Etsy finds

I love the attention to detail on these handmade linen aprons from Knock Knock Linen. Beautiful photographs too, makes we want to disappear to a log cabin in Scotland! I was never an apron wearer but these days I’m never without one, these are much too nice to get covered in ink though!
They also have a beautiful selection of home-ware and cozy apparel hand made in Dumphries, Scotland. Read more of their story www.knocklinen.com and buy online here in their Etsy Shop
Happy cozy weekend everyone x

Penguin threads

Love the new Deluxe Penguin Classic book covers designed by Jillian Tamaki simply stunning!
You can read more about Jillian's dream job and look behind the scenes from initial sketches to photographing the finished work on Jillian's blog here and here.
My dream job would have to be designing a book cover or even an album cover!
What would your dream job be?

Neil Derrett Photography

At the BA Honours degree show I fell in love with these prints from Neil Derrett but wanted to wait till everyone was back off the holidays to share. They looked amazing printed large format on panels and reminded me of the National History Spirit Collection I saw on Hannah Nunn’s blog. Here's an exert from Neil’s exhibition statement...

Daguerreotype or Wet Plate Collodion 

The Wet Plate process requires coating glass plates with a series of different chemicals within the confines of a darkroom or box. The first is coating the plate with collodion, a sticky substance that allows the plate to be sensitised with silver nitrate. The plate is then loaded into the camera and exposed to light (capture subject(s), all before the plate dries within 20 minutes. Then the plates are processed and fixed with chemicals that can be extremely dangerous if not handled with care, such as Potassium Cyanide. To finish, the plates are varnished on the front and sprayed black on the reverse to produce the 3D mirrored appearance.I enjoy the craft, considered approach and tactile nature of producing imagery in this process.The images produced for this exhibition have been inspired from nature, seeking out organic sculptures and combining the Wet Plate process, producing an eclectic mix of both considered and accidental imagery.

Sounds such an interesting process don't you think? Something I would love to have a go at, even the plates themselves are a thing of beauty!

If you would like any more information, even a print for your self like me or would like to stock prints in your gallery then please email Neil at this address

Typography love from Patrick Edgeley

Folk style ampersand screen print available from TYPE KING on etsy, how could I resist! Lots of other style, letters and colours too.
Designed and screen printed by the very talented Patrick Edgeley you can check out more of his work and buy screen prints over on his site antigraphic
Fab addition to my studio, can never have enough ampersands!

degree show highlights

First up in my highlights from the degree show is Contemporary Textiles graduate Faye Bolton. My photograph of her stand doesn't do the colours in the chandelier justice, it looked stunning. I love Faye's bold use of colour and pattern, my favourite  has to be the abstract orange silk bottom left, stunning!
Faye Bolton. Fabric designer specialising in custom made lampshades and revamping tired old lamps
Website www.inlighting.co.uk

paper finds

Spotted these Midori envelopes over at Simplesong and was so happy when I found them in the UK at the Journal Shop. Mine arrived in the post today and I'm so impressed with the quality and the cute box they come stored in. I also got the small ones for sticking in the back of notebooks, great for saving those little finds on your travels. I collect all sorts of bits of paper, tickets and momentos to remind me of a fab day out, tags off clothes that I love the design, now I have somewhere nice and organised to store them!

New prints hot off the press, just need to take some pictures...

visiting London

www.labourandwait.co.uk

I'm off to London Sunday for a couple of days with students for a design conference but will have some free time for sight seeing. Trying to work out where to go but there are so many interesting places I want to see and not the time. Might take a peak at the V&A, then onto The National History Museum (after I saw these on Hannah’s blog). Then there's a Saul Bass exhibition which isn't far from Labour and Wait where I wouldn't mind picking up the letterpress postcards above. I like to walk and find interesting places down little side streets, so a walk round the East End just might be the ticket.
Any other suggestions that you can recommend for inspiration in London?

Typugila- Gourmet for designers

Extra virgin olive oil for the type geeks like me!

Available in 3 different packs featuring a handmade and hand-coloured earthenware bottle, a letterpress numbered tag and a small bag of olive leaves from Apulia in Italy where the olives are grown. Special editions also feature eco friendly packaging and vintage wood type.

All the packaging is designed to be reusable, you can find out more here at the roots shop on etsy.

I love the colours of the bottles, especially the blue, which is yours?...

Meet the super talented duo Sylvia and Daniel Janssen, two designers from Hamburg, Germany who love to use traditional craft skills. I love Daniel's original copperplate engravings that have a scientific edge, it was so difficult to pick a favourite, check out his etsy shop here to learn more about his technique of this dying craft. I feel an urge to spend some of my pennies from santa!

“...we used the almost forgotten and very elaborate technique of enamel: powdered glass is melted at 850 degrees celsius. Enamel has a very unique surface and a lovely one of a kind look. We create enamel charms for bracelets and necklaces. 877 - the name of our label - is the color number of silver in the Pantone Color System and expresses the link between our graphical work and our jewelry work.”

You can find Sylvia etsy shop 877 here, where I have my eye on a lovely ampersand charm...

...and if that isn't enough talent, Daniel set up a letterpress project at the Museum of Work in Hamburg, which you can read about here, he also created some missing letters for flowers & fleurons.

Together they run the  graphic and type design studio bfgjanssen, I'm particularly fond of the typeface Emily

red & white christmas

1. mr yen 2. upon a fold 3. mangle prints 4. cox & cox 5. notsh 6. noths

Feeling all christmassy... though by the time my little one has finished it will be multicolored ;)

oh my cavalier

I recently came across Julianna's work and love her style, especially fond of the Mechanical Animals. It was hard to choose what to showcase, see her blog for more of her work and links or visit her shop here

finds for your weekend

Found via http://kickcanandconkers.blogspot.com

I just LOVE these limited edition prints from Julia Trigg, julia works digitally so not to spoil her wonderful collection on vintage ephemera, a woman after my own heart! She has an exhibition in Brighton which you read about via kickcan and conkers blog!
Don't you just love that name 'kickcan and conkers' reminds me of my childhood ;) Run by Deborah a lovely Yorkshire lass living in the south of France, check out her blog for some lovely inspiration!
Found these while rummaging through her blog...

I'd just buy these for the packaging from Merchant & Mills simply lovely dress patterns too, makes me feel like getting my sewing machine but alas no time!
I love the internet, so much inspiration, too much to put on my blog! I decided use Tumblr as a virtual scrapbook so I can easily post pics I find and remember where I found them, I had a stumbleupon account for a while before I changed my mac, (forgot my login details ;)
All these social network sites make me dizzy, how do you folks record your virtual inspiration...

friday inspiration

I've just downloaded the latest edition of Blanket Magazine a great read, especially as it features letterpress and a fab article on printing linocuts on fabric and there's a a lovely feature on paper cut artist MR YEN, It's only $2 and you also get a free font and music, a bargain!

The 1st edition of NUNO magazine is now available to download with a autumn forest theme of handmade goodness, packed full with tutorials I must have a go at the twig notebooks, you can view a preview of the contents and download here for $5

I found nuno via paper n stitch where I have been featured as shop of the day and today I'm one of the daily favourites. Brittni runs a lovely inspirational blog with tutorials and advice on selling your handmade goodness online.
There's is also a chance to win a $20 spending spree here

Have a chilled weekend everyone I'm going to have a glass of red and be inspired by my new found ispiration...

Etsy wish list

I keep finding lots of lovely things on Etsy so I though I'd share a few of my favourites...

Rustic distresses sterling abalone rings from tinahdee
Artist book Overgrown Summer Song with hand painted watercolour puddles, stitched threads and letterpress type embellishments from Lou Lou Loves Books
Japanese anemone seed heads limited edition mezzotint from Sarah Bay
Dream big little one hand screen printed cushion from Robin & Mould

My wake up & smell the ink print was featured on a Rise & Shine Treasury by eggagogo which made the front page, thank you for all the lovely emails and to modadesigns for letting me know as I missed it and didn't have a clue!
To celebrate the number of people now hearting my etsy shop I'll be arranging a giveaway when I reach 100, now at 98 only two to go, watch this space...

Studio YRA

I love wood, typograpghy and I love these...

Studio Yra is a collaboration between product designer Lina Meier and graphic designer Sara Keranen-Gramner.

www.studioyra.com

available at the fabulous Unlimited Editions studio shop or online here

How good is this!

One Little Bird Studio has inspired me to get mixing some transparent inks and create soft colours and patterns but what I'm up to will remain a secret for now ;)

But how good is this! you can create your own fabric designs and there's no minimum quantity, Leanda at One Little Bird Studio has just got her swatches back of her fabric for sale, lovely....

1. swatches, 2. swatches, 3. spooner tea-towel, 4. Spooner in 3 colours

What a great idea for a personlised special gift, the possibilities are endless, hmmm copious amounts of wood letter fabric :-)

I'll let Leanda tell you all the details here

ANDY SMITH GIVEAWAY

Andy Smith has got 5 free t-shirts to giveaway, so get on over to his blog to find out more :) It looks like me without the beard as I keep forgetting to get my hair cut!

I love his hand rendered typography here's a few of my faves, though it was hard to pick just a few...

SALVAGE MAGAZINE

I'm soooo bogged down with projects for uni and freelance at the moments I haven't had the time to print :(
My blog posts may get a little erratic over the next few weeks, and at some point I WILL be able to see a light at the end of the tunnel!
Meanwhile came across a wonderful magazine the other day called SALVAGE in the campus library and found these great crafty pdf instructions on their site, just click on pics to download...

Great idea for wrapping...

Easter chicks... is is that time of year already!

Easy book binding...

Lots more lovely projects too here, the wrapping with cloth is a Japanese idea originally but I can't remember what its called, any ideas?

INSPIRATION

Feeling inspired by vintage typography and stitches...
Letterpress Love card at Anthropologie... (wish I had thought of this one :)

Nellie & Elsie Old French Travel card Needle Case (with a romantic story :) also check out her vintage pin cushion, love it...

Philippa Wood on flickr...

New prints from DIG THE EARTH

Love Is Colourblind – This design is based on the Ishihara Colour Test (which tests to see if you are colourblind)

Beautiful and colourful A4 Button Heart giclée prints available in a range of colours
Both available on special offer to all Dig the Earth blog readers, for just £10 until December 31st 2009.
Find out more here DIG THE EARTH