Wednesday 31 October 2012

CHANEL LITTLE BLACK JACKET LOVE


KARL LAGERFELD and CARINE ROITFELD have created a beautiful photgraphic exhibition and book in honour of the COCO CHANEL classic LITTLE BLACK JACKET. The images are wonderful and please take a minute to look at the amazing seamstresses at work crafting a jacket in the CHANEL ATELIER. After many years of love from afar, looking a photos, I saw an elegant woman in London, in the flesh, wearing a sea green Chanel skirt suit, it was AMAZING! I would like a little black jacket, it's nearly Christmas you know, please and thank you.


Tuesday 30 October 2012

SANTOS DOLL LOVE II


Ooooh! Look what arrived yesterday, our beautiful SANTOS DOLL with her Sacred Heart lockets. This is the best shot I could get because it is so overcast and dreary today. The crown that fits will only be available at Christmas and we also plan on putting a small light in the cabinet so that all her wonderful detail will be illuminated. So excited!!!

Monday 29 October 2012

WILD LOVE


We popped in quickly yesterday to the Wholefood Market up the road before taking the Swanling Trick or Treating. We had a very delicious, fresh cooked, falafel roti with extra brinjal (I could have happily eaten two). We saw the strong, modern work of WILD JEWELLERY, Gary and Chantel Wild, we were especially excited (Scott has been looking for a ring for ages!) as they have a selection of rings suited for large masculine hands using organic as well as techno materials with silver or titanium.


 

Friday 26 October 2012

PB STICKER LOVE


So many far away birthdays this month and next that our studio has been turned into a packaging plant, presents, puffy envelopes, ribbons, wrapping paper piled high. I also have quite a few PB orders and made some new stickers yesterday for the boxes and tubes that will be delivering my prints safely.

Thursday 25 October 2012

LITTLE EMBROIDERY LOVE


Found these strange little embroidered Christmas ornaments at MERRYPAK yesterday. They were apparently not the best of sellers, remnants of Christmas past. I absolutely love the fine stitches and peasant style motifs, reminds me of an abstract matryoshka or mexican Our Lady of Guadelupe.


Wednesday 24 October 2012

CHARLEY HARPER LOVE


When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don’t see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced, without trimming or unutilized parts; and herein lies the lure of painting; in a world of chaos, the picture is one small rectangle in which the artist can create an ordered universe. 
Charley Harper (1922 -2007) 

Charley Harper was a man who filled his life from end to end, sometimes such incredible artists should be allocated even more time on this planet so they can fulfill more than one life time of beauty. Swan and I spent our bedtime reading last night paging through half of this wonderful book. I can't explain how much I admire this man's work, his lyrical simple lines, textures, stylisation and perfect of perfectness colour palettes. Mr Harper you are so THE MAN!

Tuesday 23 October 2012

CARLA BIRTHDAY LOVE


It's my dear friend Carla's birthday today. So I have made an ode to a very splendid 2% of the human population. Those that can produce Vitamin D even in the near dark. Can you guess? Vampires? No. A high threshhold for pain, particularly that caused by the piercing of skin but low threshhold for thermal pain, requiring greater amounts of anesthetic. Body Modifiers? No. MC1R gene releasing more pheomelanin pigment? Yes! Redheads!!!!
Happy Birthday sweet Bold across the sea.

Monday 22 October 2012

MAGNUS LOVE


When I first saw this image in a magazine I thought it was a ceramic beetle so I have been googling Delft ceramic beetle to no avail. These are actually amazing digital prints by MAGNUS GJOEN, graphic designer to VIVIENNE WESTWOOD (my heroine). They are built using a 3D program, Illustrator and Photoshop, then the flat etchings are moulded and blurred to look like they were painted on. Mad skills! Wish they were real though.





Friday 19 October 2012

SELKIE BOARD LOVE


It's that WAVESCAPES time of the year again, so excited! Our board should be arriving early next week, not sure of the shape yet but have started to put together my ideas. This is my first quick moodboard, thinking of doing a seal wife, the romantic tragedy of the selkie. Am hoping to do step by step posts of my progress, the messy studio is not so safe at the mo, roof needs fixing.

Thursday 18 October 2012

PLANTS A JUMBLE LOVE






Swan and I cleared all our seedlings, fat plants, cacti, little statues, botanical experiments and all round green stuff onto the deck table so that we could paint. Now they are waiting patiently in a jumble while we search for a suitably lovely potting stand for them to sit on permanently. Am busy collecting old colanders to grow sprouts and micro leaves in, have two already from MINT

Wednesday 17 October 2012

NDLOVU LOVE


So Scott and I snuck off to FORDOUN SPA yesterday for some treats, it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! The Midlands is so beautiful at the moment, really green and lush and misty, my fave. Both the OYSTER BOX SPA and FORDOUN used AFRICOLOGY but have since developed their own ranges of products. I really adore AFRICOLOGY, the scent of their products is exquisite but I must say that the NDLOVU products are equally lovely. I am particularly interested in the Artemesia Range, indigenous to South Africa, a plant that they grow and harvest on the property. It has a distinct, rich aroma similar to camphor and mint. Going to order a few products as part of my on going quest to use natural, local and as organic as possible.


Tuesday 16 October 2012

GONE FISHING LOVE


Couldn't find one that said Gone Spa-ing. Have a lovely day lovelies!

Monday 15 October 2012

CINDERELLA LOVE


A huge thank you to Trish, PATRICIA McINTOSH SCHOOL OF BALLET, her team, the ELIZABETH SNEDDON THEATRE, all the mamma's who helped backstage and the wonderful audience who attended Cinderella. Swan had a blast, is completely exhausted (as am I) but wishes that it is not over and declared being on stage very splendid indeed.

Friday 12 October 2012

SANDRA SUY LOVE


SANDRA SUY, fashion illustrator, sometimes pictures speak louder than words.



 


 

Thursday 11 October 2012

LIBRARY CARD CATALOGUE LOVE


Along with a haberdashery counter, a vintage library card catalogue is top of my most desired furniture list. I know these have both been blogged about to bits and I am as slow as a granny tortoise but some things take AGES to find! A bit knackered today from small fat froggie dogs wanting to have a wander in the garden at 3 am this morning, so too lazy for links, most of these were on ebay, etsy or pinterest. Aren't they pretty and so clever?





Wednesday 10 October 2012

PATRINS LOVE


Swan and I have been making our way through the Famous Five series, all 21 of them, by Enid Blyton, my Dad read them all to me at the same age and they seeped into my subconcious. In last nights chapters we read about the patrins left by travellers and this bought back so many memories of holidays in the Berg where I made signs on the path out of leaves and sticks. I have been doing some research and work for an exhibition on Eu-Roma Gypsies but have only just begun to touch on the amazing history of humans as travellers now and in the past. A search for identity and roots.

A Patrin, means leaf or page of a book in Romani language, a message made of twigs/leaves/flowers/natural materials, sometimes tied with thin ribbon or cloth, used to give directions or advice to other gypsies.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

FORDOUN LOVE


I wish to be here today, FORDOUN SPA HOTEL, I wish to have treatments and massages and foot rubs and breathe the crisp Midlands air. That's all!





Monday 8 October 2012

PLANT STAND LOVE


After the house outside makeover we are now working on the garden spring clean. Out with all the tatty remnants and making space for new herbs and food plants, feeding up my fruit and citrus trees and making everything sprucey again. I have been looking for a cool industrial/Victorian metal plant stand, want something cross between pretty and practical for our small fat plants/cacti and seedlings, lettuce, sprouts, cress, Swan's experiments. I can't decide between rusty or powder coated in a zingy colour. Not too big or not too small. So far only seen super expensive fancy new ones, going to be trawling my fave shops later this week to see if I can find some second hand ones. MINT often has beauties so will be keeping my eye on the daily postings.




Friday 5 October 2012

SANTOS LOVE


I love the beautiful expressions found on all religious statues, the perfect mystery of peace and thoughtfulness. SANTOS is the Spanish word for saint but covers the Virgin Mary too, expressive figures traditionally carried in wedding, funeral and religious holiday parades. I have my beady eye on this reproduction from SANTOS CAGE DOLL.