Pixiebell - Etsy shop

I have to keep going back to my favourites to look at this gorgeous beast of a hat. It's an Etsy beauty by Pixiebell Elfinwear.
I LOVE IT!


Visit Pixiebell's Etsy shop >

UPDATE: I bought it! Got stung by customs for the first time but still worth it :)

Charley Harper

I'm not sure if I've written about Charley Harper before on here but I love his grahical illustrations and have been using a calendar full of them this year and have bought another for next year. I hope to frame the best ones from both eventually.

But anyway, there are Charley Harper childrens books and games and all sorts too but best of all, I've just come across a colouring book!
I don't think Oli's going to get much of a look in on this one.




Buy from Amazon.co.uk >

Storeyshop - Etsy shop

These are funny cards...



Visit the Storeyshop on Etsy >

New tools

A friend has asked me to make his girlfriend something for Christmas which requires new tools - letter punches! I love getting new tools.

Paper sculpture

Wonderful paper sculptures by Helen Musselwhite




Via hongkiat.com which you should go and check for loads more amazing paper sculptures.

*!SALE NOW ON!*

The SALE is now on in my Etsy shop and features items below at 50% OFF their originals prices so go grab yourself a treat for all those Christmas parties!




Visit my Etsy shop >

Christmas sale

Well, as semi predicted, I haven't had much time at my work bench since becoming a mother and going back to work. So in the absence of any action from me or customers in my Etsy shop, I've decided to have a Christmas sale and sell off my few remaining pieces.

Whilst I definately believe that as a maker you have to be able to cover your costs and sell your goods at a sensible rate, whatever that is (a forever ongoing and interesting debate) I also understand that people will only spend what they can afford and what the market dictates. Therefore I'm going to slash the prices of my remaining resin pieces in the hope that they will find good homes and that by emptying the shop and clearing the decks I will be setting myself a fresh goal for the New Year and getting some NEW things made!

Watch this space...

Great maternity t-shirt

Wish this was available when I was pregnant...


ThinkGeek website >

[via BoingBoing]

Latest web project

Well, since my maternity leave ended in April I've been back in my web designers seat 3 days a week - which I reckon gives me the best of both worlds. Time for parenting Oli, our funny little toddler as well as having time for me. It allows Ben and I to keep the mortgage payments up AND (somewhat more importantly?) keeps me sane, which is probably in Oli's best interests too.

These design concepts are for the latest project I've been working on.

Book By Its Cover.com

Having been searching for some lovely new books for Oli, I Googled a Paul Rand book (I Know a Lot of Things) and accidently stumbled upon a fantastic resource by none other than Julia Rothman. I wrote about her and a loverly print of hers here.

Book By Its Cover.com is a blog filled with beautiful books that Julia has noticed and collected over the years.


Visit Book By Its Cover >

Vivienne Strauss paints Franklin

I'm so excited.
One half of my favourite artist couple, Vivienne Strauss (who I've writen about before here), has painted our cheeky mogster Franklin.
And not once, but twice!



Check out Vivienne's painting on Etsy >

Check out Vivienne's collages on Etsy >

Amy Blackwell - Etsy shop

I've just come across some lovely illustrations on Etsy by Amy Blackwell - another English seller, yey!




Visit the blackoutwell Etsy shop >

Alice in Wonderland remake

The new Alice in Wonderland remake by Tim Burton is looking very stylish and exciting.

[Via Moresay]

ColorSuckr

Very cool tool that sucks out the colour from your photos and gives you a colour scheme! Including Hex refs and RGB.


[via Boing Boing]

Barbara Macleod - Etsy shop

I just came across this beautiful and inspirational jewellery from Barbara Macleod - a contemporary jewellery designer and maker based in the remote Scottish Highlands.



Visit the Barbara Macleod Etsy shop >

Visit the Barbara Macleod website >

Studio Violet on Twig

Some of my favourite illustrations are by Swedish artist Camilla Engman who I've written about here. She teamed up with Elisabeth Dunker to create Studio Violet. This is a lovely exclusive print by them for Twig.

"Up in the Air"

Incredible paper sculpture

How INCREDIBLE is this? Er very...


Made by art student, Wataru Itou, over four years.
Via Tokyobling’s Blog

Mobile boutiques

I came across this article on the Wiley Valentine blog. They have a self confessed obsession with the concept of adorable mobile shops, which is quite understable.

Forget your average dirty burger van, or those dodgy white vans that turn up at your office, open up the boot and present you with a selection of their finest soggy limp offerings. How about a NICE bit of food from a NICE van?
There is bacon sandwich van in Bristol that is on it's way to being something special - the side opens up to reveal a more shop-esque display of goods aswell as a hot plate to cook you fresh bacon - but it's just not quite all it could be.

These on the other hand are going a step beyond the office lunch van.
Read the article on the Wiley Valentine blog >

Dooce on becoming a mother of 2

"I think the best way to describe what it's been like to bring a second child into the family is to imagine having a jazz band blasting an improvisational set in your left ear while listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Christmas carols in your right ear, and there you are, a drummer in a rock band, and you're on stage in front of 30,000 people trying to keep the beat to an acoustic version of "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols."

Breadou

Check these out...

Breadou [n.] uniquely designed Computer Wrist Rest and Stress Reliever made from NASA Memory Foam


Visit the Breadou website >

Rinzen designed animals

Check out these gorgeous animals.

Winkreative commissioned art collective RINZEN to create this lovely graphical set of animals for a set of credit cards they designed for Cornèr Bank.

I'm always slightly shocked, or pleasantly suprised when I hear of how many creatives it can take to make up one project.
Knowing when to outsource. That's what it's about.

Banksy exhibition

Banksy's doing a massive exhibition right here, back in Bristol at the City Museum and Art Gallery. We'll be poppng down there with the babber me thinks.

Link to story on BBC site >

I ought to post some pictures here of his work from around town when I get a chance.

Etsy Treasury

Another Bristol based jeweller and Etsian, Jemima Lumley, created a Treasury around other Bristol based artists and was kind enough to include me!

Or my Red resin window spot pendant more to the point.

Muslin

Oliver was born with blocked tear ducts, which he will be having a small operation to fix a week after his first birthday in July. Because his eyes are unable to clear themselves of tears and dirt, it means they weep and tend to get gooped up and make him look like he has conjunctivitis.
To stop his eyes from getting sore (and looking bad) it means I'm constantly wiping away any fluid, and as a matter of course, have to clean them thoroughly twice a day (sometimes more if it's particulary bad) with cooled boiled water.
It means that even though he's now ten and a half months old, I'm still carrying around muslin everywhere I go so I have something on hand to use. And because they've constantly been around him, Oli is now using them as a comforter.

Because I think of muslin tending to be a younger baby accessory, and because it's acting a lot like a blanket aswell, I thought it would be nice to get a more attractive blue striped piece of muslin and make it look a bit more grown up.
I spent ages on the internet and at first thought it was an impossibe task, but once I included the magic word 'BABY' in my search terms I actually came across a few nice ones including these particularly stylish designer muslins.
They're Swaddling Blanket /Muslin Squares from a company called Aden & Anais - buy them in the UK from here.

If only I'd known about these sooner!
To be honest, they are actually hideously expesive so I don't think I will be purchasing any, plus the only nice striped one comes in a pack and I don't like the other ones in the pack. But these camo ones are pretty cool though.

When I was pregnant I found a multi pack of plain white muslins that I bought from The Nappy Lady as a very sensible, and very cheap option considering it was a pack of 10 - £11.99! They were also huge and have been extremely useful. I've since cut one of them up into four smaller ones and hand sewn some coloured stiching around the edges to stop them fraying.

I can't believe I never came across anything other than plain white ones before.
These are lovely too, and a lot more affordable. I might have to make a trip to Ikea tomorrow.

Google's logo

Google's logo today - Celebrating 25 Years of The Tetris Effect.

25 years?! I will refrain from adding any further questions marks and exclamation marks.

But really?!

kaboo and MOo

kaboo and MOo
Originally uploaded by robax

I love cats.
One of my favourite sites is icanhascheezburger.com, I'm unable to stop taking photos of our own cat Franklin and I love looking at pictures of other peoples. I came across this pair, kaboo and MOo, on Flickr a few months ago. It's so funny I keep having to go back for another chuckle at it.

Hel Fucking Vetica

Ben got himself this shirt a few months ago now, but it's never failed to amuse me since...


Buy it from Wire&Twine

Kirstie's Homemade Home

I love love loved the last couple of episodes I saw of this series and got so excited and inspired by it. It's so funny to watch Kirstie Allsopp's genuine thrill at textiles and all the inspiring artisans she worked with.

I really need to go back and watch the other espisodes in the series.

Here's the link to the Channel 4 site >

Andy Goldsworthy

Watching The Chelsea Flower Show programme on TV the other night I was reminded about the outdoor artist Andy Goldsworthy.

I love his work.
I must go look through his books again...

The next phase

Life has now officially moved on to the next phase.
I started this blog a year ago knowing that the imminant arrival of our baby meant life as I knew it was coming to a close. I made the decision to make a real effort towards my silversmithing, knowing that if it was more established, I was more likely to pick it back up when I had the time in the future.
I created my Etsy shop, started this blog and emersed myself in the highly inspirational world of online designers, crafters & makers. I definately saw the benefits of the extra time I put in too and sold a number of items purely becuase of it. I even got some stock into a lovely shop which was something I'd been just talking about for years.

Once Oliver arrived the whirlwind hasn't stopped and I'm pretty sure that's just what life is going to be like now. The whirl wind has MOST DEFINATELY been turned down from the initial category 6 storm to a more moderate 1 (or 2 on occasions), but I guess that's just what life is going to be like with another person to think about and care for. Does your mind ever stop?

Consequently, I've found it hard to find even the thinking time for my silversmithing, let alone the practical side. In the last 10 months I think I've only made this one item for a friend.
I really really am hoping to have the head space again soon to be able to pick my tools back up and get creating.

In the mean time though, I'm enjoying watching my gorgeous boy grow and am enjoying being back at work 3 days a week.
I've tried to keep this from being a mommy blog so haven't really waxed lyrical about Oli too much, but here's just one picture of our amazing chap...

Childhood vaccinations

There's an interesting and articulate post on Dooce.com about childhood vaccinations.
This might be US based blog but we have the same issue over here in the UK too...

A word or two about vaccinations

World's Smallest Postal Service

Is this not the cutest way to send a message?
It's the World's Smallest Postal Service and it appeals to so much of the childhood excitment I had in toys. A perfectly practicle, useful and funcional idea but executed in a totally cute and more interesting way. I did actually own a teeny tiny (think it was Hello Kitty) letter writing kit with tiny stick-on stamps. Check out their site for pictures of the amazing tiny postal desk too.


I know the perfect person to receive one of these letters too. The same person who gave me a message in another gorgeous fashion several years ago. A tiny carved carrier pigeon carrying a birthday wish for me. When I was doing my silversmithing course I did a lost wax casting of it...

'geek mums'

There's an interesting article on the BBC site about some of the discussions at this years SXSW...

A growing number of mothers are forming social communities online. What is behind their drive to the internet?
At the recent SXSW Festival in the American city of Austin, Texas, one of the discussions centred on the surge in growth in "geek moms" - mothers who spend a large amount of time online.

The one thing that sticks out about this to me is the word 'geek'! I'm finding it a bit misplaced. I can imagine that a few years ago it might have been considered geeky to be using computers - having completed a computer arts degree 10 years ago I can tell you there were very few of us ladies doing it then - but surely these days it's just common place?

I used to build websites which I guess could be considered very slightly geeky, but coding and programming? now THAT would be geeky. These days I just design for the web. And blog. And have a flickr account. And an Etsy account. And have a static website. Surely that's not geeky is it?

Whilst I'm on the matter, my maternity leave actually comes to a close in 4 weeks and I'll be back at my web design job. I can't believe life is actually moving on! I'm so enjoying hanging out with our little guy who is now 8 months old. I'm lucky to be able to say that I'm also looking forward to going back to work though. A 3 day working week should hopefully make us all happy and if I ever get a free slither of time I WILL DO SOME SILVERSMITHING and post the pictures here.

Google's logo

Check out Google's logo today...



Very clever. And very topical for us these days too, what with revisiting The Very Hungry Caterpillar with Oli. It's also the books 40th anniversary this year. Last week I bought Oli this great little library collection...

Jewellery stands

Back in August I wrote how I've always got my eye out for decent jewellery stands. Here are a couple more that I found on Plumo.

I love that fact that the base of this design in also a useful little dish

Gorgeous bags

There's loads of gorgeous stuff on this website but here are just a couple of the lovely bags from there...


Design: Tineke Beunders / Ontwerpduo, The Neatherlands.


Visit manos >