Japanese mugs

Cute patterned Japanese mugs from Gleaners Inc 

Last week I blogged about the super-cute shop Gleaners Inc.  As usual, I couldn't visit a shop selling second-hand kitchenalia without making a small purchase!  I came away with these very gorgeous Japanese mugs with the most amazing pattern details. 

I love that the mugs are in three colours and the patterns are all different - with a mix of geometric and floral motifs.  I already have a small collection of these style of Japanese mugs - but I'd never before come across any quite so intricate or patterned!

The above mugs are ones I already had and which have featured in some of my illustrations and sketches, so the new patterned ones will be a great addition to my growing collection. 

 

 Some sketches featuring my Japanese mugs

Home Beautiful

 

I was really thrilled to see two of my melamine plates featured in the latest Home Beautiful magazine! 

High Tea & Tea Party were included in the 'We Love' section as favourite finds by stylist Sami Simper.  The theme for the favourite finds was 'graceful and delicately-hued designs with a handcrafted feel' so I was really pleased my vintage melamine plates were included.

 
Also in this latest November issue of Home Beautiful was fellow textile designer and illustrator Natalie Ryan. Natalie has a lovely blog featuring her own illustrations and textile designs - and her blog was mentioned in the 'love at first site' column. Natalie used to design for Linen House where she created some beautiful children's bed linen ranges, and like myself she loves to create hand-painted illustrations.  You can check out Natalie's blog here!

Gleaners Inc

Uh-oh..... There's a new cute shop in Brunswick selling lots of things that I like!.....

Cute details outside the ecclectic 'Gleaners Inc' 

Lots of second hand, vintage and retro goodies! 

Betty Jo's famous recycled lino brooches and clocks - and wall plates by Me Old China!

Fab owls revamped from old kitchen utensils and found objects from Focus on Art - love, love, love!

Succulents planted in metallic blue teapots, one of my Me Old China cut-out wall plates and ceramic brooches by Septembre Vintage Ceramics

Betty Jo's studio space and workshop on-site at Gleaners Inc 

Upcycled vintage fabric bags and pouches by Curlypops 

Gleaners Inc is a new shop run by the very lovely Liz Jones of Betty Jo fame.  The cute little shop is based in an old 1950's Perruci Shirts factory and has lots of second hand, vintage, recycled, retro and kitsh treasures (very dangerous for my pocket money!)  It also stocks recycled work by local designers, including Betty Jo, Curlypops, Focus on Art, Septembre Vintage Ceramics and my collection of my Me Old China wall plates.

The shop space also occupies the workshop for Liz to make her revamped brooches, clocks and jewellery from old lino.  I'm super jealous as I'd love to have a studio and retail space in a 1950's factory!!

Gleaners Inc is at 2 Ballarat Street, Brunswick (just around the corner from the Mariana Hardwick building in Sparta Place, just off Sydney Road)

Old Winkle and the Seagulls

I found this fabulous children's book at a second-hand shop recently and just fell in love with the lively and quirky illustrations! There's a great mix of black ink illustrations and bright coloured painterly artwork throughout the book, all created in a fun and whimsical style.

 Old Winkle feeding the seagulls

Hmmm - this cat looks a bit like my fat Jolly cat! 

Old Winkle and the Seagulls was originally published in 1960 and it tells the story about Old Winkle, a lonely fisherman with an old fashioned boat, who loves to feed the seagulls.  The other fishermen, with their shiny new boats, laugh at him for wasting his time feeding the gulls and this makes Old Winkle sad. 

Then, a sudden shortage of fish shuts down the town and soon all the fishermen are out of work.  With no fish the effects trickle down from the fishermen, to the girls in the market who have nothing to do but knit and gossip all day, to the lorry driver who sits drinking endless cups of tea at the cafe  - all the way down to the fishmonger’s cat, who grows very thin.

Old Winkle’s kindness to the seagulls pays off however, and the grateful gulls lead him to a huge shoal of fish near the great buoy.  Winkle in turn tells the other fishermen and soon the town is back in business and Old Winkle is a bit of a hero!

Old Winkle gains the respect of the other fishermen, and he's no longer lonely feeding the seagulls on his own anymore.

'Pretty Plates' - H&G magazine!

I was very excited to open the pages of the latest House & Garden magazine and see one of my melamine plates included in a 'Pretty Plates' feature!

The plate featured is 'Audrey' which is one of my hand painted floral designs.  A big "Thank You" to House & Garden magazine!