West of Whimsy - Photography!

#Happy Friday!

Today we are in for a lovely treat on the blog as I have the stunning work of Eileen Nishi from 'west of whimsy' to share with you all. I first met the talented photographer the amazing dowhatyouloveforlife retreat & I was wowed by her beautiful work.

Below you can see some of Eileen's favourite work & mine:) I just LOVE the 'palette' & 'green chair' images they just yummy, love the texures!

 Here's a little bit of background about Eileen's work:

"My photography journey started in July of 2007 with the purchase of my first “grown-up” camera – a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1.  Looking through the lens provided a new view of the world for me and since then I’ve been capturing images that show my passion for nature, bright colors & bold patterns.

Originally hailing from Eugene, Oregon, I grew up without a TV on several acres just east of town.  My parents were avid gardeners and flower vendors at the local farmers market in the summer, so an appreciation for the outdoor aesthetic was naturally cultivated.

The acquisition of a new camera (Sony NEX5) and Lensbaby Composer lens has opened up a whole new world of photographic possibilities – the results of which can be seen in my recent work.

Other new creative endeavors include painting and mixed media collage – an outlet where I’m excited to be able to use my photography in a whole new way!".
 

 

For more information or if you are interested in contacting Eileen:

http://blog.westofwhimsy.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/westofwhimsy

 

Mel Stringer

Hello!  When I was little I read The Little Prince and I absolutely loved it! The one thing that really stuck with me was how important creativity is and how we should never stop playing.  On today's post I have found a lovely illustrator and visual artist who gives us the chance of carrying on with the playfulness of life.
Her name is Mel Singer, she is from Australia and her work is full of characters with a playful attitude which you will love and enjoy.  I love the way she's got a range of products which go from 2D visual prints to objects you can transform and manipulate and play with.
Here are a few images of her work. Make sure you visit her blog and Flickr page to see her latest work.  See you next week. Love Moni!

Lovely Words

My 'Quotes I love' board on #pintrest keeps growing, there are so many lovely words on there that inspire me everyday.

Here are a few more...

(Some just make me laugh!) 

LOVE this!

Just love... from #pintrest!

Surface Pattern Sneak Peek!

Today I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of my design work which will be exhibited at printsource in New york this August. There are lots of designs unfortunately I can't show you them all (for copyright reasons)

Here's a little taster though...

New Studio Updates:)

Happy Monday everyone:)

I've been photographing the build of the new studio as we've been going along. I'm going to post all of the before & after images on the blog when it's all finished. For now here's a sneak peek of the exterior build & the start of the interior so far.

Exciting stuff! Lots to do yet!

I'm now in a position to take on work placements finally too, if you are interested please get in touch via our website.

I was just thinking that I could really do with a relaxing weekend.  So I thought I would look for some inspiration or dream scenes for you to have one as well.  They are definitely not too good to be true. so why not give one of them a go?   All images are courtesy of Pinterest.  I hope you have a great weekend! Love Moni!

Fabulous Doodles

Happy Thursday! Today I would like to introduce, artist and illustrator Brooke Hagel.  She is a graduate from the FIT in New York and works in fashion illustration.  I am a big fan of fashion drawings and these are sophisticated and incredibly chic. Brooke has got an Etsy shop where she sells her illustrations and turns your photographs into beautiful drawings. She's also got a very cool blog so be sure to check it out! Enjoy, Love Moni!

Gorgeous Book!

You know how much I like a pretty book. Children's books have really surprised me recently because they seem to be getting more and more adorable.  I found this one a library at school and I absolutely loved the quirkiness of the story and the fun and trendy illustrations.
Who Wants to be a Poodle? I don´t! by Lauren Child, is a fun stylish book about a poodle who's a bit of a diva!.  It is packed with patterns and colours and will definitely put a smile in your face.  Hope you like it, Love Moni!

Gula

Hello! It's Moni here, I will be taking care of the blog this week.  I hope you all like the inspirational posts, make sure to leave a comment if there is something you´ll like to hear about or if you like something we've posted.
Today I'd like to introduce Gula.  These fabulous shoes are costume made to turn the wonderful experience of shoe shopping into an even a more special adventure.  They are made by Colombian designer Margarita Pelaez and within this gorgeous product you will find the fun service of choosing the colour, style, leather, heel and personality of your shoes.  I really love them, they are feminine, and romantic. For more info check out the website or you can e-mail. Hope you enjoy! see you tomorrow, Love Moni!

Cut It, Paste It, Sew It

Hello Everyone!  Today I have found a new cool book to share with you.  For all of you who like to make collages or that don't feel brave enough to venture into painting, Cut It, Paste It, Sew It is a collection of lessons from 10 international artists all experts on the art of collage.
It is a really fun way to learn about methods, materials and a brilliant source of inspiration for everybody.  I love the way it is presented in a friendly way, it has got some gorgeous examples and it will get you cutting, pasting and sewing in no time.
Here are a few images! Enjoy, Love Moni!

Time to rest...

Happy Monday everyone!:) hope you all had a nice weekend.

Just a little message to let you know that I'm taking a little break from work. It's only for a week but I'm in much need of it. Had lots of exciting things going on lately that I've been a bit too addicted to my work & have been overdoing it. I'll be back on the blog next week & Moni will be here with her usual Thursday posts.

*Don't worry our online stores are all still open!:)

*Images courtesy of Pintrest

Design Stars!

I can finally share with you the Design Stars competition winners & nominees!

As you know I've been back to Liverpool a fair bit over the last six months as I was asked to lead the new surface pattern category for the 2011 Design Stars challenge. This involved writing briefs, delivering workshops & talks & visiting many schools with the Liverpool area. I also had to judge the huge amount of entries we received (which was very hard & a bit overwhelming) & select the 1st, 2nd & 3rd prize winners & nominees. We also held a screen printing masterclass weekend too where all of the nominees took part.

There was a lovely awards ceremony too where I got to present my category awards, it's all been great fun & I've loved every minute of it! So a huge thank to the Design Initiative they really are a inspiring organisation & have been a pleasure to work with. I feel very honoured to have been a part of it.

And the SURFACE PATTERN DESIGN CATEGORY WINNER IS...

1st place went to CORINNE MALONE, age15, Holly Lodge Girls’ College. I just adored Corrine's design & complimentary print as it instantly caught my eye. Her edgy colour palette & unique style worked really well & the designs were really fresh & contemporary. Corrine also had her own distinct style & her supporting artwork & sketches reflected her natural talent for surface design.


Well done Corrine!:)

In 2nd place ABBIE DUTY, age14, Broughton Hall High & in 3rd place HANNAH MACKENZIE, age 15, Holly Lodge Girls’ College.

I just loved Abi's striking silhouettes & cool colour palette. I thought she had great clean commercial style too (image above)

Abi is just age 14! Wow!

I thought Hannah's design (above) was bright, fun & quirky. It was really refreshing to see a different approach & choice of subject matter.  I thought she had a distinct style & I loved her fun sketchbook too!

Well done to all of our three prizewinners! I was super impressed by their designs & standard of work. They all had great sketchbooks & thorough research too (which was all required as part of the brief)

First prizewinners received an iPod Nano, second places won either an iPod Shuffle or Gamstation vouchers, and all third placed entrants were awarded Top Shop vouchers.

All 38 nominees received certificates of achievement in recognition of their hard work and great designs.

An exhibition of all the winners and nominees will be on display at the Design Show at St George’s Hall, as part of Liverpool Design Festival, from 6th to 9th October 2011. The next Design Stars competition will also be launched during the Festival.

For more information on the surface design brief, the Design Stars competition or the Design Initiative you can visit any of the three following pages:

http://www.liverpooldesignfestival.com/designstars/surface-pattern-category

http://www.liverpooldesignfestival.com/designstars/

http://www.designinit.org.uk/