Finally I have found a use for my swallow silhouettes…
The Small Town Bags are still packaged in the classic brown paper bags but now they are decorated with cut-out map swallows.

Using my pile of mis-printed maps I cut miniature versions of my wall-art swallows and spray-glued them to the paper bags. To close the bags I use an old stamp (torn off from sent letters).

My five favourite things about this new wrapping are:

1) The look and effect I think is really great.
2) I am taking a boring brown paper bag and making it special.
3) I am recycling, reusing and upcycling.
4) All Wren packaging now has a common theme: maps.
5) The irony of this packaging: maps, swallows, bag traveling to you…..

My first purchase on etsy arrived yesterday! It was so exciting to be collecting mail from the post office and not only sending. I was like a little girl with a packet of sweets - didn’t manage to get to the car before opening the envelope to see these gorgeous business card holders neatly packaged at the bottom. Love them!

These business card holders were custom made by Mydesigncollectables.

To see these new Wren products visit my Etsy shop (US and int) or my Dawanda shop (EU)

This is a project recently done by the first year Surface Design students of the CPUT.

To begin, they studied and experimented with the balance between negative and positive, different line tensions and cosmic shapes (which have a focus point). They then took these activities and combined them into one A1 painted artwork again focusing on the balance between all the elements (see below).

By Stohm Savage.

These designs were then taken to Peacock glass (scanned in) where they were sandblasted onto mirrors.

I absolutely LOVE how they came out and feel from both a learning and design perspective that they are a great success.

It was extremely reasonable too. What a great way to take your bathroom mirror and do something different. This is so much more interesting than a boring old frame….or even….what if you had to sandblast a designed frame……the possibilities are endless.

Design Students below from left to right:

Monique Arnold, Cheryl Marley and Amanda Wababa

Three are supposedly many ‘magical’ ingredients to successful business’s but are they really ‘magical’ when you know what they are and that they are achievable by everybody?

Alex Iskold has written a very inspirational article titled ‘What Start-ups can learn from Haruki Murakami‘  and drawn four key points from it that I feel are the magical (or not so magical) ingredients to successful start-ups.

1. Find your passion and commit to it
2. Stick with what you know
3. Start even and finish first
4. Never settle and always seek creativity

P.S. The comments to this article are also very inspiring. Take the time and read them. It is worth it.

Step 1: Choose your fabric.

Click here if you would like to take a closer look at any of the fabrics above.

Step 2: Choose if you want a Tulip Bag, A Big Town Bag or a Small Town Bag. Then refer to the relevant diagram (below) and fill out the details in an email to me.

Step 3: I will reply to your email as soon as I can confirming your bag order details.

Have fun!

I was wondering the other day: What makes Irish linen more special than your average linen and what is it that makes Egyptian cotton so special? Egyptians wore linen centuries ago and called linen ‘the cloth of kings’. They did not call cotton the Cloth of Kings and that is now what we associate Egyptian fabric with. Why?

Irish Linen

Irish Linen is the Guild trademark/brand name given to linen that is spun in Ireland from 100% flax fibres. This is the definition of Irish Linen. It is not that the whole process is done in Ireland or that it is woven by the Irish. It is that it is woven with 100% flax fibres and with the skills, craftsmanship, and technology that go into the spinning the yarn that has been passed down through generations of Irish families. These key ingredients are what make Irish linen superior to linen manufactured in other parts of the world. As a result, Irish linen yarns are more fine, the weave is very delicate, the cloth design is intricate and the softness of the water that flows in Irish streams can be felt in the cloth.

Other characteristics of Irish linen are: it will absorb stains and release them like no other fabric, it aids restful sleep, it is absorbent and cool (keeps heat and humidity at bay), takes dye extremely well, is great for wrapping bread and other food to help keep it fresh and does not lint when drying dishes.

Egyptian Cotton

The length of the cotton fibres is what makes Egyptian cotton special. This is becuase the climate in Egypt is perfect for cotton growth. It is also hand-picked which means that the cotton endures no stress with very high levels of purity. For all these reasons it is possible to create the finest yarns without sacrificing strength. This strength of the fiber makes the fabric more solid and resistant to stress. It is also much smoother than other types of cotton becuase of the high thread count. Egyptian cotton is also extremely durable. At first it is hard and stiff but with age it softens and will last longer than any other cotton. Ultimately, Egyptian cotton is the highest and finest quality of cotton you can buy and own.

Now I know and you know what makes Irish linen and Egyptian cotton superior and special.

TODAY is the last SALE day!

If you have been eyeing one of the few bags left on a sale, now is your last chance to get it at the reduced price. Hurry over to the store now.

Top Left: Autumn Leaves Big Town Bag

Top Right: Glorious Winter Big Town Bag

Bottom right: Black Blue Dash Small Town Bag

I often ’shop hop’ through etsy and enjoy marveling at other’s talents. Here are a few of my recent favourite favourites.

From top left to right: A hand painted and etched Ivory and white cylinder vase by oneblackbird; An adorable embroidered bird with bling by hownowdesign; Crochet patterns for a very cute family of little Chinese Zodiac animals by edafedd; A print of an original illustration done in watercolour and ink called ‘Cardboard Town’ by monjojo; An upcycled butterfly brooch pin made from playing cards by BululuStudio; and a crochet, string wrapped, wood and felted beads summer bracelet made by Stemellina.