Picture books, paper goods & pretty things.
My lovely friend reminded me today of a wonderful photograph we saw at the National Portrait Gallery two years ago and I had to share it with you. It's part of Karan Kumar's Sachdev's project Yellow Chair Portraits. It's so completely joyful.
I took a slow stroll around Bath recently and remembered just how beautiful it is. There are so many details to spot on the buildings and pavements. It was such a lovely way to spend a day, almost meditative. I highly recommend taking a camera (or just your phone) and wandering familiar streets with a fresh eye. It's amazing what you find.
As the seasons change I love how pumpkins and squashes start to appear everywhere. They represent all the goodness of the earth and just look so bright and pretty!
I buy magazines less and less these days but one that I love subscribing to is The Simple Things. It's such a treat and I always read it cover to cover. It's just the right balance of indulgent and informative with travel, recipes, lifestyle articles, music playlists, horticulture, herbs, creativity, stories and ideas for your home. I recommend it to everyone I know. Their website is lovely too for a lunchtime browse.
I can't walk past this shop on Brewer Street without taking a photo. It makes me want to buy everything in it.
I can't deny that I get a bit giddy when the temperature drops at the end of the summer. It signals time to dig out my favourite old winter coat and woollen mittens. Time to get ruddy cheeks from windswept strolls through crunchy leaves ending with a mulled cider in a cosy pub.
September for me is a perfect combination of summer skies with winter cosiness. Scarves and shades. The best possible pairing. It feels somehow like a new beginning and a chance to relax after the vibrance of summer.
I love this article from Lauren Laverne on wonderful website The Pool which talks about why September should be the new 'New Year'. I tend to agree.
I was reading a post on the Yes & Yes blog today about ways to show people you love them. One of the little things suggested is sending the Golden Girls theme tune to your friends. It really made me smile as I refer to my friends as the Golden Girls (or GGs!) all the time. I'm sure lots of girls do the same thing which just shows how much impact the show had. So here's a little treat in honour of the brilliance of friends, play it loud : )
"I think the thing is really just to do it... If you can draw... Have fun with it..."
Every November, Mary Anne Hobbs on 6 Music has a special theme for her weekend breakfast shows called #6MusicMakeArt. Listeners make art as they listen and share it on Twitter. There are also interviews with artists. Last year, Mary Anne spoke with the magical Judith Kerr who is one of my heroes. Now in her nineties, Judith is still creating beautiful picture books. The story goes that she enjoys a walk in the fresh air and a little tipple each day. I can only hope to be like her in my old age.
I come back to this interview time and time again. It's a lovely listen.
I started drawing because I was going through a difficult time and was finding it impossible to write. I just needed to feel my hand moving on the page. I am strangely grateful for that difficult time. Illustration has become my meditation, my passion, my entertainment.
I can lose myself in trying to get a drawing right for hours, sometimes days and often ideas change as I draw. This girl started as a sophisticated Audrey Hepburn type and somehow ended up as a hungover shambles. That's what's so brilliant about creating, you never know quite where you'll end up.
It was so hot today that the evening felt like a holiday. I love how Europeans often go out after dinner just for a stroll. I took myself out for coffee gelato and promenaded like I was in the South of France.
