Wee Birdy

Wee Christmas finds: Trims for gift wrapping

Here's a wee Sydney secret shop find: Fenners in Mona Vale. This relatively unassuming haberdashery and fabric store on Waratah Street in Mona Vale stocks a good range of reasonably priced fabrics, as well as an impressive collection of ribbons, trims and braids. Just look out for the Australiana tea-towels of galahs and lorikeets out the front.

I pounced on these glorious trims from Thailand and picked out six sweet shop hues in miniature tinsels, braids and cords (including a fabulously fluffy white one), which work beautifully with my white vintage Christmas tree, glossy white wrapping paper and Wee Birdy gift cards. The spools range from 2.75m to 4.5m in length, and are priced around AU$3 per spool.

Fenners
11 Waratah Street
Mona Vale NSW 2130
Tel. 02 9999 2299

How to make: the prettiest eucalyptus Christmas garland

I've been desperate for a stretch of mantel to decorate at Christmas for a very long time, so there was no way the wee fireplace in our new flat was going to go unadorned this season. So, amidst a sea of unpacked boxes, bubble wrap, tissue paper and stuff that has no home (we only moved in three weeks ago), I set about decorating our Christmas tree and fireplace.

I had my heart set on making a eucalyptus garland for the mantel, so I enlisted the help of my mum, along with Martha Stewart and some other online sources.

I wanted a modern Australian look, with different textures and hints of pink to complement our rather girlie candy-coloured white Christmas tree (poor husband), so I picked up a bunch of eucalyptus leaves from the florist, and mum brought a basket full of fresh rosemary and lavender foliage from her garden. The scent in the kitchen as we selected the choicest sprigs was heavenly!

If you want to make your own garland, you'll need:

• bunches of complementary foliage (we used eucalyptus leaves, fresh rosemary and lavendar foliage)
• flowers for colour (we used a pink flowering gum blossom)
• 1/2 inch sisal rope (we picked up a roll at Bunnings)
• fine floristry wire
• green floristry tape
• gardening pliers to cut foliage and wire

And follow these steps to make the garland:

• Cut rope to fit your mantel, leaving some room either side for it to hang down.
• Starting at the top of the rope, take a few sprigs of eucalyptus leaves (choose ones that drape nicely) and strip the leaves from the bottom of the stems.
• Holding stems against rope, tightly wrap wire around rope and stems several times.

• Next, moving slightly down the rope, do the same thing with rosemary, ensuring it overlaps the eucalyptus but doesn't cover it.

• Do the same with the lavendar, and continue down the rope, wrapping the sprigs in the same direction and alternating the foliage.

• When you get about half-way, you'll need to change direction of the sprigs, so that it drapes from the other side.
• We only covered one side of the rope, as my fireplace is small and we already had quite a thick garland going.
• When you're finished, secure to your mantel with temporary hooks, or just drape it across the top, leaving the sides to hang down.
• If you have some flowers (like our gum blossom), poke the sprigs into even intervals along the garland.
• Finish with a misting of water.
• Mist your garland at least once a day to keep it looking fresh (important during humid Australian summers).

So how did we do? Have you made a fresh garland or wreath for your house?

(My snow angel candle is from Caravan in London, and my kozyndan 'Bunny Blossom' print is from Outre Gallery in Sydney/Melbourne. The white Christmas tree was a vintage find on eBay. And I'm still waiting for our stockings to arrive from Toast in the UK!)

Thanks to mum for all the help!

Sydney shopping: Finders Keepers market

Phew. I'm a bit puffed. We moved into our new place last weekend and I've been trying to conquer the seemingly expanding mountain of boxes (I think they're breeding) while dealing with a 27-week baby bump and an ever-growing list of utterly mad pregnancy maladies.

But I was so delighted to take a break on the weekend and finally delve into some Australian independent design, in the form of the brilliant Finders Keepers market at Eveleigh's CarriageWorks.

It was my first visit to CarriageWorks and my first real foray into Australian independent design since returning from London. And after covering so many design markets in London (including Bust) and seeing the best of UK talent, I wasn't really sure what to expect. After all, when I left Sydney in February 2007, there wasn't an awful lot happening with local design and craft, but the scene has really taken off since then.

And joy, oh joy, Finders Keepers was an absolute treat! I was not only impressed by the high standard of work but also the diverse and beautifully collated line-up of 75 exhibitors, spanning furniture, fashion, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and stationery. The carefully considered mix of designers offered a new surprise at every turn (my head was just about spinning), neatly avoiding the trap of 'samey-ness' that can sometimes plague design markets.

CarriageWorks itself is a wonderfully cavernous and light-filled industrial location to hold a busy Christmas design market on a humid Sydney weekend, complete with an excellent bar and cafe.

Here are some of my Finders Keepers highlights, with more posts to come over the week. Overseas readers can also purchase some great Australian design by clicking on the websites, which link through to contact details, blogs and online stores.


Super-sweet rabbit characters adorn The Storybook Rabbit's collection of vintage plates.


Loved the 'Noice' biscuit tea-towel at Materialistic's stall.


Sophisticated simplicity from Mr & Mrs White's range of homewares and furniture.


Charming handprinted stationery at Write to Me features adorable vintage motifs.




Cory Child's beautifully pleated fabric necklaces.


Loving Bride and Wolfe's Scandi-inspired circle wall shelves - perfect for collectables and displaying children's figurines.


Vintage fabric and a whimsical timber panel illustration combine to make a gorgeous and unique handbag at Oktoberdee.


The Missing Piece's handcrafted stools feature beautiful organic design and unexpected pops of colour.


The most splendid pre-loved vintage books have been repurposed as journals, photo albums, diaries and sketchbooks at Rebound Books.


'Scratchie' cards, advent calendars and beautiful graphics at TMOD.

Adorable handcrafted creatures (think pugs, owls and foxes) and whimsical embroidery at Cat Rabbit. (Nice website, too.)




Lox+Savvy's brilliant installation of a paper metropolis and eye-popping collection of stationery.

Finders Keepers markets are bi-annual events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Visit their website (and check out their brilliant blog) for more information about the next event.

For more photos, click here for my Flickr set.

Birdy (and Xmas) pick of the week

Just found some more Christmas stocking (and birdy) joy by way of South-east London design company Roddy & Ginger's range of homewares, bags and prints. Scandi and folksy-inspired birds and owls are hand screen-printed across a collection of the loveliest natural linen homewares, including tea-towels, cushions and Christmas stockings. Beautiful and affordable gift ideas!

From above, large Roddy the Owl Christmas stocking, £16, Bird Christmas stocking, £12, Happy birds cushions in teal and turquoise, £25 each, adult's apron in blue or pink, £20, owl cushion in yellow, £25, and pink bird cushion on white linen, £26, from Roddy & Ginger's online shop. 

You can also purchase from their Etsy shop, and read their blog here.

Birdy pick of the week

Solid bronze bird hair pins, US$58.60, from WoodlandBelle's Etsy shop. Also available in antique pewter shade for US$18.50.

Solid bronze bird's nest hair pins, US$58.50, from WoodlandBelle's Etsy shop.

Not birdy but would make beautiful Christmas presents: Gilded bronze tiny twig hair pins, $20.50, from WoodlandBelle's Etsy shop.