Fashion and Textiles Museum with ASOS

Fashion and Textiles Museum

Yesterday I headed over the the Fashion and Textiles Museum for the Hub@FTM event. The event was called the Buying Lounge and we got to listen to Anna Baxter the Buyer for Premiere ladies wear brands from ASOS. The talk was really informative with Alison from the Fashion and textiles museum giving a kind of interview about all the questions we all want to know, such as 'how do get in contact with the right buyer' and 'what to do/have when you finally get the meeting'

Sue Timney exhibition

I was great to hear it from the buyers point of view, much of it was common sense it is still great just to help reassure what you are already thinking.

Whilst I was there I went around the Sue Timney exhibition and also bumped into a friend of mine, Katherine who makes the most fabulous jewelry under her brand of Creme Nouveau.

Necklace by Creme Nouveau

Tatty Devine's 1st birthday party

On Thursday night a couple of university textile friends and I headed over the Covent Garden to check out Tatty Devine's 1st Birthday party. I didn't realise how small the shop was and when we arrived it was literally bursting at the seams. I love Tatty devine's work and I was especially admiring the collection with the clocks... unfortunately it was too busy for me to make a purchase!
Below are photos from the event, I decided to wear one of my favourate headpieces, check it out on the website 

Dear Designers Give Away

As promised I am letting you know about the give away with Dear Designers. Pop over to her blog and find out how you can win a framed flower white/black worth £55 as well as 4 other beautiful gifts from My Deco, Denise O'Sullivan, Anonymous shop and Red Lilly.
It is Dear Designers first Birthday and Carole has organised give away to celebrate!
You have all week to enter so head over to her blog now! Good Luck

Will's Bright.Bazzar!!

I Love Will's Bright.Bazaar blog, he now has his own feature in a magazine! Check it out!

Bright.Bazaar: Sweet Paul: The Holiday Issue: "Tuesday just became a whole lot more interesting, friends! Yep, the first ever holiday issue of Sweet Paul magazine is now live"

Dear Designers Christmas post!

A massive thank you to Dear Designers for including me in their Christmas Gift Inspiration, check out the post and rest of the blog! It is also the Dear Designers first birthday week so keep your eyes peeled for giveaways to celebrate!

Where to buy:1.Perroquet dining chair, The Cross Design. 2.Dahlia wallflower, Lorna Syson. 3.Silver hanging pendant lamp, Sweetpea and Willow. 4.Flying ducks, Designed in England. 5.Red perfume bottle, Marks and Spencer. 6.Swan tray, Pedlars. 7.Horn sculpture, Katherine Pooley. 8.Cushion,The Cross Design. 9.LSA Jazz flutes, John Lewis.

All images and text is taken from the Dear Designers Blog

Gifted exhibition

My work will be at the Gifted exhibition this Christmas, if you are in Newcastle-under-lyme check it out!

Inspirational trip to Stratford butterfly farm!

I had a wonderful day at Stratford upon avon's butterfly farm. I must admit I was slightly apprehensive at what it would be like inside and whether it was worth the £6 entry charge but as soon as we stepped into the warm building at a butterfly landed on my head within the first minute or so it definitely was! The patterns on the wings are hugely inspirational for my textiles work! Keep an eye out for butterfly inspired work!

Highlights of Luster at the Lakeside Arts Centre

Lakeside arts centre

Luster

Today I went to visit the widely talked about and well respected Luster at the Lakeside Arts Centre. The standard if work on show was extremely high and I recognised many of the exhibitors from showing at BCTF, Top Drawer and 100% Design and fellow design factory members.

One of my favourites was the jewellery made by Kate Gilliland, I fell in love with her own quirky take on taxidermy pieces from her 'The weird and wonderful' collection, especially the sleeping mouse necklace in it's own leather pouch and the harnessed bird necklace.

Sleeping Mouse

Harnessed Bird

Staying on the Jewellery theme I also loved the cuffs made by Syann Van Niftrik, the necklaces made by Serra Malta and quirky pieces by Rachel Leardley.

I also loved the ceramic wall pieces by Porcellana and Duomo, I think I love it so much because I can see some of my own work within the large wall panels but instead of textiles, the pieces are made from ceramics. I loved how delicate the porcelain is folded and manipulated to create such brilliant abstract effects.

As well as the new designers i saw I have my firm favourites which I have seen at different trade shows and events, these include Catherine Hammerton. I think her ceramic pieces are beautiful and brilliant value! I also spotted Gillian Lee Smith's quirky dolls and did some christmas shopping and brought some of Amanda Ross's notelets.... as always I was drawn straight to her stand!

Catherine Hammerton Mug

Catherine Hammerton Plate

Gillian Lee Smith's Linnet doll

Amanda Ross Original Artwork

I really enjoyed the show and would love to get involved next year... I will definitely be applying!

Debbie Bryan's Studio and Shop

I LOVE popping into Debbie shop in the Lace Market, Nottingham. She has some beautiful items from designer makers from the East Midlands and further afield in the UK.
I noticed she has a new table of goodies by Lucy Roscoe. I met Lucy at the Craft House Concept opening in Edinburgh earlier on in the year and now have one of her lovely gift boxes up in my studio.
I have also sent some of the wall flowers and framed flowers and hearts to Debbie for the shop, check out the images below to see how they are beautifully displayed!
Also watch this space, looks like I maybe be doing some sustainability workshops at the shop in 2011! Will keep you all updated!

The framed hearts and flowers on the wall

Lucy's gift box

Swedish Belvedere Design Magazine Feature

Thank you to Sylvia for featuing the Morrocan Dahlia interior cushion collection in the magazines 16 page feature in there top interior magazine.

Check out the whole e-version here

Xmas Gift Ideas from Shell Livewire

Check out this blog by Shell Live wire, I became one of the Shell Live Wire Grand Idea's winners this July. They have collected together past winners and created a blog to help you make your christmas shopping decisions.

Thank you to Sarah for featuring the wall flowers on her Interior Life blog!

Film and animation!

Today I have had a sneaky peak into the world of online short films on Vimeo! There is such talent out there... the one that started this journey... and still my favourate one was 'What Makes Your Day?' a 2 min film by Napatsawan Chirayukool who won the Adobe Design Achievement Award for the film. 


WHAT MAKES YOUR DAY? from Napatsawan Chirayukool on Vimeo.

Love Cooking with Huge

Last night Francie and I managed to get ourselves some free tickets to the Love Cooking event happening at the Royal Festival Hall. We went to see the Huge Fearnley Whittingstall show, Spade! Fork! Spoon!

We walked there along the south bank which was beautiful!

The event started off with a rather strange discussion about different sorts of apples. At this point we were wondering what we had let ourselves in for but when Huge came out the evening livened up, especially for Huge as he enjoyed a couple of bottles of what looked like some very nice cider!

He cooked an amazing apple cake, butternut and peanut butter soup, Mussels with Bacon and Leeks and venison and pork burgers. We were kicking ourselves that we were not closer to the front so we could get called up onto stage and try out the food! We are already discussing evenings to get together and try out his recipes!

We left on a massive high which was then dampened considerably by the tube strike combined with a long cold and dark wait for the bus to take us back home!