| LITTLE DOT - Fashionery Profile! |
| Written by Sian Haydon | ||||||
| Saturday, 29 January 2011 20:53 | ||||||
Everyone needs a little bit of fashionery to stylise and brighten up their desk on dreary days while hard at work! LITTLE DOT does FASHIONERY (stationery that's a fashion accessory, of course) like nobody's business, probably because they came up with the concept! It was Alice Tiankaizi's dream of fashionable stationery, that led to the creation of Little Dot, born right here in New Zealand. There are bicycles and apples and chairs and birds... She adorns stationery with cute illustrations that are unmistakably hers, and hers alone.
Alice took the time to chat to Coup De Main about her passion for stationery, illustration, and working with her husband Josh. If you are also inspired by love, dreams and bacon, then you're in for a treat!
COUP DE MAIN: Do you have any favourite things that you love to draw?
ALICE TIANKAIZI: Not really. Like eating and sleeping, I draw whatever comes to my mind at anytime. I'd get up at 3am and sketch just because... :)
CDM: Have you ever tried to draw something but just couldn’t get it right?
ALICE TIANKAIZI: In the past, I tried to draw like other famous illustrators. You know the cool kind. Then I realised I need to be me. I still look at other illustrator's works and think they are cool, but after all, I need to be true to myself as an artist. So now I just draw in Alice's way... and in Alice's way, they always come out right!
CDM:
What inspires you to create the cute illustrations that appear on your stationery?
ALICE TIANKAIZI: Love, dreams, apples, bacon, chairs, poems and of course my wonderful and talented husband Josh. :)
CDM: How important is the collaboration between you and your husband Josh, to the success of Little Dot?
ALICE TIANKAIZI: I remember when I cried at night because I really wanted to make stationery but was so afraid of losing everything, he'd say "don't worry, just do what you love and even if we loose everything it'll just be a lesson, just go back to where we started, at least we know we've tried". When it comes to work, because of his product design and development background, Josh is very picky! He never lets 1mm of difference get away! He designs and makes mock-ups. I'd treasure our little creation like a kitten, he'd fold it, tear it and write on it with every ink just to test its quality. He keeps my feet on the ground, there wouldn't be Little Dot without Josh.
CDM: What are three things you love, and wouldn’t want to live without?
ALICE TIANKAIZI: My sketch book, internet connection and SKII facial mask.
CDM: What is your favourite possession that you’ve bought recently, or have been given?
ALICE TIANKAIZI: My Mum had been a career woman throughout most of her life. I've never seen her cook or knit. But she recently started to learn knitting, even though it's Summer now, but I just love this sweater Mum knitted for me. I can't wait for Winter to come! :)
CDM: You already have notebooks, bags, cards and lots more in your collection, do you have any other upcoming plans or projects for Little Dot in 2011?
ALICE TIANKAIZI: Little Dot wouldn't want to miss out on Valentines :) We've designed a little surprise for our fans with not just paper, but also with van heek fabrics from Europe, which has 150 years history - making beautiful stationery textiles.
QUICK FIRE FIVE
Favourite place to be: Parks.
Favourite ice cream flavour: Green tea.
Guilty pleasure: Potato chips.
Celebrity crush: It hasn't happen yet so far ;)
Favourite thing to do on a rainy day: Good books with a green tea latte.
HEART LISTENING = Over the Rhine - 'I don't wanna waste your time'.
HEART WATCHING = 'The Big Bang Theory'.
HEART READING = 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings' by Maya Angelou.
HEART IN GENERAL = Sleeping all day.
Get yourself some LITTLE DOT fashionery at www.dearlittledot.com! |
