MIDWINTER - inspired by.......

.....vintage ceramics

this 1965 'sunflower' design by hornsea pottery looks so contemporary it couldve been designed yesterday. it puts me in mind of orla kiely's graphic flowers.

this design 'chequers' is by terence conran for midwinter in the 1950's. still looking good 50 years on.
this is another design that inspires me by looking so modern - 'festival' by jessie tait for midwinter.
spikey motifs and floral designs are in trend just now.

this is one of a few good books i have on vintage ceramics, its a great book for designers especially if you are designing tableware - with lots and lots of pictures its a resource that can offer plenty of ideas

'midwinter pottery' by steven jenkins - published by richard dennis

online store

we all love and admire the work of atelier lzc - but i thought i'd mention an online store where you can buy their designs easily in the uk. whippet grey is a new stylish mail order company with a really interesting website - definately one to keep an eye on as their product ranges expand.

the english roses

this is the opening page illustration to madonna's book 'the english roses'. it has cute ideas for borders and lovely vintage pen and ink style. plus roses are my personal favourite motif.

wedding favour

i'd never seen such nice packaging on a wedding favour before until i recieved this - a tiny little box of parma violet sweets featuring japanese flowers in pastel pink and cream. and i love the gorgeous script font - and could it get any better than to top it all off with a cat and a pink flower.

her cakes were works of art too - such a shame i didnt get any pics of those. featuring little pink japanese blossoms on chocolate brown branches with white icing as a background.

made by caroline swift - an incredibly fashionable cake designer.

happy easter

HAPPY EASTER !

spring/summer ranges

the official spring season has started in stores - most have new summer things arriving instore now - below are a selection of new prints from john lewis. picnicware is similar to childrens design in that it knows no bounds - you can pretty much be as bold and colourful as you like.

more prints

another couple of lovely john lewis items.

spring ranges

also seen in stores this week - lovely kitchen textiles and bits in cargo -
a pretty organza flower pillow from marks & spencer
and cool neutral coloured tableware from debenhams.

rose design

a nice embroidered linear rose design i saw on abound.

retro shades

smart retro lampshades from hunkydory home. check the website for lots of interesting patterns on shades and cushions.

bo lundberg

a selection of designs by swedish illustrator bo lundberg for joseph joseph

giftwrap archive

opulent metallic designs from matalan.

kitchen textiles

a series of interesting kitchen textile designs by typhoon.

umbrella designs

if you're addicted to patterns like me chances are you own more than one umbrella. i have lots, mainly because i couldnt resist the designs. all of the following are umbrella designs from fulton -designed by their own in-house team of st.martins graduates.

printed doormats

the current trend for printed doormats is good news - another area for designers to flex their muscles. these are two examples i particularly liked : the floral one is from the dot com gift shop and the bottom one from heals.

kids design

designing for children is so much fun - and these prints seem to bear that out. im lovin their bright graphic style. childhood interiors is a must see for anyone who's into childrens design - although i think their wall posters make great prints for adults too. these are some of their bedlinen designs :

kids bedrooms dont get more stylish than this - childhood interiors have loads of fab & funky designs that will appeal to any age. how cool is this flight duvet for a boys room ! and how funky does the girls room look ? childhoodinteriors.co.uk

selvedge

selvedge - the magazine for textile designers and students. its a great read with superb photos

and luxury quality print - also you can see from the wallpaper feature below it covers other aspects of print design.plus it has lots of little ads for individual designers that make interesting viewing. £7.50

allegra hicks

a selection of designs by allegra hicks. the brand is too luxurious for me but i do admire the patterns and motifs allegra creates.

pillows

cute floral cushions by present time.

bag prints

a selection of my printed bags.... the top one is by cath kidston, the middle one was a freebie from marie-claire magazine and the bottom one from warehouse.

paperchase

patterned bookmarks from paperchase - 2 for £1.50

book report

todays book from my bookshelf is "private view" by tricia guild (the founder of the amazing 'designers guild'). tricia has written many books over the years, most of which have focused on her various homes that she has decorated. this one is different, its more of scrapbook of things she finds inspirational. flowers, colours, locations, etc. peppered with lots of beautiful photographs of designers guild fabrics.

my fave part of the book are the end papers - such cute paintings. also you can see this copy is personally signed to me - i was lucky enough to meet tricia at decorex in 2004 ! it was great to meet her as she has been a hero of mine since i was back in art college.

private view by tricia guild - published by quadrille £20 ISBN 1-84400-110-5

note books

i bought these clarissa hulse notebooks in wh smiths - they look great when you turn up at meetings and whip them out of your bag. its always a talking point too and breaks the ice ! the little A5 one also has gorgeous printed pages - a nice touch although it does mean you cant use it for sketching.

cath kidston

there's a free cath kidston washbag in this months 'easy living' magazine - i went for the floral option but there is also a polka dot design available.

mug watch

a beautiful selection of mugs by LSA international.