Cockpit Arts - Summer Open Studios 2012

I’ve just visited the Cockpit Arts summer studios in Deptford. What a treat! Cockpit Arts is an enterprise that promotes talented designer-makers in all fields including Jewellery, fashion, interiors, ceramics and glass. Over 160 studios house inspiring craftspeople who produce original and beautiful hand-made pieces. They showcased their work and talked enthusiastically about the creative process and concepts behind their designs.  It was refreshing to see raw talent displayed in a kind of none-commercial environment, rather than in a big exhibition centre sponsored by a random celebrity!

Sian Zheng
I was tempted to buy the scissor cushion and special wallpaper with cast of magnetic charaters and wipe clean speech bubbles! Apparently Hilary Swank has bought several rolls of paper! 

Eleanor Lakelin; designs and makes sculptural vessels and objects in wood.

Amanda Ross

 A favourite & I treated myself! A printing block (First photo) is made using flower and plant cuttings, which are then hand printed on to fabric to produce beautiful, ethereal images.

Debbi Little: Recycled silk parachute skirts!

Alex Bishop
Specialises in the construction of finest quality hand-crafted and custom-built gypsy jazz guitars.

Katharine Morling
 "Three dimensional sketch" ceramics - but they look deceptively like paper. Just exquisite!

Anja Lubach: "Skull & Roses" cermaics

Aleska (Emma Hamshare)
I loved the process involved in creating Emmas beautiful garments by creating intricate laser cut lace and digital textiles. I treated myself to one of these lace bottle covers stiffened by a resin. 

Louisa Taylor (Currently doing a residency at the V&A)
Delicate ceramics - I especially liked the tiny spoons!
Maria Livings & Marie Rodgers;  Home wares featuring unusual illustrative prints.  

Matt Nicholls - "The storytellers chair".
I loved this! Made from driftwood found in the Thames, every piece told a tale!

Charlotte Sale: "Spritz glass". These were beautiful - looked like splashes of water!
Cassandra Sabo: Light combining fibre-optic

Mary Kilvert: Talented illustrator with a homeware range.
 Lorna Syson: Three-dimentional and printed textile designer

Lizzie Allen; Hand screen printed wallpaper in vivid colours with a 1950’s feel.

“The Cockpit Art Studios Open Days; a wonderful way to source beautiful and original pieces and support local designers.”  

Vintage Village

I went to the delightful Vintage Village in Stockport today which is held on the 2nd Sunday of every month in the beautiful Victorian market hall.

I love haberdashery! So was happy to see such a large selection of stalls devoted to antique sewing and knitting patterns, retro buttons, pin cushions and magazines!

With Jubilee street parties looming, the village is a perfect place to source old fashioned bunting!

Vintage tes-sets perfect for more Jubilee celebrations!

"Parrot in the Pantry" stall, complete with a trader dressing up to get in the spirit of the event. Touches like these, along with low prices, made the fayre really enjoyable!

An old chopper!

My loot! A Shamrock "bun-warmer" and an old glas decanter to add to my growing collection!

For more information, please see http://www.thevintagevillage.co.uk/

Pimlico Furniture Cave

81 TachBrook Street, Pimlico, hidden in a basement under a block of flats is....

....this treasure trove of bric-a-brac and second hand furniture..just waiting to be upcycled! 

I found more victorian glass piano coasters and an old cut glass vase all for £3!

Vintage glass tea-cup!

I made whisky panna cottas for the first time this week-end.
I didn't have any moulds, so instead used my vintage glass gree tea-cups!

W is for WOW!

We decadently "sashayed" into disco-ball cloud heaven! The Writers lounge in the W Hotel, Leicester Square; a glamorous haven of iconic and innovative design.

Approaching the hotel at night, it gives the first hint of the interior sensory feast that beckons. The building is shrouded in a veil of glass that changes colour according to the time of day like a grand electronic art work. Designed by the London architects Jestico & Whiles and a Dutch interior design agency, Concrete, the hotel opened earlier this year.

Traditional and contemporary materials sit alongside comfortable & cutting edge design. The W lounge houses shelves of the latest hip coffee books, erotic plates, designer bicycles and serves a cool “Lady Chatterley” cocktail! After indulging, I can’t recall much more…but just know that I will be returning to this dazzling gem!

Past Caring!

Past Caring on Essex Road, is one of my favourite haunts in Islington. It sells a wonderful collection of glass, old furniture, clothes, china and bitsies. There's even a resident dog with a bowl of water. I rarely leave this shop without treating myself! 

My most recent purchases - I love amber and green glass - chunkier the better!

 

Glass Etc

The interior of Glass Etc - spoilt for choice!

Tucked away in Rye, Sussex, in a former Salvation Army chapel, is an emporium devoted to antique and 20th century glass. I love old, chunky glass, especially if it's amber or green and have a growing collection of finds from carboot sales, charity shops and markets. Glass Etc sells ware from all different eras and countries, in a variety of colours. shapes and sizes. All items are very fairly priced. Owned by antiques road show expert, Andy McConnell, his wife, Helen, runs the shop and even offers customers a brew whilst they're browsing! I declined, but did leave with an Art deco, amber, Czeck vase. Whilst in the area it's also worth also popping into Wish Barn antiques and New to you Retro

Glass gardens!

A few years ago, Kew Gardens was the backdrop for 25 lush displays by the very talented glass blower, Dale Chihuly. I love glass, especially old or coloured items, and this was one of my favourite exhibitions. The botanical backdrop was the perfect setting for these unique works of art.

"The Sun" was 13ft high and made using 1000 pieces of hand blown glass

Detail of the V&A chandelier

The V&A has a Chihuly chandelier hanging permanently in its foyer

The floating glass sculpture reminded me of murano glass and the canals in Venice 

"Boat Loop"

These glass shards in the conservatory looked as if they had just sprouted up from seed!

"Persian Ceiling"

Rummage heaven!

One of my favourite pastimes is having a good old rummage at antique fairs, markets, charity stalls, house clearance shops and carboot and garage sales for old glass, china, buttons and curios...in fact anything that takes my fancy! I particularly recommend the Capitol Carboot sale in Pimlico, held each Sunday and the International antiques and collectors fairs held across the country throughout the year. A small selection of some of my finds....

   

Vintage cheese dish and soup serving bowl from house
clearance shops in Shoreditch and Islington

Vintage celery vase and apothecary jar, £1.10
Capitol Car boot sale, Pimlico

Charity shop find for the bathroom, 50p

OT examining the loot from a Garage sale in Ealing, June 2011, which included bone
 handled knives, an antique vase  and a Victorian glass castor cup - all for £4!

Vintage foot stool, £2, from an antique fair
 in Somerset. OT now owns this!

Antique baguette box, salvaged from a french
boulangerie when it closed down. Bought at an antiques fair, £5.
Now used to store wrapping paper and wallpaper rolls!