Raw by Nature and Jude Taylor

When I said I didn’t know what to expect from looking at the invitation from Raw by Nature I was being really honest last Friday which was just before the long weekend. Not knowing and having no expectation sometimes helps but I was totally amazed in this particular occasion.

Let’s first talk about the location. It might be a little far if you’re living far North of Swan river. Good thing about living in South Perth is that almost all places are quite easily within reach and Guildford is no exception. After a 20 minute or so drive I was in Guildford very closed to Swan Valley. Raw by Nature is nestled in a very beautiful part of Guildford in aN old building which you will see in this photo.

Let’s now talk about what Raw by Nature is. If Ici et La was ‘South of France’ in North Perth, Raw by Nature would be ‘Colonial Africa’ in Swan Valley. I was blown away by the bold colours, patterns and richness of all things African and ethnic. I simply went there to find out what it was all about but I returned with two nested wooden tables and an Ecuadorian necklace. You can guess then how excited I was with that place given that I don’t ‘shop’ necessarily when I get invited to ‘events’

Jude Taylor and Leanne Bray

Let me talk about the actual event ‘Mix it up a bit & go wild’. Leanne, the owner and artist of Raw by Nature found Jude Taylor, textile and print artist. When Leanne saw Jude’s wildflower prints she knew that she is off the hook of getting herself organised to create something with Australian wild flowers. Jude was doing just that so she decided to incorporate Jude’s textile into her creations. She mixed it up a bit and went wild as you can see. It’s great that two very creative and beautifully minded people got together to form a relationship and created beautiful things.

We actually loved the area so much so that my guy and I decided to spend our wedding anniversary weekend together in that area – dinning in wineries, visiting the Chocolate Factory and, of course, more shopping at Raw by Nature. If you like what you see here check out more photos from the shop in the flickr set.

RAW BY NATURE
112 Terrace Road, Guildford, WA
Tel: 9377 0545

There was more excitement to be had at RAW BY NATURE as I finally got to meet Willem Heyneker and saw his latest creation around Chantal’s neck . Willem’s pieces were showcased with Almond Tree during STYLEAID 2009. That was a total blast. Almond Tree would have looked less than spectacular without Willem’s pieces. Willem’s creations couldn’t have found a such perfect ‘partner’ to show how his amazing jewellery could actually be worn. Thanks to Elaine from Behind the Monkey! Hopefully, I’ll get to show you more of his new collection soon.