Diem Chau Embroiders Porcelain!

Tags

culture, Design, Diem Chau, Embroidery, Haberdashery, Illustration, porcelain, Seattle, Stitch, Storytelling, Vietnam

Women by Diem Chau
Porcelain cup, silk, thread
(Image © Diem Chau)

Diem Chau does amazing things with embroidery and porcelain. The result is both understated and quite beautiful.

Vietnam-born Chau is now a Seattle-based artist. She uses ordinary found objects as the base for her embroidery. According to Chau, her work creates “delicate vignettes of fleeting memory, gesture and form, resulting in works that combine egalitarian sensibility and minimalist restraint.”

Her work is often about memories, real or imagined, which she uses to tell her story. She often works from photos of distant family members she’s never met, which appear as faint embroidered figures floating on white porcelain dishes. But it’s in the unexpected details of her work that she uses to draw the viewer into her narrative. A red thread emerging from the subjects relates back to the process of storytelling.

Long Braid by Diem Chau
Porcelain plate, silk, thread
(Image © Diem Chau)

Diem Chau Untitled
Porcelain bowl, silk, thread
(Image © Diem Chau)

Untitled by Diem Chau
Porcelain plate, silk, thread
(Image © Diem Chau)

Sisters by Diem Chau
Porcelain bowl, silk, thread
(Image © Diem Chau)

Totally intrigued by how she achieves her porcelain embroidery, I was so pleased to discover that Chau herself has written a couple of posts on her process in her blog, The Pleasure of Tiny Things. 

A Weekend in Flowers…

Tags

Claude Monet, Colour, Florist, Flower, Friendship, nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sydney

Flowers by LM. Vase by Rosenthal.
(Image by LM, Creative Director)

It seems my weekend has been punctuated with beautiful blooms.

First up we have LM, who has christened himself Creative Director of this very blog. It’s a role he takes very seriously. As a result, this Monday I give you the paper daisies he bought for me at the markets on Saturday – purchased specifically with my Rosenthal paper bag vase in mind.

He buys me flowers at the markets every week and he arranges them himself. Lovely man.

Earth laughs in flowers. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Flowers by Jodie McGregor Flowers
(Image by LM, Creative Director)

Next, the flowers purchased for a lovely spa buddy who cooked us a delicious meal on Saturday night.

Flowers for TSL
(Image by TSL)

The flowers I unexpectedly received from my lovely spa buddy! I just love the colour of those roses.

I am following Nature without being able to grasp her, I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. (Claude Monet)

Flowers by Jodie McGregor Flowers
(Image by LM, Creative Director)

Housewarming flowers for my Australian ‘other’ Mum & Dad who move into their new home in Sydney today. Happy new start, Ann and John!

It really was a weekend of flowers here. Hope yours was equally lovely, wherever in the world you may be.

Thanks to an introduction by my Creative Director, Jodie McGregor Flowers is now my florist of choice here in Sydney. The crew there – whether it is Jodie herself, or one of her fab’ team always exceed my expectations. I particularly love the arrangements they do with Australian natives.

Sharing the ‘Fifty Shades’ Love…

Tags

Bible, Books, culture, Damson Dene Hotel, England, Erotica, Fifty Shades of Grey, Hotel, Lake District, Lifestyle, News, Travel

Wayne Bartholomew, Hotel Manager & the book in question
(Image © The Westmorland Gazette)

I gasp, and I’m Eve in the Garden of Eden, and he’s the serpent, and I cannot resist. (Anastasia from ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’)

I quite like this wee story that is currently doing the rounds…

Guests staying at the Damson Dene Hotel in England’s Lake District are in for a shock if they reach for the ubiquitous Bible for solace. The hotel has replaced the Good Book in the bedside tables of its 40 guest rooms with E.L. James’ erotic blockbuster ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’.

How titillating!

The World of Origami – Who Would Have Thunk It?

Tags

Amazon, Art, Books, craft, Crafts, Design, Dollar bill, Gilda Radner, Origami, Paper, Paper Craft, Shopping

Dollar Bill Origami
(Image © How About Orange)

Dreams are like paper, they tear so easily. (Gilda Radner)

So, since knitting does not seem to be an option for me…. And, given crochet has also has me beat (and everybody told me it was easier than knitting. Bah Humbug!)… I’m considering origami as a possibility. I’m quite fascinated by these folded wee artworks. I quite like their whimsy.

What do you think?

Dollar Bill Origami Rabbit
(Image from here)

Of course, an origamist* is not limited to using US dollar bills. I just happened to like those examples (and there is no such thing as an Australian dollar bill any more so I couldn’t find any Australian examples).

Anyhoo – in my quest to find a form of haberdashery that I can actually achieve, I had a quick squizz at Amazon to see what they had on offer. Well, it seems there is a whole world of origami just waiting to be discovered. Here’s a taste of what I discovered…

Prepare to be amazed!

Money Origami Kit: Make the Most of Your Dollar!
(Image from Amazon)

Sticky Note Origami: 25 Designs to Make at Your Desk
(Image from Amazon)

Barfbag Origami: Twenty-Seven First-Class Gags to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing
(Image from Amazon)

Erotic Origami
(Image from Amazon)

Adult Origami
(Image from Amazon)

I may have to order one of these books just to see what I can come up with. Any suggestions as to which one I should choose?

* a made up word meaning ‘one who creates origami’

Retail Therapy, Baby!

Tags

Adventure, Bed, Bronte, Brunch, Design, Furniture, Interior design, Matthew Hilton, Shopping, Spence & Lyda, Surry Hills New South Wales, Sydney, Travel

 

It all started on Sunday when LM promised me an adventure. We were lying in bed at the time, so he is forgiven for not seeing what the weather was doing. He does this with some frequency – the adventures, that is. He’s a pretty good adventurer, too.

The first thing we always need to establish is whether or not our adventure is to be dog friendly. Sunday’s adventure, it was agreed, was to include the pup. Initially, this adventure was going to consist of brunch at Swell – a great wee dining institution at Bronte complete with a view of the water – followed by a walk along the coast to Coogee – arguably one of Sydney’s most scenic walks along the sea wall.

From the comfort of our bed (more on that later), LM made a reservation for an outdoor table (no pups inside restaurants). We rose and prepared only to step outside to find reasonably heavy rain…

Intrepid urban adventurers that we are, we continued onto Swell. They’ve changed the menu since we were last there. We reckon it’s better. Outdoor heaters kept us toastie and there was plenty of cover from the rain. However, it was mutually agreed that walking to Coogee was a foolhardy endeavour. LM proposed Plan B…

Spence & Lyda Showroom
(Image from S & L)

Perhaps it was time for us to check out the very fabulous new Spence & Lyda showroom in Chalmers Street, Surry Hills? Of course, we knew from experience that the S&L team are very puppy friendly, especially towards poodles! An easy decision, then.

Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with this most swoon-worthy outfit, Spence & Lyda was established in 1997 and quickly become a standard in the retail design industry for its use of colour and pattern. Their product range spans all the areas of life, including feature lighting, loose furniture and textiles, through to area rugs, soft furnishings, bedding and accessories. They also specialise in the manufacture of custom-made furniture and living pieces. So, as you can imagine, in terms of price-point it’s not like heading to Ikea for a few essentials.

At this juncture, I feel it is appropriate to confide a few personal things:

– I am the daughter of an accountant and a German. As you might imagine, I am fond of planning and order.
– LM is an impulsive kind of guy. He trusts his gut. He rarely examines price tags.
– For quite some time, we have been talking about the idea of purchasing a new bed. Ours has a rather large bump running down the middle of it, affectionately known as ‘the Hill’, as in “Oh, I see you have scaled the hill to kiss me good morning”.

Lying in bed would be an altogether perfect and supreme experience if only one had a coloured pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling. (Gilbert K. Chesterton)

With those things in mind, and remembering that we had not planned to buy a bed that day, let me show you a picture of the bed LM purchased approximately ten minutes after walking into Spence & Lyda, while I was still talking poodles with various other parties…

The Hepburn Bed
(Image from S & L)

Designed by Matthew Hilton, the Hepburn Bed is available in solid wood – American Black Walnut or American White Oak – and a range of fabrics for the head-board. Once I had picked myself off the (very nice) showroom floor, we chose the black walnut and dark grey felt head-board for our new bed. You’d think that I would be used to LM’s largesse by now.

I will give you that it is GORGEOUS. As the brochure says – “an elegant lightness of appearance, its slender body raised upon wishbone-shaped timber legs. Innovatively borrowing from traditional chair joinery, the leg joints have maximum structural integrity due to the lone grain connections throughout. Optional side tables connect intuitively to the underside of the bed.”

There’s just one teeny wee thing. I don’t want to seem ungracious. Truly. I’m looking forward to the day we don’t have to negotiate ‘the Hill’ like you wouldn’t believe, but take a look at that image. There’s no way you can have anything stored under that bed. You’ll ruin the lines of the design. I have a lot of under-bed clearing to do before my new Hepburn arrives…

For you out-of-towners, Spence & Lyda have an online store. You can find it here.

 

This is Not a Food Blog but Here’s a Flourless Orange Cake Recipe Anyway……

Tags

Baking, Cake, Cook, Dairy Free, Flourless Cake, Gluten Free, Jamie Oliver, Nigella, Recipe

Flourless Orange Cake
(Image by Mark O’Meara for Taste.com)

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.(Jim Davis)

I know, I know – I said this wasn’t a food blog. Despite the fact that I gave you Nigella’s Chocolate Orange Cake recipe at the beginning of the month (which is sooooo good!). And, not to mention my post about Jamie Oliver’s best ever Spiced Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks. And, then yesterday’s Chocolate Seed & Nut Balls. I wasn’t lying. Honest. But with this dairy-free jaunt that I’m on, one of the biggest things you miss out on are desserts. Think of all the dairy – milk, butter, cream, sour cream, yoghurt, crème fraîche, buttermilk, cream cheese, ice cream – that goes into most desserts.

We don’t eat a lot of dessert, here at Casa TSL – but when the opportunity presents itself, I wanna’ indulge… And the best way to ensure I can do that is make the dairy free dessert myself.

As it so happens, LM and I have a fairly full social calendar coming up this weekend and I have committed to ‘bring a plate‘ to a couple of our functions. This Flourless Orange Cake looks like just the ticket, I reckon. It’s both gluten- and dairy-free.

Flourless Orange Cake

(serves 12)

Cake
Melted butter (or butter-substitute), to grease
2 oranges
3 eggs
215g (1 cup) caster sugar
300g (3 cups) almond meal
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

Orange Syrup

1 orange
155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Brush a round 22cm (base measurement) springform pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line base with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the oranges in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return to pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes (this will reduce the bitterness of the peel). Refresh under cold water. Drain. Coarsely chop oranges. Remove and discard any seeds.
3. Place the orange in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
4. Use an electric beater to whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until thick and pale. Add the orange, almond meal and baking powder and gently fold until just combined. Pour into prepared pan.
5. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool.
6. Meanwhile, to make the orange syrup, use a zester to remove the rind from the orange. (Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler to peel the rind from orange. Use a small sharp knife to remove white pith. Cut rind into thin strips.) Juice orange.
7. Place rind in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Drain. Return to pan with orange juice and sugar. Place over low heat and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens.
8. Turn cake onto a serving plate. Use a skewer to gently prick the top. Spoon over syrup. Cut into wedges to serve.

I found this recipe on Taste.com. For those of you outside Australia, Taste.com is a fab’ site for every-day recipes. Not too fancy-schmancy, but loads of great ideas. This particular recipe has had 111 comments about how yummy it is – so, I think I’m onto a winner!

TSL, Nut Balls and the Art of Zen

Tags

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Diet, food, Green Smoothie, Health, Herbal Tea, home, Lifestyle, Nut Balls, Recipe, Snack

(Image from here)

I am attempting a dairy free diet for 3 months to see what happens*. At the time of writing, I have been off dairy for 29 days**. I’ve surprised myself – it isn’t quite as hard as I imagined BUT I do miss my coffee. I just can’t drink it black. I’ve tried. And, I’m only allowing myself one soy coffee a week. So, I am becoming an herbal tea connoisseur. Not quite the same, but I have discovered the Byron Bay Tea Company have some really fab’ teas. And, they deliver to your door.

I do miss my morning coffee…
(Image from here)

After enlightenment, the laundry (Zen proverb)

Anyhoo, as part of this dairy free gig, I’ve been doing some experimenting. LM is keeping an open mind. The teenager, not so much.

The green smoothies for breakfast are a small mind-shift from my previous breakfast favourite of greek yoghurt with fruit and nuts. My current favourite is a combo’ of frozen mango cheek, banana, a few strawberries, kale, coconut water and ground chia and flaxseed. Looks like a super green fruit cocktail and tastes great (promise!)…

Green Smoothie
(Image from here)

I’ve also been making balls. Yes, I did say balls. Nut balls to be precise.

Chocolate Seed & Nut Balls
(Image from here)

LM, the chocoholic, has declared these Chocolate Seed & Nut Balls his favourite so far. They are a doddle to make and quite good for a healthy mid-afternoon pick me up (with a cup of herbal tea!)

Chocolate Seed & Nut Balls

Makes 20

Ingredients:

2/3 x cup almonds
2 x Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 x Tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 x Tbsp desiccated coconut
2 x Tbsp flaxseed
2 x tsp sesame seeds
2 x Tbsp cocoa powder (best quality available)
2 x tsp cinnamon
6 x Tbsp almond butter (I use macadamia butter)
2 x Tbsp tahini
3 x tsp coconut palm sugar
3 x tsp sugar, xylitol or sweetener of choice

1. Place all the ingredients into a food processor. Mix until the mixture starts to stick together.
2. Roll the mixture into balls approx. 1 Tbsp in size
3. Keep in the fridge until ready to gobble up

I like to think they make me a little more zen…

*I am allowed a little butter.

**It’s no coincidence I will hit the 3 month mark as we arrive in France!

Ronel Jordaan’s Felt Feels Fabulous…

Tags

Africa, Art and Craft, craft, Felt, Felting, Fibre Art, Johannesburg, Jordaan, Ronel Jordaan, Social Responsibility, South Africa, Textile Design, Wool

Ronel Jordaan’s Wool Rock Pillows
(Image from here)

Can you imagine making these incredible lifelike AND seamless rock pillows from felt?

Ronel Jordaan is an internationally recognised award-winning felt artist who lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa.

After 26 years as a textile designer, Jordaan began exploring the possibilities of using felt as a creative medium. Entirely self-taught and following her own creative instincts, she began to turn fine gossamer thread into robust felted forms. By patiently rubbing and coaxing threads of pure wool into shapes in nature, she found her direction and started a small home industry. She merely created her own product and went with it… That’s not so hard, is it?

All of Jordaan’s felt pieces are made with an eye to environmental and social responsibility. The wool is treated by hand, the soap used is biodegradable, the dyes are lead free, and the grey wastewater is used to grow a vegetable garden. Job creation is at the forefront of the company’s planning. At present, 40 previously unemployed women have been trained under Jordaan and are now felters of international standing. A small group of men in Sebokeng, outside Johannesburg are supplying her with wire sculptures which form the sculptural support for the exotic felted lamps.

Ronel Jordaan’s Wool Rock Pillows
(Image from here)

Ronel Jordaan’s Wool Rock Stones
(Image from here)

Jordaan’s felt cushions are completely hand-made, hand-dyed, hand-carded, made out of felt, and have no stitches. They are not several pieces of textile put together and made to look like a rock. It has a complete feel. The inners are a choice of polyester or 100% wool. All rocks can be treated for outdoor use.

Ronel Jordaan Felt Bedroom
(Image from here)

Ronel Jordaan Pebble Mat
(Image from here)

In Sydney, Emily Ziz has a comprehensive catalogue (available here) of the extensive Ronel Jordaan range. It’s amazing!

Rebecca Wilson Creates Paper-ware Out of Porcelain…

Tags

Art, Arts and Crafts, Ceramic Art and Pottery, Ceramics, Crafts, Delft, Design, Paper, porcelain, Rebecca Wilson, Shopping

Rebecca Wilson’s Delft Porcelain Paper-ware
(Image © Rebecca Wilson)

Can you believe that beautiful paper-cup with the Delft floral image is actually made out of porcelain? Is it not gorgeous?

The very talented Rebecca Wilson is the ceramicist responsible for these pieces. She believes the paper cup is an icon of our ‘throwaway culture’. By imposing classical ceramic styling and transposing materials, she aims to highlight and question our tendency towards wasteful consumerism. It’s a lofty goal – but she certainly makes me reconsider the disposable paper coffee cup…

These cups are hand-built from cast sheets of specially formulated porcelain paperclay slip. They come in two different styles – both derived from traditional ceramic aesthetics. The ‘Jasperware’ version emulates Wedgewood’s iconic range using stained porcelain slip and embossed relief details in white. And, the Dutch classic ‘Blue Delft’ (my favourite) is alluded to in digital decals scanned from hand drawn decals in blue biro.

Rebecca Wilson’s Wedgewood Picnic-ware
(Image © Rebecca Wilson)

Rebecca Wilson’s Delft Paper-ware
(Image © Rebecca Wilson)

If the porcelain paper-ware wasn’t enough for you, how about some paper-ware that looks like porcelain…? Confused?

In response to the call for an affordable and disposable version of her ‘Finest Porcelain Paper-ware’, Rebecca created the ‘Finest Paperware (Paper)’ collection. People wanted a version of these that they could have and use.

These cups are hand-built from cast sheets of handmade paper. Like their porcelain counterparts, they come in the two different styles. The ‘Jasperware’ version emulates Wedgewood’s iconic range using stained dyed paper and embossed relief details in white. And the Dutch classic ‘Blue Delft’ is alluded to in hand drawn decals in blue biro. They are suitable for hot and cold drinks, and are made from sustainable materials in the UK, and are fully recyclable.

You can learn more about the very talented Rebecca Wilson and her deliciously irreverent ceramics here. You can also pick up a pack of 12 of her Finest Picnic-ware from Culture Label for just £10. Bargain!

Dover Street Market is in my sights…

Tags

Colour, Comme des Garçons, Design, Dover Street Market, Fashion Design, London, Online Shopping, Rei KAWAKUBO, Shopping, Star Wars, Travel

Comme des Garçons Shirt x Star Wars Window, designed by Rei Kawakubo
(Image from DSM)

The only thing important to me is making clothes.” (Rei Kawabuko, founder Comme des Garçons)

I’ve already mentioned my love of Comme des Garçons to you in a past post (here!). And, now that LM and I are definitely tootling off to Paris and London in September for a wee sojourn, I can really let loose on my retail fantasy world (because usually I am so circumspect about it, yes?). I gotta’ say, Dover Street Market is pretty high on my list (along with Liberty, Deyrolle, Epice), if for nothing else than to salivate over the ever-so-stylish wares.

The latest launch is the Comme des Garçons Shirt x Star Wars collaboration. It features iconic imagery from the legendary films. I’m really quite interested in having a look-see at the collection (despite not being a massive Star Wars fan). I find it an interesting partnership – I was 9 when the first Star Wars film was released, which makes me old, so there is a definite retro feel to this range.

Flicking through the Dover Street Market web-site, there are a few wee bits ‘n’ bobs I’m keen to see…

CDG Star Wars Collection
(Image from DSM)

Marimekko Comme des Garçons Special T-Shirt
(Image from DSL)

CDG Red Play Ladies’ Blouse (White)
(Image from DSM)

CDG Wallet iPad Case (Green)
(Image from DSM)

CDG Super Fluo (Orange/Blue)
(Image from DSM)

CDG Colour Embossed (Orange)
Sorry Gwynnie, this trumps the Coach travel wallet I have by miles…
(Image from DSM)

And, I didn’t even get started on the mens selection.

Dover Street Market can be found at 17 – 19 Dover Street, London W1S 4LT. If you aren’t in the neighbourhood, their online store can be accessed here.