Toothpaste Kisses

Veering away from festivity for a moment, here are two little characters I made for a friend's engagement last week. The couple in question had mentioned to me that they'd thought of painting up toothpaste lids and for some reason the idea stuck with me and when I was cleaning the bathroom I noticed some toothpaste lids and one thing led to another! They're like little station masters with bad hairstyles, but I'm pleased with how they came out! I might see what other bits of household paraphenalia I can turn into people...

A Raft of Robins

I've been making Christmas cards, not to sell but to send! Seeing as I've been doing lots of birds recently, I thought I'd continue the theme, so it's a robin in a party hat on some recycled cardboard. Winging it's way... (oh dear, I think I'll stop there).

All's Fair

I've been talking about it for quite some time, and finally on Saturday it was the We Make London Christmas Fair. It was a very festive day, with lots of wonderful stalls, and Christmassy visitors! Next up is the Of Cabbages and Kings fairs on Saturdays 12th & 19th, where my friend the fab illustrator Mary Kilvert will also be exhibiting. Here's my stall from this weekend with my whole collection, familiar and new...

Festivities

Today I sent off a parcel of festive goodies to Seastar Gallery in Cornwall, containing my new peg-angels-with-loops (just like a peg angel but with added practicality), and some of these paintings I've been working on, which are extremely optimistic and which - if they don't sell over Christmas - may make an appearance in my Etsy shop. I've got lots more to sell on my stall this weekend (see flyer two posts below).

Teddy Bears Picnic

Yesterday the latest issue of Small Magazine (an absolutely beautiful online childrens/parents magazine) came out. In their last issue I contributed a DIY project on finger puppets, and this time round one of my beeb bears was featured as part of their "the new bears in town" spread, alongside some of my favourite designer/makers like Abigail Brown and astulabee...

Christmas Fair

Next Saturday - the 5th December - I'm taking part in the We Make London Christmas Fair at Chelsea Town Hall on the Kings Road. I think it's going to be a brilliant event, there are going to be all sorts of super artists/designers/makers exhibiting, and an illustrious list of sponsors. Do come along if you can!!

Take Heart

I've made cushion covers in the past, but not often because I had a bit of a fear about inserting zips. But, I thought they'd be a good addition to my collection, so I've pulled myself together recently and made some cotton ones with hot pink silk hearts and stars on. Although they may not look it in these bleached pictures, the square one is blue and the rectangular one is dusky orange, and they have lovely soft duck-feather pads which really make all the difference...

Capital Idea

I showed a couple of my 'new style' of pictures in the last post... here's another, a commission for my sister's friend's baby shower last weekend. She's received it now so there's no embargo!

p.s. I love doing these, and would thoroughly welcome any other commissions!

All New

I'm working on lots of new things for the fairs I've got coming up in December - cushions, tree decorations, little characters, and some pictures painted in acrylic on card, using words and illustrated with tiny people and birds. Here are a couple of test-runs (photos aren't the best and there are still pencil marks, but like I said, just testing!!)

Merci Paris

I went to Paris for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and really loved it. It rained all day on my first day, which was a bit dampening, but the sun came out the next day and showed off the city in all its glory. My favourite shop was Merci - a concept store near where I was staying in the Marais district. It's got a lovely café that sits in the middle of a library of second hand books, and the shop itself sells a curated selection of clothes and homewares, all very beautifully displayed. And to top it all off, there's an red Fiat 500 in the courtyard! Anyway, enough about that, here are some of my Paris pictures....

A sculpture in the Tuilleries outside the Louvre

A carousel at the bottom of the Sacré Coeur

A view over the Seine to the Left Bank

An old shop front in Montmartre

Haute Couture

Have you heard of Momiji dolls? They're little collectible wooden characters, each with a different style and personality. Momiji have been running a competition for people to make larger, textile versions, with the 10 shortlisted dolls being exhibited at Royal/T in Los Angeles. Here are my two entries, fingers are crossed!!

Affordable Art Fair

Last Sunday some friends popped by with tickets to the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park, just up the road from my house. So, along we went and had a very fun and inspiring time looking at all the affordable (erm, well... to some) art. Some of my favourites...

Anna Hymas

Charlotte Hardy

Vanessa Cooper

Lutterlagkage

A while ago I read on decor8 about a gorgeous shop opening in Malmö - Lutterlagkage. Owner Stine Holm Weirsoe sells her own and other people's childrenswear and homeware products. I've just sent Stine six dolls and six bears (below) to sell in the shop and on her website, and am very excited they'll be part of such a beautiful environment!

Tiger Tiger

Yesterday I got back from Paris to some exciting news! One of my entries for this month's Tigerprint design competition was chosen as a runner up... The brief was for a "contemporary handbag notebook". Here's my runner up entry (looking a bit blurry, I'm not sure why/how) and my two others... The middle one is inspired by paper cuts (not the uninspiring painful type; the artistic type).

Chinese Takeaway

This past week has been Chinese Wellbeing Week, as run by London South Bank University's Confucius Institute. I did some illustrations for their publicity (posters, banners & postcards), which I loved doing and loved seeing as a finished product. Here are the originals...

Moon Festival

T'ai Chi

The Legend of Hou Yi and Chang'e

Angelic

I'm starting to get ready for Christmas sales, and these are a new, festive version of my peg dolls - peg angels, which I reckon will make super stocking fillers or tree decorations. The photo doesn't quite do justice to their cream and gold jacquard dresses. Pretty glitzy eh?!

Coming Up Roses

As mentioned below, I'm off to Paris, and during my research into places to go, things to do and food to eat, a few shops and cafes have kept coming up, one of which is Rose Bakery. I've known about it since I bought my sister the lovely Breakfast, Lunch, Tea cookbook a couple of years ago, and now keep reading very very good things about the food there. And... there are two branches in the city so it shouldn't be hard to bump into one of them.

Also, I was arranging a bunch of flowers at work today and kept getting my fingers pricked by rose thorns, which felt a lot like a sewing injury, so I put all these things together and made this embroidery in honour!!

Une Nuit A Paris!

Yep, I'm going to Paris, at long last, my first trip, just for one night. I am doing full prep by poring over my copy of Paris Made By Hand, examining the Paris design guide on Design*Sponge, and flicking through back issues of Marie Claire Maison. I Just Can't Wait!!!

Scrapbook Sunday

Today has been so summery and gorgeous. I've been painting little monsters and making a maquette for the Momiji Couture Contest. Lots of work to be done on this but it's a start!!

Here's a bleached, light filled page from my scrapbook to go with the day...

Great British Balls

Here's another eleventh-hour entry for the Tigerprint Best of British competition. All of England's most famous and best-loved ball games! Scale doesn't even get a look in here.

Scrapbook Sunday

Another Sunday, another scrapbook page. I love the Alexander Girard wooden figures. Urban Outfitters in the US have a new Girard homeware range, I wonder if they'll make it over to the UK...

Parlour Games

Tomorrow (Saturday), I've got a stall at an indoor market at The Papered Parlour, a very lovely looking artists' studio/venue in Clapham (my 'hood handily enough). I've been meaning to pop along there for ages, so am very excited to finally be going and to part of the market. Come if you can!

Competition Commission

I recently found out that greetings card company Tigerprint (who design the cards for Marks & Spencer and are part of Hallmark), run monthly (I think) competitions for designs on different themes. This month it's Best of British, and I thought I'd have a go! Here are my designs, I tried to think outside the box but, really, at least one union jack and a cup of tea had to feature...

Phantom Palette

I innocently took this photo of two paint palette plates because I thought the colours were pretty. Little did I know that there was something more sinister lurking in the midst of the pinks and greens... a strange man's face. It's a bit like when people see the image of Jesus on a piece of toast. I do hope I'm not the only one who can see it!

Looks Like Rain

This is a little gaggle of girls - or ladies really - made from papier mâché. They look a bit lost for words - or perhaps like they're all reminiscing together. I think the orange lady on the right is expecting rain, while the other two are a bit more optimistic about it all...

Flying The Flag

This is the union jack cushion I made a couple of weeks ago - using a combination of new and vintage fabrics and materials, silk, calico, lace, all sorts! The one I'd made before was on a square cushion, but I do think it looks much better on a rectangle, and it has a lovely goose feather cushion pad inside from John Lewis. Inspired by Viv, created by me!

Pick Up A Penguin

Here are my two latest Penguin pictures, the blue one done for my sister's birthday, and the green to fill a space on the wall in our living room. They're real book titles this time, and although I half wonder if Where Angels Fear To Tread isn't slightly menacing, I'm really happy with them! I've got another in the pipeline for my friends' housewarming - Where The Wild Things Are...