It's never too late!

This work of art is Louise Fili Ltd's new subway poster for the School of Visual Arts. "The design is an homage to the urban mosaic artisans of the early 20th century, and after hours of painstaking Photoshop work, John and Dana agreed that it may have been easier to create it out of actual tiles."

Inspiration - vintage mosaic tile

I have many places that I go for inspiration and they may not directly lead to new Cartolina designs - but they always open my mind to new colour combinations and patterns. One of the places I love to check out is this London tile restoration company. You should take a look at their work - you may be inspired too!

Inspiration

I'm not a good photographer, I leave that up to Doug, but I really like this picture I took on Sunday night at Pastis in the Meatpacking District. This is one of my fave restaurants. Apart from the absolutely excellent french menu and wine list the decor is stunning. Every surface has amazing texture and patina - the mirrors, the glass, the tin ceilings, the worn wood and the absolutely brilliant mosaic floors. It was quite dark when I took this picture with my iPhone - I think it's quite good - even if it is blurry!

Mary's Monday Mosaic

I know that lots of you really enjoyed the post on Kusudama last week. The very talented Mary over at Suffix Abuse blog put together is wonderful Kusudama mosaic last Monday, that I missed, so I wanted to show you how pretty it is. Have any of you tried the tutorial yet? Annavallance? I'd love to see yours! I'm going to Vancouver for a few days next week so I am going to pick up some pretty paper at Paper Ya to build my own pretty paper petal ball. 

Mary's Monday Mosaics | Suffix Abuse

I want to introduce you to fellow designer Mary from Suffix Abuse. Mary is a graphic designer who is passionate about and draws inspiration from photography, typography and stationery design. Every Monday she posts a fabulous mosaic of images that have caught her eye either for their colour, their styling or their je ne sais quoi.. She has an amazing skill for finding and arranging these images. {When I see them I want to climb right inside and be part of that world for a few minutes.} I am always so impressed and so inspired by them - and judging by what I have learned about my readers here at the Cafe, you will too!

Mary's site is wonderful inspiration for designers in all mediums. Her design talent and her keen eye for colour and typography make for top notch visuals and interesting commentary. I've been reading Suffix Abuse for a long time now and it is one of my favourite morning reads. If you have a blog that you think I should take a look at just send me a line, I'd love to check it out.

Inspiration | Hand painted signage

This hand painted type is on a shutter on the outside of a cafe in France. The guilded trompe l'oeil trim is hand painted too. I have many photographs of this cafe - the signage is so beautiful. Type setters and sign painters were considered skilled artists in their time.

Here's another sign from the same cafe this time it is a mosaic! 

Only in France would they go to so much trouble to advertise hot chocolate!