Now Open

My sister Sophie has just opened up an online shop selling her limited edition screen prints, hand embroidered cushions and hand painted pebbles. It's a bit of a treasure trove... go here to have a look around!!

September Shop

In the last couple of weeks I've been helping my artist sister Sasha set up a new project (in my very official capacity as marketing & communications officer) - A Painting A Day. Every day in September she's creating a small painting and selling it for just £200 in her new online shop (usually her paintings are very expensive, worth every penny of course, but not affordable to everyone). So far the venture has been going really well, and it's lovely to see the shop gradually fill up. Tip: If you want to get your hands on one check online each day at about 2pm, that's when she usually posts the new painting...

Pushing The Envelope

Have you heard of Envelop? It's an online shop where illustrators/designers can upload designs that can then be bought by the public and printed on demand onto cushions, tote bags, aprons and more. There are all sorts of cool designs on there. I've been meaning to try it out for ages, and have got my first cushion design up now.

Exhibit A

This weekend I'm taking part in an exhibition in a little gallery in Bristol called Room 212, organised by Claire Platt and Camilla Stacey of Calm Air All Ice. The idea is that the girls have invited fifty-two artists to contribute three pieces each to the show, which is only on for a few days. Unfortunately I can't go and see it in person, but I've been browsing their pictures from the opening night (including a tiny image of my three dolls in the window) and it looks great!

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).

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

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!

Cockpit Arts

A couple of Fridays ago, I met my sisters after work at the Cockpit Arts Open Studio private view. Cockpit Arts is a huge studio space/organisation, which seems to really support the designer/makers who work there, calling itself a "business incubator". It was a very inspiring visit, and a lovely start to the weekend. Here are a few of my favourites:

Graphic cushions, lampshades, prints and cards by Helen Minns

Jolie-laide graphic cushions, deckchairs, cards, linens and bags by Thornback & Peel

Last but certainly not least, one of my favourite designers Abigail Brown, with her beyond gorgeous birds, creatures and cards. If I could ever have such a cohesive range, distinct style and happy aesthetic as Abigail I'd be happy!

Eastern Promise

I was very excited at lunchtime today to make a pilgrimage to our post office sorting depot to pick up a parcel that I've been dying to open... it was two Paume books, which I've had my eye on (the whole series in fact, not any particular issue) for a while, and had seen in the Ella Doran shop but had stupidly assumed I could just get [cheaper] from Amazon. Well, it turns out they're quite elusive, and although I know you can order them from the Yvestown Shop, I was reluctant to pay too much on postage, so the kind girls at Ella Doran agreed to send a couple to me as I didn't know when I'd be able to get to the shop, and here they are.

Very inspiring, and the unintelligible Japanese characters just seem to add to the charm. I suppose it's quite refreshing to be able to make up your own mind about the pictures without someone else's copy getting in the way. Now I want London Ateliers, Appartements de fille à Paris, Stockholm's Apartments... like I said, any of them will do nicely!!

Ikea Story

The other day I went to Ikea to buy a couple of picture frames, thinking I'd be in and out in 15 minutes, but of course you can't just buy two things in Ikea, and it's like a shopping Bermuda Triangle. So, I ended up an hour or so later in a bit of a daze handing over £40 at the checkout and hauling my haul back home. The best things were some lengths of fabric. You cut your own whatever length you like, and then they weigh it to price it up. 

These are the ones I bought, and although they haven't left their packaging yet, I'm fully intending on running up some cushion covers to freshen up our sitting room. Sometime. 

Seadrift

I spent Easter in Cornwall, and thought I'd take the opportunity while down there to hand over three dolls I've just made to my sister's friend Vicki. She lives by the beach and turned her garage into a gorgeous gallery/shop called Seadrift a couple of years ago.

She opened for the season at Easter, and we went and celebrated with her over a glass of Buck's Fizz, on a lovely sunny morning. She was thrilled with the dolls, and gave them pride of place on her dresser amongst lots of treasures. I think they look just right in their new home!

I Heart Marmite

A little while ago I saw these Marmite design plates and straight away was desperate to own one (or the whole set really).

The moment passed, and they slipped my mind until just now, and I fear the desire is back with me and may have to be fulfilled. They do coasters, mugs and more here too. I just need to decide which colour would be best to eat my marmite-smothered crumpets off!

NYC Stories # 1: Specials

I've just read a post over on Café Mode about the new Marc Jacobs shop in Paris, mentioning his "Specials" range of weird and wonderful accessories at miniscule prices. Well, I went to New York a couple of weeks ago for a long weekend, and was staying round the corner from the dedicated Marc Jacobs Specials shop on Bleecker Street. Every time I tried to go there I was too early and it wasn't open yet, but on my last day, in fact my last hour, I decided to give it one last go, and boy was I glad I did!! The shop is tiny, and was pretty hectic, but they had some fab things. I bought a large version of a canvas bag I'd had my eye on for months (seen on the Internet, never in real life), this chunky turquoise and silver bracelet, and a t-shirt that's already had lots of good comments. 

It was a very successful end to an otherwise pretty much shopping-free weekend. It's strange, normally designer labels don't do anything for me (which is just as well, money-wise), but Marc Jacobs has some kind of magnetic pull, maybe it's a combination of the logo, the humour in his designs, the man himself.... and of course the fact that these particular items are very affordable is a huge bonus!

Original

Last Sunday I went to the Craft Council's Origin Craft Fair, at Somerset House. It was a lovely sunny afternoon, and Somerset House is such an elegant venue. I didn't stay for very long, but got quite inspired by some of the work I saw there. In fact, I dashed home to do some making of my own, and to finally stick a pile of cuttings into my new scrap book, but ended up going to the local pub quiz instead. My number one favourite was Samantha Bryan and her incredibly detailed fairy characters with their weird and wonderful accessories.

Samantha Bryan

I love the knitted textures on these ceramics by Annette Bugansky, and the clever way they make a brittle, delicate material look cosy.

The fine line drawings on tea towels, laundry bags and other objets by Teresa Green are really simple and appealing.

And finally, I was very tempted by this suede bound notebook by Kim Robertson, with its hot and glamorous colours and graphic print reminiscent of Stella McCartney...

Shelf Life

I always forget how great Spitalfields market and Brick Lane are - or maybe not forget, just leave it too long between visits. Well, I went for a browse with my sister on Sunday, and even though the weather was a bit grey had such a nice and inspiring time wandering around the stalls and shops. It's incredible how much - and how quickly - the area has changed in the last few years. Some of it feels a bit shiny and new, but its still charming. We went to Cheshire Street, just off Brick Lane, a little street that I'd come across a couple of years ago accidentally and really liked, but never been back. It turned out to be the best thing of the day. Such lovely shops, all small and painted different stylish colours. Half of them were closed, but this one, Shelf, was an absolute joy, with just a very select range of homeware - bowls, russian dolls, prints, enamel letters, books, bags etc. etc.. They had Camilla Engman prints and Rob Ryan tiles. So many gorgeous - but understated - things we were a bit blown away!