Hilton Hotels just got in touch (you know, as you do) to let me know that last year they formed a merger with 8 Mint Hotels, and are rebranding 8 Mint’s properties under Hilton’s DoubleTree and Garden Inn groups. The hotels in question include the DoubleTree London Westminster and Tower of London, Glasgow, Bristol, Birmingham…
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Spuntino, Soho – review
Spuntino has been on my to-try list for ages, and what better time to go for it than on my birthday weekend? It’s been getting rave reviews since it opened last year for its speakeasy-come-diner brand of American comfort food, and the length of the queues to get a space in the tiny 25-seater restaurant…
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Homemade gifts: marmalade & chutney
Inspired by the jam- and chutney-making class I took last month, I had a go at making some at home to give as Christmas gifts. I made a clementine marmalade and spiced tomato chutney. The cute mini jars and gingham lids are from Jam Jar Shop – but don’t get the wrong size labels like…
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In praise of sprouts
I’m probably in the minority here — both for talking about Chr*stmas already, and in proclaiming my love for Brussels sprouts. Not just good for a festive dinner, sprouts are also great spiced in Indian and Chinese-style dishes, or grilled in cheese sauce for a comforting gratin. They’ve just come into season so I’ll be…
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Lil’ peek
Some details from my new screenprint design, which will hopefully be in up for sale right after I get back from San Fran, along with yet another reprint of ol’ Wonder Cat. Just in time for Christmas shopping, fancy that! I love this print, hope you do too when all is revealed…
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London Design Week: Tent & SCP
I missed most of the London Design Week goings-on due to being really busy with work, so on Saturday we did a quick tour of what I thought would be the best bits – the Tent show in the Truman Brewery and SCP’s design department store. SCP turned their Shoreditch shop into an exhibition of…
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Show your working
There’s nothing like starting a new project with a pad and pen (yes, that might be a new print design in progress)! Always trying to improve my hand-lettering… Creating a pretty mood board… .. and always keeping one toe in the crafty and handmade.
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Boden’s little brand book
Confession: I pinched the new Boden catalogue from my mail box even though it was addressed to an old tenant of my flat. But rather than fawn over the clothes – lovely though they are, I think just a touch too old for me – I was drawn to this little brand leaflet stuck in…
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Freelance, one week in..
Well, I’m one-and-a-half weeks in to working freelance now, and it’s been a little different to how I imagined in some ways. Here are some of my learnings… Lazy new colleague i) I’ve worked harder than I have in months (the cat has not helped at all, as you can see). This is partly down…
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Green fingered
Very excited to see the first fruit and veg popping up in my little potted veg patch. I’m inordinately proud to see tiny tomatoes and peppers actually growing from something I planted as a seedling! I’m looking forward to giving the garden a good overhaul so we have a proper veg patch, but that will…
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The Feed
As I’m halfway through my last week at Poke, I thought I’d share this project that I’ve been designing and art directing for almost a year now, and I’m rather proud of. The Feed is a blog for Orange, in which we share a fun digital toy, game or idea each month. It’s great because…
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Two new Etsy prints
Two new prints have just been added to my Etsy shop! They’re both inspired by my growing collection of vintage ephemera, particularly Victorian newspaper advertising. First, a poster featuring text that I came across while reading Just My Type, a fascinating book about the history of fonts. It was written as a manifesto by eminent…
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New look, new home, new job
Oh, look, my blog has a new look and a new home over on WordPress! I wrote a big post about the all the changes but it got swallowed as I moved the site over from the test directory.. so I’ll just say I hope you like it, some bits are still in-progress but let…