Our Sale continues...

We've placed more lovely products into our crazy spring clean sale! Grab yourself a treat from For You and For Home sections now. Grab them while you can!

Crazy Spring clean sale starts here!

We’re having a Spring clean sale! To kick start our crazy sale, we have up to 50% off the For Work and For Kids sections. Stock up on some quirky, colourful stationery or treat your little ones to some cute toys and making kits! Also don’t forget to keep your eyes on our Facebook page and twitter where we’ll be letting you know of more sale offers in the coming weeks!

Happen Projects

We stumbled upon this great project, based in East London. Various artists and designers collaborated with small local businesses around Dalston to create bespoke installations between the shopkeepers and the artists.To help boost the high street. Happen Projects organised this project, called the Exchange Series. The great thing was Hackney Council helped to fund the project. The installations actually end today, however you can take a peek here and find out more about the project. Artists that took part were, Hato Press, Damien Poulain, Alexandre Bettler, Aurelie Dellasanta, Olivia Hegarty, Pipa Greenbank, Sarah Cockings, Laurence Owen and Agi & Sam. Hato Press are a graphic design and print collective, they used their riso colour test prints that they had produced from printing flyers, posters, zines in 2011, to make up the wallpaper of their window installation. Which was really effective, and great as all materials were recycled. See BBC feature here.
Images from Happen Projects.

Have a Merry Christmas!

We're all set for Christmas! We wanted to say a big thanks for all your support this year! We're off to put our feet up now!
Here is a little treat for you.... sorry couldn't resist. a bit of Wham! Have a Merry Christmas all! x

Elphicks

Hope you enjoyed your weekends. Not long till Christmas! Today, we strolled down to Columbia Road, to do a spot of Christmas shopping. As we were down there, we also popped into Elphick's, a gorgeous art/print shop that also stocks some of our Tree series products (Tree Towels, cards, postcards and Tree prints). Sharon Elphick, the owner of this cute shop, found us at the recent Bust Christmas Craftacular Fair. We're so pleased to have Elphick's showcase are work. The shop is packed full of goodies, from limited edition prints, tea towels, cards, ceramics and books. The perfect weekend mooching day.

BUST CHRISTMAS CRAFTACULAR!

Hi, it's that time of year again, and to kick start the festive period, we're taking part in tomorrows Bust Christmas Craftacular! At York Hall, 5-15 Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green. 1 min from Bethnal Green tube station.There will be lots going on, from 70 stalls, DJ's, drinks and DIY workshops! Pop by and say hello!

BLOG CHAT 13_LAURA SPRING

We'd like to introduce you to Laura Spring, a textile designer from Glasgow. For the past eight years Laura has been involved in the field of fashion and textiles. She graduated from The Glasgow School of Art in 2002 with a degree in Visual Communication and went on to work for various t.v and theatre companies in their costume departments before embarking on a career as a textile designer in 2007.

This year has been very busy and interesting for Laura, as she was selected to take part in a craft residency at Cove Park in Scotland during the early summer. Here she developed her interest in the relationship between a pattern and it's function as she continued with explorations about the British obsession with the weather. Once back in her studio in Glasgow she completed a weather inspired luggage collection and was invited to take part in 'Spotted by Charlotte Abrahams' at Top Drawer in September. Now Laura's back in her studio and preparing for "Spotted Plus" in January 2012.
We have also got Laura's Weather range of tote bags, make-up bags and wash bags on Our Shop, check them out, here.

1. WHY ARE YOU WHAT YOU ARE?
It's a bit of winding story..... I did a degree in graphics at Glasgow School of Art which was great but I always knew it wasn't quite right for me, especially after I spent more time avoiding the computer than using it! I began to do some screen printing as part of my course and instantly loved it, but  after graduating I took a theatre design course and from there became seduced by the world of costume as I loved sewing and learning about all the techniques etc. After five years working in the costume industry I began to miss making my own work regularly, so I took an evening course in screen printing to refresh my mind and then realised it would make sense to combine my love of printing with fabric so a friend and I set up a design collaboration called Mouse and Bean. We set up a printing studio in Glasgow and worked together for three years printing fabrics by the metre and making cushions but decided to call it a day last year. We still share our lovely studio though and I decided to make a suitcase last Christmas after receiving a lovely old pattern from a friend in Canada and my current practice just grew from there....

2. IF YOU WEREN'T A DESIGNER WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
That's hard because I've always loved working with fabric.....and designing things! I used to work in the wardrobe department at Scottish Opera before I set up my printing studio which was lots of fun and very interesting, so maybe something along those lines....?

3. HOW DO YOU OVERCOME A DESIGNER'S BLOCK?
A cycle round Maxwell Park near my studio. I love being on my bike and the fresh air really helps clear the mind!

4. WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
A couple of new designs for my luggage collection to be shown at Spotted Plus in January 2012.


5. EARLY BIRD OR NIGHT OWL?
Early bird, every time! Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day!

6. WHAT DO YOU TREAT YOURSELF TO FOR ELEVENSES?
A dark chocolate digestive.


7. MY FAVE COLOUR IS...?
Orange, for now....but it's open to change!

8. MY FAVE SMELL IS....?
Freshly cut grass...mmmm.


9. IF YOUR HOUSE WAS ON FIRE, WHAT 3 THINGS WOULD YOU SAVE?
My photo collection, my dandy trailer tent (although technically it lives at dave's mums, but I would be distraught if it got burnt!) and my great grandma's jewellery.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVE BLOG?
Fine Little Day, a total treat! i love this lady's work!

Olympic Posters 2012

The Olympic posters for next year 2012 have been released. Designed by british artists, Ofili, Martin Creed, Anthea Hamilton, Gary Hume, Howard Hodgkin, Bridget Riley, Rachel Whiteread and Tracey Emin. The artists brief was to celebrate the Games coming to London and to look at the values of the Olympics and Paralympics. They are all pretty abstract, which we like. Our favourites are Tracey Emin, Sarah Morris, Martin Creed and Howard Hodgkin. It's unusual for Olympic posters to not have the hosting country's landmarks in, which we found quite refreshing! (tho Sarah Morris' Big Ben is evident, though very abstract too!)
Via BBC

BLOG CHAT 12_GEORGIA BOSSON

We'd like to introduce you to Georgia Bosson, a textile designer from Greenwich, London. Georgia graduated last year from studying Embroidery at Manchester School of Art. She has been working on a variety of projects, which include:
The Floating Cinema- creating structural curtains for a critically acclaimed cinema which toured the London canals this summer and will be used during the Olympics. Working for a successful textile collective Puff and Flock, including exhibitions such as designers block as well as projects with Elisabeth Buecher including costumes for the V&A- Siamese monsters, and a Music video- costume production for Saint Saviour. Georgia is currently setting up a new London studio practice developing new print designs and continuing to explore structural textiles. Georgia has created some gorgeous printed cushions for Our Shop, please check them out here.To see more of Georgia's work, please click here.

1. WHY ARE YOU WHAT YOU ARE?
I have always made things, from peg dolls to extravagantly decorated rafts, I love being creative and making things, whether it is to make a living or just for fun. I’m not sure I could do anything else!

2. IF YOU WEREN'T A DESIGNER WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
There isn’t really anything that I wish I was doing instead however if I had to choose another job it would be an air hostess but one who worked about twenty years ago when it was mandatory to have a weeks holiday before flying home again.

3. HOW DO YOU OVERCOME A DESIGNER'S BLOCK?
The only thing that ever works for me is drawing. If I look at other people’s work I get frustrated that I am not working but if I draw I find the ideas eventually start to flow again.

4. WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
Developing my work into more commercial products and continuing to explore the architectural side of my work that I started to develop with the Floating Cinema.

5. EARLY BIRD OR NIGHT OWL?
Early bird, I am rubbish at night, my brain stops working properly past 9!

6. WHAT DO YOU TREAT YOURSELF TO FOR ELEVENSES?
Oatcakes with nutella on.

7. MY FAVE COLOUR IS...?
All of the colours between yellow and orange!

8. MY FAVE SMELL IS....?
Baking cakes.

9. IF YOUR HOUSE WAS ON FIRE, WHAT 3 THINGS WOULD YOU SAVE?
My cats, My portfolios and My Nana’s engagement ring.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVE BLOG?
verydesignersblock.co.uk they always have an insight into the new designers coming out of degrees and MA’s.
 
puffandflock is great for new technologies and exhibitions.
 
The designboom newsletter is pretty good too.

Mary Mary

We were mooching around town last week, and decided to pop by and see Mary Portas' shop in House of Fraser. We've been watching Mary's 3-part tv series, on her creating a fashion collection for women. As we arrived on the third floor, it was very buzzy in Mary's shop. Mary's shop felt very quite different to the rest of House of Fraser, it even had it's own shop signage by the entrance. What struck me was how edgey and modern this was and I loved the little details, like the small area where you could have a perch and drink a Mary coffee and flip through some fashion magazines while you wait for your friend/partner etc shop or change in the changing rooms. It felt like a lifestyle store, abit like Anthropologie, but on a much smaller scale. Selling coffee, gorgeous notebooks, ceramics, beauty products as well as clothes, shoes and accessories. The branding of the shop was great, really consistent and still quirky. There was even a 'moan phone' so that you could pick up and call and leave a message on Mary's voicemail. If you had a complaint or wanted to voice your opinion you could, and apparently Mary picks up the messages herself at the end of each week. I thought that was a nice idea! The mannequins made were fun, they're all Mary clones, with her trademark orange burst hair and statuesque frame. I came away thinking, this is a great shopping experience and also all the products were of high quality too. It's true, Mary is the queen of shops!

Pinocchio!

We've got some great products coming into Our Shop in the coming weeks. We especially love this Pinocchio pencil sharpener!
Watch Pinocchio's nose shrink as your sharpen the pencil. Keep your eyes peeled, more goodies to come.

Tree Prints

Hello! We've just launched our Tree Prints on Our Shop. The Tree prints come in the four seasons; Spring (Japanese Cherry Blossom) Summer (Orange Tree), Autumn (Oak Tree) and Winter (Fir Tree). Each tree has a limited run and is printed on a riso press. The prints also come in a set of Tree Postcards too. Have great weekends!