Flashback: Tas-Ka

Now there are over 500 posts on this blog, I thought I would re-visit some old posts and see what those people are up to these days.  I originally did a short post about Tas-ka back in 2008 here, I was interested to see what they are up to now.  Well, they now have have a brick and mortar shop in Den Haag, Netherlands and are still stocking well chosen products like the wonderful Marimekko teapot below.  They design their own fabric which you can buy online too.  I love all their designs but my favourite is the last image.

Best of the Blogs: Imaginative Bloom

What I love about  Irene Zuccarello's blog, Imaginative Bloom is that she has a real talent of searching out undiscovered talent.  Each time I visit I know I am guaranteed to find new designers, artists and makers that I haven't seen on any other blogs or websites before.  Here are a few of my recent favourite works she has featured on Imaginative Bloom. 


Horrible Adorables

Nadya Sheremet

Visa Mexicana

Natalia Milosz Piekarska

DIY Round-up: Concrete

Concrete seems to be the medium of choice for have-a-go crafters at the moment.  Its cheap, quick and easy to use.  Here are a few projects to have a go at.  Which is your favourite?  Have you tried any concrete DIY projects?

Concrete Hook

Concrete lamp 

Concrete votive/plant pot

Concrete Planters

$5 Concrete Stool

Concrete Decorative letters

Trending: Swiss Cross Print

Im so out of touch these days with whats what.  I don't know who is at Number 1, I don't know which coffee shops and bars are the coolest hangouts and I don't know what colour I should be painting my living room to be 'on trend'.  Is it still a shade of grey?  Or is that 'so last year' already??  But I have noticed something recently that may already be 'old hat', but it still seems fresh to me, so I'm putting myself on the line and declaring it a current trend!  If I've got my facts right, the Swiss Cross seems to be the new chevron.  Here are a few lovely little examples:

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Or if you fancy making something yourself, but don't fancy getting your hands dirty with the potato print method, then you can purchase Swiss Cross fabric by the metre from Zana Products here

Colourways: Neons

I've been a massive fan of neon since I was 11 years old and my mum bought be a bag from duty free  on the cross-Channel ferry. It was black with 'Paris' scrawled on it in neon pink.  I thought I was the bees knees with this bag, despite the fact it was a 'shopper' which only mums and grannies used in those days, I used it as my school bag for all of 2 days before someone from the popular crowd pointed out it looked like a mummy's bag.  I was devastated, especially as I thought I had a bag everyone else would be envious of!  But my love of neon never died and here is a little celebration of my love of the brightest colours that take me back to the beginning of the 90's, bought up to date ...

Via Purlbee

From Holly Becker's Blogging your Way

Napkins From Smith Handmade

Hunk Home

Weego Home

Via SF Girl By Bay

Via etsy

Ideas for Autumn

The smell of bonfires and the crunch of fallen leaves under your feet.  It can mean only one thing...Autumn has arrived.  One of my favourite seasons, there are so many things I love about this time of year...Here are a few of them:

1. COOK
Tasty treats to enjoy snuggled under a blanket with hot chocolate and an episode of 'Montalbano' ..... Why not make yourself some Apple Pie Fries from Oh Bite It.  I bet they'll all be eaten before the 'fries' have even cooled, they look so good!

2. MAKE
Starting to make Christmas gifts.......Why not start with this Terrarium Kit DIY from Wit and Whistle

3. WEAR

Snuggly woollen socks and cardies.  Clothes-wise I definitely prefer Autumn and Winter as I love being able to wear lots of cozy layers.   

Odd Molly Socks

Mister Finch - Maker Spotlight No.2

There is an absolute wealth of talented artists and craftspeople based in my home county of Yorkshire and Mr Finch, who creates fairytale-like fabric taxidermy is one of those.  Most of you have probably come across his incredible textile sculptures before, but for any of you unlucky enough to have missed it until now, here is a little sneaky peek at this man's fascinating creations.  

In the words of Mr Finch 'Velvet curtains from an old hotel, a threadbare wedding dress and a vintage apron become birds and beasts' he loves to hunt for objects to include in his work.  He plays with scale in a lot of his work too. Moths and bumble bees would usually be things that would fill me with abject horror, especially giant ones, as someone who is pretty terrified of moths and insects in general but Mr Finch's work is so beautiful, I find myself drawn to it, like a moth to a bright light.  A lot of his inspiration comes from nature and British folklore. Mr Finch says 'Humanizing animals with shoes and clothes is something I've always done and I imagine them to come alive at night. Getting dressed and helping an elderly shoemaker or the tired housewife.'  

If you get the chance, do go and look at his facebook page too, full of images of his work and links to odd stories he has found, like a video of the last glass eye maker in Britain.  

UK Maker Spotlight #1 Katharine Morling

The first in a new series of posts, I've decided to highlight a great UK designer maker each week.  I I first saw Katharine's work on Craft Finder which showcases over 270 UK makers work across a range of disciplines.  

Katharine Morling's ceramic sculptural work is like nothing I've ever seen before, upon first inspection you could be forgiven for thinking they were made in some other material than porcelain.  The palette of black and white adds to the striking nature of the work, giving it an almost illustration-like quality.  Katharine studied at Falmouth University and set up studio in 2003 at Cockpit Arts in London.  In this wonderful interview with Katharine by D&AD she talks about her inspiration and how she creates these fantastic pieces.

The Decorator's Notebook

I'm ashamed to say I only recently came across The Decorator's Notebook blog, another great find for inspiration. So many blogs, so little time! Not only is The Decorator's Notebook a great way to while away a quiet half hour, it now boasts a lovely online shop  of hand picked treasures. A brother and sister team, they are passionate about quality handmade goods and it shows in the lovely wares they've put together.  Here are just a few to feast your eyes on.

A little look at my old studio

The Bettyjoy General Store is open for business

The Bettyjoy General Store is open for business.  The shelves aren't fully stocked yet, but there are some pretty little things to feast your eyes on.  

New tutorials

Some of you may know that I have a separate dedicated tutorials blog , which I've been about as useless at updating as I have this blog since my lovely little W was born.  But she is now 17 months old and I can't keep making excuses that I'm tired and have no time to blog (well, I am tired, but I'm also useless at time management and I think i just need to man up!).  

Anyway, I have blogged a couple of new tutorials on my tutorials blog and hope to have some new ones up there soon too.

Paper mache animal heads

Alibaba Fabric Pots