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  • February 14, 2012

Owl do anything for you…

Happy Valentines Day to you, and you and you! I’m ashamed to say that our household doesn’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day…we aren’t ‘anti’– we just don’t put a lot of stock in any particular holiday (which is in contrast to my general love of details, decorating and gifts…but does fit nicely in with my too busy to do anything life. sigh). Thankfully, I have a husband and doggie that I love everyday and a stepmum who sends me lovely vintage valentine’s goodies so I can rest easy and just enjoy. Oh I feel loved!

This vintage garland which is now hanging from a very happy Rhino in our house is from RawBoneStudio and sports a lovely assortment of vintage Valentine’s Day cards reproduced on wool felt. My favourite bits of love are of course the owl, who says ‘Owl do anythig for you–why not wise up and say you’ll be my valentine?’ Not too shabby… but if sweets are more your speed you might enjoy the donut and cup of tea who pleads, ‘ Please Do-nut say No, be my valentine!’. Oh too cute! But, whatever you do this Valentine’s Day…follow the word of the little space cadet (top picture, on the left) and think, “Why should I keep this a secret?” Of course she says this while wearing her odd bell-jar-esque space helmet, little red skirt and looking through a ‘secret codes’ book. Be still my heart.

 

 

 

 

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  • February 7, 2012

A little story about…an elusive scarf



Oh Madewell…we’re going to come to blows soon. I’m batting ‘oh-for-five’ at the moment with you. Despite dedicating a significant portion of my income to you lately I keep guessing wrong as to what I should be paying full amount for (as I love it enough to not want to risk it being sold out) or waiting to pick it up in the sale. I think everything I’ve bought full price has entered into a very well priced sale state…whilst the pieces I loved but thought wouldn’t, have sold out! Number one on this list is the elusive storyteller scarf collection. I work across the street from Madewell…dangerous I know…and have literally been eyeing up the red/teal/green/orange map scarf for months. When I finally thought, ‘sod it…I obviously like it enough to splurge’ it’s gone! As are all the other scarves from the collection that use maps, typography and other fabulous bits and bobs in great colours to add glamour and cheeriness to any outfit. You can read a bit more about how they created the collection here on their blog, which will make you fall in love all the more. They literally cut up maps, and made collages, using real glue…in this day and age? Very impressed!  So please bring back the storyteller scarves Madewell…or be prepared to tell me another story. Perhaps the one about a new scarf, yet to be released, that I’m going to like even more than the previous ones. I like that one…and I promise I’ll buy it full price this time, so stop punishing me.

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  • January 10, 2012

Oh Deer, stuck inside a winter wonderland

No need to flee to the weather channel to figure out if New York City has been covered in snow…sadly we haven’t. But there is a little winter wonderland present in the flat right now. At first I thought I might be a bit late since Christmas is over and the decorations are all packed away…but on second thought, winter hasn’t even arrived here yet, so why should non-Christmassy winter stuff be shoved away (and because I have no idea how to pack them!). These lovely little ‘snow globes’ for lack of a better term were a real project of many inspirations–one part Anthropologie, one part Martha Stewart, one part family and voilà!

I had saved Martha Stewart’s tutorial for snow globes ages ago…and then when I saw these variations at Anthropologie with my sister-in-law we set about picking up mason jars, salt and pepper shakers and glitter. Then at Thanksgiving I went home and my stepmum had picked up all sorts of lovely bits like bell jars, dishes, moss, deer and even…a pillar box! Crowning touch if I do say so myself. I picked up a few pinecones in Riverside Park and that was it– a little piece of nature (and england) in NYC.

Along the way we learned the following useful facts that might help you if you were to take this on:

1. Using artificial snow  as a base builds up a nice shape. We then used fine white glitter on top for the sheen. I also dripped some glue around on the ridge of the deer and the top of the pillar box so some glue would stick on top…

2.  Don’t shake the salt shaker…unless you’ve made sure the holes are covered. Oops.

3. Schleich animals have a nice ‘vintage’ look about them and can be found MUCH more easily (for instance at Michael’s) than proper vintage characters…trust me we’ve tried!

and last, and certainly most useful…

3. Small town train stores have a lot of small figurines…not ice skaters unfortunately, but they do a cracking business in homeless people and prisoners….so ughm depending on the theme of your winter wonderland that could be ughm…well frankly useless.

photos by pillar box post. lamp & table from West Elm

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  • December 6, 2010

Present(s) & Correct

Tis the season to be a pop up shop, or at least it is if you want to be something brilliant and beautifully styled…Latest on the London scene is one of my favourite online shops, Present & Correct. They are a London based, online stationery shop that specialise in everything that makes me inexplicably want to have a 35 foot long desk. But as for some funny reason they don’t have that as their mission statement, I think they would probably define it more like stationery, vintage products and handmade work from designers all over the world. As expected the translation of their tone, quirk and design elements worked brilliantly in their mini classroom, choc-a-block with goodies like cardboard desks, giant pencils floating in the window, chalkboard, library cart of vintage books, red post box (for letters to Santa…) and the giant stencil shop name in the front window. A shop truly deserving of some square footage…

After getting a bit starstruck talking to Neal, the extremely talented designer/illustrator behind the shop, I spent my time pointing out nearly everything to David for my Christmas list. In the excitement, I decided to bring home a little present, of a pack of paper goodness, a bit early. The envelope is stuffed with vintage ephemera like tickets, stencils, cards, labels etc…all those things as a designer that you think ‘oh if this only looked like classic ticket..’, to then think, ‘but what does that look like’? It will pay for itself several times over I’m sure of it…you can get your own goodies here or make the rest of your own Christmas list—there’s still time!

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To visit the shop, get down to…

5 Back Hill Road, London EC1R

The seasonal classroom open now until 21st December. Monday – Saturday 12-6.30pm
Open until 9pm on thursdays (with mulled wine, hot Ribena and satsumas)

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Can’t get enough of Present & Correct? Check out these past posts for more:

‘Back to My Desk…’

‘From the Desk of…”

‘Clip It, Clip it Good’

‘Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils’

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Images by pillar box post

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  • November 16, 2010

Tin Time! Part 2

Yesterday, I revealed my guilty pleasure of Christmas tins and you probably thought I was a wee bit crazy excited over some tins. Oh but there’s more! I also picked up a few of these styles (my ability to pack our little studio flat from top to bottom is impressive). The top square tin of shortbread is a bit more from the ‘Sasek’ illustration collection, like the routemaster bus, and has a Pillar Box on it, so obviously that had to make its way into our home somehow!

The Swiss Biscuit Collection tin is a remake of last years uber successful tin which is illustrated by Sanna Annukka, a half Finnish half English illustrator (the artist behind the Keane “Under the Iron Sea” album artwork). The tin has a fabulous matte silk finish with embossing on the illustration and feels super luxurious and not at all like  ’supermarket’ packaging. And again, a great use of type that doesn’t shout ‘I’m a naff package from 2010′. Well done M & S, you’ve driven me to becoming a tin hoarder in one day flat and with enough cookies to last until next Christmas. Guess it’s time for a cuppa tea?

These tins are part of the Marks & Spencer Christmas Collection. Photographs by Pillar Box Post

If you like this, make sure you check out the other Christmas tin on offer from M & S

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Getting into the Christmas mood? Check out these christmas windows from 2009

Part 1: Bonpoint, Aubin & Wills and Ted Baker Christmas Windows

Part 2: Daylesford Organic and Notting Hill Bookshop

Part 3: Loft Design & Toast

Part 4: Pedlars & Anthropologie

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  • November 10, 2010

Collared…

I’ve been banging on about these collars for over a year (here or here) and finally someone is taking heed—ASOS has made me my own collection of peter pan collar dresses and blouses.*

Starting from top left, clockwise:

Mustard shift dress £46 , Silky Blouse £26, Dress £28, Mustard 60s shift dress £36, Silky Blouse £26 all available from ASOS

*There is a very small possibility that they aren’t just for me…

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