Print Project:

Apologies for lengthy silence- my trip home and all its excitements switched up my schedule a little! I had a fantastic time though- there’s no place like home…

• Friends, family and a few too many beverages – check.
• Glorious scenery, open hills and “The month of Augusts’ entire predicted rainfall in 2 days”- check.

Bless you Scotland.

So I became inspired whilst home to get creative…I found a little book on hand-printing techniques and seeing as I’m working on textiles at the moment I felt like trying out some patterns/prints. As I didn’t have the time to rush out and buy all the necessary inks and sponges I reached for the old faithful- Mr Potato. How very Primary 5…

I had a few blank canvases and decided to print a child like image that toyed with the theme of ‘Migration’ – I guess I was thinking about my own situation living so far from home in Aus!

I cut a few potatoes in half and etched out some simple patterns- obviously can’t get to intricate on these tats.

 Then it got messy...

My clouds had string added in a criss-cross pattern to add texture:

Et voila, "Migration":

 And i was having fun so i kept going a little!

Love it or hate it – it’s a lot of fun and you should try it yourself!

I’m looking to go on a proper printing course soon, more to do with fabrics, upholstery etc but this is a start!

I was also motivated into project-mode whilst I was back home by the very tartan fabric I spoke of in my last blog! Some left over material that had been used to upholster a chair in the in-laws renovation of ‘Denmuir Arches’ (a gorgeous natural green) was crying out to be used. As the renovation is primarily for a luxury holiday let I felt it needed some leaflets/maps/info on the gorgeous surrounding areas and, of course, a stylish book/folder to present them! I knew I’d use that material somehow:

Anyway I best be off, I’m supposed to be writing essays for my latest assignment on curtain weight fabric…a little hard to get started sometimes!

Love Alice xx

PS Has anyone else done any printing classes?



Tartan textiles...

Well i am very excited today because I am going back home to bonny Scotland to visit my friends and family whom I haven't seen for a year! There's going to be lots going on so there'll be a distinct lack of bloggage for a few weeks, just giving you a heads up!

I'm researching fabrics, textiles etc at the moment and have rediscovered my love for wool, flannel and felt for upholstery, rugs, throws etc...I have a special soft spot for tartan wools, can you tell i'm homesick!? This is close to my heart- the Dress Campbell tartan in soft lambswool....I love the blues and greens with a simple streak if yellow accent...

My love for grey in a room - which is then punctuated with bright splashes of colour in the form of accessories - means I like to use basic furniture which i can 'dress-up'. This means the space can always be kept vibrant and has room to change through new accessorizing and colours whilst maintaining the basics. I love a wool base for upholstery, it withstands daily use well and can be soft/perfect to relax into... for example this beautiful grey wool armchair gives a sophisticated but also relaxed/country feel to a room:

Teamed with a splash of colour from a bright silk thai pillowcase would give a nice contrast in texture and colour...

Or instead of contrasting - using a beautiful soft woollen rug or throw to add colour and cosiness brings back thoughts of a warm farmhouse living room:

I especially love the injection of aqua marine blue into the grey, adding a coolth to the soft/warm texture...

I cannot wait to head home and wrap myself up in a gorgeous throw infront of the fire (even thogh it is Summer in Scotland this could still be potentially neccessary!!)

There's certainly no room for woollen rugs in the Aussie hot hot heat!

Well I'm off to finish packing,

Have a lovely 2 weeks!

Alice xx

Centre of attention...

"Table Centre pieces"

I hosted a Mexican themed dinner this weekend for some friends and as well as putting on a spread of Mexican inspired dishes/drinks- (nachos, chilli con carne tacos, vegetable/cabbage salads and of course magaritas!!) - I wanted to get a bit of a Mexican atmosphere in our dining area to try and bring it all together.

I didn't have much time to go all out but I decided upon a sombrero as my perfect 'table centerpiece' and jazzed it up a little by using vibrant, colourful foods- chilli's especially inspire thoughts of Mexico, spice and heat! I wished I had time to get a proper Mexican rug/tablecloth as I love those classic striped materials that are so well recognised and just provide a colour explosion that would energise any table setting...like so:

But as a last mintue thing Iwas still pleased with what I produced

 (even if my tablecloth is Asian inspired... red/green=Mexico??)

So then I got to thinking about place settings, table centrepieces and possibilities for other themed dinners, intimate dinners, vintage inspired parties and even weddings as it is always something I take note of and see as an important factor to creating the atmosphere you want...

For example a romantic Italian dinner - good wine, antipasto, rich pastas and all enjoyed over an entire evening - the Italian's really like to taste their food, eat and drink slowly- and dinners will last hours. So thoughts if intamacy, warmth and ambiance spring to mind- I love used wine bottles as makeshift candle holders, clustered together. Red and white candles - and as the wax drips down it builds up in a beautiful textured pattern- when one candle runs out it can be nice to replace it with a different coloured candle making the wax droplets mix and adding more layers/interest...

Check out these fun 'faux cork' candles- they'll provide a bit of an illusion/talking point but by all accounts will only burn for 1-2 hours as they are quite short...pros and cons!
I'm sure you can find these in many places but I spottd some at http://www.beau-coup.com/

Asian inspired dinner parties can be simple, monochromatic and classy; or rich, colourful and lavish. A silk table runner is well recognised and easy to make if you don't want to buy one- choose your favourite material from a habidashery (take measurements of your table before you go! You want it to hang around 20-30cm off the end of your table), choose a matching or contrasting ribbon to stich around the edges to prevent fraying and a bold tassel for either end (which helps weigh the cloth down - curtain tassels are big and eye catching)...you could cut the ends of the material to a classic 'point' or leave then square and use a 'fringe' instead of a 'tassel'- choices are endless!

To draw the eye to the centre and create a focal point beautiful Asian flowers floating in a bowl of water amongst floating candles is an easy, classy and topical way to decorate the table. You can choose pale flowers with a big white lily as the central flowers or go multi coloured- up to you!

A gorgeous idea for an African theme was used at a charity ball I went to last year to raise money for a non profit organisation called 'Farm Africa' http://www.farmafrica.org.uk/ (they also have a facebook page) The charity provides education and training for rural farmers in poverty stricken areas of Africa so they can improve the ways they manage their crops, livestock and access to water- working their own way out of poverty.

Amongst animal print and lots of wooden and woven decor there were stunning hand carved, solid wood, animal shaped napkin holders:

Coming away from themed dinners I also love vintage or recycled centre pieces such as flowers and candles in jam jars, old tins and boxes- try stamping your own originality on them with ribbons, glued on sequins and buttons, or with glass paint....arranging them in a cluster with wild flowers spilling out over the edges is such a pretty, rustic way to decorate a table:

Well I could go onto place settings and name tags...but I don't want to be here all day and i don't want to bore you! Hope this is inspirational in some way and next time you have people over for dinner you dress up your table as well as yourself ;)

Has anyone any other centre pieces they find easy/fun to make and look beautiful too?? Please comment away!

Love Alice xx

A baby, a puppy and some gorgeous wallpaper...

Well... my partner's sister is due to have her first baby in a week's time and i am so excited for her...(I am convinced it is a boy and have literally purchased all presents in blues and greens, fingers crossed hey! well if not i'm sure the bub can be a tomboy!!)
They are currently renovating their first home and they've just got a new puppy so it's all go!! couldn't resist a picture of the pup- theirs is the little white girl at the front " Kippen" or "Kip" for short...

 I've been doing a lot of research into patterned wallpapers, stencils, tiles and motifs recently and I've fallen in love with quirky wallpapers especially for feature walls in a space. The fact Bec is having a baby soon inspired me to look at designs that would make a modern, exciting, vibrant baby/kid's room!

Patterned/pictured wallpapers add an eye catching element to a room of course but can also be a conversation starter, tell a story, remind you of your favourite things and emanate the unique feel you want your room to have...
For example instead of standard block colours: DINOSAUR WALLPAPER!!

"Dya-think-e-saurus" wallpaper by Paperboy :

OR ANIMAL WALLPAPER...(also by Paperboy)

modern...or vintage...

Try http://www.care2.com/ for a 'recipe' on a non toxic ECO wallpaper paste you can make at home, it includes a natrual preservative too..

If a whole wall is too much for you, you could start by just using the pattern as an oversized mural above the bed, for the lining of the baby's drawers, or on the inside/back wall of their bookcase...

I love this cute retro alphabet wallpaper border  ...

Imagine the border put in a crisp white room with white bleached floorboards, the wallpaper border half way up the wall, a textured, thick, cosy blanket in burnt orange on the cot, light grey accents scattered around in cushions etc and a thick antique style armchair the same burnt orange tying it all together....hhmmmm..An alphabet theme, i bet there's beautiful soft cushions in the shape of letters, wooden letters hanging from the bed knobs for older kids, i like that idea...

You could try something more localised to one wall like this idea of letters hanging from a picture line:

As I said if a whole wall in vibrant pattern is a bit too daunting for you you could also consider bringing out your creative side and cutting a mural for a crisp white wall out of some eclectic, colourful wallpaper you already have??

For example:

If one of these animals is a bit out of your reach there's plenty other simple things like trees, sunshine, clouds, smiley faces, even a cat is pretty simple: look up a how to online: e.g. at http://alexandr-az.ru/

Anyway i have to shoot or i'll spend my whole evening blogging and we're going out for dinner!
Hope this inspires someone :)

Love Alice xx

Orange and grey....yay or nay?

I'm currently coming up with my first 'finish schedule' for an imaginary renovation project i'm doing through my diploma in interior design. It's really hard to visualise exactly how you want it to be in your mind...i mainly work by seeing things in real life before i can decide if i like them!! Firstly we had to create a floor plan using the design spec from our 'client'. The client, 'Betsy' I decided, wanted the house to feel more open plan, she wanted to be more involved with the family when cooking/kitchen bound, to have more space....and to be honest, Betsy wanted to cook in style. She's a lady after my own heart...sooo I knocked several imaginary walls down with ease and came up with an open plan living space that allowed anyone cooking in the kitchen to still be involved with the people socialising in the other living areas!    

Well now we have a big kitchen/dining room leading onto decking through bi-folding doors and I am creating the finish schedule for this space first....

I'm thinking orange and grey...they go so well...happy and sad perfectly balanced!

I'm obsessed with all shades of grey.. my designs, my clothes...i promise i'm not depressed...there's no denying grey, it's just lush.

Love this industrial style pendant light from 'Freedom'...

In this design spec I'm imagining mixing urban/modern with a rustic/vintage look. The juxtaposition of the two always makes a room interesting and to me it gives a relaxing feel as nothing is too clinical or 'perfect'.

I found these antique 'bin pulls' at www.creative-embellishments.com which i love the idea of using on some weathered oak cupboards, recycling something old and giving it a new lease of life..

Now i just need to find the perfect balance of my orange/grey ...splashes of tangerine or maybe a more 'warm burnt orange' amongst different shade of grey..only my accessories will be a deep grey though as i want to keep the kitchen a light and airy space for those hot summer days...

Anyway I better get back to putting my thoughts into order!

Alice xx

Travelling Inspiration....

Last month I visited Bali for the first time and I fell in love with it...everywhere you turn there's splashes of fluorescent colour, baubles, bells, gold trinkets, multi coloured fruit stalls...infact anywhere i go in South East Asia i fall in love with the patterns and vibrant colours. It serves up a large portion of my inspiration when designing...I always end up lugging home multiple ceramic goods and fabrics! a sample of my latest hoard...

I wish i could have bought every one onf these in Thailand.....

So I got to thinking about all these colours and trinkets and I got inspired tonight to try and 'jazz' up a plain $5 k-mart lamp SE asian style...a little rough around the edges but hey!

 some trinkets i picked up in Legian, Bali...$1.50 each!

Now all i need is a light bulb!!!

Has anyone else travelled somewhere really inspiring recently? I'm always keen to visit new places!

Speak soon,

Alice x