Typography Friday: Hello Sunshine!

This week we are celebrating the sun finally coming out to play! As you can probably tell by our shop, here in the studio we love to have fun & to smile, & sunny rays always produce a smile :) We also love yellow! So remember to enjoy some time in the sun & we hope you are smiling along with us!

Kelly & Rachael :)

'LOVE' Card by Rachael

'Here Comes The Sun Little Darling' print by AldariArt

'You Are My Sunshine' art print by artstudio54

'LOVE Watercolour Style' print by dekanimal

Cookie Jar Glass Canister from NoWorseForWear

'Do What You Love Love What You Do' print by letter happy

'Hello' card by Katie Vaz

Yellow Grey Sunshine print for the 'Shine The Shine Project' by ThreeBeesDesigns

Interiors Roundup: Spring theme

I am so excited to be sharing gorgeous interiors with you. As Rachael Taylor’s new Interiors roundup editor, I will be posting every Thursday afternoon with my weekly update of all things Interiors. This week, our theme is Spring! How exciting!

The clocks have gone forward and we all grumbled about that hour less of sleep but that aside, there is so much to look forward to! With extra hours of light, our attention turns to Spring cleaning and freshening up our houses with that much needed lick of paint after the long winter, so here’s a little colour inspiration for you all! I hope you enjoy, I will be back next week with more inspirational interiors for you. Happy Spring to you all! Emily x

Design Seeds

Nina Cambell

Clarke & Clarke

Clarke & Clarke

Plumsiena.com

Annsleyinteriors.com

Thecolorfulbee.com

Thecolorfulbee.com

Beauty Breakdown: Philosophy

Good morning creative people!

Welcome to a Beauty morning with me, MaJo :) Every Thursday I'll delight you with gorgeously packed beauty products (and every now and then, I'll even throw you a beauty secret).

So I thought Spring was finally going to arrive, but it's still freezing in Milan. I'm in desperate need of blooming flowers and sunny days, and I find myself constantly staring at floral fresh patterns. Last week I found one of Philosophy's new fragrances and was enchanted by its simple but still striking packaging. I dug deeper and discovered a whole beautiful packed line called Field of Flowers. The line includes: fragrances, shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath gels, and body lotions. They are all based on different flowers (orange, violet, water lily, wild blackberry, magnolia blossom, wildflower, and peony) that act also as the sole motifs of the packaging design. Enjoy!

All images courtesy of Philoshopy

And since this post was all about scented products, I thought I'd give you a few little secrets for you to make your favourite perfume last longer. It's always better to use the complete line of the perfume you adore (shower gel > body lotion > perfume). Prefer perfumes instead of eau de parfums because the latter have less fragrance concentration. Finally, my Grandma's favourite secret: spray a cotton ball with your favourite perfume and put it between your skin and your bra bridge… this will allow the scent to remain longer throughout the day (never spray it directly on your clothes or it might stain them). 

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read. See you next week with more inspiring designs. Have a great day, MaJo. 

Gift Guide: Easter Alternatives

What do you buy the person who has everything? Well, I can think of a thing or two...
Welcome to my weekly gift-guide; I’m thrilled to be sharing a selection of creative, quirky and downright awesome gifts with you here on Rachael’s blog. This week’s guide features a few alternative Easter gifts.

For me, Easter is the ultimate symbol of spring. Perhaps it’s the pretty pastel colours, the lazy 4 day weekend, dinner with family out on the patio or vases of fresh daffodils on every available surface. Whatever the reason, Easter is truly a special occasion and every special occasion needs gifts, right? I love to celebrate spring and Easter with a few thoughtful gifts for my loved ones. Chocolate eggs are a classic, but they don’t really scream ‘surprise’. If you fancy doing something a little different this year, here are a few suggestions...

I love the idea of hosting a delicious afternoon tea on Easter Sunday. Crumb have put together an amazing selection of afternoon tea hampers, including this one especially for Easter. Get your best gal pals together and treat them to a slice (or two) of cake. 

Afternoon tea calls for delectable chinaware and Anthropologie have just the thing. Available in gorgeous spring hues this little tea cup and saucer will put the special in special occasion. 

J'adore the daffodil fabric of these pocket mirrors. Handmade in the UK by Rebecca Larsen of Edamay.

A more traditional Easter gift, but one that lasts longer than chocolate. This vintage-style tin can be personalised and filled with tasty treats or tiny toys. Handpainted by Chantal Devenport Designs.

The Easter Bunny serves double duty as a delightful egg cup. Available at John Lewis.

The nature theme continues with this beautiful hand painted brooch by Emma Gray of Menagerie.

An adorable character and edible too, this chocolate squirrel by Rumseys Chocolaterie pays homage to the Easter egg tradition - with a twist. 

Oh and what's this? Owl vases in an array of bright colours. I'll take three. 

What do you think? Will you be treating your favourite people to an alternative gift this year or sticking to the tried and tested favourite? 

Have a lovely day, Leonie x

Beauty Breakdown: It feels like Spring

Good morning creative people!

Welcome to a Beauty morning with me, MaJo :) Every Thursday I'll delight you with gorgeously packed beauty products (and every now and then, I'll even throw you a beauty secret).

A couple of weeks ago I was round-n-about Milan doing a street style trend report when I stumble upon 3 cosmetic brands that immediately caught my attention for their vernal, crisp packaging design. It was one of those gray rainy days where all I could think was: 'I can't wait for Spring to arrive', and looking at these refreshing brands made me think they were the best way to welcome my series on Rachael Taylor's blog... just a drop of sunshine and dreamy images of a soon to arrive Spring!

I quickly snapped a couple of pics with my iPhone to remember the brands, and then researched them back home. Curiously, I had chosen 3 brands that share similar Asian inspiration and styles: erborian (Korean medicinal science meets French luxury), herborist (Chinese tradicional medicine and herbal science made contemporary), and bi mât cây (traditional beauty Vietnamese recipes shared with the western world).

All three labels use floral motifs on their packaging design, but each of them shows a distinct brand identity. Erborian's packaging (designed by French agency L'oeil avisé) exhibits simple silhouettes of tall grass and slim flowers that exude a modern and urban feel thanks to the use of bold and contrasting color combos. 

image courtesy of agence L'oeil avisé

image courtesy of agence L'oeil avisé

image courtesy of agence L'oeil avisé

Herborist outlined florals remind me of traditional Chinese motifs while the pastel color palette really gives me the sense of delicacy and sophistication. This exquisite design was created by the French Delo for the design agency Centdegres.

image courtesy of Delo

image courtesy of Delo

image courtesy of Delo

Finally we have bi mât cây... a series of lip balms packed in cute little jars bundled up with the traditional colors of Vietnam and Indochina, and exotic flowers that definitely take us to a mind trip to the far Far East. Once again, gorgeous design created by another great French agency: Halley des fontaines. 

image courtesy of Halley des fontaines

image courtesy of Halley des fontaines

image courtesy of Halley des fontaines

Before I say good bye I would like to give you a simple beauty secret for you to welcome Spring with gorgeous skin: softly rub your body with some sugar and body lotion (or almond/orange oil) before showering, and rinse with lukewarm water. Do this once a week to get your skin ready for sunnier days. 

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read. See you next week with more inspiring designs. Have a great day, MaJo. 

Hello Spring & SUNSHINE discount!

We have had enough of the cold weather & are so ready for SPRING! Over the last few days the sun has come out to play & we are LOVING it! To celebrate the sun we are running a special promo code. Simply enter the word SUNSHINE at the checkout to receive a massive 30% off! all canvas bags, greetings, paper goods & kitchen textiles. (Promo code valid until Friday 22nd Feb).

Here are a selection of colourful, sunny images to brighten up your day! (Photography by the amazing navyblur).

If you like any of our products displayed you can buy them in our online shop.

(*Offer excludes gadgets, lampshades & licensed collections)