Modern yet Folksy

When I was last in New York I visited this great store in Greenwich which stocked these gorgeous wooden post cards with twee looking animals on them. I am so happy to have finally found them (and other awesome products!) on-line at Night Owl Paper Goods.

They have such a cute collection of post cards (printed onto light weight wood). My favourites are the fox, kitten and bunny with a latte. What a lovely treat to send to loved ones.

They also have some really cute notepads (made from the same wood). I really love the otter and owl prints. They would be perfect to carry around everyday in my handbag.

Lori Nichols also makes handmade owls for Night Owl Paper Goods. She uses thrifty sweaters, wool, acorns and letterpress bits and bobs. They are so adorable! I really like the one made from mint green wool.

Craftacular

Five years ago when I took up my first job in magazine publishing it was because I adored magazines. The way they smell, look, feel and most importantly the influence they have over their readers. Magazines are incredibly powerful tools – they can make or break musicians, actors, models and politicians, they educate us, tell us what to wear, how to look and think and even how to act. That is a mighty accomplishment for pieces of paper with pretty images.

Although I have all the free magazines I could ever desire at my finger tips, I still peruse the newsstands for new and unusual magazines which grab my attention. I have been known to buy Spanish and French magazines because they were the most impeccable and divine items I had ever laid my eyes on. My favourite magazines are Lula, Elle, Love, Nylon, Dazed & Confused and Bust. I now look forward to flying on planes so I have an excuse to stock up on magazines and read them for several uninterrupted hours.

At the moment I am really digging Bust magazine. It is so different from other women’s magazines out there and I really respect what they put together each month. When I heard that Bust was hosting their annual Craft fair in London, I was excitedly waiting for Saturday morning to approach.

I arrived in Bethnal Green at midday (official start time) and the queue to get inside Craftacular was winding half way down the road. When I finally got through the doors (45 minutes later) I was greeted by tables of delightful nic nics and glamorous girls wearing their best brooches, floral dresses and immaculate hair styles (what is their secret?)

Craftacular was everything I could have hoped for. There were great tunes playing all day, a retro tea shop with 50’s waitresses serving tea and cupcakes and most importantly the crafts were amazing. I could have gone away with so many items (namely the pink ceramic pink bunny necklace, the floral ring and the gold skull necklace) but I limited myself to one piece – a gold necklace with a sailing ship pendant. I am already jotting down next year’s event in the calendar!