Friday Flowers

Apparently these beautiful peonies, which our florist delivered to the shop this morning, are the first for the season. They look so pretty with our colourful cushions and our new orange ottoman!! Hope you have a great weekend.

xo
Anna

Black & Spiro Today

Our new left side window display was supposed to go in today however, we had a few dramas with it and it won't go in until tomorrow so the girls put this temporary display into the window for today. I had to share it with you as one of my most favourite things in the entire world is blue and white ginger jars filled with fresh flowers...definitely an obsession my mother has passed onto me!!

Clayfield House

Here are a couple of photos of a job I have been working on over at Clayfield. I thoroughly enjoyed working for this lovely couple and their 2 young children. The floral armchairs we made are my favourite thing in this house and work beautifully with the colourful Chinese drum stool which we placed next to the slip covered sofa.

myOWs (no, I don't need a bandage!)

(Image property of & copyright myOWs.com; used here only for promotion of myOWs)


Today I received a hot tip in an email from my friend Randy (thanks, Ran!) about a new web tool on the horizon. 'myOWs' is a web service for helping creatives to protect the copyright on their original works.

'myOWs' is an acronym for 'my Original Works', and the site was set to launch in August of this year. Developing a new concept often takes longer than expected, and the service rollout is still  on the drawing board. However, it's set to be the next big thing for creative artists of many mediums, and I'm on board to support it wholeheartedly!

I've added the site link to my right sidebar, along with other tools to help you with copyright and online content theft issues. I'll pass along news about the launch as soon as I hear something.

Check out this Interview with Max Guedy, founder of this incredible concept, on Frisk Design's site to learn more about myOWs and how it can help YOU protect your creative property.... and thanks, Max, for sending me this COOOOL 3-D image of your logo! (He said I could be the first one to share it!!!)

Craig Ferguson read this post and sent a comment in, along with a link to his interview with Max. Thanks,  Craig! The more we all spread the word, the more we people we can help Max help!

Wallrocks

I have had a long association with Brisbane Antique dealer, Nick Wallrock in that my parents collected most of their Antique pieces from Nick over the years. I was thrilled to recently hear that Nick's daughter Jessica has joined the family business. I think it will be lovely to see some of the pieces selected by Jessica for sale at Wallrocks. I am sure she will add a new perspective to the long running and well regarded Wallrocks.

Not only have Wallrocks had a new addition, they have also moved from their old location over at Woolloongabba to Clayfield. Nick's old store was housed in the lovely old building which Crosstown Eatery now operates in. I remember often going there on a Saturday with my mother to inspect the latest shipment Nick had on offer. He always told the best stories about the pieces he was selling and still does I must admit!! One piece I am admiring in their latest shipment is this beautiful 19th Century Eastern European lidded Antique bench seat with it's original paint which can be viewed on their wonderful new website...certainly one of Jessica's suggestions I am sure!

Deb's Article in One Coast Advisor (link added)

One Coast is the largest U.S. sales rep agency for merchandise in the retail gift industry. Their website is not only a wholesale sales venue for those products, but also a resource filled with information that helps retailers succeed and a hub that connects people, ideas, and products. It's no wonder that they are known as much for their educational videos, podcasts, and articles as they are for the products they sell - and with many categories of subject matter, the information is helpful to retailers no matter what kind of products you carry.

One Coast contacted me about running one of my blog posts as an article in their biweekly e-newsletter, 'OneCoast Advisor'. It's nice to be asked, for one thing, and it's also nice to be recognized as a resource that can benefit retailers and help them..... yep, you got it: ...'Build Better Businesses'! I'm thankful for the kind acknowledgment of my value ("You have great insights that our retailers would like to read") and am looking forward to this opportunity for exposure to the One Coast reader base. (Thanks, Vicki!)


The most recent newsletter has been broadcast, and my article in it has been added to the OneCoast Advisor Archives. Read it online here.


For more about One Coast, their product lines, their large resource library, and to sign up to receive the 'OneCoast Advisor' newsletter (so you don't miss my article!), go here: http://www.onecoast.com

Image property of One Coast; used with permission.
No renumeration or payment received from One Coast for post reprint or promotional post.

Q and A: Store Lighting for Impact

I received the following email last week, asking for my assistance with a retail visual impact issue: how to counteract the darkness of dreary winter weather and early evenings during this season. I thought that since I had just completed a consultation with a new client to solve exactly the same problems, sharing some info about this issue might be helpful to many of you. So, here we go:

Dear Debi, I own a small card, stationery, gift shop in North Seattle (Richmond Beach). I need help with lighting; on a sunny, summer morning my shop looks so inviting but when it starts getting dreary out, especially in the early evenings the shop looks dreary as well. I'm also having trouble with fading. Some is caused by the sun coming through the windows but I think the lights are also a problem. My space has the (ugly) ceiling tiles with inset flourescent lights and I have added track lights. Any suggestions or ideas on where to go for help would be great. Thank you, Susan

Hello Susan, I read your email with interest and a smile.... just last week, I completed a consultation with a new client for exactly the same solutions! The darkness and this 'Northwest Gray' sky have more effects than many people realize! Let me offer you a few general solutions to try:

1. Take a look at the color of the walls in your shop. If they are white or a cool color (blue, green, etc) then they are working against the effect you want to have. Using warm, glowing colors such as ambers, golds, caramels, light browns, earthy oranges, etc. will serve to expand the light within your spaces. Even if you just paint the wall across from the windows one of these colors, you'll see a big difference in the way it feels.

2. Check your track lights and any other light fixtures you have in the store. Are all of the bulbs working? Are the track modules aimed in the most efficient direction? It's common for most light in a store or restaurant to be aimed downward onto tables, counters, displays. This is necessary - but you also have to bounce light around so it hits vertical surfaces and is visible from the street outside. This means aiming a few track modules onto those warmly painted walls so that they glow even more.

Introduce floor & table lamps into your space - several set into your displays throughout the store will serve to cast warm ambient light and draw the eye to them. Best to place these sparingly, and also use incandescent bulbs in them. (I know, it's not the most energy efficient way to do it, but CFL bulbs have a cold light.) You need warmth to draw people in, and using pools of light throughout the space is the best way to do it.

Those overhead flourescent fixtures you have are the bane of all retailers: you need light, but that blue light just flattens out all of the detail in your products. Counteract it with as much natural light as you can - yes, even our Northwest gray gloom is better than flourescent light! Place mirrors on walls & fixtures across from the windows, to bounce the light around the space.

Appropriate for the holidays (and actually any time of year in retail) try adding some twinkling white lights on tall tree branches or a tall garden trellis inside the store. Place them in the back half of your store, across from the windows, and make sure they are on well before dusk. This bit of light and movement will work to attract attention - and it needn't be in the window to work.

3. Although it is true that 'Windows are the eyes to your store', you can't expect them to do all the work! Window displays often get overloaded in an attempt to make them stop traffic. When building window displays, have the goal of providing a large visual statement that clearly represents your store - your brand image, your product offerings, and something interesting or whimsical like a seasonal theme.

Don't try to load every inch of the space with product, though. Use no more of 1/2 of your window space for this - build one large display in the window's center, or two smaller displays on either side - leaving some space open so that customers who walk or drive by can see PAST the displays into your store. This is where the lighting discussed above becomes paramount in importance: The space beyond the windows needs to be well lit to be seen, and to work to pull people in your doors.

This should help a bit with your fading problems, and changing out your window displays each month will also help prevent product damage. Your product is primarily two-dimensional and small, so you need to think a bit out of the box in order to make it work in large window displays: Try making blown-up, inexpensive color copies of interesting seasonal cards, (to an 8X11 size) and hang them from large tree branches or ribbons in the window. The movement factor there is good for attracting attention. Or, find a roll of wallpaper that coordinates with a new stationery line, and use it as a backdrop for a desk whose drawers are pulled out and loaded up with items from the line - and use a color copy of the item to front the box of cards, papers, etc. again to help keep fading to a minimum. A small lamp on the desktop will serve to attract attention, too.

These are general tips that I hope will provide a starting point for improving the visual impact of your store during the darker winter season. You can see in the photo at the top of this post that Cindy Sullivan, owner of Haley's Cottage in Mill Creek, Washington, has utilized all of these tips to help make her store interior sparkle year-round. She has the advantage of having doors & windows at both ends of her space, as well, but large mirrors placed on a back wall can duplicate this effect easily.

For more specific advice and solutions, I am happy to provide my consultation services in person in your store or via email & digital photos. Email me at Debi.WardKennedy (at) Gmail (dot) com for more info on my services and rates.

Photo credit: Taken by DWK of Haley's Cottage 2009; used with permission.

Black & Spiro Today

Here are a couple of photos of our current window display at Black & Spiro. The poodle lamps are very wild yet so much fun. I adore the fabric drop in the background and our new little woven shell boxes which you can see on the table are a current obsession of mine. They come in 5 different sizes and I was thinking it would be a fun idea to bake some beautiful shortbread stars for Christmas and use these lovely shell boxes to put the shortbread in as gifts for my friends. We have a few in stock if anyone else would like to do the same!! For all enquiries email us info@blackandspiro.com.au

Miranda Skoczek at Edwina Corlette

I absolutely love the new Miranda Skoczek exhibition which is opening this Friday night at Edwina Corlette Gallery in Brisbane. Miranda's work is so beautiful and colourful and fresh. I am sure the exhibition will be a sell out!! For all enquiries contact Edwina Corlette.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

Please, please, please deliver this stool to me on Christmas morning?!

xo
Anna


image - 1st dibs via fric & frac

KW in Australian Vogue Living

Loved the KW spread in this month's Australian Vogue Living. I am particularly taken by the amazing wallpaper she designed {middle image & bottom image} and the joyous use of colour she has employed throughout the house!!

Shark Cage Diving – Gansbaai

My good mate Michael Moffit had his birthday party on the weekend. You read the header about shark cage diving and must be wondering how a birthday party and shark cage diving links up? Well, Michael had the great idea of taking 10 of his close friends to go shark cage diving as a birthday event.







Our crew of 11 people stayed at Michael’s house in Hermanus.

We had to be up early on Saturday morning to drive to Gansbaai where we would board a boat to go view the sharks from an underwater cage. Everyone was excited for the day though most of us had a bit too much to drink the night before. Amongst the excitement we were joking about how we would probably get motion sickness and feed the sharks.

Upon arrival in Gansbaai we received a big breakfast and coffee. The excitement started to grow as we were briefed about the day that lay ahead.

We jumped on the boat with about 25 other people and took of in the direction of Dyer Island.

At Dyer Island we through anker at a viewing spot and then waited for the sharks. The sharks live here in an alley called shark alley where they feed off the vast seal population. It wasn’t 15min before the first shark appeared and for the next 4 hours we would see almost 6 sharks making turns to visit the boat.

I went into the cage with the 3^rd group. By this time the sharks were prominent. The visibility was great and we could see for at least 10m in front of us. The sheer size and beauty of these animals can only be captured when viewing them in the water. Several times the shark would swim up to the cage and view you in the eyes. This did not feel like intimidation, but rather curiosity.

We had the opportunity to go into the cage twice. By the second time the sharks were almost against the cage. They were so close that you could see the detail on their skin.

None of us got motion sickness and after 4 hours we were back on land. This was truly one of the greatest experiences I’ve had. Thank you Michael for an awesome weekend!

Happy Weekend

I loved this image the minute I spotted it on {this is glamorous}! So beautiful, don't you think?? I hope you have a great weekend. I won't be back here until Tuesday next week as I am heading away for a few days.

xo

Anna

Polish Wycinanki

This is my latest piece. I have blogged a "how to" showing the process I used for creating this papercutting.

Children's Bedroom Series

I have been thoroughly enjoying the posts Amanda has been running on children's rooms. She has been interviewing a few blogger's children and posting some photos of their rooms which has been so much fun! My Harry was one of the children to be interviewed about his room HERE. Thanks for asking us to be involved Amanda and I can't wait to see who's room is next!!

image - house beautiful via swish & swanky

Pattern on Pattern

This room certainly does have some pattern going on but I really like it for some reason. I think it's the wallpaper which is catching my eye!!

image via skona hem

Opened up the way

Wycinanki "How To"

A little while ago I was made aware of the Polish art of papercutting, known as Wycinanki. This involves cutting a black silhouette and then overlaying it with brightly coloured collaged details. Many wycinanki are symmetrical patterns, cut using the folded paper method and a pair of scissors. But I don't enjoy working that way. So I'm having a go at my own version - not symmetrical and cut with a knife. This is my initial sketch.

Here, I've added more detail to the sketch and started the cutting. The paper is black on the other side. The initial silhouette will be fairly simple and I hope to get the detail in there with the coloured overlays. I'm excited about this project. The circle is approximately 25cm diameter. If you want to see some genuine Polish wycinanki, take a look at my flickr favourites http://www.flickr.com/photos/conciousmess/3837909496/

The picture below shows the silhouette base for the papercutting. The fun starts now with cutting the collage overlays.

In the picture below, I have started experimenting with some coloured overlays. They're not stuck down yet, as I still haven't made up my mind and also I want to do a little bit more detail cutting on the black base (from the white "wrong" side) before I start sticking paper to the front (black) side. Now that the circle is cut, it measures 27cm diameter.

Now I've started sticking some collage on the black base. The only bit I'm not sure if I like, is the bird's head and crest - it looks like it's wearing an Egyptian headdress! Oh well - I'm still learning!

This is the final piece. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the result, but there are things that need improving. I think I could have done more with the bird.

Measures 30cm dia (including mount)

From The Files

A couple of images from my files which I continue to love. I really do seem to be enjoying a touch of red lately and it always looks wonderful with blue and white don't you think?

image 1 - elle decor, image 2 - domino

A Little Project

I thought it would be fun to show you a little project I am working on for a client. Not only do we love to work on large jobs, we love to help clients with small things too. This little antique stool was dropped into me a few weeks ago by one of my clients who had picked it up in Melbourne. Although there might be some protests from a few of you with regards to us replacing the original tapestry on the stool, the client wanted it recovered in a more vibrant fabric. We chose a beautiful pink and yellow painted silk and we are trimming it with hot pink gimp. I am looking forward to seeing it when it comes back from the upholsterer in it's new cover.

This is the finished papercutting. It measures 40cm x 55cm. I'm pretty pleased with the way it all turned out in the end. It definitely needed the border and the heart needs the different colour. Popular opinion seems to favour backing it with the blue, so I'm fairly certain I'll go that way, but won't rush a decision! Thanks everyone for following this project and keeping me encouraged! x

Juneberry Leaves and Berries papercutting

40cm x 55cm

A Garden Table

There were certainly many things to be inspired by in the much anticipated launch issue of Lonny magazine but one particular thing which caught my eye was the beautiful garden table in Deborah Needleman's home. I was recently recommending a very similar concept to a client of mine who has an apartment in the city. I thought it would be lovely to inject some green onto her verandah by way of a table filled with pots. It was great to be able to email her this picture the other day so that she could visualize what I had been talking about.

I thought this weathered table above could make for a lovely garden table. For all enquiries on this table above just email us info@blackandspiro.com.au

Rocking The Daisies

Rocking the Daisies is an annual music festival held at Cloof Estate outside Darling. This festival is also very concerned about the environment and if you are willing to cycle the 80km from Cape Town to Daisies then you get your ticket for half price.

Last year we were a group of friends that did the cycle to the daisies. It was easy and fun so we decided to do it again.
Pieter, Dewald and I dusted our bikes off, filled our water bottles and met up with the other cyclists outside the CTICC in Cape Town. The group was three times the size when compared to last year. The recession might be to blame for more wanting to save money, but I think it was a lot better advertised than last year.



The group of about 100 left the foreshore through the harbour and up to Blouberg strand and Melkbos where we turned away from the coast to Atlantis. In Atlantis we stopped for a break, had some fruit and cycled the last 20km to the festival.

If you walked to the festival with a pre-arranged group then you get in for free. Leon Bester that cycled with us last year decided to do the walk to the daisies. It’s a 2 day walk of 30km per day. The three of us cycled pass Leon just before we arrived at the festival. He was looking strong and said it was easier for him to walk when compared to last year’s cycle. (I don’t think so)



At the festival we dropped our bikes and opened the beers. The beers started to flow and bands got better as the night progressed. We partied till late and passed out in our tents.

The following morning we awoke as the sun baked us out of our tents. The skottel was started for a big breakfast and the next beer was opened. By mid day we where sun burnt and walking felt like playing a TV game.

There were more than just cool bands playing till midnight. The comedy tent was entertaining and I had the biggest laugh with good friends.



I am not going to elaborated on how wasted we got or how many hot girls there were.
As it happens at most festivals your feet get cut, you drink too much, you don’t shower and taking a shit becomes a problem as the toilets seem to overflow.

Rocking the Daisies was an awesome festival. The cycle was easy and the atmosphere great. It was a lot better organized than last year and it can only improve. Next year the festival will be even bigger. Let’s hope we get to see an international band headline at Rocking The Daisies in the near future.

Where Did The Week Go?

I seem to have lost track of the week this week, hence my absence!

I adored the post Millie did recently on old rockers. This one above was my favourite. Heading into the weekend, I could imagine myself sitting in that exact spot. Instead I am undertaking the complete re-organisation of my wardrobe, which is very daunting, I must admit. See you next time!

Via the Backroads!

Its been almost a year since our group of BMXers and Skaters went on this trip. I've been wanting to share this news with you for quite some time.

Adriaan Louw and I are busy making a full length documentary of this adventure that took place in December 2008.



Here is a brief write up of the trips concept:

Via the Backroads! – a BMX / Skateboard Adventure

Via the Backroads is an Extreme Sports Adventure based on traveling through South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique.
Our group of 10 guys consisted of 5 skateboarders, 4 BMXers and one 1 filmer braving the backroads to explore new spots of BMX and Skating interest. We promoted our respected disciplines by taking it to towns and areas never before exposed to BMX or Skateboarding.

This exploration adventure took us to more than just new spots. We met people that were open-minded to our lifestyles. In cities people would prejudge Skateboarders and BMXers as vandals or trouble makers. In places like Swaziland, Mthata and Fort Hare we were welcomed with open arms.

For 25 days BMX, Skateboarding and Adventure was everything! It took us to amazing places. Places that are overlooked by others. And it was here that we encountered the greatest experiences.

Finding a virgin spot or drinking a beer at your hut while overlooking the Trankei landscape was what made this trip so enjoyable.

The Urban Extreme Sport that contrasts the unique and beautiful Southern Africa landscape was captured on camera and is sure to be an interesting and enjoyable documentary.

Documentary Coming: End November

All Photo's by Wayne Reiche