fruit

Mr Rabbit hand-knitted soft toy based on original vintage knitting pattern by Lark (AUD $64.95) Mrs Rabbit also available!

Lark is well known for handmade childrens toys, clothes and gifts, & certainly well-loved by many! Combining sweet vintage graphics with the cutest of handmade products, and with an ethical approach to every part of production, Lark is a label to be admired.

We're so excited to be posting this interview with Allison Jones to coincide with the launch of the first issue of Peppermint Magazine. You'll find our little piece published on those fresh-scented* recycled pages too! (*Pages not actually peppermint-scented.)

We have another treat for you - our little indie store is stocked full of gorgeous Lark handmade goodies, from guilt-free cupcakes & doughnuts, to vintage storybook mirrors & magnets guaranteed to bring back happy memories. Strike while the iron is hot & before our cupboard is bare! indie store products are ordered especially to accompany a selection of our feature interviews. We have just a handful of handmade Lark goodness, so don't be slow! (Don't forget to take a look at the Anna Laura badges & Meringue wristlets while you're there...)

Watermelon hand-knitted fruit rattle by Lark - AUD $14.95 (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 1. How did Lark get started?

LARK I rented a room above my son’s crèche, in a big old Victorian house, filled it with all the things that inspire me, and spent every spare moment in there for six months thinking about how I could turn my obsession with vintage design and craft into a business.

Owl organic soap by Lark (AUD $11.95)

I 2. With stockists thoughout the UK & Australia, is it a big challenge to manage it all from Daylesford (Victoria)?

LARK No, actually Daylesford is the perfect place to run a small business from – all the facilities I need (school, post office, shops, coffee) are within 5 minutes walk! And we are part of a really small, close community, so whenever we need to travel for business meetings or trade fairs, there are friends on hand to help with childcare and look after our home and pets.

Set of 6 hand-knitted doughnuts by Lark - AUD $39.95 (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 3. What inspires you & influences your designs? (Your own little ones?)

LARK I'm a collector – since my teenage years I've hunted down vintage textiles, fabrics, old children's books, vintage signs and packaging. This is where my visual inspiration comes from – my ideas for new products come from my memories of my own childhood, as I was lucky enough to be given mainly home-made clothes and toys, and I still think they are better than mass-produced products.

Apple hand-knitted fruit rattle by Lark - AUD $14.95 (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 4. Social & environmental issues are obviously close to your heart. How has this influenced Lark's manufacturing & materials?

LARK Ethical production is an essential part of Lark - whenever I come up with a new product idea, it wont go into production until I can find materials and suppliers that I feel comfortable working with. We have recently started to work with Windarring, an organization for adults with disabilities near my home, which means that for the first time in 4 years I can finally hand over the production of some of our badges and mirrors!

Blue and white vintage fabric button hairpins by Lark - AUD $9.95 (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 5. The Knitted Toys are perhaps the most recognisable of the Lark lineup – tell us about working with the women who do the knitting!

LARK It's been a long, complicated, often frustrating journey, but ultimately very rewarding. I would recommend fair trade manufacture to anyone with a craft business. The women in Bangladesh who knit my products have incredible skills and they benefit directly from our association – as well as fair pay for their labour, they have the opportunity to work with their children nearby and they receive training and career opportunities. Any profits that are made are used to fund much-needed facilities like schools and midwifery centres.

Vintage linen baby shoes by Lark (AUD $29.95)

I 6. Which products are your personal favourites?

LARK The pocket mirrors made with vintage storybook pages were one of the first products I designed back in the 'room above the creche' days and I still love them – every piece is a mini and unique artwork that you can carry about in your handbag!

Vintage storybook pocket mirrors by Lark - AUD $5.00 each (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 7. Do you see the market expanding for handmade & vintage products?

LARK Absolutely – it's become clear that mass-production, whether it be food, clothing or children's toys, is neither desirable nor sustainable, so I think that people will increasingly value products that are hand-made, fair trade, recycled or pre-loved.

Assorted vintage storybook pocket mirrors by Lark - selected designs AUD $5.00 each (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 8. The "gifts to make" are a fun way to introduce kids to craft, and Miss Buttons is adorable! (Miss Buttons is the creation of Melbourne designer Angela White.) Have you heard many entertaining tales of Miss Buttons making process? Does the Lark online store stock many labels other than Lark itself?

LARK My partner and I have recently launched 'Lark and Friends', a small collective of indie designers from the UK and Australia with a similar ethos to Lark. We sell on behalf of the collective to retailers and via our larkmade.com.au web shop. Angela was the first person to join us - I adore Miss Buttons and she has a huge fan club. There is a customer gallery on the Sew Your Own website and it's fantastic to see the photos and notice how children have customised their kits to make every doll unique to them.

Red with white spots vintage fabric button hairpins by Lark - AUD $9.95 (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 9. The Lark online store is full of handmade treasures. Is the online store a popular way of ordering products, or do you think most people seek out a local stockist?

LARK I think that most buyers who appreciate hand-made goods would prefer to browse in real shops (like me), but an online store is really handy when you need to buy a last-minute gift or if you are really busy with your work and/or kids!

Christopher Robin and Caterpillar vintage picture book magnets by Lark - AUD $5.00 (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 10. There's a thriving online community of crafty people – both hobbyists & those with their own handmade labels. How is Lark involved?

LARK I have my own blog (http://www.the-lark.blogspot.com/) and am in touch regularly with other crafters every day, which is essential for support and inspiration – especially living in a rural area. It's also a great way for Lark to get involved in community projects – for instance the Softies for Mirabel campaign (http://flickr.com/groups/softiesformirabel/) which is raising funds for children of families affected by substance abuse in Melbourne, through craft.

Pumpkin hand-knitted veggie rattle by Lark - AUD $14.95 (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 11. You, Pip from Meet Me At Mikes blog & Angela from Sew Your Own exhibited together recently at the Life inStyle trade fair (July/August 2008, Melbourne). What new products can you tell us about?

LARK Yes! The new Meet Me At Mikes blog label includes the cutest pendants made with vintage swap cards, and a whole lot of other hand-made goodies. As for Lark, I was launching a new range of knitted soft toys based on vintage patterns, and many new children's accessories. Sew Your Own's Miss Buttons was joined by a gentleman friend (of the superhero variety) as well as a brand new babushka-style doll, Miss Allsorts. We received a tremendous response from retailers and are now busy packing up boxes of goodness to send all over Australia!

Set of four hand-knitted cupcakes by Lark - AUD $39.95 (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.

I 12. Where is Lark headed in the future?

LARK Wherever there are opportunities to work with awesome people to make and sell things that children (and their parents) will love and be inspired by!

Thank you so much Allison for this wonderful insight into the life of Lark! I think it's really something to turn such a passion for vintage-inspired products and responsibility for ethical & environmentally-friendly production into a thriving business. Keep up-to-date with Lark happenings through The Lark blog at www.the-lark.blogspot.com.

The festive season is upon us and with the "big day" just around the corner, we'd like to help out with some gorgeous gift ideas! We've selected a wide range of different goodies to suit Christmas stockings of all shapes & sizes.

love jewellery by geneine honey

love is a Melbourne based fashion label begun by Geneine Honey in 2002. Geneine uses her whimsical and intricate drawings as a source of inspiration for her designs, which include jewellery pieces and accessories in shapes that hark back to the innocence and romance of childhood's imaginary worlds. Pictured above is the "Girl and Bunny Brooch Set", a gorgeous duo available in a mirror finish or black acrylic. (AUD $45).

I fell in love with these wooden birdhouses when I first saw them at Made590. One lucky friend may just receive the wooden finish Birdhouse Necklace (above left) for Christmas. That's if I don't give into temptation & keep it for myself! The Birdhouse Brooch on the right has an ivory acrylic bottom layer. The contrast between the cream-coloured background and the darker delicate wooden pattern is very pretty. Both are available as necklaces or brooches for AUD $35 each.

Aren't these clever? They have hinged joints just like a real wooden doll! Titled "I wish I was a real boy/girl", they are just adorable and you can choose between a wooden (below) or handpainted finish (above). Once again, they are available as necklaces or brooches, for AUD $55 each.

Can we tempt you with a shiny red apple or a forest mushroom? I have no doubt that these red mushrooms (toadstools!) are laced with trickery, but I reckon those apples look trustworthy! You can try these fruits of the forest as necklaces or brooches, all are AUD $35 each. (They are available in a number of different finishes.)

Pictured below is the "Printed Tote Bag" featuring the beautiful illustration upon which the "Girl and Bunny Brooch Set" is based. The silhouettes of the Girl & Bunny are surrounded by their forest friends, drawn with such delicacy! The tote bag is fully lined with pocket and magnetic clasp. It has been digitally printed and is machine washable. For more love & hate, you can view their comprehensive catalogue at www.lovehate.com.au, or visit one of their retail stockists:

NSW: Bulb (Double Bay), Bang Art and Gift Shop (Potts Point), Made590 (Newtown)
VIC: Little Salon (Fitzroy & Melbourne City)
WA: Remedy (Fremantle), More (Subiaco, T. 08 9381 8085)
QLD: Queensland Art Gallery (Brisbane), Maiocchi (Fortitude Valley)
SA: Flourish (Hyde Park), Storison (Hahndorf, T. 08 8388 7331)
TAS: Cocoon (Launceston), Small Rhino (Hobart)
ACT: The Hive (Braddon)

mens tees by pocket

Pocket Designs is one of my favourite new discoveries. Based in Perth, this graphic designer has created a number of t-shirt ranges which make perfect gifts for our better halves! In fact, the above picture features my partner showing off his brand new birthday present... He's wearing the "Seventh Armoury" design in black with a yellow print - a special glow-in-the-dark edition! The t-shirts fit well & are a lovely quality. Also in his personal wardrobe are the "Tokyo Puppeteers" and "Soldiers V2" designs pictured below. The prints are inspired by Japanese anime and come in a variety of colour options. I particularly like "Soldiers V2" printed in aqua on a navy tee. The styling of the designs themselves is great - sleek & cool. The expression on the puppet's face in "Tokyo Puppeteers" is so twisted!

Pictured below are details of the "Metalight" and "Wasp" designs. The "Wasp" print comes in yellow on a coal coloured tee which I just love. The larger part of the design (featuring the wasp) is printed on the back with a selection of honeycomb shapes & vector lines on the front. Fantastic! The Pocket tees range from AUD $60-$70. Visit www.pocketdesigns.com.au to see more of the range, or stop by one of their retail stockists:

ONLINE: Teknoscape
NSW: Crazy Horse (Newtown, T. 02 9519 2199, Darlinghurst, T. 02 9326 0800), Haku (Potts Point, T. 02 9380 8768), Oxi Clothing (Newtown)
VIC: Kids in Berlin (North Melbourne), Tomorrow Never Knows (Fitzroy, T. 03 9495 6645), Robio (Fitzroy), Moji (South Yarra, T. 03 9824 1104), Villain Store (Brunswick)
WA: The Pulse (Perth, T. 08 9322 7210), Atlas Divine (Leederville, T. 08 9444 4663), Ginza (Subiaco, T. 08 9381 6067), Lucky Stripe (Fremantle, T. 08 9336 6299), Locale Clothing (Floreat), Method Clothing (Mt Lawley), Tade' (Applecross, T. 08 9364 7891)
QLD: Ginza Swim (Paddington, T. 07 3369 1131)

christmas sponsor:

christmas cards by dudley redhead

Hunting for unique Christmas cards & gift tags? These adorable designs are made by Dudley Redhead, otherwise known as Sydney-based designer Tara Axford.

Each Note & Tag set (pictured above, AUD $15.00) includes:
3 x Christmas Bunny & Wren Postcards measuring 110mm x 135mm. They have been professionally printed on 215gsm gloss card, have rounded corners and are blank on the reverse. Post to a friend or attach to a gift!
3 x Christmas Wren Button Badge Gift Tags measuring 70mm x 110mm. The button badges have a pin back & are a lovely little bonus to your gift!

The Christmas Wren Gift Tags are also available individually for AUD $3.00 each.

May all your parcels be prettied by Dudley Redhead's illustrations! Christmas Cards & Tags are available from Georgie Love's treasure of hand made pleasures at www.georgielove.com, and you can find the Dudley Redhead blog at http://dudleyredhead.blogspot.com.

prints by eveline tarunadjaja

Eveline Tarunadjaja is an exciting young artist who was born and raised in Indonesia. At age 15, she moved to Melbourne where she has lived for almost 10 years. Her work has been exhibited over the last couple of weeks as part of the "Cups and Cuddles" group show at Per Square Metre Gallery in Collingwood, along with fellow artists Andrea Innocent, Catherine Campbell, Crystal Hartley, Lilly Piri, maricormaricar & Nobuko Washiyama.

Many of her artworks are available as stunning & very reasonably priced prints through her web site at www.lovexevol.com. Pictured above are the prints "Wait" (AUD $40, 15 x 20cm, pen, coloured pencils & markers) and "The Blue Dress" (AUD $40, 15 x 20cm, pen & markers). I love the effect of limited areas of bright colour, especially where the background colour of the paper is peeking through. Both are simple, graphic works where the detail lies within the careful linework. "The Blue Dress" was actually featured as the free poster in Frankie Magazine issue #15. Both of these works were created in a little drawing journal Eveline filled with imagined characters and words that got stuck in her head.

Eveline finds inspiration in the feelings evoked by little random experiences... doings, sayings, conversations, people, stories, artist, movies, films & music. The next four images are good examples of the artistic results! I love the colour & humour embraced by "Tomato Head" (above left, AUD $45, 18 x 26cm, pen, acrylic & digital artwork). Eveline says she often produces "something that's really dumb" - "Tomato Head" was drawn when she was thinking just too much & her head started to feel like a big heavy vegetable!
In contrast, "Airfish" (above right, AUD $40, 18 x 26cm, pens & markers) is something really personal. It is about a dreamer... "unreal thoughts float like fishes fly..." The original artwork is also available framed for AUD $250.

In prints such as "Animal Hoodie (Octopus)" (above left, AUD $40, 16 x 26cm, pen, markers & coloured pencil), Eveline has depicted imaginative items of clothing that whe would love to have or make. She also plays with the idea of "semi-porn, because it's fun and funny!" "Familia Octopie" (above right, AUD $30, 16 x 26cm, pen) is about "a royal family of octopus that capture two humans and force them to have sex with each other". Enough said! The prints are printed on to 240gsm fine art paper, and are unframed. To view these works, and many more, visit http://www.lovexevol.com. You can order online through the site, making them ideal Christmas presents.

The two works pictured below were exhibited in "Cups and Cuddles" and the originals will be availble for purchase very soon. They are so beautifully drawn & the fine lines curl & twist in rhythm with the natural grain of the wood.

linen by out to lunch

Out To Lunch's Lucy Bromell has created an elegant range of hand-printed and uniquely Australian tableware. The collection is inspired by native flora, and features four different designs - Banksia, Stem, Casuarina and Eucalypt, each of which come in a range of natural colours all organically printed on linen, cotton and silk. Pictured above are the "Casuarina" and "Banksia" linen napkins. Both are available as a set of four napkins for AUD $64.

Two of the "Stem" designs are pictured above. The table mats have a matching coloured trim which frames the delicate print beautifully. They retail for AUD $88 for a set of four. Once again, the set of four napkins is AUD $64. The earthy colours of the prints & natural texture of the fabric would surely look gorgeous atop a wooden dining table!

The contrast is striking in these black on natural linen "Eucalypt" designs. The table runner is AUD $70, and the matching table mats are AUD $64 for a set of four. Depending on who is cooking on Christmas Day, the full size cotton aprons below (AUD $55 each) could also make lovely gifts. (Perhaps not the best idea though for someone who has been slaving over a baking turkey with all the trimmings!) Either way, there are plenty of gorgeous Out To Lunch products to choose from & you'll find them online at Moose: Art for Living.

t-shirts for all by wildgarden

Wildgarden is a gorgeous Australian label born out of a desire to create products featuring simple, yet sophisticated designs produced by hand. The talented designers are Sydney-based sisters Nancy & Jessica Lim. They are inspired by the environment which surrounds them - both natural and urban. You may also know of these two from the Modamuse online store & blog - another wonderful site featuring the work of independent designers from Australian & New Zealand.

Wildgarden is currently offering 25% off everything in the lead up to Christmas! They have a colourful range of screen printed t-shirts for all of the family. Here we've included our favourite summer styles for women & a few for the little ones too! Pictured above are "Radiate" which features a striking metallic silver print (above left, AUD $34.50) and "Floss" with a white branch motif across the front (above right, AUD $33).

These singlet designs show off Wildgarden's love of colour & form. The graphic layering of black & grey in "Twiggy" (above left, AUD $31.50) look fantastic & I also really like the placement of the stylised, floral-patterned bird in "Fly Away" (above right, AUD $31.50)

The "Winter Blossom" tee (above left, AUD $34.50) would be really versatile. With an assymetrical lavender blossom branch motif placed high on the shoulder front and back, it would look equally striking worn casually with jeans, or dressed up with a pretty skirt for day or night. The fitted styles of these tees lend themselves to such situations! The Spiro print (right, AUD $34.50) looks great in yellow & white on an ashphalt-coloured tee. This retro design is also available in pale blue & green on olive.

Aren't these children's designs gorgeous? Pictured above are "Birdy Jazz Trio" (left) and "Elephant Walk" (right), while "Ducky" appears below right. All are AUD $25.50 each. I think I'd quite like "Birdy Jazz Trio" in a grown-up version! We couldn't resist including the "Bossanova Shopper" black cotton tote - at AUD $9.75, it's a steal! To see more Wildgarden designs & place your order online, visit www.wildgardendesign.com.

christmas sponsor:

Jewellery designer Renee from Cocoapod lives in a cute little town in Western Australia, where she draws inspiration the different people & cultures that surround her. She loves things organic and retro - a passion clearly evident in her unique beaded earrings and accessories. Renee sources vintage glass beads and combines them with natural materials such as wood, fiber and freshwater pearls. Rounded, irregular shapes and slightly muted colours characterise the range which is feminine and quietly sophisticated.

Pictured above left are the Dew on a Petal earrings (US $15.00), for which Renee has placed a serpentine dewdrop atop a fuchia Czech glass petal, accented with a silver lacey cap. Such pretty colours & such a peaceful concept! The Retro Blooms earrings (above right, US $17.00) are probably my favourites, with the clusters of mustard yellow Czech glass blooms and burgundy freshwater pearl stamens. (I must confess to being a bit of a nature nut myself.)

Rich desert colours distinguish the Desert De Chocolat earrings pictured below right (US $15.00). The pink glass cubes feature horizontal colour variations in which you can imagine sandy sunset horizons... Finally, I just had to include the Vintage Strawberry hair slides (US $4.50 each). What can I say - they are too cute! All of these pieces and more are available from Renee's Etsy store at www.cocoapod.etsy.com.