Happy Christmas

I love Christmas and can't wait until the start of December until I can start to decorate.

These are some of my favourite images.

Pinterest is wonderful for ideas and lovely ideas to try or just admire.

Happy Xmas

Sara x

Wonderful Shops

One of my favourite shops for luxury and great design is Liberty, in Regent Street in London. Probably one of the best loved and recognizable department stores in the world

Founded in 1875 by Arthur Lazenby Liberty, it originally sold imported goods from the Far East. As the son of a draper, following in his father’s footsteps he was an apprentice to a draper at 16, going on to work at the Great Cloak and Shawl Emporium on Regent Street. Arthur Lazenby Liberty was to become the manager of the Oriental warehouse, a mecca for pre-Raphaelite artists. He had a passion for the products he sold and soon become a friend of many leading artists of the time; William Morris, Edward Burne Jones and Dante Rossetti. After 10 years he asked to become a partner in the business, when this was refused he set up on his own, using a loan from his father.

This became known as the East India House, originally dealing with fabrics and silks from China, Japan, India and Persia, gradually more goods were added such as ceramics, Japanese fans and object d’ art. This was at the height of the aesthetic movement and along with his friend’s, he was to change the taste of fashion and decoration. His early passion for eastern arts and the desire to educate, keen eye for style and astute business brain made Liberty a leading retail tastemaker at the time.

A sociable man, he moved in artistic circles as well as making influential friends amongst the wealthy. He started using British manufacturers to print fabrics, and Liberty prints are still popular today. Where possible he tried to promote British Craftsmanship.

 In 1870, Liberty and Co, as it was now known, underwent rapid expansion and purchased 140-150 Regent Street. In the 1890s Arthur Lasenby Liberty built strong relationships with many leading English designers. Many of these designers were key figures in the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements and Arthur Liberty was instrumental in the development of Art Nouveau through his encouragement of such designers.

Arthur Lazenby Liberty’s intuitive vision and pioneering spirit led him to travel the world looking for individual pieces to inspire and excite his discerning clientele. Liberty is not just a name above the door, its Arthur Liberty’s legacy, which stands for integrity, value, quality and above all beautifully designed product. This vision and spirit continues today within the same iconic Tudor building.

 

Sara x

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

Serena Partridge- Small But Perfect

As always, I am on the look-out for bespoke items and gifted artisans.  Serena Partridge makes miniature fashion accessories and garments inspired by a passion for European costume, dating back some six hundred years. Her particular interest is for the flamboyant fashions paraded by the wealthy élite. Such as platforms rising to heights of twenty inches or the superfluous coiffures supported by Marie Antoinette. Although her works contain strong references to the past, Serena is not concerned with producing historically accurate replicas. In her work, scale and proportion are distorted to create curios that send up the frivolity and futility of life à la mode.

Though the work involves endless hours of hand stitching, it is not really embroidery; Serena is more of a mixed media artist who leans towards textiles. She mixes antique fabrics and trimmings with materials that will achieve desired effect. Kid gloves are reborn as elongated shoes and a fragmented wedding veil becomes the filling of a six-tier gateau; while heels are carved in wood and coiffures are fashioned from strands of fine silk.

These miniature accessories are crafted from fine papers, with tiny hand-stitching up the back of the stockings and 25 carefully cut pieces of card, stacked and sanded to create the shaped heels of the mules. The embellishments are hand-made with silk ribbons, antique lace and cut-steel beads.

 If you are looking for something a little different, the shoes and stockings are perfect unique gifts for special occasions and followers of fashion. They can be personalised with a message printed inside a tiny card or on a miniature label.

 

For more information view www.serenapartridge.co.uk

Amanda Cobbett-Textile Artist

Who thought that Paper Mache could be so exciting! I just love these quirky sculptures. I hope you do too.

Amanda creates sculptures, embroideries and paintings based in life outside her back door using a mixture of Paper Mache, wire, found objects, antique and up-cycled fabrics.

Her sculptures of garden birds are life size and accentuate colour and the intricacies of feathers using torn silks and lace, they often have little wire speech bubbles with quotes and phrases, quirky sayings or machine embroidered text in the body of the fabric and sometimes ticker tape with a little 'ode' about each bird. Unique and colourful, they make a wonderful gift.

Amanda runs workshops for schools, colleges and art societies, and private groups if you want to have a go yourself, what great fun!

 

 

For more details and to shop:  www.amandacobbett.com

Bye for now
Sara x

Welbeck Tiles- Made in Britain

I love companies that support British craftsmanship and create bespoke products. Welbeck Tiles produce some of the most beautiful tiles that I have ever seen and make a real design statement in your home, whilst offering a truly personal service to all their clients.

This small-scale, batch production gives the tiles a truly unique quality which could never be replicated in mass-production.  All the tiles are made to an extremely high standard using a very labour-intensive techniques and only the best English materials are used, sourced from suppliers who too take great pride in their products.

Designed and made in a small workshop in Cornwall, using traditional techniques that have been in use in the pottery industry for more than a century, Brenda Bates, the MD and chief designer has a real passion for creating beautiful tiles.

Brenda has been involved in ceramic design and manufacture for over 25 years. After gaining an MA in Ceramic Design from Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent, she went on to work in the ceramic tableware industry for a brief spell. Quickly realizing that this would be far too restrictive, as the industry was then very conservative in terms of decoration, she started her own company in 1988, producing china dinner services and giftware.

An extremely successful number of years followed, designing ranges for some of the world’s most prestigious department stores in the world, such as Bergdorf Goodman in New York as well as various London-based companies including the David Linley Furniture Company, Renwick & Clarke and the Irish Georgian Society. She also worked on numerous exclusive private commissions for some of the most highly-regarded names in Europe.

 In 1996, Welbeck Tiles was formed and with its innovative designs quickly grew to supply over 100 tile retailers throughout the country. They now only sell directly by mail-order and through a selected network of the best handmade kitchen companies in the UK. A lovely range of ceramic brooches and mugs is also available to buy online.

 

For more information and to view their stunning range; www.welbeck.com

 All the best

Sara X

Lucy King-Handbags

I think that quirky fashion accessories as well as been great fun, can really lift an outfit and also make wonderful presents. I love the humour and beautifully colourful designs of Lucy King.

Lucy King is an independent business, based in Yorkshire, dedicated entirely to textiles, primarily handbags and accessories. All of the products available at Lucy King are entirely hand crafted, making each piece truly unique.

To view the range: http://www.lucy-king.com

I have posted several lovely images for you.

Sara x