Our own small piece of Salamanca Market!

It's official and it's been a long time coming!  After 4 years of being a casual at the fabulous Salamanca Market (meaning that our location week-to-week was unknown and actually gaining a spot wasn't guaranteed) we've finally taken the plunge and purchased our very own site.  Yeeehaw!!!

Starting this week, you'll be able to find Pili Pala at Salamanca Market every Saturday at site #294. You'll find us backing onto the Salamanca Arts Centre, down the silo end.  We're right next to the brilliant 'Mongrel Socks'.  Lets get this party started! 

I'd love to see you down there soon.  Helen x

P.S. Thank you to my amazingly brilliant Graphic Designer and friend (who took me to the very busy and oh-so-gourmet Jamie Oliver's restaurant in Canberra the other day, by the way!!!) - Donna - from Design Capital for making our own special Salamanca Map.  Love that chick!!!  

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas you lovely bunch!  I hope you have an absolutely fabulous festive time with family and friends over the next few weeks.  

I want to pass on my sincere gratitude for your amazing support and encouragement this year.  2013 has seen Pili Pala grow exponentially into something that I am really proud of and absolutely in love with.  In fact, I'm only on day 2 of my Christmas break and I'm already overflowing with ideas about new products and designs for my new range.  I really do love what I do! When the year begins I have a few commission pieces to begin work on, and then a lot of designing to start.  I can't wait! 

But for now - it's Christmas cheer and frivolities, family, friends and a lot of scrumptious food. 

Enjoy.  Helen xx

In keeping with my vintage theme, here is a sweet illustration from a vintage French children's nativity activity book from 1953.  Divine. (image from here)

I may have been M.I.A in Melbourne....

I may or may not have been M.I.A. in Melbourne for the past 3 days.  My husband and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in November and - courtesy of babysitting by my mother - we found a few spare days this past weekend to disappear.   After working 24/7 since the beginning of May without a day off from all things Pili Pala, it was nice to do 'nothing' for 3 days.  And while we were doing nothing, we did find ourselves doing something, (like sleep-ins, movies, eating a little too much good food and general exploring) but it was nice to not have an agenda and just go with the flow.

The highlight of my trip was discovering a few little amazing boutique stores scattered throughout Melbourne.  Here are some images of my most favourite stores that were filled to the brim with beautiful wares.  Please note: these are not images that I took; I was too busy doing 'nothing' to take photos.  

Photo from here.

The Woodsfolk is a whimsical store in Hawthorn filled with bright colourful home wares mixed with a smattering of vintage finds.  Sensational for the senses.

Photo from here.

Maiike was just across the road from The Woodsfolk and equally filled with a collection of mouth-watering goodness.  A bit of adult fashion, a bit of children's fashion and home wares and a lot of just plain prettiness.  I ended up buying a chalk-board T-shirt for my daughter here; such a lovely shop.

Photo from here.

We discovered Rap on Little collins street jam-packed with a colourful array of boutique brands, including home wares, fashion, bags, children's goodies, stationery, etc.  The lovely thing about this store is that they will wrap (get it - 'rap') each product using a special japanese wrapping technique.  Love it - that means 3 less presents for me to wrap this year. 

Photo from here.

And finally, this shop was a treasure trove of delightful special pieces.  Wilkins and Kent on Little Bourke st.  My husband even stayed and had a decent look in this shop; thats clearly a 10/10 for awesomeness!

Well, for now, it's back to it:  4 markets, the final bunch of stockist orders for 2013 and keeping on top of the online orders will keep me busy right up until Christmas. 

Remember to check our facebook page for Christmas online order cut-off dates. 

The look book AND a pick-up promo!!

Fa, la, la, la, laaaaaa, la, laa, la, laaaa!  The festive season is certainly in full swing with Christmas trees and decorations going up everywhere and so far the weather feels very Christmassy too!!!  I love this time of year.  Oh, and the Christmas carols - how can you not love them when they make you feel like you are in a wonderland of cheerful, warm fuzzies.

If you missed out on this on facebook last week, you might like to check out our look book.  It contains photos of all of our products/designs in the current new range.  Click here to view it; I'm so chuffed with how it turned out.  

Click here to view the look book.

And, now - thanks to the suggestion of one of my lovely customers - I am offering a Salamanca PRE-ORDER, PICK-UP service for the next 3 weeks.  This means, you can peruse our look book, place your order and simply swing by on one of 3 Salamanca dates to grab your order.  It's quick, it's simple and it gives you time to thoughtfully and strategically tick off your Christmas list and make sure you have everyone covered.  Ho, ho, ho!!

To place your order, ready for pick-up at Salamanca, click here!  

image from here

Over and out for now!  Enjoy the festive season!  

Helen x

P.S. For those who have signed up for the newsletter, there was a special code to use for online shopping.  I'll be re-sending the code next week, so if you're not already a VIP, you may want to jump on board.  (see top right hand corner).  

An awesome affair: Tasmanian Craft Fair 2013

Another amazing year at this truly spectacular event!  Run primarily by the (ever-supportive, 'nothing's-too-hard') Rotary Club members of Deloraine, the Tasmanian Craft Fair is the biggest craft fair in Australia: which is quite a feat for little ol' Tasmania.

I had such an amazing time, met so many new/return customers and 'made great friends with'/'met up with existing' fellow stallholders.  I love being apart of this amazing community where Makers and Designers support and understand each other.

Another bonus was that I also decided to stay in Deloraine this year at the fantastic Bonney's Inn where I, along with a beautiful bunch of other stallholders, were thoroughly looked after.  I loved it so much, I'm already booked in for next year.

Here is a little look at how the Pili Pala Pieces stand turned out this year!

I love that it looks like God is shining down on my clouds in this shot!  

It needs sound effects: cue big booming organ sound 'wwwaaaaaaaahh'

I found some cute little boxes to highlight each of my products.  

The NEW smartphone wallets were a hit!

Thanks to everyone who came along, and for your support, kind words and enthusiasm for my work.  I'm already counting down until the TCF 2014.  Put it in your diary now and make sure you don't miss it. 

Helen x

P.S - This is my 100th blog post and last week I reached 1000 likers on facebook. Round numbers like that make me smile!    Thank you for your part in that. xx

Pili Pala Picks: Christmas Gift Guide 2013. Part 2

I've been asked over and over again to make cufflinks.  I should have listened earlier.

I offered my brand new cufflinks up for sale at the Tasmanian Craft Fair on the weekend, and had no idea how quickly they would sell!

Here is the rest of my picks for Christmas gifts....

For Him. Who knew how popular cufflinks were as gifts?!  And, it turns out the men are equally as interested in the clouds as the ladies; perfect for his desk or bookshelf.

And finally, something just for you; as a reward for all of your Christmas shopping.  

Products available either online or at markets.  (If you see something that you would like to purchase that is not online, please email me ~ helen@pilipalapieces.com.au)

Have you got your Christmas list ready? 

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

NEW!!! Version #2 - Smartphone wallets.

Yes, you read correctly.  There is now a version #2 of our smartphone wallets. It will be released at the end of October and we are taking pre-orders NOW - to order click here!

My smartphone wallet story...
For years I've been infatuated with leather wallets and handbags and it had been in the back of my mind to have a go at designing my own leather range at some stage.  The things that I look for in leather products include being well made, being an interesting colour (not your average black, brown or red) and having eye-catching/well placed details.  After obsessive looking, I felt that there was a gap in the market for this kind of product.

So at the beginning of 2012, I decided to actually try designing (it was a huge 8 month learning curve from conception to completion) and I'm so glad that I did!!!  When I looked around, I realised that there was nothing out there with an illustration on it (patterns yes, but not illustrations).  And, since my illustrations had been so successful, it was a natural step to add them to my design.  At the beginning of the designing process it was also clear that having a space to store my iPhone would be more than handy (I'd just had a baby and was sick of trying to juggle a baby on my hip plus a handbag, plus my keys, plus my phone, plus, plus, plus - so the concept of adding a phone to the wallet was obvious).

I set out to create a beautiful coloured wallet, that was uniquely detailed with my illustrations and was clever in storage options.  I chose colours that were on trend, but specifically dyed for me (these aren't colours of leather you can just buy off the shelves).  I chose beautiful 100% linen to print my illustrations on and organic calico to print the cloud interior on.

There is so much more to the design story, including lots of ups and downs, many steep, steep learning curves and new words, terms and phrases to discover, but in the end, it all worked out.  And, I had no idea how much of a hit they would be; of course I dreamt they would be received well, but you just never know with these things.

So, as 2013 rolled on, it was clear that iPhones were no longer completely dominating the mobile market and the much larger (in dimension) Samsungs and HTC mobiles were beginning to creep in and be just as popular; so back to the drawing board I went.  Hence, I have re-designed the wallet to fit a wider range of phones.  Now, with 18 card slots and 3 note compartments, there remains a coin section, 4 illustrations (1 NEW) to choose from, the ever-popular custom colours and of course, a pouch for your smartphone (iPhones, Samsungs, HTC's and Nokias, plus more, will all fit).  This next round is due to be released to stockists and customers at the end of October and I can't wait to see the reaction.

If you want to be among the first to get your hands on one of these babies, you can place a pre-order on our website.  Click here!

New layout inside.  

The new 'Lets go fly a kite' illustration. 

And next is monochrome

So, you know how it's ALL about colour right now and how I posted about the colourful trends that are about.  Well, in the not too distant future, it seems that the colour will fade......

It looks like in the second half of 2014 - after we've all completely overhauled our lives with injections of colour here, there and everywhere - the trend will be monochrome!!!

So, for now, overload on the colour - go nuts!  And then, next year, tone it down a little.  Personally, I love a bit of black and white, and new trends keep me on my feet as a designer.  Now, back to the drawing board...

Helen x

Working monochrome on the runway at New York Fashion week 2013. (image from here)

(image from here)

Fun...

I had a bit of fun making this little video to promote the new website (it actually looks better on the facebook page).  I made it during sunset - can you tell?

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the new website - please tell us by leaving a comment on our facebook page.

It's that time of year...

It's that time of year when all of the boutique, artisan markets start up again.  Apart from our regular appearances at Salamanca Market, we'll be participating in the first Barn Market of the year and it's set to be a biggie.

We'll be there with a lovely range of new goodies to show off as well as all of your favourites.  Plus, another run of our overwhelmingly popular wallets have been completed, meaning ALL of the designs are now back in stock and available at markets or online.  

I hope to see you soon happy people. x 

Festivities

Christmas for us meant a trip to South Australia to spend Christmas through to new years with our family and friends in our home town. It also meant some time completely off from all things Pili Pala, but that doesn't mean my creativity was on holidays.  I couldn't stop thinking about new designs and little projects and I'm actually pretty excited about what lies ahead for 2013.... stay tuned!

In the meantime - Pili Pala was a part of many a Christmas around Australia and the world (thank you so much for your 'thank you's' - I love hearing from you).  We also got to do some custom name tags for a stylish party that was held in Melbourne just prior to Christmas (see photos below) - quite lovely and refreshingly zesty!!!

Meanwhile, the day before Christmas I recieved a lovely email from Rachel who eagerly wanted to show me the cushions she'd just finished making.  'Peter' has a significant meaning for her family, and so she'd made 2 cushions featuring our 'Fly Away Peter' and 'Come Back Peter' tea-towels as Christmas presents for her parents.  Rather cute!  Thanks for sharing Rachel: I hope your parents like them.

Well, it's full steam ahead now, with new designs and products in the works as we gear up for a big year at Pili Pala Pieces.  This will be our 5th year - unbelievable!!!!

Jolly and Bright!

What an amazing year for Pili Pala Pieces!! Thank you for your part in our ever growing and expanding business.  The end of 2012 means that Pili Pala has been operating for 4 years now and has been my full-time job for 3 years; and I'm so greatful, overwhelmed and proud that I get to do what I love.  It will continue to be my goal to bring you products that are unique, distinct and desirable and I already have a lot of ideas for new products that will appear in 2013!

I wish you and your families a very merry, safe and enjoyable Christmas.  I look forward to continuing to share new and exciting products with you in 2013!

Any purchases made in the online shop will be delivered in time for Christmas if purchased up until midnight on Wednesday 19th December.  Orders placed after this time will be sent on Monday 7th January.  We'll also be at Salamanca Market tomorrow and next Saturday (see details to the right).

The online shop will be closed from Sunday 23rd December - Friday 4th January.  

With love and joy, Helen