Art + Craft Archives - Page 3 of 21

Things I Am Loving: Studio Mela

November 26, 2012 By Paola Leave a Comment

As it’s Cyber Monday and I’m awesomely well-organised (haha! :- Ed), I’m sitting at my desk gently shopping for Christmas presents for the Minx.

Since she is now almost eight years old (how the heck did THAT happen?) I ‘m trying to get her a few more things which will still be very much loved and appreciated, but don’t fit into the ‘plastic tat made in China’ genre of presents.

First up are these gorgeous prints from Studio Mela. I love how artist Shelli Dorfe’s charming illustrations are ridiculously cute, colourful and inspirational enough for any small girl, but never quite make it across the borderline into twee.

Just the thing for the discerning girlchild in your life.

Here is the Studio Mela Etsy shop, which is offering free shipping this Cyber Monday.

People I Am Loving: Lotta Jansdotter

November 20, 2012 By Paola 1 Comment

There are some big changes happening round here, of which more anon, and I’m desperately trying to get myself more organised. My office (in a corner of our bedroom) has been a disaster area for a very long time now, and I’ve promised myself I’ll get it sorted by the end of the year.

I’ve been finding these pics of Lotta Jansdotter’s NYC atelier very inspirational. If you look closely there are so many little organisational tips and tricks in each one.

I love the hanging clipboards in this picture.

And as someone who can NEVER find scissors when she needs them, this picture below is dribblingly gorgeous.

Lotta has been a busy bunny recently.

Last month she launched a beautiful line of dishes and linens at NYC’s Fish’s Eddy, also available online.

And she’s just announced a range of beautiful fabric calendars, in all my favourite colours. I may have to order one of each.

So I’m sort of back. My back is definitely getting better – getting the inflammation down with heat, ice, and Advil is helping; together with chiropractic, stretching out the hip joint, some gentle yoga and not sitting at my desk too much.

Thanks for all your tips and messages!

WTF Friday: Mercedes Castro Menswear

October 19, 2012 By Paola 4 Comments

Since I’ve just finished knitting something for myself, I feel it’s only fair that I knit a little something something for the Husband don’t you think?

{Mercedes Castro Fall-Winter 2012 via Rose-Kim Knits}

Adventures in Knitting: Garden Party Socks

October 16, 2012 By Paola 6 Comments

Or why I *heart* Air Canada (and yes, Canadian readers, I have been told this is a controversial opinion).

Our flight back from the UK to Vancouver this summer was an eventful one, as we were returning on Air Canada flight chock-full of Canadian medal winners. I spent most the flight working on a pair of socks. I had started these socks back in Del Mar for Spring Break and had knitted the whole of the first sock and and was about three-quarters of the way through the second, representing hours and hours and HOURS of work. Towards the end of the flight, exhausted, I packed my knitting into its Ziploc bag and tucked into the seatback pocket in front of me (you can see where this is going can’t you?). AT the end of the flight we headed off into the maelstrom of an airport waiting to greet its returning Olympians and I didn’t give my socks another thought.

Of course, when we got home and I started to unpack, my knitting was nowhere to be found. I called Air Canada in a panic and spoke to a very friendly person in India who took all my details, but didn’t seem to have access to any lost and found information. I was told that lost items would be cleared from the plane and then sent to a central lost property facility and I would be informed if they turned up.

I have to admit to feeling disproportionately grumpy about the whole thing. It’s at times like this that you realise how much handmade things really mean; how very fond I had grown of my hippy clown barf socks made from one of a kind yarn; how certain I was that I could never be bothered to re-knit them; and how much of my time and myself I had invested in them.

Three weeks went by with no info, so I called again, spoke to another friendly person in India who had no access to specific details and was told that it was still possible the socks were making their way through the system. But by this stage I had sort of given up.

And then, about three weeks after that, a small package was left on my porch, with small Air Canada label on it. Could it really be? With my heart thumping I opened the package and there were my socks, returned to me courtesy Air Canada’s Central Baggage Office in Montreal. I tell you the Prodigal Son’s father wasn’t half as pleased to see him as I was to see them.

Here are my cuties in all their finished glory.

The yarn, Mansfield Garden Party by Madeline Tosh, is extraordinary. It changes colour every few centimetres through moss greens, sky blues, pastel pinks and lilacs and mustardy yellows and browns – yes, just like a garden in full bloom- and doesn’t pool excessively into huge splodges of colour. I used Cookie A’s BFF pattern which I thought worked fabulously with the yarn. It was interesting to knit , mixed up the yarn even more and was not overpowered by the variegated colour.

Goodness I love these guys. And how I LOVE Air Canada.

A friend was saying that a similar thing happened to her and now she always tucks a business card into her knitting bag. Why didn’t I think of that?

As a special bonus here are some pics the Canadian Olympians returning home. That was crazy fun.

Art Yulia

October 1, 2012 By Paola 2 Comments

Here’s a bit of lovely to start your week. Yulia Brodskaya is a Russian paper artist and graphic designer who now lives and works in London.

Her amazingly intricate and stunningly beautiful artwork made from coiled strips of coloured paper has been commissioned by a number of big brands. I’m intrigued to see where it will end up next.

See Yulia’s entire portfolio here. All images by Yulia Brodskaya.

WTF Friday: Prada Spring 2013 Shoes

September 28, 2012 By Paola 5 Comments

Here are Miuccia Prada’s latest shoes. Apparently the ‘socks’ are soft leather booties to which you can strap different shoe platforms. I’m not sure that makes them better or worse.

I have to admit that though my first reaction to these was ‘WTF?’ as I’ve been putting this post together I’ve come to appreciate them more as, I dunno, performance art or something.

And if I were very tall and very skinny and very rich, I might be tempted to wear the pink ones with skinny jeans and a simple cashmere sweater.

What do you chaps think?

Food Stylings: Charlotte Omnes

August 30, 2012 By Paola 3 Comments

What are you having for lunch today?

I was thinking of ham, cheese and mustard on white.

Or possibly cheese with mustard, mayo and ketchup or ham and mustard.

Followed by a selection of juicy citrus fruits.

I love it when food stylists do things a little bit differently.

All photos by ace food stylist Charlotte Omnes.

Hanging on the Telephone

June 26, 2012 By Paola 4 Comments

Hot on the heels of London’s Faberge’ Easter Egg Hunt comes Artbox.

You know the drill by now. 85 iconic telephone boxes are decorated by local artists, placed around London and then auctioned off for charity. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

They sure look pretty though.

My faves are the Clash one above and the Twitter one full of birds below. Which is yours? Anyone in London seen these?

And not to be out done, here’s a view of Canoe Island, here in Washington.

Here’s the full Artbox phone box gallery.

Pinterest Take 5: Colour Dipped Everything

June 19, 2012 By Paola 5 Comments

It started with these, which you have no doubt seen if you have eyes and a Pinterest account.

Dipped utensils by Little Bit Funky via Making It Lovely

Soon the whole world was dipping things in paint…

Dipped cans by Maya via Anna Johanson

and posting up tutorials…

Dipped chopsticks from Poppytalk via Martha Staples

Then the Etsy shops got in on the act.

Neon dipped bowls from Wind & Willow Home via Anne DeOtte

And now everything is being dipped in colour.

Cutest ever baby shoes from Schier Shoes via Oh Joy

Personally I love this trend. You?

The Story of a Cloak

June 7, 2012 By Paola 4 Comments

I didn’t mean to write any more about the Queen’s Jubilee outfits – I’m sure you’re all Jubileed out by now – but we were discussing the cloak the Queen wore at Monday night’s concert in the comments below and it sent me down a delightful little Internet rabbit hole, from which I emerge with these pictures.

Here is the Queen on Monday night wearing a very elegant black wool cloak over her sparkling gold cocktail dress.

It reminded me of the famous Annigoni portrait of the Queen as a young woman wearing the robes of the Order of the Garter.

Here is the portrait in question with the stark dark blue of the robes throwing all the attention on her delicate pale skin (goodness that woman has a flawless complexion) and the wistful expression on her face.

Apparently Annigoni was inspired to paint it this way when he was with the Queen making preparatory sketches for the portrait and she said casually, in French, ‘"You know, when I was a child, I used to spend hours in this room looking out of the windows. I loved watching the people and the cars down there in the Mall. They all seemed so busy. I used to wonder what they were doing and where they were all going, and what they thought about outside the Palace." And as she spoke her face lit up with the exact expression – youthful, almost child-like – which the artist sought.

I then discovered that Cecil Beaton (who had taken her coronation pictures) deliberately tried to recreate the Annigoni magic with this 1968 photographic portrait. He wanted to show the Queen as a person without her jewels, costumes and fancy regalia, and so asked her to wear a simple admiral’s boat cloak, to enormously striking effect. Recognise the cloak?

Finally we have a picture from the infamous Annie Leibovitz photo shoot in 2008, where the Queen was apparently in a rather grumpy mood, even if she didn’t in fact storm out as was rumoured at first.

This was the last picture of the day (Leibovitz was only allotted 25 minutes of the Queen’s time – imagine the stress!) and the Queen, after being pictured in various sumptuous evening gowns, pulled on the simple black cloak once again. The resulting image was then digitally superimposed over a brooding picture of the palace gardens taken the day before.

Yet again it’s enormously arresting, though was famously called ‘vampiric’ by one critic. There are other spectacular photos of the day with the Queen in full rig, but it is in this one, without her tiara, jewellery or furs, where she looks most fearsomely majestic.