clear amber by Umbrella Prints

To appease the frustrated jeweller and product designer lurking (within both Carly and I) we like to think of new ways of presenting our fabrics.

Here are the newest, shiniest photos of work we have been playing with for a while now. That is they are nearly to almost finished- we just need five whole minutes of uninterrupted time together to tweak the labels and we will be sweet.

'Clear amber' is what we have called our little range of fabric encased resin pendants and brooches. We best like how each piece feels velvety smooth and warm-hence me obsessively carry one around in my pocket today and constantly rubbing it for luck or just for thrills he he

Anyway- a first look...hope you like

follow and find

photograph by Poppentopper

I have just been on a picture journey which has taken me to the Seminole tribe of Florida and their amazing patchwork fabrics.

The journey went..I kept hearing the word 'Flori' in all kinds of disparate situations and the at the supermarket someone shouted out "Flori!" and I asked the lady who was serving me if her name was Flori and she said yes its short for Florida and I said wow thats a beautiful name and she said her Grandmother's name was Florida and thanks for noticing. So,intrigued I googled the name Florida which means flower in Spanish and long story short I eventually discovered through association these amazing intricate handmade dresses on ebay ironically...(sorry I sound like the tracksuit wearing chick on Little Britain, yeah but)

I love the mixture of bright colours and the bars of patchwork which are woven into the structure of each garment. Here is a good site for more information about the Seminole tribes and a bit about the devlopment, in the 1920s, of their distinctive patchwork technique.

stop motion collage

Here are the first few stop motion animations by the the children attending Nest Studio last term- Carly is busy adding to the list each day x
Last term we based the classes on different types of collage and the last few week's work culminated in these mini animations. These students are aged between 3 and 10 years of age I'm so proud of them! Here is Alva's animation Swan on the Lake

yellow and blue= green

This weekend was green. On Saturday Carly and I and Marco from Cul-de-Sac plus a wonderful team of ironers, helpers, DJs, screen washers, printed around 250 T-shirts with our 350 designs to recognise International Day of Climate Action. It was sunny and constant work but so much fun and everyone had a great time esp. the children running around in massive T-shirts.

Across the road and simultaneously the children at Nest Studio were sketching plants and then printing two colour monotypes and going for a third colour in the mix-green!

Today I learnt how to replant and plant native saplings and was then able to teach G a few new skills in the garden. All children should get their fingers into the dirt and often cause it feels good to connect in that way.

by Idris

by Holly

bed room

These gorgeous bedrooms have been distracting me tonight- I don't think I have ever discovered more beautiful interior spaces in photos (in the one place) thanks to Livingetc.

Each room has an elegant mixture of textures and colours and they all seem so lush mmm.

Or maybe I'm just fantasizing about the 10 hours of uninterupted sleep that these beds seem to offer. zzz

carpet of yellow sky of blue

Mix work with pleasure....Dad S looks for pests and disease in the vineyards and G and I play in the dandelions (or cape weed really). I am mesmerised by the bright circle of yellow featured in the centre of the flower. Think I'll do a painting tonight...

We also fed the property owner's beautiful racehorses and listened to the cockatoos in the gum trees it was so Aussie it was heaps good.

paintings

Some of all the beautiful paintings the children made at the Nest Studio holiday class this time around. We went for a walk in the park across the road, collected pods and leaves, read a story, had fun mixing colours, made popcorn.

3

First laugh Sunday morning.

perfect circles

Perfect circles custom printed for JacDav whilst G waited patiently at the studio this week.

Silver and white medium + small perfect circles and black in super perfect circle.

350 is yours

Nest Studio and cul-de-sac design space are neighouring creative businesses on the Magill Road Stepney shopping strip. We have each designed a 350 motif for Climate Action Day and will have screen printing facilities set-up on the day with our 350 designs ready to apply to your T-Shirt, clothing or fabric. The silk screen prints are hand made, water based and free!

So Adeladians head to Magill Road Stepney on Saturday October 24 between 9am and 2pm and bring your own T-Shirt and promote the number 350 - the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

Each person will snapped individually with their 350 article and be part of the photographic collage that will be sent to 350.org

SCREENPRINT LOCATION Gallery 139, 139 Magill Road Stepney SA 5069

DESIGNERS

cul-de-sac design place 153 Magill Road Stepney SA 5069

Nest Studio (design above by Umbrella Prints) 147 Magill Road Stepney SA 5069

origami tea

A design so perfect I could cry.

This is a prototype designed by Natalie Ponomareva.

With currently three comments on her blog for this design? Crazy beautiful.

Georges Barbier

I love Georges Barbier's (1882-1932) etchings and fashion illustrations; so slinky so flamboyant and elegant. As a printmaker I am naturally attracted to flat pattern, shape and design but here and most of all I really love the colours he put together- apricot, cream, fawn and dark olive in one- sky blue, black and pale pink together in another.

These prints are like lollies for my eyes.

volts

Got my hands dirty with oil instead of ink for a change. S taught me how to change a voltage regulator which is part of the alternator which now means my car goes! I am now beginning to understand how working on a car makes you bond with it and why rev heads, well, they just REAlly love their cars like one would love a child.

regretsy

Found via Jenny of thishumbleabode:
have you seen this blog (adults only)? ha ha

top to toe

Umbrella Prints featured on Bloesem, Decor8 and Real Simple this week which is really exciting for us. It means a lot to be getting a more attention overseas; especially via these inspiring blogs. My feet loved all the attention too!

giveaway!

over here! at Progressive Pioneer a beautiful grass roots American blog about living and bringing children up intuitively and simply. The giveaway includes a Nimbus kit, a trimmings pack and a few extra items all designed by Umbrella Prints. Good luck!

Update: congratulations Annette!

Trimmings change too- Umbrella Prints

I quite like watching our trimmings change as we do and as our colours change too- kind of like they have their own seasons with us. Sumi black has become less apparent and starfruit only pops up occasionally whereas lily white and lilac wine are now coming through.

As we cut larger pieces of fabric and make items these little and big pieces splice off and are too nice to be wasted. Recently Carly and I have been seeing what clever things can be made with our trimmings which make us sure these fragments never end up on the floor!

portrait to hold

Earlier this week I wrote about Adelaide based ceramicist Sunshine gb March and her recent collaboration with Umbrella Prints; making some beautiful vases and beakers with patterns inspired by a few of our patterned fabrics.

Sunshine has also been preparing a number of simple ceramic beakers onto which she will be hand drawing portraits of children. What I like best about these works is the subtlety of her linework- yes there is a heavenly portrait of your child there but its not obvious or cheesy like a photo mug. I cannot think of a more lovely treasure to have in you house or give to someone.

Sunshine's portrait beakers are made to order in time for Christmas via Nest Studio, 147 Magill Road, Stepney, South Australia.

Also, Sunshine has just started her own blog and would probably get a huge buzz from a comment or two her way :-)....as would I actually come to think of it wah

to do

This week's to-do list is super looooong and includes many a promised Umbrella Print fabric up and available in our online shops; including kimono red Grand Hearts which covers the chair above.
The fabric in the background of the pic here is one I printed in a flourescent orange pink called flamingo. My faithful camera cannot quite capture it in all its fluoro glory! This hand screenprint shows the development of Perfect Circle's into a super size as big as the list of things I must do next week. Wish me/us luck.

whiteout!

Our new colour lily white has arrived in the studio (in the shops next week promise). White on nearly white organic hemp cotton. Carly and I weren't sure how it would look but love it. In certain lights you can hardly see the print but move slightly and the rows of Hearts appear!

This fabric has a parchment-like-feel-to-it (a really opaque white almost like zinc cream) a very different 'hand' from our other fabrics. It would look great in a really pared back interior; I'm getting a zen-vibe right now (!) no seriously there is something quite powerful to the brightness of white and the light it can add to a space.

Good timing considering my current obsession for arranging and re-arranging white objects near my kitchen window- I just added a stem of white orchids from my mum's garden- thanks mum x

and this

...and this, Dad holding Susan 1968

found it

I would run through flames for this photograph. G & S backyard 2007