Little Papercup

Photo Credit: Little Papercup

I feel Newcastle might be calling my name. There seems to be a lot of talented creative peeps popping up new shops, exhibitions and street art all over town… the latest of which is Little Papercup.

Owners Jo and Fran have rolled a shop bursting with paper goodies, a studio and installation space all into one, and it officially opened on Saturday hoorah! Part of the studio is so they can work on their own papery creations from their humble new shop. And the other part is a workspace for customers! You can pop in, say hi, bring some materials and while away a crafternoon. They’ve even got a few supplies handy in case you forget something.

The crafty twosome are dedicated to showcasing art, illustration and paper goods from independent artists and designers. And you can even find them at the Olive Tree Market and the Newcastle Farmers Market of a weekend. That’s basically 7-days-a-week worth of dedication to papery products. Go team!

Shop 18/19 Market Square, Hunter Street Mall, Newcastle

Open Tues-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 10am-2pm

Vogue meets Vegan

Photo Credit: Jessica Milan

What do you get when you combine fashion and food? A lookbook-cookbook of course!

‘Lookbook – Cookbook’ is an online photographic cookbook where babes and baking meet to bring you the best vegan recipes. All (kind of) guilt free!

Created by photographer Jessica Milan, the cookbook is all about amazing visuals and delicious recipes, all gluten-free, dairy-free and meat-free.

You can find recipes for all kinds of treats and sweets to suit every taste. So for your next DIY indulgence – do it with style and visit LBCB!

Monday Morning Coffee

Photo Credit: Tenzin Arrty

If your first coffee this morning was justnot enough, you can definitely get your fix by checking out Art in My Coffee.The site features some amazing coffee art from some very cool baristas, but thebest part is yet to come… they give you an excuse to go out and get anothercoffee!

If you know a barista who creates foamyawesomeness on a daily basis, take a snap of your next espresso, send it in tothe site and contribute to their coffee art collection. Cool, huh?!

We're raising awareness...

Photo Credit: Facial Awareness

Here at Seam Magazine, we’re big fans of the crumb collector, so we absolutely love the Tumblr, Facial Awareness!

Facial Awareness is a real treat boasting the most brilliant and bizarre beards from all over the world. Gentlemen of all ages are captured in their prime, hipsters to hobos, all flaunting their hairy homemade creations.

However it’s not all just about beards but also about beautiful photography and well worth a look. So if you’re a fan of the tash, raise your awareness!

New Brisbane feminism zine launches tonight!

Photo Credit: eFEMeral

Here at Seam we love a good zine, especially one for the ladies.

Two months of working on eFEMeral are about to pay off for editors Briony Lipton and Nicola Scott when they launch their Brisbane-based feminist zine this evening at Brew in Burnett Lane in the city. The zine plans to bridge the gap between academic journal and mainstream magazine, creating a forum for feminist voices in Brisbane.

After an initial fear that they wouldn’t get any submissions, they’ve collated a grand mixture of visual and literary content from friends and strangers, with the theme of issue one pertaining to the body. We feel eFEMeral and Seam could become quite good friends as we both have a love of zines and the print medium. Briony and Nicola have combined the grassroots qualities of a handmade zine, with visually attractive computer-assisted design to add that extra level of legitimacy to their publishing pursuit.

The twosome are a tad nervous about their inaugural issue, but feel people will be able to grasp the idea of eFEMeral better once they see it in the tactile-papery-goodness of the hard copy. And considering the number of people attending the launch tonight – and buying the zine for a neat $10 – it might sell out straight away! If you want to find out more you can listen to an interview they did with 4ZZZ Book Club or check out their facebook page. More details about tonight’s launch event can be found here.

Worker Bee Wednesday

Photo Credit: Follow Store

A little list of fun to get you through the rest of the working week.

Read: Frankie’s latest issue is out today. And there’s been a few tweaks to the front cover… see if you can spot them.

Shop: Bluecaravan are holding their first ever pop-up market at tonight’s QUT Fashion After Hours event as part of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival. Tonight’s talk is about Brisbane women in fashion. Reserve your (free) tickets with qtix.

Visit: Follow Store is a new design concept store run by the lovely ladies from the Finders Keepers Markets. Wander down for a lunchtime gaze at the cute and crafty goodies made by independent designers.

See: Pop on your favourite vintage frock and go inhale the rich aroma of the dresses from the covetable book Dreaming of Chanel. Charlotte Smith’s book has been curated into an exhibition, which launches tomorrow night.

Write: The Melbourne Writers Festival kicks off tomorrow at Federation Square. Grab a notebook and writing utensil and soak up some wordspiration for that novel you’ve been planning to pen.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Tantalising Textiles

Photo Credit: Harvest Textiles

There’s only one more week to experience the visual and textural indulgence of Pop Craft!

Based in East Brunswick, Melbourne, Pop Craft “luxurious fibres for classy people” is a quaint little pop-up shop chock-full of fabric and yarn creations made by Australian textile designers.

The shop has a wide variety of brightly coloured fabric goodies, ranging from knitted goods to textile treats, and they stock a selection of beautiful imported yarns. And for those of you who prefer to DIY, Pop Craft also host knitting workshops, cups of tea and all.

So if you’re looking for a winter warmer and knitting isn’t your forte, head to Pop Craft and BYO ball of wool!

Plantbombing

Photo Credit: Derek Powazek

This guy sure does love plants. And his wife loves to knit. And when you pop those two loves together you get this super sweet little project: Plantbombing!

Derek Powazek and Heather Powazek Champ have taken yarn bombing and guerrilla gardening up a notch, creating knitted pockets filled with soil and a succulent to brighten a morning’s walk about San Francisco.

But if you don't live anywhere near San Fran like us at Seam, you can pop over to Heather’s blog for instructions on how to knit up some plant pockets for around your area. I feel a crafternoon coming on!

Delightful Doodles

Photo Credit: Little Doodles.

At Seam, we love pretty much everything creative, so you can imagine our surprise and excitement when we discovered this cute little blog.

Little Doodles is the creation of Kate Wilson, a London based illustrator. Kate features street style, fashion collections, adorable little animals and kitsch homewares in her unique little prints.

If you’re in the same crafty boat as us, this blog will be a welcome addition to your bookmarks folder... and probably a slight addiction.

Organise Me!

Photo Credit: The Milano Thing

This is for all those who suffer from mild to severe cases of obsessive- compulsive disorder. Whether you’re bothered by uneven numbers, have stringent colour coordination policies or if you just love aesthetically pleasing arrangements, this blog is a must see.

Curated by American design student Austin Radcliffe, the photographic Tumblr ‘Things Organized Neatly’ is a place where methodical meets magnificent.

Sourced from all over the world, this quirky yet stunning blog shares a collection of images featuring objects simply ‘organised neatly’.

From photographic equipment to fishing tackle, Cuban cigars to condiments and cupcakes, there is something to please every particular eye.

Home, sweet home!

Photo Credit: Linsey Rendell.

In a house chock-full of artist types and a bunny, in the middle of crisp Canberra, Seam’s trip was dubbed the ‘East Coast Tour’. Rather geographically appropriate, really. But we’re now back on home turf, a little tired and a little delighted. We met lots of interesting, friendly people along the way, including some promising stockists for our first issue!

Highlights included discovering sleepy Canberra’s secret creative scene, Sydney’s underground (literally) bars and Melbourne’s Fitzroy – you could (and we did) spend days around the Brunswick Street strip alone! Lowlights included the super expensiveness of Sydney’s train system and falling sleep into my ganache at The Victoria Room in Darlinghurst due to long wait times and bad service (and lack of sleep).

All in all we had such a good yet exhausting time, but we’re keeping tight-lipped on the exact ins and outs because you’ll be able to read all about it in Seam’s The Start-Ups issue quite quite soon.

Off we go!

Photo Credit: Linsey Rendell.

Seam Magazine is going on a little trip from today and while organising it has been rather stressful and tiresome, it will mean bringing back lots of amazing stories and great photography for issue one.

Firstly we’re headed to Canberra to meet one very artistic and fashionable lady who’s going to show us around her hometown. Then we’re off to Sydney for some reviews, knitting and seeking out little boutiques to stock Seam’s first issue! Then we pop on over to Melbourne for a not-long-enough stay where we’ll be doing more reviews, interviews with some very interesting fashion peeps, checking out some street art, and more boutiques visiting.

And of course, eating lots of delicious food! If you want us to pop into your shop/gallery/café say hello on our facebook or twitter. À bientôt Brisbane!

Worker Bee Wednesday

Photo Credit: Craft Cubed.

So here at Seam Magazine we’ve been such busy worker bees of late that we haven’t really had time for the simple pleasures in life. Reading magazines in the park, crafternoons, sucking the nectar out of flowers are all rather distant memories. But it doesn’t have to be that way for you! We’ve put together a little list of fun activities to get you through the rest of the working week.

Read: Uppercase is a magazine for the creative and curious. Issue 10 has a puppy wearing a bowtie on the cover. A puppy! Outrageous!

Listen: If you don’t already know them, Sydney band The Jezabels are about to release their first full-length album and are touring Australia in October/November. Listen to their EP trilogy quicksmart.

Attend: If you’re in Melbourne try to pop down to one of the workshops at Craft Victoria’s annual festival Craft Cubed.

Watch: Every lady’s favourite classic novel Jane Eyre is out in film form, starring the delightful Mia Wasikowska. Watch the trailer here.

Eat: Jam Jar’s menu looks so delicious and wholesome, and they happily cater for vegetarians, vegans, celiac and lactose intolerant. So helpful for the soy-white-russian-drinking hipsters out there.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Frock Paper Scissors 2011

Photo Credit: Frock Paper Scissors.

Today Seam Magazine’s editor Linsey is winding back the clock and returning to the first magazine she worked on – Frock Paper Scissors – to help choose the editorial team for 2011. This time of year is always really exciting for the new frock team as they work towards launching their next issue in November. You might even see some of frock’s writers popping up on the Seam articles page quite soon!

Much Ado About the Weekend

Photo Credit: Valley Laneway Markets.

Seam Magazine recommends a few recreational outings to keep you occupied this sunny Brisbane weekend…

Friday

Semi-Permanent Brisbane – SOLD OUT
Hope you got your early bird tickets because this celebration of design and creativity is full to its boater-hat brim.
Happening all day today at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. After party at Nine Lives Gallery from 6pm

Bleeding Heart City Markets
Handmade, arty, crafty and vintage wares by local creatives decorate the balcony and front yard of this city gallery slash café today.
First Friday of the Month
10AM – 4PM

GreazeFest Kustom Kulture Festival
I love a little bit of pin-up prancing (doing) and rockabilly dancing (watching). Rumour has it Sunday is the best day to pop over to this “crankin” weekend of hot rods, half-sleeves and polka-dots, but it is on Friday and Saturday nights too. Friday 8PM - 1AM, Saturday 7.30PM - 12.30AM, Sunday 9AM - 5PM

Saturday

Valley Laneway Markets
Handmade designs by new and old Winn Lane friends straddle this popular laneway. Regulars Flamingo Café, Little Jane St and Sunday Social open too. Your ears might even be treated to a little local sound if you’re in the right place at the right time.
9AM – 3PM

Ric’s Backyard Suitcase Rummage
On the first Saturday of every month, Ric’s are hosting the infamous Suitcase Rummage. Grab a vintage hatbox, fill it with some junk or homemade goods, and bicycle on down to the Valley (registration essential). Or just come chill on the astroturf with your beverage of choice.
12PM – 5PM

Winter Jumble Sale
The Animal Welfare League of Queensland is holding its own pre-loved clothing rummage, with the money raised going towards caring for thousands of homeless animals. Help save a puppy or two and buy a vintage dress for $2 or fill a bag for $5. Now that’s a thoughtful bargain if I ever did see one.
10AM – 1PM
AWLQ Coombabah Rehoming Centre

Sunday

Young Designers Market
Southbank’s monthly showcase of Brisbane’s young creative souls is on this Sunday. Don’t forget to pencil in their additional market this month (August 20-21) in celebration of Brisbane’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival.
10AM – 4PM

The Splendour that was…

This year’s Splendour in the Grass wasn’t a typical all music, all dancing, all carny food affair for us. Seam Magazine helped out designer Alice Nightingale at her stall, positioned conveniently between the GW McLennan and Mix Up stages. We heard a lot of great music, but being stuck in a 3-by-3-metred tent for a week wasn’t quite as exciting as all of the free-ranging punters probably found it. But there were some memorable moments we feel need to be shared…

1. Dust - It was everywhere! (see: not a camping person)

2. Alan! Steve! – Obviously everyone at Splendour has seen this YouTube video and felt the need to communicate in marmot

3. 'Love you' – Love was in the air at Splendour. ‘Goodbye’ was often replaced with ‘love you’ exclamations. Even got one from a stranger myself awww

4. Floppy hats and crocheted tablecloths – lots of ladies turned up on Day One wearing a felt floppy Sportsgirl-esque hat. From Day Two onwards there were none to be seen. And crocheted tablecloths have apparently become clothing items, in the least tea-drinking-nana-knitting way possible. Luckily they’re now probably unusable from all the dust.

5. Regina Spektor beatboxing – with doof doof coming from the Mix Up stage drowning out Regina’s delicate and quirky sound, she decided to give them a run for their money. That girl’s got talent!

We're up, up and away!

Welcome to Seam Magazine's blog - Seam Scribbles! We've just launched our website today and are super excited! You can take a peek here. Seam Magazine is a new independent magazine based out of Brisbane. It fosters the creative, covering fashion, art, craft, design, music, photography, travel, food and more. The writing inspires, the imagery stimulates, and the magazine supports emerging creative practitioners. Our hardcopy, eco-papery issue 1 will be out in September, but in the meantime you can explore the website and this blog daily for articles, photos and creative tidbits. If you're a social media nerd you can also like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. We hope you enjoy our little venture into the indie magazine world. Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!