Celebrating London

Morning! After all that glorious sunshine yesterday I am now seriously considering investing in a boat.  So much for March winds and April showers bring May flowers! Nevermind, not one to be depressed by the weather for long I am  looking forward to sharing lots of fab ideas and products from our fabulous capital city.  With the focus on London building up this month as we prepare to celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee and as final preparations are made at the Olympic Village I thought it would be good to dedicate May to sharing all things London.  I will be treating you to some beautiful finds from designer makers in the capital, aswell as gorgeous products celebrating the London skyline and of course a few union jacks thrown in.  There are so many things going on in the city this summer for families to do so I will be sharing some great ideas for family fun with you. Of course I will be sharing ideas for street parties too.  And I have also lined up some great giveaways.  So be sure to visit reguarly to join the celebrations!

Pesonalised London Skyline Mug from Snapdragon

The schedule for May is almost full but if you have a product or event that fits this theme, please do get in touch and I will see if I can squeeze you in!

Have a fun day everyone,
Zoe
x

London Calling

London Shopper Bag from Sweet Home London

With all this mention of our capital city recently as London has become the spotlight for the design world with London Design Festival and Decorex I thought today I would turn my attention to London led design.  After the Royal Wedding earlier this year and with the Queens Silver Jubilee and the Olympics next year I am sure we are going to see alot more of the cities iconic images on homewares, accessories and even clothing over the coming months.  Trend Bible had predicted the rise of London landmarks and the union jack being used back in 2009 for their Spring/Summer trends for 2011 book.  I also wrote about this withstanding trend back in April for  The Academy in my trend predictions after the Royal Wedding.

{Landmark Bookends} {Biscuits}  {Black Cab PJ's}

Just imagine the fun you could have with designs including black cabs, the London Eye, Big Ben, red telephone boxes, London Bridge and of course we must not forget Buckingham Palace.  Mix this with our need for nostalgia I am sure we will see amazing products for our homes.  However I think designers will also play with iconic images of London to create modern approaches to the trend, offering perhaps the neon brights of the punk era. 

I would really love to know of your products with a London theme, maybe share a link with me on Twitter or add a link in the comments section at the end of this post.

Take care

Zoe

x

Fabric Friday - Helen Rawlinson

I can't believe it's Friday already!  My favourite day of the week as it's Fabric Friday. Today I am going to feature a textile designer I have met on UK Handmade, Helen Rawlinson. 

Helen is based at the Chocolate Factory Studios in N16, London, creating fantastic hand printed textiles that can be used for a number of home accessories or for fashion garments.  These hand printed fabrics are the latest addition to Helens collection, introducing them last year. Helen has also produced a range for children offering an educational yet fun printto be used for wall art, cushions or clothes.  In her London studio Helen also makes hand printed and machine stitched lampshades, which are screen printed by hand and then perforated by tiny machine stitches to allow pinprick sized illuminated patterns. 

I love Helen's bold retro prints that never shy away form bright colours.  Helen is a really inspiring designer and every time I read her blog or look at her work I miss my time in the studio at uni, where I would hapily spend hours screen printing. 

Available from Helen's Folksy Shop

Available from Helen's Etsy Shop

Available from Helen's Website

Patchwork Quilt

This Saturday sees the opening of the V&A's Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition, including recent works by Tracey Emin and Grayson Perry.  The museum has also comissioned a number of contemporary artists to produce work for this exhibition.  There will be 65 beautiful handcrafted quilts on display, many from the V&A's own collection, dating from 1700.  The museum's shop, http://www.vandashop.com/  will also be selling precut lengths of fabric, wih a 50cm x 75cm piece starting at £3.50. 

If you are inspired to make your own quilt, Liberty's have also produced a new range of fabrics specifically for patchwork quilts.  This limited edition range can be found at http://www.liberty.co.uk/, costing £11.50 per metre.

A patchwork quilt is a labour of love, taking many hours to produce, which makes this beautiful addition to our homes out of our reach because of this very reason.  Yet there are some gorgeous quilts available to purchase, made by crafters / designers who will even accept commissions to ensure you get the design and colours you want.

Available from Handmade by Louisa

Available from Fannie-Lou's

Available from My Sweet Rose

Available from A Lucky Child

Feeling inspired?

Quilt patterns can be found :

'In Stitches' by Amy Butler

Moda Fabrics