Friday Feeling

It is Friday again, enough of a reason to celebrate in itself, but it is also the longest day on Sunday. I figured that there might be a few barbecues going on (maybe not here in London where it is forecast rain) so I had a bit of a Martha moment and thought it would be fun to do some paper banners for you to make !

I cut these out of old wallpaper but you could use magazines & gift wrap. There are two designs : apples and flowers in a pot. Hang them up in your garden, wrap them around your dog, put them over your fireplace.

If you mail us I can send you the worksheet to photocopy, there are some patterns on there too that you can cut up. Now all you need are some sausages and a big cake.

Etch a Sketch

Last night we went to Man & Eve in Kennington, the gallery that I wrote about the other day. It’s the coolest space, a house and a gallery in one. It’s massive, grand, beautifully decorated and full of interesting illustration.

On one of the landings was a huge drawing which I had to snap. It was by Adam Simpson. The London based artist has a great back catalogue of work, with strong Escher and Ruscha influences. Lots of splendid detail, the kind of pictures that you will always see something new in. His website is also very smart. Another discovery I am happy to have made this week.

From my bookmarks :

It’s a fabric themed bumper edition today with a few links to check out. I have been hunting down vintage material for some curtains – and have found a few good websites along the way and an Alexander Girard repro that I will be ordering this weekend !

Classic Textiles are reproducing some mid century prints by textile legends. Maximo Design are big fans of Alexander Girard, and subsequently I am too! Vintage Fabrics, these Aussie guys have a massive library. All shapes, sizes and colours. Big on retro. Ljunbergs in Sweden have a smorgasbord of patterns for your home.

Wink Wink Nudge Nudge

My friends at Winkreative have just launched their new website. A top chap called Maurus has done a stellar job, aided by some cheerleading from Jennifer (nice pom poms). Their online portfolio is pretty darn good !

High Five

Out of Buenos Aires come Cinco, a multi disciplinary design studio who I know very little about. Sorry. However, I have got these bits to show you.

How much fun are they ? Like some kind of bonkers 21st century religious shrines. The green peg board one is ace. And then there is the sausage train, which I think is a perfect note to leave you on. Sausages should be given out on trains as a free gift, just to make the journey a bit more pleasant.

A big thanks to superstar Grace for letting me be guest blogger this week ! It’s been a real treat for me. Thank you for reading and commenting all week and a special thanks to those of you who emailed me about my jumper. It sends its regards.

Stay in touch with us at Present & Correct. Have a fun weekend. Bye !
Neal

A haul new world.

If I have a super busy working week then I treat myself to a to a morning off and go to a mid week flea/antiques fair in Kempton, Surrey. It’s more personal than work because the stuff I normally find is for the flat. I swear if you had an empty home and a lorry you could go there and fill it with some brilliant things. You have to get there early, about 6.30am. Bring a flask of tea.

These recent finds include some nice enamel lamp shades. The tags were from a grumpy man, I think they are cattle tags. The colours are just my cup of tea. I got a pie dish for a quid ! And a notebook for 40p which is super graphic, like an old computer game. I was especially pleased with the stamp books and those bike sale labels. The red postman is part of a set of rub down ‘occupation’ templates. He is my favourite. Finally the pig is perfectly formed, I saved his bacon.

Kates Cafe

On Saturday we visited a new, pop up cafe in central London where everything has been crocheted ! The artist Kate Jenkins has turned the gallery into a cafe where you can eat real cakes and drink tea, but surrounded by impeccably crafted crockery and foodstuffs. Knitted food has been around for a while but I have never seen it on such a scale with so much detail. It’s fun, kitsch stuff and if you’re in London you should check it out, and have a cuppa too.

Real Cafes !

The real, non knitted cafe scene in London has had some brilliant new additions recently. It wasnt until I visited NZ & Australia that I saw how great a cafe can be, they sure know how to do it. For readers in London, or people visiting soon, these places are worth a visit. Thanks to Bellaphon for the extra pics.

The Modern Pantry in Clerkwenwell, run by Kiwi Anna Hansen, is set in a listed Georgian building. The outside area is a real sun-trap where you can get good coffee and an original brunch . I love the copper lampshades, they remind me of fish kettles.

J&A, Sutton Lane EC1 –also in Clerkenwell, is a new venture by sisters Johann & Aoise. It has an enviable industrial feel and some hearty, no nonsense homemade cakes. Love Magazine and Alexander McQueen work upstairs, so take your C.V !

Fernandez & Wells– Soho needed a new cafe and the cosy F&W really hits the spot. They have tasty cured meats, lots of cheese and a perfect people watching bench out on the street.

Milk Bar, 3 Bateman Street W1 – their logo is fun and the stripey door drew me in. This Antipodean hang out does good coffee and entertaining staff ! They made me headbang last time I was in there, and they weren’t even drunk.

Bob Bob Ricard– as much an eaterie as a crazy 1930s, train carriage inspired trip (and I don’t mean the variety where you travel somewhere). A fancy destination for a real treat. An old school menu featuring Hot Bovril, Farleys Rusk Milkshakes and other such classics. Champagne buttons at your table and staff in gold trousers.

Czech this out !

My friend in Barcelona sent me this sheet of Czech labels and it arrived today. Not much to say, it speaks for itself ! A frame beckons….

Glad to be clay.

Yesterday I took a trip down a ceramic memory lane. Today I wanted to post up some pics of Jaime Hayón’s latest work. Mark and I have been coveting his range for Lladro for SO long. Unfortunately they are rather expensive. The Spanish designer, responsible for Camper store interiors, uses traditional and elaborate techniques for a very modern result. His creatures are fantastic and I long to have one of his grid vases-inspired by armory and Islamic arts.

On a slightly similar note I recently discovered Barnaby Barford’s ceramics. This English artist is doing really interesting, sometimes humorous, porcelain snapshots of modern day life. The scenes of muggings, fast food, hoodies and thefts are an acquired taste. Barnaby constructs them out of found ceramics and then pieces them back together with his own hand crafted additions. Not one for Grans mantelpiece !

From my bookmarks :

A link that is just for fun. I really like bad food in bad photographs, with their gaudy colours and unrecognizable dishes. Love it. This site Airline Meals is dedicated to snapshots of in-flight cuisine (so you get to see some packaging and logos too). There are some real treasures here. You can browse by airline, so you know which ones to avoid !

Animal Magic.

Animals are one of the nicest things to draw and I especially like icons and simplistic mascots. I have put together a little collection of brands that all have a furry (usually) friend :

Interflug : the national carrier for East Germany between 1963-91 was accompanied by this cute bear character, resplendent in a crown and pilot suit. I think he wanted to get upgraded. Montreal 1976 : for the ‘76 Olympics a beaver mascot was created. His name was Amik and although he was super simple he had a real charm, and a lovely rainbow sash that the lady beavers were lovin’.

Munich 1972 : these games will aways be remembered for the sadder events that took place but we can’t forget one of the most famous, and revered, Olympic masccots. Loved by designers worldwide, Waldi the dog has stood the test of time and he adorned some of the most beautiful Olympic promo material ever produced

Brunas Bear : Dick Bruna is most famous for Miffy the rabbit. The Dutch illustrator was prolific in the 50s-60s and illustrated over 3000 covers for his fathers publishing company. The black bear was his mascot that sat on every book spine. Silja Seal : the Finnish shipping company ‘silja’ have a cool seal as their mascot. He can be seen winking and smiling on office windows and boats. At the weekend he likes a tuna melt and some ball tricks.

Mammouth : a supermarket chain from France used this mascot in the late 60’s Like the real life beast the shop became extinct, but we have heard it might be making a comeback. It’s just like Jurassic Park. Laddie Boy Dogfoods : designed in the U.S in 1969 this pooch looks like he would do a good line in the highland fling.

Fauna-cation.

They might not be for everyone but I was so happy to come across the latest project from Isabella Rosselini. Her new, art house shorts are bite size-at only a minute long-and they look at the world of animal reproduction. “Green Porno”. (they are office safe !) is in its second series, having studied insects and sea life.

I enjoy these for so many reasons ; they teach you something, they look great, they’re funny, warm and, best of all, they’re really crafty !

Rosselini worked with Andy Byers on giant paper sets, with paper costumes too. It’s cool to see craft on a super scale and on such a fun project. The prawn is the best, like a giant piñata and the limpet hat that Isabella is wearing could be straight off an underwater catwalk.

Clap your hands for Clappison!

John Clappison was an illustrator and ceramicist who worked in the 50s & 60s for Hornsea, a classic English pottery based in Yorkshire. When I was 10 I went there on a school trip. Apart from the gift shop it didn’t really float my boat…
Now though I am appreciating how beautiful his work was! He reignited the industry at a time when it was flagging, bringing some quirk into a sector of design that had become predictable and stagnant. His distinctive and iconic style turned Hornsea into a major player, and now it is synonymous with the mid century era.

From my bookmarks :

This is a seriously geeky bookmark but I am going to post it anyway because I find it so useful ! Whenever you want wood check out Veneer Selector for a good picture of any kind of grain you can think of. Hug a tree on the way home.

Paper View.

Just down the road from P&C is a little gallery, Man & Eve and this week sees the opening of , Sarah Bridglands new exhibition. I stumbled across Sarahs work in saturday’s newspaper. I spotted an old box of staples and my foraging instinct kicked in ! Her use of vintage stationery items and cut up books struck a chord so I wrote her an email..on reply I found out that Sarah had bought some books from us, dissected them and used them in her new pieces. That made me smile.

Sarahs 3d collages are intricate, delicate and beautiful. Made from lost and found paper, they nod to constructivism, the Russian Avant Garde as well as the joy of pop up books and paper theatre. I just love how the old boxes seems to be exploding with type and colour, like a miniature celebration of all the things that she has collected. The time, patience and love for her work spills out of each piece, along with all of the strong typefaces and a sense of revolution.

Top of the Class

Vintage textbooks, for kids, are often graphically bold and simple with plenty of geometric primary colours . It might explain why I have inadvertently starting collecting them! Neat diagrams and line drawings are always a pleasure to look at, and if you get bored you can do the maths. Or cut them up and make nice things.

As you can see, the covers are reason enough to pick them off the floor of a junk shop.

These are my current favourites, I found the yellow one at the flea off 6th avenue the other week, and lovely Christine from Yellow Owl (who I met at the NSS) was also a fan. We cooed over it for a while.

Finally this book, with the most apt title, is disappointingly dull inside but the illustration on the cover is worthy of a post. I hope you agree! Someday I would like to have moustache like that. If yours is better then send us a pic.

Feeling Hyper.

Our friends at Hyperkit, a London design group I have admired for a long time, have a smashing new print available which sits in two parts. It’s super simple but captures the beauty of a medal perfectly, I wouldn’t mind this on a t shirt, and a bag.

Tasty Mail.

Last week it was P&Cs first birthday and my friend Emma sent me the coolest present. A box of biscuit crayons in the post. They were meticulously iced in 4 different colours, and tasted ace. You can order biscuit ‘cards’ from Biscuiteers They concoct out of South London but the good news is they ship worldwide, so fill your boots.

From my bookmarks

Superfuture has been around for a while but I always check it out if we are going away. Because it is always updated, and by anyone who wants to do so, I know it will throw up some interesting stuff. Also if you do have a bricks and mortar store then you can add it to the map, thus increasing your visitor numbers ! We like that.

Hello ! It might be Monday but this week it feels like a friday because I get to start my first ever blog on DS…beginning with an introductory shot of me, my battered fishy friend and a Christmas knit on the Isle of Wight.

Over the next few days I hope to show you some interesting, pretty things from recent days and those gone by. The kind of delights that keep us ticking at P&C and some bits we have found along the way.

On her majesty’s service.

Whilst we love the idea of our Betty sitting there with a photocopier and a jumbo pack of staples, we don’t think that The Queen’s involvement in her stationery office has been so great (she has corgis to walk and jewels to polish !).

HMSO was founded in 1786 to help ease corruption surrounding stationery sales. Later on, especially during the war, they published some graphically stunning public information booklets. Designed to inform people how to use their rations, preserve fruit and make a mean salad.

These covers are smashing, check out that fish and the 3D type. They could have been designed last week but these date back to 1948. The Ministry of Food logo is also pretty neat. Stick a crown on anything and we’re happy.

Here are some other examples of their work, a school notebook and a highway code.

Post, modern.

If you have ever visited P&C you will know how much we like postal ephemera, An old stamp can be a cheap, modernist masterpiece and , en masse, they are great in a frame. Here are a few recently found favourites. Those Dutch ones win gold !

From my bookmarks.

Each day I will post a link to one of my favourite bookmarked sites. Today it is the turn of Modern House. A souped up real estate agent for a little fantasy and inspiration. The properties on their books are of architectural merit, whether it be a modernist abode or something built last year. There are some dodgy interiors but, generally speaking, I wouldn’t say no to many of them !

Darra Crosby

Every morning on my way to the studio, I pop into Stumptown Coffee and get my large latte. By the way, I believe the Stumptown is now open inside the new Ace Hotel in New York… Go in and have a cup of joe and see why I can’t function without my latte.

All the Stumptowns in Portland grace incredible art shows on the walls, and this month’s work at the Division St. location is no exception. Darra Crosby is a local artist who gives chalkboards life again. The environments she creates are simply breathtaking, be it a chalkboard drawing or an erased drawing. She describes her drawn environments here:

“Tapping into my memory, I start at the front door of each of the significant homes I have lived or spent time in, drawing every detail I can recall. I work room by room, corner to corner overlapping each view. The more discernible objects and areas are made permanent with paint, while those left in chalk represent the fragile memories flirting with disappearance. I struggle to capture the minute details of each room as I think I experienced them”

I missed her opening last night, for I had my own opening, but I so wanted to be there! Her work is so beautifully layered and oh so clever. I want to take it all home. She also has a side business called The Crosbie (love that) which was started with some friends. Check out her new web site and her blog for more info about this prolific artist.

15 7th ave.- chalk and acrylic paint on chalkboard- 24×24 -2007

e. 49th st.- erased pencil and and acrylic on vellum, 10×14 -2009

Besty Walton

Another now local artist I love is Betsy Walton. What’s not to love about a sweet gal from Kansas? She is also a creator of her own imaginative environments, but out of doors and in harmony with nature. Wisps of smoke and leaves, feathers and ghosts of homes, dresses and folks. You can stare at one of her works for a long time, look away, then look back and see something new. Her work is also featured on a Third Drawer Down tea towel, entitled "Dandelion Tea" that I must get my hands on. See it all on Betsy’s beautiful web site, morningcraft.com, and her Etsy shop, full of her gorgeous prints.

Embers, June 2009, 11×14, acrylic gouache on panel

2009 Kokeshi Show

Betsy, I and a plethora of others are in the Kokeshi Show this July at the Japanese American National Museum in LA, curated by the lovely Christina Conway. If you’re in the LA area on July 11th, please come by! A lot of us are making the trek for the show. It is also the weekend of the LA Renegade Craft Fair, so you can kill two crafty birds with one fancy stone. View Betsy’ lovely Kokeshi doll here on her Flickr stream… You won’t want to stop there! Google "2009 Kokeshi Show" and it will take you to many an artist’s blog or Flickr stream to view each of their amazing pieces. Or… just plain come to the show!

Women of (RED)

Speaking of art by the masses, today begins a four-week series of interviews by Converse called "Women of (RED)". It features some of the women artists who worked with Converse on the 1HUND(RED) series. And… I am humbled to be the first interview posted! So you can read up about myself and other talented ladies there as the days progress.

JDUCT

In these hard times, we’re all wanting to hang onto our money a little bit more. And something so precious to you must be kept in a good place. My dear friend Jen Woffinden at JDUCT has a bright and humorous line of wallets and flasks for just that purpose. Made with meticulously cut duct tape, each design is fresh and fun. I HAVE to have the Wonder Woman wallet. And the ‘drunken squirrel’ flask just cracks me up! Find it all at her Etsy shop. Jen is also a regular on Alberta Street on Last Thursday in Portland, so search her out if you’re in the area.

ha. it’s funny… ’cause it’s true ;)

Monsieur T

Monsieur T has an amazing line of tees, and I thought this t-shirt was fitting with the recent news of the Senate endorsing increased regulation of tobacco. And it’s on sale!

Hungry Eyeball

I have been tooting Portland’s horn all week, and I could keep going day after day if time allowed. It really is a fantastic community for creative entrepreneurs. So if you ever plan to visit Portland, or you already made the move to live and create here like so many others, find out what’s happening by visiting the Hungry Eyeball, a "visual art buffet served in Portland, OR". This is your day by day calendar to refer to when you want to know what’s going down, founded by the sweet Greg "Eye" Pitters. You can also sign up to receive an email newsletter of what’s happening art-wise, so you never miss a beat. You can also view interviews and videos of local artsits. The site just got rolling, but I think it will be well on it’s way soon enough!

Thanks everyone for letting me ramble to you every day! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and that your summer is friend-filled and fun. Cheers!

Signing off…
~@my

There are some hip looking individuals in this town. Young men are starting to wear suits again, and I love that. So guys, if you’re looking for that one look that screams out your dashing dapper side, look no further than Winn Perry and Duchess.

photo from Duchess web site

Winn Perry is run by Jordan Sayler. The shop is a little gem off a busy corner that now has good company with Makool Loves You next door. It is the home for men’s grooming supplies, shirts and sweaters to die for and envious accessories. It is also the showroom and shop for vintage-look loving Duchess, founded by ladies Seyta Selter and Ellen Louise. And their working studio happens to be just down the hall. You must take a gander at their site… it is something to behold. And don’t skip the glorious design of the pdf Style Guide. It is well worth the look. Warning: Guys, you will be tempted.

Jordan’s shop is full of light and life, and while I was there I was the fly on the wall listening to three guys, Jordan and two customers, talking about the art of shaving with a straight razor. Have you ever done it? Yes… no. I felt like all that was needed was a swank bar cart with your choice of bourbons and scotch. This is a store that must be visited to be fully appreciated for all it is. I love it. I want to bring every man I know in to this shop.

Here’s the bright and lovely Jordan below, wondering what to do with his hands. I was just trying to catch the tattoos on his arm. ;) You will always find him here, ready to help you and answer any questions. And with Duchess just down the hall, you can be fitted for a suit lickety split.

The displays are excellent… I love the use of the old trunk here!

There is no shortage of your choice of fine grooming supplies…

Tasty assortment of shoes by Alden (Massachusetts) and Quoddy (Maine).

Gorgeous wallets by Makr:

My faves are the animal cufflinks by Emma Franklin in the UK:

Hopefully I’ve inspired you to have something custom made for yourself, be it a suit from Duchess or a dress from Makool. It is a great way to reward oneself with something wonderful that will last for years, and that makes your heart feel ten times larger, knowing you look pretty darn good and that you supported an indepedant designer. You too can look like a rock star.