Amanda Mercer

Last Friday I spent the afternoon at The Country Living Christmas Fair...

So today on shops i love I wanted to share with you one of my highlights from The Country Living Christmas fair, Amanda Mercer. A designer and maker of handcrafted ceramics inspired by memories and nostalgia. Her range consosts of a collection of delicate porcelain buttons, jewellery, pretty home wear and decoration all individually handcrafted and created from her studio in the heart of the city centre in Carlisle, Cumbria.

I have a love for vintage and nostalgic memorabilia such as vintage buttons found in my Grandma's button box, scraps of lace, black and white photographs, stamps and letters, which I then like to translate through my pieces, exploring surface decoration and form. I use many different techniques to achieve this such as imprinting, screen printing and the use of decal transfers which are produced through my own drawings and collages of postage markings and letters. Each piece i create is individual therefore will always slightly vary to the next.

Looking for Christmas gift ideas and decorations?
Check out the Amanda Mercer store for more pretty porcelain.

Have a sweet day!

Cute stationery @ Top Drawer

There were lots of lovely stationery brands at the trend show, Top Drawer. My top three favourites were Pleased to Meet, Katy & June and Gellie Design.

Pleased to Meet is the brainchild of Daniel and Marcel Could Hornung. The pair met in the US and when they moved to Berlin in 2004 they started designing first class products locally printed on fine papers and lovingly hand packaged. Their style can be described as retro, with simple aesthetics inspired by their love of American Mid Century Design. On show were bird print cards in pale blue and ochre, woodland themed gift wrap in taupe, and deep blue fish paper. The stationery was beautifully styled on top of wooden crates with vintage typewriters, pops of yellow string and bright red stools.




Katy & June was founded by Katy Lee and June Kim who wanted to bring Korean stationery and gift products to the world! They have selected a broad range of stationery and gifts, like deer printed ringbinders, natural woodland themed gift wrap, and tags and graphic printed notebooks.





Gellie Design is a small greeting card publisher based in High Wycombe which designs and produces beautiful, contemporary and unique greeting cards. Printed and hand finished in the UK they had all occasions covered with cute cards. I loved their mix of prints and use of embellishments with embossed and glittered details.

Have a sweet day!

Rex International

Today I want to show you some more lovely treasures from the trend show, Top Drawer, that I visited on Tuesday. This time it's my go-to brand for sweet gifts and cute baking supplies, Rex International, available to buy online at Dotcomgiftshop.
Their stand was packed full of lovely ranges from the retro looking industrial bicycle horn, enamel wall clocks and scales in candy colours, to the butterfly and floral printed measuring spoons and dinnerware. For the avid baker they had a bunch of cute cupcake cases, panettone boxes, striped drinking straws and cake boxes. Last but not least they also had decoration of the moment, honeycomb balls!





Have a sweet day!

Ib Laursen

This week for my 'labels i love' page, I bring you one of Scandinavia's leading trendsetters, Ib Laursen.

Ib Laursen was started in 1971 in the old streets of Ribe with furniture design, applied art and gifts. Their assortment of well-designed cosy products are for both the garden and home.

Today I wanted to share with you their gorgeous, vintage-inspired garden treasures like the birdcage plant shelves, tin strawberry signs and array of glass cloches.






Come on Sun, come out and play, I really want to finish my garden projects! Pretty please!

Have a sweet day!

Retreat Home

Today on label love I wanted to show you a new label, Retreat Home, who I discovered at Top Drawer the other week. Their stand was one of my favourites, with its fake grass carpet adorned with a vintage bicycle, a metal bench piled high with the prettiest cushions, and vintage suitcases spilling with delightfully embellished cosmetic bags. To top it off, a pretty duck egg blue caravan called 'Whimsy'. It made my heart flutter, I just had to take a closer look. Oh, and the inside of Whimsy did not disappoint! She was filled with cute applique cushions, peg bags and aprons, and galvanised planters.

To see more gorgeous, inspiring shots check out their Spring 2012 Catalogue. You can also buy everything you see at their online store, Retreat Home.

Here's how the gorgeous collection looked at the Top Drawer Spring/Summer 2012 interior show:

The pretty caravan called Whimsy

Love this wall display with its array of shabby chic hooks, shelves and decorations!

Whimsy is not only cute on the outside, she is super cute inside!

So inviting!

Have a sweet day!

Lisbeth Dahl

Today on label love I wanted to show you the gorgeous new treasures from one of my favourite interior brands, Lisbeth Dahl. The new Spring/Summer 2012 catalogue is full of so much eye candy, from the cute pastel coloured birdcages, to the perfectly pretty printed glass jars, to the array of beautiful patterned tea towels. There are, of course, the usual to-die-for cake stands in ornate glass and metal, and boudoir inspired glass perfume bottles.

Have a sweet day!

Ferm Living

Today on label love I bring you Danish brand, Ferm Living.

Ferm living started life out as a graphic design agency in Denmark, founded in 2005 by Trine Andersen. It later developed into a design company selling lifestyle products after Trine could not find the right wallpaper. So she took it upon herself to design and create a range of wallpapers at an affordable price. In 2006 the first collection hit the high street and the company has gone from strength to strength. Ferm products are now sold in Australia, USA, Finland, The Netherlands, UK, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden and Japan.

I, for one, adore the shelving units shaped like houses and the textural cable knit pen holders.

Have a sweet day!

Bloomingville Winter 2011

Today on label love I am sharing with you some of my favourite pics from the new season's Bloomingville catalogue. I am, of course, loving the wire baskets and the beautiful vintage inspired cloche. To see more gorgeous pics check out the online catalogue here.

Have a sweet day!

House Doctor Winter 2011

Today on label love I am sharing with you some of my favourite pics from the new House Doctor catalogue. I, for one, absolutely adore their ribbons on wooden spools and have started to put many of my ribbons on wooden reels. I am also loving their Christmas tree decorations like the pretty aqua snowy pine cones, mini toadstools and elegant deer. To see more inspiring pics check out the new catalogue here.

Have a sweet day!

Nordal Autumn/Winter 2011

Today on label love I am sharing with you some of my favourite pics from the new Nordal catalogue. I adore the patterned drawers with the white ornate handles and the distressed white paint finish that gives them a lovely vintage feel. I am also coveting the quirky coat rack with the velvet ribbon.

Have a sweet day!