African Print Fabulousness: Artilugia

On the last Paris trip, I walked by a booth at the gianormous Puces de Clignancourt market and saw gorgeous African print fabrics used in decidedly western, kick it on a warm summer day, ways. The knee-length, a-line skirts were particularly compelling because they were #1. completely bright and cheery and a great alternative to mega-used gingham and neo-retro prints and #2. knee-length, a-line skirts.

I left the booth without buying anything because #1. Tom's eyes glazed over at the thought of another knee-length, a-line skirt and #2. I am stupid.

So I was delighted to see these pieces by Artilugia on the CUT + PASTE shop. I love the unexpected ribbon and contrasting fabric on the VERY on-trend skirts, dresses, tunics and jackets. Artilugia is Spanish designer Ana Guerrero, who also has an etsy shop. She uses specially sourced Senegalese fabrics and doesn't repeat any design in the same pattern, so each piece is truly one of a kind.

For more information, the African Fabric Shop is a great site for an overview on different patterns and types of fabric. Support fair trade companies like this one!!!

All photos courtesy of CUTXPASTE

Fantastic Wall Decals: Harmonie Interiéure

Wall decals -- not quite artwork and not quite wallpaper, they fill the magic third place of temporary interior decoration. Though there are many styles on the web to choose from, these from French design house Harmonie Interiéure are some of my favorites.

"le Lac." Limited edition mounted photos and branch decal in three sizes.
Very Emily Dickinson...

"123" from the Ornaments category. Chose from 58 colors and four sizes.

"Knife" from the Urban category. Chose from 58 colors and four sizes.

The Harmonie Interiéure site is in French and English and is very easy to navigate and buy from. Styles and designs are divided into categories called "Somewhere Else," "Time Passing," "Urban," "Ornaments" and "Organic." There is also a large "Kids" category that includes decals that are absolutely charming in an oh-so-French way.

Completly Awesome Tea Cosies: MessyFish

Oh my goodness. I have nothing but love for these handmade tea cosies from the UK-based art, design and toy loving folks at MessyFish.

Why do I love them so? Because this is what a tea cosy should look like. This is what every practical yet boring object should look like. This is what the entire category of practical yet boring gifts that neighbors, students, coworkers and the occasional niece depend on during the holidays should look like.

All of the MessyFish characters are handmade from knitted wool so each one is unique. And practical too, as these characters, "William" and "Pyrrhus" fit standard size teapots. But there is nothing standard about them.

Wipe Those Shoes: Outdoor Rugs

These outdoor rugs are pretty enough to keep inside, but why would you? Made of recycled plastic, they can be left outside through all sorts of weather and can be hosed off whenever they get dirty.

Available in two sizes and colors here.

Illustrated Melamine Plates: Oksana Badrak

Just in time for urban picnics, these melamine plates feature the beautifully distinctive illustrations of Oksana Badrak. Birds and flowers go crazy in these fantasy nature scenes.

A rising star in the pop surrealist movement, Oksana, a Moscow native, developed her distinctive style at Art Center College of Design in California. This is a great opportunity to bring home work by a new artist and brighten up your summer table at the same time. And really, I doubt there will ever be a cooler backdrop for your potato salad.

These plates can be purchased at Poketo! (they deliver everywhere.)

The Doll Farm: Heather Louise

The first time I saw a Heather Louise doll, I stopped in my tracks so fast that I nearly fell over. Seriously. My arms flailed around as I tried to keep my balance while the Dutch pedestrians passing me stared in wonder at the freak before them. It is hard to generate that much momentum while walking, but these aren't just any dolls. More like works of art with a wicked sense of humor and big shoes that are completely worth falling for.

From left: Bunny Girl Crow, Butterfly Dove, Red Bat Yellow Shoes.
All dolls handmade by Heather Louise.

Dolls with giant Marie Antoinette wigs and flirting lashes. Bat girl dolls with menacing pointy ears. Bunny girls and mushroom girls and queen girls all in full length dresses decorated with a quirky motif of some sort. Simply amazing and like nothing I had ever seen before.


The brilliance behind these dolls is Heather Louise, an artist now based in Brooklyn after a few years living in Amsterdam. She makes each doll entirely by hand from fabrics, buttons and beads found in her travels through markets and estate sales in Europe and America, and each piece is also accompanied by a hand-illustrated portrait card of the doll you buy -- art within art within art. Fantastic. You can find Heather's creations online at egg mercantile, or in their Amsterdam shop, the Michele Varian boutique in New York City and on Heather's etsy shop.

After getting my balance back and repeated visits to the shop window, I finally went in to buy my own -- the red bat doll with yellow shoes pictured above. She is very sweet, but just disturbing enough to freak people out. Perfect.

Above: Octopus In Marie doll with portrait tag.

Cold Nights + Sunny Brights - Marimekko

Spring is struggling to spring in Amsterdam, what with the tulips just starting to bloom and the down coat still in heavy rotation, so I forgave myself for rolling around in a pile of brightly colored Marimekko-inspired clothes at H&M last week.

Pink! Orange! Forgiving silhouettes that hide the-still-winter belly (if the weather won't change, why should I?)! A bathing suit I don't hate! It is all good, and if you don't have an H&M near you, or simply don't want to brave the horror of the store, you can browse and purchase a selected number of the Marimekko-inspired line from the comfort of your couch.

The prints in the collection are decidedly nods to classic designs from the 50s - 60s, but the Spring 2008 fabrics on the Marimekko site go well beyond retro. If you have the lingering winter blues, spend a few minutes perusing the designs and see if your mood hasn't lifted. Some of my favorites:

Clockwise from upper left: Maija Isola, pattern: Oona (1969/2006), Erja Hirvi, pattern: Sarastaa (2007), Maija Louekari, pattern: Dadel (2007), Jenni Tuominen, pattern: Unessa (2006), Maija Isola / Kristina Isola, pattern: Ananas (1962), Teresa Moorhouse, pattern: Sininen Gepardi (2008)

You can purchase selections of Marimekko fabrics at Finnish Design Shop and ReproDepot. Both sites offer hours worth of browsing amongst the pretty while we all wait for the sunny days ahead.