Tinkered By | Building Brighter Futures

I love hearing how businesses are born and the Tinkered by story is an especially inspiring one. Australian sisters, Rachael Steadman and Kate Boston, had a vision to create a business together that was both fulfilling to them, as well as being a 'force for good'. With Rachael living in Western Australia and Kate in Kenya, the pair created a sustainable brand that brings superior handmade products to consumers, while having a positive impact on the artisans behind the products.

Artisan businesses in the developing world struggle to gain access to a global market where they can sell their goods. Tinkered by is committed to helping their artisans in East Africa to grow their businesses. They source all of the handmade products and work directly with the beautiful people that create them.

This is positive in so many ways... providing work and growing businesses, empowering women, helping families, cultural sustainability, connecting communities, and brighter futures for many. There's a wide range of products available, all beautiful and you know that each piece is unique. The jewellery is lovingly crafted using raw or recycled materials and each piece comes with a 'story of note'.

You can shop for beautiful homewares and accessories and know that you're not only receiving an amazing product, but also giving back to a community at the same time.

The rugs are also works of art. Raw wool is spun by hand and then dyed in barrels of boiling water over a fire. Dried in the sun it is then woven into beautiful thick woollen carpets with a gorgeous thick texture. The rugs are durable, hard wearing and naturally stain resistant due to the lanolin in the raw wool. Custom-made you can choose your design, colours, and size to suit your home and create a wonderful story that you are very much a part of. You will be guided through the process and have plenty of input.

I am completely taken with the range of Tinkered by toys. My favourites are the beautiful dolls, but the motorbikes and tractors made from wire and bottle tops are so clever!

If this business model has inspired you, Tinkered by has recently launched an extension to their business - the opportunity to become an Ambassador. You can create your own flexible business by marketing and selling the Tinkered by collection at in-home "Trunk Shows". These are parties where you can share the background stories and sell the quality products in a fun, no-pressure setting. As an ambassador you can choose when and where to sell and how much time you want to invest, so it is completely flexible with your lifestyle. This opportunity is currently open to Australian women, but Tinkered by hope to extend it to include New Zealanders in the near future. If you're interested to know more check out the website or drop them an email.

Passionate About Pattern

A friend of mine forwarded me the link to this home thinking I'd like it, and she was right, I LOVE it (thanks Emma). Irene Neuwirth designs jewellery which is worn by Hollywood's royalty, and her luxe Bohemian style has been translated into her Venice Beach home.

A fellow lover of colour and pattern Irene finds it hard to go plain. I can relate to this being instantly drawn to pattern myself. She makes it work in her home by keeping the background simple - white walls and floors allow the furniture and artwork to bring the character.

The gorgeous home is filled with art and photographs, all of it personal and meaningful. Irene has mastered the picture wall by placing a piece in the centre and building out from there, adding new art as she collects it.

She has a built-in ability to mix patterns - keeping the colour palette consistent is key. "It's all about having a mixture that makes sense and stays balanced", she comments.

Rearranging her shelves on a regular basis is a labour of love. I do this too, and highly recommend this to keep your home looking and feeling fresh.

The bedhead alcove with it's built-in shelving is a clever idea. The colour palette is quieter in the bedroom to create a calm experience. As you can imagine, Irene's jewelley collection is exquisite.

A clothes rack in the corner holds the clothes that don't fit in the wardrobe. You can see her fashion sense definitely mirrors her interior style. Would you have thought to mix leopard print with the bright Moroccan rag rug? It looks fantastic, and note how they're balanced by the simplicity of the desk and lamp. If you love this eclectic home as much as I do, click here to read more about it.

Bibby + Brady Giveaway

Dael and I have decided it must be time for another giveaway - who doesn't like the chance to win free stuff?! Not just any old stuff either, we are giving away one of our gorgeous La Luna Rose beaded bracelets.

The La Luna Rose range is created using sterling silver and beautiful quality Japanese glass beads. They're an instant shot of colour and look simply amazing on.

For the rest of this month you can get 10% off the entire range. Simply enter the code LLROSE at the checkout.

To go into the draw to win our Sandy Beaded Bracelet in pink & blue, you first need to join our mailing list - you can find this at the bottom of our shop home page. Never fear, we won't be overloading your inbox, we will only email you if we have new products or special offers. If you're already on our mailing list you can still be in to win by 'liking' this Facebook post. Please email me to let me know you have done this, so I have a way of contacting you if you're our winner.

The competition closes 3pm next Wednesday 18th March, and the winner will be contacted by email and announced on the Cush & Nooks Facebook page (open to New Zealand residents only). Good luck!

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED. CONGRATS TO LARA, OUR WINNER.

New Arrivals in the Bibby + Brady Shop

I'm excited!... it's March which means Autumn is here, my favourite month, and we've got some amazing new products in our Bibby + Brady online shop. We've been working with Kate from Bold Lampshades for some time now, and we have collaborated to come up with three lampshades that are exclusive to Bibby + Brady - ikat, kilim, and palms. We absolutely love all of these designs, and it's a great way to bring a hit of colour and pattern into your home.

They are available as a 43cm x 29cm shade, which is a great size for a ceiling pendant, and for a standard floor lamp. It's also perfect with our beautiful mango wood table lamp base (these bases can be order through us via email).

If you want your lampshade in a different size we can arrange that too, it's no problem. Or we can have a shade made up in your choice of fabric.

Marble is still as hot as ever, and we love our new marble cheeseboards. The large round marble and wood boards measures a generous 49.5cm x 40.5cm, perfect for a large platter. The rectangular marble board is only slightly smaller at 45.5cm x 20.5cm.

As we always heed William Morris' advice to "have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful", these boards are both, and will look amazing just propped up on your kitchen bench when not in use.

Back by popular demand, we have re-stocked these three beautiful tassel necklaces. They sold out very quickly last time, so my advice is to get in quick if you love these styles.

If you love our tassel necklaces, I'm sure you'll be excited to see these new tassel bracelets. There's a choice of a chunky wooden and resin bracelet, or a finer glass bead bracelet. Both have small tassels that look great and won't be a hindrance.

For a quick overview of all our new arrivals, check them out here.

New Tassel Necklaces

It's a particularly busy time for me at the moment... Dael & I are working with some fabulous Bibby + Brady clients helping with their interiors; as well as ordering some great new pieces for our online store. A new order of tassel necklaces has just arrived, and no sooner do I put them into the shop, then they are flying out to happy customers. They make great gifts also, as they're small for posting, and always well received.

We have some amazing new art on it's way, and some new additions to our poufs, did someone say velvet?! Our hairpin tables (featured here) will be joining our other new products. We made a first small run to see how they would be received, and sold out of them straight away. We are working at getting some more to you very soon, and they will be available to order with the option to customise the leg colour. So keep watching this space, and I'll be sure to blog about all our new arrivals. Have a fab weekend!

Birthday Wish List

Today is my birthday! Yay, it's shaping up to be a brilliant day. I decided the perfect post for today would be a selection of items on my wish list.

The Gerard Bar Cart is just a dream, as it would cost too much to ship it from Australia. I haven't been able to find similar in New Zealand, so maybe I'll have to have one made! 

I really need one of these cute Back Me Up Mobile Chargers, as I often chew through my phone's battery life when I'm out & about. 

I've already got the Absolutely Beautiful Things book on order, but it's not due til the end of the month - can't wait.

I love this Vince Camuto gold bangle, and the "V" for Vic is a sure sign it's meant for me.

This Hay chair has been on my wishlist for quite some time, and I really hope to have six of them around my dining table one day. Love, love, love!

I loved the first Roundie towel that was released, but this Moroccan-inspired Majorelle Roundie towel is my favourite, and a must for me this Summer.

I recently bought a MacBook Pro, so I can blog on the go, and now I need to find the perfect laptop bag. I'm a big fan of Clare Vivier, and her Oversize Clutch is a front runner.

Soft and Pretty Pastels

Now that Spring has sprung I'm noticing some beautiful soft colours emerging. Think soft green, powdery blue, dusky pink, peach and lemon.

1 | 2 | 3

Pompom Home and Freedom Furniture both have some lovely examples of this, and I have selected a few from our Bibby + Brady shop too.

ella 4 tier shelf | broad stripe vessel | geo triangle print | bleeker st pendant
minnie slipper chair | tassel necklace | frenchy 4 seater sofa | tropical indoor/outdoor pouf
candy stripe futon cushions | bacall velvet wingback | hello! card