Emma Henderson launched Showpony in 2006 with an aim to produce fun and engaging printed products for the home and accessories market.
Trompe l'oeil meaning to ‘trick the eye’ is a theme which runs through much of Emma’s designs, from hiding bugs within the folds of her cushions or using vintage images on modern shapes. Inspired by honesty in nature and poking fun at real life she creates products that are functional and beautiful.
She is passionate about creating new products but remains committed to sustainable design all of Showpony’s products are made using organic cotton which is hand spun and woven by a fair-trade cooperative.
www.showpony.co.uk
Wedding bells are in the air at Green Options, Deb over at our sister blog Feelgood Style is getting married next week, and recently wrote a fascinating article on greening your wedding.
I have a little longer left to plan fortunately and I’m feeling very inspired by an article I found at Portovert on making your own wedding rings, specifically making them from old silver coins. These DIY wedding bands could even be [...]
My fingers are like dried up sausages wrapped in sand paper and the skin on my hands is so rough, dry and cracked I look like I’d be more at home on the beach amongst the barnacles. If its true that you can tell a person’s age from their hands I must be about due for retirement.
I love my job but sewing and handling fabric all day long can be really tough on your skin so I think it might be time to try my hand at something a little more rejuvenating.
Daffodils in the garden, people eating their lunch in the park and the odd overly optimistic choice of clothing can only mean one thing. Spring has sprung! So when I saw this image I thought it could be a great way for our old winter woollies to spend the rest of their days.
If your jumper drawer is anything like mine it will be crammed full of unwearable sweaters, some have shrunk in the wash others are a bit baggy and many just don’t go with anything else. So perhaps making your own version of this luxurious ’sweater blanket’ could be the answer.
This isn’t just a great way to recycling old jumpers, Opos who designed and manufacture this blanket are also making a statement about waste in the garment industry.
When we first discussed a week dedicated to reusing plastic Easter eggs my first thoughts were “what?” So I turned to friends and family for help and inspiration but the replies were all the same: “What are they?”
The reason being that this seems to be one of the few holiday-related retail opportunities that the UK hasn’t latched onto yet - and from what I’ve learnt I really hope we don’t. Don’t get me wrong, we certainly know how to create seasonal waste - the amount of packaging for the millions of chocolate Easter eggs lining the shelves is obscene.
For me, the term DIY dosen’t always conjure up the most inspiring of images. So I wasn’t sure what to expect when Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge announced that she would be running a DIY contest through her Brooklyn-based website. But I needn’t have worried.
Over 500 entries were whittled down to a 20-strong shortlist with an astonishing diversity of projects.
The winning entry, this super-cute dog bed is as ingenious as it is stylish. My [...]
After a long running campaign to ban plastic bags in the U.K, Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced this week a plan to introduce a tax on plastic bags.
Fantastic news! We can rid the country of an ugly, harmful menace and give ourselves a big slap on the back whilst carrying our shopping home in natural resuable bags. Great!
Or… is it really all that great? Am I the only one who might be a little bit sad to see them go? I won’t miss the bags themselves but I will miss the creativity they inspire.
Maybe its because I’m longing for a good holiday or perhaps its just that I love the colours and endless possibilities of maps but I’ve been seeing them all over the place recently. This image forms part of a collection of maps belonging to designer Benita Larson via Poppytalk. I love the way they are displayed and that some have being put to good use covering journals, books and boxes.
Inspirational design studio Lovely Design also have some great products made from maps including this very sweet ‘I miss you’ mail set and these beautiful ‘Take me to’ books.
The first time I saw Stuart Haygarth’s work was at Designers Block in London back in September 2005, I walked into a dimly lit room and was confronted with the most amazing visual spectacle.
The Tide Chandelier was the first thing I saw, it is an extraordinary mish mash of found objects arranged in an amazingly intricate and precise way. For Stuart it is a statement about the amount of debris on our shores. Everything he used to create this chandelier was found washed up on a particular part of the Kent coastline.
The Millennium Chandelier is another narrative piece, constructed from 1000 Party Poppers collected on 01.01.00 after the millennium celebrations in London, it is a work of art so specific that it could never be exactly recreated.
Recycling or reusing old materials is one of the best (and cheapest) ways to get eco with your crafting. There are loads of ways to do this but it’s solutions like these that really grab my attention. What I love about these new uses for old neckties is that the objects they have been made into are far more beautiful than what they were originally.
Based in London, Barley Massey creates numerous products from recycled materials. [...]
