Life Story

Way back in December I was invited along to the opening of Life Story, a new concept lifestyle store situated where Broughton Street meets London Street, in Edinburgh. The interior is brilliant (worth a visit alone) and the stock is both covetable and surprisingly affordable...seriously, they should hand out baskets at the door. I want everything.
Fee and Adam Storey have drawn on their successful design experience in the world of fashion and commercial interiors and created a store with a difference. The couple believe that all too often the designers' tale is lost amidst the retailers' branding so have given the carefully selected objects a stage on which to tell their story.

Broughton Street is fast becoming my favourite street to shop in!

Three's A Crowd Pleaser /// Bears on the Wall

I fell in love with Susie Wright's Bear print when I saw it on the wall of Skylark café near my flat. Then I saw Sarah Maycock's giant bear painting on Design*Sponge and realised I've developed a bit of a grizzly addiction. I then happened upon this resin Nordi bear on Etsy...Do you think a bear themed room would be going too far? 

Last Minute Valentine

I've had my eye on this print from Seventy Tree for a while and it's now available from new Edinburgh concept store Life Story. Perfect if you haven't picked anything up for your Valentine yet...

Nursery Envy

I had to post this awesome nursery even though you've probably seen it. It's a collaboration between Sharon Montrose of The Animal Print Shop and interiors genius, Morgan Satterfield of The Brick House. The photographs were taken by the uber-talented, Laure Joliet.
The routered wall is brilliant isn't it? These images are definite keepers for anyone up the duff, looking for inspiration for a non-gender-specific nursery. And...it doesn't even belong to a baby! It was designed and set up to promote Sharon Montrose's work and there's still time (till the end of today (America time)) to enter the giveaway to win that chair, that cot and $1000 worth of those animal pictures!

image source

Collage Craziness

I was seriously distracted by these pretty prints of collages from Violet May on Folksy. Cassia is inspired by mid century advertising, vintage music posters and book covers. These are my favourites. Did I mention it's my birthday soon...?

 images from Folksy

Three's a Crowd Pleaser /// Foxy!

My computer needed some down time so it went to visit the computer spa at my brother's flat in Glasgow and has returned as new! In the meantime I got a little bit fanatic about foxes and had to share. I'm thinking you don't need little ones as an excuse to inject some woodland animal fun into your life.

I'm also thinking 'Three's a Crowd Pleaser' could be a regular post...

1\\ Fox Jumper 2\\ Big Fox 3\\ Animal Storage

Summer Lovin'

I know, I know...I have to give it up...summer has gone...but...
I had to share the work of Philip Barlow discovered via the lovely Bradford aka 'Uncle Beefy' of The Bedlam of Beefy. I've been back to Bedlam a lot this week to stare at these glistening beach scenes. It's my last ditched attempt to bask in the glorious evening sunshine of summer...even though we didn't have much here this year.

Check out Barlow's full portfolio here...you won't regret it, it's beautiful. 

Bonsai Treehouse

Incredible tiny worlds by artist Takanori Aiba.

via This Is Colossal

Art House

I appear to be experiencing some sort of  kitchen binge at present...I've been collecting kitchen images here and on pinterest as if I had some sort of potential project on my hands...(more on that another time). This kitchen is pretty special, so special that it's up on a pedestal, overlooking a special space belonging to Spanish artist Enrique Garcia Lozano. His massive works of art hang among other artists' massive works of art on massive walls in his massive, open plan, home and studio. Massive. And pretty special, don't you think?

 via Elle Decor Espana

La Maison D'Anna G.

It's time to polish up on your French as, Paris based, Scandinavian design lover, Anna, of the gorgeous blog 'La Maison D'Anna G', has opened an online shop with the same name. Stocked to the hilt with interior goodies from the likes of Hay, By Nord and Afroart, along with pieces by some awesome designers, the shop has a strong Scandinavian influence, as does Anna, having been born in Sweden. It's been difficult to choose but here are some of my favourite bits and pieces available....

Oh, AND she ships worldwide...so get your Euros out...!

clockwise from top left : fold unfold multicolour tablecloth | valentina multicolour cushion | 7 piece desktop boxes | black pipe wall lamp |  square oak tray | typography poster 'D' | dark oak bird | twinkle little bat box

Voyages over Edinburgh

I'm on a little roll, show casing home grown talent...so...take a look at the illustrations of Edinburgh born Architecture student David Fleck. I spotted this print on a larger scale in the window at Curiouser and Curiouser on Broughton Street a while back and fell in love but didn't have time to stop in and get it.
What's not to like? Monochrome Edinburgh skyline with gloriously colourful hot air balloons floating over head.
Here's David's story behind it...


'In the winter of 1785 in Edinburgh, all the shops closed for a day and over 80,000 people gathered in the grounds of my old school, George Heriot’s, to watch the incredible spectacle of Vincenzo Lunardi taking one of the world's first ever balloon rides. The whole town caught balloon fever, with Scottish women even wearing large balloon shaped bonnets they named after the famous aeronaut.'

He's having a sale here for THIS WEEK ONLY so...I bought it. Now to work out wear to put it...

Francis Cadell

Edinburgh artist Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell was quite a character. He had a great sense of humour, was confident, flamboyant and charming, and had a great many friends who adored him. He was homosexual, at a time when it was illegal, and lived life to the full, spending outwith his means and socialising with high society. When times were tough his paintings paid for a roof over his head.
He painted landscapes (most famously of Iona, where he spent a lot of time), portraits, still lifes and my favourites of his works, grand interior spaces. I find it hard to believe that his paintings of the interior rooms in his George Street studio (my favourite; below) and Edinburgh Newtown townhouses were painted in the early 1920s. Some of the interiors look contemporary even by today's standards. He was fascinated with reflective surfaces, carefully placed objects, and liked the composition of a room beyond a room through open doorways.

 Last Thursday my parents were invited to a private viewing of the exhibition at The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, with Alice Strang, the author of F.C.B. Cadell; an emalgamation of all the research undertaken for the exhibition. Sebastian and I tagged along. It was fascinating.
The exhibition is Cadell's first solo show since his death in 1937. I recommend you go along and have a look. It's on till March 18th 2012.
image via here

Cate James

The lovely Cate James is a printmaker and illustrator based in Edinburgh. Last year she set herself a little project of (read: became slightly obsessed with) drawing the 'beautiful' faces of the guests on the popular daytime TV show, Jeremy Kyle.
Having just become a mother, and having been freelance for the last couple of years, I have to shamefully, admit to having become quite familiar with the show. For those of you who are not, it may help to know that I have to actively avoid it, regularly, as I feel myself losing all faith in human existense and becoming convinced that everyone in the world needs a DNA and lie detector test.
I love Cate's illustrations of the 'colourful' characters who grace Jeremy's stage. I can see how drawing them would get addictive. She has more than 6 sketch books full of them! Wouldn't they make an excellent exhibition?

You can see more of these gorgeous faces on Cate's blog. Cate is currently working on the illustrations for a new series of children's books along with many other projects on the run up to Christmas...keep a look out for her work at Paper Tiger stores.
Illustrations by Cate James

Sebastian's 1st Poster

We love Belle & Sebastian...
It is, however, a happy coincidence that our son shares half the band's name, and no, if we have a 2nd and it's a girl, she won't be named Belle. Whilst looking for artwork for his room, I thought, why not make sure he can spell his name as soon as possible by plastering it on his wall, so...I found this and we love it! Can't wait to get it back from the framers...The colour is even prettier in real life, and it has that chalky, hand printed finish that you can't beat. As ever, I'm drawn to these photographs of the making process. I'd love to do my own screen printing one day...it looks deliciously messy...and oh so satisfying.
From StrawberryLuna

Help Japan

You can get this beautiful poster in aid of the horrific disaster in Japan, here.

...Normal regular blogging will resume shortly. I am otherwise occupied at present but all will be revealed...
(via awesomeness costs nothing)

Concept Sketches

I don't think you can compare a hand drawn, inked concept sketch to a computer aided image when illustrating a design idea. They are just so much prettier to look at.

These are from Tom Dixon's Design Research Studio...you wouldn't really expect anything less from him though would you?

Grey Walls & Statement Art

I know, I know; suggesting you paint a room grey couldn't sound more dull...but it looks fantastic... image source

Wegman's Weimaraners

I'm determined to make it along to the Edinburgh Arts Centre to see William Wegman's photographs.
I have until the 24th October. The exhibition illustrates the family tree of all the weimaraners he has owned, capturing a body of 25 years' work, featuring over 60 pieces.
Has anyone been yet? What did you think?

Ink Calender by Oscar Diaz

awesome...

“Ink Calendar” make use the timed pace of the ink spreading on the paper to indicate time.
The ink is absorbed slowly, and the numbers in the calendar are “printed” daily. One a day, they are filled with ink until the end of the month........The “Ink Calendar” was developed for “Gradual “, an exhibition featuring works, which were evolving during the exhibition time at the London Design Festival 2007.

images and more info can be found here

Etiquette

My husband very almost convinced me that I made up the rule about cheese; ever since we first shared a cheese plate and I was outraged by his confident mutilation of the stinky, yet sacred tip of the triangle. Due to his bewildering ignorance I actually started to believe that maybe I had dreamt up such an infringement of a social situation.

...he still takes the 'nose' of the triangle, every time, just to see the shocked look on my face...

print available from Coulson Macleod