Rhus typhina

I've been at Musgrove HQ today as I'm sometimes allowed to work from home on Mondays, which is very nice. The view from the kitchen table where I'm sat working hard (ahem) is so colourful and autumnal that I eventually ventured out into the garden to take a photo on my phone. Papa Musgrove tells me that the bright orange plants at the bottom of the garden are called Rhus typhina, and at this time of year they look positively tropical. Happy Halloween by the way! 

I don't know why there's a wooden crate in the middle of the lawn, but it does add a certain je ne sais quoi

Liberty prints

I've always wanted a silk scarf but they're one of those tricksy accessories that you have to wear at the right time, with the right outfit and in appropriate weather (not so hot that you get a sweaty neck but not so cold that you wish you'd worn something more woolly). Liberty's autumn/winter '11 collection of silk scarves are completely lovely and inspired by English winter gardens, and if I were in the market for a fancy new scarf, this is the one I would get.

My favourite Liberty silk scarf

This is some Liberty fabric, which I also love

Labels and pencil cases

Tonight I have mostly been making pencil cases and PandaPerdu labels. I make the labels myself using an inkjet printer, transfer paper and fancy satin ribbon from John Lewis. They're quite straightforward to make but I did more than 50 tonight, so I'm quite relieved that I won't have to make any more for a while! 

The brand new PandaPerdu pencil case design, made from fabulous stripy fabric I found in the Cotswolds

PandaPerdu labels, all lined up and ready to be washed (to set the ink) 

Starry starry night

I've been making a few more fabric illustrations over the last few days, mostly of houses but with extra details like the little stars in the night scene. I might try and do an owl on a branch next. 

A wonderful blog

A blog that I love visiting and look at quite often is that of Hilda Grahnat, a freelance photographer based in Sweden. Her photographs of everyday life in her home country and her travels elsewhere in the world (including Berlin and Japan) are absolutely wonderful and just really celebrate life's simple pleasures, like a cup of tea on a rainy day or autumn leaves on a pavement. Here is a link to her website: http://blog.grahnat.se/

A lovely photograph of Copenhagen in the sunshine, by Hilda Grahnat

Mary Blair artwork

I hadn't heard of Mary Blair until this morning when Google paid tribute to her, but now that I've seen some of her work, I can say that I like it a lot. She was an American artist best known for her animation work for Disney, but she also did graphic design and illustrated some children's books. I love how her illustrations are like self-contained, dreamlike worlds and her use of colour is just wonderful. 

Bug!

Last night I went to see Bug at Fact in Liverpool. It's basically a collection of interesting music videos played on a cinema screen, with the music nice and loud so you can appreciate them much more than when you see them on youtube. It's hosted by one of my favourite comedians, Adam Buxton. It was absolutely brilliant and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes music videos and funny youtube comments. You can see a Bug event from last year here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqRO1oIOPnI.

Animal tags

At the weekend I took photos of some of the graffiti animals in Garston, Liverpool. I've no idea who did them and I don't know if they're gang-related or anything, but I like them a lot. Especially the dragonfly. 

Sculpture in the park

Autumn is my favourite time of the year. I love the colours of the leaves on the trees, especially on sunny days when it looks like everything has been lit up especially for the season.

Here are some photos I took of Yorkshire Sculpture Park on a cold day last October.

A lightning sculpture. I wonder if anyone has ever photographed it being lit up by real lightning during a storm

Mmm, autumn-ey

Alien invasion. I don't know what this is meant to be

Tiny panda

I quite often dream about sewing and drawing in my sleep, but last night I dreamt I had a little assistant helping me - and it was a panda! As you can tell from the name of this blog, I adore pandas and panda-inspired designs, especially this crocheted panda from the lovely Vietnamese Etsy shop, Su Ami. 

The actual size of this panda is less than a fingertip!

The name PandaPerdu is actually inspired by red pandas and their talents for hiding in trees 

Tweet tweet

As much as I'm looking forward to winter (I'm thinking crisp blue skies and snow-covered rooftops rather than cold rain and heavy cloud-coverage), I really miss hearing birdsong during the cold months. 


With this in mind, I'm sharing some pictures of my favourite birdie designs (all from Liverpool's brilliant Utility stores). I'd quite like to have a few around the house so that even when all the real birds fly south, they're still around in spirit.

This is the sort of winter I'm looking forward to

I've wanted these Alessi salt and pepper birds for ages but they are a little bit too plastic-ey

I love this birdhouse - and it comes in a flat pack so you have to assemble it yourself, which sounds fun 

These wooden birds are both sweet and a little bit creepy. They're sweepy

A real bird at Chester Zoo

First ever craft fair = done!

Hurrah, at last the wait is over! I can cross 'Exhibit at a craft fair' off my to-do list. The Capstan's Bazaar craft fair on Sunday was my first one and, although I had no idea what to expect, I think it went well. I learnt a lot, sold a bit, and met some really lovely people, so I reckon I can call it a success. To my surprise, the PandaPerdu clutches were the most popular items, although a few people seemed to like the illustrations too, which was really encouraging. Right now, I like doing the illustrations the best, so I'm going to do a bunch more of them before my next craft fair (hopefully next month - watch this space!)  

The PandaPerdu clutches went down well

I might rename the mini messengers to 'mini satchels' after overhearing a visitor describe them as such (thanks, mystery shopper!)

Fashion pick of the week - PS1 linen satchel

Last week I said I didn't often lust after expensive handbags. Well, turns out that's not entirely true, since I'm now also adding the PS1 by Proenza Schouler to my wish-list. It's been around for some time but was updated for the spring/summer '11 season in this beautiful contrasting linen, leather and suede design. Like last week's Darla handbag, it's also priced at more than a grand. Someday... 

 

I love the clean, simple lines of the PS1, and these colours work together a treat!  

Not just a pretty face - it looks gorgeous from the back, too

"One art please"

As well as the bags and the clutches and the wallets, I've also been working on some embroidered illustrations. So far they're mainly rows of houses, but soon I think I might add some lamp posts and trees and whatnot. Maybe even a washing line or two, like in the PandaPerdu banner above.

Business cards

I've got business cards! In preparation for the Capstan's Bazaar craft fair on Sunday, I ordered a few business cards and mini cards (to use as price tags) from moo.com. They look brilliant and I can't wait to start handing them out to all and sundry!

Mini cards from moo, which are perfect for using as price tags 

Fancy sandals

Last month I went to Paris for work to visit a trade exhibition about fashion textiles and leather. Among the wonderful prints, designs and materials on show was a stand called 'Cuir & Creation' ('Leather & Creation') which showcased the work of young designers working with leather. 


My favourites were these satin and leather sandals by Art H Pied. They cost 95 Euros, but as they're hand-made to order in a workshop in Northwest France, I reckon they're worth it. 

These photos are from the Art H Pied website and I didn't take them myself

Old stuff

I've visited a couple of museums recently (namely the Cotswold Motor Museum and the Museum of Liverpool) and I have to admit that I really like design from the 'olden days'. I get museum fatigue fairly quickly and it doesn't take long before I start feeling like the little girl I overheard saying to her mum in the Museum of Liverpool: "Can we not look at pictures anymore?"

But, before the exhaustion of learning starts to set in, I always make sure to snap some photos of my favourite designs from times past. 

How exciting would it be to be eight years old and own this writing set?

I love the idea of sweets that are just for the weekend

A straightforward, no-nonsense message with an eye-catching design. I like it

Me in 40 years time?

New PandaPerdu wallets

This weekend I've been making a few more wallets for the craft fair next weekend. I came up with the design a while ago, after trying out a few different ways of making a wallet with room for credit cards, notes and coins. Technically they are quite tricky to make but I think they are worth it, as they achieve PandaPerdu's goal of being both practical and pretty. 

Three new PandaPerdu wallets, on drawers from Ikea which I'll use to display clutches and wallets at Capstan's Bazaar next Sunday

I love Chelsea

I have something to confess. I really, really like watching trashy US dramas, as well as a few carefully selected reality TV shows. I am so happy that Gossip Girl and 90210 are back in my life with their latest instalments, and sometimes I even re-watch episodes of The Hills to pretend that I am a silly person living in a condo in Hollywood.

But more than any of the others, right now I love Made In Chelsea. I kid myself that I am doing work-related ‘research’ when I watch it – by observing the fashions and handbags adorning the characters. But really I just love the banality of it all, the awkward silences and the borderline-OCD chatter about who’s going out with who and why. I also love the area of London that it’s set in – the beautiful architecture and the café-culture streets, the leafy avenues and rooftop gardens. I took these pictures when I visited Chelsea in May to report on the contemporary crafts exhibition, Collect, at the Saatchi Gallery. 

People queuing outside the Saatchi Gallery to see Collect

Pretty terraced houses in Kensington

I just love these pastel houses, with their tiny trees and exterior shutters  

Just look at those first-floor balcony trees - how wonderful!

Ye olde London archway. The next time I need to have an emotionally-charged and stilted conversation with a friend or loved one, I might just bring them here to do so. It will add a certain Made In Chelsea flair to my life