I'm loving......

1. Hofdi cushion - Donna Wilson,   2. Large Owl Storage Jar - Our Workshop,   3. Owl Coasters - Alice Melvin,   4. Acorn Plate - Donna Wilson,   Tree Tray - Our Workshop,  Large Animal Tray - Our Workshop,  Logpile Tray - Roddy & Ginger


These are just some of the lovely things I've been coveting lately. It's inevitable that I always have a huge long list of beautifully designed things which I would love to be mine one day. Something which is lovingly designed and executed is so much better than a product which is not at all considered and just 'does the job' (nb sometimes just doing the job is fine - I'm not a design snob.) If I had endless pots of money I would love to fill my home with carefully chosen colourful and creative bits and pieces which I know would make me smile and really enjoy them every time I saw them. In the meantime I have to wish......
By the way - I'm having a bit of a 'tray thing' at the moment. Not sure why - I just think that a nicely designed tray is a beautiful thing. It can sit there looking pretty and is useful when required - and it's generally associated with tea and cake or breakfast in bed (not that the latter is something I ever partake in but I like the idea of it and I imagine a pretty tray would make it all the more enjoyable!)

Inspiring colours

Helped by the fact that my internet was on the blink this afternoon (= no distraction!) I spent a lovely afternoon immersing myself in beautiful new colour combinations and brain-storming new ideas, colour pallets and designs for 2013. The colours around us at the moment are spectacular and just the drive to pre-school is full of earthy greens, autumnal oranges and woody browns so I'm surrounded by a rich pallet of colours. Armed with lots of photos I've been taking while out and about walking lately I set about picking those colours on the pantone chart and making some lovely combinations.

The wonderful new 6th edition of Wrap magazine arrived on Friday and with a title of 'Nordic Lights' for this edition I snapped it up without hesitation. I've been poring over it at the weekend and it features an inspiring selection of Nordic illustrators and creatives alongside articles on Marimekko and an interview with design duo Darling Clementine. The whole issue has the most beautifully Nordic wintry cosy feel to it and the colours and photography are simply stunning - with midnight blues, pale snowy greyey-turquoises, sage greens, deep purples and  the odd flash of orange or pale pink thrown in it all matches the 'Nordic Lights' feel perfectly.

Have a good week!

New Festive cards

Here are my new Christmas card designs for 2012 added to my Christmas range. I've spent the last two months boxing them up and sending them out all over the country to my stockists. Now I've finally managed to find the time to add them to my own shop so they're now available to buy from my shop and also from my Not On The High Street shop. They're available in singles and I've done few packs again so you've got plenty of choice when sending out cards to loved ones. For a bit of pre-festive cheer all orders placed in November will be sent out with a free card from my everyday range.
Have a great week!

A breath of fresh air

I couldn't help but smile to myself as the train pulled into one of my favourite cities on Saturday morning. I've been long-overdue a trip up to Edinburgh for some time and it felt like going back to an old friend (quite literally as I spent the weekend with two very good friends from my Edinburgh College of Art days). A change is most certainly as good as a rest. We crammed lots into a short time - walking through the woods and along the coast near South Queensferry and Cramond Island, leisurely lunches, a fantastic meal out at Timberyard, a visit to the Portrait Gallery and many cups of tea and coffee and catching up. I feel refreshed, reinvigorated and inspired. Different experiences and seeing new things are so important for the creative process and I must make sure I remember this more often. It's certainly made me feel a lot more pro-active.

I have to mention Timberyard again - a restaurant which recently opened on Lady Lawson Street near Edinburgh College of Art. We remembered and reminisced about many trips here when it was a hardware and timber shop (handy for art student supplies). It's now a fantastic large and airy simple space with log burners, mis-matching crockery, bone handled cutlery and the best food I've had in a while. They've successfully created a relaxing informal dining experience but with all-important attention to detail in both interior and food. I thoroughly recommend it.

Thank you Jill and Angela for a lovely weekend.

and....relax.

After the busiest few weeks in what has been a very busy year so far two big deadlines both drew to a close on the same day today. 

The first being a big word map commission which is still officially under wraps but needless to say I've had my pot of black Indian ink and size 01 paintbrushes out again (for the last 32 days!!!) I'll be posting about it as soon as I can reveal it.

The second was the delivery of my first big order to Waterstones for the launch of their re-branded card and stationery areas. They're just going in selected stores but as a long-standing favourite of mine on the high street (I remember the hours I spent in Waterstones Edinburgh as a student poring over beautiful books and browsing new fiction titles before the onslaught of online book stores) it feels exciting. They're a big shop - and I do always worry a little as there's a fine line between remaining true to my initial small scale ideals and expanding - but I think they're still a well-respected book shop first and foremost and will do my cards justice without over-commericalising them too much.

So after all that busy-ness I'm left feeling very much unable to wind-down after being used to working most evenings on top of days. Sipping a (very!) small glass of last years home made sloe gin is helping though!

Work In progress

Progress is being made in my soon-to-be studio.
It looks a little like a building site at the moment but hopefully I should be in there within the next 4-6 weeks (fingers crossed.)
It's long and thin but should give me much more space than I've ever had. I'm intending on splitting it into a designing area (a long bench for my computer etc..), a large table area for working on bigger things and for preparing orders, card and stock storage down one side and small plan chests somewhere for storing prints. (I hope it's all going to go in!!)
My favourite bits about it are the high ceiling and recently acquired windows (turning it from a dark long garage-type building into a lighter brighter studio space.)
There are exciting decisions to make on flooring, lighting and all the little nice things which will hopefully make it a vibrant and inspiring place to work. I'm even allowing for some wall space for prints to hang on. I feel an open studios opportunity coming up.....!
I'll keep you posted on the progress in the coming weeks.

Meet the Maker

I've blogged before about the very lovely Melbourne-based online shop Hello Polly. Set up by Sarah Kelk only last year but already with a well-established name and a quite brilliant selection of artwork, stationery, cards, jewellery and design-led products, it's one of those online shops which I can get lost in for a long time.
Sarah has become a good friend over the years since she started selling my work in The Red Door Gallery (Edinburgh) back in 2004. She was my first stockist and has always been incredibly supportive of my work. After moving to Melbourne last year she set up her online shop and continues to stock original and inspirational products and artwork from around the world.

She recently sent me some questions as part of her 'Meet The Maker' blog series and the resulting interview can be read over on the Hello Polly blog today (complete with many photos.) I always go into too much detail so my answers are a little 'wordy' (!) but you get a little of the background behind Alison Hardcastle from the beginning as well as my working life. Hopefully a little insight into my world.

The necklace above (by LoveHate) can be found on the Hello Polly shop.