Saturday 31 March 2012

Thumbs up for Yayoi Kusama


I definitely feel a Yayoi Kusama influence here. Dots on nails are always a winner.


Friday 30 March 2012

Growing garment

This piece is something I have been working on for quite a while now...


It is a garment that grows from a tree like a branch and that can literally 'cocoon' a model in a blanket of texture. 






Daily fashion alert



Gorgeous day for limeade

It has been super sunny these past few days and I’ve been feeling rather summery and colourful...

So, to make things even sweeter this Spring, I decided to paint my nails with a statement pop of lemon-lime citrus – so bright, refreshing and garish, I just love it! 


This popular hip colour of a sweet limeade shade (or a Kermit-the-frog green as I like to call it) is not only gorgeous and in-your-face, but it (almost definitely) can get anyone in the mood for this warmer weather.

I find that it also has such a delicate glimmer to it that it can add unparalleled amounts of glamour to any look.



Its radiancy and warmness has certainly won me over...




Monday 26 March 2012

Yayoi Kusama experiment

I even gave food the toxic treatment: 







Art + chocolate (definitely) = a win!

Saturday 24 March 2012

Raw beauty #3

I then sought to investigate the potential of wool fibres and the various ways to manipulate them.


Thus, I decided to grow some mustard seeds in a sample of felt that I had previously made. This was an experiment to further explore and remind us of the fact that there is beauty in things that don't last forever, things that aren't always perfect and ultimately things that aren't permanently finished.


Day 1:



Day 2:


Day 3:


Day 4:


Day 5+:






As you can see, the experiment was successful (yay!) So, therefore, I will plan to plant these seeds within my felted garment. 

I will plant the dress in soil and then water the dress every day, ensuring that the seeds are captured within the creases of the felt and will consequently germinate.

Then, like everything, the plants will inevitably wilt and die, completing the circle of creation and growth.

I aim to think that this garment will be as ephemeral as the bruised-pink blossom that is now flowering outside in my back garden (thanks to these surprisingly warm, sunny days in London!)


Raw beauty #2

If I’m being honest, I was a little unsatisfied with my previous dress that I had made out of felt. I didn't think it turned out very well at all...

I think that the main reason for this was probably due to the fact that I didn’t pull the wool out into small enough pieces to start with. I also think that I “rock n roll[ed]” the wool too hard, resulting in clumps of felt which weren’t really stuck together. It was also quite difficult to tell exactly what it was....(a dress)

So I remedied this by starting over. And it was only through learning from little mistakes like these, that I was able to solve the problem and improve.

I did this by needle-felting a bit more wool over the top to join it up, then continuing the felting process. It came out rather thicker than I’d intended, but was still ok to use for making a garment.

By starting over, it also allowed me to have some refreshing thoughts. 

For example, one of them was to felt in some curly cobwebs of shiny fibres from Angora goats, giving the garment a rich textured detail.


Wednesday 21 March 2012

Beyond layers

When I travel, my camera always seems to fall slave to a growing obsession with doors and I don't blame it - show me any kind of door and my knees go weak!

There are numerous reasons why I love doors so much: 

Firstly, doors can hide what lies inside; keeping the heart in suspense. They can add some flavour of the unknown or even create a sense of moving into a new moment. 

But ultimately.... 

Doors (for me anyway) are the gateway to beauty, the beginning of a new space, the opening to a new journey - they are everywhere!



I really love how the afternoon light spills through these glass beauties:



Moroccan doors are just so elaborate in shape and full of presence you simply can’t ignore them:


Here is a pair of wooden Moroccan doors painted in an electrifying Majorelle blue colour - almost starring right back at me. A loud duo - I could almost hear it saying “Hey look at me, I’m over here!”:







I adore the big heavy wooden door and the carved exotic design, both somehow expressing mystery and wonder:




I found this door tucked away while roaming the streets of Ibiza:













So gorgeous, I almost have no words...








It's like an outdoor museum. Each and every door is a new discovery, a new piece of art. Each one is charming in its own little way.

May you find beauty and inspiration from all around you my lovelies!