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.

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone had a good time with family and friends over Christmas. I was so busy tending to last minute gift orders from the online shop that I didn't get the chance to wish everyone a very 'Merry Christmas' earlier this week.

Anyway, I just wanted to take the opportunity this special time of the year to say that it has been such a joy getting to know so many of you through this blog. I am truely thankful for your warm friendship. Even though I have not been able to post as often as I would like to in recent months since the birth of my second child, knowing that you are still visiting keeps me motivated and inspired in more ways than you can imagine. Thank you so much for your support.

I will be signing off to spend more time with family and friends for the rest of the year but will be returning on Jan 5. Meanwhile, here's wishing everyone Happy Holidays and all the very best for 2009! Here is a little festive dance from my family to yours.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

And if you are looking for some ideas that will make this New Year's eve party a little prettier and more memorable, here are some lovely ideas to share from Martha Stewart.com.

Above: Place your homemade Oatmeal cookie in these lovely CD sleeves to give to your guests

Above: These Confetti and noisemaker will make a very fun and pretty looking New Year party favour
(Above) Customise store stationary with a rubber stamp and pad

It's easy to miss something you are not looking for

One of the funniest advertisements I have seen in a while that drives the message across. (via Mr Brown)

Mister Rob Ryan

Gorgeous papercuts by paper artist Rob Ryan. Do check out his blogs here and here! (Thanks meefedtothemax for the links!)

Wall Calander

Watch winter turn to spring with this for a wall calendar by architecture duo at StokkeAustad. I imagine the leaf-like tags are like sticky tapes that you remove as the year goes by and the colour of the wall changes to reflect the 4 seasons. (above) The whole year in colour. (Image above from une toche de.)

Level 5

Just in case you miss your floor. (via ffffound!)

Falling words

Amazing project by Letras Caindo found here. (via Swissmiss)

Perforated calendar

This perforated calendar that allows you to tear off each day of the year is such a simple yet brilliant idea! (via delight by design)

Pretty bitter gift tags

Great gift tags with a touch of humour.

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)

Would love to slouch here by the beach

What a lovely room! I just love how everything is kept low-lying with the small steps and changes in levels defining the separate spaces. (from marie claire masion via delight by design)

Chocolate research facility

These arty chocolate wrappers are apparently from a shop in Singapore called Chocolate research facility. Anyone heard about this? I want to be a part of it!

Enchanted Garden

A beautiful mural found on a door out in the middle of nowhere in Brussels. This image reminds me of some secret doorway to an enchanted garden from the pages of a fairytale. Found here.

Shop in a church

Designed by Merkx+Girod architects, this contemporary bookshop is designed within a former Dominican church. I am sure many of you must have seen this but since I have been buried under a rock for a while, I don't recall seeing these images before.

From a design point of view, I really love how the neat rows of books lined up in a modern black steel structure form a contrast with the ornate interior of this gothic church. The colours of the books also stand out really well against the neutral tone of the stone surfaces.

I am not sure how to respond to the image above. I thought at first it was a reading area...but found out later it is a coffee shop. Beautiful as I think it is, I am not sure if it is quite appropriate to locate a crucifix-shaped coffee table at the location where the altar used to be. I guess in true Dutch fashion, the designers have succeeded in coming up with yet another controversial project... (via)

Mad mad week but I'm back!

It has been a mad mad week juggling the babies, orders from my baby online store, organising a hen's night and overseeing the details of my best friend's wedding. I have always consider myself quite an efficient multi-tasker but I have to admit that this past week has been quite stretching.

I miss blogging and all of you out there! I will share more about my friend's wedding once I get down to uploading the pics. Meanwhile, it's surfing time at 3am in the morning at my favourite design websites. I will be back soon with what I find!

Tea Note

Lovely packaging for tea from a Japanese website called Tea-note.

Muji Craft Box

This craft house box from Muji is simply too cute. Think this will make a holiday cake gift box. Available here.

My Best Friend's Wedding (invitations)

I spent the last few days working on the church wedding invites for my best friend, Elaine. A talented designer herself, I felt really honoured to be entrusted to design Elaine's wedding invitations for her.

Elaine and I have known each other since we were 12, and I can say that I don't know of anyone more similar in interests and taste than her. For the design of her invites, I decided that a simple and classic handcrafted wedding invite would reflect Elaine's timeless sense of style.

We decided to keep the cards simple and focus on subtle elements such as the selection of the font and texture of the paper. While scounting the web for a wedding calligrapher, I chanced upon the work of Laura Hooper. As soon as I set my eyes on Laura's work, I knew at once that we had to engage her to do the calligraphy for my best friend.

Laura is well known for her intricate, unique and delicate style of calligraphy. She offers a variety of services including 29 different calligraphy styles for envelope addressing, placecards, etc., and even draws the most gorgeous maps.

I finally settled on a beautiful Allegro Script , which I paired with a San Serif block-like font, for the invite to achieve a simple classic look. Not long after contacting Laura (who is super prompt in her responses), I received the gorgeous artwork and was on my way to gocco-ing 125 invitations by hand. I also got Laura to handwrite the address of the lunch reception which I screen-printed on tags (above) to accompany the invites.

(above) Screen-printing the cards by hand using my beloved gocco! I simply love the imperfections, blotches and everything behind this labour intensive process!

I finally completed the invites at 4am this morning and sent it out. The bride-to-be loves it and I am one happy friend and bride's maid.

Chocolate Pie, anyone?

Made of 70% milk, 20% dark and 10% white chocolate, the Chocolate Pie Chart is just too irresistably gorgeous and yummy-looking to pass. I will go for the milk and leave the dark for my husband. Available for sale at Mary & Matt's General Store. (via Hi+ Low)

Wall mounted Crates

I love this storage idea. (via Creature Comforts)

Shabby Chic Charm

I came across this interior from Sandbox Studios and fell in love with the shabby chic charm of this room. I just adore how the bed seems to be propped up by the neat stacks of books and wooden crates. And the bare branch and elephant just completes the pretty picture in this lovely light-infused room. (via Pause4thought, via Soon Lee)

1950's Royal Typewriter (Restored)

I would so love to have one of these...

An exception

I usually don't post anything "political" on Laissezfaire although I had to make this an exception as this video above is just too funny to pass. I couldn't stop laughing at "McCain's dance expressions". But I know Obama can dance. I have seen his dance moves on Ellen. Quite impressive!

Anyway, funnies aside, I think the recently concluded presidential elections in the US was pretty inspirational and deserves a special mention on laissezfaire. I was particularly inspired by Obama's rousing acceptance speech and touched by McCain's gracious concession speech.

Congrats from Sunny Singapore to all Americans for being a part of this historic presidential elections! I wish our own elections were as inspirational and exciting as yours!

Corner Forest

I really love it when designers turn the most common objects one would usually not bat an eyelid to into beautiful objects. Such as these paper toilet rolls above by yuken teruya.

Yuken Teruya is a artist whose work involve manipulating everyday objects and transforming their meanings to reflect on contemporary society and culture, such as the growing consumerism of contemporary society, depleting natural resources and other problems associated with globalism.

By cutting trees out of paper bags and cardboard toilet paper rolls, he creates meticulous and intricate art works which relate to broader concerns. In each bag and roll, the shape of a tree is created without adding or removing anything, just by cutting out and folding the paper from the bag itself. (via Oh Joy)

Dear Creatures

Love these grainy pics from Dear Creatures. (via Three Potato Four)

Printable matryoshka labels

Download printable matryoshka labels and to-do list sheets from Yasmine at A Print a Day. (via HowaboutOrange)

New patterns by Jessica Jones

Jessica of Jessica Jones Design emailed me recently to let me know that she has restocked her etsy shop with lots of patterned goodies--like cool mousepads for $10 and postcard sets for $6. Many of these will make nice for stocking stuffers and affordable gifts for Christmas.

The fabric used in the tote bags are from her new collection. They are available by the yard here for anyone who wants to make their own:

thanks for letting me know, Jessica. Keep up the gorgeous work!

New Collection at Sparklethots

Ruth of Sparkle Thots has told me that she has just restocked her online shop with lots a brand new collection of pearls, silver and gold items. Many of the items would be very pretty and would be perfect as a gift or for adorning a bride and wedding entourage on her special day.

If you like any of the items, you will be happy to know that Sparkle Thots is doing a FREE SHIPPING promotion. Just spend above SGD $50 to receive this offer. Enter code [GIFTED08] upon check out.

(above) Drop of Golden Sun (SGD$45)

Rolling Pin

This rolling pin has raised lettering that prints into your pastry. Beautiful!