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Advent Calendar Day 1: Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar

December 2, 2012 By Paola 2 Comments

Still suffering with back pain (looks like I have something called piriformis syndrome), but I’m going to try a short, sweet Christmassy blog post every day as a little Advent Calendar for you all.

First up you must get your kids (and yourselves) a Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar. These magically beautiful online calendars feature gorgeous animations, and lovely music, with a new little interactive Christmassy game or a charming little story or scenario every day. As you open more windows the scene becomes more detailed and beautiful, and it changes through the day to reflect the time and the phases of the moon. The Minx loves the little games such as decorating the Christmas tree and cutting out snowflakes online and spotting how the scene changes from day to day. (I’d say this was perfect for 5-10 year olds).

The Minx is now excite to be working on this year’s beautiful Alpine village, but we retain a soft spot in our hearts for last year’s gorgeous London calendar which is still available.

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.

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?

Father Rabbit

September 27, 2012 By Paola 2 Comments

Why oh why oh WHY isn’t beautifully curated online shop Father Rabbit based in the US?

It is incredibly unfair. The good news though is that the New Zealand-based shop, run by husband and wife team Claudia Zinzan and Nick Hutchinson will shp worldwide at flat rates.

Don’t tell the Husband, but I may have placed a teensy order today.

Saturday Link Love

September 22, 2012 By Paola 3 Comments

I’m trying to be a bit more active on social media nowadays, posting up interesting things I see around and about to the mirrormirror Facebook page and to my Twitter stream.

I thought I’d also start doing a regular Saturday link round up for those of you who inexplicably don’t follow my aimless meanderings on social media, just in case you find yourselves with time on your hands at the weekend

Apologies for talking about Christmas in September, but these Liberty print Christmas crackers are too beautiful not to share {via the beautiful new blog from erstwhile British rock chick and now designer Pearl Lowe}.

I went to a class at the Pantry at Delancey a week or two back and was lucky enough to try their homemade roasted pepper hot sauce. Which was amazing. You definitely need to make this.

Marmite has brought out a limited edition gold version with edible golden flecks. I love it. (British in joke). Poor bereft overseas Marmite fans such as myself can order it from the official expat page on the Marmite website, which ships worldwide.

Finally someone has worked out that it would make sense to have differently coloured dollar bills. And making them different lengths to ensure better money management is a fabulously ingenious idea.

I just wish these were real, I get so confused. {From designboom via the lovely Tula}.

WTF Friday: WTF Stamp

September 21, 2012 By Paola 1 Comment

I don’t think I’ve ever needed a piece of office equipment more.

{Available from Knock Knock. I love that according to the site it now comes with a ‘smooth, satisfying ker-chunk’. That makes all the difference.}

WTF Friday: Wenlock and Mandeville, A Retraction

September 14, 2012 By Paola 6 Comments

And so the Paralympics have drawn to a close – though you’d never have noticed if you were relying on the shameful lack of coverage by NBC in the US – and Britain can go back to being its normal curmudgeonly self.

But in the meantime I have an apology to make. Do you remember this recent WTF Friday featuring Olympic and Paralympic Mascots Wenlock and Mandeville? And how scathing I was about their godawful ugliness (an opinion shared here by the Guardian)? And how no one in their right minds would possibly buy them?

Designer Grant Hunter has always defended them against the most scathing criticism by saying that children love them.

And guess who has pride of place amongst the very special stuffies who get the honour of sleeping with the Minx?

And who did we spent hours chasing after in London? (Though unfortunately we didn’t make it to Regent’s Park to find Sherlock Wenlock).

The Minx adores him. We have four in total, in various sizes and colours. The kids we were staying with in London adored him too.

Grant Hunter, Wenlock, Mandeville. I apologise.

Love This Site: Catalog Living

September 13, 2012 By Paola 2 Comments

You know those days when you seem to spend all your time picking up the cats’ stinky toys from the carpet, the daughter’s myriad accessories from every single freaking flat surface in the entire house and the Husband has left a trail of towels, paperwork and back copies of the Economist in his wake? And you’re wishing that just occasionally your house looked just a teensy bit more like the the homes in the interiors mags?

Fortunately for my peace of mind, and thanks to the extremely amusing Catalog Living, we now know EXACTLY what those people who live in catalogs or even catalogues are REALLY thinking.