Abigail Brown

Stumbled across these gorgeous handcrafted birdies by Abigail Brown on etsy today and was simply taken away. Each item is painstakingly detailed with layer upon layer of fabric scraps and tiny hand stitches.

Don't you geddit?

I could not resist posting this mug shot of this handmade bunny by Malaysian designer Evangelione. I simply love his bored "don't you geddit?" expression. Available here!

Truffel Tree

I was really excited when Xin of Truffel Tree contacted me a few weeks ago to tell me about her lovely handmade plushies. I fell in love instantly with the simple aesthetic and whimsical nature of her soft toys. Xin is a Singaporean mom living in the UK and she had bought a beansprout pillow from Pupsik Studio previously.

Ever since I got Alexi last year, I have been searching for suitable friends to join him and the rest if the gang on the shelf. I hence asked Xin if she could make me a toy to be named after my one year old, Nadya. I happily sent her a picture of Nadya as a "design brief" for the soft toy.

Immediately after sending the pic, I wondered if I was asking too much of Xin in sending her the photograph of a human baby and asking her to "make a soft toy out of it". Anyway, to cut a long story short, an envelope arrived from the UK 2 weeks later with a cotton sleeve and I literally squealed in delight when I saw what was inside!

Xin had transformed the picture I sent her of Nadya into a thumb sucking elf in a bear suit. She had also sewn a magnet in the paw of the elf and the mouth so you can actually detach the paw from the mouth. How clever!

The elf, named Plum, came with this note: " Look who's fallen under the truffle tree!...Plum has been a very busy elf, playing hide-and-seek with the big scary bears. Good thing she has her magic flying cape with her - having an imagination can be exhausting".

Plum even has a back pocket that is designed to hold little memories. I am printing a small picture of Nadya in the bear suit and sticking it in the pocket together with Plum's little friend.

And Xin was so sweet to send me another of her beautiful creations called "The Anonymous Rabbit". This gorgeous rabbit is made from soft, plain white calico cotton and firmly stuffed with new polyester filler. It has a simple fine embroidery thread running along the entire edge of the rabbit. I love how simple this rabbit looks with all its thoughtful intricate details and how soft (yet firm) it feels and stands on its own. Xin also embroidered the butt of the rabbit with my daughter's name!

So here is is, the new gang on the shelf! Looks like there is space for at least 2 more friends up there! Thanks Xin for these wonderful creations! xoxo

"Plum" and "The Anonymous Rabbit" are now available on Xin's etsy store, Truffel Tree. Do visit and support her beautiful creations!

ps: Xin and I are working together on a new toy that I hope will be available under The Fair section of Pupsik Studio soon. Stay tuned!

Rita Saardi for Peter Copping / Nina Ricci Fall 2011 show

Some gorgeous flower pcs made by Rita Saardi as a premise of beautiful dancers wearing silk dresses for Peter Copping / Nina Ricci. I had blogged about Rita's beautiful work in a previous post here. This talented budding fashion designer (who is definitely going places) was recently invited by the house of Nina Ricci to collaborate with head designer Peter Copping for the Fall 2011 show. You can follow this exciting adventure with her on her blog here. You go girl! x

Lovely clusters

If you are a fan of beautiful handmade and vintage items like I am, you would have to check out Lovely Clusters. This website is THE PLACE to browse from very creative artists and designers from around the world.

Each item is organised and group by clusters or according to their shop, colour and category. Click on the image you like and it brings you directly to the sellers shop site where you can purchase and find more information. Here are some beautiful objects I picked out to share:

Cream bloom found from the colour beige.
Photography in gorgeous hues by Simply Hue.

Peachy Pearl Earrings by Glitterysah.

(Top-most image above clustered by Blossom)

Winner of the Feronia Jewellery Giveaway!

Congratulations to Chong for winning the US$25 gift voucher from Feronia! Clarie is so happy that you like the Snow Pearls and would be honoured if you choose to wear this on your wedding day!

Clarie is also very flattered by all the generous comments to this post that she is giving each person that has left a comment a US$5-voucher. Simply message Clarie on etsy before placing your order.

There is a crazy 50% sale going on at Feronia Jewellery so don't miss out the chance to get your favourite items at this great discount + you will get a free pair of earrings if you spend above US$100!

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If you are looking for some unique handmade jewellery, check out etsy store Feronia Jewellery . Designed and handmade by Clarie, Feronia offers a wide selection from vintage Victorian, bridal to modern designs that will add a sophisticated touch to any outfit. My favourites include Snow Pearls, Blueberries in Twirls, Vintage Spark and Les Iris.

As our new sponsor, Feronia will be giving away a US$25 VOUCHER to a lucky reader who leaves a comment in this post to say which item from Feronia they love the most. Winner will be selected at random and announced on Nov 30th. Good luck!

Embellished

I recently found out about Embellished, a relatively new etsy store that had the most beautiful head accessories. I really love the vintage and rock-inspired pieces that are unique and beautifully put together. Some of my favourites include this unique silver headband and the quirky shabby chic headband (pictured above). Many more gorgeous pieces can be found in Jessica's etsy store so do check it out!

The Gardener Bookmark

These bookmarks from lemontree is just too adorable, along side many other cutesies in their etsy store.

Screen Prints by Claire Nereim

This Seasonal Fruits poster by Claire Nereim featured in The Kitchn, an Apartment Therapy sister site, is a one page poster/forever calendar (no dates) with a fruit drawing for each month. Hand screenprinted in 10 colors on roughly recycled cream cover-stock paper. Each print is unique. A lovely way to brighten up any kitchen space.

I also love the print above composed of seasonally blooming native California wildflowers.

Le Petit Atelier de Paris

I simply love these clay objects hand made in the workshop of Le Petit Atelier de Paris.

New Year, New Inspirations

Happy New Year and welcome back to Laissezfaire! Hope everyone had a good break from whatever you usually do and got to spend some quality time with family and friends! I know this sounds cliche but I can't believe it is 2009! It really seems like yesterday we just celebrated the turn of the century.

I will kick start the new year here at laissezfaire by sharing some amazing places and inspiring work I recently discovered. Top of the list has got to be the lyrical work by Russian Graphic artist Yulia Brodskaya. My jaws dropped when I first came across her work at Oh Joy.

I also came across these lovely handcrafted menus at The Casual Poet, a little store-cum-coffee shop in Singapore which sells a nicely curated selection of books, t-shirts, stationery, and other wonderful creative goods.

And if you are still looking for calender for the new year, this would be perfect! You can even personalise the calendar to include your "logo".

(above) Seeing Eye Calander.

Handmade stamps from Nora Jane

Adorable handmade stamps from Nora Jane that you can use to stamp away your own Christmas giftwrap. (via Sweet & Low)

RELISTED! HURRY! Concentric Circles - 2008 Calendar

Wow!! I love these beautiful limited edition calendar by one of my favourite blogger Debi van Zyl. The circles are hand cut and hand assembled. Each calendar is slightly different. I liiike! Really think it is so wonderful that Debi has turned her current (still?) obssesion with concentric circles into something so beautiful and functional!

These calenders were initially sold out but have just been relisted ... it's still limited edition with a total of 50 in all. Debi will be taking pre-orders and will ship no later than December 20th. And for those in the Los Angeles area, Debi will also be selling more of these at the Holiday Gift Bazaar in Santa Monica, CA on November 17.

Fabric Collages

I love these tactile fabric collages by Samantha Hahn. They are made from scraps of fabric, burlap, toile, string, velvet, silk etc. sewn onto small canvasses. You can check out Samantha's blog here!

Print your fabric

Want to learn how to print your designs on fabric to personalise your home decor accessories, T shirt, bags etc? Well, this course is for you!

I have been interested in learning more about textiles and printing for the longest time. Was really excited when Imeda told me about this course at NAFA called "Print your fabric". They are starting a new class on Sept 18. The class runs once a week on Tues from 7-9pm. For some reason, this course has already been postponed a few times due to lack of interest. I think it is because people don't know about it.

There are currently 5 people (including me) who have signed up for this course. They need 12 people. So if you know of anyone who might be interested, could you please let them know? Thanks!

Click here for the course outline.

(images above from joom and Patapri)

Le Petite Atelier de Paris

The next time you visit Paris, you have got to check out this pretty shop near the Pompidou Centre called Le Petite Atelier de Paris. Opened in 2005 by 2 designers, this boutique shop has a workshop inside where a series of beautiful items for daily use are conceived and handmade. I just love the raw, pastry-like, quality of the products. How imperfectly perfect!

(via Bloesem)