Floor play

Texture, pattern, shape overlay. Accidental compositions.

Recycled and reclaimed

The second artist I want to feature from the Dulwich Artists' Open House event is LeilaBadblood, aka Leila McMillan, who creates new products from recycled, reclaimed and salvaged materials. She uses printed fabrics, tea towels, embroidered linens and napkins to create all kinds of things - I love the baby booties, wash bags and the quirky detailing on shirts. I also spotted some great vintage card pin brooches made from kids game pieces.

See my first post from the Artists' Open House here.

Skip Sisters

On Sunday I had a little wander around the streets of SE22 for the Dulwich Artists' Open House, where artists, designers and creatives open either their studios or a room in their home to show, and often sell, their work. I came across some really inspiring and creative people, and will share three of my favourites.

First up are the Skip Sisters; a group of five women who salvage and rescue objects from landfill and use them as raw materials to create new products. I particularly liked the quirky cake stands, the use of old tennis rackets to display jewellery, and the hooks made with toy blocks or old packaging.

Swooning over Louboutin

Any thoughts I had about this being "just a collection of shoes" was dispelled as soon as we walked in and I was completely blown away by one of the most glamorous, inspiring, atmospheric and theatrical exhibitions I have ever been to. Merry-go-rounds, light bulbs, shells, music, shadows, showgirl holograms, glass bell jars, hand-drawn fonts, and mirrored surfaces that accentuate the huge heels and flash of red.

I love this quote: "The principle of craftsmanship is that it is a living process, a constant evolution".

Such a shame that no photography is allowed - images from the exhibition have been sourced from various websites. Christian Louboutin is showing at the Design Museum, London until 9th July.

Love Waanaki

I'm loving new online shop Waanaki selling vintage kids clothing and accessories from the 1950s-90s, sourced and hand-selected from markets across the US, Europe and Asia. Gorgeous patterns, quirky designs and great collections. LOVE!

Bronze rocking horse

I'll definitely have to try and make a trip into central London to see this bronze sculpture that was unveiled on the Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Square this morning. Designed by Scandinavian duo Elmgreen & Dragset, the sculpture portrays a young boy on his rocking horse and celebrates future and the heroism of growing up.

Material Teddy

I love Material Teddy, an inspiring project by recent Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Makikio Shinoda. It combines my love for material exploration and anything baby-related and is such a beautifully crafted object. I would love to have one for L!

"Material Teddy is made of various untreated natural materials that allow children to play and stimulate their senses to encourage the development of a healthy and balanced cognitive system. It reintroduces children to a rich sensory experience by stimulating the five senses". Images and text from Makiko Shinoda's website.

Snow globe projection

I saw this beautiful installation yesterday at the Museum of Childhood - a video of two girls having a pillow fight that was projected onto a snow globe. It had such a magical quality with the feathers resembling snow, and you had to crouch down to watch it. The second image is by the artist Sarah Cole from her website.

Mothers Meeting at the Saatchi gallery

Although I can't blog at the moment with my laptop broken and photos not backed-up (WHY didn't I do it sooner) you can see a little of what I've been up to over on the Mothers Meeting blog, where I met up with other mums for an inspirational trip to the Saatchi gallery and walk along Kings Road. Check it out here.

The exhibition was fantastic for materials inspiration (lots of silicone, resin, hair, crystals, polyurethane foam and some brain matter from the amazing Roger Hiorns) and I'll post a few images when I can.

Lake District colour palette

Shades of grey, duck egg blue, putty white, slate, stone and treated wood.

Found collections

Collections of found objects - categorised into colours, shapes, materials, size. Memories of places. Used and discarded. Creating beautiful displays in rows, columns, multiples - ordered and thoughtfully placed. Preserved in wooden boxes. Photographed at the Kalender/Wit exhibition at the M HKA gallery, Antwerp.

One of the most inspiring exhibitions I have seen all year. See my other post here (and a few more in the series coming up in the next couple of weeks).

Hotel_RCA

Sifting back through my photos from Milan Furniture Fair I have realised that I must have got distracted as I have so many more images I wanted to post from there. Here are some from the Hotel_RCA exhibition featuring graduates work - I loved the industrial feel of the building against the products.....a disused factory of concrete greys, stone and pipes, paint splatters and drain covers, coloured rubber and raw wood.