Artist Ahoy!

 

There's nothing like the sound of my Mollie Makes magazine subscription landing on my door mat every month. Cosying up on the couch, cuppa in hand, I devour each page of inspirational goodness. This month featured an interesting artist / designer I just HAD to share with you.

 Becky Broome creates hand printed home wares and prints with a feeling of nostalgia. I love her framed screenprints and the tea towels are far too nice to use! She layers imagery from old Post Office savings book stamps and vintage clock faces. Everything is made here in the UK. I love it, very inspiring.

 

 

 

Electric Love...

How gorgeous is this old power box!? I love it, I am obsessed with this colour too. The patchy rust and creeping ivy just adds to the object. The geometric style pattern is unusual and reminds me of the Jewish Star of David in the corners. I wonder who designed this, someone chose to decorate something as mundane as a fuse box, and I'm so glad they did.

It sits on the side of a main road on the way to Hertford, opposite a car sales yard, probably getting over looked by daily commuters. It caught my eye however. I really like it as an object and so into the sketchbook it goes!

Something different...

The ultimate in homemade shabby chic!

What to do when you have limited funds and are in need of hip yet practical furniture? Lucky I have a creative and handy man around the solve my dilemma!

Jon is good with his hands, using this old door and mdf wood, he managed to knock up a coffee table and matching TV unit for us!

We (and when I say we, I mean Jon) sanded down the old door, threw together a wooden box and mixed up a white wash to give it a cleaner look. The table top works as a lid so we can use the coffee table for storing my hundreds of NZ House and Garden magazines...

Both pieces work really well together, I must say I'm very impressed! What do you you guys think?

Applique Street Scene

Inspired by the new house, and the work of artist Gillian Bates, I've set about creating new cushions. This one is just finished, an applique street scene, complete with bunting!

Instead of standing on the side of the road, along a busy high street trying to draw my building whilst getting in every ones way - I took a photo.













Tracing my drawing onto water soluble fabric, I was able to sew freehand over my drawing, capturing the 'drawn line' in stitch.



















I've actually used 'reversed' applique for the windows, sewing a contrasting fabric behind the window and cutting it away to reveal the colour underneath.

 This is a shot from the back you wouldn't normally see. It gets quite messy with connecting threads. I really like this look though, I feel like it gives it a more hand drawn appeal, yet in stitched form.

I think this might be something I could use going forward, not cutting the threads and leaving the work in a more natural, organic state.