Beautiful skirt

I'm getting quite into this making clothes malarky! Following my success with the skirt for Melissa, I have made another skirt, for my lovely new Brighton friend Helen. I found some fabulous yellow 50s sateen curtains in the Emmaus charity shop in Port Slade, with no particular project in mind, but quickly realised that they'd make a glorious skirt for Helen.

Media_http4bpblogspot_dheka
Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the skirt before I gave it to Helen, but thankfully she and her lovely fiance took some snaps when the skirt made its inaugural trip abroad (they had a long weekend in Brussels). Hopefully Diarmuid won't mind but I nicked some photos from his facebook page so you can see the loveliness!

Media_http4bpblogspot_buhgw

The Elephant Bed

On Saturday, Rob and I nipped into town to do some errands, and happened to stumble across a gorgeous exhibition: "The Elephant Bed", by John Grade.

Media_httpfarm4static_gifxd


It really took my breath away, so I got a bit carried away snapping on my camera phone (alas, I didn't have my decent camera with me). The shots came out better than expected, but don't really do it justice, so if you are around Brighton before 31st August I would highly recommend popping into the Fabrica gallery on Duke Street (opposite Heals) and wander in (it's free!).

Typography spotting

Rob's Dad came to stay with us the other weekend, which was lovely. On the Sunday, we headed over to Lewes for a bit of a snoop, as we hadn't made it there before. It was a surprisingly cool place! I didn't realise that Lewes has close links with Thomas Paine, so it being the 4th July there was a bit of a festival going on. I really like it when you visit a place and unexpectedly find it's got some cultural activity going on, it makes me feel more alive!
Media_httpfarm3static_qwwnj

On a slightly disconnected note, I snapped this sign with my phone, as I just loved the typography! It really reminded me of the "Keep Calm, Carry On" poster font, and I just love the way they've typeset the St. Perhaps this could be a new game for me, collecting great examples of typography when I'm out and about? Oh dear, I feel a new obsession coming on....

quick craft

I have a serious pen addiction, and recently it's been threatening to take over my desk at work. I'd been keeping an eye out for some funky storage ideas, but everything I've seen has been too pricey for my current tight budget. So, one night, I had a flash of inspiration. Some washed soup cans, bits of wrapping paper from my stationery stash, and some double-sided tape, and 10 minutes later, voila! Custom pen pots!
Media_httpfarm4static_zixmw

The American Scene

We stumbled across a great exhibition at the Brighton Art Gallery on Saturday, "The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock" The American Scene"
Media_httpwwwbrighton_vlvvh
The exhibition "...features around 80 outstanding prints by 56 leading modern American artists, including George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois and Jackson Pollock. The first half of the 20th century was a period of great change in America, and this exhibition examines American society and culture through the prints produced by some of the most important artists of the time."
It was a great exhibition with some really inspiring prints, and has made me doubly-sure that I really want to learn how to do printmaking. I had a look around the Brighton Independent Printmaking studios as part of the artist open houses during the Brighton festival, and they have a lino-cut/relief printing course that I may try in August. However, my real intrigue is with screen printing, and so I'm hoping that I can get onto the saturday course that the Uni of Brighton will be running in Autumn.
That said, before I get stuck into yet another creative medium (sewing, knitting, photography...) I really should start drawing again, so I have some ideas of what designs I want to print!

phone photos

I've been taking photos on my phone for ages, but only just got round to transferring them to my computer. I'm really pleased with how some of them have come out, considering there on a 2MP mobile phone camera.
It's great to be able to snap things when I come across them, and makes me wish I could get back into photography. Back when I was a student I used to take photos ALL the time, but over the last couple of years I've been distracted by other things. It's such an immediate format, especially now it's a digital possibility, and I really should snap more. Maybe I should reintroduce photography walks into my routine?

The ugly skirt

Back in February, I had a fabulous non-birthday weekend when my old school mate Melissa came over to Brighton. Whilst we were mooching around The Lanes, we spotted a great fabric shop, where Mel fell for some "ugly" daisy fabric. She works for the Electoral Commission and so will get to be on tv when the count is done, so the dare was if I could overcome my fear of making clothes and make her a skirt, she'd wear it on tv!

Media_httpfarm4static_cangf
Media_httpfarm4static_vxxyq

It's unfortunately taken me ages to finish it, but as the european elections were this week it spurred me into action and so I finally got it done and in the post on Friday. Thankfully Mel really likes it! Now we'll just have to wait and see if she wears it (I want photographic evidence!)

Hurrah for making stuff!

Well, it's been ages since I've posted as work has been manic and I've not really been near a computer. But thankfully the business at work hasn't impeded my attempts at being crafty!
One of the things I'm really pleased with is a bag that I made, having been inspired by some patterns on the net.
Media_httpfarm4static_rqfbz

I used some fabric that my Aunt very kindly bought me for my birthday, at the craft fair here in Brighton, and I used fabric from a retro duvet cover (charity-shop find) for the lining and applique Cedarlily bird. With some finishing button touches, it all came together and I love it!

Hand-lettering: what got me thinking...

I'm a bit of an obsessive when it comes to reading lots of design blogs to get my daily fix of loveliness and inspiration (as you can tell from my blogroll!). One of the things that I really connected with was a guest blog series on Design*Sponge by Sarah Millar. You can read the series here, here, here, here and here!
It was this series that got me thinking about hand lettering, and probably why I noticed the new packaging I posted about previously. That's what I love about the internet- you find all these strands to pull at, and they just keep pulling you through to more and more gorgeousness! There's too much to take in!
(PS. Sarah blogs at Oatmeal & Cinnamon, and links through to all sorts of hand-lettering loveliness!)

Birthday Pressie for Sis!

I had a moment of creative inspiration at the weekend, and crafted something for my sister's birthday. She had requested a few bits and pieces of make-up for her present, but I wanted to give her something a bit more personal as well. So I decided to have a go at making a simple make-up roll for her to keep it in. I'm really pleased with the results- hope she likes it too!
Media_httpfarm4static_rijlv
Media_httpfarm4static_muwrg