Friday 31 August 2012

Nic Farrell

We've just had a bumper arrival from Nic Farrell, re-stocking all the wonderful cards and postcards that never seem to last long on our shelves!




We have 2 beautiful new card designs in too! Just in time for the late summer weddings and the wedding fair we're soon to be involved with (more details on this exciting event soon!), these cards are from an original watercolour Nic had worked on - how talented is this young lady?! 





 Oh, and our favourite grammatical super freak postcard has been jazzed up too! All items available in store now!




Friday 24 August 2012

#ff - Follow Friday

In the spirit of Twitter (Yes, Nook & Cranny is now addicted - @NookandCrannyL1), every Friday I'll share with you a blogger/magazine/website/Tweeter/Facebook page we think you should all follow.
This week is one of our artists ohNOrachio who keeps a beautiful blog.










Inspiring DIY's, yummy recipes, holiday envy, competitons, hand made goodies and a gorgeous little hamster called Twix are all celebrated on this beautiful blog with elegant pictures, a simple layout and friendly text.
Oh yeah, we've also had a couple of mentions! We can't help but smile every time we visit this blog, Rachel draws you in and makes you feel like a friend is keeping you up to date on her latest ideas.

Thursday 23 August 2012

The latest blog/website/Facebook app

Did you know, there's a great new app you can add to your blog so you can easily sell your work via your blog?
I've just stumbled across www.shoplocket.com which claims to "help decentralize online sales. Storefronts are a thing of the past. Most creative people find themselves with something they want to sell at some time or the other. But often the time, money, or energy required to start selling online makes you keep pushing it to the bottom of your to-do list. Not anymore. ShopLocket makes selling anything online as easy as embedding a Youtube video." With a snazzy looking logo in clean high design graphics, selling products never looked so good, let alone be so easy!
"ShopLocket lets anyone start selling professionally online in minutes. Simply publish a product, embed it in any website, Facebook page, or blog post, and start collecting orders. Finally, selling online is as simple as it should be. Check out ShopLocket at shoplocket.com or see what the team has been up to at timeline.shoplocket.com."
If any one is already using this, let us know, we're really keen to see how this looks! ShopLocket is a relatively new idea but the sellers app we've all been dreaming of.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

NEW IN

Another brand new colour way and design of Celia Harts beautiful hare illustrations.



We now stock a total of 18 different designs from Celia, ranging from hares and hens to birds and peas!

STAFF PICK



We can't get enough of this super cute cat print - and we thought we we're dog people! Mary Aube has combined vintage with the bell jar and peach tone background, with the humour and hand written text of contemporary illustration. Ticking so many trend boxes, no wonder this print is our staff pick today!

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Childrens crafts

With the back to school date looming, some parents out there might be counting down the days for the chance of an afternoon nap while some are welling up at the thought of their little people going to school for the first time. Here are some DIY ideas you and your children can make together, from lunch box ideas to show them you're thinking of them at school, to last minute rainy day activities so you can iron the last of their uniform.



 Adding stickers to fruit in your kiddies lunch box will not only let them know you care, but also draw their attention to the yummy fruit - so hopefully they wont skip the banana and have the crisps first!
Idea found here, adhesive paper found here and print out ideas can be downloaded from here. If not, hand written messages on stickers would be just as cute!



Check out this cute little crowd of gnomes! This is a free download that you can print out, found here, and so easy to make. Why not give the older children plain paper and pens to make their own? 



How great are these paper alphabet characters? Follow this link and learn the alphabet with your children while they get creative! Perhaps make one letter of the alphabet a week or just make your childs name to decorate their room?



How about using cookie cutters to shape a boring sandwich for their lunch boxes? You can get some great cookie cutters here. The above images were just found on Google images - type in 'children's lunch box ideas' and feel inspired!


Monday 20 August 2012

The wall sticker company.

Found on the amazing blog www.decor8blog.com (which anyone worth their design and inspiration credentials should already know about and follow), this company has extended the increasingly popular wall decals (vinyl stickers for walls that are removable and AMAZING) into wallpaper! No more yucky paste and swearing trying to remove the paper! This is a dream for anyone renting their home or anyone that changes their interior as often as the trends change. The wall sticker company include some fantastic illustrative decals from artists such as Grace Lee and Chrissy Lau, while the wallpapers range from photographic images to geometric patterns and on trend colours.
I'd like to say the only problem is choosing your favourite, but considering the ease in which these can be removed and applied, why not have a new theme every week?!












The wipeable chalkboard decals have been circling the design blogosphere for a while - aren't they great?! Can't get enough of the oversized knitted wallpaper too!






Sunday 19 August 2012

STAFF PICK




















It's only Sunday, but Sam Osborne has me dreaming of Friday night cocktails with this great Bloody Mary recipe print. With a vintage inspired illustration and text as sharp as a Bloody Mary itself, this is the ultimate print for the home bar!

Thursday 16 August 2012

The Ikea camera...

I just had to share this with you! While we all go through the various stages of loving, loathing, admiring or detesting Ikea, more often than not, they come up with a fantastic idea.




Here, Ikea have created a digital camera out of cardboard! With a usb drive included, once the maximum 40 images are used up, you can view and upload them straight to your computer. With no screen or delete button, this mini cardboard camera takes us back to the disposable camera days and uncertainty of the images you've taken.
A fun little gadget playing on our need for both technology and nostalgia.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!

This weekend will be the one year birthday of Nook & Cranny! Expect lots of cake, special offers and free give-aways. Come on down this saturday and help us celebrate!


NEW IN: Carve your own postcard from SuckUK

Remember the days of being a loved up rogue teenager scratching in your latest crushes initials on a tree outside your school? No, I didn't do that either, but they did it on the films and it certainly made me wish I could participate. Hoorah, now we can! Suck UK have made this dream possible without harming any live trees or with the embarrassment of your mother finding your artistic scratches on the tree at the end of your road. A small soft wood postcard allows you to scratch in any message with just a key, while the opposite side has a space for your message, address and stamp. Perfect! Now you wont have to make sure people visit the woods or park to admire your carpentry and secret messages.




These great postcards are available in store now.

Tuesday 14 August 2012

"Totes amazing!"

Our love of tote bags is ever increasing. They're perfect for so many occasions - carrying your shopping home, just casual on a day out, carrying your picnic, used as a book bag and now to wear your love of great illustration on your arm!
With so many 'tote' jokes ('totes' is short for totally, so totes amazing = totally amazing), Nook & Cranny are making their own bags complete with tote jokes in beautiful hand written type and bright illustrations, coming soon!


 Joy of Ex



 Sandra Dieckmann



 Bels Art World - this design is also available in a mini size!


 Clare Owen


 Lou Wright


 Snug Interiors


 Nicola Rowlands




 Doodlebag



Owl & Cat - this mini tote bag comes with a sketchbook and colouring pencils!



Saturday 11 August 2012

Summer BBQ's with Lush Designs

Finally, we seem to be getting a little warmth up north with the sun staying out for a few whole days recently! Astonishing. Planning on making the most of this rare sunshine, we're dreaming up BBQ's and warm evening soirees. With the chef being stuck on the BBQ, despite the smokey smell and sausage splash back, they can still look the part! Lush designs have this wonderful vegetable illustrated apron and better yet, there are napkins to match! Ketchup spillages with that early evening cocktail can be mopped up in style while this summer lasts.




A variety of Lush design aprons, mugs and napkins are available in store.