Lovely patterned old tins

I seem to be adding old vintage and second-hand tins to the list of things I find myself collecting these days! I've picked up the above beauties over several months from various different places - second-hand shops, vintage markets, and the rather lovely blue willow patterned tin was given to me by a very sweet friend. 

The blue willow tin and the yellow floral tin are old Australian 'Willow' brand designs, whilst the tin with the bird illustrations and the gorgeous floral tin tray are vintage designs made in England. 

Envelope patterns

Illustration by Clemens Habicht

My ever expanding bag of recycled envelopes and papers

Assortment of collected envelopes featuring different patterns

Some of my experimental illustrations below, featuring envelope pattern detail on the

coffee pot and cup & saucer. With these I've scanned in the envelopes and

changed the colour to suit the artwork.

Below are some examples of experimenting with the Gocco printer by printing

directly onto the envelopes.

In the weekend papers a few weeks ago I spotted this collage illustration using the patterns found on the inside of envelopes, created by the very talented Clemens Habicht.  I too am an avid collector of envelopes, so I thought I'd share some of my envelope patterns.

There is surprisingly quite an array of different patterns, textures and colours to be found on the inside of envelopes - and I always love opening an envelope to find a new pattern waiting patiently to be discovered on the inside.  (It actually makes opening bills a bit more interesting).  Mr B know's never to throw away an envelope before I've given it the once over! 

The patterns on the envelopes remind me of Japanese patterns with their miniature scale, perfect repetition and symmetry.   I use the envelopes for collages, printing with lino prints or gocco prints, and for experimental sketches and illustrations - I've included a few examples above.    

So next time you get a boring bill through the post, remember to look inside the envelope to see what patterns you might find.

Vintage dress fabric from the states

Florals

checks 

 dots

 stripes

 1930'3

novelty 

I've been meaning to blog about this fabulous book I received for my birthday a few months ago.  Vintage dress fabric from the states is from the excellent Pie Books publishers in Japan, and as the title suggestes the book is full of hundreds of colour images of vintage fabric patterns - gorgeous!

All the vintage fabrics have been collected in New York, with many of the designs being still relevant for today.  It's a fabulous inspiration book, with images divided into themes covering floral, check, dots, 1930's, geometrical and novelty etc. 

You can buy the book at Amazon, or direct from Pie Books - I'd highly recommend it for anyone who's interested in vintage fabric, textiles and patterns!  

Orange op-shop finds

Staffordshire Potteries cup and Broadhust saucer with stylised floral patterns in orange, ochre & black

Myott plate with rose pattern in orange and yellow

Retro salad bowl and servers

Orange and yellow floral tin with matching flour mill

I think I've posted before about randomly finding and buying objects in similar colours.  I've had another experience of this recently with some second-hand finds that all ended up being in the orange colour palette!

Firstly I picked up the retro Staffordshire Potteries cup and the Broadhurst saucer from the Daylesford Mill Market, and loved the mix-match patterns in orange, ochre and black - the cup in particular has a fabulous graphic floral pattern.

Then I found the Myott plate with the rose pattern in yellow and orange.  I love the hand-sketched feel to the rose pattern, and the orange and yellow colours help to prevent the plate being too 'pretty' or granny-ish!  The plate also has a quite beautiful scalloped edge detail.  

I also found the very cute tin with bright orange and yellow flower patterns at the Daylesford Mill Market.  The tin matches an old flour mill that I already have - perfect!

And lastly I found this adorable salad bowl and servers from Stockroom in Kyneton!  Whilst I'm not really a butterfly person, the bold style of the butterfly and flower pattern on the bowl, combined with the strong orange and black colours stops the design being too sweet and girly.  Love it!!

Orla Kiely 'Pattern'

I'm still trying to plod my way through my Christmas books, and this lovely book by Orla Kiely has been on my list to share for a while.  The book is called 'Pattern' and is full of fab images of Orla's colourful and fun graphic prints, fashion ranges and bags.  Its also a book I'm enjoying reading, as well as oohing and ahhing over the images. 

The book covers the background of how Orla created her own business, the path she took and how she started out.  I love reading about how other designers have set up a business, what they have learnt from the process, and the highs and lows of running your own creative enterprise.  Its reassuring to know successful brands started out as small businesses, with many of the same problems and hurdles to jump that other small start-ups face. 

The book is divided up into chapters on inspiration, colour, print and home etc, and is punctuated with lots of beautiful photography of her products and designs.  However, it makes me want to go shopping and spend too much money on gorgeous bags.  I LOVE the orange bag above!! 

I love that much of Orla Kiely's design and styling has quite a retro look to it - with many pictures used for brochures shot in old 1950's houses and cafes.  Her clothing range also has a modern-retro aesthetic, with often very simple pieces in stunning colours and her signature bold prints.

I'm such a big fan of the simplicity and graphic nature of Orla's prints and designs.  Yet again I'm drawn to this bold and graphic style of design - which is so different to my own work.  There's something about being attracted to a style of design which is opposite to how I naturally work and create designs, and I'm fascinated by the style and strong brand image she has.  Oooh envy!  

Orla Kiely 'Pattern' published by Conran Octopus, 2010