Amanda Mercer Ceramics

I love items which have a nostalgic feel and the beautiful work of ceramic artist maker, Amanda Mercer is lovingly handcrafted and inspired by memories and nostalgia.

Amanda’s range is a collection of delicate porcelain buttons, jewellery, pretty home wear and decoration all individually handcrafted and created in Carlisle, Cumbria.

Based on a love for vintage memorabilia such as vintage buttons found in her Grandma's button box, scraps of lace, black and white photographs, stamps and letters, Amanda, translates this feeling through her work.  She explores both the surface decoration and form. Many different techniques are used to achieve her pieces. Such as imprinting, screen printing and the use of decal transfers which are produced through drawings and collages of postage markings and letters.

Each piece is individual and bespoke and they make the most beautiful presents for yourself and others.

Since graduating in 2009 with a first class B.A HONS in Contemporary Applied Arts, Amanda started selling her collection of items through shops and galleries throughout the UK and has also taken part in many exhibitions and events.

Please view www.amandamercer.com for the full range and more details.

Sara x

Old Favourite by Lucy Wakefield

In the run up to Christmas we are all on the hunt for unusual presents, in particular bespoke and hand-crafted gifts. A wonderful maker I have discovered is Lucy Wakefield, I am posting details about her lovely range.

Lucy Wakefield set up Old Favourite just over two years ago, but first started her obsession with colour, textiles and vintage whilst studying for a degree in fashion in the mid-1990s. Lucy then went on to work as a knitwear and fashion designer. When Lucy recently returned to live in Devon, she started to develop a range of screen printed textiles, using imagery from her collection of vintage postcards, hand drawings and wooden print blocks. Lucy's passion for interesting handmade things has formed the basis of Old Favourite. pieces include vintage paper birds, (featured in Country Living and English Home magazines) printed cushions, tea cosies, tea towels, lavender hearts and peg bags, alongside mixed media paintings and prints.

"Old Favourite is all about vintage inspired art and design, a collection of handmade and hand printed things for your home which are unique, full of character and nostalgic."

 See www.oldfavourite.co.uk for details on stockists and trade enquiries and commissions.

Happy shopping

All the best Sara x

Lily and Lionel Luxury Scarves

I just love scarves and I am always on the look-out for something a bit different. Lily and Lionel have made making stunning scarves for 5 years and were awarded the Walpole’s British Luxury Brand of Tomorrow in 2012.

The brand is named after Creative Director Alice Stone’s grandparents, both of whom worked in the textile industry. Lily was a dressmaker with a strong talent for designing and making clothes; Lionel supplied apparel to some of London’s most glamorous boutiques and stores. After graduating from the London College of Fashion, Alice set about making her own mark on the textiles industry with a line of iconic printed scarves.

Every hand-picked print tells a personal story: inspired by a favourite painting, holiday photograph or a vintage print. Both light weight and softly textural from the moment you wrap yourself up in a Lily and Lionel scarf you are enveloped in comfort and luxury, giving a feel-good factor to life.

A piece of art, that will keep for ever, rather than a simple accessory, as each scarf is unwrapped the colours will expand to reveal a complete story.

I have included visual examples of the current range. Go to www.lilyandlionel.com to view the collection and more information.

All the best

Sara x

Wonderful Shops.....

Merci-111 Boulevard Beaumarchais-Paris

Housed in a stunning historical building, this shop combines shopping, eating and design. A one stop destination for all that is important in life……

Merci was created in March 2009, in the heart of the historic Haut-Marais district. The founders, Bernard and Marie-France Cohen, realised that Paris lacked a place which brought together the best in fashion, design, household goods, and friendly eating options.

Merci's aim is to bring together, under one roof, products and customers who traditionally have not had the chance to meet such as vintage furniture or contemporary creations; emerging new fashion brands or already-recognised collections; impulse buys, affordable for all or much rarer pieces, sometimes in limited editions.

Merci calls this approach "The One and The Other" because we don't want to have to choose between traditional or modern, local or international, simple or costly, mass-produced or individually made, but to bring them all together, and present the best of each world.

Merci is a shop which works like a magazine. Over 15 exhibitions/events around a selection, and an original theatrical design in harmony with the year, have transformed the place into a "store-destination". The exhibitions' themes put over the Merci point of view on a trend, a change in society, the work of a designer or an irresistible take on a project.

www.merci-merci.com

Enjoy

Sara x

Interesting Extras!

Hunted and Stuffed Cushions

I found this company at a trade show in London, I think their products are great fun and I really appreciate the fact that they make something new and contemporary from found and recycled items. These striking home accessories are a complete move away from the mass-produced items found in the high street, which as always is true to my heart.

 

Hunted and Stuffed specialise in sourcing origional vintage textiles and upcycling them into beautiful new creations for the home. All pieces are one of a kind or only a small quantity is produced, everything is made in the UK, using British materials where possible. Bespoke work is produced foe retail customers, celebrity and commercial clients...

 

 Owner Ellie Laycock’s forthcoming book ‘Creating The Vintage Look’ (Cico Books) is a guide to upcycling vintage pieces to create your own unique decorative and functional objects for the home and will be published internationally in September 2013.

 

http://www.huntedandstuffed.com

http://www.pinterest.com/sarabrowndesign/cushions-curtains-and-extras

Till next time!

Sara x

Bespoke-To Wear....

Sarah Cant- Bespoke Hats

I love the vintage feel of Sarah Cants hats; they remind me of times gone by. Her hats are so feminine and flattering but also make a statement as well as been beautifully made.

Sarah Cant is a couture milliner devoted to making hats and headpieces from the finest materials, with an immaculate finish and attention to detail. She specialises in working to commission. Every bespoke piece is a one-off, created specifically for the client. Sarah also works on costume design for the Theatre and Bridal headdresses.

Her fluid, organic shapes are the result of combining tradition with innovation. The bespoke hats and headpieces are sculptural, designed to be as striking off the head as on. The style is both quirky and feminine, with an emphasis on strong, elegant shapes which flatter the face. All of the pieces are entirely handmade by the designer. Sarah states that her work is primarily materials-driven.

 I am inspired by a fine straw, a well-textured silk, a piece of wallpaper, and the endless supply of found objects such as old lace, postcards, photographs and buttons.

She trained at Kensington and Chelsea College and worked for Stephen Jones before establishing her own label. Sarah’s work is regularly featured in leading International fashion press and she has made bespoke hats for members of the royal family and well known fashion names.

In 2010, Sarah published Hats! Making Classic Hats and Headpieces in Fabric, Felt and Straw. The book has been published in the UK, USA, France and Spain, and is widely used as a teaching tool for millinery courses.

Sarah is Course Director for the highly-regarded HNC in Millinery at Kensington and Chelsea College and teaches regular short courses at West Dean College. She is a member of the innovative Studio Seven textile artists, as well as the Gloucestershire and Devon Guilds of Craftsmen.

Studio Seven

The Studio Seven textiles artists - Liz Lippiatt, Anne Rogers, Jenny Bicat, Kathryn Clarke, Corinne Hockley, Sarah Pearson Cooke, and Sarah Cant - work both independently and collaboratively to produce a beautiful and diverse range of textile-based artwork, clothing, fashion accessories, and soft furnishings using printing, dyeing, painting, felt-making, multi-media, and millinery techniques.

 To view more work or commission a hat go to www.sarahcant.co.uk

 I also have images in  http://pinterest.com/sarabrowndesign/hats-away

Sara X

Accesorize With Bespoke

Emma Cassi- Jewellery and Lace

I just love fashion accessories and I am always on the lookout for something a bit different.  I came across Emma Cassi’s unique, beautiful work several years ago and feel she a truly talented artisan.  Originally born in France, she merges a sensibility for lace and embroidery born of her native country. Emma now lives and works in South West London, where she creates high quality fashion jewellery and is also an interior stylist.

Emma mixes beading, sewn work and hand-embroidery in her collections. Vintage sequins, Japanese glass beads, semi-precious stones, crystals, Swarovski, and gemstones are all used in these stunning pieces of work. Emma uses the ancient traditions of lace making and craft of hand embroidery in her modern but nostalgic jewellery.

Her feminine designs have a timeless appeal and are modern antiques and that will never go out of fashion. Emma’s work can be found in. Anthropologie  and Designers Guild and on her own website.

Website: www.emmacassi.com

Blog: www.emmacassi.com/blog

I have posted example of her work and also have examples of her work and other unique fashion accessories
     http://pinterest.com/sarabrowndesign/adornment/                                                          

Bye for now

Sara x