La Rara

I'm finding myself increasingly addicted to stationery at the minute, from washi tape, coloured bakers twine and Kraft paper to cards  and files. There is just so much choice out there at the minute, all with fresh new designs. The latest brand I have fallen for is La Rara, a boutique stationers based in Sydney, Australia. They sell everything from screen-printed notebooks, cards, invitations and gift tags. Ran by Lara, originally from London but who now lives in Sydney, La Rara have a fresh and bright style which uses simple designs in bright shades. Here are some of my favourites.

I absolutely love the balloon design! It comes on cards, calendars and postcards and is available in yellow or pink. There is also a balloon print notepad made from brown card with a single screen-printed pink balloon on it, it's so cute!

Another fave is this happy 'You are my Sunshine' card. A perfect gift for a dear friend?

And last but not least here is a small selection of other products that are available. There's bound to be one to take your fancy!

Thanks for stopping by!

{All images: La Rara}

Christmas Wish List No.18

Road trips, ice cream, soda, pretzels & beer, drive-in movies, midnight bonfires, afternoon naps and water balloon fights...

Well, aren't these just fabby? Not only are they pastel-coloured and pretty, they also spell out a few of my favourite things! It must be fate. They are made by stationery shop One Fine Dae and you can get your mitts on them from Etsy. If you are still frantically Christmas shopping, these would make an ACE stocking filler.

{Image: One Fine Dae}

Etsy Find: Holli

It seems I have a thing for illustration. I didn't know this before I started my blog, but most of my Etsy Finds seem to be shops specialising in beautiful illustration work, and I can't get enough of it. Today I came across Holli, a little shop ran by Paola Zakimi from Argentina. Paola loves painting in watercolour and has a passion for dolls, something that is referenced regularly in her work. She has over 500 pieces for sale, so why not grab a cuppa and have a look through her site, I'm sure there will be something that inspires you today.

Isn't her work just stunning? So ethereal. I love the emotion Paola captures in her work through the fixed gaze of the subjects. The sketchy, almost unfinished style emphasizes this. Paola has lots of different styles to her artwork: playful (as seen in her animal illustrations here), whimsical and ethereal (above) and dark and melancholic, which you can see from the more sombre illustrations below.

Which are your favourites? The animal illustrations are just so cute they would look perfect in a nursery. I like the ethereal illustrations the most I think, though it's hard to choose. I think they would look lovely framed and sat on a hallway side table. Hope you've enjoyed my Etsy Find as much as I have, let me know what you think!

{All images: Holli via Etsy}

Etsy Find: Alice Potter

If you're looking for some original artwork to brighten up your walls, look no further than today's post. The illustrator and designer Alice Potter has some beautiful prints available through her Etsy shop and website. Alice is inspired by the natural world and has lots of pretty birds, animals and flowers in her colourful illustration and print-based work. This 'Secret Deer' print is my absolute fave...

*Swoon*

Next up are her popular animal illustrations; the wolves are the most popular, but I'm loving that little red fox down there! There is just so much detail in the prints, and the creative use of colour make the animals so endearing. Who wouldn't love a lilac wolf?

Alice also has a great collection of printed greeting cards which are just far too good to send. They really are like mini works of art. Below are snap-shots of the card with a detail of the print next to it. You really can appreciate how intricate the pattern is when you see them close up. The yellow buttercups in the first photo really get me thinking of summer, so happy and bright.

1. Buttercups greeting card, £2.00
2. Spring greeting card (green), £2.00

3. Spring greeting card (blue), £2.00
4. Murder of Crows greeting card, £2.00

Who would you send one to?
Now I've saved the best 'til last with this next picture. Available as a 8'x11' print , this cheeky blue bear can be yours for just eight British pounds! What a bargain for such an adorable illustration.  

Ah, I'm happy now, seeing that blue polar bears face has really brightened my day. If you take a look at Alice's Etsy shop keep an eye out for the badger print, he's a cutie too! Hope you have a lovely Thursday folks x

Etsy Find: Jimbob Art

Another day, another Etsy find! After a lazy morning spent eating Mars bar cake (I'll give you the recipe sometime!) and browsing the internet, I uncovered these little creations from Jimbob Art.

How cute are they?
Jimbob, aka James Ward, is an illustrator who primarily works in pen and ink and creates large-scale artwork as well as these cute ceramic plates. He often uses stereotypes of the animals he depicts but also wants to make them quirky, the end result being, I think anyway, damn right hilarious! Do I want to own a plate with a bear in a bandit mask exclaiming to defend my sandwich? Hell yeah! Though it's too good to eat off so I'll put it on my wall.
Here's just a sneak peek at some of his ceramic collection.

As I mentioned earlier Jimbob also creates original printed artwork, often in limited numbers, so take look and act fast if you like what you see.

Lovely eh? And finally something for mum?

{Images: Jimbob Art}