thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird

V

I do not know which to prefer,

The beauty of inflections

Or the beauty of innuendos,

The blackbird whistling

Or just after.

- Wallace Stevens

Delightful black and white birds illustration from The Blackbird Sings.

studio mela

I just got this Studio Mela print back from the framers and am super pleased with it - now busy deciding where it should go:





These are some of their other limited edition prints (I like to think that the bottom one looks like me and the boy):

christmas cards

I thought I'd start December with a round up of my favourite Christmas cards. First up, this from dicky bird (£1.90 each), who I came across at Midcentury.Modern:

I love Ruth Green's work, and you can buy these handprinted cards (£5 for a pack of five) at not on the high street:

These are part of a set from the marvellous gemmabear on etsy:

I did try hard to source all my cards from UK suppliers, but couldn't resist these from Vandalia Street Press in Saint Paul:

and these from Lucky Bee Press in Santa Cruz:

Both will deliver to British shores. 

advent

I confess… I’m a little crazy about Christmas. It’s the perfect combination of all the things I love best: baking, eating much too much, home décor, gift wrap, cards and spending time with family and friends. However, I try hard to restrict my festive celebrations(and blog entries) to the month of December.

I will, however, make a brief exception for this beautiful advent calendar from Nouveau Designs in New York, because if I don’t order it now it will be too late!

anna fewster

Anna Fewster is a Brighton-based letterpress printer and book artist, who creates delightful paper goods on a vintage Adana Eight-Five platen press. Each piece is unique, produced with careful attention on a small scale and in short runs, under the imprint Lampyridae Press. You can read more about Anna's work and see bespoke commissions on her website, or you can purchase a range of pieces from her etsy shop
 

brown paper packages, tied up with string...

I adore these illustrated brown paper bags from humunuku's etsy shop:

wedding card

Some exceptionally good friends of mine are getting married this weekend in Dorset. I cannot wait to celebrate with them (and to post some pictures of the festivities for you to enjoy). I made them this card for the occasion. They both love travelling so I incorporated a vintage map, which I got from a second hand bookshop for a mere pound. The card came from the Chelsea College art shop, which is full of crafting delights and is exceptionally good value. If you're ever in Pimlico it's well worth a visit.

atelier eva juliet

I am a total Francophile. Check out this adorable print from Atelier Eva Juliet (via Etsy):