Our home has made it onto the pages of another new Japanese interior book, A Girly Interior in London, published by Editions de Paris. Just inside the front cover there is a beautifully illustrated map that puts Stoke Newington right up there where it belongs as an exciting and diverse London neighbourhood. We have already been asked if we can get hold of some prints of the London map for friends and customers in Stoke Newington so I will see what I can do.
When stylist Emma Cassi came to visited us in East London she was stunned by the cherry blossom mural in Olives bedroom. A mural as grand as this is a big statement but we really pulled it off. I think that there is a fine line between a mural that really works and one that is too twee or too contrived or quite frankly just not painted very well. I consider myself to be incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with a wonderful scenic artist Susanna Burton who bought my ideas to life quite beautifully. If you would like to discuss ideas for your children’s room with us please get in touch with us info@olivelovesalfie.co.uk
The new delivery from Rice has just arrived and I could take most of it home with me. We have delicious new things arriving every 6 weeks so if you are looking for homewares or presents don’t forget to check out what new exciting Rice products have arrived.
Their new oil cloths are fantasic and featured in Living etc this month. Both of these brilliantly bold print designs feature on a new range of melamine cups and plates that make gorgeous picnic or party ware. The oil cloth makes wipe clean table cloths or if you are feeling creative it makes fantastic bags. We made a hillarious oversized shopper out of the mixed vegetable print that is perfect for carrying newspapers and french sticks home for lazy breakfasts or summer picnics. Available in 2 designs the oil cloth costs £22.99 and is available by the meter and is already available from our online shop. Next month we will have 2 new designs arriving to add to our collection.
I have always had a love of typography and particularly a love of retro circus fonts. These hand printed tiles were made by our friend Bianca from ‘Kiss Her’.
I wanted to spell out the alphabet in alternate coral and black tiles and ‘Olive Loves Alfie’ in the space between our pigeon hole shelving. Not only do the tiles look great but they were miraculously a perfect fit and have been selling like hot cakes.
The tiles make a lovely keep sake or contemporary naming day present. Each ceramic tile is individually packaged in a funky metallic bubble wrap envelope to keep it safe.
You can spell out a name, word or initials. The tiles can be mounted on a wall or used as coasters.
Each hand printed tile costs £6 and measures 10.2cm square.
The tiles will be available via our online shop soon but in the meantime to order please email the letters and colours you need to info@olivelovesalfie.co.uk and we will deliver them to you within a week.
A few weeks ago I met a brilliant London based photographer and film maker whose work I found beautiful and fascinating. In his photographic work Phil Miller creates montages using projections, artwork and multiple exposures. Layering inanimate objects, scenic and typographic elements together his work has an amazing depth and quality so that each piece of work becomes a compelling contemplative narrative.
Cat In Cannes was inspired by and produced after a visit to the Cannes Film Festival and is my personal favourite.
We have commissioned Phil to produce a montage based on Olive Loves Alfie.
If you are looking for a unique way to capture your family or to tell your story I think Phil’s photographic montage would be a wonderfully original and powerful medium.
www.philmillerphotography.com
We found our Christmas spirit by making strings and strings of different sized paper chains last week to hang in the window of our boutique in Stoke Newington. Our colour theme was influenced by creating a back drop for the long awaited arrival of a new collection from a newly launched designer in Denmark called Size Small. The most directional pieces of their collection have been made in grey marl with a touch of silver lame and are the coolest contemporary party wear for kids this Christmas. You will be able to check their new collection out on-line later this week. I sent a sneaky preview to one of our most loved customers and stylists as soon as the collection arrived. Sophie snapped up an ice dance jumpsuit for her daughter..
The collection looks great in our window displayed amongst our paper chains made from our signature blk and white stripped candy paper bags that we use for gift wrapping, retro inspired printed wrapping paper from Rice and recycled bubble wrap that takes on a vibrant pink hue from our pink fluroscent tube window lighting.
Just in case you have forgotten how easy it is all you need are strips of paper that you wrap around into bracelets and staple them together. Mix lots together for dramatic effect and experiment with combining different sizes, textures and colours together. The links of our biggest paper chains are almost 30 cm. Its a really fun thing to do with kids especially if everyone gets to pick their own paper and then mix in some recycled materials too.
I fell in love with Eastern styling during my design days at Red or Dead when we travelled to China and Japan three or four times and year. It was there that the design team always found new and exciting inspiration. We spent time scouring fabric markets in small towns, flea markets and night markets in the chaos of Asian cities and whenever we had a moment to ourselves we would always head to one of the many temples we had discovered for a very different type of inspiration.
When I came across Dumpling Dynasty it couldn’t fail to charm me!
Inspired by many of the things that I love too, illustrator Fiona Hewitt, and expert in Asian Kitschology, Andy Tainton, conceived Dumpling Dynasty after years spent living in Shanghi, Beijing and Hong Kong.
All of their creations have taken inspiration from the days they spent in the East and quite specifically the styling of vintage packaging.
Each collectable and beautifully illustrated tin from Dumpling Dynasty evokes the same sense of charm that is so prevalent in the East. Look closely at the illustrations and I am sure that you will be charmed just as much as I was.
Check out their collection on our on-line store:-
Dumpling Dynasty
And so I am delighted to bring you Dumpling Dynasty….
Making new discoveries has always been one of my favourite things. Finding Tokyo Milk , in a tiny artisan perfumerie in a quiet Parisien back street in the Marais, last month is quite possibly my favourite find of the season.
The hand glittered packaging make everything Tokyo Milk produce a miniature work of art that is almost collectable. That is before you even check out the actual product! Let me know if you ever get beyond admiring their oversized blocks of wrapped soaps and actually open them. If you do take the gorgeous glittered wrapping and stick it around an old jam jar and give it a new lease of life by using it as a tea light holder.
Check out their new collection in our boutique or on our on-line shop.
We have a lovely selection in our boutique that is also available on our on-line shop Tokyo Milk.
You can expect to see much more here from Tokyo Milk next year.
At 3.30 when school is out we get to see lots of amazing creations making their way home along Stoke Newington Church Street. Esther, age 6 , made this fantastically colourful woven art piece at school out of strips of fabrics and pipecleaners and an old cardboard box at William Patten Primary School. When she came into the shop with her mummy I asked her if I could take a picture of it to give other people an idea of something they could make at home. I asked her how long it had taken her to make it and she very proudly said “nearly all day”. So here it is…
Try it at home by punching a row of holes in an old shoe box a few centimeters down from the top along both of the short sides. Thread string or coloured wool from one side to the other, in and out, left to right to left and so on, to create parallel strings that make a perfect base for weaving. Let your kids collect strips of fabrics, pipe cleaners, ribbons and string to make their own colourful design.
