magical songbook

I found this beautiful songbook in the charity shop this weekend. It was published in 1978 with joyous illustrations by Josef Palecek who I knew nothing about. After a bit of investigation I discovered that he is a renowned Czech illustrator and animator born in 1932 and still working today. His illustrations are truly magical and really worth seeking out.

owls and pears

I have been kept busy with a flurry of extra orders this week, with thanks to a mention on retro to go and a lovely piece by Rebeka on her blog owlsandpears where she seeks out and celebrates all things owl and pear shaped, amazingly there is plenty out there!

while my back was turned

This is what happens when you don't look after your allotment because it's too cold and rainy, amazing garlic flowers - might let them all do this, after all you can buy garlic at the shops!

colour search

Production for my new wallpapers is in progress, and I am busy sampling colours, I am happy with a smokey blue and a greeny grey and I still need to find an olivey yellow that works (I also need better descriptions!) I am producing the papers in conjunction with Siecle colours so I have the run of their lovely range to choose from, all displayed painted onto wooden clogs in their Colour Makes People Happy shop in East Dulwich. 

My logpile pillows are on the seventy tree today, one of my favourite blogs, thank-you Kerry!

3 good reasons

I have been told that I have too many chairs so I need a really good reason to buy another one. When I spotted this 50s plywood chair in a local junk shop I had to have it because:

a. I love its old school shape b. someone has taken the time to glue an old OS map to it and c. on closer inspection the map is of the part of South Wales where my husband was born and brought up. Good enough reasons I think!

a good nights sleep

My cure for insomnia, sleep like a log with these log pile pillow cases (I couldn't resist!) They are hand printed in a smokey grey onto lovely 300 thread count pure cotton percale and are for sale now in my etsy and online shops. 

textures 2

  

Another place to look for textures, one of my favourite books The Big River by Elizabeth and Gerald Rose. It tells the story of a river from its start in the mountains, so the story line is a bit predictable! but beautifully illustrated by Gerald Rose.