The Fir Tree // Sanna Annukka

I know, I'm a little on the obsessed side with this lady... but it's Christmas soon and this is a book about fir trees and other such Christmassy delights so I think it's OK to write about her again?!

This classic Hans Christian Andersen book has been redesigned/illustrated by the very talented Sanna Annukka. The illustrations are not only graphic and divine but the colour palette is pretty spectacular too. Purple and green are my least favorite colours usually but when she uses them, it makes me rethink my prejudices. Available to buy here

While speaking of trees... her new print, Metsa, is worth sneaking in here too.

Dear Photograph

"Take a picture of a picture from the past in the present."

Isn't that a great project?! Really makes me want to burrow through our piles of & try one out. You can submit your own here too



(found via etsy)

City exploration beckons!

Love these maps of Paris, New York and East London. Nostalgia and stolen secrets in one beautifully folded bundle. As if exploring all these places wasn't exciting enough already!

Paperdoll Primer // Emily Martin

While burying myself in a most delightful bookshop over the weekend I came across The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer. A most adorable and nostaligic-riddled book by talented US illustrator Emily Winifred Martin. I used to play for hours with paper dolls when I was little and would have treasured these lovely ones. The characters are fantastic and the clothes so very suave.

Internal images from Angry Chicken (& read her interview there too) 



Emily sells these beautiful small sets in her shop too if you don't want a whole book just yet.

Hello 2011

I do so hope everyone had a most wonderful New Year and Christmas time.

So many festivities, so much food and such alot of sunshine... what a great season twas twas! Now it's back to work and though in theory that sounds sad, I'm in fact immensely excited about what this year will bring. No uprooting countries or job huntings to be daunted by this time round... just a whole pocketful of fun projects and adventures in store. And new things for this here blog?! My brain is a tickin'.

(Lovely foiled notecards above are by Seesaw Designs)

One year old!

Please excuse the broadcast of nostalgia but this past weekend marked a whole year since j + i were married! I still feel as insanely lucky a duck as I did on the day (though am not used to that wierd word 'wife' yet) Thinking of that snow covered, fire filled, english barn the weekend before christmas and of the turkey and mince pies we ate and the dancing we did. I couldn't dream up a better memory to seal the deal of forever love!



and such a fun dance to a most beautiful song...



I've been promising to post a picture of our lil old wedding invites & date savers for awhile now but have been reluctant due to my poor photography skills... but hopefully you'll forgive those too.

Illustrator extraordinaire // Jim Datz

Who put this rock on my head? Why have I not until this day seen the amazing work of Jim Datz of Neither Fish no Fowl? It feels like my childhood yet he was probably still in childhood himself at that time so it can't possibly be... either way, it makes me quite warm an fuzzy!



Jim lives in Brooklyn but has had a nomadic streak (like me)... so I love and totally agree with what he said this in the (huge and wonderful) interview over on Grain Edit:

It’s imperative to leave your context and culture behind for a while. There’s a tremendous expansion that you experience—a suppression of the ego and a reawakened sensitivity to the tiny details that make up everyday life.

The Brooklyn poster is available just now for pre-order from Three Potato Four and the London Poster to buy here



Had to stick in this type (being a type nerd) designed for Fortune magazine... go and see his site if you too have been under my rock... it will have you dribbling on your keyboard!

Words + Scalpel = Annie Vought

Wowee... these papercuts have officially made my heart flutter and my eyes go crossed! By way of documenting artifacts that once were (it hurts me to say that about handwritten letters), Californain artist Annie Vought finely cuts them out of paper to huge scale and frames them or hangs them... introducing them to a good friend the shadow while she's at it. Wonderful!







this phone is pretty remarkable also...



See many more here (and some amazing internal organs here too)

Library labelling

The release of this fantastico new Present and Correct wrapping paper complete with built in label made me long for the days of library cards...


Lined stamp by olivia manna


Personal Library bookplates by Mary Kate McDevitt

A reel of business cards

While following on the theme of branding and nostalgia, these business cards designed by Croxton Design really made me smile. For production company A Hundred Monkeys they are just perfect. What a treat it would be to be given one of those rafflesque tickets!



(via For Print Only)

Official Manufacturing Co. // Frances May stationery

The Official Mfg Co. (took me a moment to decode the name) are responsible for this delightful little collection of stationery. It was designed for a fashion boutique in Portland and the branding was following along with the nostalgic idea of flash cards and library cards (to state the obvious) from schools of yonder years. Simple-y super!

Sebastiaan Bremer // photo art

Saw the beautiful works of Sebastiaan Bremer over on Grain Edit and they really struck a chord with me. Might be because, spookily enough, they look like they could be photos snapped straight from my childhood photo albums in Switzerland (the lady even looks a little like my mum did) or just because they are covered in brilliant colours?! Either way, these look like little beams of happiness to me. (See more here if you need more cheering up)

Paper collection galore

These photos I found on flickr are so beautiful they make me abit dizzy! They remind me of how an olden day schoolroom might look. They are the beautiful collections of Dawbis (of the hugely inspiring Lovely Paper)

I can't wait to unpack our things and have a home again (only 1 week to go, yipee)... I am a complete magpie at heart and will only feel at rest again once have filled my nest with things made from pulp!

Roman Holiday on the horizon

Watched Roman Holiday on the weekend... in anticipation of our own little Roman escape before christmas! (yipee) Audrey is so utterly divine in it... I hope I can look half as glamorous as she does on a scooter!!

Postal Service

It's no secret that I love letters and stationery... yet annoyingly I never send them and so as a result never receive them either... email makes me so sad sometimes. Though its only November... I'm going to make my bright new leaf of next year be one of letter writing! All this is mine have some beautiful collections of red, white and blue stationary... just how it used to be! They are so classic and so post-box friendly looking.
Their school set is equally lovely... I can almost hear the bell ringing!

You can see more on their flickr gallery here

Swiss Cheese Makers

Being swiss born, I feel it is only right that I am also addicted to cheese... so when I saw this beautiful series of photos of swiss cheesemakers it made me feel quite sentimental (and also abit hungry!)

200 posts!

Wowee... how very exciting... I've made it all the way to 200 posts since starting up back in June!! (It doesn't feel like that many) Thanks to everyone who has been reading up until now and for the talented people who have given me permission to show off their delightful work... I promise to keep adding more treasures on a daily basis. Please leave me comments on anything else you'd like see here, or any thoughts or hellos too.... muchas thankyous, emily xx

Pattern illustrations

These pattern illustrations by oliver + s for childrens clothing are so adorable... It has reminded me of my love for playing with those paper dolls!

(pattern photos from Volksfaden)

Third Drawer Down // Decal Delights

'On closer inspection' Edwina White

Following on from todays print of the day (also from Third Drawer Down) are these joyful little decals. They are a take on the letraset transfer idea with a Dada twist - a process that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Those piglet noses would make for a great lil envelope seal!

'Variations on how to become a better creature' Emma Magenta

'Do you like to dream' David Bromley

'Fragments of a story' Camilla Engman & 'Decal Dolly' Kat MacLeod