House and Leisure Night Market

I just want to give all my Joburg peeps a heads up that all kinds of delicious and delightful Handmade by Me products will be available to buy at the first House and Leisure Night Market in Kramerville this Thursday! Our super awesome stockist Room Online will be selling a lovely selection of our products, including our new tote bags and purses, along with a huge array of other gorgeous designer goods.

“When it comes to optimising your night market shopping experience, House and Leisure has specially selected some of South Africa’s foremost designers, makers and artisans to showcase and sell their creations. From fashion to homeware, you’ll be able to find gorgeous offerings from top-quality vendors.”

Please do one of these in Cape Town House and Leisure!!

428636_609648712398575_533955815_n
In anticipation of the event this is what House and Leisure had to say about Room Online:

“When it comes to craft and design, too often the fruits of the independent designer’s creativity remain hidden away in tiny studios and backrooms, where few can appreciate or acquire these precious gems. This is especially true in South Africa, where independent designers typically don’t have the budget or resources to market their goods on a large scale.

Room Online hopes to change all that. We’re the first of our kind: an online platform whose primary mission is to showcase South Africa’s wealth of local design and decor talent. As the founders, we’re passionate about all things South African. Because of this, we’ve trawled the length and breadth of our vibrant country to be bring you the very best in design and decor. We’ve created an online retail space where you can browse and buy beautiful things for your home, all of which have been locally-inspired, locally-designed and locally-produced.”

room-online

Now available from Mazzoe…

Mazzoe (pronounced mazz-o-ey) is a new Cape Town based platform that collects the world’s most interesting contemporary jewelry, accessory and décor designers into gorgeous, e-commerce enabled portfolios.

After starting with unique and interesting South African designers, Mazzoe will soon branch out to include talented designers all around the world.  Mazzoe wants to help people cut through the clutter to easily find the talented young designers that are finding it increasingly hard to get noticed in our noisy online world.”

Focussing mainly on jewellery for now, have a look at all the lovely goodies, including a selected range of handmade by me products, that Mazzoe have on offer…did I mention that local and international shipping is free!

Screen shot 2013-04-09 at 10.55.36 AM (1)

Screen shot 2013-04-10 at 14.41.40

and we’re flying through space…

Firstly I would like to say a big thanks to everyone who ordered a handmade by me surprise with presents in the post! This is now closed and all orders will be making their way out to you : ) For anyone who missed out on this, check out presents in the post here, they have different designers featuring each month and I know for certain that there are some awesome one’s lined up!

And on this rainy monday morning I am delighted to share with you my latest features in the lovely Garden and Home magazine this month : ) Both my fly away birds cushion cover and my space rocket solar system wallpaper were featured and I couldn’t be happier!!

GardenAndHomeApril13

FlyAwayBirdsCushionCover

GardenAndHomeApril13

Final_SpacePattern_LR

G&HApril

And here are some closeups of the fly away birds cushion cover, also available in tea towels, napkins, tote bags, purses, aprons, lampshades and wallpaper.

FlyAwayBirds_CC_Closeup

FlyAwayBirdsCushionCoverWrapped

Tea Towel

FlyAwayBirdsTeaTowelWrapped

Napkins

FlyAwayBirdsNapkinSet

Tote Bag

FlyAwayBirds_TB

Vintage Apron

FlyAwayBirds_Vintage Apron

And here is a closeup of the space rocket solar system wallpaper, also available in cushion covers and lampshades…don’t you think this design would make an awesome bedside lamp for a little boy’s room…

SpaceRocketSolarSystemWP

Cushion Cover

SpaceRSS_Cushion_Edited

SpaceRSS_CushionCoverCloseup

SpaceRSS_CushionCoverWrapped

And don’t forget all my fabrics are now available by the yard directly from the handmade by me online shop : )

HMBM Shop

handmade by me at the design indaba…and a little feature by Visi magazine…

I am super duper excited to announce that I have received funding to exhibit at the lovely and prestigious Design Indaba Expo later this month. Its all a bit chaotic with only 3 weeks to prepare for this momentous conference, but I already have some exciting ideas and cannot wait to show my products to the rest of the world. So as you can imagine it is going to be pretty crazy over here for the next few weeks, but I really hope that some of you will be able to come and see what an amazing selection of design talent south africa has to offer. If you are lucky enough to be holding a ticket to the Indaba itself I am screaming jealous as it really is such a wonderfully inspiring conference with a fantastic line-up this year! For those of you who don’t, the expo is open to the public and well worth the visit!

Expo2013-final

“The Design Indaba Expo was inaugurated in 2004 and provides a commercial platform for the finest South African designers to leverage goods and services to the local and global markets. It also introduces the most influential international buyers to the finest South African creative products and encourages export.

As the only local platform that welcomes advertising, architecture, craft, décor, film, fashion, graphic design, interior design, jewellery, new media, publishing, product design, and visual media under the same roof, Design Indaba Expo is a celebration of diversity.”

Conference2013-final

“Since 1995, the Design Indaba Conference has invited the world’s top creative minds to address professionals from the creative, corporate and educational sectors alike. Championing creativity that enhances every aspect of the world around us, Design Indaba recognises graphic design, advertising, film, music, fashion design, industrial design, architecture, craft, visual art, new media, publishing, broadcasting and performing arts shoulder-to-shoulder.”

VISI_Logo

And something I am also REALLY excited about is that Visi Magazine has featured me as one of their “Fresh Talents”. This is such an honour as there are some seriously talented people featured alongside me, and because I am SUCH a fan of Visi Magazine, I would really like to share the interview here with all of you.

http://visi.co.za/content/article/2049/fresh-fabrics

presents in the post…

If you are thinking about signing up for a Presents In The Post surprise gift, you should do so right now. I can officially (and very secretly) say that handmade by me will be joining up with Presents In The Post in the upcoming few months. Now I can’t say when, and I can’t say what, but what I can say is that it will be gorgeous!!

presents in the post

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Presents In The Post…go here right now! With their beautiful illustrations, great selection of past presents and lovely photographic inspirations its pretty hard to resist.

presents in the post

Presents in the post is a Surprise Present service and an online Shop. If you sign up, Raj will send you things by local makers in the post. Makers of things to hang on the wall, Makers of things to wear on your feet, Makers of things to DIY, Makers of things to take on a trip, Makers of things to keep up your pants, Makers of things to give to a friend. As soon as all the presents have been delivered and unwrapped, the shop will be open for perusal. A chance to explore more things made by the monthly maker.”

How it works.

  • Sign up.
  • Pay R250 for one surprise present made by a local designer or artist.
  • Tell us if the present is for a boy or a girl.
  • Customise your present by clicking on your favorite picture.
  • Decide if the present is for you or a friend. If its for a friend, write them a letter.
  • Wait for your present in the post.
  • Once Raj has delivered all the presents, check out the shop for more designs by the monthly maker.

Awesome!

wall flowers…

I am so delighted to let you know that 2 of my lovely wallpapers have been featured in a beautiful and aptly titled “Wall flowers” feature in the latest issue of Garden & Home. Both the Spring Has Sprung, Peach Floral wallpaper and the Birdy Num Num in Purple Blue wallpaper have been listed amongst the “made to measure” section. If you’re in the mood for romance this season nothing says commitment quite like wallpaper : )

But for those of you looking for something a little less permanent I have found a new supplier as an alternative,  who offer fully removeable self adhesive wallpaper which is uses PVC-free paper, and is durable and eco-friendly.

See more detailed pics of my 2 wallpapers below…both are available from my new Handmade By Me online shop.

garden & home feb spread

garden & home feb 3

Spring Has Sprung Peach Floral Wallpaper

SpringHasSprungPeachFloralWP

Birdy Num Num in Purple Blue Wallpaper

BirdyNumNumBlueWP

pretty pretty purses…

…for everyone!! They’re pretty, and popular and pretty good pricewise! You can use them for money, for makeup, for pens and pencils, for the odd bits and pieces you always lose in your handbag, or for whatever great reason you can (make up) think of. These are my new tote bags’ best friend! You may have noticed them on my market tables for the last few months, and I have finally had a chance to shoot them properly….soooo here you go…

AND I am even more excited to let it slip that they will very soon be available from my very own South African Handmade By Me online shop! Yay!!!!! I’m afraid I can’t reveal much more than that for now….but as always…watch this space!

Pretty Proteas Purse

PrettyProteas_Purse

Pink Flamingo! Purse

PinkFlamingo_Purse

Fly Away Birds Purse

FlyAwayBirds_Purse

Birdy Num Num Purse in Purple Blue

BirdyNumNumBlue_Purse

Indigo Blue Purse

IndigoBlue_Purse

Cats ‘n Dogs Purse

CatsNDogs_Purse

Black Origami Birds Purse

BlackOrigamiBirds_Purse

Happy new year!

Happy new year to all my lovely followers and to any new visitors! Wishing you all an exciting and successful year ahead. I hope that this going to be a great year for all of us. I definitely have high hopes for Handmade By Me 2013 and I am so excited that I can share it all with you right here…..sooooo watch this space! Please also note that Handmade By Me has a facebook page and its the place where I post about everything! To become a follower and keep up to date with all kinds of exciting new products, photos and plans, big or small, click here.

And we are starting off the year with some exciting news about a big new Handmade By Me online stockist, 5 Rooms. 5 Rooms is South Africa’s online home and living store, and is your one stop shop for furniture, homewares, accessories, appliances and décor. They offer free delivery for any orders over R250 which is fantastic for any cushions, cushion covers and aprons, plus great return options if you decide they’re not for you. Either way you are going to love browsing through all the lovely items which boast both international and local designer brands.

Click here to link straight through to the lovely Handmade By Me section on 5 Rooms.

5rooms.com

Hello Pretty market and official launch…and you’re all invited : )

And finally the day is almost here when one of my favourite online stockists Hello Pretty officially launches their shop to the public with a lovely designer market consisting of all the lovely products they stock. Now you can see everything you’ve been drooling over the past few months for real! And meet the people who make them! I myself already have a few items I have been eyeing out for a while now and can’t wait to see what the day has to offer. Its on at the lovely Woodstock Foundry and apparently there’s free candyfloss!!  What more could a girl on a public holiday ask for : )

hello_pretty_at_the_foundry

And a few of us lucky Hello Pretty designers found some of our products featured in Fair Lady‘s Fabulous Gift Guide. Here’s my Pink Flamingo! cushion cover…available from…..Hello Pretty : )

FairLadyDec2

FairLadyDec1

My Pink Flamingo! Cushion Cover up close…

PinkFlamingoActualCushion

PinkFlamingoTeaTowelCloseup2

PinkFlamingoCushionCoverWrapped

Looking to do some Christmas shopping over the weekend?

Well its all kicking off with 2 very festive Christmas markets in Stellenbosch this weekend where you can find all kinds of glorious Christmas festivities going on. Along with lots of delicious food to buy and fabulous gift ideas, these markets are going to get you in the mood for Christmas. Friday night the 30th November brings the Stellenbosch Slowmarket Christmas Night Market and then Saturday day the 1st December brings the Treasury Market Slow and Handmade Christmas Market, and if you are in Joburg this weekend make sure you don’t miss out on Room Online‘s stall at Collective.

“The Christmas Night Market on friday evening the 30th November at the Stellenbosch Slowmarket is the highlight of our yearly events calendar. This vintage styled authentic market has all the Christmas trimmings and we go all out in ensuring we select the finest suppliers of traditional Christmas goodies. Gingerbread houses, Christmas fruit cakes, mince pies, organic nuts, gammon rolls, German bratwurst, champagne, fynbos topiaries, décor and festive season ideas. Relaxed vintage Christmas music, coupled with a live music theatre production in the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre is most popular on the hot summer nights. Our designer goods market known as the Treasury Market will be joining us. Christmas gifts galore to fill up those stockings with handmade goods made by designers, crafters and artisans.”

“The Treasury Market is a platform for the Cape’s top emerging and established designer-makers to show off their goods and engage with their consumers in a beautiful winelands setting. Each market is uniquely curated and could include a handpicked selection of home decor items, jewellery, locally made designer fashion, accessories, vintage goods, upcycled furniture, kids stuff, ceramics, handmade shoes, paper art, contemporary crafts, and textile design.”

So hopefully I will see you all there. Please pop in and say hi if you are in the area. If you are in Joburg this weekend, my lovely stockist Room Online will be selling all kinds of awesome goodies at Collective, so if you missed out on the FoodWineDesign Fair do not fret you can still get your hands on some lovely Handmade By Me items this weekend.

Collective is a collaboration between designers and collectors converging under one roof to offer an alternative, monthly, pop-up shop. Collective includes beautiful local and international clothing designers, jewellers, ceramicists, fabric makers, furniture designers, vintage clothes collectors and home ware specialists. This is a fantastic, first-of-its-kind event. A shopper’s paradise. Come and sip on champagne, crack open a craft beer and blissfully source all your Christmas stocking fillers and treats for Summer under twinkling lights with the vista of Joburg at your feet.”

And if you can’t make it to any of the markets, here’s a small appeal thats being passed around encouraging you to buy handmade products this Christmas! I couldn’t have worded it better so have a look below and hopefully spread the word : )