Yay it’s that time of year again, when we break off from the normal serious business of this blog and have fun at the Oscars.
First up, two ladies who this year took inspiration from the kitchen.
Jennifer Lopez decided to pay homage to the great British baking revival by coming as a cottage loaf, albeit one who needed who needed stronger tit tape.
Whereas Rooney Mara clearly had a team of Michelin-starred waiters fussing over her bosoms for days.
It’s taken me ages to put together my Blogshop review, mostly because I thought I ought to use some Photoshop to put it together and Photoshop still takes me an agonisingly long time. But the fact that I can do any Photoshop at all is a testament to the teaching skills of graphic designer and blogger extraordinaire Bri Emery and commercial photographer Angela Kohler, who together are the team who make Blogshop happen.
This workshop is billed as ‘where blogging and Photoshop totally make out’ and if you write any sort of visual blog, you’ll find the skills you learn here invaluable – from putting together photospreads and mood boards, to designing blog headers and social media buttons, to creating animated gifs and retouching photos (which is taught using professional photo portraits of the participants, taken by Angela). It’s the only course out then which focuses on Photoshop from the perspective of bloggers, so while it’s expensive it is so, so worth it.
It was great to meet up again with some groovy local bloggers – Cassandra from Coco+Kelley who hosted the whole event, Erin from Apartment 34 and the inimitable Uncle Beefy, who made us some utterly delicious churros (of which more hopefully next week). It was also a chance to make some new friends – Jennifer from Art & Lair, Lisa from With Style & Grace, Alisa from Alisa’s Garden and Shannon from Happiness Is… (who both sat at my table and were incredibly patient with my thousands of questions).
The amazing space (that turquoise wall is to die for) is the Fred Wildlife Refuge, a fabulous photography studio and event space on Seattle’s Capitol Hill; with all the props and accessories being provided by Scout Vintage Rentals. And I’ve already told you about the great goodie bag.
The one downside, and this is just a very personal opinion, is that, although the course is billed as being for beginners, it’s really quite challenging if you’re as much of a Photoshop ignoramus as I was. Bri and Angela and their two interns were patience personified, but I would have got more out of the course if I had previously been familiar with the layout and the buttons and the concept of layers etc. I feel like I do understand a lot of the basics now, but I’ve looked at the notes for some of the more advanced techniques we were shown, such as masking, and I am still deeply confuzzled.
But we’ll see, you may have noticed me using Photoshop in some previous posts and hopefully you’ll see things getting prettier round here over the next week or two. Just promise me that if you’re a complete Photoshop beginner and are thinking of doing this course that you’ll have a little play to familiarise yourself with the program first. This set of beginners’ tutorials from Mashable looks like it would be a great place to start .
Photoshop experts out there, how did you learn? Are there any books, courses or online tutorials you can recommend? I really want to get this thing LICKED.
On a final shallow note, Bri is just the most ridiculously photogenic person EVAH, thanks to her translucently pale skin, shock of platinum hair and the cute bright colours she wears. Here she is with Jennifer from Trophy Cupcakes, who was here to do the course and also injected cupcakes and gift cards into the proceedings. .
Oh, and I was just about to hit ‘publish’ when I found this video of the Seattle workshop on the Blogshop page. See if you can spot me peering in deep confusion at my screen (the silhouette above will give you a clue) or, if you’re really quick, the shot of me in a long ginger wig (additional clue below).
BLOGSHOP – Seattle from GMP on Vimeo.
Well I tried but all that was left on the website was a scarf and a pair of floral leggings and I think floral leggings are a bit too mutton-dressed-as-lamb even for me.
I’ve blogged about my love for Greek designer Mary Katrantzou before, so I was thrilled to learn that she was producing a limited edition capsule collection of nine pieces for TopShop. And my goodness they’re beautiful and so surprisingly WEARABLE, particularly the figure-skimming silk tunic and blouse.
I’ve started stalking eBay, but the prices are absolutely cray-cray. Please TopShop make some more!
Did anyone out there get any pieces? Are they as lovely as they look?
I hugely admire Diane von Furstenberg’s fashion style and her inspired use of prints and colours, even though, as I don’t have much of a waist, her iconic wrap dress is just not flattering on me.
So I was fascinated to see online previews of a spread in March’s Architectural Digest featuring her incredible penthouse apartment in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.
The penthouse, built over DvF’s design studio and flagship store, is absolutely stunning, with apparently incredible views through its transparent glass walls.
But inside? Well, it all strikes me as just a bit too MUCH.
Those chairs are gorgeous, the art is apparently priceless, but it all feels as if it just can’t breathe. The backdrop of the leopard skin rug really doesn’t help matters. And who sticks art, however exquisite, on the windowsill, thereby obscuring the billion-dollar views?
I love the Andy Warhol portrait, dislike the table and am meh on the clashing animal prints. Again, I think this would have looked a whole lot better with a more neutral rug.
I sort of admire her for attempting to recreate a pasha’s boudoir in her big glass eyrie - just because the structure is ultra-modern, you don’t necessarily have to go ultra-modern with the décor. But I just don’t think this works, the attempted grandeur is overwhelmed by the ceiling and it just looks incongruous.
Those screens round the bath are lovely, as is the bathtub itself, but I would be terrified of knocking over all those little tables and stools when I emerged dripping wet from my ablutions. But maybe DVF is not as clumsy as me.
Although I can see that one would want to create private areas in such an open space, overall all the clutter and clashing patterns and different styles and objets seems to fight with the open space rather than celebrating it. She’s tried to make it cosy, but I don’t think it’s the sort of space that works with cosy.
But what do I know? She’s is DvF after all.
What do you think? Please show your workings in the comments.
The best new Tumblr ever, well at least since Unhappy Hipsters, Fuck Your Noguchi Coffee Table calls out all the design clichés we all know and love from blogs and shelter mags.
Clockwise from top left: ‘Fuck your… knit pouf…card catalog…plate cascade… Saarinen tulip table’
I am happy to report that, with the exception of graphic pillows, I have none of the things they mention in my house, though that’s mostly due to lack of budget. I have to confess to having wanted most of these things at one time or another and I’m still determined to knit a pouffe one day.
Clockwise from top left: ‘Fuck your…chair hodgepodge,,, Keep Calm and Carry On poster…chalkboard backsplash…bookshelf with the books arranged by colour’
How many do you have in your house? Are there any that you would still secretly covet? How many of these trends were started by Domino? What other clichés should be on the list?
I would also respectfully ask the author if writing your blog in faux typewriter font isn’t one of the oldest design clichés in the book.
It’s been an Instagram week of blue skies, sunshine and hearts, with a bit of bread baking and crochet thrown in.
It’s also been a weekend of attending Blogshop here in Seattle. My brain is fried, by backside is numb and my Photoshop skillz are still frighteningly amateur as you can see. But at least they exist, which they didn’t before the weekend. I’ll tell you more about it during the week. (Above images are all Instagrams as usual, but silly old Photoshop doesn’t have a Polaroid frames tool such as I have on my usual blogging software).
Happy Monday!
So I finally decided that, instead of just hoarding yarn, I actually ought to start working on Babette, the infamous crocheted granny blanket I first wrote about back in 2009.
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The last couple of evenings have found me peering at my beginner’s crochet book – the gorgeously photographed Simple Crochet by Erika Knight – and various YouTube videos, trying to figure out how on earth to make the simple granny square that forms the basis of the design.
So far it’s been a long tortuous process and I’ve managed two squares – out of 126 of varying sizes. I have a feeling this is going to take a LOOOOOOONG time.
It’s been an Instagram week of sunshine and baking, turquoise, spring green and yellow. Come and find me. I’m ‘mirrormirrorxx’.
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I nearly put my back out straining to love this hotel room, which has received a bunch of publicity in recent months, but somehow I just CAN’T.
The hip Hotel Pelirocco in Brighton commissioned fibre artist Kate Jenkins of knitwear and crochet brand Cardigan to create a knitted hotel room, and this is what she came up with.
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The ‘Do Knit Disturb’ room features a hand-crocheted bedspread and curtains, knitted cushions, a crocheted lamp and telephone and other whimsical crocheted artifacts appropriate to the seaside location, such as seagull soft toys, a knitted picture of fish and chips above the bed and a crocheted full English breakfast.
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I don’t like it because it just seems so expected somehow – all cosy and grannyish and whimsical and about as sexy as a pair of well-worn bedroom slippers. Heck, the room is even a tiny single room because of course someone who liked knitting would never have a boyfriend.
When you think of some of the cool and innovative knitted homewares other craftspeople are making out there, I can’t help thinking that they really missed an opportunity to do something contemporary, textured and elegant; something modern and abstract or even something downright sumptuous and glamorous.
What do you think? Do you like it? Would you stay there? Is it the best job they could have done with knitting and crochet? What sort of thing would you have done?
Some favourite Instagram photos from last week. Come and find me, I’m ‘mirrormirrorxx’. (Going to try and do this every weekend).
As you can see it’s been a week of snow and soft pastel colours.
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We had a massive snowstorm in Seattle last week which meant that the Minx and I were both trapped at home. What with that and going away on a jolly with the Husband’s job last weekend, I’ve still trying to catch my tail after Christmas.
Normal, hopefully better than normal, blog service will resume tomorrow.
