Homage : Stephanie Cole

No, not that Stephanie Cole! No, I'm talking about Stephanie Cole, textiles designer and illustrator extraordinaire!

Take one look at Stephanie's work and you can tell that she has lived in some naturally beautiful places, and these inspirations have seeped in to her work. Lush green places with flora and fauna,  alongside sparse coastal characters depicting everyday activities are what you will find in these surface designs and illustrations.

Wooden Hare Necklace

I first met Stephanie a few years back while at a small but excellent arty crafty type event in deepest Gloucestershire - and then promptly wondered why I didn't already know about her work, it seemed so established and professional. At the time I was managing a craft gallery that was in desperate need of newer, fresher, younger work - just like this - so I instantly set about trying to convince Stephanie to become a stockist.Years have passed and her brand has continued to grow, she has relocated to Finland and has even been voted by Channel 4 as one to watch.

Farmers Market Tea Towel

Stephanie's range is broad but everything has her signature aesthetic to them - screen printed textile wares, paper goods - my current favorite is the wooden hare necklace. I'm always interested to see what Stephanie has been up to, and where she'll go next as there is always something exciting up her sleeve. Keep up to date with new products and events on Stephanie's blog.

I shall leave you with some of my favorite postcard paintings from her Postcard A Day series....

Girl About Town : Chelsea Art School Fashion Show

If you say that you are paying a visit to a college but are not a student this may give a rather dull impression of an outing. Not so with an art school, and certainly not so with Chelsea art school. This week I had the pleasure of having an elusive invitation to the First Year Textile student's first fashion show at Chelsea School of Art, very exciting. You dont have to twist my arm to visit Chelsea as the grounds are just lovely, and there is that un mistakable vibe of excitement and creativity to be found in all good art schools - I just love it - so many young people crammed together, just gasping to be given the tools to do something amazing (can you tell I miss it?). Anywho, I was front row, and managed to grab some great, if albeit fuzzy, photos of the show - you get the idea.

There was so much good work in this show - really interesting uses of materials, making unlikely sucessful unions. A few that have really stuck in my head were a recovered lampshade as headwear, and white wadding foam (the kind found inside oven gloves) worked with some kind of hard plastic in to a tailored garment. Other students had gone for a traditional process but had really pushed it further - most memorably were the coral skirt which was pleated in such a way that it appeared to take on the form of a huge tulip and the pleasts waved at you as the model walked by, and of course the knitted horn headwear  piece - strange and wonderful!

The great thing about first and second year is that this is the time when students are able and encouraged to take risks, you are still finding out your own creative identity so you end up moving in new directions and testing the waters. It is in the final year that you have to hone things in, tone it down, and start putting your work in an marketable 'box', so it is just great seeing shows at this level - it really is what you would call raw talent.

I leave you with said fuzzy photos - I defy you not to be inspired. Enjoy!

Homage: Wolf & Moon

OK so you know that I love, love to share what and who I know about designers, makers, artists - creative people doing cool stuff - right? The thing is since I discovered this absolutely gorgeous jewellery brand I have found myself jealously guarding it as a treasured secret. Two reasons; one, I should not alert my loved ones to this brand so that I can spend the rest of the year buying all my gifts for them from Wolf & Moon, and two...because I want it all to myself! (I do realise that point one and point two dont really correlate, I really do). Wolf and Moon is the brilliant work of Hannah Davis, and is based in Hackney, London. What might be at present a modest size company, is I am sure destined for world domination.

Kaleidoscope Necklace

Crystallized Earrings

I cant quite  remember how I stumbled across this brand, and I immediately purchased a necklace and a pair of earrings. And this wont be the last purchase, of this I am sure. 

I actually find it really hard to find jewellery that I like which is also less than my years salary, and these pieces are affordable and yet so well made and presented. I am hoping I can persuade them to accept a commission for a brooch or two....

I leave you with a couple more lush images from their site, prepare to fall in love.....

Sun Burst Bangle

Crystal Collar Necklace 

A Mother Curtain Mission

Hello! I have several half-finished projects that have been hanging around the old abode that I want to finally take on, make some bold decisions about, and be able to ENJOY!
First up - Curtains. I have taken on the challenge of reworking a huge pair of very lovely but rather dull brown and yellow velvet curtains in to something far more exciting. I have spent too long puzzling over how to tackle this problem, until I asked myself 'Are you a textile artist or not?!' and decided to come at the milking cow from a different angle. Armed with a colour palette that will work within the pad, and aspiring to create something a little bit unexpected, I think I am ready to begin cutting. I will also be working with areas of the fabric which are already worn away and discoloured to enhance and make a feature out of them.



Im thinking triangles. After a breif bit of hunting on Pinterest I came up with these four beauties to use as a visual aid. Now, I know that usually when we think of patchwork we think of bedspreads and cushions galore, but what about patchwork curtains? But not flowery, cute cottage stuff - what about a mid-century / contemporary feel with block colours and mixed textures?

Im going to experiment with mixing the short pile brown and yellow velvet with a hot pink and a tangy yellow, with black and some natural linen to add a nice contrast of textures and shades.
These ideas often take me so long to actually realise because I deliberate about whether it will all be "too much" - but then I have to ask myself "well, what's wrong with that?!"

Sources of images used - all via Pinterest :

 Chair // Cushion // Triangle print // Patchwork bedspread

Coffee Morning

Much of my work is triggered by small things in daily life, things that are emotive or are an everyday activity - walking down the street, writing a letter. A still life from the kitchen table.

Mixed media collage unique piece, also reproduced as a greetings card - in the shop!

Look Book - Some Ideas

I have been playing around with what is the beginnings of a look book with a new body of work.
Some I have had in my mind for a long time, and it is so nice to finally see them realised, and some still need tweaking and are in the early stages of development. It is interesting to see what you enjoy making most in the process of doing other things - for example I really enjoyed painting the wallpaper, and even though I created it as a tool, I am already itching to make some more large scale designs.

There are lots more designs that will be coming out over the next few months, so I'll keep you posted as and when. In the meantime, take a look at some of the pieces that are currently available. Hope you like!

Vintage Collar and Sprinkles Zipper Pouch

Zipper Pouch  and Collar
Dress- models own

Touch Me Coin Purse

Green Linen Dash Zipper Pouch

Vintage Collar Dress - models own, vintage turban is a sample

Atomo Clutch

Look Sharp collage