Time to rest!

After so much hard work lately & very long hours I've decided it's time for a little (much needed) break, I'm off on my annual leave so the the blog will be back on the 17th of May...

Have a lovely couple of weeks everyone:)

Designer Helen Steel

Happy Friday!:)

Today I thought I'd introduce the beautiful handcrafted work by textile & print designer Helen Steel.

A bit of info about Helen...

Helen studied at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen where she graduated with a degree in Textiles and Surface Decoration. “As a child I always enjoyed being creative and getting involved in arts and crafts projects. My mum taught me to sew and as she was very artistic she greatly encouraged me and taught me a lot. At university I specialised in print and mixed media textiles. However the majority of my work now involves freehand machine embroidery which I did not discover until later. I learned this and many other new skills, after graduating, by spending several months doing internships with two London based textile studios - firstly with Keelergordon and then at Gilbey & Cheyne. I was also lucky enough to do a work placement with my favourite fashion designer, Alexander McQueen, where I gained further knowledge of drawing and composing designs. My own work style stems from a culmination of these different experiences but as has also come about through a bit of trial and error!”
 
Helen has just launched her brand new business & website. Her next step is to expand her range of products & design collections.She creates beautiful, handcrafted gifts and textiles inspired by nature and childhood memories "All my work is based upon drawings which I have translated into fabric using stitch, print and applique. My collection of quirky, whimsical products is designed to be happy and uplifting. Using both new and recycled fabrics all items are unique and handmade to order". 

Helen will be exhibiting at the Dulwich Craft Fair on Saturday 26th June 2010 which will be held in St Barnabas' Church Hall, Dulwich Village, London, SE21 from 10am-5pm. So if your in that area, pop along & check out Helen's fantastic work.

I asked Helen who inspires her...

"There are so many incredibly talented designers out there who produce great work, especially on sites like Etsy and Not on the High Street where you can find some amazing pieces, as well as the Print Pattern blog which never fails to inspire. Several designers that I really admire are Abigail Brown, Poppy Treffry and Snapdragon who have all set up successful businesses creating fabric-based products while each having their own unique style. I also love Rob Ryan's paper cut-outs, Belle and Boo's cute cards and prints, Kat Heyes' beautiful illustrations, Tim Walker's wonderful photographry and Sanna Annukka's stunning Scandinavian-influenced folkloric designs. A bit of an eclectic mix I know!"

To view more from Helen's range or to buy some of her handcrafted goodies click here

Quirky Lamps!

Here are a couple of more bright & quirky designs added to the Seascape website. Hope you like them!:)

Sunny Snapshots

Happy Tuesday!:)

I took a few more cushion snapshots at the weekend, whilst the lovely sun was shining! hope you like them. My online stores & stockists will be updated soon with all the new patterned goodies.

New Product Snapshots

I'll be updating the online shops & my stockists soon with my new aprons, tea towels & canvas shopper bags! I thought I'd share some of the snapshots with you on the blog today & give you a sneaky peek!:)

*Thank you to my lovely model Miss Jennifer Wolfe!

Daintybrides Blog!

My friend has recently set up a fab, new wedding blog called daintybrides.blogspot.com. It's crammed with lots of gorgeous inspiration, beautiful photography & great wedding tips! so it's well worth checking out!

Two of my best friends are getting married next year & I'm the designer! so it's great to have all of this great reference all in one place. If you are interested in contacting(or being featured on) daintybrides you can drop Diane an email at Ms.diane@hotmail.co.uk

Enjoy:)

Placement Opportunities!

Childrens Lighting!

The 'Floral Umbrellas' design has been selected as one the key looks in the Childrens Lighting range by Seascape Lamps (USA) & rachaeltaylordesigns. You can read the full feature on the Seascape Lamps blog here!

Blog feature notonthehighstreet.com

Just spotted this lovely little mention on http://blog.notonthehighstreet.com/ so thank you notonthehighstreet for featuring my design work (as seen in Print & Pattern)

If you want to stop by my noth's online shop please click here. More new products will be added to all of the online stores shortly including; bags, cushions & kitchen textiles. So keep an eye out over the next few weeks.

*For more information about the must have Print & Pattern book & fab, inspirational daily blog click here

Five Little Elephants

I've been following the work of  Nina Mistry-Rhoades (aka Five Little Elephants ) over the last few months & have watched her beautiful hand made creations progress really nicely. I thought I would share here adorable work with you on the blog today. 

'Five Little Elephants' are a range of handcrafted new baby keepsakes, made in the UK, by Nina Mistry-Rhoades. These adorable little elephants come in 3 basic colours of neutral, pink or blue, with a choice of plain or patterned ears. Each one is individually handmade by Nina from soft felt, lightly stuffed and finished off with a co-ordinating hanging ribbon. A perfect unique gift for the nursery!:)

Nina has a great selection of gorgeous hand made creations which you can check out here!

A bit of info about Nina...

Originally from Oldham, moved to Yorkshire to study Textile Design at Bradford College in 1993, Nina studied both woven and printed textiles, but found her passion to be in printed design.

Nina's 1st love is surface pattern, whether it be on upholstery fabric, wallpaper or wrapping paper "I love the look of repeated and  symmetrical patterns, maybe its the mathematician in me! Bright colours are my fave, especially fuchsia and orange. My Indian heritage comes through in my love of bright colours, elephants, oh and (maths again) sudoko!"

Since graduating from Bradford College, in 1996, Nina has worked in design related companies but never as a designer. So, nearly 14 years later, her creative juices are flowing again, with the birth of 'Five Little Elephants'. Nina says "Cliched as it maybe, my boys have inspired me. I made my first upcycled one-eyed jumper monsters for them last year and that opened the doors for more handmade creations. My new and ever growing love is handmade plush characters and animals. I've spent many a night gazing at all the lovely delights on Etsy! So many ideas, not enough time".

I asked Nina who she inspired by...

"I heart...
Orla Kiely
Cath Kidston
Neisha Crosland
Bungalow
Osbourne and Little
Designers Guild
and so many others..."

What's next in the pipeline?...

"The next step for 'Five Little Elephants' is to start selling my new products on-line and eventually to expand the brand into a nursery interiors range with my own designed and printed fabric. Watch out Mamas and Papas!!!"

If you are interested in Nina's work or would like to buy her beautiful products you can email her at:

ninamistryrhoades@yahoo.com

You can view more fab photographs at: flickr.com

 

Designer Lamps!

Here a few more pics from the designer lamp collaboration with Seascape Lamps (USA) Hope you like them! The 'Quirky' white & multi coloured design is my fave:)

To view more lamps in our collection please visit Seascape

Card Inspiration!

I thought I'd share a few cards I recently bought from Salts Mill, Yorkshire. I love unusual cards & I'm always on the look out for something that bit different. I love these three designs for all different reasons! The first being for colour (I'm obsessed with orange) & the quirky imagery used. The second design just made me laugh so I had to buy it! I love the turquoise colour used too. The last design is from the super talented Rob Ryan (for Roger la Borde) I just love his work! I thought this card was just beautiful.

BCTF feature on Print & Pattern

We were very lucky to receive such a lovely feature on Print & Pattern yesterday. Thank you for your lovely review & kind words, it was lovely to see after all of the hard work that went into the BCTF!:)

You can read the review on the fab, inspirational blog here!

More BCTF 2010 pics!