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Vintage treasures from
The Bucket Tree


The Bucket Tree is my new favourite shop (yes, yes, I know that happens quite a lot...). The rather lovely vintage emporium is run by Artemis Russell, who also writes a very beautiful and inspiring blog, Junkaholic. She also runs RUST, a jewellery company, based in Clerkenwell, London, and Tokyo, with her husband Nao.

The shop came about because Artemis and Nao's love for collecting junk outgrew their tiny south London flat... so they thought they'd sell some of it. And lucky us – because they collect some absolutely beautiful things, as you can see above.

This lovable, hand painted wooden rabbit family, would look great in a child's bedroom. They measure 15cm high and cost £25.


60s children's card game
Love this colourful, animal-illustrated game for children from late sixties'. Instructions (and original price of 7 1/2p!) included. £14.

40s/50s alarm clock
A pretty little wind-up clock, which has luminous hands and brass fittings on the back. It's made of metal, ticks loudly and measures 7cm tall 
and 6.5cm across and costs £29.

She has heaps more adorable things for sale – from old books to crochet blankets, a miniature yacht, an art deco perfume bottle and a few clothes, too (love the 1930s dickie bow).

A big apple! Sweet storage from Our Workshop


I've been spending a LOT of time in my office in the last few months. And my desk – particularly as it is not large – is always full of notebooks, Post-its, a diary open at the right page, business cards, to-do lists... all things that I need to hand, but which look a mess when I (finally) turn off the light and go and do something else. It'd be great to be able to bung the whole lot in something that would hide them all – if only for the illusion of looking tidy. And this lovely Granny Smith storage container, from Our Workshop, could be the answer...

Think it could also make great bathroom storage if you have a suitable shelf or ledge (sponges and soaps and razors are all ugly things to have lying around the bath if you can avoid it). Or in the bedroom to bung all your make-up in, or even the kitchen – for teabags.

Brilliantly, it comes in red, too, and in two different sizes: 20cm x 20cm for £20.50 and 300cm x 300cm for £43.

Etsy's 'Little Zoo' prints


Elizabeth Soule, from Portland, USA, took her 'Little Zoo' range of funny/quirky/cool photos on her Polaroid SX-70 camera, then scanned them and matched them to the original Polaroid. Which gives them this strange big/small feel, almost like one of those tilt-shift photos. 

I think they're fantastic. Really love the lion and tiger face-off, below. You can buy one of these cute and unsual prints (6"x6" centered on 8"x10" piece of photo paper – perfect fit for a standard 8"x10" frame) for around £15.50 ($25), plus around £4 postage, at Elizabeth's Etsy shop, or see more of her creative photography at her website.

Go straight to the Deer and Vines print above, which – like the others – comes on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper (190 gsm) with Epson archival inks.


Zebra print

All prints are around £15.50. There are also lovely gnomes, raccoons, birds, hares, whales, pigs and much more...


Pretty postcard prints
from Mercy

What a lovely surprise it was when these four pretty postcard prints arrived on the doormat – a present from supercool design agency, Mercy

Each card features a blend of rather inspiring quotes from two great thinkers (named at the bottom of each, shaking hands). Sadly, these gems are not for sale in the online shop (though you can buy some of their other goodies and check out all the rather lovely design work they do). 

Wisdom comes from well-known brains such as Victor Hugo, Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry Miller, as well as from lesser-known names (to me, at least) including Rachel Carson and Zeno. Below are close-ups so you can see who said which quote. And for similar text-based art of an affordable variety, you could try the Keep Calm Gallery, or order a bespoke quote from Karen Miller of Devon Driftwood.

Right – I'm off to put these babies in frames and hang them by my bed. Just the thing to look at on a rainy morning.




Fabulous "wooden" feature wallpaper from Bodie and Fou

This "Scrapwood" wallpaper, which comes in six variations (see below, too) is odd and beautiful in equal measure, I think. 


It's designed by Piet Hien Eek and for sale at hip online store, Bodie and Fou. It's pricey – £145 a roll – but the rolls are large (each is enough to cover 4 square metres) and you probably wouldn't want to do a whole room in it. The more I look at it, the more I love it. What do you make of it?










Gorgeous Ukranian love birds


These love birds are actually badges (they're about 6cm x 7cm each), but I think they'd look lovely on a mantlepiece or a shelf above the bed.

They're one of a little flock, sold in Moloco, the Etsy shop of architect and designer, Maria Bormosheva, who lives in Ukraine. You can buy them from her Esty shop, from around £9 each (including postage) where her profile makes you want to buy her lovingly crafted little things even more: "Once I understood that I cannot live without being engaged in needlework," she writes, "and so I am here." Lucky us.



Animal-themed interiors


The wonky-legged pup was being particularly charming today – and it doesn't take much to make me come over all animal-y. That did it. So thought I'd do a round up of some favourite four-legged items for the home. A couple of things I've had my eye on for a while...

1. This Bitossi dachshund  (or 'Hound No. 44' as he's affectionately known) is part of the Rimini Blu collection created in the early 1950s by Aldo Londi who was, at the time, art director of Bitossi ceramics. There's a whole menagerie available alongside him at SCP but he is one of the cheapest – he's £30.71 and measures 24cm high – and, I think, the best.

2. Oh 'Urban Fox' how innocent and wholesome you look on this sweet Lisa Jones bone china mug. Nothing like the rangy and mange-y specimens that prowl the city streets round these parts, bin riffling, courting deafeningly and cat scaring. £12.50 from Hunkydory Home.

3. It is only as I type now, that I see I have osmotically been drawn to a double dachshund situation. That is what happens when I spend time with my 99-year-old granny and we talk about bad husbands and the short-legged succession of expensive dogs she always much preferred (spouses and canines, I should add, all hers). This 50x50cm cushion is just a tenner from Habitat.

4. Want this lamp. Want this lamp. Want this lamp. Why oh why is it £79 (from Liberty)? The long lasting joy it would bring its owner would surely justify the cost. But, just in case, I've also found that Good Gracious sell almost as nice versions (and in different colours) for just £39.99. They're currently out of the white ones though (just red, pink and green). But Caravan have them at £49.99. * NEWS: GG have white rabbits back in stock – and they are, I'm reliably informed, the very same as the Liberty ones!

Michael Hess photographs: Bingo & Social Club

If you like this photo as much as I do (it reminds me lots of the John Hinde Butlins pictures I bought for my bathroom, that I'm always banging on about) check out the exhibition next month.


The show is called Bingo & Social Club and the marvellous photographer is Michael Hess. 



Catch it from  4-30 March at the Book Club
 in east London. Copies of the accompanying book, written with Maxine Gallagher, will also be on sale.

"Around 1pm, every day of the week, nearly 600 bingo halls across the UK open their doors to thousands of loyal customers. But, although they can be found on almost every British high street, surprisingly few people ever see what goes on inside.

In Bingo & Social Club, photographer Michael Hess opens up this world to a new audience. Behind the often crumbling exteriors, he finds vibrant places full of strong characters, quirky details and more than a hint of nostalgia. In his own words: “I want people to feel that they’ve spent a night at the bingo – to sense what it feels like to be there.”

See more at Michael Hess's website

(This has been updated since originally posted.)

Springtime fabrics at Seamstar

Momo Freebird Outdoors in Grass


Just got a colourful and cheery newsletter from the spectacular fabric and craft emporium, Seamstar. And 15 minutes later was still poring over the images of prints on their Flickr feed. This spring-like lovely is by Momo – and you can get all sorts of other chirpy and cheerful designs by them too. From owls to flowers, patchwork tweetiepies (from £2.80 for 1/4 metre) and bundles fabrics in the same family, starting at £14. Here are just a few options, all from the Momo range, to tempt you...








And, for luck, one from the Monaluna Organics range, below (couldn't resist it)







More affordable art



Yesterday I blogged about some gorgeous Panda-based prints for a child's room from A Little Bit of Art. Just after I'd posted it, I couldn't resist a bit more window shopping on the site and dug out a few more goodies. I wouldn't usually blog about the same shop or site twice in a row – but there was just so much more there and I needed to justify the very long time I spent thinking, "want that"... "want that"... "want that"...

For the small dog in my life, I had to start with this super sweet and slightly kitsch canine covered number under the banner Collection of Joy (£20, A3 size, open edition digital print).


And it's not only prints for walls that the shop sells. LOVE this plate! (It's £30 and 250mm diameter.) There are some tea-towels and other illustrated accessories for sale on the site too.


And these fishing boats are just great, aren't they? By artist Hanna Melin, it costs £60.


And this is just brilliant. Love the dayglo tinge. It's by Robert Rubbish, costs £50 (48cm x 64cm, signed, limited edition screenprint of 200). I really want it.

Stylish interiors for children

How adorable is this panda? He's part of a range of posters for children from the online shop, A Little Bit of Art, which specialises in affordable art.

This chap – who officially goes by the name of Pandamonium – costs £40 (40cm x 50cm) and is one of a limited edition of 50 signed screenprints. I like Pandapop too (below). Same price, same size etc.
For more inspiring ideas on staying stylish when you have little people sharing your home, check out my Insider column on the topic in today's Independent on Sunday.

The Lovely Pigeon


I've just discovered the Lovely Pigeon blog – the creation of print-maker, illustrator and upcycler, Kirsty Thomas. The blog is very sweet, is made in Scotland and is full of craft ideas – many themed around pigeons. I like a pigeon. 

Lovely Pigeon also sell lovely wares through Not On The High Street – including this sweet, romantic, pigeon-y card, for £2.

Check out some of their other items – such as this:


The 'Brown Bird' lino print, 29.7cm x 42cm, is just £20 and part of a limited edition set of 30.