Muddled Male Mayhem

The final Saturday at Salamanca before Christmas is usually rather busy.  Along with the usual last-minute Christmas gift hunters it brings with it a collection of confused men.  I like to call it 'Muddled Male Mayhem'.  Yes, it's the day that many males have put aside to do their entire Christmas shopping, and they're often hunting for that one special gift for their significant other. 

As a consequence, there are a lot of completely bewildered men wondering around Salamanca, considering buying the first thing they see and running triumphantly back to the shelter of their cars, but deep down knowing that they should put a little bit of time and thought into their purchase.

In recent years, I've had many males arrive at my marquee, upon instruction from their partner, smile like they've won an award because they actually found the marquee they had been told to look for (thats quite a task with over 300 stalls) and then completely draw a blank on what it was that they were sent to purchase.  

So, if you (I'm assuming you are a female) would like your significant other to purchase a piece from Pili Pala this year as a Christmas gift,  I have a 4 step plan for making it happen...

1) Go to my 'look book' (click here) and print the relevant pages that contain items that you like.

2) Circle a selection of pieces that take your fancy.

3) Write 'Pili Pala Pieces' and 'facing Knopwoods Tavern, backing onto the grass' on the back of the page.  

4) Hand the above printed pages to your partner and give him the ol' 'nudge, nudge, wink, wink'. 

Voila and Ho, ho, ho!

We'll be at Site 169 tomorrow at Salamanca; yep, facing Knoppies and backing onto the grass.  Do pop by and say hello; we will be bursting at the seams with goodies. 

Helen x

Prepping for a stall set-up!

The presentation of my stalls is VERY important to me.  And people ask me all the time what inspires me and how I come up with a display.  The simple answer is that it has to fit these 3 characteristics:

1) A touch of vintage

2) a splash of 'on trend' colour 

3) a little bit of whimsical magic.  

I'll let you in on a little secret.... I'm heading to Bowerbird Bazaar in Adelaide this weekend (hip hip hooray) and I'm quite nervous about my stall presentation.  It will be the first time I've ever attended an event without jam-packing my van full of the usual Pili Pala props and display pieces.  Thats right - no meat safes in sight!!!!  I can hear you gasping from here!!!!  I'm relying on a few crates sourced from my parents' friend, a spray can and some flowers to do the trick.  Gee I hope I can pull it off....  

Here's is a mood board of what in my head..... wish me luck! And if you live in Adelaide - definitely check this event out; it's going to be HUGE!  If you can't make it, you can always do a spot of ONLINE shopping here...

(Images from here, here and here)

Bye for now.  I'll let you know how I got on next week.

Helen x

Pili Pala Picks: Christmas Gift Guide 2013. Part 1

It's that time of year, and with a long list of markets lined up right through until Christmas, I thought it was time to give you my Pili Pala Christmas Gift Guide 2013.

All products are available at markets, and most of them are available online.  If you see something below that you can't find online, please email me and I'll organise to get it to you.

Happy shopping.  May your days be merry and bright!

Helen x

August - a MASSIVE month!

It's been a BIG month for Pili Pala Pieces, so I'm going to fill you in as much as I can in one big blog entry.  I'll try to let the photos do the talking...

Firstly: This Saturday and next (8th & 15th September) we'll be holding our first ever MASSIVE SALE at Salamanca Market.  It's a huge clear out of discontinued and seconds stock in order to clear room for a new range of products soon to be released at markets.  It's set to be HUGE and we've already had a LOT of interest and requests.

Pop by: On Saturday 8th September we'll be backing onto the grass near the fruit and vege isle opposite Retro Cafe.  Look for the Sale Signs. 8.30 - 3.00. Nothing over $20.  

(Stall location for 15th September to be announced next week; stay tuned)

And here's a quick little photo montage of the goings on at this years Life Instyle trade show.  It was a hit with a wide range of new stockists picked up and products flying out the door all around Australia to new and existing stockists alike.  More on the finer details soon, but for now; it was another great year and we had a BLAST!

And Finally; we've been utterly overwhelmed by the amazing response to our new range of designer leather wallets.  They have been in the pipeline for 3 years and will be available for delivery and purchase in October.  We already have a large number of pre-orders taken at both markets and online (click here) and are so over the moon by the support and feedback we've received.  To create a leather range has been a dream of mine for a very long time and it's so rewarding (and a relief) to have the support of the public and stockists alike.  More details shortly.

Over and out for now; more to come, stay tuned...