New in the online gallery...Spoon & Whisk linen teatowel by Thea & Sami

'Spoon & Whisk' hand-printed teatowel by Thea & Sami ~ AU$22.00

What better way to kick off the new year than with this gorgeous new addition to the online gallery!

This gorgeous new teatowel design from Brisbane studio Thea & Sami is a collaboration between Curlyhead Design (motif drawings) & Thea Samios. Screenprinted by hand onto 100% Natural Linen using water-based, solvent free inks.

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year! The above image shows the gorgeous white Christmas I unfortunately missed out on at home in The Netherlands, taken in my parent's backyard....

We spent a lovely warm Christmas with family in the NT and although it still seems strange to be in full summer during the festivities, I am starting to get used to it and love this season as much as always.

The Christmas break has finally given me a chance to stop and think about the year that has been and plan for 2010. And what an amazing year 2009 was ~ so many things have happened on both a personal and professional level. Some happy ~ some sad ~ some hopeful ~ some exciting ~ some exhausting ~ and many inspiring!

There are exciting times ahead in 2010 ~ and I can't wait to share them with you!

Udessi Christmas Gift Guide ~ our picks for $50 or less!

Are you stuck for the perfect Christmas present? Have a look at these gorgeous gift ideas for $50 or less from the comfort of your own home! We can even giftwrap these for you!

Order before this Sunday 20 December* to ensure delivery before Christmas.
*Deliveries within Australia to major cities only. International order and some areas in Australia will take longer.

Please note that Udessi will be closed for Christmas break from the 23rd of December until the 3rd of January. Orders placed after 1pm on the 22nd December will be posted when we return on the 4th of January 2010.

New in the online gallery... stunning handmade acrylic snowflake jewellery by Michelle Freer

'Stellar Plate' small acrylic pendant by Michelle Freer ~ AU$85.00


'Stellar Dendrite' large acrylic pendant by Michelle Freer ~ AU$90.00


'Snowflake' large acrylic pendant by Michelle Freer ~ AU$90.00


'Snowflake' small acrylic brooch by Michelle Freer ~ AU$70.00


'Snowflake' acrylic bangle by Michelle Freer ~ AU$65.00

Just in time for Christmas! These stunning snowflake pendants, brooches and bangles are now available in the Udessi online gallery.

Handmade by Michelle Freer using gorgeous combinations of frosted, clear, reflective and white laser-cut snowflakes, these pieces would complement your Christmas & New Years party dresses beautifully, or make the perfect gift this Christmas!

:: Click here to view all jewellery by Michelle Freer ::

New handmade lace ceramic jewellery!

White porcelain pendant with brown detail on brass chain (2) ~ AU$55.00


Small round porcelain pendant on cotton cord (2) ~ AU$28.00


Large round porcelain pendant with threaded cotton cord (1) ~ AU$42.00


Porcelain pendant with threaded cotton cord (1) ~ AU$38.00


All porcelain pendants are available for purchase in a small printed bag or gorgeous kraft giftbox with lace detail.

'Vintage Lace' stoneware dish (3) ~ white gloss ~ AU$48.00


'Vintage Lace' stoneware dish (2) ~ clear gloss ~ AU$48.00

I have uploaded a selection of my 'Vintage Lace' stoneware ceramics and new porcelain pendants to the Udessi online gallery! I'll be expanding on this range in the New Year ~ I can hardly wait but for now I'm looking forward to a small Christmas break....

If you're after some last-minute Christmas pressies, there's still time to put your order in!

Order before this Sunday 20 December* to ensure delivery before Christmas.
*Deliveries within Australia to major cities only. International order and some areas in Australia will take longer.

Please note that Udessi will be closed for Christmas break from the 23rd of December until the 3rd of January. Orders placed after 1pm on the 22nd December will be posted when we return on the 4th of January 2010.

Real Wedding Ideas Australia

I'm so excited to finally show you another project I have been working on for the lovely Steph Bond!

Steph's brand new online project, Real Wedding Ideas Australia, is a searchable collection of real Australian weddings, categorised by location, colour, theme and style. I was very honoured to design the site for Steph and it was so much fun to work on this with her!

There are lots of inspiring weddings featured on the site, from elegant affairs to very casual garden weddings. Brides/grooms share with you the places that they sourced all their wedding details from, as well as tips for keeping it budget-friendly, eco-friendly, and handmade.

You can have a browse of all the gorgeous weddings right here.

'Dream' porcelain pendants ~ a special collaboration!

Remember this sneak peek? I am so excited to finally be able to show you the finished product! These gorgeous pendants are a special collaboration between myself and the lovely Belinda Kemp from Gretchenmist.

'Dream' porcelain pendant on sterling silver chain in orange ~
a collaboration between Belinda Kemp and Kim Wallace ~ AU$48.00

'Dream' porcelain pendant on sterling silver chain in aqua/lime ~
a collaboration between Belinda Kemp and Kim Wallace ~ AU$48.00

'Dream' porcelain pendant on sterling silver chain in red/pink ~
a collaboration between Belinda Kemp and Kim Wallace ~ AU$48.00

Designed by Belinda, each porcelain pendant is handmade by me and features the hand stamped design filled with gorgeous coloured glazes, our initials stamped onto the back and is finished off with a beautiful sterling silver chain.

Each colour combination is made in a limited edition of only 30 and comes with a little tag & edition number. They're available exclusively in the Udessi online gallery!

A big thank you to Belinda for collaborating with me on this special project!

Introducing... gorgeous illustrations by Nikki Catalano

'Girl and Her Bear' matted print by Nikki Catalano ~ AU$50

'Flower Child' matted print by Nikki Catalano ~ AU$50

'Balloon Girl' matted print by Nikki Catalano ~ AU$50

With the silly season well and truly in full swing this poor little blog has had to take a little bit of a back seat I'm afraid, but today I will attempt to catch up on a few very exciting things I have to share with you!

I'll start with this well-overdue post about the absolutely beautiful work of Sydney artist Nikki Catalano. I was smitten the minute her work came to my inbox and so proud to now be showcasing Nikki's illustrations in the Udessi online gallery shop!

'Whale and the Boat' matted print by Nikki Catalano ~ AU$50

'Girl Behind Mountain' matted print by Nikki Catalano ~ AU$50

'Under the Tree' matted print by Nikki Catalano ~ AU$50

Nikki’s illustrations are influenced by the beautiful fairy tales she was read as a child, Japanese books & images, and her quirky imagination. “I have always been a great observer, especially the details in things. This is particularly true of the delicate and complex patterns I see in nature.”

:: Click to view all artworks by Nikki Catalano ::
:: Click to view Nikki Catalano's profile ::

Sydney Finders Keepers road trip!

The amazing CarriageWorks venue...

Renée's gorgeous originals, prints and notecards on display

New pendants and lace dishes...

My little Christmas tree of lace hearts worked a treat ~ new tally of money raised for the Breast Cancer Foundation coming soon!

New pendants in gift boxes ~ available online very soon!

Our gorgeous spot in the beautiful CarriageWorks venue


So many visitors!

Ah... some R&R on the way back to Brissy

What a weekend it was! Everything about the Sydney Finders Keepers was amazing... and what a great venue! I must say that being a part of all the buzz and excitement is rather addictive and I'm so happy we got to do it all again after our Brisbane Finders Keepers adventure!

This time around the added excitement of our road trip made it a weekend to remember. Renée's car 'Little Blue' was an absolute trooper and although Ken the tomtom led us astray in Sydney we managed to get to our hotel in one piece thanks to my very cool, calm & collected husband. We managed to sneak in plenty of beautiful rest stops, yummy food, a very relaxing stay at the beach on the way back and even a bit of antique shopping on the way (amazing where you find all these hidden nooks in the car when you need a little bit of extra room!).

A massive thank you to both Renée and my husband Greg for being such awesome travel buddies and all their help ~ I had an amazing time!

A huge thank you once again to the amazing girls behind the Finders Keepers event Sarah and Brooke and their fantastic team! And many congrats to them both for being listed in The Sydney Morning Herald’s, the (sydney) magazine top 100 most influential people in Sydney ~ so well deserved!

All photos copyright Greg Wallace

Stacks of love...

Production is in full swing here at the moment in preparation for Finders Keepers Sydney and I'm loving my time in the studio. The FK Brisbane experience has been so incredible but most of all I was so thrilled to see most of the lace ceramic hearts sell out! As you might already know, we donate 50% of each heart sold to the NBCF and the total amount raised has now exceeded $350! I've created a page on the NBCF website where we'll keep a running score of the total amount.

A huge thank you to everyone that has bought these lace hearts ~ it really means so much!


I only have a few left in the online gallery but I am busy making many many more hearts! While I roll, cut, stamp, paint, sponge & glaze each single heart I can't help but wonder where all these little messages of love have ended up. Some I know make it all around the other side of the world!

Please help support this fantastic organisation by purchasing my ceramic hearts for your loved ones this Christmas. Or you can choose to make a direct donation to the NBCF on my page right here.

Introducing... limited edition prints by Herman & Ivy

'Rose' limited edition print by Herman & Ivy ~ click to view

'Contemplation' limited edition print by Herman & Ivy ~ click to view

'The Neighbours are Animals' limited edition print by Herman & Ivy ~ click to view

I'm a little behind in introducing you to the lovely work by the talented Sara Brenton from Herman & Ivy...

A QLD-based artist & illustrator, Sara is currently finishing her graphic design degree at Griffith University and pursues other creative avenues such as painting and drawing in her spare time.

'Mushroom Parade' limited edition print by Herman & Ivy ~ click to view

'Spring' limited edition print by Herman & Ivy ~ click to view

'Just Keep Walking' limited edition print by Herman & Ivy ~ click to view

With a previous study in Fashion Design, Sara is mainly inspired by the latest trends in fashion, and draws her creativity from fashion magazines such as Lula, Yen and Vogue. She loves to experiment with different styles, creating most of her pieces through a combination of original drawings and paint on watercolour paper.

"I draw and shade in pencil, and colour using either ink or watercolour. I love the way ink and watercolour can be layered and added to, and it always creates different colours. You know the approximate colour that will come out, but it's always going to be a little bit different."

I just love her colourful prints and the gorgeous watercolour elements. Sara's prints are now available in the Udessi online gallery!

:: Click here to view all limited edition prints by Herman & Ivy ::

:: Click here to read more about Herman & Ivy ::

Brisbane ABCD Spring 2009 ~ wrap-up!

What a fantastic night it was once again catching up with old friends and meeting new ones! Last Thursday night saw the Brisbane ABCD meetup (where Artists, Bloggers, Crafters & Designers catch up for a drink and chat) back at Bar Alto at Brisbane's Powerhouse. The last meet-up for 2009, 24 lovely people came along and made it a night to remember!

Here are some photos from the evening, all courtesy of my lovely and gorgeously pregnant co-organiser Steph Bond:

Rebecca (Edward & Lily) and Sam (Jetta's Nest)

Teneale and Tim (Wicked Child Designs)

Tim (Wicked Child Designs) and Natalie (Tiny Concept)

Steph (Bondville) and Kim (Udessi)

Melissa (Taybian), Sandy (Thea & Sami) and Karla (Leonhard Pfeifer.com)

Julia (A Creature Strange), Patricia (PByers Design) and Daneve (Chicuff by Daneve)

Jenna (Oblong + Sons) and Karla (Leonhard Pfeifer.com)

Gavin, Bec and Isabella (Little Brown Dog) and Thea (Thea & Sami)

Chi (Chi Designs) and Danielle and Ellie (Selvedge House)

Alischa (Bespoke Letterpress Boutique) and Nina (Kindling)

The ABCD Goodie bag was just so exciting to unpack at the end of the night and once again did not disappoint whatsoever! Check out some of the fantastic gifts that came home with everyone:

Organic cotton headbands (leggings in a former life) from Thea (Thea & Sami)


Gorgeous hemp sachets filled with organic lavender from Danielle and Ellie (Selvedge House) ~ I thought the one I ended up with in my goodie bag ~ 'Wish' ~ was very appropriate ~ thanks ladies :)


Screenprinted upcycled hankies from Teneale (Wicked Child Designs)


Sweet butterfly clips from Karla (Leonhard Pfeifer.com)


Cute Christmas card from Tina (Tiny Concept)


Beautiful letterpressed Christmas card from Alischa (Bespoke Letterpress Boutique)



Printed upcycled luggage tags from Bec (Little Brown Dog)


Handmade brooch from Daneve (Chicuff by Daneve), made from recycled environmental 'green' bags

All images by Kim Wallace

This time around Steph and I decided to throw in a little competition for the best goodie bag entry, with the winner receiving 3 months of free advertising on Bondville! Furthermore the 2 runner-ups will each get a set of three of my ceramic lace magnets.

So if you received a goodie bag, please email BrisbaneABCD@gmail.com before Thursday 26 November with your favourite item and we will let the winners know by the end of the week.

Thank you everyone for such creative and generous goodies!

Thank you also to everyone who made it along to the Summer Brisbane ABCD Meetup ~ it wouldn't have been the same without:

Steph (Bondville)
Rebecca (Edward & Lily)
Ellie (Red Seed Studio and Selvedge House)
Danielle (Craft Laboratory and Selvedge House)
Thea (Thea & Sami)
Sandy (Thea & Sami)
Sam (Jetta's Nest)
Kristina (Tiny Concept)
Natalie (Tiny Concept)
Alischa (Bespoke Letterpress Boutique)
Julia (A Creature Strange)
Patricia (PByers Design)
Daneve (Chicuff by Daneve)
Chi (Chi Designs)
Nina (Kindling)
Bec, Gavin and beautiful baby Isabella (Little Brown Dog)
Tina (Little Mimoo)
Karla (Leonhard Pfeifer.com)
Teneale and Tim (Wicked Child Designs)
Jenna (Oblong + Sons)
Melissa (Taybian)

Lastly a huge thank you to Steph from Bondville for being such a good friend and co-organiser ~ who'd ever thought that us discussing the Brisbane creative scene over a coffee would lead to this! I feel very privileged to be a part of such a warm and creative community.

We're looking forward to seeing everyone again in around 3 months' time (Feb 2010).

Introducing... hand printed fabrics & homewares by Thea & Sami

'Fretwork' hand-printed tablerunner by Thea & Sami ~ available in olive and red

'Fretwork' hand-printed set of 2 placemats by Thea & Sami ~ available in olive and red

'Fretwork' hand-printed teatowel by Thea & Sami ~ available in olive and red

'Marguerite' hand-printed fabric by Thea & Sami in black

Thea from Thea & Sami and I have been talking for a little while about introducing her gorgeous handprinted fabrics & homewares to the Udessi range, and I'm so thrilled to finally be able to showcase her work!

'Retro Bathers' hand-printed tote bag by Thea & Sami (design by Curlyhead Design)

'Deck Chair' hand-printed tote bag by Thea & Sami (design by Curlyhead Design)

Thea & Sami only work with natural fabrics, particularly linens and organic fibres. The inks they use are water-based and non-toxic and only work on natural fabrics. Thea says; "I have chosen to do so for environmental reasons but also because the natural products are far superior and lovelier to the touch." And they really are lovely to touch, the Russian linen is just superb and the organic cotton/hemp blend fabrics have such a lovely feel.

'Loads of Fishes' teatowel in red by Thea & Sami

'Loads of Fishes' teatowel in black by Thea & Sami

:: Click here to view all products by Thea & Sami ::

:: Click here to read more about Thea & Sami ::

Finders Keepers Brisbane ~ thank you!

A little overdue on my post but what an absolutely amazing weekend it was! Renée Treml and I didn't quite know what hit us – as soon as the doors opened we were just flooded by lovely customers and lots & lots of sales! Thanks so much to everyone that visited & said hello, it was just incredible. Renée and I certainly didn't expect to sell out of most our work!

Some of Renée's gorgeous & very popular originals and prints.

Sneak peek of my new Southern Ice porcelain pendants! Apologies for the blown-out shot ~ it was very humbling to sell out of a lot of my new pieces and I didn't even have a chance to take some proper photos of them yet! I am busy making more ~ stay tuned...

Coloured pendants...

We were surrounded by so many fantastic retailers, the vibe, atmosphere and spirit was so infectious! I came home with many wonderful handmade goodies, thanks to Renée for minding the stall, allowing me to wander off on a quick shopping trip...

We had our good friends Ellie and Danielle from Selvedge House opposite us with their shiny new & very popular badge/mirror-maker!

Selvedge House's badge/mirror maker

Gorgeous handmade creations by Florence from Flying Star Toys

Unfortunately I didn't get to take many photos... But if you missed this event you can visit the FK website to check out the retailers right here...

A huge thank you to Sarah, Brooke and Alischa for organising this amazing event, held for the first time in Brisbane. And to add to all the excitement Renée and I will be doing it all again in a few weeks time in Sydney! We're super busy making more stock and so excited to go on our road trip!

Last but certainly not least a VERY big thank you to my lovely friend and market-partner Renée ~ I really could not imagine doing this without you! And to her husband Eric for answering to our crisis-call in such a lovely and prompt manner ~ you are a lifesaver!

The Finders Keepers Sydney art markets will be held at the following dates:
Friday 4th December from 6pm – 10pm
Saturday 5th December from 10am – 8pm

The markets will be held at:
The inside foyer at CarriageWorks - 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW 2015.

Hope to see you there!

Introducing... hand embroidered brooches by Edward & Lilly!

Hello again lovely readers ~ and thank you so much to everyone for your lovely comments, messages & emails ~ and hugs at last weeks Boutique Markets :) I feel very lucky to have met so many wonderful people through this blog, whether it be online or in person and although it's kind of strange to get a little more personal on this blog every once in a while, it really does help to have your support.

So onto more exciting things and luckily there are plenty of those happening! I'll attempt to catch up this week...

Starting with these super cute brooches by the lovely Rebecca from Edward & Lilly that are now available in the Udessi online gallery!

'Mousy' hand embroidered brooches by Edward & Lilly ~ click to view

'Sausage Dog' hand embroidered brooches by Edward & Lilly ~ click to view

'Little Bird' hand embroidered brooches by Edward & Lilly ~ click to view

Hand-embroidered by Rebecca onto hemp or organic cotton fabric in a range of beautiful colours, choose your favourite critter from little bird, mousy or sausage dog!

:: Click here to view all brooches by Edward & Lilly ::
:: Click here to read more about Edward & Lilly ::