PYD Market

The less said about this market the better.
Apologies for very crappy phone photos (forgot my camera).
Not sure why I'm even posting these.



Closure, perhaps?

BOWER BIRD BAZAAR

The thing about me and the limelight is that I only really enjoy basking in it for a minute or two. Any longer and I'm longing to crawl back under my rock and hide.

Three days is a long long time to be switched on and exposed to the public.
I am terrible at small talk, I am appalling at selling my own product (and just selling generally).
My real skill is convincing someone to go for my cheapest product, not my most expensive. or not to buy anything at all.
Do you really need another cushion in your life? I don't think so. quick, get out of here before you spend money.

The Queen's Theatre in Adelaide didn't disappoint. It is a magnificent, unrenovated stone building - the oldest theatre on mainland australia. This was a truly awe-inspiring space, very hard to capture its essence in photos. There were two long skinny rooms that led on to a large central space.


















Crumbling walls, exposed beams, concrete floor .. very cold the first couple of days.
But nobody minded too much, not with the superb catering for the venue.. sensational local vego food, coffee and organic wine. I am determined to return to Adelaide on a road trip for an eating/ drinking holiday.



Here are just some of the other talent at Bowerbird:
Melanie Hill from Melbourne is seriously prolific and makes an eclectic range of products from found and recycled woollen materials and beads and buttons and all kinds of stuff. i've got one of her cardies and scarves - always get comments when i'm wearing them. And look at those puppets! Mental. Love them.


Here's my hotel room buddy, Ursula, from flat bird. She and her partner have a ridiculous number of my cushions and are currently the world record holders for owning the most number of feedthedog products (my sister has more but i don't count her because she doesn't pay for them).


Love my neighbours? Did i ever. On one side i had the wonderful and 'real' susanna from local multi-disciplinary design company, enoki, who had the wildest rugs i've ever seen. Graphics like this pink dog are hand-stitiched (takes about 3 days) onto high quality carpet underlay. They also make other sustainable products like cardboard children's furniture and provide a broad range of design services.


On the other side was the so very sweet and very talented young Adelaide jewellery designer, Sarah Rothe. This was her first market ever and i tried not to scare her too much with my tired old carnie stories.


I wish I had a better photo of these killer purple striped shoes worn by my jewellery designer mate from syd, Kristina who has a glorious wardrobe that more than rivals her stunning jewellery collection.


My corner of the Bowerbird Bazaar. Before the crowds.
Before my very special presentation booklet, which i had made up in the US, was taken from my stand while i was off getting a coffee. I was a little upset to say the least. But then my neighbours bought me a drink and we started the party a little early and I was over it in no time.

Now I need to take a very deep breath, clean up this pigsty I live in and get ready for the next one. PYD DESIGN MARKET is on from Saturday 24th to Sunday 25th October and will be my only Sydney outing before Christmas. This year the event is sponsored by Vogue Living magazine and I hope I get the time to make my extra-large space everything I want it to be. It's less than two weeks away. Feeling very much like Sisyphus rolling that giant rock to the top of the mountain only to have the damn thing roll back down again .. and on it goes.

Bowerbird was a great success for me personally, for many stall holders, for the organisers, and for the people of adelaide who supported the event. It wasn't fab for everyone though. These kind of big big events can be tough. Until you've done one of these gigs there's just no way of conveying the complexity of the experience.
The stress, frustration, joy, irritation, physical and mental exhaustion, bitching and moaning, joy, envy, excitement, self-doubt, boredom, joy and an awful lot of laughing.



I'm not sure why or how I do it.

*Denis from MessageMark has sent through a link to all the great photos he took on the Sunday. Really worth a peek here:
BowerBird photos

adelaide*sydney*melbourne

in that order.
loading up the truck and stepping out into the limelight again.
i don't have a truck, starting to need one though with all these extra stall props i've been buying.

three big market events looming before xmas, so get out those pens and diaries.
yes, i'm an old-fashioned thing.

bowerbird bazaar is first off the blocks.
less than two weeks away.
some of my fave ever designers will be here.
third drawer down and cloth.
in-sync design.
and pal kristina brenke.

then, a couple of weeks later, it's the PYD market alongside the Danks St Festival in sydney. vogue living are on board this year and it should be fun, fun, fun.
even if it is in a car park.

finally, last chance to get up close and personal with feedthedog will be at magnolia square in melbourne.
have been wanting to do this one for a while now.
so i am.
end of november.

new stuff, old stuff reworked.



please come and say hi if you're in the area.

coming over all versace like

a big fan of pom poms and ruffles i couldn't go past this great mustard retro trim giveaway from Loz and Dinny.
so mustard, so swishy, so versace .. at least, that's how it looks to me when i drape it around more mustard and a flock of show offy sheep.



then i tried it around a simple rose. red, yellow, blue .. nothing like the primaries. but still sooo versace. and i think i'm lovin' it. never in my wildest dreams did i think i'd be channelling gianni v. and feeling a little bit thrilled, a little bit OMG what am i doing.
too much is never enough. let's see how far i can go with you .. my lovely long piece of retro trim.

something new

a new market
gorgeous venue
historic queen's theatre
a d e l a i d e
oct 9, 10 ,11.
most exciting
bower bird bazaar

my first market for the spring/ summer season
a really special one

and they are still seeking applicants
go on
have a look

berice takes it out

it's almost the end of august so i'm wrapping this up.

a big thankyou to all who responded to my giveaway. quite a few of you replied privately and i thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone's responses.

but i really couldn't go past the story of Berice the Sheep and the 81-year-old neighbour who is about to say farewell to his sheep. This story threw up so many questions - was the owner of Berice a sheep farmer, if so why was she singled out as pet? If not, how do you get to own a sheep? Where must you live to have a sheep as a pet? How long has Berice been part of the family? And why does Berice have to depart? (not sure that I want to know the answer to that last one).

such a lovely story AND this panel is going to be a gift. Yep, pushed all the buttons for me. Though I must say I also loved Kate's hilarious over-the-top response and fabulous punning ability with "bah-rilliant cushions", sadly I can see myself stealing this phrase and tragically over-using it at the next market I do.

so congrats to kiki.
that was fun.
must do it again.

giving it away in august

if you would like any of the panels below, just let me know which one, and why.
that's all you have to do.

each fabric panel is a one off.
they feature original hand drawn graphics printed by hand.
my hands.
the little bird is a lino cut print - no panel really feels complete without one.
familiar techniques like applique, hand embroidery, machine stitching and surface marks add texture to the flat surface of the panels which are 100% cotton or cotton/linen blend fabrics.
i use non-toxic, eco-friendly inks that are intense and durable.

the panels are securely mounted onto foam core and matted.
all you need to do is buy a frame.

at the end of august i will choose an answer i like.
then your panel will be sealed in a cellophane sleeve and posted to you in a sturdy cardboard mailer.

more of my panels can be found at UDESSI, a beautiful online gallery featuring original australian art and design.

and if it's cushions you're after, i have a bunch of new ones in my shops, here and here.

thanks for stopping by to my very infrequent blog.
here are the panels.
entire size, including the matt frame, is 29 x 38cm [11 x 15ins]

PANEL 1

PANEL 2

PANEL 3

PANEL 4

PANEL 5