Back To The 70s - Citta Design

I've been a big lover and fan of Citta Design for many years now, all you have to do is scroll through my blog archive to see the love affair blossoming. I adore their designs, fabrics and colours and the stunning layout of all their stores, but when they released their new 70s inspired cushion covers I was officially blown away. Talk about combining two of my all time favourite things!

I was tempted to invest in pieces from their new collection for a while and finally did after attending the Citta bedroom styling event on the 7th of this month. It was such an interesting night of styling tips, beautiful linen and triple cream brie (yes-triple!) I wasn't really sure what to expect from the styling course, as I'd never attended anything like it before, but I can now say that I truly recommend it. It was fascinating hearing about the thought process that goes on behind something that seems so simple, styling a bed can become an art. I'd always thought of myself as quite knowledgable about this topic, as I've been into interior design and styling for as long as I can remember. Especially after watching every season of The Block to ever exist, I thought I knew practically everything there was to know about fluffing a cushion. I was actually surprised by how creative you can get with ben linen, layering cushions and organizing a colour palette.

The whole time I was sitting there, listening to the stylist, I was dreaming up new combinations and layouts for my own bed back at home, as I'm sure every other woman in the room was doing too. I especially adored the bed they had styled with warm tones, browns, beige, khaki green and soft pink. Then they brought out Daisy. She was beautiful, so 70s and so incredibly me, I knew she had to be mine. As Citta was offering 20% off storewide that night, I took the opportunity to justify spending big on some new linen to spruce up my own bed. I would've loved to update my entire bedspread, but I ended up settling for The Daisy Cushion Cover in chocolate brown and the Linen Raisin Coloured Euro Pillowcase to match. I just love their take on the classic 60s and 70s colours, with the warm tones and kitsch floral patterns, but with a distinct Citta touch.







I love thrifting my clothes and nic nacs from second-hand stores, to find those crazy cool 60s and 70s pieces. But when it comes to linen I like to spend a bit more, invest in first-hand, quality pieces that will last a long time. I've always purchased my bed linen from either Citta or Cultiver, both of which create amazingly beautiful and high-quality bed linen that has already lasted me years. It was an absolute blessing that Citta came out with a 70s inspired range, just at the time I was looking to update my bedspread.

I learnt a lot about styling a bed and all of the different elements that go into it from the Citta styling course and I would highly recommend checking out any other courses being held there in the future. I've now started making my bed in the morning with even more pride than I did before, taking extra time to fluff my cushions and rearrange my throw blanket so that it's just right. I love having a beautiful and tidy space, so making my bed is always the first thing I do every morning and I never feel quite ready for my day until that task is complete. Now, I get to look at Daisy every morning and experiment with all the different ways I can style her.


(Left to right)
Daisy Cushion Cover in Chocolate Brown
Joni Cushion Cover
Brixton Patchwork Cushion Cover

Here are a few of my favourite 70s inspired cushion covers available on the Citta Design Website and in stores. Daisy also comes in a midnight blue colour palette, which is so pretty.

Bella 🌼

Bowls - The Depop Edit

Two girls, four looks and everything's for sale! Welcome to the first instalment of The Depop Edit, an ongoing series of lookbook type shoots, styled and shot by me to give you some insight into how I would style some of the colourful pieces I'm selling. If you see something you like in this shoot, pop on over to my Depop store (here) or if you can't find the piece you're looking for, chances are it'll be uploaded within the next few weeks.

Bowls is a combination of four outfits, my favourite sporty 90s looks with a 70s twist. I love the mixture of those two styles and the way the fabrics, cuts, colours and patterns compliment each other so well. Taara and Stella both wear chunky white sneakers with each look, a basic staple in anyone's closet that can go with essentially any outfit. I love the way that the white sneakers immediately give off a sporty vibe and work so well with the green plaid tennis skort in Taara's look. I adore this Nike tennis skort, ideal for actually getting physical in, as it has built-in shorts, but also looks just as nice for everyday wear. The best part is, it has belt loops! So you can spice it up with one of your favourite slide belts too. This skirt will be for sale next week over on my Depop.

Probably one of my favourite fashion trends is the mesh trend, I just love the way a mesh top looks, especially when layered with a shirt or vest overtop. I would say that the vast majority of tops I sell on my Depop have some mesh or sheer element to them. So, I wanted to show you how I would style these shirts in an everyday look. From the green tie-up top to the purple mesh turtleneck, I find it's such a versatile and breathable material to wear. I love the look of the purple turtleneck, a double layered mesh piece, tied up at the front in a little knot. I have several super funky mesh turtlenecks coming to the store this winter. They're so perfect for layering and add such a cool twist to your outfit.

I think it goes without saying that I'm a BIG fan of flared and wide leg pants, I find them such a flattering shape and immediately give your outfit a funky retro vibe. Taara and Stella both wear flared pants in the second look and I especially love the look of the tied turtleneck with the low rise flared jeans, such a cool 90s look. Taara wears my absolute favourite piece for sale on my store, the 90s does 70s purple psychedelic mesh top. It really is one of the most unique pieces I've found in a long time and a big part of my heart is telling me to just keep it for myself! I'm so into the look Taara wears, with the big black flares and mesh top, she also carries a big chunky green crochet bag, a piece coming to the store soon! The perfect pair of black flares is an essential in anyone's closet and is great for dressing up for a more special occasion or dressing down for everyday wear, whilst still having that retro twist. Two new pairs of funky black flares (with belts loops) will be coming to the store soon, and don't miss out as these pieces are often my fastest sellers!

Hopefully, these photos will give you some ideas on how to style and wear some of the pieces from my store and see them in everyday outfits and environments. I always try to pick up items that I feel could compliment anything else I'm selling too. This way, everything fits a unique style that I can identify with. If you spot any pieces you have questions about feel free to message me through my Instagram or Depop store as well.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next Depop Edit coming next week!

Instagram

Depop

Bella 🌼

May 22nd - things I'm working on

I had been stuck in a creative rut for a large portion of this year and seriously struggled with motivation and productivity, now that it's all up to me. I work for myself and everything I do needs to be fully self-motivated, as nobody is really giving me any direction. The idea of this initially was terrifying but I think that in the month of May I've finally found my groove. The past two weeks a creative explosion of new ideas and projects seems to have erupted in my brain and I'm so excited for all of those ideas to come to life. So, I thought I would share (mostly for myself to look back on) a few of the projects I've been working on and things that are coming up soon.
First off, my main focus has been around what I like to call 'art show season', the time of the year where all of the photography and art related things I've signed up for seems to hit me at once and I have to kick myself into gear very quickly if I want to get it all done in time. The NZ Art Show is the first event on the agenda, where I will be sharing six of my bestselling prints, read more about that here. I have also been working on a new and super exciting photography project that I hope to share on here at the end of the month. It's probably the most pleased I've ever been with a series and I can't wait to see it in print. Pieces from this collection will be displayed somewhere very exciting this July, more on that soon.
Balancing my different commitments is always much more enjoyable when I can combine them too, so an idea that has finally been brought to life is Depop Edits! This is a series of posts that will include photo shoots in locations other than my bedroom and with girls modelling the clothes that aren't myself. I really wanted to do this as a way of showing buyers how I would personally style the clothes on a day to day basis and in an environment where you want to stand out and be bold. All of the clothes I'm selling are funky, colourful and bright and can often be polarizing. So I wanted to provide a series of edits, styled and shot by me, where all the clothing will be for sale. I shot my first looks for this series yesterday and they came out so great, with the help and patience of two of my lovely friends who wore the clothes so well. This is also a great chance for me to get back behind the camera, a place where I feel much more comfortable.
On Friday, I have a super exciting shoot planned that I can't wait to share and it does involve a very funky 1970's kitchen!



When it comes to style, I'm not really sure how to pinpoint my personal look or the pieces I'm selling on my Depop. I guess it's something in the middle of 1960s and 1970's fashion with 90s and early 2000s. I love all the retro colours and floral prints of the 60s and 70s as well as the big flares and bell sleeves. But I still adore the styles of the 90s, low rise baggy jeans, chunky wedges and mesh tops. I think the ideal look for me, is a mixture of all of that.
I've also been spending a lot of my time doing freelance writing for Concrete Playground, an online publication that documents events, news and anything local all across NZ and Australia. It's been so much fun writing again and having deadlines that I need to meet. I did enjoy the structure of school when I was there and I found it easier to get things done to a high standard when I had a specific deadline. It's also great doing something outside of my comfort zone, writing in a way that I didn't feel particularly confident with, but this experience will slowly help me build a new skill set in my writing.
Life this year has been crazy, weird, exciting, overwhelming and sometimes stressful but it's probably the most creatively inspired I've ever been and I get such a buzz off feeling that way. I can't wait to share some of the exciting projects I have lined up and continue to update my blog as I go through the process.

Bella 🌼

The NZ Art Show 2019

It's back! The once a year affair for all things creative, artistic and inspiring. The NZ Art Show has been a big part of my artistic life for a few years now and I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to exhibit with them again this year. The show is held at The TSB Bank Arena in Wellington over Queen's Birthday weekend this June. With 200 artists, thousands of original artwork and over 10,000 visitors, The NZ Art Show has been supporting artists in growing their careers for years now, whilst providing a great source of artwork for Kiwi's wanting to grow their collection.
This year I will be exhibiting on a solo panel, where six of my prints will be for sale. This event is always such a treat to be a part of, especially this year as I was chosen to attend the friends & sponsors evening, where two of my prints were also for sale. It's a great feeling seeing the TSB Arena transformed into an intricate maze of inspiring artwork and fresh creative talent and knowing that people will be seeing, commenting on and hopefully buying my own work.
I chose to include my favourite print from Shirley's House, 'The Lemon Room', along with five of my Lost in California bestsellers.
So if you're around Wellington on Queen's Birthday weekend stop by The NZ Art Show and have a look at all the amazing artwork for sale. Check out the images below to see what I'll be exhibiting at the show this year!

NZ Art Show Online
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Bella 🌼