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Fozi is the new credit card sized tripod designed by Timetale to improve your digital camera snapshots! This incredibly convenient little gadget folds flat so you can carry it everywhere you go. When presented with a photo op, simply unfold Fozy & fasten the hinge to create a stand suitable for digital cameras, phone cameras or even media players. Made from polypropylene, the Fozi features three main supports and a variety of little plastic teeth. It has been designed to hold your camera in a number of different ways and the hinge has been tested to last more than 1000 full reversals. Especially good for low light situations, you could use Fozi to take photos out on the town, or perhaps at dinner with friends - including ALL of your smiling faces of course! (By using Fozi with your camera's self-timer.)

The Fozi tripod is available in 7 different colours: pink (as pictured above), blue, red, black, white, clear & clear striped. It is availble to purchase from the Timetale web site & the price is hard to believe - AUD $5.95 including postage to anywhere in Australia! That certainly won't break the Christmas budget...

Aren't these little guys sweet? They're from Melbourne label Mistress of the Upper Fifth who designs & makes original & quirky accessories. These two are perspex brooches, with Scotty on the left and Kitty on the right. (AUD $35 each)

I remember many afternoons spent with my Mum & Nan in department stores (when they still sold haberdashery!) and fabric shops, leafing through pattern books that were almost bigger than I was at the time. Mistress of the Upper Fifth has used those familiar vintage dress patterns to create her range of Dress Pattern Wallets, (AUD $40 each). Each one has it's own unique personality.

How cute! These twin button sets are designed to be worn as pairs, with half of the image on the first button, and the other half on the second. Pictured above are the Girl with Balloons (left) and Giraffe (right). (AUD $12 each)

This Zip Wallet (AUD $35) provides the perfect solution to the drama of finding the right shrapnel from the depths of a crowded purse under the pressure of a surly cashier with a queue of impatient customers behind you. This ingenius design allows you to bypass the credit cards & receipts by zipping open at the depth of the coins themselves - or, zip open closer to the top to access a card with ease. Functionality aside, it looks really funky too!

Mistress of the Upper Fifth accessories & brooches can be found at the following stockists:

Online: Georgie Love
VIC: Hunter Gatherer, Hummingbird 60, April May, Kids in Berlin, Pussycat Black, Meet Me at Mikes, I Dream a Highway and A-nom'-a-ly'.

Well, I didn't have any luck on the horses this Melbourne Cup, but I did find a trifecta of horse-themed goodies to lift the spirits! The Stallion Cuff (above, AUD $78) from Fuzz Design Workshop is bold & beautiful. Made from cast pewter and formed acrylic, this galloper can certainly make the distance.

The etched wooden Hobby Horse brooch pictured above is from popular local label Allira (AUD $35). This young filly shows talent (and a lovely wood grain) but may have trouble finding direction!

In third place is this burgundy bib top from Secret Squirrel Clothing featuring a stampede of brumbies on the front. A fine finish with optional belt detail. It is available for online purchase from YTBA for AUD $80.

Ku-türe is a new online store featuring one-off designer fashions, accessories & jewellery by a host of up & coming designers. Caroline Turner began Ku-türe as a fashion wholesale & PR agency based in Sydney. Her business aimed to give designers a voice in the very noisy fashion industry, and the Ku-türe online store was a natural progression. Each piece listed in the store is unique - not another one exists, so when you click on the "Own It!" button, you know you're purchasing something truly special. The talented lineup includes Ampersander, DavisEyes, Ghost & Lola, Homer & Plum, Psychoglam, Sandra Williams, Sassifras, She's Laughin, Tutu, and Jane Pollard - designer of the striking jewellery pieces pictured above.

Jane Pollard is a self-taught jeweller who has been making wearable objects for the past 12 years. Working with predominantly found objects, her jewellery incorporates a variety of interesting elements including 1920s - 1960s plastic, bakelite or glass buttons, buckles, glass beads, crystals and silk, velvet or vintage ribbons. She works from her Newtown studio in Sydney and regularly exhibits her work all around Australia. You'll find Jane Pollard jewellery for sale in gallery stores and high-end fashion outlets alike, and of course, online at Ku-türe!

The two Jane Pollard pieces pictured above are gorgeous examples of the current collection - bold, individual designs which speak for themselves. The Bracelet has been created from two tan buttons strung onto two strands of red Czech glass beads with a plastic button clasp. You can "own it" for AUD $90. The Lariat and Brooch are made from a vintage navy & white plastic buckle and vintage mother of pearl button, combined with red Czech glass beads for the lariat. A versatile piece, it can be worn as a short or long neckpiece, belt or bracelet. "Own it" for AUD $340... find it at www.ku-türe.com.

We had a wonderful time in Melbourne, and somewhere between hijinks with Fritz Herbert the daschund puppy and $4 pizzas at Bimbo Deluxe, we found time for some shopping! Among my favourite finds were these impressive lightshades by designer Alex Earl. Both the "Lionfish Lightshade" (pictured above) and the "Butterfly Lightshade" (pictured below) are currently in the window of Wilkins & Kent, 230 Brunswick St, Fitzroy. The Butterfly Lightshade retails for AUD $275, while the Lionfish Lightshade is available in two sizes - small for AUD $185, large for AUD $285. To view more of Alex's work, visit his web site at www.alexearl.com.au.

For those of you who are yet to discover this wonderful site, Moose: Art for Living is all about creative people. It showcases work by incredible artists from all over Australia and each item sold comes with a small Artist Profile so you can become an expert on the pieces you purchase! The web site itself is a breath of fresh air - the minimalist design allows you to browse the artworks almost in a gallery style fashion. The online store currently stocks art, jewellery, fibre and ceramic works.

Recent additions to the artist lineup include jewellery designers Lola&Bailey (pictured above), and Bowkett Brooches (pictured below). The "Dali Pendant" (above left) and "Broadhurst Pendant" (above right) feature in Lola&Bailey's first collection of dynamic jewellery pieces. Their pendants are precision cut in perspex, and finished with Sterling Silver rivets, silk cord and nifty magnetic clasps. Each pendant displays multiple personalities as the wearer can choose to tie the cord along any part of the piece, transforming it into something completely different. (Pendants are AUD $65 each.)

Sandra Bowkett's range of ceramic jewellery features delicate, detailed images hand-applied to brooches made from Southern Ice Porcelain. She is passionate about creating objects that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also contribute to the user's sense of enjoyment, and Bowkett Brooches do just that. "Butterflies Brooch 1" (AUD $28) and "Red Rose & Cobalt Brooch 1" (AUD $32) are uniquely styled and would make very personal gifts.

Mainichi Design inverts the concept of precious jewellery and uses materials such as plastics, recycled leather offcuts, hemp & linen thread, recycled timbers, polypropylene sheet & bamboo to create imaginative & vibrant jewellery pieces. My favourites are the Mushi Brooches ($25 & $30) which are made from layers of offcut leather, vintage & recycled fabrics & felt randomly stitched together. The colours are so gorgeous & rich... Also pictured is the Oishii Necklace ($45) featuring plastic thread & mixed bead types on a leather choker. Mainichi's stockists include Eliana Design (St Kilda), Lulu Design Store (Balaclava), National Design Centre (Melbourne) and Mimosa (Daylesford).