Tache-tastic

The moustache has been a big source of amusement and entertainment for me. It all started with Dali and his moustache. From the day when Tyler and I went around the supermarket  with fake moustaches looking for treacle to make gingerbreadmen to the night at The Egg where I danced quite seriously with a moustache above my lip.

And so the obsession continued, one work Christmas do we were given fake moustaches to wear over lunch, much to everyone’s delight.  Although I would have been equally happy with the moustache pencils.

One of Guy‘s first presents to me was a serious fat man’s tache which I hang by my door like it’s for sale. And then came the Moustache Envy badges Sarah bought for me. This year for my birthday, my lovely friends found a moustache ring for me from Tatty Devine.  It’s a beautiful ring and great for instant fancydress occasions.

I am delighted to see the number of moustache products out there. Clearly, moustaches make people happy. Here’s a blog with many a hairy post and if you wanted to go out dancing in London, there’s the Moustache Bar in Dalston or in Paris, here’s a club for moustachioed boys and girls.

Sticky in the middle

This Christmas, I decided not to send out any Christmas cards. I had the idea of making stained glass cookies and giving them out instead of the more traditional paper option.

Starting out with a mixed bag of boiled sweets, Katrina and I crushed the colourful sweets and placed them in little pyrex ramekins to urge us on with this fiddly, but exciting baking job.

We listened to some  music and worked hard together, waiting to see the end result. It was a satisfying feeling to see the shortbread cookies turn out looking like stained glass. They looked unlike jammie dodgers but in your mouth, the cookies had the unique texture of being both hard and soft.

I’ve always loved the look of sweets. Sugar is wonderful tool for producing edible art (think Papabubble).

I placed mine in little clear bags tied with some Christmassy ribbon and felt a little pride giving them out, knowing that they were homemade delights.

This doodle needs colour!

Not long ago I wrote a post about interactive wallpaper that I’d spotted. I was delighted today to read about Jon Burgerman‘s colouring-in wallpaper that is available to buy from nineteenseventythree

My first introduction to Jon Burgerman came from guyfriend who has long been a fan of this doodlist. My presents last Christmas were wrapped in the intricate illustrations of Bugerman, and one of the presents included some wonderful Jon Burgerman character stickers. 

I am pleased to see that more colouring-in wallpaper are being developed and the amazing characters of Jon Burgerman can be brought alive in a fun and interactive way. 

Get your colouring pens out and personalise some art!

Happy Station(ery)

Happy Station is a Fun Fun track but this post is about stationery. One of the highlights of having a permanent job is having access to all the stationery in the stationery cupboard.

I remember as a kid, my mum buying me the cutest stationery for school. She bought my sister and I Japanese pencil cases which I used to fill with the coolest mechanical pencils. I used to think mechanical pencils were the most grown-up thing to own and use.

Well, that was only true until I started using pens. I quickly disposed of mechanical pencils and found love in my favourite type of pen. The Pilot Extra Fine Hi-Tec V5. I have since bonded with fellow V5 fans over the beautiful script produced by using this pen. It pleases me that there are bigger fans of pens out there!

I recently discovered this website and I love their paper goods. There is a really tastesful selection of old and new stationery and I am itching to get my hands on some. Orla Kiely, who I work for has also started producing stationery. Her designs are perfect on paper.

Serizawa Calendar

Keisuke Serizawa was a textile designer who made stencil-dyed calendars that were particularly popular with officers’ wives in US Forces. The calendars are still being produced and available to buy, but with his old designs following his death.

With Christmas just around the corner, I am feeling very inspired by things that I have seen and am thinking of card designs. At present, I am feeling very fond of plain brown paper and am thinking of using it as a blank canvas for ideas.