Paisley St Claire

I heart Ivory

You might think that I only wear bright, bold accessories. Not so, my favourite colour for accessories is actually ivory. I love it. Ivory, cream beige, nude, linen, bone, neutral, whatever you like to call it, here's my roundup of beautiful ivory things.

So it will be no surprise to you when I bring out an ivory based collection.

Clockwise from Top Left: Ice Memory Dress by Ranna Gill, Lousie Glittered Linen Clutch by Lauren Merkin,  Leather Slide by Frye,  Swing Bag by Yves Saint Laurent,  Knotted Pump by Giuseppe Zanotti,  Celeste Oversized Blouse by  Dessous by Sophie Simmons,  Dotted Way Slingbacks by  Chie Mihara, Jellyfish Fanfare Necklace by Elke Kramer   Jeweled Bow Back Dress by Karta, Hart Metallic Linen High Heel Pump by Kate Spade Shoes,  Square Neck Dress by Rag & Bone,  Tiered Hem Trench by Vera Wang Lavender Label, Baylijo  Ankle Boot by Nine West, Mercer Satchel by Marc by Marc Jacobs, Makepeace Heels by Nine West,  Daly Woven Hidden Platform Pump by L.A.M.B. Shoes,  Gathered Shoulder Bag by  Dautore Handbags,   Octagonal Tiles Dress by Manning Cartell, The Lucretia Mott Dress by  Kate and Kass, Pearl Earrings by Majorica, Tiered Minidress by Christopher Deane, Highland Herringbone Belt from Anthropologie.

Images from Anthropologie,  Neiman Marcus,  My Catwalk,  Nine West, and Shopbop. 

Share the Love Sale - last days

Our Share the Love Sale ends on 29 February 2008. Hurry to the Jaime Beattie website to save 20% on all orders $50 and over!

Here's a little pic I took in my studio yesterday.

Cupcakes!

Cupcakes (or pattycakes as most Australians call them) are popular everywhere these days. I like to think I can make a pretty mean cupcake. Although, my decorating skills generally suffer due to a strong urge to just gobble them up.

Here are some delicious cupcakes by Sue Tickner of Cupcake Cuisine.

Apparently Sue packed up her family and moved to the Sunshine Coast to establish herself as the Queen of Cupcakes. Well, thats what I'm calling her. Sue has a stall at Queensland's famous Eumundi Markets or you can get more details from her website.

For the record, its almost lunchtime as I'm posting this and my mouth is watering.

Oh my, runway show

I try to be cool about the success of my label, I know that despite every achievement fashion is fickle. What's popular today may be old hat next week.

However, there are times when I can't help but be completely excited and have even been known to do a little happy dance. Occasions such as landing my first stockist (and my second stockist for that matter - a very cool Sydney store), being mentioned on blogs like Bloesem and The Bag Lady, receiving a huge retail order from New York, and now... my first runway show.

It seems a little surreal, especially given that I design accessories, to think that something I have designed will be walking down a catwalk in Sydney in less than 2 weeks time. I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.

Lindsay Brackeen

I am so happy to have stumbled upon the beautiful art of Lindsay Brackeen. Her girls are so sweet and innocent. They all look so happy, their woodland home so peaceful and their dresses so pretty. Oh, to be one of those girls.

Lindsay has an etsy shop and her blog is the best way to find out about fresh original pieces and new prints.

As mentioned in earlier posts, I'm on a self-imposed art diet - from spending way too much on prints. So I'm putting Lindsay's delightful Me and Hoo print (top right) in my wishlist. Although I just realised that these prints would be perfect for my daughter's room so I don't think it will be long before I've collected a couple of these. *I can justify anything!

I found Lindsay's art via Poppytalk.

Red Cap Cards

Here are some delightfully quirky cards from Red Cap Cards.

They have just redone their website so it is just as lovely as their cards. Makes me wish I could draw.

X-ray Art

I was really taken with these 'photos' by Steven Meyers when I saw them. The flowers look so soft and delicate. Some of them even look as transient as smoke.

In fact, these are actually taken using x-ray technology. I don't completely understand it, but this is what Steven Meyers says on his website:

By using x-rays instead of light, and unusual innervision can be revealed, and nature shows us textures, details, and shadows that would otherwise not be seen. Visible light is just a small part the electromagnetic spectrum, and falls between x-rays and infrared. My x-ray images are a collection of negatives, positives, and solarized images, solarized being partly negative and partly positive at the same time.

You can find a selection of these beautiful photographic prints online at Art Select or check Steven Meyer's website for locations in the United States.

Kids in Print

Obviously, I love bold print fabrics and I've found two other Australian ladies who do too.

Jennie McClelland is the superwoman dynamo behind Posie Patchwork and its sister brand Edna & Alice May. I say superwoman because Jennie has 4 young children and a husband whose work calls him away for sometimes months at a time. Hardworking Jennie somehow manages to supply her fans with an ever-increasing range of children's clothes, accessories and soft furnishings made from bright print fabrics. You can see Jennie's designs gracing (many) pages of the latest Shop 4 Kids magazine.

Another mum bringing bright print fabric to the world of children' s clothing is Sherilyn Palmer. Sherilyn's label, Tees 2 Knees,  features delightful little t-shirts appliquéd with print fabrics to make adorable little animals and motifs. Sherilyn says that 'each design represents the simplicity and innocence of being a child and are inspired by all things that make us smile'. Sweet.

T-shirts by Tees 2 Knees, cushions, bib and apron by Posie Patchwork. All pieces are handmade in Australia by two amazing and creative women.

Girls are Made of Sugar

I found another gorgeous little website recently. It takes a little while to load but its certainly worth the wait. Girls are Made of Sugar is like a vintage storybook and toy box rolled into one.

The vintage inspired jewellery is divided into two collections: Vintage Lady and Trendy Pupee. The website is based in Spain and all prices are in Euros.

Visit the Girls are Made of Sugar website. Sweet like sugar indeed!

Lovely Lady Lorick

Clothes are not an obsession for me, not the way accessories are. Very rarely do I see a collection that actually makes me gasp. But thats just what I did when I saw the Spring 08  collection by New York designer,  Abigail Lorick.

Channeling just the right mix of lady-like glamour, colour, prints, elegant silhouettes and Hepburn chic, this collection from Lorick makes me weak at the knees. Not to mention the heavy inclusion of my couleur du jour, yellow! Visit the Lorick website to view more pieces of the collection and stockist details.

The Cutest Little Shop

I had the good fortune to come across one of the most adorable little online shops. I don't think its very easy to translate warmth, friendliness and personal service via the internet but thats what you feel when you go to Kleiner Kaufladen.

Based in Germany, the owner of this sweet store is the daughter of an antiques dealer and a toy repairer. Her store has adorable old fashioned toys, retro homewares, accessories and handmade delights. And if you have a doll or teddy needing some repairs they even have a Doll Hospital. I can't think of anything more adorable. Visit Kleiner Kaufladen for a dose of loveliness. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Clockwise from Top Left: Vintage Glass Button Ring US$8,  Love Directions Necklace US$40,  Limited Edition Birds in Love print US$7, Cherry Heads greeting card US$4, Red Dandy magnet $4,  Pink Cupcake gift tags US$2.75 for a pack of 10, all from Etsy.

Of course, there is always my Share the Love sale: 20% off all orders over $50. Use code "valentine".

Shoe Lovers, be afraid...

Now, you might think that museums can be pretty boring. What about a shoe museum, bit more interesting? The Virtual Shoe Museum is a fascinating, albeit a bit scary, place. At the museum you can search  for shoes based on colour, style, designer, material and shoe type.  These are not your average pumps though, here's a little selection.

Okay, so those shoes are pretty different, but what about these from the extreme section:

The cat one (top right) is giving me nightmares... but I had to share.

Philippa

Architecturally inspired accessories by Australian designer, Philippa Frecklington.

Available in black, white, choc swirl and boysenberry. These boysenberry pieces look good enough to eat.

Available via the Philippa website.

Couture Shoes by Hetty Rose

I find the idea of bespoke shoes completely decadent. How wonderful it would be to have a pair of these Hetty Rose shoes.

London based designer, Henrietta Samuels, makes each pair by hand using leather and vintage kimono fabric.  Visit her website for more styles and information. I absolutely adore the pair at the top right, called Amalie.

Sing Star, but at what cost?

My sister and I love playing SingStar.

Neither of us are very good singers but that hasn't stopped us from amassing all but one or two of the Sony Playstation games. For those not familiar with SingStar, it is basically a karaoke system that has a couple of microphones that attach to your Playstation. The microphones monitor how closely you sing to the notes and then the game gives you a rating, for example, Wannabe, Amateur, Hit Artist etc. The fact that my sister and I can clear the room when we get going is really telling enough.

However, on the weekend we achieved "Totally Sing Star" status. This is the first time we have ever got that far - we didn't even know there was a Totally Sing Star rating. Our closest high score put us at "Sing Star" which we were pretty proud of at the time.

Now, I'm not just telling you this because I wanted to let everyone know how badly we can sing. Its just that we were quite alarmed that out of all the music choices, we achieved Sing Star for Boy George's 'Karma Chameleon' and our highest achievement, Totally Sing Star while performing Europe's mega hit 'The Final Countdown'.

I'm a bit concerned that the 1980's are simmering a little close to the surface.

Something we won't be doing is recording a video of ourselves playing SingStar and posting it on the  SingStar website.  Although, I'm glad this guy did. His version of Scissor Sister's 'I Don't Feel Like Dancing' is as adorable as it is accurate. Better than me.

Huge February Sale - Share the Love!

I'm such a romantic. Visit my website before the end of February to take advantage of this fantastic sale.

Jenn Ski

What better way to start the week than some fabulous art from Jenn Ski.

These are Jenn's brand new original artwork available for purchase via her website. If you miss out on one of these pieces she also has gorgeous glicee prints.

I'm lusting after a couple of her latest prints but unfortunately I've bought more art in the last 6 months than in the whole of my life. So I'm on a self-imposed art diet. Its going on my wishlist.

Nama Rococo

I know I posted about wallpaper earlier in the week but I couldn't resist showing this beautiful 'French Dot' couture wall paper by Nama Rococo. Each sheet is handmade!

Their website is beautiful too.

I found this via Jane d'Avril.

Colour Your World

Holly at Decor8 has posted the most wonderful collection of colourful images from Rice in Denmark.

Pop over to Decor8 and have a look. Its beautiful!