london lumière | a day trip to london.

This weekend we went up to London with a load of mates for London Lumière, a four day festival of light installations across London.

It was billed at being a chance to beat off the winter blues and anything bright and shiny has my vote anyways!

We started obviously in the same place as thousands of others, around Kings Cross and got caught up in the crowds which unfortunately meant that a few of the installations were turned off as we walked the route, butttttttt this is what we did get to see!

a rainbow neon bird cage, there were swings in the middle too!

I think this was my favourite of the things that we saw!

This photo might not look like much but it was people with sensors on all moving and then being projected onto the building! Did feel a bit sorry for those people eating at that restaurant though, with all of us staring at them! 

My bessie Harriet caught whilst I was trying to get a photo of this animation projected on a building, you can see how crowded it was now...

this garden in the middle of Leicester Square was another of my favourite, it was like being Alice in Wonderland when she shrinks and then the flowers bully her...

 

fish! These guys were gracefully floating along Regents Street

We were on a hunt for this elephant, having found out that the Whale was only at the Durham event, the elephant was the next best thing, it was an animation of an elephant and from one street you can see the elephants face and the other street just his bottom!

Did you go along? What was your favourite part of the festival? Luckily the festival was such a success that they are planning on putting it on again in London and in other cities across the UK so if you did miss it, then keep your eyes peeled for the next one!

ROAR!

Karli and Jacques

back once again for the renegade craft fair

This weekend we were at Renegade Craft Fair for the fourth year running! There are always a huge amount of round up posts that go round so we thought we'd get ours up before you were sick of reading them!

Our new beaver vending machine filled with newly designed charms and DIY bracelet kits

Our new display is all the colours of the rainbow!

#squadgoals
i Like CATS | Woah There Pickle | designosaur | hello DODO | Juream Box | Oh Someday 

We were very lucky this year that most of the Brighton crew were placed next to each other so we were able to create a HUGGGGEEEE Brighton booth space which contained Woah There Pickle, i Like CATS, hello DODO and ourselves, next to us were the wonderful Jureum Box and Oh Someday too.

Juream Box hand dies all these super soft gorgeous products in the most beautiful ombre brights!

YUK FUN had lots of new things, dresses, crop tops, make up bags! All the joy!

I got the most awesome gift from Ruth and Brendan aka i am acrylic, a little cheese ring! I'll put a photo up on instagram soon, when it's not so greeyyyyyyy outside.

Zodiac signs by Oh Someday, this are much more delicious in real life! Poor Kate is doing exactly the same markets as us this season, so you can catch her when you see us!

Keith made it to the blog as he won the "Best Male Salesperson" Award for looking after Sally from Hand Over Your Fairy Cakes stall, you should check out her stuff, it's awesome and none of it is shown here... (sorry Sally!)

Renegade, for those of you that have not been before is the biggest and bestest Craft Fair in the UK, it's an established event in the USA and they now run two events a year, here in London in the ever trendy Shoreditch.

Now the problem with my round up posts each year is that we are normally so busy behind our own stall that there isn't much time to escape to go and visit all the other awesome people that are there, BUT we did manage to run around on the Sunday afternoon (when everyone is looking frazzled and sweaty) to say hello to some of our faves and online friends that we only get to see during craft fair season! Obviously they are the most colourful too!

Pygmy Cloud's new egg cups, I want to know if you get the googly eyed egg included?

And Smile had the most beautiful booth! All the colour and Viktorija always has a massive grin on her face!

Kirstin Stride is part of the Brighton Massive! Check these cute little birdy necklaces, each one is individually hand drawn!

If you came along to see us, play with our new machine, and stroke the dinosaurs, then thank you, it was awesome to see you, we have two more markets coming up, The Brighton Etsy Christmas Market and Crafty Fox, find out more by clicking on them!

Woah There Pickle's crazy new Chrtistmas cards and fun prints. She's got sweetie Christmas decorations too!

Deborah Ballinger's stall is an awesome mix of BRIGHT and stylish, mexican themes running though her new Christmas range.

Cute brightly coloured vinyl decorated bottles by Ladybird Likes

Stall buddies, hello DODO's new dinosaur baby wear! Mini clothes for mini people! They are doing ALL of the fairs, so make sure you catch them!

Hopefully see you all before Christmas,

ROAR!

Karli

mollie makes handmade awards

Last Thursday we were invited, as finalists, to the Mollie Makes Handmade Awards, and what a day it was!

I'm sure you've all met George by now but if you haven't here he is, and he's the reason we were shortlisted with hello DODO for the Mollie Makes Collaboration Award!

Now Brighton is a pretty talented place and Amy and Claire of Super + Super were also shortlisted for the Established Business Award - WOOP WOOP! HYPE BTOWN!

Amy, Jam (with no legs) and Ali chilling in the sunshine

The day started with a Photo Walk by Xanthe and some homemade lemonade. Presentations from the finalists were through-out the day. We couldn't watch these but there was a panel of EIGHT judges, and we were the very last presentation... eek!

There were talks on how to get your book published and one from Pinterest. They were fun and definitely insightful! (now what can I write a book about...)

Crafty Materials for Crafternoon Cabaret Club

Unfortunately Jacques wasn't able to come along but I got to hang out with the Dodos and met plenty of amazing designer makers!

So with our nerves building all day, we waited at the bottom of the stairs to meet our doom (jokes) - we presented to the very friendly bunch and were asked lots of questions about George, our brands and how we had worked together to collaborate.

When it was all over we grabbed a pint - cos it'd be a stressful day - and waited nervously for the results and when we were announced, none of us moved! We were winners of the Collaboration Award! WAHHHHOOOOO!

WE WON! WOAH!

Creative Idea award winner Allison Sadler’s (#MakeItSewcial) and Established business award winner Nikki McWilliams (I'm a stalker, as you can tell they weren't posing for me ;) )

Back in Brighton we all went for celebratory burritos and filled Jacques in, he was pretty hyped so here's a dark blurry photo of him and his Mollie Makes swag (including an amazing brother pen with a LIGHT!?!)

So George is now award winning! How magic is that? Mega thanks to Mollie Makes and all of the judges, we are soooo excited to have won!

Do you have a George? Do you think fame has gone to his head?

Karli

pick me up! london graphic arts festival.

A couple of weeks ago we went to visit  Jam and Ali aka hello DODO at Pick Me Up, a yearly graphic arts festival held at Somerset House, London.

Lazy Oaf 

Lazy Oaf

Lazy Oaf

hello DODO were part of the Best Room and when we went to visit it was PACKED! We came back just before close to take some snaps!

Best

Best

hello DODO's work in the Best Room

I couldn't help but buy some of the gorgeous pieces and I snapped up a graphic print by RISOTTO and a FUN print in the Lazy Oaf Room.

We listened to Cathy Olmedillas from ANORAK talk about their new Magazine DOT. I love listening to successful business people saying that they didn't have a plan, they were winging it or they went against others advice but still SMASHED IT!

It was a visual delight of colours and patterns and you should definitely go along next year! Did any of you go this year, which was your favourite room, or piece?

ROAR!

Karli

Dinosaurs and Dodo's Hang Out (Renegade Craft Fair)

Crafty Looking RCF (Renegade Craft Fair) for you slo-mos

Last weekend I was probably thee most tired I have ever been. Working all week preparing stock and then getting up at stupid o'clock to avoid rail replacement wasn't the beginning of a fresh faced and stress free weekend!

I looked a mess, so THANK YOU, to anybody that still approached our stall and bought from us, as we not only looked a mess, but I feel I was also talking delirious nonsense too!

However, now I've got that apology/rant out of the way...

Renegade is an AWESOME-TASTIC weekend for sellers and buyers alike.

Us having all the fun on our joint stall with the Epic-ly Amazing hello DODO

I am going to show you snapshots of my weekend, I'm not going to show you the layout of sellers' stalls because it's Thursday and I've already seen a million posts like that. Sorry if I have mentioned these people before, my taste hasn't changed...

Toby (i like CATS) struggling with all his luggage on the way to Renegade, he struggled on the way home too but no photos of that!

Bredan (i am acrylic) had the best badge. He's very very helpful. 

Jacques kept leaping into all of my photos...

Prawn Brooch by Magasin. I did the really annoying thing of trying to redesign somebody else's product. I really wanted a prawn-y necklace and was trying to work out if I could make this beautiful brooch into what I wanted. Sarah was EXTREMELY patient with me. She's lovely.

Cheska is super happy in front of her stall (mooshpie)

Our Crafty Crewdem leaving Renegade :( including Sally from Hand Over Your Fairy Cakes, and Amy her trusty Stall buddy! (all credit for this photo goes to Sally, except she's in it so ermm.)

So did you like my little wander around Renegade or would you prefer me to do a list of all the sellers I like and their products, because I have all the photos to do that blogpost too... let me know in the comments yeah?

ROAR!

PS I haven't edited my photos, there aren't enough hours in the day!

SS13 from designosaur!

The new SS13 from designosaur is here! If you follow us on Twitter or have liked us on facebook then I am sure you have seen all of these pieces already. If you have however been living under a pile of dinosaur bones then here you go!

Natural History Pieces

Darwin the Dodo is a very happy chappy

Then there is Matilda the Mammoth

and finally Quentin the Pachycephalosaurus, yes we know that's a bit of a mouthful!

Lichtenstein Inspired Pieces

 We love Pop Art, and with the Retrospect at the Tate currently on show, we thought it was the perfect time to give a nod towards an artist we love.

Yellow Heart Necklace

If you haven't been to the exhibition yet, you should go, it is AMAZING! There are so many pieces that I have never seen before, and I went to the last huge exhibition in the Hayward Gallery and have seen his pieces in the MoMA and all over the world... (big fan). Some of his Art Deco influenced sculptures are simply beautiful and it is from these that the structure of our pieces come.

Art deco Inspired Mirror Sculpture

Red Heart Necklace

Lichtenstein is most famous for his Benday dot designs so we have incorporated these into the Collar as well as the brooch and ring of the same design. The red heart is also inspired by these tiny hand painted dots too.

Lichtenstein Collar

Lichtenstein used to copy from comic books, and in some cases painted direct copies of work onto HUGE canvases. This is the true essence of Pop Art to me, taking something everyday (POPular culture) and making it art. I am fascinated by tiny replicas of everyday objects and huge bright paintings of famous people. Hopefully this comes through in our jewellery... well it does in this collection!

Lichtenstein inspired Brooch, Ring of the same design

Green Heart mainly inspired by Lichtenstein's Mirror Paintings

Let us know what you think of the collection, and what your favourite pieces are!

ROAR!

Karli