Antalis Calenclock by Ken Lo

Antalis Calenclock 2012 by Ken Lo via Behance Network

Great idea to have your clock and calendar integrated into one item with the pages tearing off each month. I bet we'll see lots of clocks and calendars inspired by this in future. It certainly has my head buzzing with ideas now.

Sculpted clothing - The T/Shirt Issue

Most beautiful Wolf sculptural clothing by Mashallah.Design

These are from The T/Shirt Issue page of Digital Portraits.
The T/Shirt Issue blog has even more wonderfully sculpted geometric pieces:





Here's what they say about themselves...
"The T-shirt Issue is an interdisciplinary collective that combines fashion, design and technology into unique basic apparel, ranging from daily wearables to conceptual installations.

We are fascinated by the triangular polygon, a geometric shape we see as the basic unit of digital substance and wearable form. All our products are made in a new digital environment that allows us to reconstruct every piece of clothing from the core to any degree of complexity. With this new approach we establish a new dimension in which 2D, 3D and the space in between is reconsidered and experimented with.

In doing so, we stir triangular shapes and fine fabrics into basic apparel that subtly exposes its digital descent. As the possibilities in polygonal shaping are unlimited, we also engage in the conception of extensive art pieces to shed a light on the extremities. Our ultimate mission is to lift the hurdle between possible and impossible and redefine the aesthetics of all things jersey."

Cally Creates - Cushion/Pillow covers

Seaweed Fronds Cushion Covers - €19.99

Sketch <9090> retro Cushion Covers - €19.99,

I've been so busy trying to get Christmas presents sorted that I forgot to list some new cushion covers in my Envelop shop. Bit daft of me because they won't be shipping new orders until 7th January.

I really need to go to bed but I have to stay up because my belly has still not managed to comprehend, never mind digest, all that I have eaten since this afternoon. I was planning to just make a simple Jerusalem artichoke soup, a great Winter favourite of mine. But one thing led to another and I found myself steaming carrots, cauliflower and beetroot on top of the soup. Surely that should be enough, but I got impatient waiting and decided to make a salad to tide me over - but it turned out HUGE filled with Beetroot, Pomegranate, Cranberries, Pears, Jerusalem Artichokes, Feta. It was so tasty I ate the whole thing. Problem was, the soup turned out just as tasty and I couldn't stop eating it either and I loved every tasty mouthful.

Wim Delvoye - Carved Tyres

Wim Delvoye - Untitled (Car Tyre) - 2007 - H 81.5 x 19 cm - Hand carved car tyres


Wim Delvoye - Untitled (Car Tyre) - 2009 - H 122 x 38 cm - Hand carved car tyre

Wonderful hand carved tyres by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye. Although started in 2007 I'm only just discovering these now and love them, there are lots more to see here. They have similar qualities to the work of Cal Lane who I first blogged about here. Here is one of her pieces I've not show already.


Cal Lane - laser cut car door via Artboom.

Wim has some really large works such as his steel Towers. And smaller ones can be seen on his Scale models section. I'd seen some of his earlier pieces before but didn't know who they were by, like this huge 2002 piece Caterpillar #5:

Wim Delvoye - Caterpillar #5 - 2002 - 350 x 900 x 300 cm
Laser-cut corten steel - Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

After the Storm came the snow

Snow last December.

Thursday's storm was pretty full on and the house felt a bit like a cardboard box because we could see the walls wobbling in and out with the gusts. The joys of mobile homes, but we were luck not to be one of the 50,000 people who lost their electricity supply. Apparently more stormy weather is due in a few days but for now things are calm and I awoke to a beautiful inch or two of snow. It's not deep but I suspect it is quite wet snow because it manage to crumple my Skimmia Japonica, which was only just recovering from last year's snow damage. Other than that most things have been pruned or supported so as to resist all but the heaviest of snows

Inspired by the black trees in snow I put together a little selection of black and white niceness, a fantasy Christmas wishlist:



1. Duncan Shott Magnetic Cloud Keyholder £20
2. Sagemcom Sixty Retro Style Digital Cordless Telephone approx £90
3 & 4. Sanna Annuka for Marimekko
5. Nordic Knit Booties (can't find a source for these)
6. One of my own cushion covers approx £17.

Shop - Art Print & Laptop Skins- Ammonite

Ammonite Unframed Print from $16

One of several colour options for my Collioure Organic Cotton fabric on Spoonflower

Italian Gas - Art Prints from $16,
Also as Laptop & iPad Skins $30, iPhone Skins $15, iPhone cases $30

I used to be very sea obsessed, hence my life long love of watery colours, and a fairly long love of shells, though that began to wane when I started to get obsessed by seeds in the Summer of '92. The print above is based on a n A2 charcoal sketch either of one of my own ammonites, or one in the Museum of Scotland, probably 1990 - I forget which. If it was in the museum it was possibly drawn to scale, they have some huge ones whereas mine are fairly small. The background I've added is based on one of my textile patterns from around the same period. The Collioure fabric show is loosely based on designs from that period as is the pattern on the Italian Gas print, but the photographic part of that is from my flying visit to Italy in 2008 when we popped over from France (friend's wedding) for me to take photo's before catching our flight home. A mad 6hrs of non stop photography because there was so much there that I loved.


Ammonite Framed prints from $33
Ammonite skins for Laptops and iPads - $30

Shop Cally Creates - Art Print - Italian Gas

Italian Gas - Art Print/Mini 8"x 9" $16. Other sizes available.


Italian Gas - Framed Art Print/Scoop Black Mini 10"x 12" $33. Other sizes & Frames available.

The original photograph was taken in Italy in 2008 (on the 6hr mad dash visit) and has been combined with a printed textile I designed at college in the early 90's to make a more textured graphic image.

Fine art print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using an advanced digital dry ink method to ensure vibrant image quality. Custom trimmed with 1" border for framing.

Cally Creates - Cushion/Pillow covers

Cushion/Pillow covers available in 3 sizes from €19.99 with free worldwide shipping

I couldn't sleep one night last week so I finally followed through on some projects that have been hanging in the air for years. Like getting my college textiles properly scanned and adapted for digital printing. It's one of those things I keep starting but then abandon because I don't really like editing them on the computer, it seems to take too long so I always abandon the process halfway when the house, garden, family or my stomach make more pressing demands. But a sleepless night and howling winds helped me get back on track and finish preparing some for upload.

The first items available for purchase are these 100% cotton cushion/pillow covers and a 4 napkins (not shown). Since the designs are from my college days in the early 90's I'm calling this collection 'Revived'. The name seems a little ironic given that this is me accepting that I am just not well enough to hand print my own work any more. It's taken a good long while to come to terms with that but now that I have I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest and I can start getting work out there again, albeit old work - but I think a lot of my old designs are very suited to modern tastes, which was not the case at the time I designed them. Maybe my habit of keeping every-little-thing isn't all bad after all.

Of course, nothing beats the feeling of making something from scratch - it's what I truly love to do, but since that isn't an option I feel OK about going digital for a while. And it's giving me an excuse to unearth old designs again, which is always immensely good fun. It feels like Christmas every time I open a folder or folio.

Other designs, colours and items are awaiting approval (there seem to be technical glitches) so watch this space to find out when more are added, it most definitely won't be all black and white - You know how much I love colour. I'll try and rework a few designs each month if I can.

You can also buy some of my repeat patterns as fabric from Spoonflower. This one is Collioure fabric in Black and white (colours available too) which you can purchase as swatches, fat quarters and by the yard in several colourways and fabrics including Organic Cotton Knit. $5 a swatch $11 per Fat Quarter.


Collioure fabric in Black and white

Designer tents

I don't need a tent, but I do love this one's from Field Candy. Not that I would spent so much money on a tent even if I did need one Animal Farm is £449 and Men Only is £555 - ouch!

I wouldn't want to be in a tent just now, the gales have returned after a brief partial easing over the last few weeks. Hard to believe that this time last year we'd had 1/2 a metre of snow already. There was a little sleet the other day but it's been pretty mild for November and it's only now that the cold is becoming sharper. Snow predicted for Monday.

Webbed trees & sad Morran news

The flooding in Pakistan meant all the spiders headed for the trees so they were completely smothered in webs, amazing. See more of these amazing National Geographic photographs.

I feel like there is so much sad news this week. Saddest of all, because it can't be changed with time, was that Camilla Engman's lovely wee dog Morran died. It's so strange to feel so much love for a dog you have never met but Camilla's was one of the first blogs I ever followed and Morran was a big part of that, so many great photo's of her that I feel I really watched so much of her life over the last 7 years (see some of the photo's on Flickr too). Goodbye little Morran.

As a fitting artist tribute to Morran Camilla had an open invition in October for people to submit artwork featuring Morran to be considered for a book, with all profits going to charity. There have been so many wonderful entries and many of them are already posted on the Studio Morran blog. Here are a few:


Maite Ortiz


Suana Verelst


Petra Wester Norgren


Marloes de Vries
Fiona Purves
Cady Fontana
Kerstin Svendsen

Photographs by Edward Burtynsky - black things

Photographs by Edward Burtynsky.

1. Nickel Tailings No.1 (Ontario) from the Tailings series.
2. Sip Breaking #23 (Bangladesh) from the Ships series.
3. Oxford Tire Pile #9b (California) from the Oil and Urban Mines series.
4. Oxford Tire Pile #4 (California) from the Oil and Urban Mines series.
5. Tanggu Port (Tianjin) from the China -Coal and Steel series.

Post Halloween and I still have a fairly large collection of black images I wanted to share. These ones are all by Photographer Edward Burtynsky (his photos aren't always black). Whenever I waiver in my consumer or energy use restraint I should look at his website and remind myself of what is involved, before and after, in our culture of mass consumption. Makes me want to get out in the garden and grow more seeds.

My Halloween - food, face, flowers - 2011

Much belated, a few snippets from my Halloween Dinner party:
1. Autumn Squash and a lovely Black Bear brooch from Adadine (guilt gift from Mr P).
2. Facepaint always makes me happy.
3. Oxalis plant in a ceramic raku fired bowl I made in the early 90's.
4. Japanese snacks in a small ceramic tealight holder.

More birds from John and Fish

Japanese White Eye, taken at DaSyueShan 15k, Taichung County, TAIWAN
綠繡眼．攝於台灣 台中縣 大雪山15K


Gray-chinned Minivet, taken at Dasyueshan Trail, TAIWAN
灰喉山椒．攝於台灣 大雪山林道


Taiwan Blue Magpie, taken at Xingyi Park, Taipei City, TAIWAN
台灣藍鵲．攝於台灣 台北市 行義公園

More photographic bird beauty from John and Fish. I really can't get enough of these amazing images. Always a joy. Clicking each photo will take you to it's Flickr page. I previously blogged about them here.

Ivanka - Concrete and glass bench

Ivanka - Concrete and glass bench found via Feltbug

If only all concrete street furniture looked this good.