hop to it.....

Hop to it....Magnolia Square is only days away. We are busy little bees here at Mag Square headquarters preparing a floral soiree to welcome in the coming of spring.

This cute little bunny can be found twitching his nose over at Dick and Dora where little critters go to play. Joined by dizzy birds perched on trees, flowers in bloom and woodlands creatures, these rabbit friends have been inspired by the 1950's elementary school readers.

Interpretations of the fun and playful world of the story book characters, Dick and Dora, are created using arcylic, felt and beautiful ribbons.

Skip on over to see the range at Magnolia Square Malvern - next week!!!

lox to love....

The super stylish paper range from Lox + Savvy was the object of Real Living's Jason Grant affection and was awarded with the Real Living Magazine favourite things award.

Inspiration for each range comes from a love of everything old and new again – style’s of the by-gone era, diversely textured and high quality paper stocks combined with an array of bold colours, striking lines, natural fibre fabrics and vintage highlights reflect the spirit of the lox+savvy creations.

Fun+quirky, stylish+classic, old+new, Lox+Savvy’s collection features a range of unique and creative designs that venture from barbershop stripes to hand-sewn button cards. The collection is defined by its attention to detail, individual designs and specially selected printing processes.

Sourcing paper manufactured through renewable plantation forests or using sustainable forestry practices, within each Lox+Savvy collection is some form of renewable resource. Fabrics include cotton, twine and roping teamed with 100% recycled stocks, paper off-cuts and pre-loved vintage buttons and buckles which feature across the range.

Well Done Lisa - and good choice Jason!!

celebrate spring....

Spring is in the air, flowers are blooming, birds are nesting and the bees are buzzing. No better time to enjoy the tightly curated array of beautiful retailers that is Magnolia Square. Each has been selected for their unique signature, exceptional quality and contemporary appeal. Meet the makers and be inspired by their creative talent in homewares, women's wear, jewellery and accessories and gourmet food. Our adorable tiny and small concept has everything for hip little people and their parents.

Malvern Town Hall ( Corner of Glenferrie Road and High Street)

Thursday 6th August 10am - 9pm

Friday 7th August 10am - 5pm

Saturday 8th August 10am - 4pm

Click here for a list of retailers on show. We look forward to seeing you there!

clouds and puddles...

What a delightful image to start the day with! A rainy day would be much more bearable when arriving home to this...wallpaper by Julia Rothman from Hygge and West .

Have a good day everyone!!

gourmet craft...

Unique Textile Art, with a Gourmet Twist….

Drawing on inspiration from the natural world these fruit and vegetable stitched artworks by Raphaella Roden are a celebration of life, food, the art of cooking and the sumptuous nature of antique textiles.

Each embroidered Still Life is sketched from life, before being built up in layers and layers of stitch using a multitude of threads to achieve its three dimensional quality, before being appliquéd onto an antique textile which have been collected during Raphaella's extensive travels.

"I have been known to lurk in back alleyways at night, snipping at a branch of overhanging lemons, which I transform in the studio into one of my original embroideries. Sometimes stitched words are included into a piece with botanical information or a recipe specific to that fruit or vegetable" Says Raphaella

See the works close up at Magnolia Square spring fair. Click here for dates and times.

meanwhile, back at the station....

Sydney siders at last had the chance to pour over the gorgeous Koolaman range of silver jewellery with character; an boy, did they love it! The Koolaman stand was a buzz with shoppers spoiling themselves or organising beautiful treasured gifts.

Stacey and Lisa where thrilled to have caught the eye of Victoria Carey, the deputy editor at Australian Country Style who awarded Koolaman with the Country Style product award.

"Country Style is one of our favourite magazines and we were absolutely delighted that our silver with character range was awarded Country Style magazines 'my favourite product" says Lisa in her blog.

Well done girls - you deserve it! We love the new style ball chains which will be shown at Magnolia Square in Malvern August and Sydney November.

If you clamour for glamour that is less about glitz and more about unexpected details then ANGUS & CELESTE might be your thing. We love the understated elegance of this range of fine bone china jewellery adorned with delicate motifs of flora, animals and other curios. A&C recently joined us at the inaugural Sydney event (the images here were taken at the Sydney show). We were thrilled to have them there and just as excited to say they will be at Magnolia Square at the Malvern Town Hall in a few weeks - click here for event details.

lucky duck....

Opening time each morning at Sydney resulted in scenes such as these with eager shoppers keen to get amongst the very finest in unique and gorgeous wares showing for the first time in Sydney.

One lucky shopper will enjoy her next Magnolia Square even more with her $200 shopping voucher in hand.

Congratulations to.....Donna Loon from Baulkham Hills who is the winner of our $200 Country Style competition. The only hard part left Donna is choosing what to spend your voucher on!!

colour burst....

Had to share these incredible images with you.

Mathematically organic paper sculptures,” is how Miami-based artist Jen Stark describes her quirky and captivatingly colorful creations. Having started off using colored construction paper more out of economic necessity, she now minutely assembles up to a hundred layers of paper that she separately cuts by hand into complex, precisely arranged, vibrant 3-D objects.

Jen Stark's art is endlessly mysterious. In addition to her explosive, painstakingly detailed drawings the young artist builds wondrous sculptures out of layers, folds, and cutouts of multi-hued paper, leaving viewers as engrossed by the pieces' beauty as they are baffled by their execution. What amazing patience!

Learn more about Jenn Stark here....

stick em up.....

Imagine the possibilities: large, vibrant, stylish designs add new dimension to your home decor. Classic to contemporary, country quaint to urban chic. Removable wall decals allow you to reinvent your space again and again, quickly, easily and with minimum expense.

In 2006 Fiona and and Jen started The Wall Sticker Company; a Melbourne-based business passionate about the "wow" factor that wall stickers can create in a room.

"We offer designs which aim to create a customers ultimate space; whether our customer is a home owner, a renter, or a business, creative or not. We have designs which stand alone and add instant impact, designs which can be used together to create a theme and even an interactive story for children, and designs which are so simple, the customer can create the feeling themselves"

Look out for the girls at Magnolia Square in Malvern later this month. Click here for times and further details.

heaven is a biscuit....

"The recipe of a truly great biscuit can’t be found inside a book, but rather in the heart and hands of the maker."

I must confess to being a biscuit devotee when it comes to Michels; it's the passion fruit creams that get me every time! Its the buttery, tart flavour that tastes so homemade and literally melts in your mouth.

Michel's Fine Biscuit Co. Castlemaine is an Australian owned and operated company based in regional, Victoria. Since 2002 the company has been delivering freshly baked handmade products with passion and enthusiasm. Using the finest, freshest ingredients with no added colours or preservatives backed to order and including a gluten free range.

Michel’s Fine Biscuits Co. Castlemaine source and use the finest natural fresh ingredients, local lemons, raspberries, passion fruit (Queensland), Belgian couverture chocolate, Australian macadamias, pistachios, pecans, and almonds. The freshest, top quality ginger from Buderim in Queensland, free range eggs, and fresh butter are also used. The biscuits are free of preservatives, artificial colours and flavours.

Tempt your taste buds at Magnolia Square Malvern - you will be hooked!

red berry takes it out....

Red Berry Design was voted number 1 in the first visual merchandising award in Sydney....closely followed by the thoughtfully gorgeous stands from Little Bubble and Tree, Red Wagon, Bluebird and Honey and Little Bird Photography.

Owner and designer,Jacqueline speaks of her experiences at the fair;

"Being part of Magnolia Square gave me the perfect platform to showcase my hand made range to the public. The superb range of high quality goods presented at the event created a unique shopping experience for both the general public and retailers alike.

Magnolia Square created a more personal and intimate approach to presenting my range allowing me to chat on a one to one basis to potential buyers and explain design influences and qualities to my range, giving the shopper a special insight to the creativity process for each individual piece.

To sum up Magnolia Square I would have to say; beautiful pieces and wonderfully creative people. It was amazing to have so many talented creators all together participating in the one event. Can’t wait for the next, bigger and better Sydney event in November."

We can't wait either Jacqueline..congats on your well deserved award!

Images courtesy of Little Bird Photography..please do not use without prior consent.

SYDNEY, we had a great time ...

Here are a few images of the event in Sydney. We had a fantastic 3 days and trust that Sydney siders enjoyed the fair as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. A BIG thank you to the 53 retailers who showed at Magnolia Square, you are all to be congratulated on a wonderful effort. Stay tuned to the blog over the coming weeks as we show you lots more of what went on including images from our media morning. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the show, please send me an email directly to nic@magnoliasquare.com.au .

the night after...

We are all busy bees here in Sydney gearing up for the launch of Magnolia Square. The line up is incredible and we know you are going to love everything you see!

Serious shoppers are in for a big day..sleep santuary has just the thing for the wind down! A business based on a good nights sleep, Sleep Sanctuary firmly believes that in today's busy world, sleep time should be the most restful, rejuvenating and relaxing time of day.

"After experiencing the "2am worry-ups" for many years, aptly named because of the sudden 2am wake-up spent worrying about looming deadlines and everything else, we discovered a magic essential oil that instantly soothed and calmed us back to sleep, putting aside our worries to a more reasonable time of day"

Sleep time is the only time most women have to themselves these days. In the wise words of Faith Popcorn, "In our quest to have it all, somebody still has to do it all". Sleep Sanctuary has therefore been created to make bedtime a soothing, relaxing experience - a time of retreat to a luxurious, cocooning oasis.

See these and other fabulous retailers TOMMORROW at Magnolia Square..click here for more info.