Ornamental Type

We've just been set a new project looking at type in the days before Macs. I've just been doing lots of research and come across some gorgeous victorian posters and type setters books.

New (old) Book

I was looking around Two way Books in Brighton today looking for some books to diplay my penguin covers on when i found this little gem for only 20p! It's a childrens Music book but using colour to teach all the different notes. In the middle photo you can see there's a cut out paper thing that you can stick over the keys on a piano to help yo learn! And at the back there's space to write your own music.

summer is here!

or so it seems. Which is why I haven't been updating this : (

Pelican

The maker of the coolest book covers: Pelican.

more maps

Bargain!

I am very chuffed with myself today for finding a bargain! A whole box of maps from 1902, 56 in total, all for £10! They were in this flea market and I'd bought a couple last year and framed them, and they were £3 each. But now I guess they were trying to get rid of them so I got the whole box for £10. Unfortunately a lot of them are damaged. I think they originally came from a large atlas because it seems they were all bound together at one point, so a lot of them are torn. But they're still gorgeous. My scanner doesn't do them justice! I'm going to scan the lot and possibly post all the nicer ones. Because they are so old there are lots of countries that don't exist any more, or the borders have changed. I love Persia, and the Chinese Empire. I could stare at them for ages! All the European Maps look so strange with the German Empire and  Austria-Hungary. I have spent all afternoon putting them together and looking at them. 

Records!

When I went home at the weekend my dad was having a clear out, which normally means I get a whole load of books, maps and stationary. But he's recently bought a new turntable, so I got his old one! not only that but a whole stack of records so big I can't even carry them. Before I had a few records and used my housemate's record player to listen to them, but no more! I will post some more of the covers another time! right now I'm off to play them ALL.

Travel

I loved this photo so much, until a friend pointed out that it was a composite of 2 photos (you can see it clearly when you look at the fence). I still love it now, but for different reasons. I'm pretty sure the background is somewhere like Thailand, but I couldn't say where the man is from and wether or not he's in fancy dress. I would love to know why this photo was made. Fake holiday snaps maybe?

beautiful handwriting

Toby bought me this in the sunday market: It's some sort of a-z of someone's favourite songs I think. It's still bound in the original packaging for the paper which is also pretty cool. I love old fashioned handwriting, I've been trying to make mine more curly for years with no luck!

sewing

I just got back to brighton and I'm feeling the need to procrastinate further by catching up on some sewing instead of doing some proper work!

Back Home

I'm back home for Easter weekend. I've just been sitting in the living room with my Mum and Grandparents and Dad and one of my brothers. I was deciding what to put on my blog today, and decided on this, in honour of being back with the Welsh! My Granddad and Mum can say the name of this station, and my Grandad can spell it which is pretty impressive.

Guide Books

My main collection (in monetary terms!) is books. especially lovely old ones so it's even better when I can get one with maps in it. This is a beautiful little thing with about 50 little fold out maps in it. And I used it when I went to Cornwall 2 years ago and most of the walks are still there, but the maps are a bit out of date. Quite difficult to navigate with a 100 year old map!

love letters

The thing that I am the most avid collector of is books. This is a lovely little thing I picked up in a second hand book shop in New York last year. It's clearly been well used because it has no spine left and the covers are torn even though it's a hardback! I think that makes it more interesting personally.

twins

In our first year as part of fundraising we made some zines to sell at shows. This was my contribution to one about birth: some little felt conjoined twins. I do spend as much time as I can making silly little creatures, mostly for friends as opposed to profit but recently I've been thinking of selling them. 

Churchill

A proof I found on the floor of the letterpress room. I'm not sure who did it but it's part of a book of dying words of famous people called 'Famous Last Words' which L2 Graphics have been working on.

bug

Dungeness

This is one of a whole film of polaroids that I shot at Dungeness last summer. It is one of the weirdest and beautiful places that I have ever been to. It's home to a nuclear power plant and dozens of painted wooden houses, and the beach is literally covered in old boats and abandoned fishing equipment. And also home to Derek Jarman. It was so unbelievably quiet and still, there weren't even waves in the sea that day.

lovely letterpress

This is just a little something I did in letterpres the other day. These were in the tray for odds and ends that have no homes : ( which is a shame because I think they are gorgeous and I wish the rest of them were there. 

happy

This is one of the best photos I've ever found! and I was lucky enough to find the two halves. I love this woman's face. What on earth did she find so amusing when she was having her photo done? 

Back in Brighton

Got home to Brighton today after a lovely trip to Bilbao! Most upset that it was foggy and cold :(