Positive Thinking

I feel like I could do with a little motivation right now and these simple yet wise words of wisdom from The Poster List did just the trick! Positive thinking is thee way forward for me. ♥

Five Pound Find

I think you can probably imagine the look on my face when I came across this luminous blue dish at my local salvage yard a few days ago. Yes... You're right, pure delight and I haven't stopped smiling since! It now sits proudly on the bureau in my bedroom, alongside my other (many) bits and pieces. ♥

Porcelain Pooches

Puglets, Boston Terriers and much more recently the French Bulldog are three breeds of pooch I simply adore. Their little faces are just so squished and ugly I find them too cute to resist.

I especially like Katie Parker's collection of ceramic dogs, each produced from porcelain, china paint and a plaster base. My favourite is the first covered in a glossy red coat. This vivid hue totally transforms the piece. I also love the polka dots, creepy crawlies and floral elements.

There is something very attractive about the surreal elements within Katie's work. Curious pieces indeed! ♥

Fabulous Fifi

Fifi Lapin lives in a super stylish world, where each and every day she dons the most fabulous of fashions. Inspired by the latest catwalk trends this gorgeous bunny is sure never to be seen wearing the same outfit twice.

Fifi was born one of 257 brothers and sisters but sadly there was an outbreak of myxomatosis when she was just a year old and she was the only one to survive. Her parents are therefore incredibly protective and spoil her rotten. She is hare-ss to her Father's fortune, which he made playing fast and loose with carrot and lettuce shares on the international stock market. There are a lot of rabbits out there eating carrots and lettuce but I guess he just struck gold, or orange you might say. Some people think Fifi is just a socialite but there is so much more to her than being an extremely stylish clotheshorse!

Fifi's best friend Ruby Gatta is dedicated to design and all things nice. I feel spoilt for choice when visiting both Fifi and Ruby's blogs, they are jam packed filled with loveliness so be sure to check them out.

Now, what shall I wear tomorrow? ♥

Pompom's and Prisms

When I eventually grow up, aside from owning my very own interior gift shop I would also like to design childrenswear and quirky accessories similar to this! See Papier Mache once again for more details. ♥

Papier Mache

Lazy Sunday afternoons were made for browsing online blogs and flipping through design magazines. My favourite Papier Mache combines the two. ♥

Little Circus

Little Circus always feature the most wonderful of ideas for children’s fashion and interiors. I can’t get enough of their site. Although it’s in French and I am by no means fluent I love flicking through each photo trying to translate what they were taken for and what they are talking about!

One day when I own my very own interior gift shop all the things people buy from me will be packaged up in red gingham paper bags just like this. I can’t wait, but for now I will continue building this little daydream in my head.

I like to think the above goodie bag (which contains lots of lovely delights) is taken from a children’s birthday party... What do you think? ♥

The Claudettes - For Smiley Happy People

Extremely cute and exceptionally retro this series of postcards, greeting cards and notebooks feature naïve graphics in vibrant hues - The perfect antidote to the winter blues! Created by Norwegian design duo Darling Clementine, The Claudettes is their latest project custom made for 1973.

I like nothing better than sending or receiving a handwritten postcard. Just imagine how happy you would be waking up to the postman delivering one of these little beauties through your front door.

Putting pen to paper is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and something we all really should do more often. ♥

Chasing The Dream

Hailing from the Netherlands Lenneke Wispelwey recently showed her work at Dutch Design Week. She is the creator of these dreamy ceramic goods and she's also a stylist. Her unique collection of kitchenware includes beautiful cakestands, kooky ceramic buttons, geometric milk jugs and vases. Through my rose tinted specs they are exactly how I imagine 1950's tupperware, displayed in a pristine home (by a lovely little housewife) to look.

Lenneke lists shooting stars, pastel colours, receiving mail the old fashioned way, foreign postcards, cuckoo clocks and clouds that look like bunnies amongst the things she loves most.

Things that don’t take her fancy include spam, stupid rules, I told you so and standing still on a dance floor.

I think Lenneke and I would make great friends! ♥

Domestic Voyeur In Amsterdam

Whilst spending a weekend in Amsterdam last summer I couldn’t resist taking a sneaky peek into the window of this kitsch little home and oh my it was just lovely!

I think the collection of paintings, each displayed within an ornate frame (especially the Virgin Mary in blue) are to die for! I have been hunting for something similar ever since. ♥

French Fancy

Miniature studies of animals, plants and organisms create a strange and superstitious universe within the work of French artist Lyndie Dourthe.

Filigree florals merge alongside stuffed creatures great and small. Fabric specimens, internal structures and carcass remains are combined in visually exciting and highly unusual compositions. Each object is organised, labelled and sorted into boxes or housed within glass domes, all the more emphasising the delicacy and minute scale of each piece.

Once complete I like to imagine the designs are stored within a giant cabinet of curiosities in Lyndie Dourthe’s atelier waiting patiently to be sold to a lucky new owner! ♥

I Love Lucy

During my time at University (Cry - I am still very much missing the student life!) I was totally captivated by the work of Lucy May Schofield and spending time with Lucy in her Manchester studio further fuelled my love for her endearing designs.

Lucy is simply delightful and the studio from which she works perfectly compliments her charming personality. After running errands, making long lists, packing up her sweet birdie paper and nattering the hours away we would spend each afternoon drinking endless cups of peppermint tea and eating delicious homemade cakes, very naughty indeed! In the blink of an eye each day was done.

Lucy is predominantly a book artist. Her thoughtful use of narrative, often illustrated with found ephemera is always beautifully printed and often contains throw-out sections, which allow the viewer to interact with each book. Her work includes small runs of artist’s books and commissioned projects. Lucy has also designed and produced a number of invitations, cocktail menus, press books and one-off bindings.

Most recently Lucy has worked on The Doll Project and a collection of DIY White Rabbits (my absolute favourite). Each cotton kit contains a simple hand printed pattern, which can be cut out and sewn together to create your very own litter of baby bunnies!

Below Lucy May describes the process of making each rabbit:

The creation of these rabbits was a slow, meditative process. In contrast to the speed of modern life, they each took an age to complete. The first ones were made with frantic haste, in fear of my inability to sew. They seemed to be the antithesis to the relaxed, cathartic past time for which they had been designed in the 1940's. The sewing skills inherent in past generations of women had somehow passed me by. Through perseverance, nine rabbits were born (an average litter) with a little more enjoyment every time. I became addicted to the process of their production, sewing on trains, buses and by moonlight. By rabbit number five I was hypnotised by the repetition, which removed and excused me from everyday activities, transfixed and delighted with each new edition to my brood. My changing state of mind is depicted in the different choices of eyes to choose from. ♥

Salvage Yard Solitude

Early last Friday morning I popped along to my local salvage yard in search of an old second hand chair to re-paint for my bedroom. Unfortunately due to the extra chilly weather the yard was closed, however upon arrival this frosty scene was there to greet me! ♥

Curious Creations

Wow! This collection of magnificent life size designs to lighten up your home are by Front for Moooi and will be sure to catch even the most conservative eye! However they don’t come cheap, no no no! A black Rabbit Lamp of your very own will cost £329, while a giant Horse Lamp will set you back a whopping £3624! ♥

Lapin Lamp

This lovely luminous Lapin Lamp featured at the top of my wish list for the best part of last year and I was lucky enough to receive it as a Christmas gift from an extra special someone. Yay! The rabbit, (who I named Fifi - naturally) is made from molded, heat resistant plastic and now sits proudly on display in my bedroom. For your very own version of Fifi visit Lapin & Me and whilst your there check out their super cool limited edition neon pink version, an extra special treat for a child or adult alike! ♥

Bunny Love

It was really by accident that I fell head over heels in love with bunny rabbits. A friend introduced me to her lifelong companion Mr Bunny, a ragged and much loved teddy bear from childhood and that was me completely smitten!

I especially heart these glazed porcelain bunny necklaces in snowy white, designed and handcrafted by Jade Gallup over at me me me. So simple yet stylish, they are the perfect winter accessory. ♥