TinkeringTimes

Where to buy gorgeous printed fabric in the UK

London Landmarks at SeamStar

Does what it says on the tin. Online stockists of some of the finest patterned fabric (by which I really mostly mean cotton) in the UK. I've picked out a few of my favourites below but there are hundreds of gorgeous options. Many of the sites also sell haberdashery, trimmings, patterns and stationery too. Enjoy!

1. Ray-Stitch              2. Fabric Rehab   
3. M is for Make         4. Eclectic Maker  
5. SeamStar               6. The Eternal Maker   
7. Saints & Pinners      8. Celtic Fusion Fabrics

Angie Lewin, Plants and Places

 
I've been planning to blog about this for, oh about a year now...

Angie Lewin's Plants and Places is one of the achingly beautiful books I received as a present last year. I've been a huge fan of Angie Lewin's work since she very first began designing printed Dandelion themed fabrics for St Jude's quite a few years ago.

It shares the process she goes through from quick sketches out in the countryside, to blocking colour in and transferring to paper and fabric prints.

The book is available here, and you can buy Angie's fabrics here.

Craft Tutorials

I don't know a single person who crafts that doesn't love a good tutorial. No matter how experienced, enthusiastic, professional or skilled you are, there's always more to learn. Seeing how other people do those fiddly creative things can be so inspiring.

I have lists of tutorials everywhere but I've finally hit on a genius way of keeping them all fresh, in one place, where I can not only find them but see them at a glance too. Pinterest is perfect for such a thing. So from now on I'll be noting them all there, on my Make This board. And then I thought, why not share them with you too. There's already a good stash on there and I'll be adding to it continually.

So far you can find...

Tinkering Textiles on Facebook

It's only taken roughly forever, but I decided it was about time to have a craft page on Facebook. So here it is. Tinkering Textiles. Do head over there and like it. Here's five reasons why...

1. Because I still get that nerdy happy feeling when someone subscribes to a blog, likes a page or retweets a tweet. You can put that nerdy smile in my tummy.

2. This blog you're reading now will, as ever, have craft (and other) news of worldwide interest with some meat to it and my usual careful curatorial ways. But it takes a while to write the posts on here, and you may have noticed, sometimes I find it hard to put that time aside. So...
...the Tinkering Textiles facebook page will have more bitesized snippets. Quick posts. Which means I can share more with you as and when I find or think of them instead of missing the moment, which sometimes happens here.

3. For those of you who are UK or North West there will be more news just for you. I tend not to post local news on this blog because I know it's read by people in all corners of the world. But if you're in the market for opportunities to show, sell, compete or work in craft in the NW and UK then the facebook page is where you'll find it. Don't worry there'll be plenty of big and global craft news too, just as you'd expect.

4. Eventually I'll be moving my Tinkering Textiles shop there. Etsy's pretty much had its day for me so I'm setting up on Payvment and will be listing things I've made as well also craft and interior hardware, supplies and classic vintage offers. (There's just a couple of items now if anyone's in the market for a handmade cushion cover or Debbie Stoller's Stitch n Bitch Knitters Handbook). More to follow soon.

5. Well it's Facebook, you're there anyway right?

Of course blog posts from here will also be sent over there, for facebookers who don't follow it anywhere else. Thanks to the *almost* 50 people who have liked it so far. Can't wait to see more of you there soon. 

A Cushion for Pilgrim

A whole four years (or more) ago I made this cushion. It was possibly my favourite vintage fabric ever bought. Thick dense durable crispy cotton in rich sumptuous colours and bold 1970s popping floral pattern. It sold on etsy and off went the parcel to the other side of the world.

Imagine my surprise when randomly perusing Pilgrim's design lifestyle blog - in fact snooping around her house - when there was my little bold punchy much loved cushion. A double take and a few emails later confirmed that it was indeed the very same item. Such a heartwarming moment to see something I'd made in such an appreciated and beautiful setting.

I'd strongly recommend popping over and having a big snoop around Pilgrim's blog, home and shop. And if you ever bought any of my items, I'd love to see a photo of them in their natural habitat around thehome or being worn. It's so lovely to be reunited with them and see them being enjoyed.

Secrets & Codes, an ending and a beginning

So Secrets & Codes is nearly complete. After 8 or 9 workshops the pupils' works are almost finished. Soon I'll be framing all their textile pieces, and putting together some sort of interpretation booklet.

In the meantime a consultation event will take place, sharing the work of all the local schools involved in the project with their local community. Here's ours. I'm so proud of them all, they've found parts of it challenging in different ways and have all wanted, so wholeheartedly, to persevere and get it done.

But this isn't an ending, as my work comes to a close, the village will open a brand new heritage trail which all the children and teachers involved now own a piece of through their efforts and endeavours. The future and the past of the village are all theirs to look after, and a new heritage trail will soon be launched to commemorate the area.

Sewing Suffolk Puffs / Yoyos with Year 6

Last Friday's Secrets & Codes workshop was all about starting actual sewing, at last! After some prep for the children's artwork two days earlier, in which they began to draft their final designs, we finally moved on to cracking out the needles and thread.

Firstly I must say someone has done an excellent job of this with them already as they were able to thread the needles beautifully and knew what a running stich was, which saved us all a lot of time. They were very excited about being able to choose the colour of felt for their Yoyo (as it's known in the US - Suffolk Puff in the UK). I took along this little sample (above) which I'd prepared so they could pass it round and scrutinise it to give them some gist of what to expect; and a few of Jennifer Collier's paper versions to give them a feel for some more creative options. 

It was wonderful to see the few who felt they couldn't do this at the start proudly finish their little works and ask to take them home, we did start off with a few 'I can't sew' murmurings, but I promised them they would be able to by the end, and they worked hard to see if actually they could. The teacher said she really enjoyed the session and found it very theraputic (which was also lovely, as the group is quite pleasantly excitable - I imagine a little injection of calm now and again is no bad thing for Miss!)

To make life easier for everyone I prepared a cheat sheet which we had up on the smartboard the whole time. I thought since I'd made it, why not make it available for any other teachers or stitchers who wanted to try it alone or with their class. So you can see it below or download it here You are welcome to make copies and use it as you wish, though please remember to credit the source if you do, thanks.

Mapping stories: a school textiles & heritage project

Session 1 of Secrets & Codes.
After looking at a variety of visual codes and coming up with as many different types of codes as they could, we moved on to the preparatory stages of mapping and pattern making. The children (year 6 / Age 10) got into the gist of the idea well and start mapping some stories by thinking of a special place in their village, writing a story about it, then hanging a corresponding tag on the map where there story took place. Their knowledge of the village geographically, their ability to read maps and generate ideas, and their pride in the things that are important to them were all hugely impressive. The children will continue adding their tags until I go back for session 2. It was really interesting that of those we got through, all but two were in a big long line down the middle of the village.

Next week, weather permitting, we'll be going for a walk to the local, abandoned church hall, which used to be the school, before the newer one was built. I'll be asking them to look at details of the landscape and architecture with the aid of viewfinders, and to use their imagination to think about what it would be like inside, and what the walk to school might have been like in the 'olden days'. I wanted to find a local guest, a member of the community who went to the school, to bring the place to life for them and talk about their experience of it. A quick chat with the headteacher soon revealed that he would be the very person. Serendipity...We might walk a bit further to look at the 1960s estate nearby and talk about why those houses were built; or the big old house on the corner which used to house the family who owned the village's mills. They'll have disposable cameras to photograph the things that are visually attractive to them, for when we start developing our abstract patterns via image transfer and textiles later on.

Secrets and Codes: a textiles and heritage school project

 

Secrets and Codes is the name of a project I mentioned a few weeks back. I wanted to find ways to entice the children into becoming keen detectives of their local area, both geographically and historically. I'm employed as the resident textile artist for the project and will be working with them over nine sessions and curating an exhibition of the work involved (mine and theirs).

We'll be using session one to start thinking about the hidden messages carried in visual codes, and how pictures and symbols can tell us more than we first see.

I have a huge map of the children's village which I'll be asking them to plot events and stories onto, and we'll be exploring some specially made bunting, in which each flag shows a different code. We'll be talking about the use of codes and how they work, and what codes the children can think of themselves, which hopefully we'll have time to add to the bunting. I'm hoping that we will also be able to draw in the wider community by collecting stories from parents and grandparents so we'll be starting that process too.

I want the children not only to learn about thinking visually, but also to understand that heritage is a human thing, something to be connected to, proud of and inspired by. And so one of the flags of the bunting will use the piece above. At first glance its just a swirl of coloured lines, and this is what will be shown on the bunting. As we talk about what this might mean, I'll explain it's actually a map. A map of solar eclipses over forty years. It was charted by my grandfather in 1954. The coloured lines I've recreated are the movements of the sun in each of its eclipses. And I'll be taking the original map in for them to look at too.

I want them to feel the vibrancy of the project, but also to feel something precious all around them. I hope this simple felt tip line drawing and a shabby old special map will help them begin this journey. 

A Brief History of Bobbins

Tour of a Victorian Bobbin Mill, Stott Park, Cumbria from Richard Elen.

Whilst looking for a film about the cotton producing process for a school project, I came across this film from a museum in my region about the history of the beautiful wooden bobbins made for the textile industries of the Industrial Revolution and into more recent times. Despite having heard many many times about the intensity of life and work in those times, it's still an eye opener. Wonderful work from Stott Park Victorian Bobbin Mill in Cumbria. 

Stott Park Bobbin Mill was opened in 1835 to supply the cotton mills of Lancashire (of which the Lake District was a part at the time) with bobbins to carry the thread which was spun into cloth. It was originally powered by a water wheel, later by a water turbine and then by a steam engine. Ultimately, electricity arrived. The mill finally closed in 1971 and then reopened in 1983 as a museum.

Today, Stott Park Bobbin Mill is in the care of English Heritage. The video gives a 20-minute guided tour of the mill by one of the English Heritage staff members to see the different stages of the bobbin-making process, including some of the machines being used by a veteran mill worker.

You'll see the steam engine and get a feeling for what life was like for the mill workers – who, in this case, came mainly from the workhouses of Liverpool and Manchester.

 

Free downloadable tote bag pattern

People seemed keen on the free downloadable quilting patterns so I thought I'd point you in the direction of a couple of other new free downloads. Sewing with Oilcloth is a new book and a little different from the usual 'How To's. It focuses purely on how to get the best from oilcloth and having used this fabric myself a few times I know exactly how tricky it can be, especially without the right sewing machine foot. So I welcome it and wish there were more books out there that looked particularly at specific fabrics and how to make the most of their unique characteristics.

If the full book is too much to contemplate for now, try these two samples from it. A simple Farmer's Market Tote Bag which I really like because it looks huge and has extra pockets (we all need extra pockets); and a table runner. Being honest I have never and probably will never use a table runner so make your own mind up on that one, but what caught my attention was the chalkboard cloth used. I can see the potential for all sorts of things there.

Free Quilting Patterns

 
It's got to be said. I'm not the world's biggest quilting fan on the whole. I have dabbled a little now and again, and there are a few folks on Flickr who blow my mind with their quilting skills - and essentially, the aesthetic judgement they use. My friend Lu Summers has accidentally introduced me to some of its better features and I'm more prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt than I once was. Reading the book Witch Child helped me appreciate the heritage of quilts a little better and that improved my understanding and appreciation a little more.

And so it was I found myself browsing the Moda fabrics website. Hidden away there, was a host of free quilt patterns - click on the black scissors on *this page*. Some of which demonstrated the things I don't like about quilting - I won't name them. And some of which demonstrated the ways in which my opinions are changing: bright colours, contemporary designs, alternative patterns. So if you're a quilting type go, rummage, download and stitch.

Happy Work

I've been asked to make something for an exhibition which is touring internationally, which is exciting! I can't say too much just yet but the general theme is about trying to communicate, and in turn spread, happiness, harmony and good will. It's taken me a while to find a way in to this in my mind, it's been mulling around for a good few weeks, but the ideas came this morning and I'm off...

So this is the first stage of my preparation, printing little fluffy clouds.

Textiles and the Trail

I had an interesting and very exciting invitation out of the blue. Would I like to do some work in a rural primary school, working with children to explore a new heritage trail that is being produced guiding walks around their village and the neighbouring one. The school has worked with textiles before and think they'd like to do more in this project. That was pretty much all I was told, except for "oh, and we really like the QR project you do, could we incorporate something like that, maybe with QR codes?"

It was a lot to take in, and to be honest, a tad vague. So I went over to the village to walk the trail and talk more about it. I came away in a complete creative spin - so much potential, so many ideas. It's a stunning place and the school sounds wonderful. We may or may not stick with QR codes but I'm fairly set on codes generally, and some sort of wayfinding, trail marking, navigating, signposting type idea.

The photo above shows the disused church hall which is attached the church which is attached to the school. The more I look at it the more I feel there's something special in there waiting to break out - lost stories, pieces of missing architecture, changed usage. Like a secret waiting to be discovered. I hope it will feature a lot, though I want to work with the children to see what ideas they have and what they find interesting so we may move on from this. But it calls me. 

Meanwhile a hundred textile ideas rush through my head faster than I can catch them. Exciting times. I'll be keeping photos as the work progresses right *here*.

Quietness

It's been a bit quiet here, I know. What that means is I've been hectically busy out there in that other world, the one that sits on this side of the computer screen that you can't see. There are new and unexpected sewing and textile and project plans a plenty. There is exciting progress with this and some work with a school here and some things on eight wheels with these people and more than likely some more of these. There will be proper updates soon, including an explanation of the picture above.

Deidre's discombobulated

I'm telling you this because you have one day left. Bidding ends Sunday evening.

This is one of 20 words being auctioned by textile artist (and all round lovely lady) Deidre Nelson. Exquisite little slices of embroidery, one word on a slither of ribbon, preserved in a glass tube and auctioned for a good cause. Ganet’s Adventure School is a small primary school in Malawi with big ideas. The school was founded in 2004 by its director Gertrude Banda, and has helped many children to complete their primary school education and to enter secondary school in a country where classes of over 100 children are common.

At last check words were raising anywhere from £6 to £40, I imagine they'll soar before the end time. Fancy a touch of serendipity or scarlet? A smattering of bibliophilia? Feeling bubbly or gooey? All these words and more can be yours. Go, now, bid. GO.

Selvedge Giveaway Winner

A few weeks back I ran a giveaway, to win a Trail Size Sample copy of textiles magazine Selvedge. It turned out I actually have two copies so I've picked one winner from the tweeted entries, and one from the blog comment entries.
And the winners are...

Tweet winner: Tina Peacock aka Mollimoo or @Mollimoo1
Comments winner: Little Cottage Comforts

Well done, and thank you everyone who joined in. Sadly I can't send you all consolation prizes, but as it happens Selvedge themselves are offering 25% off back issues of the publication so you could snap up a bargain sneaky peak for yourselves, but be quick the offer ends *today*. Click here

If you're too late or too broke to take that offer up fear not all is not lost. They also very kindly offer two digital issues to browse as well. It's not the same as holding the lovely paper in your hands, but it does of course still show the gorgeous contents in all their glory. There's the Paper issue (#22) or the Debut issue (#17)

Adventures in Resin Jewellery Making

Cutting a long story short, I had the joy of attending a workshop in making resin jewellery this weekend. It was run by paper and textile artist Jennifer Collier at her gallery / studios Unit Twelve in the glorious Staffordshire countryside.

In the first half of the workshop we learned about how to mix and set the resin, and were set to work picking and choosing from all kinds of found objects - stamps, feathers, beads, buttons, jigsaw pieces - you name it... As it happened I'd brought some things of my own too - some copies of old family papers, a few rolls of washi tape, some packs of replica papers from a museum, some antique and new buttons, a few bits of fabric (and Mr Fort - who brought various Star Wars related bits). 

After just two hours we had all our pieces in the moulds with the resin poured in. Feeling most pleased we headed off for the evening, ready to return for part two the following day. The workshop has to work this way, to allow time for the resin to dry. In part two we popped (and in some cases whacked) our pieces out of their moulds, got messy with some really hardcore glue and drills, and attached the jewellery findings of our choice. You can see all the pieces we made *here*.

Jennifer is a brilliant workshop host, incredibly well organised and attentive, with a wonderul range of 'stuff' to play with. She also has that rare talent of slowly and subtly building everyone's confidence throughout the session; recognising everyone's individuality and understanding how to help them get the most from what they're doing, confidently and happily. And she plies you with more tea and cake than anyone could feasibly squeeze in*. The workshops are running again in August - go to Unit Twelve and click on 'workshops'. Highly recommended.

*Ahem - tea and cake most definitely not at the same time as playing with wet resin. Health and safety nightmare apparently! Jennifer was very careful to make sure we enjoyed them both separately, she's good like that.

Selvedge Trial Size Giveaway

I'm an avid obsessive follower of Selvedge Magazine. Absolutely one of the best magazines about textiles you could hope to find. 

If you've never come across it, it's a beautiful thing to hold, printed in matt recycled thick paper so it feels like a small catalogue. It prides itself on image-led articles so of course the design is stunning and it's a visual feast to behold.

Covering textiles in fashion, fine art, interiors, travel and shopping, a single copy can take you round the world and back through hidden and lost routes; wind you slowly back to local and family heritages throughout the country; showcase the newest in textile designers; and bring new textile related films, books and exhibitions to your attention.

Don't take my word for it, if you want to scour it for yourself I have a 20 page sample copy to giveaway, including features on Scandinavian textile designer Maria Aström; global embroidery collector and writer Sheila Paine;  fashion designer Liaqat Rasul; and the traditional woollen blankets of Hudson Bay.

How to enter:

There are three ways to enter the giveaway (feel free to enter 3 times by doing all of them!):
1. Leave a comment below
2. Mention this post / giveaway on your blog (then comment or email me, sally-dot-fort-at-yahoo-dot-co-uk with a link to let me know)
3. Tweet a link on your twitter stream and include me @sallyent so I can see your tweet (don't just retweet as that won't show up in my @ stream due to the silly changes twitter made a while back - you'll have to actually type @sallyent in the tweet yourself)

**Deadline: Midnight (UK time) 15th May 2011**

And that's it. I'm happy to post the publication anywhere in the world. And I'll let everyone know who won and also if I find any more amazing blogs through the process, I might well share some of those too.

The Waltz of the Textiles Mill

A beautiful and very short film of the production of woven Australian wool which dances gloriously along to the jolts and winds of the mill's machinery at Collezione Paramount, Brazil.

Connecting Craft & Community

While you read this, I'll be at an extraordinary event in London. Connecting Craft and the Community is a two day workshop based at The Women's Library. 

Before I go on, I should say, if you've never been to the Women's Library, it is well worth a little trek off the beaten path to this hidden gem in the hustle and bustle of East London. They have a beautifully and poignantly curated exhibition and events programme; every time I've been I've seen something truly unique, compelling, always stunning, sometimes disturbing, and at times humorous. The current exhibition, which I look forward to soaking up is Hand Made Tales: Women and Domestic Craft "...focusing on the role domestic crafts play in many women’s experiences. The exhibition will allow visitors to explore and learn the stories of crafts and the women involved in them through personal tales and fun interactive projects." 

So... Connecting Craft and the Community is a project which aims to create a network of people interested in craft in all sorts of ways, but which has a particular emphasis on participation, community, and all that is wrapped up in what has emerged from what was a minority craft culture (of the DIY, subversive, counter culture ilk) but these days has become much more mainstream.

The Curious Tale of the Dog in the Ark

There was a woman*. She made small, perfectly formed, rather fiddly, stuffed dachshunds. Many of them. Many many of them. So many she couldn't bear to make another one in the end. But every last one was sent off around the world, to a new life, collecting rather an impressive stash of airmiles between them.

One such dachshund hauled itself in a small boat across a small sea to a green, lush, occassionally troubled land called Norn Irn. It nuzzled into the cosy abode of two colourful artists, who submitted a photo of their little sausage-dog shaped pride and joy to a spectacular place over the Norn Irn border called The Ark, in the fair city of Dublin. A wonderful sounding place calling itself a cultural centre for children. The dachshund was extremely pleased with itself...

A Little Q&A

I was chuffed to have been interviewed by the UK Handmade team about my work and what fuels me. It was interesting being interviewed, it made me think about things in the kind of clarity I haven't done for a long time.

So if you're remotely interested in what inspires me, where I started with the whole craft and sewing thing do have a little look *here*.

And if you're not remotely interested in that, I have mentioned a few other women who inspire me so you might want to skip straight to that bit.

The hardest question I was asked was, "In your role as arts consultant what do you feel the cuts in arts funding will mean for the arts in the UK?" I can tell you that's a very tough one to answer in only two or three sentences...

Textiles & Electronics

Through the magic of twitter I was introduced to Lynne Bruning. She weaves magic in the form of textiles and electronics. Given that I've twice researched this area I'm amazed I didn't find her before. She's a whizz with neon, nylon and pulses.

Added to that, this piece, Synaptic, is inspired by green flourescant protein; the nervous system; and cell imaging. A flick through my recent posts will show you how I feel just now about tiny scale science coming together with textiles. She describes it as "a Victorian raver blacklight evening coat" - brilliant! (Literally)

This is something I'd love to try more of myself, and though all her workshops on how to create your own conductive threads, fabrics and yarns seem to be in other countries, actually it's not that impossible. My local hackspace - Madlab - runs beginners courses in Arduino programming, which is a tiny computer board you can wire into fabrics to make it run instructions like switching led lights on and off - so if I ever have the time / money available I'm going to try and master this one, as a starting point.

You may already be familiar too, with Leah Buechley's work - probably the longest known textiles / arduino hacker; she helped develop the exceptionally appealing looking Lilypad Arduino, which was what first sparked my interest in this, around 3 or 4 years ago.

The future is *bright*

Entomology Embroidery

I happened across this designer of simple, beautiful, yet intricate embroidery designs and kits. What Delilah Did is the business name of Sophie Simpson who is based in Norfolk (England).  It was actually the subtle eggshell coloured bee, flat on the table, that first caught my eye. I considered buying the kit for a while until I read it's her most complicated one, so I'll probably just stick to admiring it from afar.

There's something about her work that carries all the best qualities of English curiosity in it, droplets of Alice in Wonderland, corners of Victorian museums and such.

I would really recommend a visit to her shop, prices are unbelievably reasonable and as far as I can see she really has thought of everything.

If you're a purveyor of handmade goods at craft fairs I'd also hugely recommend you visit this post on her blog. For a first attempt at a display I'd say she could give masterclasses on how to dress your stall.



 

One needle. From space.

If you follow etsy's blog this won't be new to you. If you don't,this will be 2.5 minutes worth stopping what you're doing to watch a beautiful story of how one lone space traveller, armed with a needle, punctuates his journeys with stellar quilts.

Lost in Lace

I just can't wait to see the exhibition Lost in Lace, a partnership between Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, and the Crafts Council. It won't open until October, then it runs through to February next year.

Birmingham's website says it will be "an ambitious exhibition featuring twenty international artists, designers and makers who will explore the relationship between textiles, specifically lace, and architecture through site-specific installations"

You'll see on the website it will be held in the museum's Gas Hall. For me that's as much the thrill as the craft content, it's an incredible airy, atmospheric hall that gives such a special feeling just walking through it. I know the combination of the exhibition and the space will be incredible.

Luckily I'm working with Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for the next couple of years so there's every chance I'll be there when it's on.

Image: Moucharabieh + Jardin de lit, lit de jardin by Annie Bascoul 

Not really a bunch of jumbled text at all

Now I now this looks like a bunch of jumbled up random words, but it is, in fact, my brain working through a textiles project. This is part of the very early research stage. For me it's a sort of map of all the things I need to remember and piece together when I start thinking about the real thing.

I'm hoping, funding and a million other factors permitting, one day there will be something much more real and stitched to show you. But for now - here's the contents of my textiley brain - enjoy, make what you will of it!

I'd be interested in what sorts of ideas or images they conjour up for you, let me know in the comments?

Hella Jongerius. A Misfit.

There are certain designers I could talk about in the sort of detail that would win an Olympic medal (and quite frankly I really stretch the patience of family and close friends wittering on about them!) Usually because they sort of rose to 'fame' or at least financial prestige and media reputation during the few years I worked at London's Design Museum. Which means I was in the almost unbelievably fortunate to position to get paid for things like reading Elle Deco and talking to amazing designers (remind me - why did I leave? anyway...) so I had more time to study that particular group of people than I do these days.

One such designer was Hella Jongerius. Such a varied designer who really teeters on that line between the unique handmade and design for manufacture; between feminine curls and lines in embroidery (on vases - genius!) to big square masculine furniture. She holds that balance with perfect class on both sides.

So imagine my delight when I found out a book of her work is being launched. A hardback came out in Autumn so I'm assuming the new launch is either a paperback, or a higher print run following a limited edition release maybe? 

I know it won't exactly be pocket money priced, but if you have a birthday coming up or deserve a treat (or can count it as a business expense - even better) then Hella Jongerius: Misfit will be out in February, priced around £29.95.

Image: Hella Jongerius, 300 Unique Vases

I'm just over here on pinterest...

Just a little note to let you know, if you didn't already, about Pinterest.

Firstly to say it's here - www.pinterest.com - like a big social, global, web based mood board. It rather niftily lets you bang a quick url into a field* (or 'pin' it) and bam - there's your image on your board. Since it links straight back to where you found it, all the credits / acknowledgements to the original owner of the image are sorted automatically - brilliant! 
*Or you can do it the old fashioned way and just upload an image.

At present it's mostly the domain of craft and decor types but I can see limitless potential for how it could be used. You can have individual boards or collective ones, depending on whether you set it so that only you can post to it, or whether you allow other people to as well.