Deer Frida

I stumbled across this fantastic portrait of Frida Kahlo on http://www.whokilledbambi.co.uk/. It's such an amazingly serene image - consider this my belated Christmas gift to you...

Arrr! Pete and the Pirates!

I went to a great gig the other night - it was the homecoming bash for The Young Knives. The Young Knives were ok, but the support band was excellent! Pete and the Pirates are a Reading based band formed in 2002. They have been receiving a lot of press and praise for their fun sounds - and rightly so! They properly had me bopping along. You can check them out on the amazing fabchannel - playing live at Paradiso in Amsterdam. Enjoy!

Twilight - Not Just for Teenage Girls

I've just got back from the cinema after watching Twilight - the teenage girl vampire fantasy film, based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer. I haven't read the books, and I have to say I went into the film thinking it was all going to be a bit Harry Potter. It turned out that the only thing Harry Potter about the whole thing was the fact that Robert Pattinson (who plays Edward Cullen in the film) also played Cedric Diggory in the Potter films. I actually really enjoyed the film - it's a long one at over 2 hours, but I really got into it. The filming was very beautiful, and the sound track was well put together. Definitely worth a watch if you get the chance.

Magical Polaroid Immortalised In Film

I love this documentary put together by Charles and Ray Eames capturing the magical (but now unfortunately obsolete) Polaroid SX-70 camera. Such amazing design and functionality...

Ties Are Back!

My posts are like buses today - three at once - I bet you can't believe your little eyes! Now, here is a good reason to start wearing shirts again. You knew they might come in useful at some point...

Cyberoptix Tie Lab are doing everything they can to banish ties that suck. They make unusual, screenprinted silk ties which I'm guessing they hope you will want to buy to replace all those ties you have at the back of your wardrobe that you bought in the 80s. There are loads to choose from, and for an extra $10 you can have your neck wear delivered it a lovely wooden tie lab box. Check out their web site, or their Etsy store to see what's going on.

Barnaby Barford Ceramics

Now this rocks! I came across an article about Barnaby Barford while I was looking for Christmas presents this year. The above object (titled 'Anything you can do I can do better') was listed in The Independent's 50 best gifts for women. It certainly stood out from the other items being paraded. Apparently Barnaby selects found objects and turns them into modified sculptures. I love the quirkiness and bright colours in the above work! You can find out more about his other projects on his website and designboom. Just so you know - I didn't buy it for anyone. I couldn't find a price - so I'm guessing it was therefore out of my £50 budget...

Plushtache the Mustache

Firstly (and I know I've said this before), I'm back on the blogging wagon. The wheels fell off for a second there, but I've greased up that axle and installed a turbo (or something).

Secondly, I love Etsy. That's a fact. It's a treasure trove of things you never knew you needed - including the amazing Plushtache. This is pure wool and polyfill dream material! Shannon (the lady who makes them, and other wondrous things) suggests you attach a plushtache to your lapel for easy twiddling during conversational lulls... What an accessory!

Mast Brothers - Pretty Chocolate

I was trawling round the web looking for Christmas presents (I know It's getting a bit too late) and I found these super pretty chocolate bars created by the Mast Brothers of Brooklyn. They make the chocolate in small batches - doing everything from cleaning and roasting the beans, to wrapping the final product in the most amazing paper! Unfortunately you can only buy it online if you are in the US from shopcomposition.com. Everyone else will have to make a special effort to do a trip over there!

MonkeyLectric - Be Seen, Be Safe, Be Ace!

US based company MonkeyLectric have released a revolutionary bike light featuring 32 super bright LEDs. It attaches to your wheels and it looks amazing, and is another great reason to buy a bike if you don't already have one. You can buy 2 for only $64.99. This has got more LEDs than my PC - and that's saying something! Check out the video in the gallery on the site for an idea of what it looks like in action.

Roger Hiorn's 'Seizure'

I popped into London yesterday to visit an amazing art installation. Roger Hiorn has created 'Seizure' - an exhibition that was due to close at the beginning of November, but has been extended until the end of November (30th). In a rather unassuming area of London, a flat (part of a derelict block) has been turned into what can only be described as Superman's summer palace. Every wall, floor, ceiling and even the bath has been coated in blue copper sulphate crystals. To create this marvel the flat was sealed up completely, and copper sulphate solution was poured through the floor of the flat above. It took 70,000 litres of the toxic liquid and nearly 3 weeks - then the flat was drained leaving the alien looking scene. You are given wellies when you get there, so there is no need to wear anything protective. This is definitely something to go see before the exhibition is closed and the block of flats are demolished!

Vitamin Water - Hangover Relief Arrives

I've been over to New York a couple of times, and while there I became addicted to Vitamin Water - a drink from a New York based company that rehydrates along with pumping you full of vitamins and minerals. Even better - they look pretty and taste great! These have got me through some pretty heavy hungover morning meetings! Glacéau (the company) have just released 6 varieties at selected stockists in and around London (I found some in Brighton). Give Power-c a try (my favourite) with vitamins c+b.

Graham Carter - Wonder Years at ink_d

While in Brighton I discovered the work of an artist called Graham Carter - his work was on the wall in an amazing antique shop and it drew us in. We found out from the owner that there is currently an exhibition of his work on in a lovely little gallery called ink_d. There were quite a lot of pieces of his work up from sale - ranging from unsigned woodcuts (from memory they were around £30) to multi-layered acrylic pieces (costing £2k+). I loved Bird Strike (pictured) which features little rabbits jumping from a crashed burning plane - try and spot the one having a cup of tea! The show is on until the 30th November if you get chance to pay a visit.

Lucky Dips, Sugar Lips

I never could eat donuts without licking my lips - here's a super sexy and colourful collection of photos of people that I think would be quite good at it...

1st Rule of Rum Club...

So, we've just been to Brighton as an after wedding getaway, so expect a few Brighton posts coming up :) To kick things off though here's a tip for all the rum drinkers out there like me. We came across the Saint James pub while walking back to the hotel. The sign outside read 'Hot Toddy made from homemade spiced rum' - I've never entered a pub as fast! It turns out that the Saint James is a lovely atmospheric pub, that has over 70 varieties of rum! Over 70! They also hold a rum club on the first Tuesday of every month (at 8pm), so if you are in the area, you should definitely go. They also serve what looked like the most amazing Thai food - if only we hadn't booked a restaurant (I can imagine I would have been there all night). My recommendation from the rum list is the Santa Teresa Rhum Orange - a gorgeously smooth orange based spiced rum.

The Ice Cream Floats, Yum!

Apologies for not posting for a bit - I've been off getting married! I thought I'd spring back into life with something cute to keep everyone interested. Here's a band I've been listening to for a while now - I have to admit that I'm addicted to their home made sounds... The Ice Cream Floats consist of Tipper Newton and Joe Swanberg. They don't seem to have released an album, but that's understandable considering Joe is an amazing indie film maker / director and Tipper is a wonderful actress! Check out their myspace page to have a listen to them in all their glory (I love 'Sundae' and 'Gumdrop Tree'). I'm desperate to see one of the films Joe has made called 'Hannah Take the Stairs'. It looks ace! Check it out...

Kingston MA Graduation Show at OXO Tower

I went to London on Saturday to go to the Kingston University MA Graduation Show. It was held in the Bargehouse Gallery at OXO tower wharf on South Bank, which is a gorgeous building. The work on show was amazing, and unique in every way. There was everything from illustration, animation, set design, fashion and more - it's interesting to see how diverse one graduation show can be. This was the last step to graduating for my amazing friend Rachel - it's incredible how talented one person can be! You can see her work (called 'British Aisles') on her web site.

The Ultimate Pumpkins!

Martha Stewart (the American answer to Jane Asher) has come up with (in my opinion) the best pumpkins this year. I've seen so many designs around, including lots following the star wars theme and scary predator pumpkin, but these amazing lace style pumpkins are the ones that stood out. It's not too late - get your carving equipment out! Happy Halloween everyone!!

Head Hoods For Your Head (and Body)

A US company called head hoods have just released a set of bright new hoodies, including the Mexican wrestler. That's right - you can recreate your favourite scenes from Nacho Libre with your friends. Hours of fun! Also available are hoodies featuring the faces of Barack Obama and King Kong.

Wild Boar, Wild Boar!

The Real Boar Company produce some amazing looking salami from wild boar. The boar are ethically farmed in a pesticide free 20 acre woodland site in the Cotswolds where they forage for their natural food. The nicely designed gift boxes contain 375g of meat, and range in price from £15.50 to £19.50. Smaller vacuum packs are available. For more information, have a look at the web site.

Japan From The Water

I love these photographs taken by Japanese artist Asako Narahashi. The series contains unusual photos of the coastline of Japan - unusual because all the images were taken with Asako half standing, or floating in water. The images are currently on show until November 6th 2008 at Galerie Priska Pasquer in Cologne, Germany.

Bee Hive Art

Artist Hilary Berseth from Pennsylvania has been getting our buzzy little honey making friends to help him create some impressive sculptures. Hilary creates a base, and then the honeybees do the rest of the work. There are more details about how it all works on the New York Times web site, along with some pictures of the build up over a period of time. You can see more of Hilary's work on the Eleven Rivington gallery web site, or in person if you get chance to visit New York.

Tilly And The Wall - Oh!

So, excitingly my copy of the latest Tilly and the Wall album (called 'O') arrived today! I've now listened to it three times, and I have to say that I think it is worth every penny. I'd heard snippets of the new tracks, and I was worried that they had gone a bit too rock but... overall the album is nicely balanced with traditional Tilly sounds and some new stuff to keep us interested! Hoorah! I think 'Beat Control' has received some well deserved radio airplay here in the UK, but I also really like 'Pot Kettle Black' - I have no idea how I will sleep tonight with that song going round in my head! You should definitely buy it, and it's a snip at £6.98 from Amazon. I've included the amazing 80's style new rave video for Beat Control below.

Street Furniture Napkins

I think these napkins by US based design team Lovegrove & Repucci are ace. In fact, I think I might be obsessed with line drawings, but where's the harm in that. Even better news is that they cost $6.95 each! The plate (called New York Delft) is also from their collection featuring New York Graffiti. Very street! Even better news is that they ship worldwide.

Tigers? I Forgot My Trunks

I went to Bognor Regis today on the train, and this article in today's Metro caught my eye as we were hurtling down the tracks. There's something a little 'Siegfried & Roy' about the whole thing, but I like it. The 1 year old tiger cubs have been hand raised at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species near Miami, and are naturalised to having their trainers swim with them. It's not the kind of thing you see every day!

Pylon Pin & Thread Art At Tent

During September I visited Tent London as part of London Design Week 2008. There was some amazing stuff there, and although I was ultimately trying to find things to sell, I was impressed by something in particular. Debbie Smyth was selected as one of the most promising graduates of 2008 to display at the show. She created the installation Pins and Threads which uses pins and black cotton across several canvasses to depict scenes of electricity pylons. It really was beautiful, and must have taken quite a while to complete. Debbie doesn't seem to have a web site at the moment, but if that changes I will post a link to it here.

June's Jams

I love jam. It lasts forever, and in our house we have loads for when we run out of everything else. If only June shipped to the UK! Ah well...

House Bunny Not Funny

I went to see House Bunny at the cinema last weekend. Sadly it's one of only a handful of films I've managed to watch at the cinema this year as I've been so busy! I think Anna Faris is a great comedy actress so I was looking forward to watching it.

The verdict... Not good. Seriously, save your cash and watch it when it's on TV. Anna has been sold a duffer. On paper it sounds alright - it was written by the Legally Blonde team, and has a fairly good cast. For me, there is just too much obvious humour. Ah well, back to Just Friends it is then!

Burton Goes Old School

I have to admit that I haven't been into Burton since being a spotty teen with a lack of style in the 90's, but I think I've found a good reason to go back. The company have raided the archives and pulled out a collection of slim fitting suits for a new Heritage range, inspired by those produced during the 40's, 50's and 60's. Pictured is the the grey Heritage Sharkskin Suit Jacket priced at £90, with the matching trousers costing £40. Very dapper!

Horse Lamp! Recreate the Derby in your own Front Room!

Now this really is incredible! It's going to set you back £2866, but in my opinion is worth every penny! A full size horse lamp from the design house Moooi is what you get for your money - the shade is included, but you will have to buy your own bulb (and saddle)!

You might even be able to see the TV between his legs! Also available in silver for a whopping £25000. Available from nest.co.uk

Genius!

Shhh! Whispertown2000, Pretty Sounds

I'm obsessed with a band from LA, California called Whispertown2000 and I needed to share this! Most of their current work sounds like a late night jam session and I love it! I especially like 'On The Move' which sounds a bit like it's sung over a Casio keyboard demo from the early 90's. Their new album is due out this month, but in the meantime you can enjoy some of their older work. Have a look at their last.fm profile for a taster.

Paint Table Looks Amazing, Messy

I came across this amazing table by french designer John Nouanesing a few weeks ago now, and I've not been able to get the thought of it out of my head. It's called 'Paint or Die but Love Me' and I think it's an amazing concept! It reminds me of all those early DIY disasters I had. This guy seems to have so many things up his sleeves - check out his catalogue for more kinds of crazy.

Welcome!

So...

I thought that the first post on my blog should really explain a bit more about me. Let's be honest - you don't want to spend time reading something you are destined to hate, and there are so many blogs out there!

What makes me different? I'm a boy. Really a man that refers himself as a boy. That doesn't make me different, I'm sure. I love design and aesthetics in all walks of life. I walk down the street pointing at all the pretty things that I see to whoever is with me. I'm nearly married. I'm obsessive about getting things right. It's all in the detail. I love hyphens - I will overuse them! I think Burt Reynold is a genius. I try to be funny. I'm from 'the north', but I now live in Oxford, England.

What do I intend my blog to be about? Well... Everything and anything really. The latest lovely things I've seen. Designs and designers that take my fancy. Technology, but not too geeky. Life. Music. Art. Food. All the things in between.

I'll try to post regularly - I don't want this to be end up in the blog graveyard! Comments, Questions and Feedback of any kind are always welcome.