You wouldn’t expect to find a staircase in a shipping container, but in East London anything can happen. When Print Club London invited me to a preview of the Blisters 2017 prints I knew it was going to be good, but stepping down into this amazing warehouse style room (yes it was underground) I was in awe – of both the room AND the prints, of course. If you’re not familiar with Blisters then listen...
Last year I confessed something that probably made stationery addicts everywhere gasp in horror (dramatic, much?). 2016 was the first time I heard about National Stationery Week being a real thing. Maybe this is you right now!? ha But anyway, yes, it is ‘a thing’ and the 2017 stationery hype is in full swing as I post this – in fact TODAY is World Stationery Day. I hope you’ve been geeking out over pencils with no shame?...
Oh Brixton, why do people avoid you so? Unfortunately a lot of people are scared to visit because you’ve got a bit of a bad reputation, but all I found on my visit was colour and quirk! It’s probably not top of your list for places to visit in London, usually tourists opt for the more ‘classic’ tourist areas such as Soho, Chelsea and London Bridge, but Brixton is cool. It’s not a ground breaking...
Recent political events in the UK have been interesting to say the least. Regardless which side of the fence you sit on, what we have seen is people being passionate about their beliefs, and we’ve been reminded what can happen when people stand up for what they believe in. Rebellion, protest and fighting for the freedom of speech; all things associated with the Punk movement of the 70s. Coincidentally on Friday night I saw Punk...
You know me: I’m always galavanting around London. When you live in London you quickly realise that there is more to shopping than Oxford Street – London has so much more to offer! I probably know East the best, but I’m not an area snob and am keen to explore as much as I can. Just call me a culture sponge! The other week I found myself south of the river in Peckham for the opening...
Papergang from Ohh Deer is the latest craze: a subscription of stationery to feed your habit every month! Over the past 3 months I have been enjoying the novelty of stationery being delivered to my door and have filmed a Youtube video or three of the unboxing process – and if you haven’t watched them, WHY aren’t you subscribed to my Youtube channel!? There are a few other creative bloggers who are also making unboxing videos...
Growing up, there were a few things that just weren’t cool; braces, doing your homework on time and wearing glasses. All of my glasses-wearing friends were so excited to ditch their frames for contact lenses. I’d say that things are pretty different now: wearing glasses is cool. A beard, a pair of glasses and a fedora and its as if you’ve sauntered straight outta Shoreditch! Specs aren’t purely functional anymore. They’re a fashion accessory too – you can’t...
Last week I posted 21 creative bloggers you need to follow which proved to be very popular, so this week I thought I’d share some of my favourite creative Youtubers. For ages I was clueless about Youtube. At Uni I remember my friend Emma being really into Youtube, but I just didn’t get it – I thought it was just cat videos, people doing silly stunts and beauty bloggers. I can’t remember what changed my mind, but last year...
With one of my aims for 2016 being to make creative content for Youtube, I thought I would start with a little creative process video. Jaye asked me to create a logo for Living with less; a new email series she is starting, so I got busy sketching. Watch my Youtube tutorial of the behind the scenes process: It’s quite a quick & simple process; sketch ideas, practice the typography, scan it in, use Photoshop to...
After an amazing break in Dubrovnik I’m feeling better than I have in a long time. Waving goodbye to a grey England, Croatia welcomed us with it’s 20 degree October sunshine, clear blue sea and chilled European lifestyle. Travelling with some of my Lincoln family (Jack, Sophie and Ben), it was exactly what I needed to relax, cry with laughter and reassess my life. Check out my Instagram feed for our adventures. With that in mind,...
The other week I was invited to see the latest exhibition at The Royal Academy, Ai Weiwei. Known for being outspoken, his pieces respond to China’s suppression of human rights and freedom of speech. Before experiencing the work, I heard about the experiences which helped to shape it and was absolutely fascinated. Up-to speed with Ai Weiwei’s story, I was now ready to see the art. Accompanied by my fellow bloggers (Uli, June, Leanne and Emma), we headed into the...
I’ve never been much of a doodler – I think that’s where my sketchbook perfectionism comes into play. Even at school I always wanted my exercise books to look ordered and ‘perfect’. Being organised is great, but not so great for creativity – being too systematic takes away an element of the freedom. Armed with a Tombow ABT dual brush pen, I set myself a challenge to loosen up and basically learn to doodle. Keeping it simple...
For months I have been admiring mini plants encased in geometric metal and glass cages on Pinterest. Call me hipster if you like, but terrariums are the perfect plant option for me living in London. The plants are easy to look after, compact and SO CUTE. What’s not to love? A couple of weeks ago the girls at work booked a terrarium workshop and had been looking forward to it ever since. It’s crazy to think that...
It’s a popular cliche that designers run on caffeine – design is apparently fuelled by coffee. Or tea. There are thousands of twitter and blog bios out there declaring their love for tea. ‘Tea lover’ – can that really be one of the most interesting things about a person? Just so you know, I like both. It’s just a drink; a murky brown liquid, but somehow it brings people together. Milk and two sugars, builder’s brew or...
Sorry to tease you with this as it happened back in May, but after a week of English-Summer weather, I needed to bring some sunshine to the blog! Jack, Lucy, Sophie(my sister) and I popped into the House of Peroni; a month-long celebration of the very best of Italian culture brought to London. A pop-up in the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, it was the perfect space to escape the hustle and bustle of East...