Saturday 31 May 2008

The shop (2)

Welcome to the other shop : ye ol' Etsy Shoppe. I've been a bit neglectful of it lately, what with sewing up stock for the OUI boutique, but my sweets I've caught up with that and now I've been able to 'replenish' our Etsy store a wee bit. Already a few newly added pinafores have sold :

one for Finland and one for Australia
how great
all these
different corners
of
the world!

But there are still a few beautiful new little girl-dresses, including this new design:


Gorgeous pixel dress
the Nani Iro
double gauze
gives the dress
a shiny
sheer



But, let me also plug some other people's stores, inspiration wise. I really admire the following amazing designers, with such fresh and stylish creations (respectful credits for the photo's and images go to them of course) :

For girls, Le vestiaire de Jeanne, I've linked the blog but that has connections to the online shops of the brand. Really really beautifully cut innovative outfits for children AND super fun photography, just see :



For slighly older girls (for, I am a firm believer in the corniest 'forever young'), Sveta Dresher, discovered through our friend Ashley Rose's ever stunning blog. Sveta's designs are simply unique or uniquely simple, always elegant and remarkably wonderful. The photography again, is so appealing. So I want everything she makes!




For girls' arms, necks, fingers...Nervoussystem : flash yet subtle (yup juxtaposing big time here) jewelery in all kinds of unexpected materials. I adore this rubber arm-band...


There friends - if you've nothing on this weekend
you can shop he he.
-Lies

Friday 23 May 2008

The shop (1)

Welcome to OUI Boutique (where I sell the baby/toddler clothes and some bags), it's such a cute shop, in a gorgeous 1920's Gallery -one of the few untouched old building-complexes in Auckland.

Gabriel and the door (both 6 foot 6)

Corner/window, some of Loulou's awesome clothes

My corner!

I like these lights and also the little window
(my favorite that little window)

Mural (by Loulou and her partner Rob)

No not Lieveke, this is Aiko, a little client, fitting the spotty tunic
(the tunic now lives at Aiko's house)

My leopard bag (sold)

Lieve and Narcissus in the fitting room

Swing by, anytime.
For an update on Kimberlee touring the States on the way to a wedding - read the comment on the previous post!
For now, I shall bid you a good weekend friends.
-Lies

Friday 16 May 2008

Tip Tops and best friends...

In Belgium 'tip top' means 'everything is super ok' or some such. So yeah, corny title! Anyway, I'm selling some of my little clothes through OUI boutique, a funky shop in Central Auckland now. It's going well! Look here are some tops that I made especially for this shop. I had just enough fabric left to make 4 tops, oh I so love the prints.


Gathered tops with Liberty leaves

One red, one blue


Blue one

Ha : gathered leaves with Liberty top

Dress-tunics in cream fabrics

Colorful drops and swirly dots


Dots

Drops ( Lieveke, Lieveke, full of beans...)

I'm a little sad really. Our lovely little neighour Shayda -who's dad is Irani and mum is Taiwanese- goes to the same daycare-centre as Lieveke. They've become best friends : so sweet, when we arrive, Shayda -overjoyed, runs over to cuddle Lieveke and then they hold hands together and toddle off to do some swinging or playing. Shayda is a wee bit older and soft and gentle, a good thing as lieveke is rather extroverted and enthousiastic (this means quite full-on, dear reader). When Shayda's not there to greet (sick or holiday), Lieveke is rather lost and finds it a bit hard to engage immediately in the play of other children. And now Shayda's mum Sandra just told me that they are going back to Taiwan, for 6 months! Sandra feels lonely here in NZ, she has no job and very few friends and misses her family terribly... I understand, I miss my family too, very very much, especially my parents ( x ). Yet I'm grateful for my new life here in NZ, I have a good job at the gallery and I've found such satisfaction in sewing the kid's clothes. I've made many new friends, some of them with small children, friends of Lieveke's. I'm lucky you see, I am.

I wonder how old Kimberlee's doing, on holiday back in the States? Did she get a bunk at her friends? Is the cozzy married yet? Were Kimberlee and her sis Carling looking stunning (as I imagine) in their retro-frocks? Has Kimberlee seen her parents (in another state) -she was so looking forward to catching up with them... She too was missing her family...

Heh, sniff, I told you, it was gonna be corny...

Well, do have a nice weekend you's!

-Lies

Monday 12 May 2008

In the sunny patches




In the sunny patches
we do a bit of
snoozing
and playing


We catch the light
making
magic circles
through the
waterlilies

we (well, I) knit some stripy little socks

and on the way to work
greet
the trees

at work
the trees
again

with

intriguing

patches
(everything is a human construct - Guiseppe Romeo)

And the following beautiful photo's
(from March's I-D)
coincide with
that attractive colorful patchy mood
I'm really in
(and my favorite designers,
also very fun
Comme des Garcons
platform shoes throughout)
X


Dries Van Noten kimono dress

Junya Watanabe dress

Tao shirt - Azzedine Alaia skirt

Marc Jacobs dress - Palace Costume skirt

May your week be just as cheerful, friends
-Lies

Wednesday 7 May 2008

and when I get there, can I stay with you?

FIRSTLY,
my illustration is on the shelves finally and just in time.....
There she blows captain!!!
I am pretty happy with how it looks aside from the unavoidable "gutter" loss caused by the double page spread. (I wasn't in charge of layout).

this is the original in full. click to enlarge

here's the magazine, just in case you want to take a look.

IN OTHER NEWS....

So basically I am out of here for a while because I going back to my old stomping ground (Minnesota) for my cousin's wedding. It's very weird going back to your home town when you haven't lived there since teenagerism, factor in the over seas move and all this makes me think I'm in for some out of body experience. Okay, a little dramatic, but I can't help but anticipate some times when I will feel quite strange and disconnected.

Mostly I am looking forward to it though.

There is one friend in minnesota who I haven't seen in a while and we haven't been in touch much since high school. I sent her an email this morning asking if I could stay with her a few days while I am in town. Upon reflection, I sound totally nuts in the email.

I'll share a bit with you....

SO I am assuming you know that I am coming back to good old rochester for joanna's wedding, and if not, now you know. IN fact I leave NZ on Saturday and will be in Colorado until we head out there. I've been having airport disaster dreams all week including one where 4 year old version of my sister, her baby (yes the four year old has a newborn for some reason), and I are all VERY late and about to miss the flight. Luke is no help at all because he will not share his bicycle so I have to alternate between running with all our luggage (while trying manage the baby), and driving my mom's SUV which I crash every 30 seconds. when we make it to the airport, I the plane boards at 5pm, and its 5:10. LET US THROUGH!!! this is when I woke up. fun! no?

SO here is the big Question... would we (carling and I, and NO she does NOT really have a baby) stay with you for a couple of days when we are in rochester? It's alright if you can't stay with you because we could just stay with becky the whole time. no pressure. But I thought it would be fun to stay with you too. blah blah blah.

let's hang out none the less.

so what's up with you in general? I am looking forward to seeing you in person. I am doing a sci-fi cross stitch at the moment which I will bring to rochester and show you. I wish I could do it on the plane but no. If I bring needles on the plane, the terrorists will win. or, I may use a needle and my tiny scissors and start a revolution on board. good thing they are limiting me to 100 ml of contact solution because who knows what I can do with 101 mls? most likely mix it with my toothpaste and create a toiletry bomb.

well gotta go,
xoxox,
kimberlee



with an email like that, I hope she'll still let me stay with her. especially after my smooth transition from crazy dream to "so here is the big question."

and I was not kidding about that sci-fi cross stitch/embroidery. My current work in progress:satellites towers for contacting aliens or the future human race. I think I have been influenced by lieveke's play in the the last post.
well that is all for now. I probably won't be able to comment or blog much while I am overseas which I know you understand.

my final link is for all you designers out there. this should have you ROTFL.
nice arm toots.
image taken from photoshop disasters... go check them out!

-k

Sunday 4 May 2008

This morning, my alien...

In strange and
eerie light
the
creature
installed
its impenetrable
fortress

beckoned
with
a floppy tentacle


And Spoke
Universal
Words
of the Cosmos

'We want crackers'


Then,
-energized-,
it sculpted
'unearthly long-ears'
in
crimson
spacepods.





Apart from establishing intergalactic communications, I've been doing a bit of the usual. K and I had a Craftwerk-market day (well only short afternoon for me really) and it was all pretty successful. It was combined with a solid quality art-event and some catchy music-performances. My uber-favorites were the duo 'Too many cats' with their world-hits (just you wait and see now) 'Art bus' and 'Gallery girl'... Haha of course I know these guys, Ian and Robert, who used to work with Gabriel in Auckland's (public) city art gallery (a deep deep source of darkest inspiration, apparently). 't Was coohool and I had fuhun.
Here are a few things I made for the market, that found new homes :

simple tote in Notari Sweetpea

tree-pinnies
Yellow - goes with a groovy uncle to Australia
White - for little Fern who fitted on site and was just peachy sweet

And here are a few things that found their way into my home :


thrift (but o what a thrift) : most beautiful cutting-board ever






Cushion covers, hand-printed by Katie (Smitten design),
traditionally I 'invest' a bit of my market-profits in fellow crafters' market-stuff,
I was very pleased to find these appealing prints of Katie's.



These fun hotplates were also made by Katie



a little beauty : porcelain bangle cut from miscellaneous teacup
by Linsay (Rekindle)




Cheerio friends
-Lies