edholm ullenius

Edholm Ullenius are two graphic designers and illustrators (Sissi Edholm & Lisa Ullenius) based in Stockholm Sweden. They have been working together since they met at Beckman's College of Design in 2002. Their clients include, Absolut Vodka, IKEA and British fashion designer, Paul Smith, to name a few. In North America, we'd probably recognize their textile pieces they have designed for IKEA . We recently touched base with them where they shared their collaboration with Paul Smith (see dress image). It's a collection of clothes and accessories where they have made the illustrations. The clothes will be sold exclusively for the Japan market and will be launched in the shops in the beginning of February. We love the subtleties in their street art, the bark and mushroom stickers along with the rabbits placed on street walls to find the way to their office. Click here to see their portfolio.

New Hand-crafted Cups from Hidetoshi Takahashi

Love the organic look of this new collection, the Cara and Kami Series from Merchant No. 4. Hand-crafted in Asahikawa, Japan by Hidetoshi Takahashi and designed by Rina Ono, they are made from Japanese Linden wood with a food-safe polyurethane coating inside. They come in three sized cups (tea, milk and an egg cup).

Merchant No. 4.

custom calligraphy press stamp

These are so sweet. I think I'm going to order one of these myself. Custom made stamps using calligraphy by Emilie Friday. Room for your name and one line underneath it. Comes in red, black, blue or green.

emililies.etsy.com

Goodbye Wish

Another one. We were reminded with word of Domino Magazine closing this week, and although this wasn't a total shelter magazine, Wish (a Canadian magazine) had a home section and it too now joins the magazine death pool.

have to have!

In Maxwell's newsletter today from Apartment Therapy he listed his Top Picks from the Gift Fair. One of the picks was Jonathan Adler's Shelter Island Collection in Wicker. And we just have to tell the world, we "have to have" that floor lamp! {Images from apartmenttherapy.com}.

jonathanadler.com
apartmenttherapy.com

be mine

Keys to one's heart, ceramic hearts, tags and cards. It's a gathering of all things love, things that say, "be mine".

Let me count the ways (handful of hearts) by raedunn.etsy.com
Hand painted blok by rpotterdesigns.etsy.com
Love cloud plush from forestprints.com
Tin heart pendant by littleblackrabbit.etsy.com
Arrow tags from www.thepetitepress.com



Heart necklace by secondsister.etsy.com
Paper lace tags from digitalpaperie.etsy.com
Love is... card from storybymia.etsy.com
Necklaces by bluevalentinepress.etsy.com
Wood veneer tags by perchpapiers.etsy.com




Porcelain keys from kleinreid.com
Love doves and tags from CircaCeramics.etsy.com
Ceramic heart from artesprit.etsy.com
Tags from Sunshine and Ravioli
Screenprinted notecards by cutiepiecompany.etsy.com
Fill-in-the-blanks Valentine card from elisejoy.etsy.com

One Day Warehouse Sale @Nantaka Joy!

Nantaka Joy is having a Warehouse Sale today (one day only)!! The sale is on cards and notebooks only form 12am - 11:59pm, Thursday, January 29th! Read the "news" section for more details and to see coupon code valid for one day only. Click here to see.

Portraits

I'm really attracted to portraits these days, and not only in a traditional sense, I'm loving seeing them show up on different surfaces such as lampshades, plates, trays and wallpaper. Sköna hem magazine recently highlighted these products all together, and we had to link up.

Lampshade and plates, illustration by Lisa Bengtsson from Mairo
Wallpaper, illustration by Javier Mariscal for Tres Tintas
Ibride Tara tray from Velocity Art and Design
Pillow, illustrated by Jenny Almén

Personalized Letterpressed Valentines

The girls from Hello Handmade have done it again, but this time you’re going to be the one who reaps all the benefits sending this letterpressed and personalized hand-written calligraphy-style valentine to the one(s) you love!

The deadline for ordering is the 6th of Feb, with all valentines going out on the 7th.

hellohandmadepaperie.etsy.com

fieldguided

I recently came upon this Canadian couple via this American couple, and was instantly smitten. Fieldguided hails from Toronto and it's obvious from these images off their etsy shop they have a lot of talent. From bespoke embroidered men's ties to handpainted coffee mugs, this duo is a set to keep our eyes on! (The design on the mug at the top is based on an eighteenth-century French printer's device. The centre will feature the initial, phrase, or word of your choice.)

fieldguided.etsy.com

Love, by Samantha Hahn

Love is a new 40-page art book curated and designed by illustrator, Samantha Hahn, about love. 24 artists with a distinct style and voice were given the theme “love” and set free to interpret it. The outcome expresses both singularity and uniqueness.

Contributing artists include:
Hannah Stouffer, Lilly Piri, Aaron Hogg, Lisa Butterworth, Dan Funderburgh, Samantha Hahn, Erin Loechner, Jesse Breytenbach, Kate Miss, Jessica Gonacha, Kelly Lynn Jones, Yasmine Surovec, Shira Sela, Matthew and Sandy Lynn Davis (Treatzone), Maditi, Amy Sahba, Ez Pudewa, Hijiri Shepherd, Marisa Haedike, Lisa Congdon, Holly Becker, Kate Neckel, Katie Sokoler & Kate Bingaman Burt

A great little book to buy yourself or treat someone who appreciates art.

Love, by Samantha Hahn
samanthahahn.com/blog

big news @uppercase

UPPERCASE has just announced a quarterly magazine they will be publishing this year. The first issue will show up this spring in April. Click here to read more!

Valentine's Sale @Stephanie Levy's

A sweetheart of a deal this is. Germany-based artist, Stephanie Levy is having a Valentine's Day sale on her series of original mixed media watercolor paintings on handmade paper called "Alpine Wildflowers". The paintings are on sale through Valentine's Day for only $28 - mounted, signed, dated, and ready to frame.

She is also offering a special 20% discount for Poppytalk readers on her entire "Botanical Still Life" Series - for all prints and originals in the series - through Valentine's Day as well. Readers would just need to type "Poppytalk" in the message box. Thanks Stephanie!

Stephanie has also started a new blog for her weekly artist interviews called "artists who blog" (artistswhoblog.blogspot.com). She decided it was important to give these interviews more attention and some space of their own. Yesterday she posted an interview with Renee Garner of Wolfie and the Sneak (nobitingwolfie.blogspot.com) - and she apparantly has lots more interviews with artists/illustrators coming up soon!

Click here for the sale!

A Gocco'd Yo-Yo + Before and After

It's always fun to see what's going on in the flickr window of Philly's Something's Hiding in Here. If it isn't their adorable handmade must-haves, it's their creative and awesome home decorating that has us ooohing and awing from afar. And this time we have both. Shauna and Stephen have been busy little bees lately, creating valentine's for us to send to our loved ones like these gocco'd yo-yo's and sparkly darts with plaster hearts in subtle powdery shades of blue.

They have also been building this bookshelf in lovely shades of blues and greens all in less than a month! We've put together a before and after shot (not that the before needed any help), but the new shelves are really stunning (and you must see the work that went into them). These two must stay up 24 hours a day. Thanks Shauna and Stephen for the inspiration!

new chez sucre chez!

Kimberly of Chez Sucre Chez has some new things in her shop just in time for Valentine's which we're just loving including these hand-embroidered crown hand/tea/dish towel in navy - did I say I was loving navy? (Also available in off-white). A few x-stitch kits like this puppy love one and a very cute owl love you always kit. We also love her custom monogrammed towels in various colors. They are all available at her big cartel shop, here and stories about her work are on her blog, here.

Bird and Bear

Today is definitely an embroidery day. Beautiful work abounds. These ones from joettamaue.etsy.com, hand embroidered re-appropriated linens with hoop, one of a kinds.

Forget Me-Not

embroidered love from the new craft movement
February 6 - 27
Opening reception: February 6th, 6-8 pm

gallery hanahou / 611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC / galleryhanahou.com

For generations, women have expressed love of family through the painstaking art of embroidery. This February, gallery hanahou presents a new generation of embroidery artists using needle and thread to depict love in broader terms, whether idealized and simple or brutal and complicated. Curated by Kristen Rask, this group exhibit of affordable artwork will win your affection in more ways than one. A meaningful alternative to waxy chocolates.

Artists

Aimee Ray, Apol Lejano-Massebieau, Diem Chau, Emily Eibel, Emily Katz, Heidi Kenney, Jessica Marquez, Kate Durkin, Katherine Shaughnessy, Kayte Terry, Kris Garland, Kristen Rask, Mary Yaeger, Molly Dilworth, Nicole Licht, Orly Cogan, Pamela Davis, Sam Gibson, Sarah Horton, Shanna Fiorucci, Shannon Rankin, Vanessa Lauria, Vivienne Strauss, Jenny Harada and Joetta Maue.

new jodii

A new blog and some new fun porcelain from Jodii out of Germany.

A giveaway at Sycamore Street Press

Sycamore Street Press is offering a giveaway at their blog this week (till Wed). Leave a comment at their giveaway post here and they will draw a name out of a hat for a lucky winner for 6 of their brand new letterpressed Valentine's Day cards. And visit their shop here.

Encouragement and Mankind Mag

Remember back in November I posted about Free Encouragement? Design for Mankind and booooooom.com had joined forces on a project that allowed readers to send in encouraging words (that was Part 1) and now the Part Two deadline is approaching (Feb 1st), which is to send in your 300dpi artwork of your favorite encouraging phrase from Part 1. Click here for more info. Also if you haven't seen Erin's Mankind Mag, I would definitely recommend it, you can find the January issue here. And here for the Encouragement Project.

the collections of stylist gail tritten

I was taken by all these wonderful collections and the way in which they were displayed by stylist, Gail Tritten as featured in the Feb/Mar issue of Hallmark Magazine. From vintage doll shoes (check out the rollerskates) to valentines, she shares her clever display ideas keeping them magically uncluttered! (Photo's by Scott Gibbons, Photostylists - Zoe Karro and Gail Tritten).


Using a bright coat of paint and patterned wallpaper to create an old soda case into a shelf for her doll shoe collection.


A 1940's table topper (embroidery called redwork) becomes a curtain.



She displays her 1940's tea towels on an old piece of molding (though a new one would work) where she drilled holes to fit new drawer pulls and threaded tea towels through curtain rings . Also notice her bakelite syrup dispensers and salt & pepper shakers.


Her eggcup collection is displayed on an old wooden shelf that's been made over with red paint and hung using a strong ribbon.

You can read more about Gail and her collection online at hallmarkmagazine.com.

In the fog

Is this really the last week of January? What happened? For us, we have literally been caught up in the land of fog. Hardly being able to navigate the city for weeks. Very ominous, very cool.

But that cool weather has kept us indoors and helped us find some awesome things to post on this week! We hope you'll join us!

Image courtesy of flickr.com/photos/bcbusinesshub. Taken from West Vancouver looking onto the Lion’s Gate Bridge & downtown Vancouver. See more Vancouver fog photo's here.

Special Guest Post: by Ladies and Gentlemen

Hello!! It's Dylan& Jean from Ladies & Gentlemen, and we're thrilled & honored to be back as a guest blogger again for Poppytalk! Thank you Jan for inviting us!

But what a great way to start the new year....the Lunar New Year that is!! Our first new year post simply wasn't enough!
The first day of the Lunar year (year of the Ox) starts today, the 26th and ends February 13th! But if you're like us and still haven't made that "new years" resolution you've been meaning to make...you know, the list about eating healthy, exercising more, spending less, less procrastinating and all that jazz?....well, now is your second chance! Also take advantage of this Lunar New Year to eat good food, celebrate, buy new clothes, spring clean, and make another attempt to convince your boss to implement a mandatory week vacation so you can celebrate the lunar year like the rest of the Asian countries!



Dylan and I would like to celebrate by sharing a visual journey through Chinatowns! We gathered some photos we've taken from walking around Chinatown in Seattle and San Francisco capturing things that simply inspired us. Things like the Chinese medicine storage display is something that we dream to someday build in our own home!
Every Chinatown has its own character, but most have an endearing, unassuming mixture of the old and new: the vibrant colors, the various textures, and the chaotic atmosphere. There's just something special about the direct and organic ways things come to be!
(Captions read clockwise starting from top left)


1. Charming and colorful mural in Chinatown, Seattle
2. Condiment tray at a tiny wonton restaurant, San Fransisco.
3. Fortune cookie company interior, Seattle: We love the architectural element of the brown office room intersecting the space.


1. Colorful ceramic piggy bank: So round and cute!
2. Chinese restaurant menu, San Fransisco
3. Bright plastic platters to serve auspicious food & fruit to greet the gods & deities.


1. Random reupholstered chair in Chinatown, LA. Photo taken by my friend, Noal: I had to show this fabulous chair since I just love everything about it!


Below are also some small everyday affordable delights we picked up from little shops here and there along with links for recipes, facts, and stories!



1. Chinese New Year rice cake (Nian Gao): My childhood favorite, and still is! It's subtly sweet and mochi-like. It's best when fried with batter. Crunchy outside & chewy inside...yum.
Also my new 2009 gift for myself, Lotta's 2009 tea towel!
2. Calender with Lunar Dates: We love the design, the layout, the fonts and the crisp thin paper! Save the paper so you can have fun with making things, too! Simple things like using it for wrapping, or make origami balls and string them as hanging garlands!
3. Delicious "Unfortunate" Cookies: One of the best cheap treats! They're seconds from a fortune cookie manufacturing company in Seattle, Tsue Chong Co. Although no fun little paper telling you how to live your life, the thin & wavy crunchy vanilla flavored cookies are simply hard to resist.



1. Vietnamese Coffee Maker: For only $3 you can enjoy a simple, dessert-like slow-drip coffee. Wandering Spoon has the whole background story along with cute how-to illustrations.
2. Cafe Du Monde: Coffee & Chicory, the recommended brand to make Vietnamese coffee with.
3. Chinese Sweet Haw Flakes: $2.00 for 10 rolls. Each roll has 20 some thin 1mm slices of candy Haw flakes are a classic delight! Not only do we love the colorful dainty packaging, we also love the taste of the tamarind-like flavor that's both sweet and appetizing.
4. Zebra stainless soup spoons: We got it for $2.50 at a local Asian grocery. Comes with a dozen of sleek and simple spoons that is both refined and practical for everyday use.

Phew! That's all we have for now! There's still plenty more to discover in any Chinatown near you. So get out there and party like it's 2009....again! Happy Ox year and thanks for reading!


Jean&Dylan

Ladiesandgentlemenhome.blogspot.com
ladiesandgentlemen.etsy.com