Sat Cat – Watch Out!

Subscribe or ‘follow’ Epheriell Designs during July 09 and go in the draw to win a $40 gift voucher to use in my shop – Epheriell. Details here.

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Just for a bit of fun, each Saturday I’m planning to post – among other things – a pic of my kitteh – Gobbolino. I hope you are amused…

Also – I challenge you, each week, to write a LOLcat caption for this picture in the comments. The best one from each week will become the caption on the picture!!! For those of you who don’t know what I’m on about – please visit Icanhazcheezburger.com :)

Gobdemon1

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Retail Therapy… I did succumb..

Subscribe or ‘follow’ Epheriell Designs during July 09 and go in the draw to win a $40 gift voucher to use in my shop – Epheriell. Details here.

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Well, as you all know, I’ve been sick this week – and I’ve also been preparing like crazy for the Brisbane Indie Designers Market (tomorrow, eep!).

I woke up this morning and I’d had enough! I felt I needed a mental and physical break from the work I’ve been doing – I am supposed to be on holidays, after all!

I also had been feeling the need for a new pair of boots, as the sole of one of my old pair is being partially held on by blue-tac – great look, I know.

However, before I could set out on my journey, this arrived…

Jacked Wrapped

What is it? Well, earlier in the week, as I blogged about, I received my copy of Peppermint in the mail. I read a great article about an eco-friendly small clothes designing business in New South Wales (that’s one of our states here in Australia, for my international readers). Their clothes sounded great, and when I turned over the page, I saw one of their jackets and fell in love with it!

So I e-mailed Kelli, who is the owner of PurePod, and asked if they had any stockists here in Bris. She said she had a jacket there and she could post it up to me to try! How good is that! I also scored it significantly below RRP, as it was a sample jacket.

It is made from a mix of hemp, wool and lyocel, with a hemp/soya bean lining, which was hand-printed in Byron Bay. All their workers are fair wage, the fabrics are grown without pesticides… in short, they’re a fantastic small eco-Aussie business.

Here I am in my new jacket… Nick did take some ’serious’ photos of me, but this random one is much more entertaining…

PurePod Jacket Pose

And a close-up…

PurePod Jacket Close

So, before I ventured out I had already added to my wardrobe! Oh, if you’re in Bris, PurePod are stocked at Bliss Eco Wear in Paddington.

I then ventured off to the mall. I usually hate going to the mall – crowds and me don’t mix well. Mostly because I’ m a naturally fast walker… and most people, well, aren’t.

I have to say, I spent more money today than I have for a long time! I almost never go out shopping just for me, so I decided to go a bit mad today and treat myself.

I ended up with a lovely dusty pink frilly-ish shirt and grey knitted button-up vest, as well as a simple black cardigan from some cheapy women’s clothing stores. (BTW, do you know how hard it is to find a simple black cardigan?! I had to look in like 10 shops before I found one even remotely suitable!).

I also indulged in a few new pairs of tights to see out the winter – a semi-fishnet set in black, and another set in dusty purple. Oh, and a pair of cute black day-heels, and a new pair of black half-calf boots.

I ventured into Myer, and totally got lucky! One of my favourite brands, Basque, was having a 30% off sale on dresses – and I scored a gorgeous one. You’ll see me in it tomorrow if you’re visiting the market, otherwise I’ll have photos in a day or two!

My most expensive purchase was probably the strangest (for me). You see, I almost never wear makeup – I’m too lazy to bother with it, and I think I’ve always looked reasonably good without it. But my couple-of-years-old bottle of mascara was looking pretty sad, and I had no foundation to speak of, so I decided to venture into the world of mineral makeup. I find most foundations way too icky to wear – but this stuff is actually pretty fine!

The girl at The Body Shop sat me down and did a bit of a make-over on me – and it came out how I like it – basically so you can barely tell I’m wearing anything!

Here is my haul…

body shop buys

So, that should keep me going for at least the next three years :)

After the shopping spree, I moseyed up to The Full Moon Cafe – a gorgeous cafe/restaraunt/bar over at Sandgate – it’s up on the hill so it overlooks the bay. If you’re in Brissie, I totally recommend it – wonderful food and atmosphere! My friend Liz and I had a coffee and a chat, and then, much relaxed and refreshed, I headed home.

Now I must go and finish my preparations for tomorrow – beginning with cleaning out my car so I can fit everything in!

Wish me luck at the market tomorrow, and make sure you come down if you’re in Brisbane – St Augustine’s Church Hall, Racecourse Rd, Hamilton, from 9 to 2!

**Update – I finally checked the mail about 5, and found that I’d received my prints from Sam! Woot!

Mato Sam Pics

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Classic Hoops – A new mini-line…

Subscribe or ‘follow’ Epheriell Designs during July 09 and go in the draw to win a $40 gift voucher to use in my shop – Epheriell. Details here.

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Just a quick post to share my newest creation with you all!

I’m really excited about this one – I feel like I’ve really tapped the mind of the great jewellery goddess this time!

These little bits of gorgeousity will take you anywhere…

Introducing the ‘Classic Hoops’ range:

In Sterling Silver…. $34

Classic Hoops - Silver - hanging

In Brass (with Sterling Earwires)… $27

Classic Hoops - Brass - hanging

In Copper (with Sterling Earwires)… $27

Classic Hoops - Copper - hanging

So, what do you think?

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Top 10 Handmade Indie Blogs

Subscribe or ‘follow’ Epheriell Designs during July 09 and go in the draw to win a $40 gift voucher to use in my shop – Epheriell. Details here.

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Well, this was a tough one! This week I give you my Top 10 handmade/indie/craft/design blogs! As usual, these aren’t in any particular order – they’re all awesome!

These categories all tend to overlap in both my mind and the world of blogging… and it was tricky to choose the top 10. If you have an awesome blog you’d like to share, please leave a link in the comments!

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Indie-Kid by Racchell on Flickr

1. IndieFixx – I love, love, love Indie Fixx. With daily posts about all things crafty, handmade, design and more, it’s one not to miss.

2. Indie Quarter – Mostly feature articles about artists, crafters and designers.

3. Down and Out Chic – a mix of everything, with that personal style, written by the lovely Christina.

4. For the Love of Cute – *sqeee*!! For your “daily dose of handmade cuteness” you can’t pass this up! Written by the gorgeous Anna from The House of Mouse.

5. Modish – “ daily design and style blog full of art, craft and inspiration”, Modish is written by Jena, and is a long-established bastion of the scene.  A must-read.

6. Try Handmade – started by Erika, it features posts from multiple contributors, and is all about encouraging people to move away from ‘big box’ shopping and toward handmade.

7. Cutable – “a Mon-Fri treasure trove of cute stuff for you and your home!” – indeed it is!

8. Decor8 - very appropriate for this spot! Full of gorgeous design inspiration…

9. CraftSylish – Hmm, not *technically* a blog.. but kinda is… mostly tutorials, and a crafty community.

10. The Etsy Storque – Well, I had to include this one. Yes, it is very geared towards the Etsy community, but there’s lots of cool stuff for anyone interested in the handmade scene, too :)

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Looking for some gorgeous art?

I have been feeling sick this week – the dreaded holiday cold has taken hold like a insidious mucousy monster.. (sorry, too much information?)

Anyways, I was thinking I might indulge in some retail therapy to cheer me up…

So I went Etsy cruising. So many gorgeous goodies… other people’s jewellery, clothes, makeup, soap and bath products… but I decided that I needed some art for my soul.

In my last Superb Sunday I showed you this print by Sam from Matouenpeluche. Well, I loved it so much I couldn’t pass up her buy 2 get 3 sale (especially at only $5 each)! So all three of these prints – ‘Flying Kitten’, ‘The Interloper’ and ‘The Visitor’ – are now in the post on their way to me…

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Then, as I was browsing through my favourites list, I re-discovered Yellena. Her art is so ethereal – it just takes me into another world. Imagine how pleased I was when I discovered that she, too, was having a buy 2 get 3 sale (these ones were $20 each)!

It took me so long to decide which prints I wanted, but in the end, I settled on ‘Amble’, ‘Season’ and ‘Morning’.

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I can’t wait to receive these gorgeous artworks in the post!

I’ve also got another big goodie coming in the post… but I’ll blog about that when it gets here… :D

I’d love to know who your favourite artists are – especially any you’ve found on Etsy, Artfire, or any other online handmade venue. Please leave me a comment and tell me all about them!

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Want more Epheriell-y goodness? Subscribe to my blog updates or ‘follow’ the blog during July and go into the draw to win a $40 voucher to my Epheriell store! Details here (and if you already do, you have a chance, too!). You might also enjoy my daily musings – so follow me on Twitter!