Wraptious Applause

There will be hearty applause indeed for the winner of the biannual Wraptious cushion competition, where they invite artists and designers to enter up to three cushion designs for the public to vote on. Wraptious are an artist community whose work you can buy on gift wrap, stationery, prints, homeware and t-shirts that are all made in the UK.

I felt a little intimidated to enter as there are some really amazing entries, but when Wraptious extended the competition deadline I summoned up the courage to enter three of my designs.

This morning the postman delivered a plump cushion-shaped package to me and upon opening it, I discovered that my lovely husband had decided to surprise me with a cushion in my Butterfly Florals design!

The cushions are printed on a vegan suede material which is very soft and stroke-able and the printing is really crisp with vibrant colours. I’m really very happy with it.

You can vote for your favourite until Sunday 8th May by liking the post on Wraptious’s Facebook page, Instagram feed or if you love an entry you can buy it from the Wraptious competition page, with or without a filler.

Soft Scissors

Following on from my post on sewing, this Giant Scissor Cushion is quite fitting.

It’s not that giant at half a metre long but certainly big enough and I really like it, it’s a nice simple design but I bet it could be used in loads of ways. It’s £45 and available from Roost who suggest you use it as a pin cushion or of course an actual cushion, but I also think it would make a pretty good breastfeeding cushion.

How would you use it?

Bedroom Zig Zags

My new zig zag lights didn’t quell my hankering for zig zags, I wanted some more to finish off our bedroom and found this set of two cushion covers from Etsy seller Say It With Pillows.

Along with these John Lewis value cushions in red and blue for £5 each, I now have enough zig zags and cushions in my life.

I like that the zig zags on the cushions and lights are a bit different and don’t match exactly, do you?

Lydia Meiying’s Circus

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls please take your seats, Lydia Meiying‘s Circus is about to begin…

Da da dadadada da da da da, da da dadadada da da da da…

Our first performer for your entertainment is the Strongman, prepare to be amazed by his superhuman strength!

Watch the Lion Tamer turn this ferocious lion into a purring pussy cat.

How many Hula Hoops can this pretty girl keep up? Watch and see!

Please give a round of applause for the Performing Seal and he will clap back!

Here is the full cast of entertainers around the back.

All the circus cushion covers are available in three sizes at €19.99, €22.99 and €24.99 with free shipping worldwide. There are also placemats and oven gloves in the same design.

Zincwhite

Continuing my theme of reusing things from earlier today, I wanted to tell you about another shop that’s had me hankering recently. Zincwhite reuse, recycle, remould, remodel and reinvent items to create brand new things for you, your home and your kids. I love their strapline:

‘Where discarded objects become desirable again’

These scatter cushions are like the building blocks you had when you were a kid. Regress to your childhood when you get bored watching telly by building cushion houses and Godzilla-ing them to your heart’s content. They’re £65 for the set.

Zincwhite have taken artists’ old paintbrushes and turned them into pretty and unique necklaces. You can also get them from Designers Makers. They come with details of who donated the paintbrush which is a really nice touch and they’re under £25 each.

My favourite piece from Zincwhite is their personalised musical television. They take a clockwork toy television and turn it into a moving story using your own pictures. I really, really want one. Go to their website to see the moving image. The price is on application.

 

What story would you put on yours?

Art Deco Aspirations

Art Deco is probably my favourite design era, our wedding had a very loose (dare I say it?) theme and since then I’ve been hankering after Art Deco in other ways.

This necklace/collar from Etsy shop Amorous Cat’s Attic was on my Christmas list; I thought it would Art Deco-up a few plain tops.

Or this wonderful ring made from Art Deco watch parts from Noble Studios Ltd?

These Art Deco style printable playing card designs from Memories Emporium are fabulous, I’m not sure what I would use them for but maybe the artier among you can think of something?

This antique monocle necklace started life in the late 1800s as an optical lens but Renee Loughlin Designs has given it an Art Deco twist with chevrons. Not sure my deepened frown lines would be worth it after an evening clasping this to my eye so maybe best for decoration. Delivery is very good value from the US.

I adore this Art Deco door knob that Kim Ladd has turned into a wine bottle stopper.

Always forgetting the recipes of those cocktail classics? Ugly cushion covers? Solve both problems simultaneously with these Classic Cocktails Pillow Covers. Choose from Margarita, Manhattan, Gin Sling, Whiskey Sour or Daiquiri or all five.

Animals Stampede

Our spare bedroom was in need of some love. The brown and yellow patterned carpet had seen better days, the peach vertical office blinds were a) peach and b) not in an office and there was scary 1970s doll wallpaper in one corner where we had taken out the built-in wardrobe to make more space. It needed to be de-uglyed.

We currently use it as a spare room but at some point in the future we might want to put a little person in there. Given that decorating makes me quite angry (a case of big ideas coupled with inadequate decorating skills) I didn’t want to decorate it twice, so wanted something that would work as a spare bedroom or as a nursery.

I have been hankering after the Florence Broadhurst wallpaper design ‘Horses Stampede’ from Places & Spaces for about eight years now.

It comes in quite a few different colour ways and coordinating fabric (John Lewis sells cushions) but when I saw the £220 price tag I realised I’ll probably still be hankering after it in another eight years.

Instead we settled on stampeding cows.

This wallpaper from Brewers Marimekko 2 collection is still not cheap but we only needed one roll as it’s a wider width than normal. It’s good quality and thick enough that the edges don’t tear when wet with paste. My dad is a Wallpapering Master but even with his help we took some time lining up the design as it’s so busy, but it was worth it as you can’t see any of the joins. Each cow is slightly different and the hand-drawn feeling is really nice. It also comes with a bright background in either pink or green if you’re feeling bold.

Once the cows were on the wall I felt the urge to paint some of the cow’s noses pale pink to add a bit of colour, but instead of ruining the new wallpaper bought a bright yellow throw in the sale and added some bright cushions.

To save some money we decided I’d try my hand at fitting the carpet. A carpet offcut cost us £50 from our local carpet shop and after some You Tube tutorials I got stuck in. It was much easier than I expected. Considering this was a first attempt and I did it on my own, although not perfect, I am quite proud! It probaly saved us around £100, which paid for the wallpaper, paste and tools.

We just need some curtains now…

Clouds

Today I have been hankering after clouds.

Not the dark stormy kind that loom ominously threatening to leak, but white fluffy ones set against a blue sky that conjure up images of summer – well an English summer anyway.

Which brings me to the English Summer necklace from Mixko’s Etsy shop. The fluffy felt cloud looks like the perfect thing to fiddle with whilst thinking/daydreaming/ hankering and the raindrops of varying length are just the right raindrop-blue. It’s a great price at just under £20 and Mixko donate 20% of their profits to the victims of the quake in Japan.

I love the way they’ve photographed this with the sun on it.

Would it be too much to wear it with one of these ‘Oh Happy Day / Oh Crappy Day’ rings? These are from Etsy shop Weaselfactory.

Despite being sterling silver the ‘Dreamy Man Flying Through The Clouds’ range by Jesa Jewellery still manage to look fluffy. The dreamy man and birds flying through them have been cut so intricately and each cloud has its own water message inscribed. I wonder if the dreamy man is inspired by Colonel William Rankin the only known person to survive falling through a cumulonimbus cloud.

This Rainbow Cloud print from Dig the Earth is so colourful and retro. Imagine how soon the clouds would be chased away if you woke up to this on your bedroom wall. Is it just me or does this bring to mind Rainbow Brite?

I think grey interiors are wonderful (my bedroom in my last home was painted grey) and this cloud cushion is also wonderful in its grey simplicity. It’s a surprising £17 and even with the shipping costs from Australia it’s still good value. Alphabet Monkey make cushions and crib quilts for little boys and it also comes as part of a set with the gorgeous crib quilt in the picture.

Today’s post was inspired by my cloudy view.