Cool Blog Alert - Tamsin Allen Creative

We thought we'd bring to your attention to a super inspiring blog by our art director friend Tamsin. She writes about the things we love including branding, design, photography and interiors. We always direct our mouses to her blog for a fix of daily inspiration. We really enjoyed a recent post on the iconic Selfridges brand. Being obvious fans of yellow we are ever appreciating of this amazing British brand whose design is beautifully consistent and recognisable. Great stuff Tamsin, long may your blogging continue!

 http://tamsinallencreative.wordpress.com/

Calling all performers!

Our friends at Team London Bridge are looking for street performers for the London Bridge area during the Olympics. We designed a little poster for them to help advertise it. So if you can balance a ball on your head or are just an all round outgoing person with a talent, do get in touch here...

BLOG CHAT_14 DACIO LAMOUNIER

We'd like to introduce you to a good friend of ours, Dacio Lamounier. Dacio is a Creative Consultant and founder of Casa Lamounier. He studied Interior Design and in Brazil and ventured to London when he was 24 to explore the diversity and intensity of this city. Since moving to London he has worked in Harrod’s and for the international team at The Body Shop, creating inspiring and innovative Visual Merchandising displays. From there, Dacio went on to become Head of Creative Design for Notcutts, a national chain of garden centres.

In 2011 he founded Casa Lamounier to help realise his dream of running his own consultancy and helping brands to develop their creative ideas. Check out Casa Lamounier's newly launched website here.

1. WHY ARE YOU WHAT YOU ARE?
As a Creative Consultant my passion for design started in Brazil where I had my own Interior Design business, moving to London lead me into Visual Merchandising and Marketing, working for companies such as Harrod’s and The Body Shop. Setting up Casa Lamounier was definitely the next natural move in my career, helping brands to develop and flourish by finding their niche using trend intelligence and bespoke services.

There are great trend websites out there; there has never been such great information on hand. Our main differential is that we collate the most influential and relevant trends to our customers and translate them into practical actions to help them get ahead of their competitors.

2. IF YOU WEREN'T A CREATIVE CONSULTANT WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
I love what I do! Helping brands to find solutions, improving their appearance, seeing their progress is very gratifying but if I wasn’t doing that I would definitely be working in the fashion industry as a photographer or designer.

3. HOW DO YOU OVERCOME A DESIGNER'S BLOCK?
I leave the office and go for a good walk in places I haven’t been before.
Sometimes we take it for granted, but living in London is a great privilege. You can find inspiration almost everywhere.

4. WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
I’m working on a new trend safari expedition in Brazil – watch this space!

5. EARLY BIRD OR NIGHT OWL?
Night Owl definitely! Mornings are for cockerels!

6. WHAT DO YOU TREAT YOURSELF TO FOR ELEVENSES?
Macaroons and a macchiato

7. MY FAVE COLOUR IS...?
Red

8. MY FAVE SMELL IS....?
Because I’ve worked with fragrance development, I love perfume and find the entire process fascinating. My favourite scent is Carnal Flower by Dominique Ropion – it’s Intoxicating.

9. IF YOUR HOUSE WAS ON FIRE, WHAT 3 THINGS WOULD YOU SAVE?
My cat Sargent, my Mac (with all my photos and music that mean so much to me) and my vintage camera collection

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVE BLOG?
I have a few:
for fashion I follow bryanboy.com and bainser.com
for business tips: Seth’s blog - sethgodin.typepad.com
and of course Our Workshop blog for amazing design tips and new talents.

Our Shop featured...

Ashley from Live Like The Boy blog, contacted us back in December to do a blog chat on us about Our Shop. Check it out here... Thanks Ashley!

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