{Wish I am} Moving to New York

Although I have never been to New York (or anywhere in USA actually), I've always wanted to go, and these beautiful images of Albany makes me want to go even more!!

Hope you're all enjoying a beautiful Sunday! xx

(gorgeous photos via Happy Accidents)

fresh out of the kiln

Now available at RISD Works.

{Weekly Giveaway}: Nest Pretty Things

This week's giveaway is from the gorgeous Etsy shop Nest Pretty Things, it is filled with prettiness, whether it's jewellery, hair pins, cards or home decor, you'll find the most beautiful things there!

The winner will get the choice of any product for the Hair in the shop. Whether flowers is up your street...

or cute buttons, go now to check out the full range of choices!

the conditions again, only read if you're new here!

How to Enter? Anyone who leaves a comment on any post during the next 7 days is automatically entered in the draw, starting with this post and ending Saturday the 6th of June at 9am GMT. The winner will be revealed later that day.

Rules: only leave one comment per post please, meaningless comments will also be discarded. To pick the winner, I will first use randome.org to generate a number between 1 to 7 (7 posts a week) and then pick a randome comment within that post. So to maximise your chances you can reply to every post, don't want to miss a post? follow this blog via Blogger, Reader or Bloglovin & these technology will remind you!

Now to last week's winner... Congratulation to Post 3 Comment 31, that's you Gabbi !! I will contact you shortly for delivery address :)
xx

still life saturday with shoes

The above images by photographer Peter Lippmann take my breath away. I found them via LeBook, and highly recommend their website. Go here for more images from this series, they are all equally stunning.

The painterly still lifes are an ad campaign for Christian Louboutin, whose website is so much fun. Not only does this incredible designer makes swoon-inducing shoes, he also has a great sense of humor.

The images were styled by Amandine Moine, creative direction by Nicolas Menu. Why don't they have websites? I want to see more of their work.

late nights

Last night I stayed up (really way too late) finishing up an order for RISD Works. I was applying decals to glazed pieces, and for some reason it took me hours. I was thinking of Amelie when she composed the lost love letter by combining cut up passages from existing letters. Amelie was shown in fast forward during her process, I wish I had that fast-forwarding power. New ideas kept coming to me, and I had to take some time to make them work.

Decals are a perfect medium for a graphic designer who loves layout (me). The process goes like this: I search vintage books for etchings (which are in the public domain), I scan the images in, I print them out on decal paper with a special ink cartridge, I cut out the images and arrange them on a glazed vase, plate, cup or bowl.

I love that the end result becomes a functional object to interact with on a daily basis. I'm a big proponent of surrounding yourself with art, and using it.

The decal-ed pieces from last night are in the kiln, firing away, and will emerge tomorrow morning. I'll take some pics of my new ideas then. In the mean-time, here is a poem from Rumi I was experimenting with a few months ago.



This poem works better when it travels over a series of plates. The viewer has time to reflect on each passage while moving from plate to plate. Plus, you can have a table set with Rumi's words, how fantastic.

This series is in the collection of Karen Fleer, a writer.

This Thursday I love...

The sun is out, my exams are done, what could be better?? Here is a selection of the pretty things I love today... The beautiful handmade silk dress.. and this delicate pretty skirt

this pretty display of little objects

these cute picture blocks

these beautiful packaging

the gorgeous shop Brown Button Trading, which stocks a wonderful selection of Homewares, Stationery, Gifts, Jewellery and Accessories selected by the lovely Kimberlee

I had a lovely dinner at one of my fav Italian Strada yesterday and off to see a film tonight, tomorrow I'm going shopping all day! :)

xx

(images from: mady dooijes, freehand sketching {vera}, kari herer, mast brother chocolate, Brown Button Trading)

the unpredictable louise boscacci

Eight unsaid

Roll call

Collecting names

Bowl for 264 species
photographs from Rex Irwin Art Dealer (visit their website for more of Louise's work)

Louise Boscacci makes functional objects with a twist, in fact, she makes sculptures, which could be mistaken for functional objects. Her work is unpredictably gorgeous, layered with meaning and time. Louise plays with sgraffito, inlay, and stencil, creating ceramic poetry. I love her subtle use of handwriting, it beckons you to come closer, to become intimate with her work.

Read more about this incredible artist here.

why didn't i think of this? {part one}

photograph by notcot


photograph from designglut

"By combining a simple glazed wall tile with an iconic teacup, Hookmaker creates a place to hang and hold small objects." Fun and functional, sells for $30 at designglut.com.

Just Add Wood

For the added warmth!!! and who doesn't need a giant antique clock? I'd love one!

Excuse for the lack of words, I've just finished ALL MY EXAMS! From today I'm now a Maths graduate! :D Enjoy your day ladies, I'm off celebrating! xx

(image from joanna henderson, james merrell & Lili Diallo)

artist in her home: no. 4

Visiting Jennifer French and her husband Rob in their recently purchased home is a treat. The food is always gourmet-delicious, and the setting is inspiring. Every room in Jen and Rob's house is a feast for the eyes, every wall carefully considered.

I have been a long-time fan of Jen's work, first admiring her Christmas ornaments at the RISD Alumni Holiday sale when I was in grad school. How fortunate that a few years later, our paths crossed in Pawtucket, where we became neighbors, and friends, in a renovated mill building. A year ago, Jen and Rob moved into a new house and have created a sophisticated, playful, and inviting home, decorated by Jen's incredible eye for beauty and a talented hand for painting. Here are a few details (click on the images for a larger view):


Jen's most recent work: collage, drawing and painting, reminds me of Russian folk tales I grew up with.


A collection of animal statues look stunning against the rich dark color of the living room.


Art Nouveau details, hand painted by Jen on the living room walls.


A series of skulls from animals collected by Jen's family.


An arrangement of hand painted and transferware plates in the kitchen.


A piece of wood Jen found in the back yard now serves as a coat hanger in the front hall. The antique ornate hooks were sent by Rob's father.


I was lucky to have traded two of my tiles, shown above, for one of Jen's paintings. It makes me happy to see the tiles displayed in Jen's dining room. They are in such good company, like the gorgeous paintings by Mara O'Day, shown below.

The Style Survey - WIN £50 Topshop Vouchers

Hello my dears! As mentioned yesterday, starting today is your chance to WIN £50 Topshop Vouchers! Why a style survey you might ask? Well, if you remember few weeks ago, I mentioned I would love to open a online fashion boutique? I really wants to make it happen this summer so I'm doing marketing research :) So I would really really really appreciate if you could take 2 mins to do my survey? I would be so so grateful :)


If the winner lives outside of UK, then I would gladly purchase her choice of items of up to £50 from the UK topshop.com for her, and then send it via Airmail. Also, Deadline is Monday 1st June.

There are some fun elements involved too, I've put together some moodboards for you to choose your style!

Here is the survey, thanks so much! :)

xx

(top image via Topshop.com)