Cafe Cartolina

Thank you Uppercase!

2012-01-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of our feature in Uppercase Magazine this month.

We've been featured in lots of mags and newspapers but this one is very special to me because it speaks to my peers and that's important stuff! The piece is written by the lovely Erin Loechner for Janine Vangool/Uppercase. It's no secret that I, like so many other creative people, am a huge fan of Uppercase and I really encourage you to buy a subscription - it's definitely the best thing to arrive in my mail box every few weeks - you won't be disappointed!

Stitched

2012-01-18T17:36:00.000-08:00

Thought you might like to see this poster that was hanging locally here in Nelson last month. So sweet! It's a print of the actual stitched piece - it's quite deceiving though - looks like the original doesn't it?

Treasures under glass

2012-01-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have a house full of cupboards - full of tins - full of treasures - and I bet you do too! I love knowing that I have them but I definitely forget what I have. Does that happen to you? So I love this idea of having 2 or 3 glass cloches that you display tiny vignettes of our prized miniatures in - to admire - and then swap them out for another selection when we get tired of them. This is a fun tutorial, at 2 Gypsy Girls, on how to make said displays - now where can I find those cloche(for a reasonable price?)

2012-01-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

This gorgeous images of a french home come via Lucy Auburn's Pinterest board. They are from Cote Maison. I love all the shades of grey. Do you think it would get depressing to live in such a grey interior? I suppose this would be the perfect place to throw a handful of bright pink pillows etc to brighten things up if need be - what do you think?

Nest

2012-01-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. As advised, I spent a good 20 minutes in NEST in San Francisco at the weekend. Thank you to everyone who knows me well enough to recommend this beautiful shop to me. I love a store owner who has the confidence to step away from the normal wholesale channels and fill their shop with amazing, one of a kind pieces and vintage treasures. It is indeed a remarkable store. I have just a few pictures of NEST - but I do have lots of good street shots of San Francisco that I'm looking forward to sharing with you this week - so stay tuned :-)

Shopping advice please!

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

I'm going to San Francisco this week for a couple of days. It's mostly a work trip but I do have a few hours for shopping. Do any of you have favourite boutiques in SF that you'd like to share with me? I really need to add a few key pieces to my wardrobe and I'd love some advice from my lovely readers :-) I need some fun, chic/stylish clothes that I can wear to trade shows and to speaking engagements. Advice please!

Super size me!

2012-01-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

Big bus tickets on the wall - well what do you know! Of course I love these! I guess almost all ephemera looks great when it's super-sized. I fantasize all the time about enlarging some of the vintage scrappy engravings I have in my collections and plastering them all over the walls. I think that's why I love looking at vintage prints under magnification. These are from here.

Background art.

2012-01-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

Wow. I love this 'mural' that I spotted via Nicole Balch on Pinterest.

This is so up my alley - as you can probably imagine. It would look amazing at the studio. It looks remarkably like some of the background imagery we use at Cartolina. Great find!

Tiny treasures.

2012-01-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

I like these tiny paintings from Stephanie at Milady Productions. I like how rustic and honest they are. Stephanie has a wonderful portfolio - I think you'll enjoy it.

Morning inspiration!

2012-01-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

These bags are made from vintage Kantha textiles from India. Love the two in the first image - especially the yellow. Just thought you might like a colourful break in your day :-)

These bags are from One Kings Lane - which you have to sign up for but it's worth it!

Movin' and shakin'

2012-01-03T00:08:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. Sorry I've been gone so long. I really took a long break this Christmas and it feels great to start the new year feeling fresh and inspired. We have lots of new things happening in 2012 and the first one I'm going to tell you about is really big for us and also big for our retailers. As of today Cartolina has a new US distributor. I'm excited to start working with the Nelson Line this year. They have been in the stationery and gift business for a long time and I am thrilled and honored that Cartolina will be part of their collection which includes some very big names in the industry. And the other part of this news is that we are excited to be back at the New York Gift Fair this year in the Nelson Line's booth. So if you're going to be at the fair I'd love to say hi. I'll be there for a couple of days and I'm really looking forward to it. And for all of our US retailers we are delighted to be able to do business with you at the Nelson Line and you can email them right here to set up an account or have a rep call on you.

2012-01-02T16:11:00.002-08:00

These are so sweet! From Jayson Home. These are simple gift tags but so tastefully done - don't you think?

I like these - now :-)

2012-01-02T16:11:00.001-08:00

Really interesting designs on these tea towels from Anthropologie. I probably wouldn't have given these a second glance a year ago but it's amazing how our tastes change in a few short months, isn't it?

Random vintage!

2012-01-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

This vendor has some really nice pieces of Victorian ephemera which caught my eye yesterday - including these. . . .

A little treat for non iPhone users.

2011-12-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone! Here's a little holiday Cartogram for those of you who don't use an iPhone. Click here and drag it to your desktop and send it to your friends this weekend. Have fun everyone - see you next week!

2011-12-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

This is a page from a 1960s 'lettering' book - thought it might inspire you to make something pretty today :-)

You can have this print for $4 from ArtPhoto Girl.

Another great idea!

2011-12-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

You know I like to make sure you all have a good crafty project on the go. This week I think it would be nice for you to make some of these booties to wear when you go out socializing this weekend - just take your boots off at the door and slip on a pair of these . . .

And this pattern can be all yours - from here.

Go on, you know you want it!

2011-12-20T19:09:00.000-08:00

Love this over the top decorative fabric. This pillow is from Homemaker Movement - very nice!

2011-12-19T00:08:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love this styling from West Elm - this would chase away the winter blues - wouldn't it?

2011-12-18T13:59:00.000-08:00

Don't hate me for this - I'm a total sucker for these pseudo vintage, flocked bambis. And I have sneaky suspicion you might have a soft spot for them too. You can find lots of them here at Pop Stars Crafts.

2011-12-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

I saw these on Print and Pattern and thought they were very interesting. These are from a super cute looking store in England called Blackbird - full of all our favourite things.

2011-12-08T00:06:00.000-08:00

There are so many amazing patterns to covet at Royal Design Studio - most of which you would never guess are stencils! I am so impressed with the variety and quality of their designs - I think you'll like them too.

2011-12-07T19:40:00.000-08:00

This is such a great tutorial for a cute gathered clutch. Of course it's all about the great fabrics that you choose - and I bet that lots of you have hoards of vintage fabric, just perfect for this project!

2011-12-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

These gorgeous pillow patterns are available to purchase from Sew You Can Too. I think they'd look great in winter white felt piled up on a bed.

Inspiration

2011-12-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

I'm really drawn to this image. Love the faded blurriness of the colours. I found it here - via Pinterest.

2011-12-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

Ha! This is so cute and such a fun, original idea. From Little Dear. Great job!

Make some noise

2011-12-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

This is an antique childrens' noise maker. Looks like it's from the 30s maybe. Wonderful vintage graphics! From Emmy Lucy.

Your weekend project!

2011-12-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

I love these and, as soon as I have a spare minute - ha! - I am going to try to make some. The tutorial is here at How About Orange. A great little project for the weekend. These neon colours look great don't they?

Perpetually pretty!

2011-11-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

This is a perpetual calendar! Not sure if I completely understand it yet - but it's so decorative I'd hang it on the wall anyway! It's from this very sweet shop - Papier Tigre. Lots of fun stuff in store.

2011-11-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

This antique dealer has an amazing selection of vintage seltzer bottles for sale - hundreds of them. They're from Argentina and the designs an colours are quite mind blowing. Very pretty! And while your there, check out the refurbished dial phones. So cool.

Random object . .

2011-11-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

Very pretty vintage pillow from here. Looks like it's embroidered yarn. It's got such a cheery feel - couldn't resist it on this rather dull November day!

One last thing - Holiday Cartograms are here!

2011-11-25T10:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all the shameless self promotion this week folks but I do have one last thing for you ;-)

Don't forget to update your Cartolina app. We have taken some of the Cartograms from last year's discontinued holiday app and added them to the current Cartolina app - and added a few more holiday designs to top it off. Hope you like them. Have a great weekend!

Cartolina Postale - details!

2011-11-24T15:10:00.000-08:00

I've had a few emails from people who want to know more about the postcards that you can send from the Cartolina Postale iPhone app. So here goes . . . .

The printing and mailing of the postcards is taken care of by Sincerely. If you have an iPhone you may already be familiar with Sincerely - they are responsible for Postagram and other print on demand systems for iPhone apps. They have loads of experience and that's why they offer a 100% Guarantee. They have a secure site for taking credit cards and they have streamlined the process down to the nth degree! It was important to us, when we entered this partnership, that we were satisfied with the quality of the product and service. We have impeccable customer service at Cartolina and I expect the same for all our products including the iPhone apps. We are delighted with the quality of the postcards and the dedication to service that Sincerely brings to the table and we think you will be too. Whether it's one postcard or hundreds I think you'll be very happy with them. In the US a postcard from Cartolina Postale costs $1.99 and takes less than a week to arrive in the recipient's mail box - you can't beat that!

Cartolina Postale in the New York Times!

2011-11-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for such a great response to the new Cartolina Postale app.

We are so excited to be featured in the New York Times today - I can still hardly believe it :-)

Introducing Cartolina Postale!

2011-11-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

I have something special to show you this morning!

This is the new Cartolina Postale iPhone app. YAY!

We've been working on this for a few weeks and are thrilled to announce that it's available, as of today, at the app store.

The response to the Cartolina app has been so overwhelming over the last year that we thought that the natural next step was an app that actually allows you to send physical paper postcards. So the Cartolina Postale app lets you combine our pretty, vintage images with your own photography - it's so fun!

There are 32 postcard designs to choose from, including some lovely holiday designs! You can take a picture using your phone or you can choose a picture from your photo gallery and it pops right onto your chosen card. Then you can scale the image, move it around or change the card design. It's so simple! After you've customized your card and you're happy with how it looks, you can write a message on the back. There's loads of room for your message. You'll be asked to open an account, which is very fast and simple, and from there you can address your card and it will be printed and sent. The app is FREE and the cost of printing and mailing a 4 x 6 postcard in the US is $1.99. Cards arrive very quickly - within 5 days according to our tests (in the US and UK) and a little longer to Canada. The quality of the cards is great, shiny, bright, heavy weight card. For even more information why don't you visit the Cartolina Postale website - it's very fun!

Details: Our super talented developer is Denis Hennessy at Peer Assembly - thank you Denis for all your hardwork!

The app is available for iPhone and iPod Touch right now and will be available for iPad by the end of the month. It will work on your 3GS as long as you have iOS 4.0 installed. The cost to mail a card to Canada is $2.99 but apparently Sincerely, who take care of the printing and mailing of the cards, are working really hard to bring us a $1.99 card in Canada asap, so stay tuned!

2011-11-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

We are super busy today getting ready for our big launch tomorrow. See you here, bright and early, for our big reveal!

2011-11-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

I love these vintage Kantha quilts - I bought one last year from Fan Tan Gallery and it's one of my favourite things. These are from Niki Jones' website. Lots of lovely things there! The colours are very inspiring, don't you think?

2011-11-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

These are Pakistani quilts from Sri - a textile gallery in Brooklyn - I think you will find these exciting and inspiring. The shades of grey and brown with black are fantastic. I'd love one of these too!

2011-11-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

Really great hand lettered advertising pieces for STAG in Austin Texas. I found them here.

2011-11-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

This is from Snedker Studio where they do amazing things with marbling - you have to check out the wood floors. So pretty!

2011-11-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

I have a couple of these Chinese tea tins. from the 50s - I keep old photos in them. They are quite hard to find these days. If you're looking for vintage ones - beware of the repros ;-)

Inspiration

2011-11-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

This style of hand painted embellishment is making such a come back these days - here's one place to find inspiration - old biscuit tins and tea caddies! This one from Ocean Swept.

Three more tins. The red one has some of the oddest illustration I've seen in ages . . .

last 3 tins from here.

Happy Saturday!

2011-11-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

I don't post a whole lot of pictures of me here. I figure there are more exciting things to feature than myself! But Doug took this picture this morning and it really reflects how I'm feeling at the moment - happy, calm and looking forward to hunkering down with a good book in front of a roaring fire for the next couple of days. Have a great weekend everyone - I'm going to rake some leaves . . .

A luxury nap - we all need one of these!

2011-11-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

I spotted this today via a Tweet from Christine and I thought how fun it would be to have one of these Suzani mattresses. I'm not sure what I would really do with it but it seems like such a luxurious way to nap!

Random object . .

2011-11-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

How cute is this Jack and Jill tin tray? I think it's meant to serve those tiny tin cups that I'm also coveting - all of which can be found at Sushipot Parts!

Doing My Stuff

2011-11-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

I think these are super cool. Vintage pin back buttons from the 1930s. "Authentic, vintage pin back button made by the Johnson Smith Company who started out in 1905 selling novelties and practical joke items in Australia. They came to Chicago in 1914 and are still in business to this day." Available for $4 each from Suite22

Be inspired while you sleep!

2011-11-08T15:59:00.000-08:00

More amazing bedding - this time from Designers Guild!

Upholster your Toms!

2011-11-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

Want to jazz up your Toms? Easy - just send them to Flavorful Fish and she'll custom upholster them and they'll be one-of-a-kind!

Another great idea!

2011-11-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

I saw this online and thought - what a good idea! If you're like me you have loads of bits of inspiring ephemera and crafty paper bits that you don't want to stack in a pile or put in a scrap book - you want to keep them handy - right? Well this looks like a simple solution - a handy sling that hangs on the wall! You can make it as long or as short as you like to fit that unused space in your studio. Directions are here at Penny Carnival.

Updates and surprises!

2011-11-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

So what's been keeping me so busy that I've missed a few daily posts here? Well one of the things I've been doing behind the scenes is designing a few new holiday Cartograms for the Cartolina app. Here's a sneak peek at one of the new designs. In a couple of weeks we'll be adding some of the holiday Cartograms from last year's Seasons Greetings app to the regular Cartolina app - and including a few new designs too. These will be a *free update* and I hope you love the designs! Stay tuned - you should see the update soon! AND we'll be launching our big surprise project in about 3 weeks as well - I can hardly wait. I hope you've signed up to be first to hear about it - you can sign up on the left << over there!

Ephemera sheets

2011-11-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

What do you think of these new sheets from Anthropologie? I sort of like them especially when they are combined with other pieces. From here.

2011-11-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

I saw this ages ago and ran across it again yesterday. Concrete lace by Doreen Westphal. It's so beautiful isn't it? More information right here.

2011-11-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I checked out the lovely and unusual collections at Lost and Found - and they are bigger and better than ever - check it out.

Giardino

2011-10-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

I just discovered the wonderful, block printed world of Giardino - and I'm hooked! Love the simplicity and scale of these designs. The colours are wonderful too :-)

Cartolina at Lilla Rogers

2011-10-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Our Cartolina page is now up at Lilla Roger's website which is very exciting. We have had lots of interest in licensing since we started with Lilla's studio and we're looking forward to Printsource in January and SURTEX in May - not forgetting Lilla's Open House on November 9th. Check out our page, our bio and our studio - it's very fun!

If you're interested in licensing any of our artwork for your next project you can contact Lilla here.

Style at Home holiday card 2011

2011-10-30T13:04:00.001-07:00

A few months ago the ladies at Style at Home asked me to design them a holiday card to send to their clients etc. I sent them 3 to choose from and they decided to turn it into a little competition in the November issue of the magazine and on their website. There's still time to vote if you like on their site. There are about 115 votes right now - they are going to choose a winner from all the votes - and the winner will get some nice Cartolina holiday cards - and I might pick a couple more winners too. So go now and vote - do me proud ;-)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

Okay people - go for it! If you've been waiting patiently to use the Halloween Cartogram from the Cartolina iPhone app - now's your chance!

New at Hus & Hem

2011-10-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

Aren't these great? I spotted them at Print and Pattern. They are apparently new at Hus & Hem!

10 garlands

2011-10-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

A great little tutorial on making 10 different garlands from A Beautiful Mess - how fun!

Vintage packaging

2011-10-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Vintage packaging from here. Aren't these incredible pictures? Do you think this is authentic vintage? I think so - but I have been tricked in the past!

Weekend treasure hunting

2011-10-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

We went to a very good antique sale in Sandpoint Idaho at the weekend - Sandpoint is about 3 hours from here, south across the border. There are quite a few good vintage shops down there and this was a one weekend only sale. It was in a big barn and there were lots of large, farm and industrial pieces that I would have snapped up if I had the space for them. I was really impressed. Here are a few pictures of some of the smaller pieces

Even though it was in a barn they had merchandised everything really well.

Loved this old linoleum rug. It was in remarkable condition considering it's probably almost 100 years old.

Cigar box diy.

2011-10-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

Remember I bought all those cigar boxes a few weeks back? I stashed them away in the closet. Then I found this little chest of drawers on Pinterest made from cigar boxes - I love it. I think I'm going to try this with mine - I even have a little shelf unit I can use. I have some small, vintage, library drawer pulls that I might use instead of cotton spools for handles.

Cartolina at Cardstore

2011-10-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

Here's something brand new for Cartolina this week. I've put together a little collection of pretty holiday cards for cardstore.com. As card sending habits change we think it's important to participate in all the new ways to send greetings. Cardstore is an online, print-on-demand stationery store - you can pick out a card, have them write your message and even send it for you. We chose to partner with Cardstore on this new venture because we recognize lots of our talented, stationery designer friends there and we're happy to hang with the cool crowd! I'm sure we'll have a few other dips into this new style of card sending. Take a look when you have a few minutes - you might find something that you like!

Shhhh, we've got a secret!

2011-10-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

We have some super exciting tricks up our sleeve for the next month - we can't wait to reveal all. Why don't you add yourself to our mailing list to be one of the first people to find out just what we've got going on :-) I've put a little sign up box in the top left corner of this blog - I'd love it if you would leave your email address there and watch for the news in a couple of weeks. If you've signed up before you'll get a little message - that means you're still on our mailing list. Thanks! Can't wait to spill the beans!

Gallant and Jones

2011-10-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I love getting a deal at end of season sales. The lovely girls over at Gallant and Jones Handmade Furniture, from Vancouver BC, have an End of Year Sale which is really worth checking out. There is at least 25% off everything so they can make room for next years fabric stock. Prices start at $70. I love their wares - handmade outdoor furniture and accessories - and the fabrics are to die for! Take a look at their Etsy site.

2011-10-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

Remember these? I featured them here a few weeks ago. Well guess where I finally found them? At Swan and Shears - of course! I think that these would make such a pretty and interesting gift for the vintage loving friend who has everything! For $5.99 - you can't go wrong.

2011-10-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

Etsy seller, Sunny Buttons, has some very unusual vintage buttons for sale - check them out. Maybe you can find a fun project for them.

Random Loveliness for a Monday morning!

2011-10-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

Pretty lamp shade from Anthropologie!

Inspiration

2011-10-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here's something to kick start your Monday morning. How about some inspiration in the form of vintage Puffin Book illustrations by Grace Gabler. These are real stone lithographs from about 1945 - I wish they still litho'd kids books!

2011-10-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

You'll probably think I'm crazy but I bought this cool, rusty, sculptural item in a great new shop in Spokane WA on Saturday. The store is called Artemis and I know you would all love it - brilliant vintage stuff beautifully merchandised by a very talented gal. Anyway, it's an old street sign without the pole. I had to have it as soon as I saw it. I just haven't figured out what I'm going to do with it yet. It's actually in the middle of my dining room table at the moment and, believe it or not, it looks great with our rustic decor. The colour of the turquoise enamel is great isn't it? It actually has a decorative finial on the top and consists of 2 signs, one on top of the other, just as it would be on a street corner!

Harlequin

2011-10-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

These kind of pictures make me want to rip everything out of my house and bring in the brights - hot pink, bright yellow and outrageous patterns. I really shouldn't be looking at these images at all - I should be nesting - getting cozy for the winter - right?

Gorgeous textiles and wallpaper from Harlequin - don't go there, it will make you wish for spring!

New at Dwell Studio

2011-10-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Love these new arrivals at Dwell Studio. Fantastic oversized prints - really eye catching designs.

Haircut anyone?

2011-10-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

Great barbershop sign from Tod Donobedian via 1st Dibs. Brilliant 3d lettering reference.

Thanks

2011-10-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling kind of reflective over the last few days. We have been very busy - Doug and I are both working on really big (separate) projects and we are putting in long hours in the studio. But this weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving so I'm going to take a few days off, go and see my folks and relax. I'd just like to say thank you for all your comments in the last couple of weeks - the feedback on the new product has been very generous and kind and I am very grateful for your feedback.

I'd also like to share a little something with you that made me very proud this week. Cartolina was chosen as one of the top 10 small businesses in BC in 2011 by the government's Small Business Round Table - who report to the Federal government on the state of small business in BC every year. An annual report is produced and 10 businesses are picked. I still can hardly believe that, out of the thousands of businesses that they considered for the top 10, Cartolina was chosen. We work hard and we stay focused and we love what we do - I feel very lucky.

Fall in the Kootenays!

Random loveliness.

2011-10-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

This wonderful, one of a kind piece of painted ephemera comes from here - where you will find as little information about it as I did. But we can still enjoy it.

Prints Charming at Purl Soho

2011-10-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

These 2 stitched beauties come to you via Purl Soho! These pieces are part of a workshop next week held by Cath and Kristen from Prints Charming - sound like fun?

Post Office posters

2011-10-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

Three great PO posters by Tom Eckersley - around 1940. Fantastically eye catching and effective - luv em.

Cartolina Holiday 2011

2011-10-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Christmas has been in full swing here at Cartolina for at least the last month. We start shipping holiday cards in August usually and, in some cases, earlier - Selfridges in the UK opens their Christmas shop in mid July! Believe it or not, these cards were designed and in the catalogue in January! But I've kept them pretty much under wraps - until today. So here is our holiday 2011 collection - for your eyes only ;-)

2011-10-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Do you need a little colour inspiration this morning? How about these fab packages of trim from Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods? I love how they coordinate their collections of trim with buttons and stamps - gorgeous!

2011-10-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

I thought you might like this lovely little crocheted blanket. The fancy edging makes it very stylish doesn't it? From Lebens Craft flickr stream

2011-10-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a great weekend. This is a photo that Doug took from our deck the other evening - the light is so pretty - thought you might like a little glimpse into our neck of the woods.

2011-09-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

I bought this mask at our local Wednesday market this week. I paid $4 for it. I think it's fabulous. I understand that it's an Okame mask. She is the female half of a traditional japanese Kyogen theatre pair. She traditionally has very chubby cheeks and laughing eyes. I'd love to know more about my mask if you know anything. It appears to be quite old and very nicely painted.

2011-09-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

You have got to love this! How could you not? I know nothing about this fab light fixture because the person who originally pinned it didn't link back to the original post (which is very important.) So feel free to tell me what you know and I'll fill in the blanks. Update: the fixture is by Scabetti. Thanks Artfullife and Theresa!

2011-09-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

I adore this. So simple and so interesting and unique. It's by Jamaica Edgell and I spotted it at Apartment Therapy.

2011-09-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

These pretty pumpkins are from Alisa Burke - fabulous! I used to think I was crafty but these kind of tutorials blow me away - the imagination of some people is staggering isn't it?

2011-09-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

This is so cute and reminds me of a money bank we had when we were kids that sat on the mantlepiece in the breakfast room - I wonder what happened to that. This piece is a cookie jar - and I laughed at a reviewer who wrote that it arrived with a warning not to use it for food - huh?

From Anthropologie

2011-09-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

I'm drooling over this vintage inspired dinnerware at Anthropologie - it's really exquisite.

2011-09-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Uh oh, flash back time! I clearly remember these from the 70s - funny, I actually quite like them all over again! From here.

2011-09-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Fabulous shards of design spotted here.

2011-09-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'd like to show you some jewelry that I've spotted recently. The first 2 are form this Pinterest board - so pretty . . .

This last piece is stunning - from BMLDN. Earrings to match.

Cartolina Collection XII

2011-09-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

We have new cards at Cartolina. So exciting!

This time we've gone with a vintage circus theme. Imagine, it's the 1930s, and the big top just rolled into town. The performers have gone to get their portraits taken, starting with the strong man who's so proud of his tattoos! We have a strong man, a trick roper, a juggler, a ringmaster and a trapeze artist. We also have some crazy characters leaping over elephants - 'Happy Birthday from Your Crazy Friends' (I think we all have some of those!) We managed to source some beautiful, vintage circus imagery and combined it with our own illustrations and we're really proud of the results. Hope you like them. If you'd like a line sheet just give us a shout!

Last but not least, we have a sweet new congratulations card - we were really needing a congrats card - I think this will fit lots of ocassions - don't you? For more info on Cartolina cards visit our website at www.cartolina.com

ImagineNations

2011-09-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh it's busy at the studio these days. I'm sorry that I've missed a few posts here over the last few weeks. I love blogging and I have so much great stuff bookmarked to show you. We have been working very late hours and some days it's just too late to blog. Forgive me - things will slow down next month - trust me - I know!

When I saw these globes I responded with an OMG! I absolutely love what they do at ImagineNations. Take a look and pick your favourite - there are lots to chose from!

Inspiration - trim time

2011-09-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

Loving this linen trim - you could do something super pretty with this don't you think? From Dishy Vintage.

Wall paper - on it's side

2011-09-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

Nice wall paper from Anthropologie. I turned this on it's side so that the images didn't downsample too much - it still looks great though - doesn't it?

Untitled Art

2011-09-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

These caught my eye at the weekend. Very beautifully made. Each tile has embedded magnets and they can be arranged and rearranged as you wish. Recycled wood of all shapes and sizes - lots of vintage, repurposed salvage. Really well done. From Untitled Art.

Window shopping - Task.

2011-09-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

Mmmm, I like! I remember seeing lots of these in the markets in Istanbul - though I think they were hammered silver. This one is fabulous and you can buy it at Task.

My stash from Fancy Linda

2011-09-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

I've been buying lots of ephemera lately - look at this fab stash that I bought from Fancy Linda. There's a bit of everything here - I especially love the pharmacy labels and the vintage wallpaper. It's all great - I could spend hours playing with it ;-)

A word of advice - from Ms. Hische.

2011-09-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Are you a designer, an illustrator or a letterer? I would like you to read THIS blog post by Jessica Hische. Pay attention to the paragraph called The Pricing Domino Effect. This is one of the best articles I've read on art and pricing EVER and I am moved enough by it that I want you all to read it. I am now going to send it out to all my illustrator/designer friends. See you later. Go read it - that's an order!

Treats

2011-09-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

Go on, have your last ice cream sandwich of the summer - you know you want it ;-)

Picture from here.

2011-09-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

This caught my eye the other day on Pinterest. I love the vintage colours and texture - truly lovely. From here - that's all I know - sorry!