sam's notebook

line juhl hansen

Quite a few cafes in Copenhagen have those racks of free advertising postcards, and I know G is sick to death of me carting them home (more clutter, he says...), but every now and then you can find some really beautiful ones. It was on one of these free postcards that I found Danish artist Line Juhl Hansen. Love this painting by Line below!





Image from Line Juhl Hansen.

 

clutch bag by red ruby rose

Georgeous silk-lined blue linen clutch bag from etsy seller Red Ruby Rose.
 
 


 


Here's a little snippet from Red Ruby Rose's featured seller interview on etsy. I love the sound of her house, and the description of her childhood home sounds so wonderful - two creative parents and an old Somerset mill house surrounded by woods and garden...

Hi, I'm Rowena and I'm writing to you from Bristol, England - home of trip-hop (Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead), Banksy, and a mighty fine suspension bridge. I live with my boyfriend Robbie, in a rambling Victorian house that we bought back in the days of yore when banks would happily lend mortgages to sketchy cases like us. We share our home with a various assortments of critters that wander in when we leave the front door open (hedgehogs, spiders, cats, musicians.....)

I was born and brought up in Somerset in an old mill house, surrounded by woods and garden and lovely green stuff and then I moved up to Scotland to study printed textiles at Edinburgh College of Art. After graduation I took a detour from textiles and have spent the last ten years self-employed, building up a collage/montage illustration career, firstly in Scotland and then here in Bristol. Red Ruby Rose is a fairly new venture for me... it's the result of my yearning for a more tactile process away from my increasingly digital illustration working methods. I started making these clutches for fun and haven't stopped.

What first made you want to become an artist?

Probably because I'm completely and hopelessly unemployable. I grew up in a creative environment - my mum's an artist and my dad walked out of his office job to become a self-employed printer when I was 11. He knew nothing about printing at the time but set up a one man business in the house which he still does to this day... that risk-taking obviously influenced me. 9-5 was never a viable option.... I did a few temping jobs when I was particularly skint after college and it spurred me on to never go near an office again.

Images from Red Ruby Rose.
 

time for another doll

By Sveta Dresher. I would dearly love to know where Sveta buys her fabric!
 




Image from Sveta Dresher.

 

couch love

Bluebell three seat sofa in charcoal brushed linen. From sofa.com.


 


Image from sofa.com.

 

black and white stripes

With flowers. It was a great combination last time too. Image found via lovely blog les fifoles.

And speaking of lovely blogs, I have finally updated my blogroll over in the right-hand column. It's been on the to-do list for ages! Lots of new reads, plus old favourites too. Enjoy!





Image by Anne at les fifoles.

 

juicy tomatoes

Fabulous bold fabric design by Susy Pilgrim Waters. The perfect antidote to the grey outside my window.
 

Image from Susy Pilgrim Waters.

 

boutique hotel sweden: wreta gestgifveri

Located in the small town of Ålberga, this beautiful hotel looks well worth a visit! It would make a great weekend break from Stockholm (Ålberga is about a one and a half hour drive south of Stockholm). I wish it was closer to Malmö though - the five hour drive makes it a bit of a stretch for a weekend visit...

Found via lovely blog Le Voyage Créatif.
 





 

 









Images from Wreta Gestgifveri.

 

frittata of rice, baby zucchini and feta

I hope to try this recipe tonight. Which is quite apt really, since it's from the fabulous food blog Sunday Suppers. If you haven't already, get on over there and take a look at the delicious recipes and mouth-watering photos!

Food styling and photography by Karen Mordechai.


Update: The frittata was delicious, although I did forget to buy cream (I used sour cream instead) and my cooked rice was far too gluggy. Looking forward to trying it again, with perfect rice and the right ingredients!

A word of warning - this was the first time I had made a dish where the frying pan was transferred to the oven, and when I was serving the frittata not long after it had come out of the 205°C/400°F oven, I absentmindedly grabbed the handle. Ouch. My advice would be to wrap a dish towel around the handle as soon as you remove it from the oven.

and i walked

Sixty-six metres of printed tape by Rob Ryan. Fantastic.





Image from Rob Ryan on etsy.

 

coincidence

Tonight I was catching up on some long-neglected favourite reads, and found this image of Black Linguine with Kalamata Olive Pesto over at The Jewels of New York.

It reminds me of yesterday's Liberty print!
 

Image from The Jewels of New York.

 

more flowers

Of the Liberty variety this time! I bought a metre of this gorgeous fabric (Elysian brown pink) this summer and managed to get over my fear of cutting into it for a little project for C's room - hope to have a photo of the finished product soon!




Image from Alicecarolinesupply on etsy.

 

leather bag by susannah hunter

handmade
velvet lining
silver fittings

the perfect green




Image from Susannah Hunter.

 

morrison winter collection

I could quite happily add the whole winter collection to my wardrobe.
 



































Images from Morrison.

 

nice*room

More nice*rooms here.

Image found via nice*room.

 

colour inspiration

From Tinctory. Plant-dyed pleated silk.




Image from Tinctory.

 

new york new york

Look who is having an exhibition in New York!
 






Images by Rebecka Ryberg Skött at Vintage Fairy Tales.

 

rose rabbit has a new rabbity friend

Meet Rabbity Friend. By Cathy Cullis. Beautiful workmanship, gorgeous fabrics, and what a personality! Just recently moved from London to Malmö. Will miss Octavia.

Rabbity  friend  is a folk art textile  doll... very much inspired by
old primitive dolls of the past.

Rabbity  has  a  linen  body  with a  pinched nose  and  stitched
features. Her ears are wool felt. Her arms are simple  stitched
to  her  shoulders  and  can  be  moved, arranged  in  different
poses.  Her  legs are button jointed, allowing Rabbity to sit or
stand. She can sit quite nicely without being propped.

Her skirt is  made using  hand dyed  cotton  muslin. Her bodice
is  made  using a vintage  silk handkerchief.  She has  mustard
yellow patterned cotton legs. Hand stitch detailing on this doll
lends a true hand-made feel.

This doll measures 26cm tall approx. including ears.

Image and Rabbity Friend description from Cathy Cullis.

 

homeschooling, 1700s style

Another amazing find from Le Divan Fumoir Bohémien - the Jane Johnson Manuscript Nursery Library, ca. 1740-1759 (Lilly Library, Indiana University).

The Johnson, J. mss. consists of materials devised by Jane (Russell) Johnson primarily for the instruction of her son, George William Johnson. The materials consist of 438 items and are arranged in 24 groups. Included are alphabet cards, religious and secular lesson cards, all hand-made. Some contain colored illustrations and are decorated with multi-colored Dutch paper. 

Word card

32 words in squares, separated by small symbols or devices
cut from brown, orange, and green Dutch paper. Border and
verso covered in faded blue paper. Card shows signs of wear
and soil.

in of for the/ they when what/ that my with but/which there
their/ his her him he/ me she thy/ love shall where well/ will
all our/ have from must most

Dimensions:  18.3 x 16 cm

Words and image from Lilly Library (Indiana University, Bloomington).

 

bridget is painting

More beautiful work by French painter Bridget Couc here.


 

Image from Bridget is Painting.

 

bibliothèque nationale de france: virtual exhibitions

I had a wonderful time this evening exploring the virtual exhibitions at Bibliothèque nationale de France. If you head over there, be prepared to stay a while!

Found via my new favourite blog, Le Divan Fumoir Bohémien.


 

Robert Doisneau, Le sculpteur.
Image from Bibliothèque nationale de France.