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!