Cubic Dreams

Indigo Dyeing

2012-01-28T10:01:00.000Z

For a long time I've been curious to try natural dyeing and I finally did this week. The process was so enjoyable and the results unexpected and exciting. I used organic cotton voile for the first two scarves, bamboo silk for the third and woven bamboo for the last (which drapes so well and perfect for summer dresses, I think). The bamboo silk fabric (which is 100% bamboo and suitable for vegans) took the dye the best and produced such a beautiful deep colour. The fabric has a lustre and feels so lovely against the skin.

I'm now busy dreaming up plans to do more...

Lately

2012-01-16T15:31:00.000Z

Christmas Cards

2011-12-19T09:37:00.000Z

Had fun making this year's Christmas cards and gift tags. Hope I haven't left it too late to post them!

Another

2011-06-22T16:38:00.000+01:00

This time I made beads that graduate in size.

Lately

2011-06-13T20:02:00.000+01:00

A Wiksten Tova dress that I made several weeks ago and have worn and washed many times. I made it from organic fairtrade cotton. It's perfect for the spring and summer and I'm planning to make a blue striped dress from the same pattern.

Some mini Fimo beads in graduated colours that I made today.

Picking out clothes to take away on holiday to Bournemouth. Please don't rain everyday!

My collection of larger beads. I love the different combinations that I can make with these.

Beads

2011-05-20T20:15:00.000+01:00

I made myself this necklace from Fimo...

...which led on to making these beads as a present...

...and these necklaces for two little girls...

The colour possibilities are endless... I'm addicted!

Personal Wedding Fair

2011-04-08T19:30:00.005+01:00

A collage I did during my internship at Homemade London, at the beginning of the year. It's been featured in Timeout and Wedding Magazine, advertising Homemade London's Personal Wedding Fair. It's a shame I wasn't creditied for the image :(

Blending

2011-01-19T14:10:00.000Z

More watercolours, this time in purple and turquoise. It's so much fun mixing together the colours, and seeing what a little bit more red or blue does.

The paper towel was too pretty to throw away without taking a photo first.

Couscous, apple, cucumber, grape, tomato, pinenuts, pumkin seeds.

Quinoa muffins with raisins made from this recipe. They are tasty but a little too heavy so I'll make them half the size next time.

Points

2011-01-18T10:20:00.000Z

Dream Capsule Wardrobe

2011-01-18T08:58:00.001Z

This past week I've been working on my CV and cover letters to send off to companies. I'm feeling motivated and keen to start working, and obviously very excited about all the pretty clothes I need to buy! I don't have ANY smart clothes (after throwing out all the old, depressing, black trousers and tops I wore in my old job a couple of years ago) and I'm desperate to start building a capsule wardrobe of perfect basics.

There are so many beautifully simple dresses out there at the moment. I've been quite out of touch with smart clothes, as I've lived in comfy jersey dresses and charity shop finds over the past two years whilst I've been back at university. I'm worried that if I don't buy these things now, they will sell out and I'll miss my chance! Oh dear; the shopaholic tendancies have returned. But these pieces will change my life!!

Blue Ponte Dress - Oasis
Claret Open Cardi - Topshop
Lucille Black Flats - Terra Plana
Grey Open Cardi - River Island
Navy Shift Dress - Topshop

Colourful lunches

2011-01-17T13:54:00.000Z

1. Homemade falafel crumbled over a bulgur wheat and carrot salad.
2. Homemade (soya) cheese scones with houmous.
3. Black grapes and yogurt.

Watercolours

2011-01-17T13:51:00.000Z

Some quick watercolours that I did over the past few days. It's so relaxing mixing up colours and watching the paints flood across the paper and run together in places. I took colour inspiration from various pieces of art in my home. I plan to do some more.

John Pawson - Design Museum

2011-01-13T18:43:00.005Z

Today, I visited John Pawson - Plain Spaces at the Design Museum. Pawson was one of the first architects that my tutor introduced me to when I started studying Interior & Spatial Design, and I would regularly look through his books and projects throughout my course. His style is simple, calm and timeless.

At the centre of the exhibition is 1:1 scale architectural installation. The photo above is the view when you reach the top of the stairs and enter the gallery space. There is a thin layer of fabric mesh between us and the room which creates a misty, dream-like feeling. People were walking up to the mesh to see what it was. There is a way into the room later on in the exhibition, and this is the view from the other side:

Pawson is well-known for his 'floating' elements and it was a joy to sit on one of his benches. The timber is soft and warm to the touch, and the 'weightlessness' is stunning, and quite remarkable.

The photo below is the same view as in the first image, but this time standing in front of the mesh screen.

From listening to an interview, I learnt about his design ethos, which is centred around creating an experience for the visitor. He said that when he was about 12 years old, he walked into a building which made him feel a certain way, and he knew that he wanted to one day design buildings that trigger an emotional response or affect the visitor's mood.

He starts a project by sketching and then moves onto making physical models. He said that the models are left out on the desk the whole time, and by looking at them each day they trigger new ideas. The models are photographed to create life-like views which can be developed further. Below are photos I took inside models of two different Chapels.

They were quite small, but so detailed and realistic!!

For Pawson, each project needs to have one big idea behind it, so it has some meaning. The materials usually have meaning and a relationship with the surrounding context. The following part of the exhibition was my favourite, as projects were displayed with real samples of materials. You can read about the building and simultaneously feel the materials. When looking at projects in books, I often find it hard to imagine what the materials are really like. In the book you just see colours, but in real life you can feel the texture, warmth/coolness, see reflections...

Sackler Crossing, Kew Botanical Gardens

Black Granite - deck
Bronze - balustrade

There was a video of this walkway and the way the bronze reflects in the water is stunning. I'm planning to visit when the weather warms up!

Baron House

Falun Black Timber - external shutters, entrance cladding
Corrugated Zinc - roof

Cricket Pavillion, Oxford

Oak - cladding
Marble - roof

I enjoyed this exhibition immensely and found it to be really inspiring for me, on a personal level. I can relate to John Pawson's way of working with a physical model, and intend to continue to work in this way in the future (despite often feeling pressure to design in CAD). I learnt that materials are so important and need to complement the enviroment as well as each other. For a simple design to be successful, the material pallett needs to work perfectly. A simple design can't be cluttered with lots of materials; fewer materials create a calmer, more cohesive environment.

Resources:
- John Pawson
- Plain Spaces Blog

*all photos taken by me.

Another skirt from a shirt

2011-01-11T15:01:00.002Z

I didn't make the entire skirt today, but finished attaching the metal buttons. I made this just before Christmas but I haven't made friends with it yet. I was in a rush and didn't do a very good job at lining up the front which is annoying, and I don't wear a lot of this tone of blue, so it will take a bit of getting used to. This shirt was originally from Jaeger so it lovely and soft with a nice drape that doesn't cling at all. In all my previous skirts, I pinned the pleats around the waist individually, but since I was short of time for this one, I (foolishly) decided to baste the waist and pull it into gathers. As a result the gathers aren't perfectly distributed like in my other skirts. The other method takes a couple of hours to get perfect, but the results are well worth it.

Salad

2011-01-11T13:44:00.000Z

I've been enjoying my fresh lunches this week.

Today: couscous, carrot, tomato, raisins, soya beans, soya cheese, salad leaves, vinaigrette.

Drawing

2011-01-10T16:32:00.001Z

A small, shy sketch from this afternoon. I wish my drawing skills were better. Perhaps I should be doing one drawing a day to improve..

Weekend

2011-01-10T14:38:00.004Z

No crafting over the weekend, but in my rules, photos count as 'making' something, and I had time to take a couple.

Oat cakes, houmous, salad (watercress, rocket & spinach leaves), pinenuts, cherry tomatoes, black pepper.

A gift

2011-01-08T14:57:00.000Z

This is what my husband and I will give to his mother for her birthday tomorrow. The gold tone beads give a hint of warmth to the otherwise cool tones of the necklace. The rondelle shaped beads are sodalite.

I hope she likes the handstitched card. It's very simple and was so much fun to make!

Sea green bracelet

2011-01-08T14:49:00.000Z

I made this bracelet out of some odd beads I've collected over the years. I remember being given the two sea green beads at a craft club I went to when I was about 10! It's funny how things like beads can evoke distant memories.

Blue and Gold

2011-01-06T18:23:00.000Z

I restrung this necklace as it was close to breaking point, and decided to add some little gold-tone glass spacer beads. I like the way the hint of gold defines each blue bead, and also they help lengthen the necklace to my ideal length.

Special thank you cards

2011-01-05T11:48:00.002Z

My mum loved the last woven piece I made, which encouraged me to make some more. These little 4.5" ones are going to be thank you cards. They are backed onto a single piece of watercolour paper. I didn't have enough paper to make folded cards, but I quite like that these need to proped up: they feel more like little pieces of art work that someone will keep, rather than just cards that will be discarded after a week or so.

They are very labour intensive (I spent about 4 hours on these in total!) but I find the process very relaxing and rewarding. It's fun to see each piece take shape and become an object in its own right. I also enjoyed photographing them and seeing which angles captured the different textures and sparkles best.

They really reflect my style and aesthetic, which is unusual, as I rarely make things I feel happy with. It's made me consider whether this kind of thing would sell. I wonder if there is a market for them? Does anything like this already exist? There are so many people who make things that are much better than these, which makes me wonder if it's worth it. Perhaps I should make a few and see how it goes! Hmm.. we'll see. Ha!

Beaded triangle pendant

2011-01-04T11:37:00.000Z

I came up with the idea of making this pendant when the beads formed a triangle shape in their little plastic bag. Using invisible thread, I sewed the beads in stripes to a scrap of blue chambray. Then I folded in the sides of the fabric, inserted a plastic triangle I cut from a sheet of plastic to add structure, added a backing layer of fabric and sewed up the edges to form a triangle. I attached a loop of ribbon on the back for a chain to slide through.

I like it, but I wasn't too happy with the slightly wonky shape.. Next time I'll make a crisp triangle shape first by sewing up the sides and turning inside out, before attaching the beads.

Double strand of beads

2011-01-03T15:59:00.000Z

I restrung a broken necklace (above right) and used some beads from my stash to make a double strand necklace. I tend to wear larger beads, but discovered that two strands of smaller beads create the same kind of impact that I like.

I'm wearing my new H&M striped chambray dress that I bought in the sales, and I just can't take it off! It's as comfortable as pyjamas but has such a pretty shape.

Weaving & 2011 goals

2011-01-02T22:34:00.002Z

I made a square of woven paper today. I worked it out in my head a few days ago, and finally sat down to make it this afternoon. Sometimes I do more thinking than doing. I often come up with ideas in my head and sometimes make notes and diagrams, but I always forget that it's the making that helps you learn new things. For example, today I discovered that I actually like the plain woven back more than the patterned front, so next time I will try a simpler pallet of solid colours with different textures.

It's the testing of existing ideas that creates new ideas, and I need to do more of this.

So... I'm setting myself the challenge to create something every single day this year. It might be something made out of paper or fabric, cooking, or a photo I've taken... Some things might take more than one day to create, but on those days I will document what I've worked on so far. I don't know if I'll stick to it every single day, but I will try my hardest. I'm determined to make 2011 my most productive year so far!

Lately

2010-12-29T17:31:00.000Z

Making pretty lunches...

Cats snuggling in blankets...

More snow...

Trip away in the countryside...

Cooking meals for family...

Pretty new plates and wallpaper as a table runner...

Taste Test Results...

2010-12-22T19:29:00.000Z

I tried out the new Etsy Taste Test feature and it showed up some really lovely things. But I wish I could access the list of items I selected in the first place! These are my top picks out of the list it generated for me...

1 Nature Design
2 Peeko Apparel
3 Taylor Ceramics
4 Lunasa Designs
5 The House of Hemp
6 Studio KMO
7 Elephantine
8 Clamlab

Snowed in

2010-12-02T12:58:00.001Z

Eight inches of snow and the transport network collapses.. so we've been snowed in for a couple of days which has been quite fun!

I made my Christmas cards yesterday. I folded sheets of cotton-fibre paper (that I bought a couple of years ago and never used) and cut out stocking shapes. Then I put fabric behind the openings and stitched around the edges with white thread to hold the sandwich of layers together.

We've also put up our tree, and I made a skirt for the base which Honey thinks I made especially for her to lounge on.

Skirt Refashion: How to make a button skirt

2010-11-12T13:11:00.001Z

I made this skirt one afternoon last week and it's already become one of my favourites as it hangs so nicely is comfy to wear. I refashioned it from a longer skirt that I found in a charity shop (it was originally from Precis, so it's a really nice quality and was worth salvaging). The fabric is a thick, silky polyester with a sheen. I don't tend to wear brown, but the weight and texture of the fabric is just lovely.

The basic idea when making this skirt is to salvage the waistband and reattach it to a shorter length skirt, whilst creating a button front. It might sound like a long-winded thing to do when I could just cut the skirt shorter, but the original pleats were ripped and I like my pleats more ruffly. You could add in a side zip instead of all the buttons down the front, but I just love this look, and it's an excuse to use some of the pretty buttons I have in my stash.

Here's a quick 'how to'...

Daily wear: big spots

2010-11-11T16:01:00.000Z

Top: Uniqlo
Skirt: Charity shop
Coat: Urban Outfitters
Tights: Sainsburys
Shoes: Crocs
Necklace: Charity shop
Poppy pin

I bought this pleated skirt for a couple of pounds several weeks ago, and finally got around to adjusting the size of the waist to make it fit perfectly. I love how it peeks out of the bottom of my coat: it adds a bit of sunshine to this dreary, windy, wet weather.

A birthday

2010-10-28T13:46:00.000+01:00

Honey, my beautiful assistant, offered to pose with a simple gold bow (which complemented her colouring perfectly) for a photo for my husband's birthday card. She gave him the card this morning and he loved it!

Day dream

2010-10-22T09:50:00.002+01:00

Ikea Karlstad 3 Seat Sofabed
Ikea Karlstad Footstall
John Lewis Cushions
Muji Coffee Table
Habitat Rocking Chair
Unto This Last Shelving Unit
Anglepoise
Ikea Solvar Chairs
Muji Dining Table

I've got bit too much time on my hands at the moment, and I've been daydreaming about all the things I'd love to buy for my home. We definitely need some new dining chairs, but all the other things are purely for dreaming. We have two perfectly good sofas (although I don't like the beige colour..) so I don't think I'll be able to convince my husband to buy the one above. Although it does convert into a sofabed! But we already have a sofabed in the spare room... oops. I've loved that rocking chair ever since Habitat introduced it several years ago. And the coffee and dining tables from Muji are just perfectly simple. Must stop this day dreaming.. my home is already fully furnished!

Basically, if I moved in here I would be very happy!

Colour fun

2010-10-21T19:01:00.000+01:00

I've had this jacket for a few years but have never worn it as pale cream just doesn't suit my complexion. It's a fine cotton/silk fabric with a layer of wadding sandwiched in the middle. It only cost £5 from TK Maxx but the brand is Dagmar which I understand is a Swedish brand and I always felt it was too good to give away. The label states dry clean only, but I decided to be brave and hand dye it.

I'm so pleased with the results! The colour I used was Rosewood Red by Dylon and I stirred it in the dye bath for about 20 minutes, then rinsed it thoroughly and allowed it to drip dry.

I wore it on Monday, but the temperatures have since dropped so I won't be able to get away with such a lightweight jacket until the spring! It will work under a winter coat though, as it's feather-light.

Since the original colour was cream, the resulting colour is quite pinky and warm toned. (I once made the mistake of dying a cream top grey, and it ended up greenish!)

When I took the jacket out of the dye bath, I threw in this jumper from Uniqlo. It was originally light grey with bright blue stripes, but the colour just didn't do anything for me. But I love it now and I've worn it twice! It's a mysterious pink-but-almost-brown. I'm so happy I have two new items to wear but I didn't pay a penny :)

Daily wear

2010-10-15T12:20:00.000+01:00

My favourite kind of skirt is one that twirls as they always make me feel happy. I made this one from a much longer and larger linen skirt I found. I kept the pretty hemline intact and cut off the top half, gathered the top edge and attached an elastic waistband. It's really comfy and I'll wear it lots.

I picked up the cardigan from a charity shop this week. It was originally from LK Bennett (bargain!) and is more of a jacket as it's made from quite a heavy, tightly woven knit. I was worried the colour didn't suit my skin tone (as I've often been told that I shouldn't wear yellow) but I feel the colour is fine. In fact, I really like it!

Cardigan: Charity Shop

Skirt: Self made

T shirt: Marks & Spencer

Tights: Sainsburys

Making space

2010-10-14T19:19:00.000+01:00

For the first time in my life, I have a super-duper organised wardrobe. There are drawers too!! Two Ikea Malm bedsite tables from the spare bedroom slot in perfectly. It's incredible being able to find absolutely anything I want and not having to sift through piles on the floor.

I've discovered that it's impossible to keep things tidy when there's just too much in there... so I'm getting rid of about a quarter of my clothes and have started listing things on ebay. I'll post anywhere in the world :) Here are some of my faves that I wish I could keep:

Inspiration

2010-10-08T08:39:00.001+01:00

I've added lots of images to my tumblr over the past few days. I'd quite happily move into any of these places.

Since finishing uni I've been productive and sorted through every cupboard and drawer. I have two boxes of clothes to list on eBay, and several bags of odds and ends to take to the charity shop. For once, I feel organised; it's such a relief to know everything is in order. The next thing I need to do is touch up some paint work, paint a couple of doors, and possibly paint the insides of the wardrobes. I've written a list of things we still need to buy for the flat (new dining table and chairs from Ikea, a couple of lamps, chest of drawers), and things we can make ourselves (bookcase, shelves). It's terrible having time at home as it makes me want to change everything around!

Glimpses

2010-09-22T17:43:00.003+01:00

Since finishing uni last week, I've gone a bit skirt crazy and have made 3 skirts, and found another 3 in Charity Shops that need alterations. I made this one yesterday morning (from a men's shirt) and took it off quickly to take a photo. Little Honey couldn't keep her paws off it!

The brushed cotton is so soft and cosy...

It's just so comfy and easy to wear. I want to make 5 more, but do I need so many..?

I found this Anglepoise in a bric-a-brac shop in Brighton last weekend. It was quite a bargain and I adore the colour.

The sea air in Brighton was really refreshing.

We went on a trip to Oxford on Sunday morning and travelled via Paddington.

Can't wait for these home grown pears to ripen fully.

What I've been wearing

2010-09-08T19:10:00.002+01:00

1st Row: Gap t-shirt, Charity Shop cardigan, Charity Shop necklaces
2nd Row: Charity Shop dress, Uniqlo Jeans, Dorothy Perkins scarf

I've always loved the idea of creating a capsule wardrobe: a collection of pieces that coordinate with each other. I'm not organised or minimalist enough to achieve a totally capsule wardrobe, but I do love to pieces that mix and match.

Over the last few weeks I've been wearing a lot of navy with coral and was so excited to find a scarf that incorporates both colours! I think this coat by APC is my ultimate dream, but at $560 it's likely that I'll stick with the navy blue one from UO that I bought a couple of years ago!

Film memories

2010-09-07T13:21:00.000+01:00

I finally had a film developed that had been in my Agfa since July. It always amazes me how it captures details, like the sun reflecting on the lake above. It has come out just how I remember it.

I took a few photos of the side wall of Tate Britain that overlooks my college, whilst waiting around for a tutorial. The craters in the stone are traces of bomb damage during the war.

Cherry picking..

Daisies in my granny's garden, standing tall and proud, holding so much hope for the coming summer months.

Little things

2010-09-06T15:25:00.001+01:00

Over the last few weeks, my life has been filled with miniature staircases and trees, as I've been finishing my final project.

It was exhausting; I've never worked so hard in my life. I couldn't have done it without the support of my family. One little person found it a bit boring and did all she could to get my attention.

Now college is (mostly) over I can relax and take things easy (for a little while)...

I enjoyed the last few days of sunshine before the rain arrived.

It's so nice to finally have the time to do things like picking damsons (although I wasn't much help and decided to take photos instead...)

Comfortable

2010-08-06T16:19:00.002+01:00

Top: Uniqlo
Jersey skirt: Uniqlo
Bag: Primark
Shoes: Terra Plana
Necklace: Charity Shop

Refocused

2010-08-06T13:33:00.002+01:00

Playing with the macro and iso settings on my camera.

Trying to keep focused and motivated on my project.

Less than four weeks to go.

Refocus

2010-08-05T08:09:00.000+01:00

More reflections

2010-07-28T10:52:00.002+01:00

Worst nightmare

2010-07-23T16:00:00.007+01:00

Last week, my husband bought what turned out to be the most expensive of bouquet of flowers ever. £185 to be exact. And they could have potentially cost us the life of our precious Honey.

We learnt a BIG lesson:

Cats + Lilies = Potentially FATAL

Being a typical indoor cat, Honey is very curious (verging on mischievous) so when I put the bunch of mixed flowers on the dining table (which she never jumps up onto) she immediately investigated the new smells. I told her off, she promptly jumped down and scampered away, and I thought she'd lost interest. There was a single lily stem in amongst the other flowers, and at the back of my mind I knew that they weren't good for cats. I didn't realise they were FATAL, I just thought they were something she shouldn't go near. So I cut the pollen stems, thinking this would make them safer. I was wrong.

The following day, I was working on the PC and I could hear a rustling sound and I suddenly thought it must be Honey playing with the flowers. I dashed into the room and Honey bolted off the table. She knew she was in trouble. She jumped up onto the bed and started nuzzling me and purring, as if to say sorry, and I noticed a yellow stain of pollen around her chin and a little smudge on the corner of her mouth. (Even though I cut the pollen stems, some of the pollen had dropped onto the petals.) Without thinking, I cleaned it off with a wet cloth, then immediately searched online. Something didn't feel right. And everything I read confirmed my fears. Lilies are the most dangerous plants to cats. I cut out the remaining yellow stain in her fur to prevent her cleaning it off, I called the vet, and she was admitted within the hour.

Without medical treatment, a cat that eats ANY PART of a lily will definitely become ill. It may not happen straight away, but within a few days they will suffer renal failure as the toxin damages the kidneys. The most important thing to do it to take the cat to the vet as soon as possible for IV fluids. Some cats may vomit the lily up and appear well for a few days, then become gravely ill. It only takes a tiny amount of the plant to cause irreparable damage.

We didn't know if she had actually eaten any of the pollen, or bitten into the leaves or petals, but the vet treated her as if she had ingested some. Lily poisoning is so serious, that you just cannot take any risks with treatment. She spent three days on an intravenous drip administering fluids in an attempt to flush the toxin out of her system. When Honey is at the vets, she turns into a wild cat and bites, scratches and growls (she's a typical tortoiseshell, apparently). She had to be sedated each time she ripped the drip out of her arm and it needed to be reinserted, and also when they did blood tests. She refused to eat and didn't go to the toilet for two days. The vet didn't know if Honey was just upset about being in unfamiliar surroundings, or if she was ill. On the third day, they did a blood test which thankfully revealed full kidney function. We collected her and within five minutes of being at home, she ate some food, went to the toilet and drank some water. She was so pleased to be home, and we were relieved all her bodily functions were in working order. This morning, Honey had a follow-up blood test (involving another sedation...) which showed normal kidney function. The vet said that after 8 days it is highly unlikely that a cat will become ill, but it is not unheard of. We need to keep a close eye on her, but going by her huge appetite, it looks like she will be fine. Perhaps she never ate any of the lily. We will never know.

***

What strikes me, is that everyone I've spoken to since our ordeal seems clueless that lilies are poisonous to cats. People respond with, "I've had cats all my life, and we always have lilies in the house, and they've never been ill." Well, aren't they lucky, but that doesn't mean that lilies are safe. The veterinary nurse said that lots of cats are admitted with lily poisoning, especially indoor cats and kittens. Many cats that suddenly suffer from renal failure may actually be suffering from lily poisoning, but the cause is never found.

The question I have is why isn't this more widely known?! Why don't bouquets of lilies have a label pointing out the danger to cats? Is it because supermarkets and florists are worried they will lose sales? Cats are the most popular pets in the UK, and the majority of mixed bouquets contain lilies, so why don't people know about this?

When I have some time on my hands (in September), I plan to write a letter to all the chains of supermarkets and florists in the UK asking them to put a simple warning on lilies. A cat face with a red line through would be sufficient. Something that will make people think twice. From what I've read online, people in the USA are more aware of lily poisoning than in the UK. That really needs to change.

Anyway, after the events of the last week, I think I've gone off flowers for life!

Reflections

2010-07-22T18:42:00.000+01:00

Reflections intrigue me. I like the layering of images and distortions created. I took these photos today, whilst taking a break from my work. It gave me something new to think about.

Moments

2010-07-22T08:26:00.002+01:00

The second pair of Terra Plana shoes that I bought... shh, don't tell.

Spinning. My head feels so light after a haircut.

Progress on my project, but still a long way to go... Making the final model this weekend.

Evening glow that lasts only a few minutes.

My grandmother's giant daisies.

* * *

I'm taking a big of a blog-break over the next week weeks, as I'm in the thick of it at uni. Six more weeks to go *sigh*. There's so much more work to do; it's scary. But sometimes a bit of pressure focuses the mind.

Throughout August, I'll be taking part in Susannah Conway's August Break. I'll be sharing daily photos that I take, without the pressure of words. It'll be a refreshing break from my work and won't be too distracting. Hopefully life will get back to some kind of normality in September, and I can pick up some of my sewing projects...

Glimpses

2010-07-14T20:24:00.000+01:00

Four pretty eyes.

A skirt that I plan to turn into a dress.

Evening light reflected from the building opposite.

Traces of old walls in plywood for the base of my final model.

A beautiful moving shadow on the wall of the classroom at the end of a long day.

The first pair of Terra Plana sandals that I ordered didn't work out (stupid high insteps!) but this second pair is just perfect. Coral heels! *love*

Tumblr faves

2010-07-09T09:37:00.000+01:00

This is a collection of some favourite images that I've collected on my tumblr. (Original sources are linked in tumblr).

I'm not sure what direction Cubic Dreams will take over the next few weeks/months as I finish my final project at uni. I feel that the content has become really boring, and it makes me sad. I'm desperate to use my sewing machine and make dresses with the pile of fabric that I've collected... but I honestly don't have the time at the moment. I find it hard to focus on more than one thing at once, and for the next few weeks I need to concentrate on my project...

Finally, some shoes!

2010-07-08T20:07:00.001+01:00

Since I stopped wearing leather 8 years ago, my shoes have been such an embarrassment. It's just been impossible to find decent vegan shoes. I've worn a combination of Crocs (very comfortable but not that pretty) and cheap high street shoes (a bit prettier but terribly uncomfortable).

This misery is now over!!!

Terra Plana make eco-friendly shoes, but until recently, they used recycled leather. It's great the leather is environmentally friendly, but it's still not that friendly to the animals. Well, now they have a vegan range! I came across the shoes this morning and promptly ordered a pair of the black sandals above (from Amazon UK as they were £7 cheaper).

I'm so looking forward to receiving them as I desperately need a pair of tidy sandals. There are certain occasions where flip flops aren't appropriate. (My flip flops are pretty though!). These look so comfortable and the sole is lined with memory foam! These will be my first pair of proper shoes that I've bought myself as an adult. My mum will be so proud.

I have such high hopes for these sandals that I really want to buy the other two styles. I must control myself! Finding these shoes has been such a breakthrough in the vegan shoe situation, that I feel they will change my life... (perhaps that statement is slightly OTT). Now I have to wait until they arrive... *sigh*

Daily Wear: The 10 Minute Dress

2010-07-05T10:09:00.001+01:00

Dress: DIY (Top: Gap, Skirt: H&M)
Necklace: Charity Shop
Belt: Charity Shop
Shoes: TKMaxx
(Feet: Seem to be tanning faster than legs!!)

I got up on Sunday morning and for some reason decided I wanted to make a dress! Or rather, I made a dress from a top and skirt (which incidently used to be a dress a few years ago, but I cut the top off, but never wore it as a skirt). There's something liberating about wearing just one piece: you can just slip it on and not have to fuss about things untucking or twisting around.

I basically pinned the skirt to the top at a comfortable height, then stitched the two pieces together with a zig zag stitch, whilst stretching the fabric (to ensure the waist band is stretchy enough to get over my shoulders). This took about 10 minutes from start to finish.

I think it looks really pretty with the red belt, but as previously explained, I have issues with belts, especially in hot weather. I'd like to make a red jersey sash, or perhaps attach a band of red jersey to the waist band. It definitely needs a splash of red to bring it to life.

The print is really fun with all those goggly eyes! My husband thinks it's creepy...

Exposed

2010-07-04T20:51:00.003+01:00

I spotted this house that's being demolished along my granny's road this afternoon. My mum remembers it being built in the '60s and one of her friends from Primary School lived there. It's absurd to see the inside walls of a house from the street. The flash of yellow and pink looks so out of place on the street, yet intriguing.

When I was learning how to draw sectional elevations, I wish someone had shown me a house like this to get an idea of the volumes of space!

Photobucket seems to have reduced the resolution of my images from 180 to 96 ppi (no idea why as I paid for a pro account) so these are a bit fuzzy. I hate seeing things out of focus. Why would this happen?!

Daily Wear: Summer Turquoise

2010-07-03T07:29:00.000+01:00

Cardigan: Gap
Camisole: Marks & Spencer
Skirt: American Apparel (hand dyed and shortened)
Sandals: Peacocks
Bag: Charity Shop
Necklace: Charity Shop

This is what I wore yesterday. When I had my crazy fabric dying session on Thursday I rediscovered some white tops and this one almost went into the dye bath, but I'm so glad I left it white as it feels so fresh and summery as it is. (White always makes me feel sun-tanned, even though I am not!) The skirt is from a few years ago when I'd just discovered how comfortable jersey skirts were! I remember how excited I was about wearing it, but haven't actually worn it much since, due the unusually cool summers that followed. I've been told by people that my outfits would benefit from belts, and I'm sure a belt would look nice with this, but comfort is my top priority and I just can't bear a stiff belt around my waist - it's too hot in this weather!

Here I am demonstrating the twirl-ability of this skirt. Honey couldn't decide if she wanted to stay or leave.

Shades

2010-07-02T09:31:00.005+01:00

I was on my own yesterday evening as my husband had to go for a meal with work, so I used it as an opportunity to make a big mess in the kitchen with fabric dye! It was so much fun! I really want to add more colour into my wardrobe as I think I'm at my happiest when I'm wearing pretty colours.

It all started with the top on the left which I found in a Charity Shop. It's a lovely thick jersey, so it makes a great jacket, and I love the little collar. It was originally cream, and this determined which colour I chose to dye it. I've tried to dye cream things cool colours in the past (grey and blue) and it does not work as the cream adds a yellow tinge and it ends up a murky green. So I thought I'd go with the warm tone and add pink over it. The dye I used was called Camellia, and I also mixed in half a pack of Rosewood Red (although I'm not sure if it had much of an effect on the final colour...).

I mixed up the dye bath and added the cardigan in and stirred it for about 15 minutes. Then I suddenly remembered that I had a box full of old clothes under the bed that I no longer wear. I started rummaging around and found the blouse with the cut out detailing. This was actually a dye-disaster from a few years ago. It was almost a fluorescent pink and totally unwearable. So I added this to the dye bath.

Then I found the little camisole top. This was a nasty semi see-through white, and didn't have much going for it really. So I added this into the bucket of dye!

Finally I found the top with the tie straps. This was light yellow jersey with a cotton trim and patch pockets from about 4 years ago. It was also quite sheer and something that I just didn't like anymore. In the dye bath it went!

This was probably totally the wrong way of going about it, but I love how the later pieces ended up paler. In fact I wish the first cardigan had ended up this shade. I find Dylon dyes a bit of a mystery as they don't reveal any information about mixing colours or achieving lighter shades: it's all guess work! For this reason, I will try Rit Dyes next time, as the website has a whole page of dye recipes. Since I last looked into buying Rit, they have become available to Amazon UK.

I made a horrible mess and my hands are stained pink (I gave up with the rubber gloves in the end as the dye had seeped inside!) but I'm happy with my shades of pink. I've tried on the cardigan with a navy blue top and the colour actually looks really beautiful - like a shade of raspberry. They look a bit sickly all together but I think they will add just the right amount of colour to an outfit when worn in smaller quantities!

I'm desperate to do some more dying (this time Turquoise) but I've run out of spare clothes!

Blouse Refashion

2010-07-01T15:48:00.002+01:00

Last week I found a blouse in the prettiest fabric. It was too big but I could see it had potential. At first I tried to turn it into a loose-fitting sleeveless blouse like the one I made a few weeks ago, but it didn't hang right and was too puffy in the front. So I left it for a few days and had a rethink, and I decided to make it into a strappy camisole. It was definitely the right decision for the type of fabric and I really needed another non-jersey summer top -- about 90% of my wardrobe is jersey - need to break the addiction!

The fabric has the prettiest texture with raised polka dots and embroidery around the scalloped hem. This little girl thought I made it for her to sunbathe on...

Keeping hold of ideas

2010-06-29T13:40:00.003+01:00

I've been in a bit of a panic over the last few days about my final project. Sometimes I make things a lot more complicated in my head than they are in reality. I'm designing a concept for a building. It's not going to be built so I don't need to obsess over the structural details. The narrative behind the design is much more important. I need to get a grip. Why am I making it so hard for myself?!

I decided to make a board of all the images that influence me (projects by Steven Holl, David Chipperfield, Curry Hyde, Benedek and Lakos) so when I draw a blank I can just look to my right and see a whole load of ideas jumping out at me. I hope it works!

Brighton

2010-06-29T13:17:00.005+01:00

I collected a batch of photos today and this is one from our trip to Brighton last weekend. I would love to live in one of those little houses one day - each with its own personality. The red house has a bricked up window above the door! I wonder why..

On a side note, I love how film makes me appreciate photos more. To see the end result you need to wait until the whole roll is used up, take it to the shop, then wait a couple more days.. It's so exciting opening the envelope and re-living the experiences in the photos! Not every photo comes out well, which makes me appreciate the good ones even more. I'd forgotten that feeling. I also love having a printed picture that I can prop up on a bookshelf or put in an album. Over the years I've been guilty of storing far too many photos on the PC and printing very few.

Looking

2010-06-25T18:13:00.007+01:00

I've been very busy finishing off my project at university... I'm in the last stages and I find this the hardest part. It's so tough keeping motivated and interested in what I'm doing for the last couple of months. As a little treat, I've taken a few trips around the Charity Shops.

Today I picked up a couple of Kodak Instamatic cameras but upon returning home with them, I was disappointed to find out that it's almost impossible to find 126 film. I did, however, find great instructions for transfering 35mm film into a 126 film cartridge, and one of the cameras I found has an old film inside so I may try it out at some point...

In the meantime I took some shots through the viewfinder of the Instamatic 50. The bag above is my new favourite bag. It's made of sturdy canvas and goes with just about everything. The photo wasn't staged: I was just about to press the button and Honey hopped on the bed to smell it. She's obsessed with it.

I found this blouse on Monday and have been altering it so it fits me perfectly. If it works out OK, I'll take some photos of it finished. I adore the scalloped hem.

Honey just loves the camera. She's such a poser! And when she thinks I'm not looking, she's playing with the camera wrist straps.

It's going to be hot this weekend. I can't wait to be in the sun!

Through the window

2010-06-23T14:01:00.003+01:00

I took these photos with my Agfa Optima over the past few weeks. I've had a fascination with Battersea Powerstation for a long time: ever since I can remember, I've passed it on the train going into London. I've never seen it up close, only through the train window. I often take photos out of train windows with my mobile, but the quality is poor, and I thought the Agfa would capture the Battersea Powerstation's beauty better.

I love how the chimneys are a pristine white against the blue and grey skies, but a murky cream against the white sky. It's a bit of a game taking these photos, as sometimes another train passes by which blocks my view, so I have to take the shot at just the right moment. And if I leave it too late, the train line curves round and it's no longer in view. People give me funny looks, but it makes my train journeys more enjoyable.

On my last roll of film, the last photo was my favourite. It's really moody and I like the tones of the red brick, green bushes and grey sky. Sadly a lot of the other photos on the roll came out poorly. There's a bit of a framing issue, and I think I'm the problem. It turns out that I haven't been looking through the view finder at the right angle, so when I think I have something centred, it is in fact a quarter of the way to the right. I'm so relieved there's nothing wrong with the camera!

Over the weekend

2010-06-21T16:57:00.003+01:00

On Saturday I visited the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. It's in it's 242nd year! (Couldn't believe it when I read it!) It seemed better that the exhibition last year, for some reason. The rooms are packed from floor to ceiling with paintings - it's quite overwhelming! It's exciting to see how many orange stickers each of the paintings have, which indicates how many have been sold. One picture had a good few rows of stickers and when I looked it up in the book, I found it was by Tracey Emin - no surprise then! Some people buy a piece from the Summer Exhibition each year. Maybe one day, when I'm a proper grown up with some money, I'll do this... I think it would be a lovely way to collect art.

My favourite room was the architecture. It was quite incredible seeing all the models and sketches lined up. This pieces were arranged by David Chipperfield. Sadly photos weren't allowed, but I made notes in the book next to the pieces I liked and was able to Google the architects to find out more.

[Photos 1 & 2 from The Telegraph]

Then I hopped on a tube and visited the BA Summer Show at my college - Chelsea. My favourite section was the textiles. The students each had a printed postcard of their work and I collected my favourite ones, which can be seen below. I think I can relate to design more than art. A lot of the fine art on display was conceptual art/installation. I can appreciate this kind of work when it's done well, but to be honest it's just overload and I left feeling quite disappointed. It must be so hard for the fine art students, though, as there's the constant feeling that the work has to be original. It was interesting to see the BA Interior & Spatial Design work, although I didn't always understand what I was looking at. It would have been great if the students were there to talk about their projects.

I found this top in a Charity Shop for £1.49. I was immediately attracted to the colour, although the shape wasn't quite right. So I gathered the shoulders and I really like it now. I've used safety pins for now, but need to get round to adding some stitches.

On Sunday, I travelled to Brighton for the day with my husband. It was a lovely, relaxing day. I took all film photos and haven't finished the roll yet, so I don't have anything to show for Sunday. It's quite an odd feeling taking photos on film, as it's a gamble whether the pictures will come out. Fingers crossed!

Waiting

2010-06-17T17:24:00.002+01:00

This little girl has been so irresistible lately. She's all snuggles and purrs. When the alarm clock rings at 6:30 she sees it as her call to jump onto the bed and stretch out along side me. It doesn't really motivate me to get up!

Someone came to view our flat this afternoon. The estate agent is optimistic that the buyer will come forward with an offer, but from past experience, I know not to be hopeful. The elderly man passed a joke about a "miniscule" offer. I didn't laugh. It's probably the worst possible time for us to move now anyway: I finish university in 3 months and the work load is steadily increasing. Oh well, we just need to wait and see...

Addicted!

2010-06-15T14:22:00.003+01:00

Oh my... I seem to have developed a new obsession, and I just can't stop! It's so easy to post on tumblr, that I've already posted 49 times since I opened my account last week. I love the way the pictures get arranged into a lovely tiled pattern. Why didn't I use tumblr before?!

*Images linked to original sources here.

Peeling back layers

2010-06-14T12:54:00.004+01:00

I've been searching for old writing on buildings around Bethnal Green for part of my university project. On Saturday I walked around the back streets of East London with my mum for a couple of hours, and snapped anything that looked interesting. It was only when I got home that I realised I'd already taken a photo of this building in January -- and look how it's changed! It's the perfect example for my project: the layer of pebble-dash has literally been peeled off the building to reveal an old sign: Page & Co. I can't wait to go back in a couple of months to see if there have been any further changes. Below are some more examples of writing that I found in the area.

I visited a local archive centre and looked through old street directories to discover what my site once was. In 1873 it was a bird dealer. There was an animal market in Club Row until the 1980s when it was closed down by animal activists! The more I find out about the area, the more I grow to like it and realise that it was the best decision I could have made.

Changes!

2010-06-11T18:13:00.001+01:00

I started this blog about 6 months ago and it has been such a wonderful way for me to keep track of all the inspiring things that I see on the Internet each day.

But I feel ready for change.

A couple of days ago I opened a tumblr account, and I plan to update this image bank whenever I see something that I really love. I think tumblr is better suited to this than blogger. Sometimes I don't have much to say about an image other than, "Look at this. I like it", and on my tumblr there will be images and no words. It's a lot quicker to upload a single photo on tumblr than it is to write a post on blogger.

From now on, Cubic Dreams will be home to my own creations/photos/thoughts and as a result it probably won't be updated as frequently as it was in the beginning. I might do summaries of my favourite images or write about a project I particularly like, but most of the material will be original (I hope!).

In the meantime, above are some of my recent favourites, and feel free to take a look at what else has made it's way onto my tumblr so far, here :)

*images via Milk from a Thistle, Wunderlust and Colour + Sound.

Magical Woods

2010-06-10T07:45:00.006+01:00

About a month ago I picked up an Agfa Optima Sensor film camera from a Charity Shop for £2.99. It was a bit of a gamble as I had no idea if it would even work... But it's perfect, and didn't even need a new battery.

Even though I got a new digital camera for Christmas (a Lumix point and shoot) that works perfectly well, I've been quite disappointed with my photos recently. Somehow the atmosphere is never captured, and they seem a bit lifeless. But with my Agfa, the photos seem to come out exactly how I picture the scene in my head. So when I look at these they make me happy, and remind me of a moment in time. These photos are of the same park that I posted about a couple of days ago. The colours have come out so much more naturally on film.

Because there are a limited number of shots per roll, I need to think carefully before taking each photo, which makes them more special to me.

The Agfa has an aperture setting which I've always dreamt of having, and I took the shot above with an f-number of 2.8. It's so much fun! But film is expensive to develop, so I will save this camera for special occasions :)

Handmade Blouse

2010-06-09T16:45:00.010+01:00

I made myself a blouse on Monday. I was very lucky to receive a sewing machine for my birthday and this was my first attempt at using it. It works like a dream - I'm not used to sewing being so quick. I really need to practice sewing in a straight line which seems to be my biggest problem so far!

I picked up this fabric in the form of a large ladies long-sleeved shirt in a Charity Shop a few weeks ago for a couple of pounds. The label stated "Elsie Whiteley" which I've since discovered produced clothes from the '30s - '70s. I was immediately drawn to the intricately printed fabric - it has so much detail and the colours are really vivid.

I simply drafted a pattern from a similar sleeveless blouse I already own and added on about an inch all over to make it slightly looser, then cut out the front and back. I added in bust darts and a couple of back darts which really helped give this loose top a feminine shape. I made my own bias binding out of some navy blue polycotton and sewed it around the neckline and arm holes. I used the original button holes and attached some mother of pearl buttons and a press snap right at the top. It has a few little problems, which were a result of altering the shape after I'd started sewing it together, but I'm actually really happy with the way it came out. It's incredibly comfortable and hangs nicely. It's the perfect thing to wear when it's t-shirt weather but it makes me feel a bit prettier than a standard t-shirt.

Wearing a piece of clothing made to my measurements is such a joy. I'm telling you, it's much better than the feeling I get after shopping! Now I want to make a whole pile of these tops in different prints for the summer. If only I had more time!!

This little person thought I made it especially for her. After steering her away from the blouse she settled on the bag. I don't usually mix patterns but the stripes look quite pretty with the floral.

Birthday week photos

2010-06-07T09:12:00.002+01:00

On my birthday, I travelled into London with my mum to visit the Saatchi Gallery. Surprisingly, neither of us had visited before. Richard Wilson's 20:50 installation was, by far, the best exhibit. It was truly breathtaking. The room appears to have a polished floor, perfectly reflecting the ceiling, but it is in fact flooded in oil. It was such a disorientating experience, and if you couldn't smell the oil, then I don't think you'd believe it!

A couple of days later, we visited a local park that I can't believe I hadn't been to before! The photo above is of the abandoned stable block which I desperately wanted to explore. My mum remembers the building being used as a nature centre for children about 25 years ago.

The weather was beautiful so I went back to the park with my husband on Saturday. We ended up walking for miles and finally ended up in a field. It was lovely to sit on the grass and breathe fresh air. Over the years I've become much more of a country person. This park is certainly not countryside, as it's only 8 miles out of London, but it is very peaceful. I'm just not that keen on the stress of the city anymore.

PS. Something really strange is happening with photos on Blogger. These photos just wouldn't upload from Photobucket, and when I tried with Flickr, the colours were too saturated. I used the Flickr photo editing tool to tone the colours a bit, but they still look a tad strange. Has anyone else had this experience?

Spring fresh

2010-06-01T18:45:00.006+01:00

Things that have caught my eye this week...

1. miamizeiss (via Bleubird), 2. Spring Globe, 3. Bee Hives, 4. B-Martin (via Design is Mine), 5. Lena Corwin, 6. "a small collection" dress, 7. Odette New York.

Beads

2010-05-27T15:32:00.002+01:00

I had a few spare hours in London yesterday so I decided to visit the Bead Shop in Covent Garden. That place is like a sweet shop for adults! But what shocked me were the prices -- 20p for a plastic bead!? I'm used to buying a whole STRING of beads from a Charity Shop for that. But I didn't leave empty handed as I bought some clasps, wire and crimp beads to mend a few necklaces.

When I got home I decided to play around with some of the beads that I've collected over the years, but what struck me is that they felt too small! It's all about big beads these days, isn't it? The small ones I have didn't seem to have any impact when strung together so I was left feeling quite dissatisfied and frustrated. It's interesting how our tastes change.

The red and white necklaces were old ones that needed restringing. I made the multicolour bracelet myself. It was meant to be a necklace but it seemed too long and thing, so I think it's better worn on the wrist. I'm desperate for some big shiny yellow and aqua beads -- must keep my eye out in the Charity Shops. Honey certainly enjoyed herself; she was sitting on my bead tray within a couple of minutes!

Hair stylist

2010-05-25T10:26:00.003+01:00

Honey has been giving lots of cuddles lately and I often wake up to find her sound asleep along side us in bed. After my husband has showered, she loves nothing more than styling his hair! It's turned into a morning routine: she waits for him outside the bathroom until he's finished, then jumps onto the bed meowing. She puts her front paws on his shoulders and gives his hair a good rub with her nose. Maybe his lemongrass shampoo has a similar appeal to catnip!

*Photo: Cubic Dreams

All sorts

2010-05-24T19:03:00.001+01:00

Over the last few days I've been reeling from the shock of learning that Ronan Keating has had a seven month affair with a dancer. I'm not usually one to care about celebrity gossip, but Ronan played a huge part in my childhood and still is a big part of my life (I saw him in concert only 3 months ago) and I feel devastated that he's not the man he made himself out to be. Over the last decade he's cultivated an image as a loving family man, and even brought his children onto the stage at a recent concert. I can't believe he's been lying all this time - not only to his fans, but more importantly his wife. It makes me sad. I don't doubt that he's still in pain after losing his friend and fellow bandmate last year, but surely losing someone so close to you would make you appreciate your family even more? I just don't understand, and I feel sad. Sad for him - as his career is in tatters - and sad for his wife and family. This stupid mistake will affect the rest of his life. I really hope he can try to sort himself out... Anyway, I have many more things closer to home to worry about. I just needed to get that all off my chest.

These are a handful of images that have caught my eye over the last couple of weeks. They make me *happy*.

*Images via Grossomodo, Made by Anna - Etsy, Design Sponge, Design Sponge, The Design Files.

Parade Project

2010-05-24T15:16:00.000+01:00

This past week I've been involved in a project out on the Parade Ground at my college. The aim was to construct a series of shelters/seating areas out of 4,320 milk crates. We had plans to work from, but we found that we had to change things as we got further into the project. The original aim was to build 15 crates high but this proved to be unstable. The crates were attached to each other with plastic cable ties, and we found that if we retightened each tie it gave the structure much more stability. My hands were cut and legs bruised. It was really tough work, but felt really good to be physically building something.

On Saturday there were a series of workshops/discussion groups and on Sunday there was a Market of Ideas with lots of different kinds of stalls. Those of us from the MA Interior Design ran a cake stall to raise money for the end of year show - we made £183! It was a shame that there weren't any art/craft stalls (it is an art college after all), but that didn't seem to be the aim... It was fun to see the structure in use, and to look at how people inhabited the space. For me, the highlight was to see a pigeon nestled in one of the top crates :)

My little haven

2010-05-19T18:08:00.004+01:00

It's been such a busy week. I submitted my porfolio for an interim review on Friday (and had to travel to London twice in one day: once to hand it in, and then to collect it after it had been marked!). Then on Saturday I took a trip to Ikea and picked out some new pieces of furniture. The delivery was meant to be on Sunday but they called us an hour after we left the shop to ask if they could deliver the same day! I'm used to having to wait for things, but everything happened so quickly! Then my kind husband assembled everything Saturday night, and had to dash out for a wood saw first thing Sunday morning so he could cut down the desk top to fit nice and snug under the window. Then yesterday I helped out with a crazy project at uni: we're building a temporary structure out of 4000 milk crates! Eeek. My hands are so sratched and legs are bruised, but it was fun! And then last night I lost a contact lens in my eye! It's still in there I think. It's happened once before and I found it rolled into a tube under my eyelid (sorry for all the details), but so far it hasn't surfaced so I'm off to the opticians in the morning *sigh*.

Anyway, focusing on my new work area in the bedroom... I chose one long surface as it makes the most of the strange uneven shape of the room. I want to claim back the corner of the room but sadly it makes up the neighbour's bedoom. We originally had a dressing table and small chest of drawers in front of the window, but it looks a lot more streamlined and spacious now. The chair is also from Ikea - it's made of string that's wrapped around a metal frame. It's so pretty and incredibly comfortable. As soon as I took it out of the box my husband and I looked at each other and suddenly realised that it's in fact a giant scratching post for our cat, Honey. And sure enough, that night, she Christened the chair by running her claws along the seat. But don't worry - as soon as I shout, "OUT!" she knows she's been a naughty girl, and luckily she hasn't tried it again. The desk is a dream to work on: so much space to spread over and all my things are at hand in the drawers! It really is a luxury for me.

The lightbulb of drawing pins was my grandad's: he always had it on his desk.

This is the view upon entering the room. The painting is by my father, and my granny grew the money tree for me.

*All photos Cubic Dreams.

Ready for summer

2010-05-17T10:32:00.001+01:00

A delicious combination of colours...

*Image by Essimar.

A nest of my own

2010-05-12T07:58:00.009+01:00

This week I've been quite obsessed with the idea of creating a work space in our bedroom. (I blame this beautiful office I saw last week). I'm planning to replace the dressing table with a long white work surface. I've tested out this space by working on the laptop on the dressing table, and I can't believe the difference it's made to my productivity! There is so much light and a view to look out on. (The dressing table is too shallow to use in the long term...) If it's going to work as a proper work space I'm going to have to learn how to put things away and keep it clutter free. There's nothing worse than a messy bedroom!

I've been looking at lots of images of offices/studios, and especially ones that are in bedrooms. Ours won't have a PC out on the desk (as I now have a laptop - yay!) but it will be an area for model making, drawing, studying: a little nest of my own.

So whilst shuffling the bed across the room late on Sunday night, I decided it's time to add some more colour into the room. I'm thinking about a yellow bedspread like in the picture above, and maybe wall mounted bedside lights. I mentioned the lights to my husband and he looked quite worried. I told him it's really easy to do, right? I'm happy for the wires to show :) I now need to convince him to come to Ikea with me at the weekend... Even if we pay for delivery, we've still got to lift those boxes!

P.S. This is my first post under the new Government: a coalition between the Lib Dem's (YAY!!!) and the Tories (not so yay, but Vince Cable will keep them in line!). After being at each other's throats in the live debates, I just hope they can work together!

*Image credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Balance

2010-05-10T08:40:00.001+01:00

I'm in love with this girl's apartment. The black window frames perfectly balance out the whiteness.

Yesterday I had a bit of a whinge about our flat. We've been trying to sell it for a number of months, but to be honest, property just isn't selling at the moment so we're going to be here a while. It's a very unsettling experience; I've already emotionally detached myself from our home and the space just isn't working for us. I dream of changing everything around a creating a new office area in our second bedroom, but it just doesn't make sense to do it at the moment. So my kind and understanding husband spent Sunday evening moving the furniture around in our bedroom and we've made room for a desk under the window. It's the sunniest spot in the flat and looks onto trees. We're going to get a simple white tabletop from Ikea and two drawer units and slot it into the gap. I'm so excited about having a nest of my own to do my work - it will make such a difference. Now we just need to work out how we're going to pick up the furniture from Ikea... :)

*Images: Hildagrahnat's Flickr stream

Ferm Living

2010-05-07T09:37:00.004+01:00

Beautiful accessories for the home with a spot of humour.

I'm typing this (on my new laptop! - it's faster than the PC!) whilst watching the live news on the election, and it's just this minute been declared a hung parliament. No party can win the overall majority of votes. I wonder if they will call another election. I'd never even heard of the term 'hung parliament' before; I didn't realise things could get so complicated. It's quite a worry. I can't help but wonder how stressed the leader of each party must be feeling. Waiting to see if you're the Prime Minister must the job interview from hell.

*Image credits: Ferm Living. Found via A Merry Mishap.

Henry Moore at Tate Britain

2010-05-04T09:50:00.015+01:00

Exhibition at Tate Britain

My mum and I went to see the Henry Moore exhibition at Tate Britain last weekend. When I was a child, I used to enjoy leafing through her Henry Moore books and old exhibition catalogues from the '70s, so it was quite nice to visit this together.

Mother and Child sketches and sculpture

The first part of the exhibition focused on the Mother and Child theme that Moore continued to explore throughout his life. Over the years, the form of the figures became more abstract. I was desperate to run my hand around some of curves in the stone, but sadly this wasn't permitted which was a shame. (My mum was worried I'd set off an alarm as she thought I was getting too close!)

Carved stone sculpture

A lot of his early work is carved in stone, and this is what Moore said of his use of Horton stone: "...in the early part of my career I made a point of using native mateials because I thought that, being English, I should understand our stones. They were cheaper, and I could go round to a stonemason and buy random pieces. I tried to use English stones that hadn't been used before in sculpture." (source: exhibition booklet)

Ideas for war drawings

We decided to listen to the audio guide to get a full understanding of the exhibition, but we were quite disappointed by it. We spent a lot of time walking round in circles looking for the numbered artworks and the guide mainly focused on the politcal context of the art, rather than on the actual pieces. Context is vital when appreciating art, but I would have liked to find out more about his way of working.

Nevertheless, I was fascinated to learn that Moore was one of the country's official war artists. His job was to draw the people sheltering in the underground platforms, but he felt it was disrespectful to sketch them in situ. Instead he took notes and based his drawings on newspaper photographs.

War drawings

He got the effect in the image above on the right by using wax crayon to define the people and washing a layer of dark paint over the top. The way the wax repels the paint emphasises their ragged clothes and worn skin. It was really moving to see these pictures.

Carved elm wood sculpture

The last room focused on sculptures that Moore carved from elm wood. The image above doesn't give any sense of scale, but they were enormous -- several metres in length and a couple of metres across. Incredibly, they are carved from a single piece of wood. Due to the size of the tree truncks, Elm has a very large grain and is therefore suited to making large pieces of sculpture. As Moore said, you can't make a small sculpture from Elm as the grain would end up in the wrong place. Although he couldn't control where the grain markings went, the lines wrap around the curves of the sculpture in such a soft, human way. These sculptures were my favourite out of the whole exhibition. There was a real softness to them. I leant that Moore was able to carve more openings in the elm than in the stone, since is was a lot softer, and the voids became equally important as the solid parts.

(* Image credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Since photography wasn't allowed, I found images of similar artworks online. Not all of these pieces were exhibited at the Tate).

Dream work space

2010-05-04T07:47:00.005+01:00

I've just spied the most amazing office space on Design Sponge! Look at those long surfaces and all that space in the middle to breathe. Oh and the doors that open onto the garden!! Oh my... If I ever fulfill my ambition of working for myself, this is the kind of space I could only dream of...

*Home of Jen Bilik, via Design Sponge.

A dress from a top + skirt

2010-05-03T16:28:00.001+01:00

My mum gave me a jersey skirt yesterday as she didn't feel comfortable in the colour for herself. It was too big for me to wear as a skirt so I'd originally planned to reduce the waist and wear it as a skirt, but the fabric is quite thin and it just didn't hang very well on me. I found that it was a lot more flattering higher up on the waist, and decided to attach it to a jersey top and turn it into a dress. It now flows and twirls really nicely :)

It was very easy to do, and doesn't really warrant instructions, but I thought I'd share the type of stitches and basic steps that I used. There's probably a much better way of doing this with a sewing machine, but I don't have one, so this is how I did it by hand:

1. The skirt's waistband was orginally constructed from a length of elastic within a fabric tube. I unpicked the stitches that fixed the elastic in place. Then I made an incision along the inside of the waist band and pulled the elastic out slightly, and reduced the length of the elastic by a couple of inches to make the waistband smaller. This created some subtle gathering around the waist.

2. I then put on the t-shirt and pinned the skirt around me at a comfortable height. I took it off and used a tape measure to check that it was the same distance all around.

3. I stitched the very top edge of the waistband to the t-shirt by hand using a small overstitch. To do this, I pinched the two layers together (see above) and sewed in this position, and when the fabric is flattened out the stitches are along the inside of the seam and hardly show. The stitches allow for an amount of stretch needed for taking the dress on and off. (If I had a sewing machine I would have liked to use a zig zag stitch but these stiches would have been more visible than the overstitches.)

4. I turned the whole thing inside out, and sewed the t-shirt to the internal waistband seam using a loose running stitch (see above) so it stays flat and doesn't roll up when it's washed. Then I cut off the excess t-shirt fabric.

Flickr Faves

2010-05-03T10:43:00.001+01:00

1 The Blue
2 Living room
3 Bicycle dress
4 Memories

*Sources are linked

Happy plates

2010-05-01T18:40:00.000+01:00

These make me smile.

*Source: Habitat.

Anglepoise

2010-04-30T08:51:00.005+01:00

I can't cope with the wobbly lamp I have at the moment. It has such an awkward mechanism and a few months ago I didn't pull the lever tight enough and it went crashing down onto the table shattering the glass shade. Now all that remains is a halogen bulb on a long stem! So I really need a beautiful Anglepoise... *dreams*

*Images via Flickr 1, 2

Bekväm Clothing

2010-04-29T21:21:00.000+01:00

This evening I discovered Bekväm Clothing which is designed and handmade by Hannah Elsie. I'm in awe of her talent (she is self-taught!) and I've fallen in love with the scalloped edges and the soft, feminine shapes. Read an interview with Hannah over on Clever Nettle.

*Images from Bekväm Clothing. Found via Clever Nettle.

Rotating Bookcases

2010-04-29T09:31:00.004+01:00

I'm relieved that I'm now fully absorbed in my university project. As part of the Language Centre that I'm designing, there will be a library. I found these images of a library in Brussels which incorporates rotating bookstacks. I'd like to apply the concept of rotating bookstacks and other furniture to my design, to give the option of one large open space or several closed-off private areas. I've reached the fun part of my project and it's quite exciting!

*Images scanned from The Architectural Record. Issue 7, 1997.
Bibliotheca Wittockiana by Igloo Architects.

Comforting collections

2010-04-28T17:57:00.010+01:00

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I came across the striking art by Serena Mitnik-Miller, and today I was so happy to see these photos of her bungalow. I love the relaxed nature of this home, and all the various collections on the shelves. This looks like it's a really comfortable place to be, and it exudes personality. It's refreshing to see a home that's so natural and 'unstyled'.

*Images: Apartment Therapy

Ikea Family Live

2010-04-27T16:46:00.000+01:00

Ikea Family Live is a new website that features real people, in real homes. It's great to see Ikea furniture in natural surroundings, rather than overstyled catalogue pages! These are a couple of my favourite spaces.

*Images: Ikea Family Live. Found via Ninainvorm.

Dace

2010-04-27T09:56:00.005+01:00

I've really fallen for these pieces by Dace... they are so simple and pretty. I think I've found my dream jacket - shame it's a tad out of my price range ($298 !). I love the loose shapes of the dresses and the light fabrics.

Looking at pretty dresses has given me such itchy fingers; I'm desperate to make something, but I must resist temptation and stay focused on my uni work! I submitted my critical essay yesterday so I can really concentrate on the practical side now (making the model of the building). If I'm a good girl and get lots done over the next couple of days, maybe I'll let myself make something pretty over the Bank Holiday weekend...

P.S. I just can't decide if to keep the Google Friend Connect gadget on my blog. I like to see it on other blogs as it's such an easy way to add to Google Reader, but it makes my sidebar look so cluttered! For now I think I'll remove it...

*Images: Dace. Found via: Down and Out Chic.

Cube Pods

2010-04-26T18:05:00.000+01:00

How could I not post about this, the moment I saw it?! It's an office that has been divided by CUBES..! How ingenious is that?! This project really does excite me, and I think it's because it kind of sounds like a student concept, but the project has been lifted off the paper by Hungarian architects Benedek and Lakos and realised in such a beautiful way. I love the tension of the boxes within the existing building (a former textile factory) and the way this has been played up with the use of dramatic LEDs to make some cubes appear to float. Apparently the space transforms into a nightclub in the evenings -- talk about getting value for money with this space! It's never empty!

*All images from tervhivatal. Found via Dezeen.

Bolig Magazine

2010-04-25T12:57:00.004+01:00

I think Bolig is my new favourite website. I can't understand a word of the Danish, but I can recognise a pretty room when I see one :) It's all about white walls and fresh colour. From what I've seen so far, there's nothing I dislike. When I have the time, I plan to revist the website to absorb more.

*Images: Bolig Magazine

Textural fabric

2010-04-25T09:12:00.003+01:00

I came across this incredible textural fabric by Textile & Surface Designer Yemi Awosile via Bricolage Project. It looks like one complete piece with intricate slits cut out between each square - so innovative! I really like the way it takes on a structure of its own when draped.

Kitchen nook

2010-04-22T19:46:00.005+01:00

I adore the atmosphere captured in this photo. Tables in kitchens always make me feel cosy, for some reason. This little nook is so pretty with all the natural light flooding in.

*Home of Klaartje de Hartog/image via Bloesem

Translucent Inspiration

2010-04-22T07:30:00.001+01:00

1. Extension of Kunsthaus Gallery, Zurich - David Chipperfield (image)
2. The New Residence of the Swiss Embassy, NY - Steven Holl (image)
3. Cottbus Library, Germany - Herzog & De Meuron (image)
4. Spa, Switzerland - Curiosity Design (image)
5. New Synagogue, Germany - Wandel, Hofer, Lorch & Hirsch (image)

Following on from yesterday's post, here are some images of translucent materials that inspire me.

Isn't it funny how the first two buildings - by different architects - are so similar? Look at the printed text on the glass in the third building - it's just what my project is all about! (Although I will be using this idea on a much smaller, more personal level inside a building). The silk and linen screens in the final two photos are so calming and serene. I like the quality of light filtered through soft, natural materials like these.

Translucent Cubes

2010-04-21T17:19:00.003+01:00

What I've learnt about myself through designing.

Before I started studying Interior & Spatial Design, I hadn't given any kind of materials much thought. I had no idea how to design, or what design was really all about - I was a bit of a nightmare! - but my tutor encouraged me to try to work out what I like, and I spent a lot of time looking through projects in the library and built up a little collection of things that inspire me. Ideas that jumped out over and over again were CUBES (anything cubic or rectilinear - do you get the blog name now?) and TRANSLUCENT materials (glass, mesh, wafer thin stone.. anything that partially lets the light through). It's funny that I felt so strongly about these things, but hadn't given them a second thought a few months prior. The image above is from my first project (a studio apartment for a fellow student) and I combined my love of cubic forms and translucent glass in the form of an intersecting wall and table.

Well, after this first project I didn't realise I was allowed to continue exploring the same kind of design language, so I spent a couple of months pulling out my hair trying to work out what to do with the second project. Then I suddenly realised that it was OK to continue working with this idea of layers and filtered views. So I was sorted and it worked out fine.

So you'd think I'd know what to do for my Masters project, wouldn't you? Well, apparently not. I've spent the last few months in a panic, not knowing what direction to go in. My research area is the use of text in buildings (linking back to my Linguistics background) and it was only a few weeks ago that a little lightbulb lit up in my head and I realised that actually translucent materials would work perfectly with this project too.

The photo above is of an early sketch model for a community language centre that I'm designing (the wood actually represents the existing steel framework). The site I chose is in Bethnal Green and it is very rich in terms of languages spoken (around 100 different languages are spoken in that area). The words printed on the glass are Yiddish, which was widely spoken at the turn of the 20th Century, but it's hardly spoken by anyone in that area now. I'm trying to create a building with layers of materials that relate to the layers of history.

Anyway, the reason I felt so compelled to write all of this down is that I had a tutorial this morning. My tutor seemed to understand exactly what my project is all about, and hearing him say it back to me has cemented it in my mind and I feel much more confident pursuing it. It's just as well, as I need to submit my whole portfolio for an interim assessment in 2 weeks. Better get working. Yikes!

* Both photos are mine. Please do not reproduce. Thanks!

My dream room

2010-04-19T08:14:00.005+01:00

As soon as I saw this living room I knew I had to make a note of it. I wish I could step straight into the photo... everything about it seems perfect, to me. The white walls, the grey sofa, the touches of yellow and turquoise, the beautiful wood furniture. I just love it all!

Well, that's enough dreaming for now... I've been taking a bit of a blog break over the last few days and it will continue for a little while. I have A LOT of work to get done for uni, and I've been finding the Internet to be a terrible distraction. I forced myself to sit down on Saturday and write an essay, and... *shock* I actually enjoyed myself! The Internet is great for many things, but it's has a detrimental effect on my concentration.

I'm allowing myself to post when I see something that I'd like to make a note of, but I'm strictly limiting the amount of time I spend browsing other people's blogs. I'm also desperate to make another shirt dress, but that, too, will have to wait...

*image: Apartment Therapy

Origami Tiles

2010-04-17T22:39:00.002+01:00

Aren't these Origami tiles by Lubna Chowdhary stunning? (Found via Bloesem).

Beautiful necklaces

2010-04-15T19:33:00.003+01:00

I *love* these necklaces by Kristina Klarin (found via The Design Files).

Leslie Nichols

2010-04-15T09:19:00.003+01:00

[Images from Leslie Nichols. Text from Calligram Designers]

I love these text portraits by Leslie Nichols, and I found a short interview she gave about her work:

"Experimenting with text and image has become endless source of ideas and inspiration central to my studio practice.

Letterforms create both spatial and literary passages, which provide a visual texture that is exciting and sometimes challenging to work with.

It has been a natural evolution to use writing in my visual work. Informal sketches while doodling or writing letters to friends were my first calligrams. I began incorporating text in my fine art portraiture when I discovered a typewriter was an exciting image making tool."

Serena Mitnik-Miller

2010-04-14T08:15:00.005+01:00

[Image credits: Serena Mitnik-Miller. Found via: A Merry Mishap]

This morning I came across this beautiful and very refreshing artwork by Serena Mitnik-Miller. I especially love the painted wooden blocks. The last painting is so dreamy; I feel as though I'm lying on grass looking up to the sky through a canopy of leaves or bubbles. It's very comforting.

Natural Slats

2010-04-13T18:38:00.009+01:00

[Images: Natural Slats by EDH]

When I saw this house by Endoh Design, I fell in love. It's so clever that the slats provide privacy from one direction and then the building looks open from another angle. I'm sure the angles of the slats were carefully calculated to take into consideration how the natural sunlight falls. Overhead beams/slats continue across the roof terrace, keeping the line of the building but providing open air space. Like all Japanese architecture, this building is striking and elegant.

Transition Wallpaper

2010-04-13T17:34:00.003+01:00

[Images from Dezeen]

Danish textile designer, Leni Toni, blends different patterns to create wallpapers that change from one design to another. I particularly like the patterns that look slightly old and faded as they seem to blend perfectly into a more modern print.