Pretty Pretty Paper

Neisha Crosland is a pattern and textile designer in the UK. She is inspired by historical patterns and paintings, but certainly adds her own contemporary flair. In addition to gorgeous wallpaper and fabrics, she is available for bespoke work... we're talking stunning hand painted silk wallpaper, tiles, rugs, etched furniture. Oh, if only I had a house to put it all in!!

Click here for here website and more samples.

Transport Museum

Perhaps this may only be of interest to those who love London, but I hope it will appeal to those with an affection for iconic design, history, or transportation.

The London Transport Museum has been undergoing extensive renovations of both the museum and the shop. The Museum is due to open in August, but the shop has been open for a while, and it's really fantastic. I usually find gift shops a bit cheesy, but this one is nothing of the sort. From the architecture, to the prints of every tube poster, to an extensive library of transportation, art and design... it's just great. We spent hours there one day, just looking around. So, if you're in London, definitely pop by. And if you're not... well, you can still shop online!

Click here for the museum website.
And here for the shop.

Orange Tree Project

This was just posted over on Print & Pattern, but it's so great, that I just had to write about it as well. It's called the Orange Tree Project. Their tag line is "Inspiring Design. Inspiring Cause." And that really says it all. They are a non-profit organization started by a group of designers in San Diego who wanted to make a difference. They create gorgeous, contemporary art that is meant to positively impact the purchaser through quotes and messages, and positively impact those in need.

Currently, they are only offering stationery, but have plans to branch out into home goods, apparel and prints.

Click here to view their pretty website.

Trunkt

Here's another online shop, similar to Etsy. It's called Trunkt. It was originally founded by Ayesha Ahmad as a physical trunk show event around NY for independent designers. Now you can search for for art by category, artist, or even color. Finds include jewelry, photography, note cards, prints, bags, ceramics, etc. You can create wishlists, or shop the featured designers. So have fun browsing, and supporting independent artists!

Work featured below: silver necklace from Twigs and Heather, gocco card from the Printshop Girl, print by Wolfie and the Sneak

Fight Dirty

Ok, I don't know how I missed this brand. It has everything that appeals to me - nice design, fun packaging, and a commitment to the environment. The company is called Method. They have the best tagline: "People against dirty." They create a range of cleaning products for the home and body. Their formulas are made from biodegradable ingredients, their packaging is made from recyclable materials, and the don't test on animals (nor do their suppliers). Yay for Method. Even better? It's sold throughout the US, Canada and the UK.

Some of their bottles are designed by Karim Rashid, and really are a work of art... not something that gets hidden away in closets. And their fragrances are natural. None of this headache inducing chemical smell. I have got to get some of these.

Changing the World

I've just received my very own copy of "Change the World 9 to 5," which is the sequel to "Change the World for a Fiver" by We Are What We Do. If you recall, this is the company behind the idea for the famous Anya Hindmarch "it" bag, which continues to cause quite a stir (see previous post). The book was written by Steve Henry, and designed by Antidote.

Not only is the book adorable, smart, witty AND well-designed, but it has great easy tips for reducing your impact on the earth AND making it a happier place to be. Things such as:

Action 058 - Pull the plug on mobile phone chargers- 95% of the energy used by the charges is wasted because people leave them plugged in. They're only doing their job (charging phones) 5% of the time.

Action 082 - "Aspire not to have more, but to be more" Archbishop Oscar Romero

Action 089 - Ring the IT help desk just to see how they are

I think we could all learn a little something from this book and movement.

Doin' it all

Sandra Isaksson is an extremely talented designer and illustrator in the UK. She creates some great patterns, and adorable illustrations, but my favorite work, by far, is when she combines the two. It adds such a nice texture to the illustration.

I admire that Sandra works in design, illustration, surface patterns, products and photography. And she has taken her products to the consumer. I aspire to similar achievements. However, you often hear people say that you need to focus... to be great at one thing. Well, I think that's all a lie, and Sandra is proof :)

Click here for her site. (Just click on the little deer in the corner to scroll forward or back.)
You can purchase some of her work online through ISAK.

Street Art

It's called the "Grand Tour" and it's bringing the art gallery to the people. Out and about on the streets of London you will find full-size reproductions of work from the National Gallery... complete with museum guards and velvet ropes. The campaign was created by the Partners, and it's such a great piece of advertising because it actually adds value and beauty to the streets.

From the Guardian:
"The National Gallery is encouraging people to hang around the streets of Soho and a corner of Covent Garden once infamous for its filth and debauchery. But it is not suggesting they indulge in anything mucky; it merely wants them to admire some art.Full-scale framed reproductions of 30 masterpieces from the National Gallery - among them works by Caravaggio, Rubens and Constable - are going up on the outside walls of buildings including a bookmaker's and a pub.... The gallery hopes the spectacular reproductions will lure visitors to the real thing in Trafalgar Square."

Click here for the story. And here for some more pix. Below photos by David Levene of the Guardian.

Patterns, patterns everywhere

I'm Loving Linda Lo (Linda Sjödin). She creates such gorgeous patterns in beautiful color schemes. Some of her work has a fantastic hand-drawn feel to it, and all of them are slightly unexpected. Below are some of my favorites. I hope they brighten your day. Since it's raining for the 5th week in a row here in London, I'm just going to look at these and find my happy place.

Check out more of her work here.

Happy Independence Day!

iWant

After lots of hype and patient waiting... the iPhone is finally here. I don't really know how it works, or exactly what it does. But it seems like it does just about everything. Who cares. It's pretty. I'll take one!! (Especially if you can get those cute little accessories.)

Click here for more info.