at The Finders Keepers market in Sydney last year and was blown away by her delicate screenprinted textiles. My friend Lisa introduced us, and once we got chatting I noticed her dropsheet artworks, featuring the random placements of colour and pattern from screenprinting. They are breath-taking!

Chalk Chook handmade chalk

My friend Kate (Katie Crackernuts) knows me well and when she sniffs out a great Australian-designed product for families, she sends it my way. Lucky for me, she found a gem with these Chalk Chook hand-crafted chalk products. So great for the school holidays and for parties too!

Stylish Kids: Cheeky Britches

Melbourne-based Giorgia Goddard and Lucy Scott are the dream team behind Cheeky Britches - a fun and fashion-forward label for babies sizes 0000-1. Each range is inspired by a different country, and the current Japanese Blossom collection features fantastic 'samurai' paints, kimono-inspired lines and the traditional 'asanoha' print.

This really is one of the most exciting children's labels that I have seen in a while. The colours are fun, mostly unisex and mix-and-match for maximum outfit options. The matching swaddle blanket is a great idea, and those samurai pants are truly inspired.

All clothes are made from natural and organic fibres and Cheeky Britches' mission is to create high quality, socially responsible, affordable and natural clothing for your kids. The gift set would make an ideal baby shower gift or newborn present.

Thanks Giorgia and Lucy for getting in contact. Friends, this label is going places.

You can find Cheeky Britches in the Etsy and MadeIt stores as well as stockists online.

Images: Cheeky Britches

Treehorn geo-faceted wood jewellery and toys

I was reading State of Green online store newsletter recently and spotted these incredible handmade wood jewellery pieces by Tasmanian artisan Joe Chester of Treehorn. Seriously folks! I'll have one please. Make that one of each...

The Treehorn collection of geo-faceted necklaces, pendants, bangles, kitchen boards and building blocks are handmade by Joe using only reclaimed, recycled or sustainably grown timber (such as Tasmanian Oak and Douglas Fir). In fact, pieces are often made items from wood trimmings on the workshop floor.

The amazing building blocks would make a fantastic gift for a child of design-savvy parents, but I can also imagine them piled up on display in an adult's room, or even a work desk. Much cooler than a stress ball, that's for sure.

You can find Treehorn wood jewellery and products in the online store as well as at stockists across Australia and New Zealand.

Images: Treehorn

Design by Kico textiles

Melanie King and Diarmaid Collins are Design by Kico - a cute twosome designing and screenprinting up a storm to create these great cushions and a range of tea towels, tote bags and fabric.

You all know I have an obsession with cockatoos, and Design by Kico offers them in FOUR colourways! How could I possibly choose? I think the kids would like them too. Based in Sydney, they guys are working hard to bring us all an alternative to mass-produced designs on natural fabrics. Pretty fabulous I think.

Mel also has a great blog Design Heaven that I know you will like. Head over and say Hi from me.

You can find Design by Kico in the Etsy store. Get them while they're hot.

Images: Design by Kico

Beth-Emily artwork and scarves

Oh the gorgeousness of Beth-Emily's ethereal artwork. I was lucky to meet Beth-Emily in person at The Finders Keepers market in Sydney and have a chat to her about her beautiful artwork and see some of her pieces in person.

We were chatting about the preserved birds at the museum and how amazing it is that the staff let you sit down with a piece to examine and draw from. Having a real-life model suits Beth-Emily's super-realistic style, which is hard to capture when drawing from photos. Can you imagine being an artist and spending your days drawing birds in a museum?!? Such a romantic notion.

Hobart-based Beth-Emily's ornithology, flora and fauna artwork is also gorgeous in real-life and was being snapped up left, right and centre at The Finders Keepers. They would make a beautiful gift for a young girl or teenager, and I bet Mum would like one too.

Beth-Emily has also recently expanded the application of her artwork onto these divine silk scarves. Keep an eye out for them at markets (check Beth-Emily's blog for details).

You can find Beth-Emily's artwork in her online store on Etsy.

Images: Beth-Emily

Fede handcrafted soft toys

I came across these super-cool soft toy rattles for babies and thought you would love them too. fede soft toys are unexpected shapes - hammers! spanners! cutlery!, handmade from fun vintage and new fabrics, unisex design, and made locally in Adelaide. Lots of boxes to tick right there.

Australian Artist: Claire Cimbora (Schmooks)

Canberra-based artist Claire Cimbora (Schmooks) caught my eye today on the great kids' online store Baby's Got Style.There is no end of gorgeous wall art and wall decals to choose from. Take a look...

 

Claire's child-friendly artworks and wall decals (and jewellery too) are inspired by collage, and put a huge smile on my face. Kitties with carousel hats... whales tethered to hot air balloons... llamas in pyjamas - this is my kind of art; sweet, whimsical and perfect for stimulating imaginations big and small.

It's truly hard to narrow the selection down to just a few to share with you. I'd love a whole series of Claire's beautiful work (first up, that magic bunny wall decal!).

You can find Schmooks in the Etsy store.

Images: Schmooks