First up, Matryoshka cushions…

Mini matryoshka key rings / bag ornaments…

Mini matryoskhkas on strings of beads….

Matryoshka postcards and vintage kimono cards…

Purses / make-up bags made from fabric printed with my own designs…

Kimono Felt Craft kits…

Individual packs of kimono felt…

Kimono Paper Craft kits…

Kimono Bunting Flags…

Crafty sewing kits…

Needle cases…

Strings of birds and beads…

And stamped brown paper bags ready to be filled….!

Hello again blogland! It’s good to be back.
Lucy x

Morocco is a land of donkeys, mules and horses. I fell in love with donkeys the first time I visited Morocco and I’m still trying to persuade my fellow householders that we need one…

In the old part of the city of Fes, in the walled medina where the streets are narrow and cobbled, the only traffic is by foot and hoof.

It’s so nice to have all traffic moving at ‘leg’ speed and to be free from the noise and pollution of mechanical vehicles. I loved lying in bed in the early morning and listening to the sound of hooves clip-clopping below our cantilevered bedroom.

I also found it an absolute joy to regularly meet these beautiful animals while wandering through the streets of the medina.

You have to keep on your toes though! Sometimes I’d be in my own little world, browsing from shop front to shop front, when suddenly a shout would alert me to the fact that a heavily loaded mule was barrelling straight towards me!

Horses, donkeys and mules transport everything in the medina. From bags of cement, to…crates of Coca-cola! (I took these two photos on my first trip to Morocco, back in 2007.)

And of course the early morning rubbish collection in the medina is done with donkeys too.

Sometimes people hitch a ride too…

We were often struck by the endless calm patience of the animals we saw.

So many times we came across a mule or donkey quietly standing by itself – not tied to anything – simply waiting for its person to return. Or, in the case of the donkey below, waiting for its person to wake up from an afternoon nap!

Such gorgeous animals.

The great blue gate of Bab Boujloud is covered in intricately carved midnight blue tiles, framing a dramatic entranceway into the medina.

Here, zelij on the walls of Medersa Bou Inania (an Islamic school) features panels of Qur’anic calligraphy and complicated interlocking geometric patterns.

Zelij marks the moment you step off the dusty cobbled main street of Tala’a Kbira, and into the calm of the medersa.

Sahrij Medersa (in the Andalusian quarter of the city), was built in 1321. Now, after centuries of foot traffic, many of its tiles are worn bare.

Zelij often has a limited, striking colour palette, in this case: black, white, dark green and mustard yellow, with the natural colour of the fired clay showing through where the calligraphy has been carved out.

Patterns vary from simple checks to highly complicated combinations of geometric shapes and Arabic calligraphy.

Fes is also famous for it’s many public water fountains which are often completely covered in tiles.

I love this brass tap!

Less traditional, but graphically eye-catching was this bright pink plastic cup against the tilework.

Public fountains also often have built-in seating where old men gather to gossip and watch the world go by. I love the colours of this cushion against the simple tile pattern.

Donkeys tomorrow…!

Overlooking Fes Medina, from the rooftop of our guesthouse Dar El Hana.
(photo by Amy Tonkin)

At first I thought I’d show you what we did chronologically (we did this, then this, then this), but I couldn’t seem to get that to work somehow… So instead I’m just going to show you some photographic ‘stories’ of things that particularly inspired me or caught my eye while I was there. I especially want to show you some of the traditional crafts we saw in action.

Enjoy!
Lucy : )

1. Matryoshka Kimono Dolls, 2. Colour palette: Green, 3. Tamarillo chutney, 4. Cutest of cute hats!, 5. West Coast adventure, 6. Hands-on dog food!, 7. Pirates treasure bag PART TWO, 8. Autumn, 9. My new crafting space, 10. Friendly cat toys, 11. Birthday pancakes, 12. Magical toadstools, 13. Bush bath bliss, 14. Coral, shell and bone, 15. Autumn Blues, 16. Big skies, 17. Garden meditation, 18. The joy of wood, 19. Gratitude, 20. Birthday bunny

 1. My shop is now open!, 2. Cosy Friday evening, 3. Kimono paper tape PREVIEW!, 4. Happy weekend papercut, 5. Colour palette: Red, 6. Tin can lanterns, 7. Shop update: Tom Cats, 8. Spring love: magnolia blossoms, 9. Poultry PS, 10. …and the winner is…, 11. Display jars for treasures, 12. Pin board inspiration, 13. Monday’s inspiration: Honour, 14. Happy Equinox!, 15. Fresh start and a GIVEAWAY!, 16. Paper Fan Inspiration Cards, 17. Morocco on my mind, 18. Midwinter mandarin lanterns, 19. Rainbow eggs and a basket of flowers, 20. Vintage kimono palette

1. London by night, 2. Travelling feet, 3. Poultry Show, 4. Kimono paper tape PREVIEW!, 5. New things, 6. A new season…, 7. Hand carved stamps: lanterns and blossoms, 8. Monday’s Inspiration: Creativity, 9. Rob Ryan’s shop on Columbia Road, 10. Happy Christmas!, 11. Happy New Year!, 12. Plant skeletons, 13. Header artwork, 14. Paper Fan Inspiration Cards, 15. Earth Hour 2010, 16. Contact me, 17. Monday’s inspiration: Communication, 18. Pirate’s treasure bag, 19. More gratitude, 20. Olive Harvesting

Wishing you all a very happy 2011!

Thank you to each of you for visiting my blog and sharing this journey with me over the past months. Blogging has brought a huge amount of creativity, joy, community and fun into my life, and I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t for you all. So thank you again.

I look forward to sharing many new things with you this coming year: I still have loads to show you from my trip to Morocco, the UK and Germany, plus some exciting creative projects I’m working on, and who knows what else will happen in 2011…

I hope the new year brings you all much joy, success, contentment and new adventures.

Greetings to you all from Summery New Zealand!
Lucy x

Blax belongs to a little flock of chickens we call ‘the Xs’. There’s Blax, Frex, Beatrix and the rooster, who’s called…um…Spandex. (He’s a very flashy fellow.) The eggs that Blax has been sitting on are all rare breeds. This little chick is a Barnevelder. Barnevelders lay eggs that are a dark orangey-brown, often with freckles. They look a little like they’ve been spray tanned!

The other new thing in my life today is a fresh, blank notebook. I just finished my first blogging notebook, and have been hunting for perfect notebook number two. It turns out I’m very fussy when it comes to choosing notebooks… I like them to be un-lined (for illustrations as well as writing), to be about A5 in size (to fit easily into my handbag), not to be spiral bound (so pages don’t rip out), and to be fairly thick. Turns out there aren’t so many notebooks out there that tick all those boxes.

Today I finally found one (yay!), and decorated the cover with an illustration made out of cut up kimono fabric photocopies (test prints from when I was creating my Kimono Paper Tape). I think I’m going to have to explore this way of working with paper some more, I really enjoyed it.

Our ‘tree’ this year was a big bunch of native New Zealand flax flowers. Our decorations are an eclectic mixture: old favourites from my childhood (the orange bird, the egg, the horse in the background); Maori tiki; origami cranes (made by me); vintage crystal chandelier pieces that I bought in a London market; and traditional Swedish straw stars. 

For gift wrap I used Chinese rice paper decorated with off-cuts of vintage kimono fabric photocopies from a previous project.

…A big bunch of hydrangea flowers from our garden. Love the colours!

A lot of yummy things have been cooked and eaten over the last two days. This is a bitter chocolate and almond tart with whipped cream and fresh raspberries made by my man. His first ever attempt at homemade short crust pastry and it was to die for.

I hope you’ve had (are having or will have!) a very happy Christmas wherever in the world you are!

Lots of love,
Lucy x

The market is great at any time of year. I remember Springs when I’d struggle home on the Tube with great awkward bundles of cherry blossom branches. This time I bought shopping bags full of potted cyclamens in pinks and reds for my sister-in-law.

The prices are always extremely competitive, and descend sharply as the morning progresses. As you move among the crowds, the Cockney stall holders entice you in with shouts of “any free [three] for a tenner!”, or “potted colour, any six for a fiver!”

Columbia Road isn’t just about the flowers though. On either side of the street, the little shops offer a delightful mix of local, handcrafted designs; quirky artworks; retro and vintage finds; upcycled coolness; collections of Mexican, Vietnamese or Indian treasures; and crafting supplies.

…And of course there are also plenty of delicious food options – think bagels with yummy fillings; or exquisite, miniature decorated cupcakes; crispy battered prawns and vegetarian spring rolls served in paper cups with sweet chilli sauce; traditional English sweets; or indulgent pastries and coffee. There’s so much to love about Columbia Road!

This isn’t a great photo, but these cupcakes are the best! No visit to Columbia Road is complete without one of Treacle’s mini cupcakes. Mmmmmmmm!

The first shop I went into was Elphick’s, which sells very cool prints, cards and books. I bought these super cute owl badges by Kate McLelland there.

One of the shops I was most excited about visiting was Rob Ryan’s shop Ryantown. I absolute love Rob’s whimsical papercuts, prints and illustrations. His shop didn’t exist when I lived in London three-and-a-half years ago, so I was extra excited to visit it.

The day I went to Columbia Road was the last full day of my trip and I was running short of everything: time, money (and frames on my camera’s memory card, dammit!). I was determined to get something from Ryantown though…

So I bought this periwinkle blue, screen printed card of a couple standing on a hill looking out to sea together. It says: “Can we? Shall we? One day, very soon, let us go away together just you and me, call in sick and go to the sea and hold hands all day, eat our sandwiches on the train, get drunk on fresh air and come home tired and never tell anyone…ever.” I love it.

Ahem, I also asked if I could have a carrier bag as well as a brown paper bag (for the one £3 card I was buying!).  Both bags now live on my notice board and make me smile every time I look at them.

My other purchase was from Nom (another of my long time favourite Columbia Road shops). Nom sources beautiful ceramics and lacquer-ware directly from the crafts people of Vietnam and Cambodia and sells them at very reasonable prices. I’ve bought many a crackle-glaze bowl from them over the years. This time I bought a box made out of natural cinnamon wood as a present for my man. The box smells divine and will flavour anything you keep in it (sugar, coffee, chocolate…). My man’s the pancake-making king and I thought this would be the perfect sugar box for those lemon and sugar pancakes… You can buy your own cinnamon box from Nom’s online store.

I’ll leave you with these images of bright window displays and doorways along Columbia Road. Everytime I visit there I come away inspired, relaxed and happy. If you’re in London, go there! You’ll love it. You can tell I do!

Walking along the Thames at night is beautiful. The first thing you see upon leaving Tate Modern is St Paul’s Cathedral, brightly lit against the sky, at the far end of the Millennium Bridge.

The National Theatre looked like it was made out of red silk; a giant, rectangular Chinese lantern.

The Undercroft (below the Queen Elizabeth Hall) is a street-gallery of graffiti, popular with skaters and BMXers since the ’70s. 

Further along you come to Hungerford Bridge. I love all the reflections and light-ripples you get in the Thames at night.

The giant bicycle wheel of The London Eye…

And finally, Westminster – the abbey, Big Ben… – all framed by these Narnia-esque street lights. We crossed over the Thames at Westminster Bridge and caught the Tube home. A happy walk!