Beguiling... Be Joolz

Oh my...

The Queen of Hearts is residing in the Curious Oyster Shoppe along with others from her pack.

This stunning handmade necklace is the work of Melbourne based designer, Airdrie of Joolz.

Airdrie has been designing & making jewelry since childhood and likens it to breathing - its something she simply has to do!

Joolz collection, 3rd Times the Charm elegant, vintage inspired and of course, ever so charming... Her eco-chic collection is created using recycled materials including vintage playing cards, old kid's toys and recycled umbrella silk!

And she makes rings too! Check these dears out... All in store now so pop in and try on a bit of charm ; )

And just for a touch more glam for this Friday afternoon, watch the photo shoot in action in this beautifully shot video... It will bring you back to a time of sheer elegance I promise!

So I Turned 30 Yesterday...

I spent the day with my parents as they are responsible for this whole mess!

Could they not have foreseen the complete misery I would feel when the day came that I would move from the footloose and fancy free 20s and be dragged (kicking and screaming mind you) into the 30s...

I'm really sorry if I am insulting any of my gorgeous readers, but hey, I will be your age too someday, so I will deal with annoying young 30 year old complainers when I get there!

Actually, kind people have promised me a great decade of 30s... apparently they're better than the 20s... well if so... then bring it on!

So anyway, we cruised past the house I was born in 30 years before. I was born on Nirvana Ave none the less! No. 66 though... so I feel as though I was born between heaven and hell! It is also a beautiful house in a gorgeous suburb, East Malvern. Why my parents ever decided to leave that beautiful place I will also never understand... But that is another issue!

So what do us women do when we are down? Well, we decided to be a bit cliché & drown our sorrows and celebrate the day with chocolate... Not any ordinary chocolate mind you... Coco Loco chocolate!

In Northcote, Melbourne, there is a man named Khaled Sherbini, who is the classic man of men... How is this so, you may ask? He makes chocolate for a living!

Khaled has a family secret recipe that was passed down to him from his grandfather, Mostafa Sherbini.

Mostafa was a world Champion Ballroom Dancer in the 20s, a renowned chocolatier in Berlin during the 30s and even earned the Medal of Honour from his home country, Egypt, for Hospitality in 1969!

Today, the Coco Loco legacy can be appreciated right here in Melbourne, Australia! Khaled uses the same Fair Trade, Certified Organic Cocoa Butter that I use in my lip balms, so I can vouch for the high quality ingredients, where integrity has been chosen over profits!

And just like my Nilla Nilla Pout Balms, his products are gluten, preservative, dairy free!

So if you're needing to drown your sorrows in a rich, creamy and delicious world of chocolate, do head over to Coco Loco - the 1st Certified Organic & Fair Trade Chocolate Bar on the planet, right here at 219 High St, Northcote!

http://cocoloco1.wordpress.com/

Lox Stock + 2 Smoking...

...Illustrations! Jerry Giraffe and Knob & Nail (shown above)

I am so thrilled to be stocking this truly unique approach to paper design - Lox+Savvy.

Recently returning from a successful stint at the Design:Made:Trade show in Melbourne and featuring in Real Living Magazine - Sydney based Lox+Savvy are proving to be a home grown success.

Staying true to Curious Oyster's ethos of being handmade locally and always eco-friendly, each Lox+Savvy paper good is created using some form of renewable resource, be it plantation forest and 100% recycled card stock, re-invented vintage buttons, twine or natural cotton.

Available in store now at Curious Oyster! YAY!

One Lovely Blog Award... Shucks!

Thank you... thank you!

You've been too kind, Owl and Fox Blog writer and jewellery makerextraordinaire for her lovely gesture to award me with the "One Lovely Blog" award!

Rules: 1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link. 2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I would like to pass the award on to the following brilliant bloggers i've discovered along my way...

1. The Johnson Diaries: Life on the Edge

1. Under Lock and Key

1. Princess Kirstie Jane

1. Eco Diva

1. Kalliopi

1. Daylesford Organics

1. Melbourne Picture

1. There is a Button Missing

1. An Exploration of Creativity

1. Bosco Parrasio

1. Jen Meister's Swap Blog

1. The Toy Society

1. The Rant

1. PinkLizzy Sews

1. Vintage & Chic

Go Suck on a Lemon...

Ok... that might sound a bit mean! Actually, it looks as though I'm going to because I am now the proud owner of the "Lemon Stand Award"! YAY!

Thank you, to Nora for bestowing this award on me - Nora is perhaps one of the luckiest ladies I know, because not only has she a brilliant mind for writing, but also resides in Andalusia, Spain! My heaven on earth... Check out her blog at The Johnson Diaries - Life on the Edge

Passing on the award is always fun, cos I get to spend hours sifting through all the lovely blogs I follow and catch up on what everyone is up to...

The Lemon Stand Award goes to... drumroll...

...

1. Toothfairy Notes

1. Amy Eating Apples

1. Dorothy and Evelyn

1. Meet Me At Mikes

1. Vintage Verve

1. Funky Fabrics

1. Paulo Coelho's Blog

1. I like You

1. Joolz

1. Mix Tape

Once again, the pressure to rank was to high... All #1 to me!

Kalliopi - An Architect's Perspective

So very cool! Curious Oyster Shoppe is now stocking these handmade guitar pick and rhythm treble brooches...

I love the approach Kalliopi has taken to craft, it is truly unique and very clever...

Running her own small one-woman architecture firm and an active pro bono co-ordinator for "Architects for Peace", one wonders how Kalliopi finds the time!

So a little Q&A for this week's star artisan...

Q. How long have you been selling guitar brooches?

A. I've been selling my brooches for just over a year now.

Q. How did you come up with the unique idea to use guitar picks and rhythm trebles?

A. My boyfriend is a guitarist and a Luthier, a person who builds guitars. (He) also runs a business repairing guitars. I had been making the guitar pick brooches for a while and then about a year ago I asked him to give me something from his workshop to turn into a brooch. He gave me a toggle switch, the rhythm treble things, and I turned it into a brooch. That's how I started and now I 400 of these to play with!

Melbourne girl, Kalliopi wears a brooch nearly every day and is a big collector of little things. She collects new and vintage buttons, beads, pre-loved jewellery, guitar picks and other guitar parts.

Everything is reused, recycled and reinvented. Each piece is as unique as possible.

Feeling the Lovin'

What a lovely award to receive! Looks very cute too...

Thank you so much to blogwriter , Trishiekoh for this wonderful compliment... Under Lock and Key is an excellent blog so I definitely recommend a click over!

So I pass this award on to the following blogs that I adore to say the least... These blogs, like the award, are not just beautiful to look at but inspire me on a daily basis.

The imagery used in each of these, are just what I need at the start of the week to get my creativity flowing...

1. Mel Paton Crochet

1. Lox Savvy

1. Leeloo Dog Blog

1. Buttons By Lou Lou

1. Dust Jacket Attic

1. Not Exactly Rocket Surgery

1. Made by Girl

1. Iva Y

1. Owl and Fox

1. Lady Melbourne

Sorry... They're all No.1!

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day...

...Nothing beautiful and extraordinary ever was!!!

So when I placed an order for the most exquisite hand knitted mittens, gloves and long fingerless mittens from Mel Paton Crochet, I just knew there would have to be a wait... Surprisingly they were all made up for me in such little time for what I've received - and it has definitely been well worth it!

So... Come to the Curious Oyster Shoppe soon and check out these sublime, 100% Australian Wool beauties....




And a little bit of Q & A for the star artisan...

Q. Who are you?
A. I'm a 31 year old primary school teacher and crochet designer from Perth, WA.

Q. What do you make?
A. I make luxury fingerless mittens, eco-friendly makeup removal wipes and washcloths, and quirky kids toys. But I'm always inventing new patterns.

Q. What are you favourite materials to create with?
A. I use Pure Australian Wool for my mittens to support Aussie farmers. It's also great quality, easy to care for and feels so good. I use Natural Undyed Cotton on my makeup removal discs and washcloths. It's gentle on the skin, natural and contains no dyes. I love vintage buttons, so use them on some of my mittens.

Q. Fashion style?
A. Vintage and handmade all the way!

Q. Favourite music?
A. Indie pop and post-punk - Belle & Sebastian, Vivian Girls, The Vaselines, Electrelane, Sonic Youth.

In store at the end of this week... Curious Oyster Shoppe: 158-160 Barkly St | St Kilda | 3182 VIC
Mittens, Gloves and Long Fingerless Mittens available online soon at www.curiousoyster.com.au