The Design Files Daily

Monthly Archives: March 2010

HOMELOVE by Megan Morton + a very special giveaway!

Megan Morton’s new book, Homelove, out this month from Penguin.

Images from Megan Morton’s new book, Homelove, out this month from Penguin.

So I am sure you have seen this around the place in the last few weeks… the very special Megan Morton has just penned her first book, published by Penguin and out this month! HOMELOVE is truly the most divine publication, full of all the interiors eye candy you can possibly feast your eyes on, and of course written in MM’s distinctive, friendly and very conversational style. Homelove truly reads in the most intimate and magical way – Megan’s voice is more like a casual whisper from a close friend than a structured styling sermon!

To co-incide with the book launch, Megan has also just started her very own Homelove blog – somewhere to post top-up information, to supplement the book, to begin a dialogue with eager readers… and above all, to share. Megan says – “There are just way too many good things out there – new colours, new ways to do things, new solutions to old problems – and it seems unfair not to share them. So if Homelove the book has all the seriously chunky information in it – the real how to’s and must-know’s, then Homelove the blog is a place where new found ideas can be shared.” I can only say how perfectly this statement sums up Megan’s incredibly generous spirit… and dear readers, there is more generosity to come….

In the spirit of sharing, Megan will host a very special live chat Q&A on her blog next week! Pop a little note in your diary for next Tuesday the 30th, 10.00am – 11.00am… when Megan will be online to answer all your decorating questions! What a brilliant chance to tap into the mind of one of Australia’s best known stylists! From paint colours to furniture fossicking to perfect party styling… MM would love to share her expertise with you! Dream up your most challenging deco questions and I hope to see you over there on Tuesday!

AND just in case you weren’t quite excited enough about all the Megan Morton love in the room…. In celebration of her book and blog launch, MM has pulled together the most perfect Homelove prize pool giveaway, exclusively for 10 lucky Design Files readers!


The Homelove prize pool includes a signed copy of the book, plus a delicious collection of Megan’s favourite things… oooh la la. See the full list from Megan below!

“As its my first ever book, I’d like to celebrate with a few of my own favourite things. I’d love to give 10 Design Filers a signed copy of HOMELOVE, and a few of my All Time Favourite Things. Think hand-made screen art, think crusty bread, think dinky, think the perfect grey, think perfectly polished short nails, ….”

* limited edition Castle and Things for homelove screen printed love heart on paper – $120.

“It doesn’t get more perfect than Rachel Castles‘ embroideries and screenprints. She has hand screened a super weeny but super cute limited edition of ten heart prints. Heaven in a heart. Adored.”

* Baker Friday for HOMELOVE bread – priceless.

“Fresh from Baker Friday, these sourdough loaves – specially designed for HOMELOVE – are the first things out of this stunning new Bondi Junction bakeries oven doors. We will be literally taking them from the oven to the postbox to express to the winners! Incredible. You won’t believe it, it’s artisan baking at its best”.

* Miss Frou Frou nail polish

“Who doesnt need an injection of red every now and then? Nobody does a better polish than Miss Frou Frou and we all know it. One coat of this RED HOT is all you will need. Red hot works well with short, squared long nail beds!”.

*Bauwerk Paint

“I think it’s a stunning colour. You will too. Enjoy this pot of perfect grey from Bauwerk. Its filled with THE greenest paint in the world. Seriously”

* Vintage spoon from ‘The Propery

“I have a props house called ‘The Propery‘ where all lovely styling bits live to serve other stylists. We believe in using the good, the funny, the delicate everyday, not just special occasions, so please stir your coffee with one of our lovely funny little vintage spoons”.

*HOMEPAINT colours

“Designer Sara Silm and I have made some seriously foolproof colour palettes and we’d love to share them with you. There are five palettes and we know you will love them, you can not not – they are simply beautiful”

*Mushroom stamp from Kikki K – $19.95

“A little something to leave out on your stationery shelf. This dinky little wooden mushroom from Kikki K comes with a stamp pad, and is all round cuteness even when its not in action.”

*Chic canvas travel bag from Murchison-Hume

“Stylist love bags and storage and canvas, which is why these Murchison-Hume ones in calico are ideal for all sorts of things …sentimental trinkets, special shoes, kid gloves, lego, secrets, love letters, cashmere scarves that risk nips… you can’t ever have enough. I have Murchison-Hume monogram mine but we will leave the winners blank and you can title it any way you like!”

Oh Megan. Such Love.

Ok readers you know the drill! Comment here before the end of the day to be in the running for 1 of 10 Homelove favourite things packs from Megan Morton! (if you are an email subscriber, please don’t reply to this email – all comments must be left at www.thedesignfiles.net to be in the running!)

Omigod. Aren’t you excited for that Baker Friday loaf with the Homelove heart, express-posted to your door anywhere Australia-wide?! Bonkers brilliant.

Brisbane Home – Alarna Zinn of Little Jane st

The super gorgeous Brisbane apartment of Little Jane st‘s Alarna Zinn! (All photos by Alarna)

OMG. Are you dying? I am dying.

Love the retro details…





I am wondering if it gets any better than today’s house tour? I am thinking probably not. Should I just call it a day now? Because I seriously cannot imagine a more beautiful little pad than this! (I know, I know I say that all the time, but it’s always true!). So gorgeous and yet so liveable – beautifully styled, yet accessable and ‘real’… I am truly in love with the Brisbane apartment of Alarna Zinn of Little Jane st! I’m also SUPER impressed with Alarna’s incredible magazine-quality photos…! HOW good are they? Full marks all round!

Alarna moved from a small country town to Brisbane 9 years ago which she says seemed at the time like moving to the ‘big smoke’! She studied Graphic Design, and after finishing her studies, came with the idea for Little Jane St, an online boutique stationery shop. (YES, another one to bookmark!). Little Jane St is now 2 years old and has just launched it’s brand new super cute online store! Alarna runs the business from her home studio (aka garage!), and she says she feels so lucky to be able to do something that she truly loves each day. It’s set to be an exciting year with lots of new products to be launched in the coming months – stay tuned!

Alarna lives in her ‘teeny tiny’ Coorparoo flat with her soon-to-be-Husband, David. (Coorparoo is about 10 mins from the city centre). She says that the struggle for more space drives them both completely mad at times! (I can definitely relate to that!). It’s an older style unit, with what Alarna describes as ‘the ugliest carpet ever’! Well, I see she has omitted to photograph any carpet (hee!), but I have to say, I do love the way she has rolled with the 60′s styling instead of fighting against it! The lovely little retro details such as the vintage kitchenware (and that gorgeous painted owl!) really make this space. After 5 years here together, the pair have really put their creative stamp on this lovely little home.

Alarna’s favourite thing about her unit is the big top floor verandah… There’s a big bushy tree which meets their balcony, giving lots of privacy…. and they even have enough room for a small vege patch! There are some very friendly little possums and apparently a rather demanding and noisy bird that likes to visit regularly – Alarna says ‘we enjoy the company!’

Huge thanks to Alarna for sharing her gorgeous pad with us – and for all the wonderful photos (pre-formatted! Awesome! I love graphic designers). Do pop over to Little Jane st to check out her wonderful goodies online. (Little Jane st also has a wonderful blog you should definitely visit!)






Bedroom details.. Nice styling with the messy bed Alarna! And how is it that the Ikea cushion looks positively designer here? Much better than they look in store!

Mini Vegie patch on the balcony… with Little Jane st ceramic garden labels of course!

Little Jane st ceramic garden labels

A few more of my fave Little Jane st goodies… love the gorgeous cards designed by Alarna.

Magnolia Square round-up

Illustration and pretty papery things by Sweet William - most (but not quite all) shots here of the Magnolia Square event are by Pru Trundle of Little Bird Photography.

Couple of favourite stalls from Magnolia Square – tote bags by Lola and Bailey, and fabulous vintage wares by K7 Vintage Homewares.

Lots of cute kids things! Handmade clothes by Knuffle Kid… loved the crocheted toadstools too! (sorry can’t find the supplier details on this one – remind me?)

Fabulous array of soft furnishings – top left – lampshades and rag dolls by Raggidy Rag Dolls, top right – Tinker by PrintInk screenprinters, and bottom – lovely cushions by Noir Design.

Lovely details dressed up the venue at St Kila Town Hall…

Magnolia Square has an impressive reputation on the Melbourne crafty ladies circuit… It’s a very boutique gift fair, carefully edited, with a focus on high-quality locally designed and crafted gifts and homewares, local gourmet food products, and lots of extremely gorgeous kids stuff! Sugary-sweet and super girly… a morning at Mag Square is sure to involve piles of cupcakes, a (delectable catering by Ed Dixon), an impressive array of expensive strollers (including the odd minor traffic jam!), candy-stripes, polka-dots, lots of PINK, and many, many super cute (and very well-dressed) children!

The Cupcake Wrapper Company – a little bit of Martha right here in Melbourne!

Nic MacIsaac, multi-tasker extraordinaire, runs this regular event… and she kindly invited me to pop along on Friday to ‘judge’ the wares and pick a favourite vendor! I felt very under-qualified for such responsibility… but headed out nonetheless, and was very relieved to find Tiger & Peacock‘s Aimee McCallum also amongst the judges! Phew!

Aimee and I took waaaay too long to make our selections… I am easily sidetracked at the best of times, and was truly impressed with the sheer quality of the wares on offer – Nic is very selective when putting together each fair, and it certainly shows! Big thanks to Nic and Kathee for inviting me along and gifting all the judges with the most insanely generous goodie-bags! OH my. Very spoilt.

Omigod the official photographer snapped me…! (Yes I know my eyes are closed… but other than that I thought I looked semi-ok? Well as good as can be expected when standing alongside the gorgeous Lindy Klim!)

SEW bags – Supporting + Empowering Women


How great are these brilliant handcrafted ‘SEW’ tote bags? Aside from being a fantastic design made from 100% recycled materials, they are the product of an inspiring development initiative in Arusha, Tanzania, in a project run by Melbourne law students Jessie Smith and Denis Cairney.

SEW stands for ‘Supporting + Empowering Women’. The project supports HIV+ women in Arusha, Tanzania, offering these stigmatized women much needed employment and financial independence, as well as the opportunity to learn valuable business skills. The woman are paid a fair wage and all profits are re-invested back into the project. The bags retail for $19.95 each and are available to buy only from Readings Carlton at present (more stockists to come!).

Photos from the SEW workshops in Arusha, Tanzania

SEW launches officially this Thursday at Readings in Carlton! Everyone is welcome, if you’re in the area, do pop in, lend your support to this fantastic project and learn a little more about the SEW initiative!

SEW launch event
Thursday March 25th
6.00pm for 6.30pm start

Readings Carlton
309 Lygon st, Carlton

Drinks provided

Wooly Winners

Charcoal and Sherbie gloves by Penelope Durston

Oh my… another fabulous enthusiastic response to yesterday’s giveaway! Thankyou once again so much for all your kind words and comments! As usual I feel bad to disappoint so many… but it can’t be helped… the random number generator has spoken -

The winners of Pene’s wicked winter woolies are -

Kate from Northcote who loves Sherbie the best (comment #53)
and
Lauren
(anonymous commenter) who loves Charcoal the best (comment #87)

Congratulations ladies! Please email me today with your mailing addresses and Pene will post your fuzzy freebies out! HUGE thanks for the giveaway and happy birthday again to Pene and Cottage Industry!

pssstttt – Pene is also running a glove giveaway on her own blog.. and it runs until 9.00am tomorrow! If you missed out today, pop over to Pene’s site and leave your comment for a second chance to win!

Cottage Industry 2nd birthday giveaway!

Angora / lambswool fingerless gloves by Penelope Durston

I have sung the praises of Melbourne craft-queen Penelope Durston many times before… Pene is truly the most talented crafter I know, and her gorgeous store, Cottage Industry in Gertrude st Fitzroy, is a must-visit for anyone who loves a little hand-made goodness. Cottage Industry stocks the most brilliant range of cushions, quilts, clothes, bags and other hand-crafted treasures – most of them made by Pene herself.

Gorgeous Cottage Industry tea-cosies and clothing range…

Love the little angora softies… and of course you know I can’t get enough of Dell Stewart‘s fab hand-painted timber brooches!

Today Cottage Industry turns 2 years old! Yippeee Happy Birthday Pene! To celebrate this milestone, Pene is offering a fab little giveaway of 2 pairs of her beautiful angora / lambswool fingerless gloves, for 2 lucky TDF readers! One of Pene’s most popular designs, the gloves are made from NZ yarn, in 40% angora, 60% lambswool. They’re knitted just outside Melbourne, and hand-dyed by Pene in her laundry sink!

The gloves come in the most delicious array of colours – lemon, lime, dahlia, ocean, sherbie, cranberry, denim, khaki, haze, tangerine, royal, lolly, buttercup, cherry and charcoal to name a few. They’re available in short, medium and long… but the giveaway is for two pairs of the long variety :)

BUT the BEST bit about this giveaway, is that you get to choose your preferred colour! Oooh interactive! Check out all colours over on the Cottage Industry Big Cartel site, and when leaving your comment here, let us know which colour you choose!

Some of Pene’s brilliant hand-dyed colours… check out the rest of the range here.


Please comment before midnight tonight to be in the running! If you subscribe to these posts by email, please don’t reply to the email, you gotta visit www.thedesignfiles.net to leave your comment!

Please note this giveaway has now closed! Thanks so much for all your entries!

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