5 February 2013

Mark Hearld - Birds & Beast

Image © Laura Towers at YSP


Image © YSP


Image © YSP

I recently saw an exhibition by Mark Hearld at the YSP. The work on show was a mixture of collage, prints, pen and ink and 3D pieces. I really like his illustrative style and depictions of animals in their habitat, the hare's a lovely.


31 January 2013

Birds

Image © Laura Towers
Image © Laura Towers
I had a house full at Christmas so I decided to make some name cards to break the ice between the in-laws. I got some inspiration from the Paper + Craft book and injected some patterned paper from Muji. I had some ribbon & small pegs in my box of tricks which turned the birds into decorations. The finishing touch (which is my favorite) is a pair of eyes & some rosy cheeks.

6 September 2012

Calico Skies

Image © Calico Skies

Image © Calico Skies
I stumbled across a beautiful blog called Calico Skies. Its a great place for inspiration if you like making & creating as well as eating, shopping and generally love seeing nice pretty things. I think I'll be keeping my eye on this one. 

16 May 2012

Print for Love of Wood

Something Blue Wedding Letterpress Print Image from Etsy page £15
Vintage Bake More Cake Letterpress Print Sky Blue. Image from Etsy page £15
I spotted Print for Love of Wood at the Saltaire Arts Trail a couple of weeks. The owner's, Jacqui Sharples, stand really caught my eye as I wandered through the crowded venue. She had brought along a press and displayed her pieces in old suitcase, there was a very vintage / make do feeling about it all. I really like letterpress and the quality it can give to an image or piece of type. I love the textures it leaves on different boards and the colours look amazing. I've post a couple of pieces that I loved on the day and you can purchase them via her etsy shop, they are really reasonable for prints, great ideas for gifts, especially for wedding season approaching.

13 May 2012

Lazy Oaf

Lazy Oaf Bonjour Bebe Card
Lazy Oaf Party Beard Card Ginger
Lazy Oaf Intimate Card
Lazy Oaf Squeeze Card
I really like Lazy Oaf's range of cards (just one string to their bow). I love the sentiment, illustration & colour (where applied), the cards are really silly & funny, if you know my sense of humour you will know that I've giggled reading all of them. I think H will especially like the bonjour card at the top. Lazy Oaf also produce t-shirts, accessories and lifestyle products. The brand was started over 10 years ago on a market stall in East London but its now grown and they sell their work in over 150 stockists worldwide.

12 May 2012

Finest Imaginary

Badger Necklace £11
Lists Shield Printed Moleskin £4
Pattern Printed Moleskins pack £10
I spotted Finest Imaginary at the ReetSweet craft fair in Leeds a couple of weeks ago. I thought their products looked really cute, with nice graphics & colours and with very realistic pricing. I'd be more than happy to pay £10 for their quirky necklace or £4 for a notebook. Check out their website to see their full range, they also do cards and homewares & have some jubilee themed products.

Eva Juliet Atelier

Print Designs by EvaJulietAtelier

Magnets Designs by EvaJulietAtelier
Print Designs by EvaJulietAtelier
Card Designs by EvaJulietAtelier
I can't remember how I stumbled across Eva Juliet Atelier but I'm glad I have. The Candian desginer seems to be able to turn her very talent hand to anything. Her website shows amazing examples of graphic design, illustration, print, photography & plush.  I have posted a few of my favourite pieces above - I especially like the 2 prints - one for me & the other for H. I love her colour palette & materials, its very soft and easy. May have to add her shop to my Etsy favourites.

All image from EvaJulietAtelier

11 May 2012

Finger Hero's

Image from DesignTaxi
Image from DesignTaxi
Image from DesignTaxi
I've seen these finger puppets doing the rounds and I thought I'd add them to SSH as I think they are brilliant. The cute characters really made me smile (and giggle).

They have been created by craft designer Tamara Maynes.

12 April 2012

Fluttering Wings

"Solstice" by Paul Villinski
"My Back Pages" by Paul Villinski
"Eclipse" by Paul Villinski
Gossip Girl bedroom installation, image from ShesSmart.com
I don't know about you but I'm a little fan of Gossip Girl and I've always liked the Butterflies in Serena's bedroom, so I thought I'd find out who made this beautiful creation. The Design Paul Villinski is responsible and he's got a whole host of creations on his website, including some of my favourites above. He discarded materials such as old beer cans and vinyl records then recycles them into tranquil pieces of installation. Looks pretty impressive to me.

20 March 2012

A Close Shave

Designed by Laura T
I (Laura) treated my boyfriend to a cut throat shave this valentines day - romantic I know. Anyway I thought I'd enhance his gift by making him a voucher. The design is quite simple using one style of font and a manilla board, hope you like it.

20 February 2012

Mjolk

Tablr Brush Set
Kauniste Keitiossa Tea Towel - Blue Kitchen Pantry
I've stumbled across quite a few lovely alternative lifestyle shops lately, I seem to be tempted by all of the homewares. Mjolk is a Scandanavia inspired store which hosts lots of wooden and natural products, some with the splash of colour like the tea towel above, others with thoughtful aesthtic details like the dustpan & brush above -much nicer than the plastic ones you get at the supermarket. Anyway, have a gander at the site for some inspiration.

24 January 2012

Helen Carnac's Enamel Works

Each Other by Helen Carnac
Each Other by Helen Carnac
Each Other by Helen Carnac
When I first saw these vessels by Helen Carnac I thought they had been decorated with a beautiful ceramic glaze, but after closer inspection (and a bit of reading) I've discovered they are works of enamel on steel. The designer/maker combines an exploration of materials & process, combined with deliberation & reflection to produce wonderful pieces of design. I enjoy the uniqueness of each piece and the different details & patterns in all of them, I'd be happy with one or two in my home. 

29 December 2011

Skyline & Chimney

Chimney Range

Skyline & Rooftop

Following my post below by the Oslo trio I thought I'd share some of my product designs. Helena & myself meet at Uni whilst studying 3D Design, Furniture & Fine Product and above are a few of my creations from my final year. The Chimney Range was a collection of vessels for storage in the home, they developed into tea & coffee pots. The shapes of the vessel create a hierarchy by using different sized polygons as a base, starting at 6 sides jumping up to 12. The change in base size altered the shape of vessels from short & open to slender and enclosed. I wanted to play with materials and created the prototypes from powder coated sheet metal & a resin lid - if the pieces ever made mass production I would like to combine sheet metal & ceramic or introduce wood into the lid & handle components. 

The Shelves are based on the skylines of cities and the rooftops of towns. Their construction is very simple, they are made from sheet steal and bent into shape and finished off by being powder coated, I've opted for Red, Black, White & Purple in my range. The shelves were designed to contain your things in a controlled manner, we often place items in shelves in a messed up & chaotic nature, often stuffing books into holes and spaces. I hope you like them. 

The shelves are available for sale if you are interested please drop me an email


Handle Me

Handle Me

Handle Me

Handle Me is a beautiful cookware range by Oslo based trio AarsethAngell and Wyller. The designers have created products that connect to the old style of cooking, stepping back in time from a fast food generation and encouraging longevity of materials & products. The pieces are made from cast iron with a simple dowel handle. The pieces look very natural, simplistic and would be at ease in most kitchens. The trio have displayed their work at many design shows / fairs and the pieces above are award winning. It really makes me want to get back into Product design.


20 December 2011

A Beautiful Mess

 Make your own Canvas Portrait

3 Easy Infused Water Recipes

ABM: Our Living Room

A Beautiful Mess is a Style blog by Designer & Boutique owner Elise Larson. The blog focuses on fashion, hair & beauty, treats & recipes, home decor, photography and DIY projects. The contents aims to inspire everyday life and to create a beautiful lifestyle.

29 November 2011

ZuppaAtelier

 Village Wall Plate
 Espresso Coffee Little Cups
 
Bird's house plate

Etsy is a great place for inspiration, ideas and beautiful products & gifts. On today's searching mission I came across these lovely pieces by ZuppaAtelier. The Designer hand paints the quirky icons before firing the porcelain. I think the illustrations are really cute and playful, not sure if I'd eat my dinner off them but I'd certainly display them.


6 November 2011

Leeds Craft Centre


SundaySuperHouse are based near Leeds, in West Yorkshire, and I'm pleased to say that there is a lot of creativity going on in the region. One place to see some of the local talent is Leeds Craft Centre next to Leeds Art Gallery. I visited the center last week for the first time and was impressed by the standard of the ceramics, jewelry, prints & paintings on offer (to name a few). Above is a selection of images from the up coming exhibitions, so if you are in need of an original gift or to treat yourself then I would recommend calling in and supporting local crafts. 

2 November 2011

Birthday Cake for Elle Tee



As promised, here is a shot of my delicious homemade birthday presents. This time I've baked the lovely Lauren Traynor owner of Elle Tee blog a Chocolate & Banana cake.

28 October 2011

Baked Gifts




I've tried to be a bit more creative with Birthday presents this year so I've gone down the home made route. I've tried out Chocolate Brownies and they've been greatly received. I did a couple of labels to dress them up a bit, along with some white greaseproof paper and good old parcel string. I'll post a few photo's of the finished thing when I can.