Creative finds from Goa!

I could have bought so many bold bright and colourful items in Goa. Especially these beautiful fabrics which were only £1.50 a meter! I have no idea what I want to make with them yet. I did think a very bold patchwork quilt. They would make some lovely summer dresses or even brighten up a room as a cushion. 

This was one of my favourites. I love how it isn't always perfect and there are slight areas where the print has bled. I certainly can't wait to get designing again. I've never done a design with just motifs and paisley shapes but I would love to have a go. 

I also bought some heavy woven fabrics which unfortunately I do have a cheeky snap of. These were from what I called an Indian Liberty. It was full of amazing antiques, high quality fabrics, carpets and some very sparkly jewellery. 

I also took along with me a printed tote bag, I wanted to give it to someone I met on my journey. I met a lovely lady called Anita who travelled each day to work at a beach shack on the beach. She helped them out and when all the sun loungers was full, was able to start selling her own souvenirs or paint peoples nails. She left around 7 each day, travelled home and returned the next for 9am. She sometimes has to hide her items from the coast guards as they would confiscate them. I thought it would be a good bag for her to hide her belongings in. 

We also visited one of the busiest markets in Goa. It was also on for nearly the entire night! It was fantastic! Talk about late night shopping. Lots of different pieces of art and souvenirs. Leo really liked these carved masks. At first I found them extremely scary but then after time I really liked this white one of the elephant god. It seemed to have more detail than the rest and we chose to buy it. We also bought a couple of prints by two other modern artists. 

I loved this sign that I came across on one of the artists stalls. It is known in India to haggle a good price but I completely agree with this statement :)

Cannot believe its been a month ago now! I still love looking at the photo's! 

A Little Trip to Ikea!

This weekend I had a little trip to Ikea! Isn't it fantastic. I could go crazy and buy everything. I would love to just live in Ikea if it was possible. The only downside was that it was extremely busy. 

I thought I would share with you some of my gorgeous finds. This bold and busy upholstered chair caught my eye. It reminds me of a drawing I have produced using a similar fern. It was also available by the metre on a larger scale and in various colour ways. 

I would love it as a panel on a feature wall in one of my rooms. Which do you prefer out of the two? 

I also came across this wall display from a distance I couldn't work out what it was. It wasn't until I got closer and I realised it was infact paper napkin holders!

I certainly could of gone wild and have bought loads of things! 

Lovely Liberty London!

Before I left London I had to go have a nosey inside Liberty's. It is one of those places which makes you wish you had lots of money. I couldn't resist going in and headed straight to the furnishing fabrics section! I couldn't stop staring at everything! SO FAB!

Look how fab these are!

Beautiful Rugs!

I also came across the wonderful fabrics from Timorous Beasties. This is their new collection which I haven't seen before. These designs are digitally printed and capture the detail of the drawings beautifully. I love screen printing and thats where my passion is but I love how with digital print you can get the exact detail from the original drawings. I hope to broaden my knowledge of digital printing this year.

I also really really wish I had bought one of these! These are the designed Jubilee scarfs for Liberty and I love love love them! Its going to be such a busy summer in London with the Queens Jubilee and the Olympics! Going to be a great year!

I Easily Could buy so many Beautiful Things @ Bobo Kids....

Last week on my lunch hour I went to see what interesting shops caught my eye! This was a must see!

Bobo Kids! Inside it makes you either want children, or to be a kid yourself! I could of bought so many things! The shop has so many beautiful hand made gifts, furnishings and toys. With a love for furnishing fabrics and surface design this display was screaming to me: Take a picture :)

It is located near to the lovely Chelsea Green but if thats too far for you to travel then they have a website too! Its definitely worth checking out!

www.bobokids.co.uk

Market Research: Designers Guild.

I wanted to go explore Chelsea some more, however, it was shame the showrooms were closed. I did get a sneak peak inside and the window displays where very exciting.

Incase you don't know, I really love print! What caught my eye was the Havana window display of Designers Guild. I love the bright bold use of colour and florals giving an exotic feel.

I think I would of been like a child in a sweetshop if I managed to have a look inside.

The Finished Results!

Please excuse the finger in the way of the camera but these are my three metre lengths drying in the garden. Today I managed to get three dyed! They are slightly different in tone to my sample but they should still work, I do find it very hard once you get a particular colour its hard to get the exact same one but I am pleased with the results and there is no blotches- thank god!

Dying Fabric in the Garden!

How to dye your fabric at home- using a big boiler usually for making lots of cups of tea! To get prepared for printing my furnishing lengths after easter I thought I would give it a go and dye them at home. It was very useful to have a washing line as in my flat I don't so whilst I popped home for a few days I thought I would give it a go. I used a big box to wash my fabric and the boiler to dye the fabric and it was really easy! It was like a dye lab but in my back garden!

My Vintage Finds!

Whilst in Paris me and my friends went on the hunt for vintage clothes shop and we found some gorgeous expensive ones and some very cheap crazy ones! There was so much to choose and I managed to find a few buys myself! and for 10€ you can't go wrong! Here are my finds...

Colour Palette!

Tonight I have been busy sorting my fabrics and started dying them. This picture shows a basic cotton which I have started with to test the dyes. I am really pleased with how bold and vibrant the colours have come out. I have also chosen a dark brown dye as a contrast to the bright tones.