Open House 

Don't forget the CARTOLINA OPEN HOUSE on Sunday afternoon - 3pm til 6pm. Give me a shout if you need directions to the studio. Look forward to seeing you all  ;-)

The tag team

Today I would like you to meet my clever friends Cate and Martin and their brilliant new business Blanket. These fabulous little gems are actually super stylish ID tags for your dog or cat to insure that, if they ever goes missing, they can be indentified and returned to you by means of the very clever Blanket website. I'm sure you'll agree that this is such a great idea. Each tag has a unique number that you register at the website - you enter all your animals details, size, colour, breed, number of legs etc and even a mug shot. So when someone finds your wayward puppy they go to the site(listed on the tag), enter the tag number, and Blanket will let you know that your pooch has been found. And if you realize your prize poodle is missing you can notify Blanket and they will alert local shelters, SPCA etc for you. They will even print your "Poodle Missing" posters using the photograph you uploaded and even organize local search parties with other members. I love the designs on the tags don't you? - Cate designed them - she also has a very fun blog, Under The Blanket, which I really enjoy because she has such good taste and features all sorts of super stylish pet inspired gifts and decor. I think Blanket is such a brilliant idea, in fact our Mimi is now a member - she is sporting the orange gingham tag - to go with her orange leg, of course!

Interiors

I really love this style of apartment. I was watching House Hunters International on HGTV the other night - I am addicted to that show - and the buyer was looking for a place in Buenos Aires. All the apartments she was looking at looked just like this - very high ceilings, enormous windows and elaborate mouldings - oh, and the light was incredible.

Thanks

A great big thank you to Style at Home Magazine for featuring one of our Cartolina glittery holiday cards in this month's issue. Our little chubby robin friend has proven to be our most popular Christmas card this year. I wasn't sure when I designed it because he's a British robin - very different from the big robins we get in Canada but he seems to have caught the attention of lots of editors and buyers too - which is great! Thanks!

Inspiration

These gorgeous images are from Pale & Interesting. I have actually never found pale very interesting until recently and I definitely could be persuaded after visiting this beautiful online boutique.

Found

These make me laugh - I am drawn to them as a designer because they are so authentically kitchy and sculptural. I don't have much else to say about them. They're so darn cute and there are dozens of them right here.

Pattern

There's a rather fabulous piece of barkcloth for sale at this Etsy seller if anyone's interested - going, going gone . . . . .

Inspiration

These caught my eye on Etsy - clever paper flowers from Tangle And Fold - something different - that's refreshing!

Interiors

Look at this fabulous place - this is Le Chandelier in East Dulwich, London. This is a tea shop! What I would do to sit with a cup of Earl Grey in this amazing space. And what d'ya know - they sell chandeliers too!

Interiors

I love this downstairs, east end, London flat. If you've been to London(or any old european city) you'll know that a lot of people live in flats that are just below street level. if you don't mind living in a subterraneum world you can find yourself in really interesting spaces that possibly used to be servants quarters or wine cellers etc. You can get a good feel for the kind of space these flats have to offer from these photographs. . . . .

Found

Look at this clever idea - Christmas paper chains from Ormolu. They arrive flat and you link them together yourself - I love this simple sweet idea.

Cartolina giveaway{ and Interview }

A few weeks ago I was excited to announce that our Cartolina products are now available in the UK. I had a lot of emails from readers wanting more info. One of those emails was from Huma Qureshi who is a journalist for The Guardian in London. I've gotten to know Huma over the last few weeks and have really enjoyed reading her column in The Guardian online. She regularly writes for the Life and Style section of the paper (which is always my favourite section of any paper!) I was thrilled when she asked me to participate in an interview and a giveaway on her freshly redesigned blog - Her Little Place. Huma is so professional - her questions were so well thought out and I am looking forward to reading her piece. She tells me it will be live around noon (london time) on Tuesday. So by the time I am getting up on the west coast I should be able to read it. I hope you enjoy it.

Treasures

I have spent a lot of time browsing through this website - Manon 21. I speak a little french and from what I can tell the writer of this blog lives in France and travels to various Brocantes and to Les Puce(junk stores and flea markets) and takes pictures for her blog. She loves all the same vintage treasures that I do - there are some great images of the markets and people of Province.

Patterns

Wallpaper patterns from Tricia Guild. These look like reproductions - that would be easy - no, these are new designs. Really impressive. I'd love to see these in person, maybe in New York in January.