Norrköping Tattoo Convention & My Current Fave Tattoo Artist...

So, I missed doing my blog last Friday because I was home with a cold... feeling a bit better now, thanks for asking ;-) And I won't be blogging this coming Friday either because I will be at the Norrköping Tatueringsmässan (tattoo convention)

I'm having a stand there selling my wares and having an excuse to hang out with my lovely sister who has flown over from UK to do it with me.... This is kind of like a fun working holiday sort of thing.

I promise that I'll take lots of pictures and report back with all the interesting things I see there, so for now,  a picture of my leg. That sounds weirder than it is...

and here is my work in progress by Tracy D... I really must get the colour done!

And my current fave tattoo artist Jenna Kerr, I would love to have something from her...

If you want to see more of my top tattoo picks then see my Pinterest board:

and maybe see you down the convention next weekend!

Birds in Design & Interiors: Trends & Predictions

As a designer myself, I can't help but notice trends as they swell and die. Some design ideas hang about for ages, others are a one season wonder and some cycle decade in and decade out. But one thing I notice, season after season is our eternal fascination with birds. The species change with tastes and time but the admiration for our beautiful feathered friends is timeless.

Honestly I couldn't give a flying flock about trends in fashion and design... I like what I like, but I'm still fascinated how these things come and go, how they flux into relevancy and are then banished to the uncool outer reaches of the 'has beens'. I like to watch it, as if it were a giant avant garde dance performance but I've no wish to jump onstage and try to take part.

I guess it's a manifestation of our herd mentality and our biological makeup, as social creatures. It's a natural expression of the desire to belong, to identify with the group, to feel part  of 'it' so it's no wonder.

Designers seem to conspire to favour a certain bird species this year and then there are...let's say Flamingoes...everywhere. Does anyone remember, years ago now, you couldn't move for them. They were everywhere, on everything. 

This went on for years....

We all got a bit sick of seeing them and that tide of birdyness went out...(only for a while)

Then all heil the rise of the mighty Parrot! I did a whole blog about Parrots and Botanicals in 2016 (oh and also boobs) so I'll skip going into detail, suffice to say that the parrot has been quite a tenacious little bugger and still seems to be everywhere, but I can feel it's on the outs now.

Pic from Graham and Green

Wallpaper by Matthew Williamson at Osborne & Little

Then there was the crane rising through the ranks over the last couple of years and is very much 'in' right now (whatever that means) Just look at all the clothes in H&M right now...it's crane city. Ok, maybe that was a few months ago, I don't know, I don't go in there much...

I think that part of the reason that designs featuring cranes are so popular right now is that there is a huge rich oriental design history that a lot of westerners are unfamiliar with and seeing these incredibly sophisticated textile designs and art for the first time is very fresh and compelling.

Another bird on it's way up is the Swan but it hasn't reached it's fullest possibilities yet... definitely more to see here...

This is 'Firebird' by Lisa Bengtsson but it looks more like a swan to me...

Birds are found in all the obvious design places, wallpapers, textiles etc - but even on naked metallic lady lamps...yes, that's a thing...and it's got parrots on too! Because a naked silver lady with a lamp on her head is just not enough! Clearly it is crying out to be covered in parrots too!   Well done Jimmie Martin for all your bonkerness, don't ever change!                                                                                                                                    I don't buy stuff because it is trendy right now but I really like to see the patterns of life,  I'm fascinated by beautiful things and generally like to know what's going on...                                      I've just looked around my livingroom and wouldn't you know it! I've got a picture of parrots on one wall, a cushion with parrots on the sofa and a giant gold fan with cranes on it, on another wall! Well, I'm accidentally bang on trend then! 

If you want to see more feathered fabulousness then check out my Pinterest board...