wearable goodness

week ending 7th Nov

KarinaJean — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:20:50 +0000

This week has felt like a bit of a waiting game; loads in the pipeline, and me sitting pretty at the far end waiting for stuff to find their way through. Which, on the one hand is a tad frustrating, and on the other hand gives me permission to spend some time looking at neat stuff on the web. So I thought I would share my favourite finds…

Discussions with Mirror Mirror Agencies from Brisbane about an exciting upcoming photo-shoot lead me to investigate underwater photography. Some of the imagery is simply divine, especially this and this; While Clark Little’s surf images have always been a favourite in our household, this would have to be one of my favorites .

Down That Little Lane’s release to the public and media is only hours or days away. You can find the Karina Jean store front here. I also have my eye on this and this and this.

Karina Jean also started showcasing on the Behance Network, which lead me to some great discoveries. There is some definite freedom in Maedh Costello’s experimental lines . Jeremy Blincoe photography is hauntingly brilliant and this paper city by Zim and Zoe is rather grand.

I spent far too much time thinking about who might appreciate one of these completely awesome miniatures of themselves.

Frankie told me about this clever and sweet photo project.

A dear friend sent me a gift with a note on this terrific stationary, the name of which just adds to its greatness: the "choo choo bling bling letter trump" card.

And in anticipation of Karina Jean’s own imminent online store opening, we uploaded our new fresh face.

Have a great weekend xx

SS2012 Geometrics

KarinaJean — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:07:38 +0000

This is my latest collection. I have been inspired by 3-dimensional geometric forms, such as prisms and other mathematical shapes. I have taken inspiration from rigid and symmetrical concepts and worked in asymmetric but elegant disorder. The result is a collection of pendants that inhibit 3-dimensional space in both a structured but fluid manner.

A second theme that runs through this work is that of stitching. In the past I have worked with traditional jewellery materials and methods, such as silver that is soldered together. In contrast, this collection is made from stainless steel which is printed using new technologies. The separate elements are joined using the stringing element that creates the rest of the neckpiece.

Tamani
Tamani pendant, pronounced ‘Tum-mun-ni’ and named after the arabic word for eight, is a hollow ball-like pendant made from printed stainless steel,infused with bronze.

The pendant hangs on supple flat leather lacing 82cm long, with bronze details on each side. The leather is moveable, making the position of these bronze details adjustable. Pendant measures 30 x 25 x 25 mm and weighs 18 grams. Pendant hangs more-or-less level with your sternum.

Tesa
Tesa pendant, named after the arabic word for nine, is a large hollow pendant made from printed stainless steel,infused with bronze.

The pendant hangs on supple flat leather lacing 86cm long, with bronze details on each side (just below the collar bone). The leather lacing stitches the sides of the pendant together. Pendant measures 45 x 65 x 16 mm and weighs 47 grams. Pendant hangs more-or-less level with the bottom of your ribcage.

Hamsa
Hamsa pendant, pronounced ‘Humm-sah’ and named after the arabic word for five, is a hollow diamond-shaped pendant made from printed stainless steel,infused with bronze.

The pendant hangs on solid sterling silver chain 82cm long, with bronze details on each side (more-or-less level with your armpit). The sterling silver chain stitches the sides of the pendant together. Pendant measures 40 x 40 x 8 mm and weighs 40 grams. Pendant hangs more-or-less level with your sternum.

Seta
Seta pendant, named after the arabic word for six, is a flat hexagonal pendant made from printed stainless steel,infused with bronze.

The pendant hangs on supple flat leather lacing 86cm long. The leather threads through the top section of the pendant to keep it hanging nicely. Pendant measures 32 x 48 x 5 mm and weighs 13 grams. Pendant hangs more-or-less level with the bottom of your ribcage.

New Artwork “All Connected”

KarinaJean — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:25:37 +0000

I’ve been working on a new artwork for some time. Here it is. I am not 100% happy with the colour scheme and will probably play around a bit more, but thought I may as well put it out there. It’s entitled “All Connected” What do you think?

Yellow warmth for winter chill

KarinaJean — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 04:23:44 +0000

Gee Wiz I love yellow. It is so cheery at this time of year (winter in australia). Sunshine yellow, lemon yellow, mango, buttercup, pineapple, canary yellow, mustard, banana, egg yolk, amber, gold……

I’ve been feeling quite chilly lately, so I sought out some happy yellow things to warm me up and make me smile. click the images to link.

Firstly this crochet by Rosa Marrero entitled ‘tejedore compulsive’ is just sweetness on a thread.

This lace-impressed bell pendant by Australia’s printmaking and jewellery duo: Abby & Kate from Goldenink is so different and nice. I really want it for my own. I have been gushing over it for a few months now. It is made from high quality porcelain and the crochet is even meticulously hand stitched. Someone buy it for me, please.

Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chair is always a welcome sight, but this fabric is just snuggly. A woolly blanket wouldn’t go astray.

This ring by Sticks & Stones, entitled ‘The painted yellow ring’ would definitely warm my digits. Reminds me of coral.

Speaking of coral, this lamp by Berlin’s Studio Aisslinger is also pretty nifty. His ‘Coral lamp’ was part of a 2009 exhibition, and is actually about 80-100cm wide.

I have been a quiet fan of Ghost Patrol and their artwork for a few years now, but this pencil art is just too darn clever, and cute-2-boot.

And lastly, there is nothing more warming than the smile I get from a happy sunny retro’ish bike, compete with a basket full of daisies.

Handmade Softie for Grace

KarinaJean — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:52:43 +0000

This post had been months in waiting.

My Good Cousin was expecting her first baby. She is one of my favorite people in the world so it follows that I wanted to make her something really lovely. I decided to splash out on some forest green mohair from Germany, and construct some type of softie critter. Part cat, part lamb, part Gizmo from the Gremlin’s movie. I used green paisley patterned fabric for added cute details.

The end result was a little more squat than my design sketch. But maybe a little more friendly?

A test run on Master J was a gleeful success.

I am told Baby Grace is also quite taken with her fluffy new friend.

Some merry-go-round Goodness

KarinaJean — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:14:03 +0000

I get quite a fix out of greeting cards, both the sending and receiving, but the truth of the matter is there are only a select number of cards that find themselves a permanent posy on my notice board or vying for space on our fridge, or for the most prestigious of loveliness – framed stability. And admittedly, these are, more often than not, the ones I buy for myself. But whenever it comes time to tidy my chaos and straighten the paper work, or otherwise thin out the collection, there are always very nice cards, with very nice messages that I have to make big moral decisions about.

I always feel unusually conflicted. I really don’t want to keep shoeboxes of cards, and even though I have enjoyed every card and every sentiment, and have deliberately kept it for a respectful length of time, I find myself on a little guilt-trip when I choose to finally confine the surplus to the recycling, as if I might offend the giver or, heven –forbid, upset the cards themselves.

Which is why I am very very excited to have stumbled across the phenomenon of the Merry-go-round card. I bought the card with Nadia Turner’s ‘Little Nessa’ on the front. Just devine. On the inside is a blank piece of card that can be removed and replaced. The idea being, that when you receive the card you can replace whatever-lovely-message was written for you with another-lovely-message and pass on the love to someone else. The card finds its merry way around the globe getting all love’d up and rare in the process (rare because each card is a limited edition).

Nadia Turner’s ‘Little Nessa’ Merry-go-round card

ah.. little Nessa is a little lovely

resend me, reused me, refill me and otherwise send me on my merry way.

how-to's on the back..complete with ‘colour-me journey capturer’ and nice bar-code decoration

So not only can I free myself of the moral judgment explained earlier, my ‘Im keen for green’ mind is happy as each card does the carbon work of many, is made from 100% post consumer recycled stock, is produced by people that work in an office that runs on 100% wind power and was printed using non genetically modified soy ink by a carbon neutral printer. What is not to love about that?

I have only one problem. Nadia Turner’s artwork. It is just so lovely that I am not sure I can bear to part with it and my merry-go-round card may not get to go very merry far at all.

A Tallish Keepsake

KarinaJean — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:08:10 +0000

A few months ago a very good friend asked me for my opinion on some hand made height charts she was deciding between for her little lass. None of them were quite what she was after but she was hesitant to make her own. So I suggested I make them one as their Christmas present. We discussed themes and details and I set off on my creative merry way, thinking all things trees, birds, hand-stitched string, buttons and leaves. Here is the result (a month late mind you), a fabric height chart that they can take with them wherever they go and keep for nostalgic purposes for as long as they wish.

The result is a sweet combination of calico, fabric pens, salvaged buttons, original bird artwork via iron-on transfer, pretty backing fabric and wool.

I began by adding all the detail to the front panel of calico. I choose the calico with the little specs in it and washed and ironed it to remove any residue. The original tree and bird were hand drawn in ink on paper and the bird was coloured digitally.

I had a basic plan I suppose, enough to know I was going to be doing a few different ironing steps and the order in which I did them was likely to matter. So I began by hand-drawing the tree with fabric pens (fabric pens are happy to be ironed over). I then cut leaves from the backing fabric and attached them with iron-on hemming tape (also happy enough to be ironed over). Finally I printed out my birds and numbers onto transfer paper (in mirror image of course), cut then out with my longtime best friend “medical scalpel with blade # 11”, and ironed them on…making sure I did not double iron any of the tansfers by accident (iron-on transfers definitely don’t enjoy being re-ironed).

I hand stitched little lass’s name and the circling wool with, ah.. wool, and added the buttons. Then after a good iron (reverse side only) I machined sewed the front panel and backing fabric together, added a few hems, added a rod to hold the top straight, doubled up some wool for hanging and my “tallish keepsake” was finished.

Oh, and some custom made measurement tags attached with salvaged garment safety pins rounded off a ‘job well done’.

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Sweet Season’s Greetings to All

KarinaJean — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:17:54 +0000

Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings to all. If you are a regular here – Thank you for your following this past year. If you have only just found me, be sure to drop by once in a while for a little dose of creativness.

All I want for Christmas is a long-eyelashed reindeer with antlers just asking to be adorned.

adorned reindeer illustration

clever blackboard

KarinaJean — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 10:55:33 +0000

A while back we decided we wanted a blackboard in our kitchen. Not just any blackboard but a great big one, to fill a whole wall. But then a “whiteboard vs blackboard” debate began. You see the whiteboard claimant liked the magnetic aspect of the white board and its ease of cleaning. The blackboard claimant like the related nostalgia, the fact that chalk is wall/furniture/clothing friendly and that the writing is less likely to be wiped off accidentally. SO a compromise was reached and we made a “super big magnetic blackboard in a daffodil yellow frame.

We bought a big piece of sheet metal > Glued it to a timber backboard > Painted the sheet metal with blackboard paint > Bought a timber edging in the width and scollop-iness that we liked > Painted it yellow and attached it as a frame. It is a hit with the whole family. Occasionally I even clean it up and start a-fresh with a blank canvas.

kindling to get started

KarinaJean — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 10:35:08 +0000

Back in may 2007, we embarked on a road trip around the Australian coastline with a mission to find a new place to live. We had a 4WD kitted out to sleep in and all manner of camping objects. My granddad, an avid camper and traveler himself, gave us an old green sleeping bag full of kindling, with the advice “sometimes you can’t find dry firewood, and sometimes your not allowed to take firewood even though it’s everywhere, so it is always good to have something to get you started”. We were slightly precious about the bundle, not wanting to use it up in an un-emergency. So at the end of our 9 month trek, we arrived at our new beachside home with half of his donation still onboard. So I decided to do something creative with it, something to capture the journey and the arrival…here is the result…