papergirl glasgow

Papergirl is an art project that gives away rolled-up artworks to random passers-by and it is happening in Glasgow right now!

It was started in Berlin five years ago and now there are Papergirl events all over the world. Artists send in work and it is all given away for free by volunteers on bicycles, American paper-boy style. On delivery day, Papergirl Glasgow will be handing out 1,000 artworks.

I'm keeping tabs here and here to see if I can catch me some free art!

image via sneakher and papergirl glasgow

help japan

I'm sending some money to help Japan. I listen to the news with my fingers crossed, but it is time to do what I can to help. There are so many creative people donating their work and shops donating their proceeds to raise money and this is a good way of giving, I think.

confetti systems' knot ornament

fen and ned's letter holder

renilde's collage

debbie carlos' raffle

everything in mike perry's shop

hello sandwich's gift-wrapping zine

japanese paper goods from uguisu

monster gallery's godzilla print

life support japan's photographs

(image via confetti systems)

addicted to pinterest

Uh oh.

I am crazy addicted to pinterest. I just joined today and I have been using it for five hours straight. I even pinned while eating my dinner. It's an online pinboard where you can collect images as you find them, without having to mess around with other applications or websites. Once you join (you have to request an invitation, but they got back to me within a couple of days), you drag a 'pin it' button onto your bookmarks and - BOOM! - you're addicted. See an image you like on a website, click 'pin it' and the image saves onto your pinboard with a link to the original website. It is way past my bedtime, my posture is awful and I have blurred vision. Oh, so, so awesome.

image via my pinterest

want, but can't have...

...this super-cool, industrial-style furniture, available from urban outfitters - U.S. only! Nooooooooooooooooo!!!

Why, why, why?

images via urban outfitters

better than ice-cream

This is my favourite new yoghurt. It's totally awesome and I'm getting hungry just looking at the photos I've taken. It's called Twekkelo, it's from Holland and it is heaven in a plastic bucket.

I usually have yoghurt in the morning, but this one is strictly for dessert because it is ridiculously creamy and you would swear it must be bad for you - but it's super-healthy! (I have a book by Michael Van Straten, a healthy-eating expert, that says, in a withering tone, that ALL yoghurts are healthy, stop being so stupid and just eat them.) It's available in supermarkets and comes in a few varieties, but their apple + cinammon is all I need forever more. Oh, and there's a cute story about how it all started in a clog store (!) and neighbours would come collect their yoghurt in little buckets. Totally awesome.

inspiration

Still life screenprints by Elizabeth Blackadder. As promised.

images via glasgow print studio

a denim tova

TA-DA!

I am proud to announce my denim version of the tova shirt!

I know in my last post that I said I followed all the instructions, but that's not exactly true. I ignored the very first instruction, which is to choose a suitable fabric. I have been longing to buy a denim shirt for ages now, so when my tova pattern arrived in the post, I thought, 'Hey! I don't have to buy one. Heck, I can MAKE one!'

(Cue: KT Tunstall track and montage of me weaving through the city streets, in shops holding denim fabrics up to the light, struggling to the cash desk with five rolls of fabrics and then walking home with shopping bags swinging at my side. Cut back to blog.)

So, with some lovely-but-unsuitable denim washed and pressed, I cut my pattern (I made a size small) and started sewing. I ran into a couple of problems because the fabric was heavier than recommended. Firstly, topstitching was a nightmare and I had to abandon it after my wonky work on the bodice. Secondly, my pleat gathering is uneven and a bit bulky. Lastly, I took some fabric off the hem because it was creating too much volume.

Apart from these minor mistakes, I am really pleased with my work and how it fits. I am especially proud of the sleeves. Fitting sleeves is just the weirdest thing to do, but then it all seems to work out fine! The denim is totally sturdy and I'm digging the workwear look it has. I have worn it ALOT, even in ill-advised 'double-denim' combos, which is surely a testament to how much I love wearing it.

Next, the gingham...!