Dr Sketchy's Anti Art Class

If you like drawing and fancy a Life Drawing class with sexy burlesque dancers for models, then Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art class is a must for you!

I went to the last one with a friend and it was so much fun. 3 hours of sketching sexy models in wild poses, including little competitions on the way to win some gorgeous looking books... No, I didn't win one, but one of my drawings was selected as a contender...

Held once a month at White Trash Fast Food at Schönhauser Allee 6-7, 10119 Berlin Mitte. Check the website for details.

Boon Get Well Soon masks

I bought mine a few years ago in Paris at a Japanese fair. Recently I brought it out to amuse my German classmates as I has a cold... These clever, funny Get Well Soon masks are irresistable! Designed by Studio Samira Boon, an Amsterdam and Tokyo-based product, textile and interior design studio.

Tatau Obscur

Just around the corner from our place is a wonderfully exotic and gorgeous tattoo parlour, and I mean "parlour" in the old fashioned sense, called Tatau Obscur. Run by Berit Uhlhorn, pictured, it is a deliciously decorated feast for the eyes, part kind of 1950s diner/café, part exotica boutique, part art gallery downstairs and tattoo parlour upstairs. Every detail has been considered so that you literally walk into a "world".

Some seriously talented female resident tattooists work alongside guest artists and the outcome is without fail unique and yes, obscure!

Upon A Fold

My very dear Sydney friend Cherine's sister Justine Fahd has just launched her online Paper boutique Upon A Fold. Her collection of papergoods from around the world is so beautifully selected and brimming with treasure. I am so excited for her and wish her well with this new, long-awaited venture.

http://uponafold.com.au/blog

Deus Ex Machina

Created in 2006 by a group of motorbike enthusiasts, including Dare Jennings of Mambo fame, the Deus Ex Machina motorcycle company is heaven... for motorcycle enthusiasts, cyclists, foodies and fashionistas... Comprising a showroom for their sexy custom designed motorbikes, a boutique selection of cycles and fashion basics with spot on graphics and textile designs in one half, and a laidback café serving Italian fare in the other, it really satisfies all the senses! The converted Camperdown warehouse also houses the workshop and design studio.

98-104 Parramatta Rd, Camperdown Sydney NSW 2050
phone +61 (2) 8594 2800

Papermade Heaven 2

There's a twin to Scatolina in terms of papermade bliss in Berlin and it's called R.S.V.P. in Mulackstrasse in Mitte. I used to work in the street, and so discovered the gorgeousness of this little stylish boutique, owned by Mieke Wander, with finely selected papergoods and accessories from all over... a must-see for paper freaks!

R.S.V.P.
Mulackstrasse 14
10119 Berlin-Mitte

Mon-Sat 12.00-19.00 Uhr

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

Mono Kultur - trust Tilda

Last night, true to Tilda's intention, my partner Thomas and I, along with a bunch of other curious souls, were taken on an adventure! We followed little posters of Tilda Swinton down a long path to a secluded little café Tante Käthe where the intelligent, and fascinating little magazine Mono Kultur was hosting its 4th anniversary and the launch of Issue #21 in collaboration with Tilda Swinton, intelligent and endlessly fascinating woman.

She had selected a film for us to watch, which was set in the town where she was last night holidaying in Scotland, and none of us knew what it would be - she wanted it to be like when you're a child and are taken to the cinema, not knowing anything about what you will see but you go willingly for the adventure. It was I Know Where I'm Going, 1945, directed by Michael Powell, and it was GREAT. Trust Tilda.

To keep the passion alive in generations to come, she and her friend Mark Cousins have set up an organisation called 8½ where kids can choose a film on their 8½th birthday!!

The Hunter Berlin

Being a treasure hunter myself, the name itself of this trendsetting fashion boutique in my neighbourhood of Prenzlauerberg is enough to attract me to its door. For Fashion Week in July The Hunter Berlin featured the next generation of Belgian designers and if you check their website, you can see the impressive list of labels stocked here...

Winsstrasse 42, 10405 Berlin Prenzlauerberg
Open Monday - Saturday 11am - 8pm

Society6

Society6 is a must for all my fellow artists, designers, creators out there - a showcase for your work and a place to come together in the common aim of the founders to support artists and empower them. "Our friend is an Artist. She was invited to show her work at a prestigious art show. When she couldn't scrape together the funds to go, we knew there was a problem. We created Society6, so that this would never happen again."

My page: http://eloisedeh.society6.com/

Social Designer

I just entered the latest competition (Freedom) on Social Designer. It's a website that "curates and creates smart products that tune into the greater good. You can join the cause by submitting designs for our competitions, weighing in with your opinion, purchasing goods or just simply talking about them. After all, every good idea (and every good cause) starts with a conversation – the more, the merrier." Social Designer is brought to you by the New York office of Felissimo, a global company that strives to promote social responsibility through good design.

They conduct competitions to design t-shirts and tote bags to support worthy causes. Go on, have a go and enter one!! And if you could imagine my design above on a t-shirt then please vote for my design... thank you!!

Mod3rnArt

I received yesterday the sweetest invitation by Greek jewellery designers and handmade supporters Mod3rnArt (on Etsy) to join an online project to show the workspaces/studios/ateliers of all us creative folk who are busy making things to fill the world with beauty and handtouched love!

Here is the link to their project iStudio: http://mod3rnart.com/Gallery/iStudio/Mod3rnart-iStudio.html.html

J & L books

I was just distracted by one of my favourite books on my shelf - I know it's a favourite when it made the big journey across the world with me almost a year ago! J & L's Dancing Pictures.

I bought it in New York in 2002 and now I see it's out of print... ooh, it's even more of a treasure to me. So with trusty Google's help I've discovered J & L are a not-for-profit organisation publishing artist books and they all look pretty delectable to me from the first browse of their site... They also host live events that I'd be at if I was in the USA. Their beautifully simple logo pictured above is designed by Paul Sahre, whose work I'm delighted to discover.

Paul Clark & Tim Kliendienst - Alphabet Studio

One of my closest friends back home in Australia is the very talented Paul Clark, a graphic designer/illustrator, who works in a partnership with equally talented graphic designer/photographer Tim Kliendienst under the name Alphabet Studio. Their work is often seen about town in bus shelters and illuminated street ad boards, advertising theatre and dance in Sydney, particularly for Belvoir Street Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, The Sydney Opera House and Bangarra Dance Company, among many clients in the arts & entertainment industries...

Check out their beautiful, distinctive work on the link above.