Idee

I have found heaven on Earth and it's close to my new home over West!!

Idee is the luxury department store KaDeWe's creative and craft market, filled with every imaginable thing you could possibly need to make whatever you can dream up. It reminds me of a smaller exclusively craft version of Tokyu Hands, (amazing department store for all things do-it-yourself in Tokyo).

How could I have not known about this place before now? Wonderfully exciting.

Papermade Heaven

This one is for my sister in Sydney... This little shop tucked in a side street of trendy Mitte in Berlin was introduced to me by a good friend here, with a fellow passion for all things beautiful. Scatolina is a boutique devoted to paper and here you can find all sorts of treasure... handmade, cutout, japanese, italian, european, books, journals, mobiles, lights, wrapping paper, anything you can dream of to feed your paper needs and desires... There's no website so you simply have to visit! Go forth and revel...

Almstadtstrasse 3, 10119 Berlin Mitte
Tel: 030 200 89 393
Scatolina@t-online.de

Mon - Fri 12-7pm, Sat 12-4pm

Rosalie Gascoigne

Rosalie Gascoigne is an inspiration to me. She was a late bloomer, having her first serious exhibition of a very successful artistic career at the age of 57. She was born in New Zealand but emigrated to Australia at 26 years of age. I was fortunate enough for a period to live with some of her work in our family home as I grew up. Her well-known work made from weathered materials around her - road signs, drink crates, household detritus etc particularly touched me and still does.

http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/15/Rosalie_Gascoigne/

Hannah Höch

I'm staring at the postcard I have above my desk of one of Hannah Höch's collages... My friend Ida does the most beautiful collage work and so she sparked the renewed interest in this Dada artist's work...