Showing posts with label Ziggy Sawdust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ziggy Sawdust. Show all posts

Thursday, October 3, 2013

If I win, you win!






I have entered the iZettle Elevator Pitch competition and if you help me win  by voting for me, I will give Doris away to one of you picked at random to say thank you for voting!

So all you have to do is follow this link ☞http://bit.ly/18y3XCn and click on the little love heart until it turns red. (you've got to be in the UK, on Facebook and be over 18) then like Ziggy Sawdust on Facebook and you're in!

I've slipped down to 8th place so I need your help! Every vote counts!

Thank you!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Before + After bonanza!


I am currently in the midst of redesigning my website! I am quite enjoying it but I am fearful of some technical hitches coming my way soon! 

I will let you know when it's set to go live when I have a better idea myself, but for now I thought I would share some 'Before + After' collages that I have put together to tell the stories of my furniture. Here they are:


'Grace' redesigned vintage telephone seat

'Mick' redesigned 1970s cocktail cabinet

'Twiggy' redesigned 1960s dressing table

'Marianne' redesigned 1960s dressing table

'George' upcycled free-standing display shelf!

'Marilyn' redesigned original 1950s dressing table


Saturday, May 4, 2013

I'm in i-on!

Very, very excited to be featured in i-on Magazine's Interior Design Special this month!




Kind words and a very nice photo of 'Mick' the cocktail cabinet and 'Elton' the Elephant... along with one of me coincidentally matching my furniture exactly!

We're on p.36-37 and you can have a wee read by clicking here ☞ http://ow.ly/kBrHh

This is my favourite quote from the piece:

‘“I saw men offloading Mick Jagger from a van into a junk yard, and I just knew I had to have him”, says Amy. Don’t worry, The Rolling Stones front man hasn’t been kidnapped, ‘Mick’ is an old cocktail cabinet. Saving old furniture from the dump isn’t just a hobby for the young designer, it’s a business.’



... If only it was the real Mick Jagger (circa 1965) that I'd kidnapped!


Saturday, March 2, 2013

"Designer's creations aren't from Mars but Ziggy Sawdust is centre stage"





News of Ziggy Sawdust being Concrete Wardrobe's 'Maker of the Month' has reached the STV website, with a fab Bowie-pun inspired headline!



You can have a little read by clicking here!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Ziggy Sawdust and the Concrete Wardrobe!

Today is the day that Ziggy became 'Maker of the Month' at the Concrete Wardrobe on Broughton Street, Edinburgh!




I first met James and Fiona from Concrete Wardrobe at The Fruitmarket Gallery's DesignMarket back in July last year... and plans for me to exhibit as a 'Maker of the Month' have been brewing since then!

Concrete Wardrobe is a wonderful little shop dedicated to showcasing local design-led craft and is known as the go-to place for finding something extra special. Having the opportunity to showcase my work here is a real privilege!

Here are a few images of my exhibit in the shop and all items shown are for sale!







There will be a meet and greet event tomorrow (Saturday 2nd March) from 12-2pm, so pop along if you are free! My exhibit will run until the end of the month, so there is plenty of time to make it along if you can't make it tomorrow, but would still like to browse!





Concrete Wardrobe
50 A Broughton Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3SA


Opening times:
Monday- Friday 11am- 7pm
Sunday 12pm- 5pm

♥





Thursday, February 28, 2013

Ziggy Sawdust in the ESPC!

I was delighted to receive a phone call from Lisa at the ESPC, asking if I would be interested in being featured in their paper... and of course I jumped at the chance!



The ESPC is No.1 for property marketing in East Central Scotland and it is the go to paper if you are thinking of moving house in Edinburgh.. or would just like a peek at whats on the market. My mum used to pick up a copy every week when I was little and I would frequently browse the pages, choosing my 'dream home' of the week. It is really exciting for me to now be featured in a double page spread!



If you would like to read the article, or download the PDF, click here!


But not only do I have a double page spread, but Ziggy Sawdust is also mentioned on the front cover...



 And in the 'Editor's Letter' !


It's such a lovely, colourful feature with a selection of 'Before and After' photos of my furniture, along with my Top Tips for up cycling furniture.




Here's a few quotes from the piece: 

"Ziggy Sawdust is all about rescuing pieces of old furniture before it gets to landfill and giving it a new lease of life and a quirky edge, so as it can fit into contemporary interiors and be loved once again.
As David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust was escapism for many during the bleak conservative rule of the 1970s, I hope Ziggy Sawdust furniture will be escapism from the recent trends in generic flat-packed furniture!"

"I think my style, in terms of furniture could be described as being ‘bold’. I like to think outside the box and rework a piece to really stand out, making people take notice of it again rather than dismiss it as being old and dated."

Traditionally, furniture has been bought in suites of stained, varnished wood to keep a neural constant, while colour        is reserved for walls and decorative furnishings. However, I like to flip this around in keeping with the minimalist and Scandinavian inspired trends in interior design, where white walls are a staple, and statement pieces and pops of colour are left to stand out and really shine."
"However, when it comes to working on a commissioned project for a client, the project becomes more of collaboration. I like to consult the client on every step of the way, insuring that I am marrying their vision with my vision and reworking a piece to suit their style and interior; creating a statement piece that is tailored to their own individual requirements."



Lisa from the ESPC discovered what I do from seeing the documentary Future Positive filmed about Ziggy Sawdust and Jakub from Future Positive gave a lovely quote for the article:





Thank-you ESPC and Future Positive! I am one happy chap! ♥






Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Ziggy Sawdust: Most Environmentally Responsible Business!

Last night, I attended the BT Scotland Young Entrepreneur Awards in Edinburgh and I won the award for 'Most Environmentally Responsible Business'! I am absolutely delighted to have received the award alongside  3 other amazing young business owners. 

 Jennifer Semple and Rachel Catherwood from First Class Physiotherapy won 'Best Website', fashion designer Rebecca Torres won 'Best E-Commerce Website' and Natalie Crayton from Hebridean Sea Salt won 'Most Visionary Business'... and to be part of 'an all-female line-up' (as the Scottish Daily Mail put it!) was quite exciting too!


Me, Jennifer, Rachel, Rebecca and Natalie



My business mentor Morag and me


My Granny and me


Me, Rebecca, Natalie, Rachel and Jennifer


Article in the Scottish Daily Mail




We also received some press coverage on allmediascotland.com which can be found by clicking here!


It means a lot to me to have won the award as being environmentally responsible is very important to me. The whole idea behind Ziggy Sawdust is to save beautiful pieces of vintage and retro pieces of furniture from being overlooked and ending up on landfill sites, simply because the are a little scratched or look a bit dated. Here's to future furniture search and rescues!


All photos courtesy of Malcolm Cochrane Photography

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Ziggy Sawdust + Tippi

I ♥ furniture hunting and seeing potential in bashed up and tired pieces that are in need of some tender loving care and a second chance in life! And that's great for what I do because I will invest time and creativity in each piece to make it shine again.

But there aren't many places out there where you can go to buy affordable 'young' antiques that are in good nick.... until now!




There is a new shop opening in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh very soon which will specialise in vintage, quirky (+ just plain beautiful!) furniture and home ware. But for those pieces that do need a few touch ups, or if a customer would like a piece to be brought up to date with colours to match their decor, I will be a recommended restorer!

I have already been given a few Tippi pieces to redesign ahead of the shop's opening, including this wonderfully retro 1950s kitchen cabinet! I'm off paint shopping for it tomorrow!



 I am so excited by this opportunity- can't wait for Tippi to be open! .... The shop is named after the owner Anna's gorgeous little terrier who gives the best cuddles! Between the furniture and Tippi herself, I think I'll be making myself a permanent fixture there :)

'Like' Tippi on Facebook to be kept in the loop on the shop's opening : www.facebook.com/TippiUK

And you'll be able to visit in a few short weeks here:

144 Bruntsfield Place
Edinburgh 
EH10 4ER
0131 229 4422

♥

Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Story of Ziggy + The Red Door Gallery, Chapter 2!


I don't know if you remember my post called The Story of Ziggy + The Red Door Gallery? Well at the end of August, I was asked if the The Red Door Gallery could borrow 'Mick' my 1970s cocktail cabinet, for their September window. I was over the moon as The Red Door is one of my favourite shops in Edinburgh!

Well, after lots of admiration, the windows have been changed over. But Ziggy Sawdust is being featured in the new window for October also!

'Mick' has been given a rest from the spotlight, and now it's 'Audrey's turn to shine!








You can visit 'Audrey' and all the other delightful products that The Red Door Gallery houses, here:

42 Victoria Street
Edinburgh
EH1 2JW
0131 447 3255


(and if you do visit, let me know what you think!)

Friday, October 12, 2012

Ziggy + The Velvet Peach!




The wonder of Facebook never ceases to amaze me... it's entertaining, it's fun and it keeps you in touch with your friends. It can also connect you to like minded people and businesses at the other side of the world, but it can also connect you to interesting people and businesses on your door step.

It was through Facebook that Ziggy Sawdust + The Velvet Peach discovered each other! 

Devon Roberson runs a lovely plus size vintage range in Edinburgh called The Velvet Peach and loves all things vintage and retro inspired. When I posted a photo on Facebook of this cut-glass trinket box that I redesigned in time for July's DesignMarket, she snapped it up before DesignMarket even opened!





I then found out that Devon was a big fan of pink + mint as a colour combo, so this really was unknowingly made for her!

A month or so later, Devon got in touch to say that she was moving into a new flat and would love a colourful vintage desk to do all her Velvet Peach work from... I was delighted to hear from her and went out furniture hunting that very week. Devon sent me over some images of the kind of desk she was after and when I discovered this desk needing some TLC, I hoped Devon would like it... and she did!


there was life in this old desk yet!

three drawers for paperwork + craft materials!

nice Vintage detailing



The orangey stain and varnish was a bit chipped and scratched and it really dated the desk... so I couldn't wait to sand it off! And, just as I suspected, the wood was in great condition underneath.







The next mission was colour... Devon asked if it could be done in Pink + Mint, channelling a retro 50's interior vibe. I thought that was a great idea! Very fresh + pretty. To gather some inspiration, Devon created a Pink + Mint board on Pintrest which was a great resource for me + I had the colours colour matched exactly to her liking!


so pretty + retro!

When developments were underway, Devon was excited about the finished article + started to worry that she didn't have a chair worthy enough of her redesigned desk! She sent me over a few images of chairs that she liked and asked me to keep an eye out for a similar one that could be done up to match the desk. I found this chair which met Devon's requirements and was really excited to do the dynamic duo up together! 




And it seems as though Devon + I weren't the only ones excited by the project... my cat Millie couldn't get enough of the wooden chair!

Here she is tap dancing on it..

And here she is being very over protective as I was about to start sanding it!

 And she's actually sitting on my knee as I type this!


Hello!

Ok, so back to Devon's desk + chair! For the desk, we decided to paint the body + the legs of the desk pink with a mint top + mint drawer faces (and a secret touch of lilac inside the drawers!) And to tie the chair in without it detracting from the desk, we decided to keep the colour blocking bold + simple by painting the legs pink + the rest mint.




Here'e the chair doing a head stand while it's legs dry! 

And while the painting was progressing nicely, Devon picked these lovely white flower drawer handles  for the desk... a large one for the middle drawer and two small for the others.




Here they are in action while the final touch ups were being done!



And here is the dynamic duo all compete!






And here they are settling into their new home!




I had a lot of fun completing this project for Devon + The Velvet Peach and I am so glad that Devon did too! I was delighted to receive this lovely testimonial from her:

After starting my own business , The Velvet Peach Vintage, I soon realised I need a proper work space. This was when I turned to Amy/Ziggy for her expert help. I had seen Amy's work a few times in the past & totally loved it. I knew she was the best person for the job of finding me a work desk. From sourcing the perfect desk, to picking colours, constant communication through the whole process, delivery, doing a chair to match the table at the last minute- through all this Amy has been so helpful, fun, creative and most importantly enthusiastic. Its easy to see Ziggy Sawdust will be a huge success with Amy at the helm!!! Thanks Amy so much '


There really is nothing more satisfying than a happy customer :) Thank-you, Devon!

If you would like to find out some more about The Velvet Peach, click here

Or you can follow Devon + TVP on Facebook, here: www.facebook.com/thevelvetpeachedinburgh