Leezar's Birthday

Just one week on from Manny's friand feast and we are eating mountains of cupcakes today for Leezars birthday. These were very buttery, very sweet and very tasty. Not only did Leezar receive a brand new camera for her birthday from her fiance (these pictures are captured on it) but he also sent her a surprise bunch of roses, wine and chocolates!

The rest of the dandi ladies put their thinking caps on about what to get her and came up with a pair of apple trees which will grow side by side in her garden. They are obviously dormant at the moment so we jazzed them up with a few hanging fabric apples cut from plain dyed dandi fabric.

For lunch we went around to the local milk bar and picked up burgers, schnitzel rolls and chips - a tradies lunch! Back to salads tomorrow...

Chocolates and Neutrals

Winter is set in and we are all rugging up with lots of layers and textures to warm ourselves, so why not use these same principles in fashion trends for your table settings at home.
Start with a dandi plain dyed chocolate tablecloth as your base, then fold a chocolate olive branch tablecloth into a square shape and layer over the top. For something more casual create the layers using our rick rack runners or placemats.

Once you have the tablecloth set up, carry out the earthy theme and use dinnerware made from natural materials such as stoneware or bamboo. Using wooden accessories, such as the dandi bamboo range, not only look great with your wintry setting, they're good for mother nature too.

A big trend this season is to bring the outdoors in. When you're out on your morning walk or pottering around the garden keep an eye out for fallen branches and leaves to use for styling your table. We demonstrated this a fee weeks ago when Caroline brought home some goodies from the Kanagaroo Valley. Click here to view our post.

dandi on decor8

On Friday morning we opened our emails and clicked on our daily feed from decor8blog only to be surprised by an amazing feature which Holly had done on us. We are so thrilled, a little star struck and very appreciative of all the wonderful comments we were given from the decor8 community. Thanks for everyones support.

Cupcakes!

Leezar came back from a day on the road with these delicious treats from My Little Cupcake in Neutral Bay. They have the softest texture with the most divine icing... mmmm. Once we'd finished scoffing them we were scouring our plates for all the crumbs! If you are ever in that area of Sydney (or even just in Sydney!) you must swing by and pick up a box, they are well worth crossing town for!

Stitches and Crafts Show, Sydney, August 2009

We are excited to announce that the Dandi ladies have just signed up for this years Stitches & Crafts Show in Sydney during August. We will be showcasing all of our printed and plain dyed fabrics as well as some fine and dandi DIY projects. Be sure to pencil it in your calendar now - its only a month away!

The Stitches & Crafts Show
19-23 August

Rosehill Gardens
Unwin St, Rosehill
(Sydney)

Stay tuned to the dandi blog as we unveil some teaser DIY projects before the show.

Manny's Birthday

Happy Birthday to Manuela! We've all been spoilt by Manny's birthday today starting off with Chocolate Chip and Raspberry Friands (both were equally delicious) followed by lunch of various tasty sushi from Rozelle Sushi and yummy vanilla and passionfruit macaroons from Adriano Zumbo in Balmain.

Manny was thrilled with her pressies, a set of gorgeous pillow cases and rub downs from Third Draw down.

DIY: Baby Shower Presents

A recent invitation to a baby shower had Mindi itching to get creative with dandi fabrics to make some unique gifts for her friend. Using remnants of Geo Duckegg and Plain dyed Duckegg fabric she created this whimsical cloud mobile which will look stunning hanging in any babies room.

This little stuffed toy kitten is made using a pattern from Amy Butler's free pattern collection which you can download here. It is super easy to make and very cute. As you can see from the photograph it could be used as a regular cushion on any couch and also as a cushion or soft toy for a baby crib.

If you have purchased dandi fabric and made your own projects we'd love to see them, please email us some pictures and we will post them on our blog!

Inspired by the Kangaroo Valley

A recent weekend away in the Kangaroo Valley had Caroline inpsired to bring nature indoors when setting her table and styling her lounge room. The branches pictured above were found on the ground and dried out, making a great arrangement for an indoor vase.

Dried red and brown leaves combined with simple kitchen string make for easy yet effective napkin decorations.

As Seen In: August Notebook

Dandi Bamboo Chopping Boards and cotton linen Tea Towels are featured in this months issue of Notebook Magazine. We love the simple way they have styled our products in the "How to Caramelise Onions" feature, cooking should absolutely be this stylish! Grab your copy of Notebook from newsagents or super markets today.

Dandi Puppy

A recent visit from little puppy Leila (a cocker spaniel) had the dandi office very distracted, but equally delighted. Mindi was minding Leila for a few days while her owners (Mindi's sister and brother inlaw) were away. We are now wishing for a permanent dog in the office - such fun!

Inspiring Wall Art

Ever wondered what a Dandi girls gets up to in her spare time? Check out this gorgeous piece of wall art, recently painted into a Mooks store in Sydney by Dandi's very own Manuela Strano. Manuela entered a competition through Monster Children Magazine to design and install a mural in the trendy Galeries Victoria store - and won! She then set about painting her design in the stall over a series of late nights, lucky she isnt afraid of heights.

Check out the drawings below which were her initial entry, the work has now been published in the current edition of Monster Children (first image) available from select newsagencies, and online from Monster Children. We are so proud!

The Good Food & Wine Show

The Good Food and Wine Show at Darling Harbour was a huge success. We had a really fantastic time and a great response, thankyou to all our customers for visiting us over the weekend. Visitors on Saturday were treated to Dandi's new male model, Corey... otherwise known as Leezar's fiance. We all agree he looks great in a Pini!