Monthly Archives: May 2012

Content sharing websites. I’m addicted. It’s a bit like when you were little and you cut pictures out of magazines of things you wanted or aspired to have when you were finally a real life adult. Well I’m all grown up now but that doesn’t stop me scrapbooking online, compiling a visual wishlist of things I want for when I’m a ‘grown up’ grown up. These sites are also great for gathering inspiration if you work in a creative industry. Gone are the days of physically flicking through magazine archives and scanning pages into the computer one by one. These site allows you to hone in on your vision from colour palettes to texture ideas with a couple image hops and saves.

So here are my little spaces on the internet…

First up, Pinterest. Pinterest is pleasant, cosy and optimistic… the perfect spot for interior and food porn. Also great for discovering new illustrators and ambitious craft projects. I can spend hours pinning to my boards as if actually planning wardrobe rehauls and room renovations.

Next we have Sumally. Pinterest’s cool younger Japanese sister. Sumally has the best of sleek product design and chic fashion. Less homey and more urban. There’s just something about the Sumally layout that makes anything you curate on your page seem sophisticated and well considered. No doubt about it, Japan just does it better.

If Pinterest is the polite one and Sumally is effortlessly cool… then We Heart It is the pre-teen with attitude in the house. Filled with trend-driven style pics, nail art and One Directional devotion. I like the ease in which you can ♥ things all over the internet, I’ve created a few inspiration sets here which I find my inner pre-teen adding to all the time.

I’m all for image sharing (although crediting sources is very important). Whether you’re planning a wedding, browsing for recipes or in my case cataloging visual references for projects, these sites ensure you don’t lose those little pieces of eye-candy you see on your daily internet trawl.

Come visit me here…

http://pinterest.com/bookofdeer/

http://sumally.com/Book_of_Deer

http://weheartit.com/Book_of_Deer

Lots of pretty pictures!

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Fantasy Photoshop

Or so this old Photoshop CS4 ad claimed…

If only doing my print layouts was this crafty, I wouldn’t be as square-eyed as I am today!

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sigh*

I often daydream about having a lovely big country-style kitchen with a scrubbed oak table and jars of home-made jam. I also flick through interior magazines and compile a wish-list of mismatched crockery and cake stands. I tell myself that when I have this ‘perfect’ kitchen and a fridge stocked with non-processed food, I will then finally learn how to cook. I am not fooling anyone though as it is a well-known fact that I am quite hopeless in the kitchen. No excuses really…It is a combination of impatience, laziness and a tendency to take shortcuts with recipes!

I certainly would not have the steady hand and patience to make these beautful teabag shaped shortbread biscuits from Le Pétrin.

I will use the excuse that the recipe is in French as my reason for not making these (but I encourage you readers to have a go, they are a work of art!)

Teabags are a favourite motif of mine as they conjure up a feeling of coziness and comfort. I was inspired to make this print and dedicate it to that afternoon tea and biscuit break. As nice as it would be to dunk a Sablés Sachets de Thé into my mug, I will convince myself that a rich tea biscuit does just as good a job!

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