Five O'clock Shadow or Lumberjack?

Portland and Beards are like Wellington and Coffee.
But girls! don't feel left out. Look what I found on Etsy! Local Etsy vendor Imadeyouabeard has a variety of styles and colours available for you.

ahhhh, the things people do with their spare time.....

Thought shall not die

I came across this picture yesterday and it made me smile. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm obsessed with flowers. From my perfume ( 'Daisy' by Marc Jacobs' or 'FlowerBomb' Viktor and Rolf) to a giant collage on my wall, duvet cover, myriad dresses and even a range of earrings, it's fair to say - this is a fully fledged obsession! And it is one that I developed at a very young age. When no one was around to play, or the adults were busy talking, I would go out to the garden to pick lavender and roses - to squash. Pressing flowers is a rather old past time, ( that my dear neighbour taught me) , but I believe it's one in need of a comeback!

I used to just stick them in books found lying around the house, wait till I remembered ( or my mother found them) and then stick them on my wall. I have since been introduced to a more comprehensive 'how to'. You can follow it HERE. Dreamy!

Rona Green's Poppet Prize

Thanks for all the amazing entries, they were VERY good indeed. Prize goes to...( drum roll)...Jo! Because your entry was ridiculous and make me giggle!!!!

'This gritty little poppet needs to become part of our family. The rest of our soft toys have become way too contented up here in the hills we call home, too comfortable, taking advantage of our hospitality and expecting everything to be done for THEM! We need some corruptive character to move on in and shake things up abit, let them know it's not good enough to just sit there and be cute. This poppet is the one to do it. I just know.'Please email lucy@fluromag.com and we will have this sent out to you. 

Flashy Tasty : Win a POPPET!

Rona Green is an artist from Melbourne known for her peculiar images of creatures bearing marks and scars that tell of past experience. Her first New Zealand Show entitled 'Flashy Tasty' runs from 20 May until the 13 of June and is being exhibited at Solander Gallery in Wellington.

Flashy Tasty explores ideas about identity and the darker side of the psyche and features 'various breeds from all walks of life...where chalk and cheese co-exist to battle the sodden elemental.' Her work is represented in over 40 public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Artbank and Chiang Mai Contemporary Art Museum, Thailand...And she's generously giving FLURO one mini work to give away on our blog!

This soft sculpture doll, which she refers to as a 'poppet', is 10cm high and made with her very own blood, sweat and tears. Figuratively of course! To win this original art work simply tell us why you'd like a Rona Poppet to call your own!

lovelovelorelei

I think the reason I love Lorelei so much is that the brand reminds me why fashion CAN have so much integrity. Lorene Harris used to own a shop called Dandelion and although she was an able multi tasker - trying to juggle a store, her own clothing line and coming up with new designs, proved a bit much.

'My brand has been around for ten years now' she tells me 'but not having the shop is allowing me soo much time to actually produce more clothing.Making clothes can remain my focus rather than the everyday workings of owning a shop.'

And by god has this free time proved fruitful. Producing more and more pieces, her brand is growing and so too is her reach. However perhaps the most interesting and admirable aspect of Lorelei is the fact that each piece is hand made in only the most favourable of vintage and new fabrics.

'Great fabrics is what drives me' she explains, ''and I'm always keeping an eye out for new and interesting designs.'

'I feel strongly about ethical standards and in a way, making all of my own clothes is about taking a stance against mass marketing. I only ever make a few sizes and I think that retains some of the originality and uniqueness of the garments.' Well Lorene, I do too!
Available at MFP xxx

Creative Crochet

I've always been really interested in the 'drink driving' campaign. I always hear people bagging it, 'the visuals are too intense' 'too unbearable' or 'too fake', yet no one seems to have any better ideas. Well New-York based 'crocheting artist' Olek may have just found the solution!!How about this one for ' pedestrians and cars might be hard to see'....

Her work is truly inspired ( and no, not all are car related!)You can view more of her creative crochet here! Check it out...they're pretty darn amazing!

The Skunken Wins!

Madame Fancy Pants drew the winner for the Swarovski crystal necklace. She decided her favourite fictitious animal was indeed the Skunken!

Guzz described a Skunken as 'A small cute round animal that changes colours and shape according to the environment it is in. It eats lollies and rubbish for energy and it is best friends with many Figgles. Figgles are child friendly animals who make very good babysitters! I could do with a few Figgles today ... !

Please email lucy@fluromag.com and we'll have this sent straight out to you. Congratulations!!

Our second BLOG Free Bee!!!!

Miss Madame Fancy Pants is giving one lucky FLURO viewer a beautiful MFP necklace!!!
This baby is uni sex so boys and girls get creative and tell us what fictitious animal you would want to be and why?!
Why? Because the new animal inspired "DEADLY PONIES PRECIOUS RANGE" has dropped in store today! YAY! I know there's a cult following out there desperate to get their hands on these babies...So jump online, or get yourself into MFP to pick up your PRECIOUS now. Good luck! Decisions will be made BY WEDNESDAY

xoxox

MOSS PROJECTS PRESENTS...

Local Company Moss Projects presents....POT TEST. Ruben showed me this clip last night- and it's wicked!




Thank God for Good as Gold.

Recession spending tips (not just for Lulubelle)

It's going to take a lot of your pennies to save up for a plane ticket to visit Portland, Oregon. But it's worth it... Portland's fabulous, you can even get decent coffee here.

Oh yeah but there's a recession. Well Lulubelle I know you have craft skills - just look at that beautiful Diorama! so here is...

Recession spending tip #1 ETSY:

The best online store ever, it's sustainable, it's local (filter the stores to ones in your area), it's fostering creativity and small business.... and it's saving you money.

There's three potentials here - The first is obvious; buy your little sister some funky handmade earrings for her birthday, get some great vintage shoes. Buy.

The second is a little more complex; you're out of cash but you have hidden talents with crotchet needles? whip up some watermelon coasters during lectures and sell them for $10. I don't know how much a custom built Diorama of Plan B goes for these days but maybe considerably more than a fiver. Sell.

The third is a little more cheeky but hey good artists copy, great artists steal. Pablo Picasso said so. There are hundreds of crafty people out there making stuff and putting it online, why not grab some ideas and make yourself something nice? The difference here (and it's important to point this out) is that when you steal something, you make it your own. Think big... think chandelier not desk lamp... look at you, you're artsy, your hip for small change.


(p.s. these rad desk lamps are made in Portland, Oregon)