Illustration Love: Bernadette Pascua & GOOP

I recently signed up to Gwyneth Paltrow's blog/newsletter GOOP. Yesterday's update was all about the new Goop App. A city guide for the 'tried and tested of the best and coolest in Manhattan'. A lovely little app and I shall be sure to use it next time I visit New York, however it wasn't the app itself which struck me but the gorgeous illustration icons they have used in it. 

The Goop City Guide App

These beautiful little drawings are by Brooklyn based illustrator Bernadette Pascua. I dashed right over to have look at her website and here is a taste of what I found.....

Packaging Designs for Sugar & Plumm - Purveyers of yum.
Certainly YUMMY! I can't stop looking at them.

Please have a look at Bernadette's website Decade Diary to see more of her extremely talented and beautiful work.

Packaging Love: One of a Kind

Since starting up my blog I have been following the lovely blog 'Lobster and Swan' by Jeska Hearne. A couple of weeks ago Jeska did a post on the boutique One of a kind. Straight away I fell in love with the little urban garden trees and badges designed by illustrator Kate Rawlinson. I know a lot of my friends would love them too so I put in my order for a few Christmas presents and have just received my parcel this morning. I have to say it's absolutely beautiful! All the little details, it made me flutter inside. I couldn't open it without taking some photos to share with you. I can't show you the contents yet as some of my readers might be receiving them but I now want to buy things for everyone....watch our Kate, I might be putting in another order very soon! (Please see One of a kind's competition below)

!!*COMPETITION*!!

Kate has just sent me an email asking me to let you know that she is currently running a competition to name a new tree in her urban garden. You can enter here. The winner will be announced on 16th December. 

Dog Love: And on the subject of pets...

how cute is he? I couldn't agree more with his statement of happiness.....a puppy is always top of my list for Father Christmas! x

Image thanks to Kelly of Fabulous K's 'Notes of Fabulous'

Packaging Love: Tag & collar

I couldn't resist sharing this fabulous wine label (just seen on The Dieline), if you can call it that.  A very clever limited edition wine bottle for Empyreal 75, a pet food protein supplement for dogs and cats. Designed by agency Bailey Lauerman. So simple but such a lovely idea. It was used as a promotional tool at The Pet Food Tradeshow but I think my labrador would love a bottle!! 

All images kindly borrowed from The Dieline

Cupcake Love: Mings Divine Cupcakes

Ming Makes Cupcakes

Hello friends, I've been a bit quite on the old blog posts lately, I'm sorry (I've been on a lovely holiday to Barbados with my boy). Anyway, to get back into the swing of things I thought I'd share something yummy with you which I just found in the depths of my email. 

The blogosphere is well and truly soaked up in the excitement of advent calendars, Christmas gifts and cards at the moment so maybe this will bring a taste of something a little different. If like me you are not a fan of traditional Christmas cake maybe one of these divine cupcakes from Ming will tickle your fancy instead, and if you don't have a very sweet tooth, she even has savoury ones too such as Parsnip and Beetroot (eeewwww). 

Aren't they amazing! Check them all out here, there are a mere 33 flavours. 

She has also made cookies and savouries too!

Food Love: Time for Tea & Biscuits

4pm Friday afternoon, time for a nice cup of tea and biscuit....ahhhhh! Unfortunately my biscuit tin was empty :-( so I decided to see what tasty delights I could find instead to accompany my cuppa!  Hope you enjoy feasting on these....HAPPY FRIDAY friends! X

1. Tea Cup Basin seen on Trendir this morning (inspired this post!)
2. Lovely illustrated digital print by Nikki McWilliams

Images by Anna Garforth.
Check out her inspiring and unique work on her website.

I LOVE these fabulous cushions by Nikki McWilliams, imagine cuddling up with a Custard Cream at the end of a hard day...yum!

1. Business cards designed by design agency  Drink Tea Eat Biscuits who claim 'Every good idea starts with a cup of tea and a biscuit'. I couldn't agree more!
2. Sarah Oreo Cookie business card design by Emograph

Pantone chocolate chip cookies made by Kim Neill at Creative Star

Movember Wedding Fun

While on the subjects of Emma and Iain's wedding and the month of Movember, I thought this the perfect opportunity to share these great images from their wedding with you. They were taken by Bedford based photographers Ben and Tim from Milkbottle Photography (they look like twins but they aren't!). I can't recommend these two enough. They were so much fun and got really involved without you even knowing they were there, and I think their pics are the best I have seen (and I have been to a lot of weddings). I know when I get married (might happen one day!), being a designer and wanting something that little bit different, I will be extremely fussy about who takes my photos, well I won't have any doubts asking Milkbottle that is for sure. Thanks Tim for supplying the photos for this post and thanks Emma and Iain who also gave their permission for me to share them (well Emma did...sorry Iain!). 

Creative Mischief: Personalised Canvases

I have been to a total of 8 weddings this year which does get rather expensive after the first one or two so I tried to make home made presents (I like to be different to the John Lewis gift list anyway!).

Here are some canvases I did over the summer. The first is one I designed for my friend Emma's wedding. She and her husband Iain are also a graphic designers and they have an unhealthy obsession with Grey! The second, for my friends Jo and Simon who had a London themed wedding. I also designed their stationery which was designed around a silhouette of the London skyline.

I have since been commissioned to do lots of these for New Babies, Christenings and Birthday's. I can personalise them in any way you like. For more details please leave your email address in a comment below and I will get back to you.

House Love: Dreamy Home

How gorgeous is this London apartment? It's got my name all over it! Organised clutter at it's best, mixed in with fab colours and rustic furnishings. I saw it on Shoot Factory.

Man Love: Movember

November is already 4 days in and I'm a little late with my Movember post, well better late than never! 

The month of November is better known as 'Movember' where men become 'Mo Bros' for 30 days by grooming, trimming and waxing their way to their very own Moustache Art. They are sponsored by their Mo Sisters and Mo friends to raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity and The Institute of Cancer Research (in support of the two biggest male cancers, prostate and testicular cancer). 

Most of us know someone who has or has fought one of these cancers and everyone can play their part in supporting Movember. Visit the Movember shop to buy your pair of Movember Toms or Links of London Charms.  I've also done a round up of a few of my favourite moustache things below. So let's get busy sharing the man (and moustache) love!! 

1. Cushion by freekyfleece
2. Moleskin Notebook by finestimagery
3. Tote Bag by Gewwybeans
4. Hair Clip by yummypocket
5. Print from Bodie and Fou
6. Movember Toms
7. Necklace by Buysomelove
8. Charm & cufflinks by Links of London
9. T-shirt by redbrick
10. Vinyl Laptop sticker by dotvinyl
11. Wood ring by littlepeche
12. Fascinator by Crownandglory

You can read more about Movember here. 

Lovely Clusters Giveaway

If you have recently started a blog (like me) or you've had one for a while and are keen to promote it, get yourself known a little more, Lovely Clusters are offering a giveaway of 3 months free advertising/promotional space on their blog. All they ask is that you spread the word for their gorgeous new Fall/Winter catalogue which you can view here. If you don't want to enter have a look anyway, it's full of lovely things and great colours. 

Book Love: Secret Garden of Embroidery

I've just been flicking through the new November Anthropologie catalogue and came across these gorgeous embroidered Penguin Classic book covers by Jillian Tamaki. You can buy them at Anthropologie. I think they are beautiful and love the colours in the Secret Garden cover.

Book Love: Signed by Pia

One of my first posts on here was a review of the beautiful book 'My Heart Wanders' by Pia Jane Bijkerk. Well Pia has just announced that for November only she will be sending signed copies of her book to anywhere in the world. So for those of you who fell in love with the book via my post, visit Pia's online book boutique and get your copy. She is also signing her other books, Amsterdam: Made by Hand and Paris: Made by Hand as well. Thank you Pia, just in time for Christmas!!

Packaging Love: Freak!

Last week saw the launch of the new fragrance 'Freak' by cosmetic brand Illamasqua. They are the first brand to use the revolutionary technology of 'sensory cohesion' to draw in it's online prey (where the product can't be sampled) by it's unique packaging. This beautiful art deco styled fragrance bottle has being doing the rounds on the packaging blogs over the last couple of weeks but with ingredients such as Opium Flower, Poison Hemlock and aromas of Frankincense, I thought it the perfect end to October (Halloween). I absolutely LOVE it, especially the little silver snail!

I only recently came across the magical and haunting cosmetic brand (don't know where I've been!), the brainchild of brand strategy and design agency Propaganda. Four years old it recently became listed on the The Coolbrands List  for 2011/12. The influences behind the branding and products are the 1920s club scene and theatre, the aim, to connect emotionally with the consumer. Self expression is the key. 

You can read more about the fragrance at Propaganda or on the Illamasqua website.

Here is a taster of some more Illamasqua delights....

All images are taken from Propaganda.co.uk or Illamasqua.com