*All prices listed in Australian dollars with GST included.

*All prices listed in Australian dollars with GST included.

*All prices listed in Australian dollars with GST included.

*All prices listed in Australian dollars with GST included.

*All prices listed in Australian dollars with GST included.

*All prices listed in Australian dollars with GST included.

*All prices listed in Australian dollars with GST included.

The interior installation above is currently on show at Planet in Surry Hills. Local favourite Publisher Textiles collaborated with ceramic artist Kris Coad, Home Beautiful Magazine and Planet to create this celebration of delicate imagery, forms & textures, which is on display throughout September.

Publisher Textiles specialises in printing bespoke, environmentally friendly textiles and wallpapers, using natural fabric fibres and recycled materials for their non-woven wallpaper base. In their Leichhardt studio, they hand-print products with unique designs & patterns using a custom water based ink that is equally durable and light-fast.

The pop up installation features Publisher Textiles' signature 'Swan Print' wallpaper and a handful of specially selected, exclusive hand-printed feather cushions from the award winning Dusk products range. (Both can be purchased from Planet throughout the month.)

I love the sense of weightlessness created by the themes of floating & flight. The leaf shadows move midair between the swans, and the leaves are so fine & translucent that they could almost be feathers themselves.

Kris Coad's bone china 'floating leaves' is so beautiful. Since each leaf is suspended at a slightly different angle, the light bounces off in different directions creating a lovely tonal range.

Kris has been a practicing ceramicist for over 20 years, currently works full time in her studio, based at the GASWORKS Arts Park in Melbourne. She describes her work as follows:
"I am interested in the spiritual and daily ritual of different cultures, the way an object, symbol, mark or shadow and its placement can trigger a transformational response. To interpret the anthropological sentiment behind beliefs, I make contemplative pieces that have a stillness and silence in an increasingly complex world."

To view the installation or purchase the homewares on display, visit Planet at 114 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, NSW, phone 02 9211 5959.

Showroom hours:
Monday-Friday 10.00am - 5.30pm
Saturday 10.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday 12.00pm - 4.00pm

Unbrushed Tunic Dress Short (left, USD $52) and Black Circle Dress A-Line (right, USD $62 sizes XS-XL, USD $64 plus sizes 1X, 2X & 3X) by Lyptis

A cute dress which is cosy, cosy, cosy! Quite a find... Melbourne designer Franziska Ringel named her label "Lyptis" after "euca-lyptus" because "they smell so nice and are always green". Originally from Germany, she used to do drawing, photography and worked as a sound technician at punk/hardcore concerts in Berlin. Last year, she started sewing, and loves being able to make something that she and her customers can wear and use everyday.

Winter Blossoms Top (left, USD $45) and Grey Circle Dress (right, USD $64 sizes XS-XL, USD $66 plus sizes 1X, 2X & 3X) by Lyptis

The garments pictured here are made from warm, soft fabrics such as double knits and unbrushed fleece. Many Lyptis designs are also available in plus sizes, so nobody need miss out. Franziska is happy to accept custom orders too! I think my favourite is the Grey Circle Dress. Which would you choose?

You can view many more Lyptis designs at www.lyptis.etsy.com and keep up-to-date through the Lyptis "The Rant" blog.

We're thrilled to tell you that the second issue of Peppermint Magazine is now available!! (Lots of pics coming soon...) On p82 is "breaking the pattern" - our indie art & design interview with Umbrella Prints. This design duo are from South Australia and they create vibrant hand screen printed patterns on organic fabrics. They've also collaborated with a number of other designers to produce jewellery, quilts & more... The full interview with designers Amy Prior & Carly Schwerdt is below - hope you enjoy it!

I 1. How did you find each other & then form the Umbrella Prints partnership?

UP We both have young daughters, drive old holdens, studied art and design, love colour and pattern - it was inevitable really! No seriously, we were both running businesses next door to each other and became great friends.

I 2. What are your favourite making processes or Umbrella Prints designs/products?

UP All Umbrella Prints designs come from first sketching and our love of art, we take from our own artwork and design from there. For example a beautiful garden scape by Amy will have a little flower hidden amongst the folliage and we will play with that. It is a process of discovery through our own art. We invest a lot of time into this design process, what we do is unusual and very deliberate, we concentrate on really exploring the potential within each design instead of churning out product.

I 3. Do you have individual specialities, or are you both involved in every step?

UP We appreciate each other's own individual style so much so that we don't need to box ourselves into roles. We are very lucky to work so well together, it sounds corny but we are like Ying and Yang.

I 4. How does your approach enable your label to be environmentally friendly?

UP At all levels of running Umbrella Prints we are always striving to find better ways of doing things, from the postconsumer waste paper we print our stationary on, to the durable 100% organic hemp/cotton base cloth we print on. Making a product that lasts is important and using every last scrap means less waste.

I 5. Tell us about your Tandem collaborations!

UP An umbrella is a symbol for bringing people together and we use the word 'Tandem' because it describes two entities propelling each other forward. So far we have collaborated with crafter Brooke of Boobook, quilter Jenny from Ciuccio, San Francisco & silversmith Ceeb Wassermann. We look forward to working with many other artists, designers and crafters.

I 6. You're both mums and Carly – you also run Nest Studio art classes for children. Do you find inspiration in the works created by such little hands?

UP Children are by far the most creative people. They are intuitive and they work free of judgment, something we can all only hope to achieve.

I 7. Where else do you both find inspiration?

UP Inspiration is everywhere.

I 8. You've had the opportunity to contribute to a number of craft books – have you had a great response?

UP The books, Meet Me at Mikes and Quilts Baby! which showcase our fabric by way of Carly's crafty sewing patterns, are available in March. They already look fantastic based on the covers alone so one can only imagine they will be a success.

I 9. Have you exhibited your work, either individually or as Umbrella Prints?

UP Yes, we have both exhibited as artists, Amy with her most recent show 'Papercuts'. Umbrella Prints has exhibited for 'Modern Australian Textiles' alongside Publisher Textiles, Nicola Cerini and many other Australian Designers.

I 10. You obviously enjoy working as partners. Is it difficult to keep the balance right or does everything just fall into place?

UP If we fight it's because 'my ego's bigger than yours!'

I 11. Do you keep in touch with fellow creative types via your blogs (Rain & Shine - http://umbrellabella.blogspot.com & Moopy & Me - http://www.neststudio.typepad.com)? What are some of your favourite blogland reads?

UP We have both met some amazing people via our blogs. We love so many but here is just a taste : Julie of Four Leaves, Amanda of SouleMama, Claire of Loobylu, Hillary of Weewonderfuls and Pip of Meet Me at Mikes. Check our blog rolls for more!

I 12. Where is Umbrella Prints next headed?

UP Umbrella Prints is very fluid and we like to let our insprirations lead, that being said the essence of Umbrella Prints is always about beautiful pattern. For now though, our next print run is well and truely underway, new colours, new pattern and we have also been creating many lovely wooden objects, such as wall brooches and mobiles.

Thank you so much Amy & Carly for this insight into your design practice! We'll be looking forward to seeing much more from Umbrella Prints!

You'll find Amy & Carly online at:
Umbrella Prints
Amy's blog Rain & Shine
Carly's blog Moopy & Me
Nest Studio - art classes for children
Umbrella Prints' Etsy shop
Umbrella Prints' Big Cartel shop
and their fabrics & products can be found at the following stockists:
SA: Ikeguchi Creative Life (Adelaide), Little Bird at Elliot (Port Elliot)
ONLINE: Mid Century Modern
INTERNATIONAL: Rose and Radish - San Francisco