Family Tree Journal

prize draw

2011-03-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

Ali from Medcalf has organized a prize draw to raise money for British Red Cross tsunami fund. it's £3 to enter and ends on the 6th. You can enter at participating businesses on Exmouth Market.
Please dig deep for the good cause and might even win a prize (such as meal for two at Moro!).

WE WILL BE AT TENT

2010-09-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

This year we are exhibiting at TENT at Old Truman Brewery, 23rd-26th September.
Tent London is the ground-breaking show for forward-thinking design across all disciplines, delivering the very best contemporary and vintage design, architecture and interiors and the world of digital.

We are showcasing “Family Tree occasional table”. Addion to Japanese “washi”print series, tables are available in laminated fabrics, we have made African wax prints tops and 70s interior fabric tops to launch at the show. We still use custom milled American black walnuts with hand turned legs then hand finish each table by hand in London.

We are at stand F21. please visit us at the show.

Exmouth Soiree

2010-09-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Party at Exmouth Market!
we are London Design festival partner as whole street.
come down to Exmouth Market on the evening of 21st of September. Clerkenwell/Hoxton is design festival focused area on that evening, there are many events happening on 21st. participating business on Exmouth Market will open late, offer special discounts, BBQ, cocktail deals etc!

new jewellery!

2010-09-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

these are new jewellery I have been working on. wax print fabric from Ghana laminated within Perspex. just got shapes back from laser cutter. I got idea of juxtaposing West African fabric with 30s streamline design from our local high street of "Dalston". It's odd sight that all these 30s architecture and crazy market which is essentially West Africa central!
We will be exhibiting at TENT at Trumans brewery on Brick Lane between 23rd-26th September during London design festival. I will remind you about this later on.

trend bible via V&A

2010-08-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

my butterfly brooch and necklace has been featured in "trend bible" blog.
I have been working with V&A shop this summer season and I got found there.

working on new range of jewellery for design week at the moment. I can show some images in few weeks time...

NY-LONDON

2010-05-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

My first New York experience was overall “amazing”. At the beginning, scale difference was so overwhelming but soon after my sole was gripping the ground properly and distracted by the thrill of being away from home! It was literally “lost in translation” experience, not sleeping much, spending some time alone and mostly having lots of fun.

snap from shop

2010-05-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

we had this young lady, Georgia, sporting this blue vintage fabric owl matching her hair clip!!

off to NYC

2010-05-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

I'm off to New York tomorrow.
participating "design mart" run by design boom (on line design mag).
it's an event within a ICFF (aka international contemporary furniture fair...)
so it is a big deal for me to be there and also leaving family for more than a week.

online shop will be open during the time but all the shipping will be held till my return on 24th of May. apologize for any inconvenience and wish me luck!

virus and 1Q84

2010-04-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

time has been flying by as they do...

I manage to catch a bug and forced to stop and stay in bed before Easter.
apart from being poorly it was quite good to spend time alone at home and managed to read through "1Q84", it's Murakami's new novel which hasn't been translated into English yet.
it was only available on hard cover and i nearly gave up bringing them over from Japan but I gave in at the airport book shop. I better not to mention anything about the contents. all my friends over here are very jealous that they have to wait for their English copy. I'm sure it will be a hype when they do.

we had lovely Easter, hunting for eggs and IKEA shopping (had to be done). we are back in business in normal hours now. I have been making few more bits, such as these random necklaces.

zoo and biscuits

2010-02-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

we have visited London Zoo recently. I always thought zoo is a sad place that all these animals are locked and depressed...but it has been all changed, animals live in large new builds with all the mod cons, they all looked very chilled (not the temperature in this context, they all had heatings too), no need to hunt or climb up the tree for food. good diet is guaranteed there. we went down the tunnel and popped our heads out from this perspex dome to observe meerkats family.

today, we hosted a biscuit making activity. it's gone back to cold again...we need to come up with fun indoor activity all the time.

paddington bear 1974

2010-01-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

Thank you, John & Yuko who gave us this Paddington bear!
This was a great charity shop find. I gave good wash to his famous hat and duffle coat, I noticed his label on the back said 1974. He's been around 35 years! I'm sure he will have great time at ours at least another 1o years or more.

HAPPY (BELATED) NEW YEAR!

2010-01-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

hope everyone had lovely holiday over the new year.
we have spent 2 weeks in Yamaguchi Japan, picking shiitake mushrooms etc...
it's seems like long long time ago now.
we've pulled back into reality (in a vibrant way) enjoying the buzz again.

all the very best wishes to 2010! X

NEET mag feature via Super Market Sarah

2009-12-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

my butterfly brooch is featured in NEET Magazine, within the article about one of my stockists Super Market Sarah.

open studio

2009-12-04T02:23:00.000-08:00

I'm joining the open studio at 178a Glyn Road, Hackney.
on the 12th!

Christmas window

2009-11-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

December this week!
We have put up Christmas window last week. Big thank you for Alex, core crew of Family Tree, for staying till late to put it up! We were up on the step ladder with power tool on one hand...but the result is delicate and so pretty. Late night shopping party this Thursday, with 15% discount and warming mulled cider. please join us if you are free. X

lots happening!

2009-11-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

feels like it has been a while again. but there are so many things happening at shop at the moment.obviously lots and lots of new stuff coming in everyday. I will try to up few pictures over the coming weeks.

there's rather big and important notice here. we got "Family Tree gift voucher" available at shop. soon it will be on-line shop too. we just got plenty of tissue paper, white satin ribbon and round family tree logo sticker, getting ready for busy season's gift wrapping.

I made some necklaces with vintage beads I have been collecting for a long time. also got new colour ways and shape (owl!) of washi jewellery.

labour of love

2009-11-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

it's get dark around after 5 now and our shop window looks very cosy. I'm very happy with this current window arrangement!

It has been always important for Family Tree to offer temporally housing (until they find a new home) for very special hand made pieces. I'm very honored that these designer makers trust us to leave their precious result of labour of love.

candy hue vintage button and silver earring by Tomoko Hori.

wool snake draught excluder by the Black Rabbit

hand printed tiles by Robert Ryan

barbarabearo recycled denim bears

exquisite hand made cups by Ikuko Iwamono.

bike wheel tee

2009-10-31T16:21:00.000-07:00

I had this idea of producing easy t-shirts for urban cyclists, mainly bike girls who ride bikes as a everyday transport. But I don't have a fashion background and all these ideas hasn't been becoming concrete...until one of my best mates Tomo who has a ethical fashion label called "onagono" encouraged me to print some t-shirts together. I'm a fan of her clothes and very excited to do something with her finally! I drew a bicycle wheel and Tomo provided cute and super soft organic cotton t-shirts. We managed to print some mens T as well, onto good sturdy organic T shirts in pink and green. It has been such fun spending a day at printing studio, getting hands dirty. I'm already thinking of next design.

Have lots of treats everyone!
We went to a Halloween party at nursery. We made little native American head dress.

Look Good, Feel Good.

2009-10-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

we received a delivery of hand knitted woolen accessories from People Tree today.
I bet long arm fingerless mitts and matching hats will be very popular. They are all hand knitted by KTS Kathmandu (Kumbeshwar Technical School) support female workers from lower castes system and funds school for their children to be educated. it's an another social triumph story of fair trade products! please read more on People Tree site.

bambu

2009-10-02T04:49:00.000-07:00

We got these "bambu" home ware.
bowls are coated with lac, all very appetizing hue. some called kiwi and cayenne.
They are made of organically grown bamboo in Vietnam. All from sustainable source, ethical manufacturing and come with very good design. Completely guilt free purchase! I got the feeling these will be standard item at Family Tree.
My snap shot doesn’t really do a justice. Please come by to see and feel yourself!

SHOP LOCAL!

2009-09-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

I have been taking pictures of our locals.

this is vintage bike specialist "sargent & co" by Clissold park.
My the other half is obsessed by his vintage Italian racer and I love riding bike myself.
You can imagine the person who runs this shop, random opening hours, greasy mechanical bits everywhere, over grown tomato plant pot by the window and beautiful vintage bikes. I bet he’s not really willing to let go some of the stocks he has. This is the most laid back looking shop ever!

The other one is Dalston’s favorite(?) SHANG HAI. It’s a famous fact the building used to be “pie & eel” shop in it’s heyday. Now they have those ducks hanging on the window but interior is preserved as it was. Green & blue tiles with big mirrors in brass frames, long saloon bar...it could be a scene in “in the mood for love” or anything quite Nouvel Vague...

new lady

2009-09-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Since September I'm more back at shop. It's been lovely to catch up with Family Tree regulars and Exmouth Market traders.
I've been looking for an old mannequin for a long time to display accessories and I happened to came across this lady from 1952 when I was cycling around. she is very gentle tone of faded moss green and perfect petite physique. At picture she is sporting Ally Capellino satchel and organic cotton cravat by Tamasyn Gambell.
there are few more new things we got in. one of them are very very big owl. compare the size with the usual owl cushion! Also organic cotton baby/children wear label "little shrimp" which has been a massive hit already.
Shop has been buzzing recently. We are getting loads more new items soon so I will be updating news here.

really. it's been 5 years

2009-08-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you for those who visited shop last Saturday for our 5 year anniversary get together day.
Thank you for all of you who couldn't make it but send us celebration messages. It's really encouraging me to keep pedaling and carrying on.
5 years ago, I was (quite) young and just started this shop, can not believe once it was a vague dream has survived and grew into a business. I'm simply happy looking back all these years. (sorry I'm bit cheesy...)

It was lovely that lots of different group of friends were at shop. I finally managed to introduce Azusa to Ikuko, both ceramicist based in Clerkenwell.

We have printed a poster of manifesto, what we are all about. Please click on the photo to read. it's bit like we are introducing ourselves 5 years after we opened our door. But passing people are reading it and seems like making more sense of what we do. It's helping me to focus on direction, where we are going with Family Tree.

Thanks again for your support!!

my GURU

2009-08-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

Great head stand attempt.
Excuse me. Could you move away from my yoga mat please?

Aguas De Março

2009-08-24T02:29:00.000-07:00

Summer is nearly coming to an end...we had good sunny spells this year. (I can’t believe I’m talking about weather. 13 years of living in London is converting me into a regular Londoner!) I played many ska & Calypso at shop this summer which made many people moving (not quite dancing) on the shop floor. Last week I put on “Elis & Tom” as it was a sunny day, the song Aguas De Março was happened to be the favorite song of this guy who was at shop at the time. These kind of incident always start really lovely chat! Aguas De Março means rain in March, all about exciting feeling about start of the summer. So it’s more timely around May-June in London, it’s bit out of season but still one happy tune here...

photo is freshly harvested summer vegetables from friend's garden.

new stockists

2009-08-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

I got 2 brand new stockists of washi jewellery.
One is Stoke Newington's favorite life style boutique "HUB", the other is online store "Supermarket Sarah".
I share and admire the concept of "HUB" as a fellow shop owner. not only the labels they sell but also the decor, furniture and the window display of the shop is always beautifully put together.
Supermarket Sarah is fun web shop. basically one of her studio wall is whimsicaly styled with new, old, customised, hand-made, strange stuff. You can click on the items you are interested to purchase, simple!

photo is from HUB shop. can you spot my pieces???

piece of history in a shade

2009-07-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

We received new lamp shades from lush designs.
New designs features a piece of history from Wild West.
Buffalo Bill on horse back, his wife holding shot gun and prominent looking Sitting Bull. There's even Queen Vic! Apparently Buffalo Bill's Wild West came to England and performed for Queen Victoria's golden jubilee in 1887. I wonder how people's lives were like in those days...

holiday

2009-07-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

We had small summer holiday in Alicante, Spain. The town had hint of Moorish influence, lots of beautiful old lightings and colours of interior inspired me with new ideas.

Friend of ours who moved there 2 years ago kindly let us stay. (at her apartment right in front of beach! with cute 70s flower canopy) we really admired the fact she moved there on her own, learned the language, set up a business and thriving.
she has been a great hostess too, feeding us great food & drinks made of fresh local ingredients. Food has been definitely the highlight, even coffee tasted amazing! I don't know why we can not get the same coffee over here. I love the coffee in London, Paris, and all the other cities, they are all different and lovely in their own way. but these coffee in Alicante really amazed me. I hardly make coffee at home but I will buy a coffee maker over the weekend so I will test if I can match Spanish standard with the beans I brought back.

new photos

2009-07-01T02:49:00.000-07:00

I took some new photos of Washi Jewellery. simple jobs like this, I have been meaning to do for months and months... It's unfair to say...but it's true being working mum is tricky at times! I felt so good sorting it out with friend's help. now my style sheets and all necessary paper works are up to date. YES!
you can have a look more images from here. there are exclusive and more reasonable diffusion line necklaces.

play me I'm yours

2009-06-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

I spotted 2 street pianos in London recently.
one at Tate modern & the other at Carnaby st. It's seems like a part of city of London Festival.
basically Pianos appearing randomly on the street of London, whoever feels like it can play. It's simple yet brilliant project. at this photo we are all united singing "it's must be love, love love."
(it's must be love by Madness)

south bank

2009-06-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

we visited south bank last week end.
got off the bus at St.Pauls then walked across Millennium bridge to Tate.
It's great place to hang out with young child. Between Tate modern to Royal festival hall, there are so many places tempts you to stop by. We went to behind OXO tower visiting Central Saint Martins graphic design degree show. Different year still the same rubbish!(at this context "rubbish" means extremely positive sense.) this person's work really caught my eye, he/she made type face called "butternut squash".

girls outing

2009-06-22T02:50:00.000-07:00

since I became a mummy I had very few opportunity to go out and relax after work or in the evening in general. but those days are over! I went to Medcalf on Exmouth Market to catch up with friends last Friday, had jolly good time!

shop card

2009-06-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

We got new shop card printed by SORT design.
letter pressed to the perfection!

bubble necklace

2009-06-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

I love collecting vintage fabric. recently I was especially into feed sack fabrics from Mid-West America. thanks to internet shopping, I got hold of lots of beautiful 40-60s quilting fabric from Missouri. as they are small squares and all very pretty I felt very precious about them. so far, I made some necklaces and small ball with bell inside for our girl.

plan toys

2009-06-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

we stock plan toys now!
here are some images of what we got.
solid drum, banjo, rattle for little baby, mushroom kaleidoscope and doggy pull along.
all made of naturally dried, sustainable wood. They look great just as a interior pieces also great fun to play. Keeps everyone happy.

natural approach

2009-06-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

we have been at this shop for nearly 5 years now.
the space started to show bit of ware & tear, needing TLC.
we decided to sand the floor apply natural oil instead of varnish.
whole space smells lovely & matt look gives calm feel we think.
some of our regular customer thought we put new floor in!

Sunny Saturdays

2009-04-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

As soon as the Sun comes out, Exmouth Market is heaving with people sitting out having breakfasts, coffees or mojito with newspapers on Saturdays. I'm sitting at the at the front of the shop with Ambassador's home made lemonade.

new jewellery pieces

2009-03-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

We got new jewellery pieces.
rabbits are new shapes just added within our own washi jewellery range.
along side our on-line shop:
http://www.familytreeshop.co.uk/page18.htm

we opened Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7108140&ga_search_query=familytreeshop&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

It's good for international buyers. we will be adding more items next few weeks so please add us to your favorite seller & keep visiting!

full of new stuff at shop

2009-03-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

we have lots of spring items at shop now.
this season, we took on jewellery pieces from People Tree, hammered brass disc earrings & brace let set are one of our favorite.
from Ally Capellino, we have ever popular satchel "Jeremy" in stripy cotton, small travel bags and wax cotton toiletry bags.
we also took on quite a lot of new children/baby designers. these organic cotton beanie, blanket and bib sets are perfect for new born gift.

new blog space

2009-02-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

this is our new blog space. it's like moving to new & big & comfortable home.
unfortunately we could not transfer any of our old blog contents so I up load some images from last year's album. to remind what happened last year...
we took a stand at TENT LONDON, part of London design festival in September...
then participated Advent fair at St.Paul's steiner school in December...

heart lavender pillow

2009-02-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

we have made these lavender pillow for Valentine's day.
little something to accompany a card or hide under your partner's pillow??