Cotton Post

A few of my favourite things.... INTERIORS

2012-02-17T02:30:00.000-08:00

Whenever I have a spare hour or so, which doesn't happen that often, I like to trawl some of my favourite websites (non stationery specific sites include Ffffound and Graphic Exchange) for inspiration and pull off any images that I like. Along with my stationery updates I am going to start sharing some of these pics with you. Organised as I am I have folders for each category of picture and will work through them depending on my mood. When I am a millionaire (no laughing- it will happen!) I hope to have a beautiful house that I can decorate in my own style and going through the INTERIORS folder I think you get a good idea of how that might look; a mixture of chairs at my dining table, shelves in my kitchen, a lot of framed pics and prints, shelving (I told you I was organised) and finally I will, one day make the quilt that has been on my to-do list for ever!

Valentines on Etsy

2012-02-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

What a busy few weeks it's been- I apologise for the lack of posting and hope to be back on the case over the next few weeks but if, like me you are a bit behind on getting your loved ones a nice card for Valentines Day, I have selected a few of my favourites on Etsy. They probably won't arrive on time but these ones might just be worth the wait!

Cardinal Boutique

Echo Letterpress

Hazel Wonderland

Little Minnow Designs

Lulu Beans Design

Madge and Mabel

Maida Vale

Man Vs George

Sad Shop.. this one reminded me of my lovely and newly engaged (whoop whoop) friends Laura and Tony.

Simply Honest

The Lazy Willow

The Pattern Owl

triSERIFtops

Two Guitars

And finally.... if anyone would like to send me any of the above- just get in touch!! Happy Valentines everyone. Spread the love!

Columbia Road

2012-01-22T11:52:00.000-08:00

It's been far too long, or certainly feels that way, since I have been out and about in London so today I headed off to Columbia Road for the flower market and to check out the great little shops. Excuse the photography as I remembered my SLR but not my digital so all the pics are taken on my old Iphone!

Working through the pictures and down the road, the shops that are always worth checking out are....

Supernice - cards, wall vinyls and other nic-nacs! I can't remember now who the card was by but I liked the use of foil.

Treacle - A shop of pure loveliness! Cakes, prints, cooking utensils and more nic-nacs; I could spend a fortune in here and I would probably start with the tea towel in the window!

Ryan Town - no pics from here but I have been a fan for years!

I think this shop was called Delicious or something but I loved the light bulbs in the window.

Elephicks - Loads of great prints. Another shop that I could spend a fortune in.

After wandering around for an hour or 2, picking up some lovely tulips we stopped off at Lili Vanilli's bakery for coffee and I opted for the Hackney bun. Yum! Bit disappointed that they did not have the cherry bakewells but I suppose it's just an excuse to go back again.

The good, the bad and the brilliant!

2012-01-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Sometimes collections should include the best of the bad and this is a prime example. Donated to me by lovely housemate Mel, its something she picked up on holiday (I'm guessing in Spain) and I have to admit I kind of love it! Please note the intricate detail that has gone into the stitched on skirt and embroidered top!! If someone can make a living from this then surely there is hope for me; she did buy 4!!

Printing gocco style...

2012-01-15T11:14:00.000-08:00

So with the January blues well and truly upon us I thought I'd share this years Christmas card with you all- for those that did not receive one anyway. I'm ashamed to admit that it is only the second time I have got my Gocco screen printer out; which I AM going to rectify this year I promise, and I attempted a double layered print (sure there is a more technical term than that) which didn't really work. I took inspiration from candy canes and printed one layer of white and the following day printed the red stripes. I missed the s off Christmas as it was too close to the edge of the screen and it was very difficult to match the prints up but as I said it was only my second time and I am still learning to print by hand!

2011... what a year it has been!

2011-12-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

So this time last year I was on a beach in Thailand...(sigh) and what has followed has been pretty amazing. I am staying local this New Years Eve, on the basis that if you can't compete don't bother trying, but before heading out for a few drinks I wanted to post one last time- not so much a summary but whilst thinking about everything that has happened and everywhere I have been I realised I missed a vital holiday (i.e. stationery purchases)- I know its hard to believe when I haven't shut up! In April, after a last minute(ish) decision I headed to LA with my lovely friends Clare and Rob for the Coachella music festival with a few stop offs on the way. The trip was awesome (a word we used a lot after our visit) and it is something that I'll never forget but of course, I can't go anywhere without noticing nicely printed things and these came for the journey home...

From the top- some vintage playing cards that I picked up at the Rose Bowl flea market- one of the biggest ones in the world and we paid for some very expensive flights to get to LA in time for it. You're my favourite card from Tabletop Made in Santa Barbara and finally... like rabbits- of course I do (from tallcow.com)!!!

So 2011 bought lots of travel and holidays, house renovations and sales, continued graphic design and the beginning of Cotton Post but what does 2012 have in store? Well watch this space but maybe, just maybe...... bigger and better things for the blog, products for sale (made by yours truly), an occasional market stall and well, what else is left but to attempt to climb a mountain.

Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to do so in the New Year. Bring on 2012 and whatever it may bring!

Happy Christmas and....

2011-12-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

I bought quite a few presents from the great pop up web shop - The Pound Shop that I (unfortunately) had to give away but I couldn't resist getting myself a couple of bits including the card above- not necessarily full of Christmas cheer but I love it all the same! I got a notebook with a cover made from old envelopes. As I am sure you can tell from the occasionally changing background to the blog that I am a little obsessed with the differing prints and have a huge stash of envelopes myself. And finally I got several packs of Float-teas- tea bags each with a little paper boat attached that floats at the tops of your cup. A different colour boat for each type of tea.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next sale!

Wrapped presents

2011-12-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a very quick one but I have just finished wrapping a few of the presents, that are still in London with me rather than under my mums tree, and thought I'd share the love for this year choice of wrapping paper- from good old Marks and Spencer's! A white and red argyle type print with red ribbon and bows. I love wrapping presents when it's not rushed and the bunny tape dispenser also got its first proper use!

Christmas card round up...

2011-12-18T04:39:00.000-08:00

So the Christmas period, as always has been busy with work, present buying and catching up with everyone before the year is out (hence the lack of posts recently). I have managed however, to spend some time going through my already bookmarked websites and looking for any new companies for the best of the 2011 Christmas card designs - in my personal opinion! A lot of them I will have talked about before but here goes.....

Eggpress - They never fail to produce something lovely.

Alison Hardcastle! Just love her stuff (the pics are screen shots so apologise for the size but her websites always worth a look).

Darling Clementine

Night Owl Paper Goods - always very cute!!

A couple of nice ones from Solitaire.

And whilst going through the Little Book of Letterpress I found these companies that I hadn't heard of before but are definitely worth mentioning....

Small Square Design

And finally Sycamore Street Press

Feeding my bunny obsession!

2011-11-25T05:31:00.000-08:00

Again its been a while since my last post, and whilst doing the washing up the other night (how glamourous!) I started to think what the next topic could be and it was literally staring me in the face. I think I have mentioned before that my loves (obsession does seem a little strong) don't stop at stationery but include, among other things the Little Mermaid (best film ever) and rabbits. The latter has really cropped up from me wanting a real life house rabbit but with not being allowed pets in my rented flat (boo!) I have had to look for alternatives until I own my own place or win my landlord over! When I started to have a look around my room I suddenly realised that I wasn't actually the one who bought the majority of my bunny related merchandise and my lovely friends are too blame. I might have to draw the line at some point before it becomes weird but until then... who doesn't love a bunny?

The only piece I bought myself; I first saw this Dish Bunny in the brilliant shop at the Baltic and couldn't resist- my attempt to brighten up the dull chore!

A little mug from bodum- currently holding all my hair grips.

My toiletries bag by Anorak that has seen a lot of use in the last 18 month (as you know already).

Combine 2 loves - stationery AND rabbits and you can't go wrong. This is definitely when 'saw this and thought you of you' takes over. A great concept card from Paper Affection with a scratch off panel and prediction- apparently 28, striped socks and squirrels we're going to bring good luck (I was turning 28 and I did have a very good year so they might be on to something- not so sure about how the squirrels came into it). Also a funny (not intentionally so and in fact slightly creepy) beautiful rabbits postcards book- not sure what else to say about it really.

The oldest of my rabbits- my kidrobot labbit with accessories. For these pictures only I put the gas mask in its mouth for the first time- the concept upsets me!!! Currently my labbit is munching on a hot dog.

And last but not least a special mention has to go to another Laura (http://grey-marl.com/) who gave me this for my birthday. Again combining stationery and rabbits- the bunny tape dispenser will be assisting in the wrapping of Christmas presents this year- I can't wait!!

Christmas is coming....

2011-11-10T14:44:00.000-08:00

So the weeks are flying by and yes it nearly that time again! Christmas. It seems to come faster every year and I've been starting to think about what I'm going to do for this years card. Last year I finally got my Gocco printer out and set to work. Bought off Ebay, the Japanese mini screen printing device might be the answer to all my stationery problems if only I could find a regular supplier of screens and bulbs. Anyway, back to Christmas... and what it makes me think of- was the basis for my design. 12 icons (it started out being 16 but the 4th line did not develop properly) in gold with the heart in red. Check out the production line and finished result. I'm not going to spoil it for those about to receive the 2011 edition but come the new year a post will follow.

Some pretty pics

2011-11-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

OK, OK so I did say that I would stop talking about my holiday but I just can't resist posting some photographs that I collected at the weekend. I have a very old Pentax SLR (it was already vintage when i got it) that has seen me through college and beyond. I am sorry to say that I have neglected it over the years but I got some colour negative lomo film for my birthday; 2 further birthdays, many holidays and an expensive camera repair bill later and I finally finished the 3 films and got them developed. I love the results so have already got the next 3. Hopefully it won't take me quite so long to get through these.

San Francisco... what made it into the suitcase home

2011-11-06T05:14:00.000-08:00

I've got a lot of blog posts out of my San Fran experience and I don't want to bore you all so I thought I'd do one last mammoth edit and let you know what made it home with me. I'll keep the intro brief as there is quite a bit to get through (and this doesn't include the clothes and shoes purchases).

Flax has already been mentioned. I love the spotty bag and would love, one day to be able to give my customers their own purchases in something similar (although maybe a more eco-friendly version). This folding envelope/card came in several prints and colours- the idea of it all being encompassed into one piece rather than a separate envelope and letter is very clever.

Lark Press - Just very cute (a word I've used on a much more regular basis since being in the states) and letterpress printed- that's it basically- I don't need another reason!

I love it when an image of something quite simple can evoke so many emotions and makes you nostalgic. I think this card by Gold Teeth Brooklyn is an excellent example of that.

Not so much love for this in terms of the printing style but I really like the message and hand drawn type. It makes me think of the people I have that I do not get to see on their birthdays now (for location reasons) but sums up- in a slightly unusual way - a bond you have with your oldest friends. Deep!! Especially for something that talks about puking!

A nice printed gift tag from Hammerpress- something between a card and a tag. Check out their website for sure- great prints.

On the same lines of the folding envelope earlier, I had seen these on Poketo before so was very very excited to see them in a random shop which I cannot remember the name of but they are by JSTORY. I will not be sending a single one of these out to anyone- sorry but they are just too nice!

I have been a fan of Darling Clementine for some time but couldn't resist this one from their Folk & Flora range.

I've already talked about Paper Source and the array of different cards and envelopes you can buy in a rainbow of colours. This was my selection and also some envelope templates- genius!!

An iconic postcard I picked up at Alcatraz.

I first discovered Uppercase magazine in NYC last year and fell in love with it. I do plan to subscribe but was chuffed when I found the latest edition at the Curiosity Shoppe (a must visit and a brilliant website) in San Fran.

I saw this magazine in one of the first shops we went in. Its great in terms of layout and graphics and the subject- 25 ways to be a local- attracted me even more in the hope of finding some hidden local gems. It was their first printed edition so if you are planning a trip make sure you check the site out before you go and pick up a copy when you get there. The Bold Italic!

Some vintage match boxes I picked up- you just can't recreate the look and feel!

And finally.... I would love to promote and encourage the art of letter writing (or posting anything for that matter) and when I was in the Needles & Pens gallery/shop I saw these in a basket marked FREE. I am always up for something that doesn't cost me anything so took a couple of different packages and found letters from someone called Luke addressed to Dear You. Each letter was quite long and talked about his daily events as if talking to a friend and was packaged in a different sort of pouch or envelope. Very intriguing and thought provoking.

So in summary..... if you are creative (and love stationery) get yourself to San Francisco!

Its been a while...

2011-11-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Life and the day job have annoyingly got in the way of me posting lately so I apologise for it being so long since my last. I have not only not been missing out on posts but have also been building up a pile of books and magazines that I haven't had a chance to look at yet so I'm looking forward to rectifying both of these this weekend. It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I was lucky enough to be given lots of lovely books and also selected a few myself. Working my way down the pile.....I can highly recommend all of them from the little I have already seen!

The Little Book of Letterpress (Chronicle Books)- is what it says on the tin. Featuring loads and loads of stationery and letterpress brands from all over the world, I am sure as I work my way though it that the names within will pop up in future posts.

Print & Pattern 2 (Laurence King)- a follow up to the 1st book with prints and patterns from illustrators and companies.

The Gift by Carol Ann Duffy and Rob Ryan (Barefoot Books)- For those that know me this is old news but I have been a Rob Ryan fan for a long time and always enjoy the combination of his amazing paper cuts and a story. A cuppa and a comfy armchair are calling me.

Cutting Edges (Gestalten)- I have been wanting to get this book for absolutely ages. A review of contemporary collage- I hope its going to be very inspirational and quite frankly Gestalten can do no wrong in my eyes. Their books are always brilliant for content and layout and it's definitely worth signing up to their mailing list to hear about new releases.

Elle Magazine- Really needs no introduction but I got a years subscription from the lovely ladies at work and received the first issue this week. Definitely one of the best fashion mags around.

Uppercase Magazine - an amazing mag I got in San Fran that I still haven't spent enough time exploring. More info to come in a later post.

Design Sponge at Home by Grace Bonney (Artisan Books)- I love interior design and would like to one day have my own place that I can put some of my ideas into action however, in London, this might have to involve some sort of lottery win. I am always collecting pics of inspiring places, rooms and furniture and this books contains lots of these from the creator of Design Sponge.

Christian Louboutin (Rizzoli) - Along with the house, after the lottery win, I would have to invest in a couple of pairs of Louboutin shoes.... I mean it would be rude not to and until then I will just have to look at the beautiful pictures of them included in this book. Another lovely gift - I better get reading!!!

Regegade Craft fair...

2011-10-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more annoying than someone who won't shut-up about their holiday so I thought I'd break the San Fran joy up with the Renegade Craft Fair. Ironically an American fair that for the first time decided to hit London the weekend after I got back. Living in London I am lucky to have various markets to visit that attempt to do this type of thing well but this was one of the best that I had been to in a long time.

There were lots of creatives that were selling their wares (see business cards) and also a few crafty activity stalls. On Kate Sutton's stall- I got a purse and she had really nice prints and cards. I have seen lots of her work recently and am slightly ashamed that I hadn't noticed her before- a personal favourite and she also designed the owl on the flyer.

A gift wrapping stall (very very jealous of the multi coloured tape collection)- I would have happily joined them for the afternoon. I love to sit, relax and wrap presents! A future post topic me thinks!.

I bought one of these cards and then Laura (a different one) sneakily got me the other bunny version for my birthday. A challenge amongst my friends was to get their gifts and cards on here so well done. Very cute (and again bunny related- can you see a theme appearing here?)- Life with Tigers

Before we left a couple of friends decided to try felt-making in the form of woodland animals. We were all expecting some square sheets of brightly coloured felt to be placed in front of them but instead they had to make their own by matting some fibres, repeatedly punching them with a pin. It took ages but this was the result- what clever friends I have...(although Jill took woodland animals to the extreme with the flamingo!).

San Francisco... cards a plenty!

2011-10-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

So I am not going to do too much of an introduction to this section. I couldn't buy everything I saw whilst I was away so these were cards/companies that I really liked but (unfortunately) did not make it into my suitcase home. Loads of news ones I hadn't seen before so needless to say hours have disappeared online checking them and their websites out! I recommend you do the same....

Austin Press

This made me think of my friend Hannah- always on the search for a hot doctor so I hope she's reading this- Bold Face Type

Ella Press

Farewell Paperie

Fugu Fugu Press. Another obsession = rabbits!

Gilah Press

Jacki Paper

Karolin Schnoor- nice type!

Lucky Star Press. Sorry for the depressing examples but this type of card is rarely done well!

I didn't make a note of who did these ones but nice illustrations- may well have been someone I have mentioned already!

Pancake & Franks

Power & Light Press

These are both Sugar Cube Press.

Tallu-lah- nice messages and type.

Two Trick Pony with eco credentials!

and last but not least.....Sapling Press in cahoots with wegotogetherlike.com

San Francisco... top stationery shops

2011-10-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

There were shops in every area we visited that stocked a small (but excellent) selection of cards but there are 3 shops that definitely need a mention...

First off is Flax. On the corner of Market and Valencia Street it is possibly the biggest art shop I have ever been in.They had a huge collection of Japanese paper, in fact all papers, pens, folders, paints...the list could go on forever! I did get a few bits from here and I will tell you all about them on a later post but if you are creative and you are going to San Francisco this place is a must!

I will always prefer a little independent shop to a chain but you can't deny the brilliance of Paper Source. Not only did they have a huge selection of cards from some great companies (many of which I hadn't heard of before) but they also have a rainbow of different coloured postcards, cards and envelopes in every size. There are 2 shops in San Francisco and we visited both, leaving with bag of goodies from each.

The final store was Union Street Papery. Hidden away down in a gorgeous courtyard, this independent store again had a great selection of cards and custom made products. From what I could tell they had a studio space above the shop and I'll admit to being slightly jealous of the set up. Umm one day......one day!

San Francisco... street art

2011-10-14T04:31:00.000-07:00

So before I start getting into the many stationery based posts from San Francisco, here are a few pics of some of the street art you can find as you walk around. Pretty impressive and something you take for granted in London when you see it all the time.

San Francisco... props and packaging

2011-10-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

A few random bits of packaging, props and furniture I saw on my travels.....

A diet coke in a fab Vietnamese place - recommended by a shop assistant. San Franciscans are so nice!!

I hunted high and low for this handwash with no luck! 

Vintage packaging at a flea market

A great vintage shop in the Mission district.

If it was up to me I would be typing from this desk now....no international shipping = booooo!

Love love love these chairs!

I desperately want one of these! 

They seem to have a thing about jars of every type in California and I really liked the way they used these as decoration in Tartine.

No explanation needed! 

San Francisco.... logos and branding

2011-10-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

With so many pictures to show and so much to talk about I thought it would be a good idea to split the images I want to share into categories. The ones below are all logos, branding and type on shop fronts that caught my eye.

A slightly tipsy offer to Vicky & Del...

2011-10-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm back from yet another amazing holiday this year and let me tell you.... San Francisco did not disappoint on the stationery front so many (many) posts coming soon. With 850+ pictures to organise its going to take me some time so here is something until I can get on the case...

As you have already seen I designed my friend Ellie's invites and at her engagement drinks (of which I had had several) I met her friend Vicky who happened to mention she was struggling to find her own invites. After a few glasses of wine I have been known to try and sell my graphic design skills and this was no exception. After a brief meeting with her shortly afterwards, where she explained her relaxed theme with a 'country fair' feel, I developed the concept of using several cards with bunting running along all of them. These cards were double sided (as she had a lot of info to include) so I flipped the design as if you were stood on the other side of the bunting. I then added elements such as hearts, birds and a vintage sign post (for the directions) to make each card different. These were all tied together with string and had a 'Vicky & Derek' stamped tag. I'm not one for blowing my own trumpet but I was pleased with the final result- take a look!

NYC...part 2

2011-09-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

OK so this is my last post for a couple of weeks as I am flying off to San Francisco tomorrow morning (yes the States again!) and although I will miss my macbook dearly I am also looking forward to not staring at a screen for a whole 11 days! I am sure that I will come back refreshed and bursting with stationery tit bits to share with whoever is reading so keep a look out.

From one of the many cool shops (I can't remember specifics) that I visited in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I got this little 'notefolio' as they call it from a company called Poketo (I found the site many years ago and its well worth a search). I bought it as a gift but never wanted to part with it so in my box it stays. Not sure I can even bring myself to use the note book that came in it - it's too pretty!

So the final and favourite item from NYC was this card from the Regional Assembly of Text. Another company that I wish I had started, they sell gifts, stationery and clothing and hold monthly letter writing clubs- if only it was nearer!! In fact I liked it so much it is now framed and is waiting for a suitable wall space. Framing stationery and cards is a great and cheap way of adding interest to walls (or hiding the woodchip), especially when they are as pretty as this!

NYC...part 1

2011-09-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Apart from eating out, drinking most nights and generally hitting the shops, holidays are the one time that I buy quite a few cards (the cost adds up after a while so unfortunately its not a daily occurrence when I'm at home) so I am very excited about my upcoming trip to San Francisco- I have high stationery hopes and a list of shops to hit...more to follow on my return!
I have been lucky enough to go to the states a few times in the last couple of years and my collection grew considerably on a very wet and rainy visit to New York last March. I have been once before but not for several years. We had a great list of shops and places to go from a friend of a friend but I was over the moon to accidentally stumble across Greenwich Letterpress which left my purse some $50 lighter. Here are some of the bits I got...

Seriously cute wooden gift cards by Night Owl Paper Goods

You will see more and more than I have a thing about envelopes and I absolutely loved these so I had to get 2! Hand made envelopes from vintage book pages by art school girl!

Everything happens for a reason

2011-09-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

I do keep some cards that are given to me for whatever occasion but they are tucked into boxes of photos and other mementos all over the place so more shall appear in time. The one that did make it into my photographs this time was this....Given to me by my very talented and good friend Clare O'Reilly (aka Mrs Monaghan). It was one of those true 'saw this and thought of you' moments as it's one of my favourite sayings and although its hard to work out what the reason is sometimes it always seems to work out in the end.

My future home....Whitstable

2011-09-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

In a desperate attempt to keep hold of summer, I went to the seaside town of Whitstable the weekend before last. We were extremely lucky that the weather came out for us so we actually sunbathed on the very pebbly beach (and went for a paddle-obviously!). Its only the 3rd time I have been and I fell in love with it straight away. There is a great little shop there called Frank which sells quirky (I hate the word but it kind of works for this place) gifts, prints and cards for adults and kids. Here I made a few purchases but this is my favourite... I got it for my nephew- its a good thing he is not old enough for blogs as it's not his birthday until January but couldn't resist. Alice Melvin- good work! Below- the Old Neptune- a Whitstable tradition. Looking forward to testing some alternative seaside locations in November.

Ellie & Tony's wedding

2011-09-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the wedding of my lovely friend and colleague Ellie. Given my profession (and obsession) I offered my services to do their invite design which they accepted. They got married at Ramster Hall in Surrey and had a vintage and lace theme. She bought some samples in of the lace that she was going to wrap around her cake and I used a piece of this to create the base print. She's definitely one for detail and we had quite a lot to get on there so we decided on a Z fold with 2 cards inserted for the RSVP and directions. This was all then wrapped together and popped in an envelope with a lace print liner. If it wouldn't have bankrupt my printer (who gave us a very very good deal) I would have had envelopes made rather than a liner but I was still pleased with the finish result. Congrats to Mr and Mrs Norman- it was a brilliant day!

the beginning

2011-09-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

So.... where do I begin? Well it could take me forever to decide so I thought I would go through my card/stationery collection for inspiration and start there. It's not a huge collection but I am working on it and like to add to it whenever I get the chance- any excuse to spend some time in card shops. One of the first cards that I bought was from the talented Egg Press (http://eggpress.com/). I always love their prints and this one may well end up framed on my wall at some point.