XMAS CARDS - next

cheery modern christmas cards, as photographed in my local next store.

ONLINE SHOP - olive loves alfie

just a few of the cute things on offer at olive loves alfie's new online shop.

DESIGNERS - iota

colourful patterns from iota, based out of Basalt, Colorado. iota is known for the vibrant, playful patterns it creates and applies to a new stationery collection every year, and on various surfaces including fabric, paper napkins and plates and ceramics. iota was founded in 2003 by designer Kelly Alford, and you can see their work in over 1,600 stores throughout the US and internationally. click here to see where to buy or find out more about liscensing prints.

WALLPAPER - mini moderns

keith stephenson from absolute zero degrees sent over some great pics of their new mini moderns wallpapers. designs include tick tock and sitting comfortably (above) which also come in black & white as 'colour me in' prints. there's a versatile stripe design avaialble in four different colourways, and finally 'moo', which is also being launched as a range of picnicware.

TEXTILES - henry road

textile designers henry road are having 'A MONTH FOR GIVING' where for the month of November, 15% of their revenue will go to the nest, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women artists and artisans in the developing world by providing micro-credit business loans. click here to see their christmas gift ideas.

CHARACTER DESIGN - aranzi aronzo

firstly i need to apolgise for yesterdays lack of posts but i experienced some technical difficulties. but a quick purchase from google last night of more storage space and we're up and running again. recently ive been thinking about character design and my research led me to japanese company aranzi aronzo . you'll probably know them through their popular 'cute' book (see the next post), but their range goes much further than just felt dolls. the cute characters can be found on tableware, stationery and all manner of goods - see the store in english here.

BOOKS - aranzi aronzo

click here to see aranzi aronzo's 'cute' book for $9.99 in my usa bookshop or £6.99 in my uk shop. below is a new aranzi book that publishes next year. looks good !

PLUSH - gallery hanahou

heres some good news for plush fans in new york. a new exhibition at gallery hanahou opens on the 8th of this month. among the 29 artists are legendary plush makers heidi kenney, betz white, and anna chambers, along with 9 cutting-edge Japanese plush artists, whose work is hugely popular in Japan, but rarely seen outside of their home country. prices will range from $12.00 to $1200 ! for more details see the galleries website.

CANT KNIT - dont worry

if like me you cannot knit - do not fear, you can bypass the craft books and buy readymade versions on etsy. like this super cute chap bo above from m patrizio, and at the top bear baby from bukubuku.

CRAFT MAFIA - manchester

manchester's craft mafia are holding a sale this weekend, so if you are in this part of the world pop along and browse the stalls for unique Christmas presents, stocking fillers and a treat for yourself of course. many of the exhibitors are also etsy sellers so you can still get your hands on their goodies. see here for details. the lovely purse above is by tinkering textiles. also there will be cool online shop betty joy.