Give good gift: featuring Beasties plates, Yoko dishcloths, monochrome letters and more

Today, just a spot of homewares porn. But since these are all things that could make nice gifts (yep, and maybe just for yourself, ahem) I'll tag them in the gifts tab, which appears on your left. By clicking there, you should see all sorts of other things that could delight your dearest as gifts. 

Rockett St George has just started selling this cake plate foursome, designed by
Carola Van Dyke. The fabric-style beasts reflect Carola's "textile taxidermy". At Carola's own website, she also sells cushions with excellently expressive cats sewn onto them. Check out Carolavandyke.co.uk or buy the set of four plates at Rockettstgeorge.co.uk for £20.

There's a lot of lettering-as-decor about these days. And while we might be tiring of typographical artworks (or is that just me?), giant letters are still, ahem big. Especially when some unusual, not-everywhere variations pop up. And these gorgeous wood and gold leaf, Art Deco-ish initials fit that bill, don'tcha think? They're from a US shop called Edie's Lab – they measure 27cm high and cost £25.35 a-piece. The shop does international delivery, but do look out for import/export taxes, which can be a killer.

It's a little contrived, since these are newly made, but each letter is a little battered and aged looking. But not in a distressed, shabby chic way (I know that term has become fashionable again, but to me it will always represent the 1990s), just in a well faked old way.

They also do these circus style letters for £22.18, available in various colours. You can also read our previous post on giant letters and illuminated signage here.

I missed Rachel Powell out of my all my London Design Festival finds, simply because there wasn't room/time to include everything excellent. But she was at the exciting new talent show, Tent, this year – and I keep thinking about the textile and wallpaper designer's colourful new Yoko tea-towel and tableware range, and it makes me smile. So here it is. The tea-towel (far right, above) is £10, the tray (blue) is £30, the placemats are £30 for a set of four and the coasters £16 for a set of four too.

Rachel was only appearing in New Designers with her very pleasing midcentury graphics for walls around this time last year... things are moving fast for this name to watch.

These funny stacking cups are new in at Roost Living (£45 for a set of three). I love that they're kind of weird and almost a bit ugly. That not everyone will love them is totally what makes them beautiful. They also double as tabletop entertainment: inspired by the game "exquisite corpse" (I'd never heard of it either – just think of it like the visual version of the game consequences), you can mix and match the figures you see when the cups are stacked, into freakish creatures, as each one is double-sided.

Post by Kate

Off the wall

A mini post from Abi today.

Remember my zingy apple green kitchen makeover? Well thanks to the lovely Kate giving me this rather splendid Hatch print poster for my birthday...

...I now have another print to put up on the walls. I had it framed and it's going to look lovely in there don't you think?

And another ace birthday present came courtesy of my fabulous husband – also for the kitchen and finally a partner for the massive vintage "M"; soon to both be installed on the wall (just as soon as we've worked out how to light up the M... expect Frank Spencer tales of electrocuted stylings).

It's from Seletti which, I've discovered, sell all sorts of weird and wonderful homewares (including these design-your-own neon illuminated lights we recently featured in another post). Ooh, I can feel a post coming on Kate...

New Pedlars' procrastination print

In praise of procrastination? Well. Why not? We're all either vastly under-employed, or hugely stretched these days (or, worst-case scenario: both). 

Apart from those clever types who have cracked life's code and got the balance just right, of course. You're out there tending to your chickens, having a non-rushed breakfast (of freshly-laid eggs), spending enough time with loved ones, not getting RSI etc. But if you're already there...

...get this new print from Pedlars. It's not about being lazy or wasting time – well, the latter a bit – but more about allowing the mind to wander, to make it happier because it's not incubating guilt and, in the end, more productive. Inspirational and beautifully designed suggestions include cloud-watching, doing nothing, and making now the time to sort your inbox.

Typographic art is a bit over-exposed, but there are still some un-cliched gems out there and this, for sure, is one. It is part of a tiny, limited edition run (yet more reason you won't be seeing your print on everyone else's wall) and measures 42cm x 42cm and costs £165, unframed. The artist behind it is recent Chelsea art school graduate, Sara Mererid Williams.

Then again, there's the other way of looking at things – and even if you're beating yourself up with guilt about everything you haven't done, at least you'll be laughing too while looking at this rather excellent  Kenneth Williams catchphrase print that I featured a while back. You could always alternate them.

River Wandle Alphabet

I came across this colourful and unusual alphabet print because it was on display in a restaurant near my house (Brick Box in Brixton Market). 

It is by children's illustrator, Jane Porter, and it's made up from something quite surprising – photographed and then turned into this artwork. Can you tell what the letters are made from?

Jane lives close to south London's River Wandle, and as part of a project she worked on with the Wandle Trust, which looks after this waterway, she fished out objects from the river and used them to depict letters of the alphabet. It's the same principle used by the artist Ella Robinson, whose gorgeous, colourful salvage art I wrote about a while back – but she uses objects she's found washed up on her local beach.

Sounds like quite a job: "It’s taken five years of wading, rummaging, sifting and heaving but my Wandle alphabet is finally complete – a complete A-Z made with objects found during clean-ups of the river Wandle," she explains. "I think my favourite has to be the false teeth ‘U’, though I am also very fond of ‘R’ and ‘O’. The ‘F’ is from a fish and chips sign."

You can buy the print, in A1 size, for £20 from Jane's website – with all proceeds going towards future Wandle Trust work.

Jane illustrates books for small people, and her first is Duck Sock Hop, by Jane Kohuth (Dial Books). Check out some of Jane's other animal-based children's illustrations too, which she sells as prints via the Art Cabin. I like her monkeys.

The gift for the person who has everything? A personalised, illuminated sign

Last Sunday in my Insider column, I wrote about illuminated letters. Here is the full version, with images...

Typography has been and isn’t going away as a trend (though we do – hurrah – finally seem to have fallen out of love with the ubiquitous ‘keep calm’ bonanza). But the next step in letter love is illuminated signage, specifically featuring letters or words. My friend Abi emailed to ask where she could get a giant letter ‘M’ that lights up for her husband’s 40^th birthday present. They’re not everywhere and there are a few different ways to go. Here’s what we discovered: 

Vintage marquee sign, around £160, Etsy

If you’re not in a rush, eBay and Etsy will come up trumps… eventually. Especially if you have your heart set on an original rather than a repro version. The (not less obvious) keywords to go for are: fairground; illuminated; marquee; signage lightbulb letter (and the dreaded ‘vintage’ – which it’s worth searching without too, as anyone with the nous to use it, has the nous to charge more). 

Original illuminated 'N', £175 from Something or Other

Try, too: the Vintage Wall; theoldcinema.co.uk (if you have cash to splash); Something or Other (above) – and the trade markets (there is a calendar available for the six biggies at iacf.co.uk – and antiques-atlas.com includes heaps more to choose from, though you'll really need to sift through for the good ones). 

Original letter 'O', Signs for Homes, £145

I'm not usually a fan of reproduction – and repro signage can look particularly ‘meh’. But if you want something specific spelt out, and have a deadline – it’s probably your best bet. And Signs for Homes make stunning old-style copies, employing a pro sign-maker (below, left). Individual light bulb letters (33 x 40cm) start at £195. (They sell originals too, above.) 

Bespoke signs made to order, £225, from Signs for Homes; 'Dancing' sign
(put your own lights behind it) from Rockett St George, £89

If you happen to want to spell the word ‘dancing’, Rockett St George sell a beautiful – new – Perspex panel for £89 (above, right), modelled on a 1950s nightclub sign, with red letters on the front; you can put your own light behind it if you like.

Or make like Tracey Emin and buy ready made words and phrases (‘kiss’, ‘hot’ and ‘I love you’), or create your own for £45 per letter (plus a transformer – from £45-£100). Available from The Letter Room. 

Follow Oleander and Palm's instructions on making your own illuminated letter using old jam jars.

Or make your own. Get step-by-step guides for the super simple plywood, jam jar and paint version, Oleander and Palm (above, a very nice site) or go a bit more pro here. Lights4fun.co.uk sell the festoon light strings you’ll need and 'foamcore' is better known as 'foamboard' in the UK for Googling. Do send photos if you manage it!

Or if you just want to ogle such glowing beauties, check out his current pop-up shop and exhibition (on until January) in London, by the renowned neon artist, Chris Bracey (above). You can read about him in the Independent.

This cushion makes me happy

I love Camille Walala's bold, no-holds-barred bonkers designs (just check out her website... though not if you suffer from epilepsy, perhaps: it is IN YOUR FACE).

Her basic approach to design is that it should make you happy. She is, I would say, successful. This cushion, which you can buy from the designer's website or CultureLabel, for £48, certainly does the job...

She also has a rather marvellous blog, on which there are more of these sorts of messages, including 'rave more', 'learn more' and 'floss more'. Quite.