lovely things for smiley happy people

Pottery Potterings

2012-02-02T03:32:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I started a pottery evening course at the art college and I'm really enjoying it. I'd done a bit at school but had never used a wheel before. It was a bit daunting but I was pretty pleased with my first attempts at a bowl and a pot. Last week we made tiles and learnt how to press mould a plate, and this week we glazed our pots. I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out after they're fired.

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T08:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! To celebrate the Year of the Dragon, here are a couple of images from great dragon-based films; Pete's Dragon and How to Train Your Dragon.

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-04T07:28:00.001-08:00

I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas & aren't still hungover from New Year's Eve. We've had a great start to 2012 at 44 as our Yellow Owl Workshop stamps have been featured in the February issue of Easy Living magazine! Yellow Owl Workshop have also got lots of new stamp kits coming soon, all in lovely new packaging. I'm busy ordering lots of gorgeous & unusual Valentine's cards and can't wait to show you what I've found. We also have the Top Drawer trade fair coming up soon so we're very excited to see the new products from existing suppliers as well as hopefully finding some new ones.

Advent Wreath

2011-11-22T04:45:00.000-08:00

This is our entry for the Advent Wreath Festival at the local church! I made it by cutting out a circle of cardboard, then tracing round it onto the back of this lovely Christmas paper by Solitaire. I scribbled around the inner and outer circles to create more of a look of bushy foliage, then cut out the paper and glued it to the cardboard. I had some paper left over so I cut out some extra robins and pine branches to stick onto the wreath. Lastly, I added a loop of cotton twine to the back of the cardboard for hanging. This would be a great way to recycle your used wrapping paper if it's too nice to throw away. (Paper and twine available to buy at 44)
The lovely people at Solitaire have featured our wreath on their blog here.

White Rabbit Teahouse, Nottingham

2011-11-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were very excited to discover this tiny tea room on a side street in Nottingham. The salt & pepper bunnies, on each table, were so cute and the sails on my windmill teaspoon actually spun around! We had cups of tea & coffee and delicious toasted tea cakes with lots of butter. We'll have to go again to try the lunch menu and the handmade cakes which looked wonderful on glass stands on the counter. Find out more about the White Rabbit Teahouse here.

Fox in the snow...where do you go?

2011-11-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

This wonderful wintry card by Jon Klassen for Red Cap Cards reminds me of one of my favourite Belle & Sebastian songs 'Fox in the Snow'. It's available to buy here. It's also featured in Elle Decoration magazine this month.

Autumnal Fog

2011-11-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Medieval Bishop's Palace in Autumnal fog.

Winter Wonders by Darling Clementine & 2012 Calendar

2011-11-09T04:54:00.001-08:00

This is our favourite Christmas range at 44, by Norwegian designers Darling Clementine. The Winter Wonders cards & birch veneer trays have a retro feel whilst being modern and original, and the 2012 Calendar is full of woodland creatures and printed on lovely heavyweight card. Find them all here.

Made for each other

2011-11-07T08:03:00.000-08:00

The 'Spooled' cord wrapper and Russian Doll Ear Buds are now in stock at 44 and look so cute together!

44 is open for business!!!

2011-10-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T09:39:00.001-07:00

Wonderfully witchy card by Darling Clementine for 1973

Log Pile

2011-10-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

A sneak preview of our new wallpaper by Roddy & Ginger

Hooray!

2011-10-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

44 will be back in business this Saturday!!! Please pop in to see what we've been up to and see all the great new things we've been hoarding for you. Thankyou to Helen for this lovely sign...and the cat that appeared in the dust!

Pumpkins!

2011-10-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

A barrow full of squashes?....it must be nearly Halloween!!!

Only a week or so to go!

2011-10-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Doddington Hall

2011-09-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

Renovation Renovation Renovation

2011-09-15T04:21:00.000-07:00

Top Drawer 2011

2011-09-15T04:20:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-09-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

Two of my favourite birthday presents....a leather bear purse by Beci Orpin from my husband and a painting by my 2 year old niece.

Fairisle Jumper

2011-08-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

The new Autumn collection is now online at Plumo and I think I've found the perfect Christmas jumper to add to my growing collection...shame it's so bloomin' expensive!

New Hello! Lucky cards

2011-08-22T03:06:00.000-07:00

Busy ordering lots of lovely new cards and notebooks by Hello! Lucky

Sunny Sandilands

2011-08-22T02:18:00.001-07:00

Coming soon to 44

2011-08-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

More gorgeous ceramics and textiles from the wonderful Donna Wilson

Emmeline Draws

2011-08-10T02:50:00.000-07:00

This illustration by Emmeline Pidgen beautifully shows the positive side of the riots. Found via Print Pattern blog.

I ♥ my Dansette

2011-08-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Paul Thurlby Alphabet Cards

2011-08-08T05:51:00.000-07:00

A selection of Paul Thurlby's amazing Alphabet cards are now available on our webshop. His new range of Number cards are coming soon so watch this space!

Whistles A/W11

2011-08-08T02:43:00.001-07:00

Loving the block colours and shapes of the new Whistles collection for Autumn/Winter 2011.

The Broadway Cinema

2011-08-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Lincoln in the rain

2011-08-04T03:43:00.000-07:00

2011-08-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

Oh Comely...

2011-08-01T04:52:00.001-07:00

...is my new favourite magazine

On the mantelpiece

2011-07-31T05:53:00.001-07:00

Submarine

2011-07-31T05:20:00.001-07:00

Tattershall Castle

2011-07-31T05:08:00.001-07:00

Let sleeping cats lie

2011-07-31T05:06:00.001-07:00

Super Star Stamps

2011-07-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

After the popularity of the journals, labels & notecards by The Small Object we've now decided to stock their cute rubber stamps and handmade necklaces. HOORAY! The Super Star Stamp necklaces are hand painted wooden dolls decorated with different coloured hair and fabric. Each has a 28" hemp cord, a rubber stamp on the bottom and a little drawstring bag with an ink pad.

Knick Knacks

2011-07-11T03:35:00.000-07:00

On the way back from Sandilands we drove through Sutton-on-Sea and stopped for a quick look around a shop called Knicks Knacks It turns out you can't really have a 'quick' look as you could easily spends days in there as it's stuffed full of furniture, ceramics & bric-a-brac from floor to ceiling and the rooms go on forever! We picked up a lovely Devon plate, a pretty jug and a Hornsea Pottery oil pourer. This Mister Softee paper bag served as a business card, with the shop's details stamped on the back. The lovely wallpaper is by Cath Kidston and looks great next to the old coat hooks in my parents' new holiday home.

Sunday at the seaside

2011-07-11T03:29:00.000-07:00

Beach huts at Sandilands, on the Lincolnshire coast.

Gocco printing

2011-07-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

The case of the mysterious bubble

2011-07-02T09:26:00.001-07:00

The Northern Quarter

2011-06-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

A day in Manchester

2011-06-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Who's Counting?

2011-06-14T06:38:00.001-07:00

A selection of fantastic new age cards from Inkpress and Purpose & Worth, now available at 44

Natural History Museum

2011-06-08T06:17:00.001-07:00

We've just got back from a lovely trip to London for our 2nd wedding anniversary. It was great to catch up with friends and we visited the Natural History Museum, Tate Britain and the National Portrait Galllery. The NHM had a temporary butterfly tent in the grounds and, as you can see, the big blue butterflies were extremely friendly! The collection of work by John Craxton at the Tate was fantastic, especially his later landscapes and I loved this painting of cats.

Lincoln Degree Shows 2011

2011-06-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

If you're near Steep Hill you should (obviously visit our shop!...and then) pop along to the Illustration Degree Show at Chad Varah House which is just around the corner on Wordsworth Street. There is a fantastically diverse range of illustration style on show, including 2d and 3D. The show opened on 4th June and runs until 17th June. See a selection of work here. The Conservation & Restoration exhibition is also in the same building and is worth a look as they have been working on some amazingly old and beautiful objects for their final projects. I took these photos of some of the paintings and prints that are hung in the corridors of Chad Varah, from the art college's collection. The print in the middle is of the town of Beverley but unfortunately I forgot to take down the artist's name.

Folk & Flora

2011-05-30T04:45:00.000-07:00

This gorgeous new range of cards and notebooks by Darling Clementine is now available at 44 :)

Nautical but nice

2011-05-30T04:42:00.000-07:00

This is my new favourite dress, a nautical striped 50s sundress from Topshop....buy it here
...and this sail boat brooch by Lucie Ellen would look perfect with it

Sticky Tape

2011-05-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

Patterned sticky tapes and mt masking tapes now available to buy at fortyfourshop

2011-05-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Book Fair

2011-05-21T07:45:00.001-07:00

I popped into the book fair at the Assembly Rooms on Bailgate this afternoon (and brought the average age down by a long way!) There wasn't much that was both interesting and affordable, but I found a box of King Penguin books from the 1940s, some of which had lovely patterned covers, and bought these three.

Father's Day June 19th

2011-05-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

Some early inspiration for Father's Day....quirky cards & gifts from 44.
1. Hello! Lucky letterpress card
2-4. Inkpress cards
5. Volume brooch - Tatty Devine
6. Moustache cufflinks - Tatty Devine
7-9. Trinkets & Trumpets cards

Florals

2011-05-20T04:56:00.001-07:00

1. Multi Pansy Waterfall Print Shorts - Topshop
2. Artbox lined notebook - 44
3&4. The new Tuileries card range by Helen Dardik - Lagom (coming soon to 44)

How Bazaar Stall

2011-05-16T03:08:00.000-07:00

Book Covers

2011-05-16T02:59:00.000-07:00

I love vintage book covers, especially those with 1950s/60s illustration. These images were found on one of my favourite blogs 'Where the lovely things are' where you'll find all sorts of loveliness & links to further wonderful blogs.

Old School

2011-05-10T05:49:00.001-07:00

We've gone 'old school' at 44 this week with vintage style stationery from Katy & June. Wooden folding rulers, sets of assorted rubbers, retro desk planners and pencil sharpeners shaped like vintage cameras. The lovely blackboard image is from Hello Sandwich.

Atlantis

2011-05-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

I've just been watching a program called Atlantis: The Evidence on BBC2 and am completely amazed by the style and complexity of the pottery and murals they've excavated on the island of Thera. Here are a few examples of images I've found via google, but I highly recommend watching the program on iplayer.

How Bazaar!

2011-05-09T06:34:00.001-07:00

If you can get to Lincoln this Saturday 14th May you should come along to the Engine Shed between 12 & 5pm for an afternoon of illustration, art, handmade & vintage, all in aid of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. 44 will have a stall there selling postcards, badges & jewellery, including 50% off RRP on Lady Luck Rules OK! They'll also be 'Cupcake Corner' which sounds delicious, and an 'Illustration Auction' where you can bid for donations by illustrators such as Gemma Correll and Mike Perry. To find out more about the event you can visit the blog or facebook event.

Happy Birthday!

2011-05-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

"Happy 30th Birthday!" to my brilliant brother. Hope he likes the card I made him....i'm working on this horse illustration for a screen print entitled 'King of the Castle' :)

Iris

2011-05-02T10:22:00.001-07:00

Kate

2011-04-29T02:05:00.001-07:00

My wedding present to Kate & William courtesy of Ben Folds Five.

Lucie Ellen jewellery

2011-04-21T07:43:00.001-07:00

We're very happy to be selling some lovely jewellery by Lucie Ellen at 44. Her necklaces and brooches are hand cut from paper covered wood and feature images from vintage childrens books. The Crafty Fox brooch is available online here. The Bow Tie necklaces are available in Noir black, Rose pink, Brick red and Mint green, and look great over striped T-shirts. We also have a small number of the pretty Bunting necklaces in Ice Cream and Candy colours.

Aphrodite

2011-04-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

This is a recent ebay purchase....a vase designed by John Clappison for Hornsea in 1977. It features a relief decoration of Aphrodite the Goddess of Love and has an unglazed biscuit finish.

Rose

2011-04-16T03:05:00.000-07:00

Easter Bunnies Everywhere!

2011-04-05T06:38:00.001-07:00

Bunnies bunnies everywhere!!! The new 'Boo' canvas bags arrived yesterday from Belle & Boo, in large & small sizes, that come with a bonus pin badge attached. Then today we had a delivery of wonderful Desk Bunnies from Cubic...tape dispensers in pink & white, and a bunny with scissors for ears holding a magnetic carrot....genius!

Royal Party Parade

2011-04-05T03:13:00.000-07:00

A new sticky tape design has marched in from Belle & Boo! An endless parade of children, carrying Union Jack flags, walking Corgi dogs, banging drums & playing trumpets. It's available now at 44, and would go perfectly with the Airmail twine.

Bookshelves

2011-03-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

The bookshelves in my studio are filling up fast! The hand-painted animal nesting dolls are by Ingela and can be bought at Lagom.

'I Do' tea towel by Maria Holmer Dahlgren

2011-03-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

This wonderful limited edition tea towel has been designed by Maria Holmer Dahlgren to celebrate the Royal Wedding on April 29th. 'I DO' has been cleverly highlighted within 'IN LONDON' and the W ♥ K on the tree trunk is a very sweet touch. Printed on 100% cotton linen and made in Great Britain. Available to buy in 44 an online.

A second intruder

2011-03-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Oh cat, you look so cute & sleepy curled up at the end of the garden in the sunshine.....but why are there feathers everywhere?!

Henry on the beach

2011-03-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

Reupholstery project

2011-03-28T03:22:00.000-07:00

At the weekend we began reupholstering a set of four lovely G-plan chairs with Sanderson's Dandelion Clocks fabric. It's our first upcycling project and I'm very pleased with the result. Using the staple gun has been a bit tougher than expected as the seat bases are made from very hard wood. Just three more to go now! I've also got two 1950s stools to play with after these are finished which may be a bit trickier.

Fluffy Bluetit

2011-03-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

A friend for my studio?

2011-03-21T03:18:00.000-07:00

Our neighbours cat was having a good look around our garden this morning and nearly snuck into my studio when I wasn't looking. I invited him in for tea but he didn't accept this time. I think I may have found a friend though.
UPDATE: He is actually a she and called Milly!

Spoons

2011-03-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

My husband bought me these beautiful hooks made from spoons at Lustre craft fair in Nottingham. I've been waiting for the perfect place to put them and they're now on the old shelf we saved and repainted in the studio. Now what to hang on a spoon stamped with 'Hopes'??

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Monsters Inc Intro

2011-03-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

As much as I love the film Monsters Inc, I'd be just as happy to watch the introduction over & over! I love the 1950s style illustrations set to jazzy music.

Patriotic twine

2011-03-17T07:15:00.001-07:00

I'm very pleased to announce (cue trumpets!) that I've ordered some of this fantastic red white & blue twine to add to our range of Divine Twine at 44. The perfect thing to wrap around your wedding gift for Will & Kate! Watch this space for a link to the web shop when it arrives...
Wonderful & clever ways to use your twine can be found at the Whisker Graphics blog, here, including this amazing cupcake!

My studio

2011-03-14T07:29:00.001-07:00

My studio is finished at last, hooray! (except for a door handle that dropped off) So excited! I've started moving furniture in and bought a plant yesterday to add to the lovely orange tree that my mum gave me. The plan chest is from Luna in Nottingham, the lamp is from Folly & Glee, and the rest of the furniture is a mixture of random finds from charity shops. More photos to follow soon...and hopefully some drawings and prints when I get going.

A visitor in the garden

2011-03-14T05:21:00.001-07:00

I ♥ Teacup

2011-03-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

My favourite place to eat & chat in Manchester.
Teacup & Cakes

The Decemberists

2011-03-11T08:23:00.001-08:00

Momiji x Hello Kitty Dolls

2011-03-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

When two worlds of cuteness collide this is the wonderful result! Momiji have collaborated with Sanrio to bring you the Momiji x Hello Kitty range of dolls, available in limited numbers in our shop and at www.fortyfourshop.co.uk, and will soon be releasing a range of zakka (accessories) to match!

Smile :D

2011-03-04T07:23:00.000-08:00

Cloudy weather getting you down? You can't help but smile when you're wearing this bright red necklace by Tatty Devine :D
Available in 44!

Light Up Your Mood

2011-02-25T06:12:00.000-08:00

We've been a fan of Henrietta Swift's original 'Light Up Your Mood' stickers for a long while, and are very excited to be stocking them at 44! The newly packaged designs for 2011 come in sets of Girls, Boys & Animals. Transform boring old light switches with eyes, ears, hair & accessories! For more inspiration on how to use them visit Henrietta's website here.

Red & white stripes

2011-02-23T08:57:00.001-08:00

Wear nice shoes to work day

2011-02-18T07:54:00.000-08:00

These are my pastel pink suede shoes, designed by Barbara Hulanicki for Topshop, covered in lovely drawings of bees and ladybirds.

Jaeger Boutique

2011-02-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, I love the whole of this new collection by Jaeger Boutique...especially the ric-rac pattern and belt! I think the cat t-shirt/skirt/cardigan outfit should be 44's uniform! See the whole collection here.

I baked/grew this for you...

2011-02-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak preview of the beautiful Mother's day cards by Belle & Boo that we've ordered for 44. They'll be put on our webshop as soon as they arrive.

the birds in my garden

2011-02-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

Your Home photoshoot

2011-02-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

These gorgeous photographs of our home were taken by Carl Pendle for last months Your Home magazine. Take a look at more of Carl's fantastic photos at his website here.

Rain Day

2011-02-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

My copy of Hannah Waldron's beautiful Rain Day arrived on Saturday on an appropriately rainy day :) I also received one of her limited edition A5 risograph prints which is being given away with the first 50 books ordered from Duke Press.
We're now selling Hannah's 'Berlin Rooftops' card in 44, as part of the Toasted collection for Urban Graphic.

Sunday Sunday

2011-02-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

Textures

2011-02-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

A great 8

2011-02-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

Useful vintage furniture

2011-02-02T04:28:00.000-08:00

With the popularity of mobile phones there doesn't seem to be much call for telephone tables these days...but this one is so cute with it's 50s shape and little legs and would make a very useful piece of furniture in any hallway. You can sit down to put on your shoes, keep keys and gloves in the little drawers and store shoes or tools in the cupboard underneath.
This sturdy writing bureau by Schreiber is also great for storing all your stationery together in one place and the fold-down desk is comfortably big enough for a laptop. Both pieces are available to buy now from Paper Cloud Studio.

Pretty vintage tin

2011-02-02T04:26:00.000-08:00

Doodle Cat

2011-01-21T06:06:00.000-08:00

Owl & Stapler

2011-01-21T04:44:00.001-08:00

The happy little stapler and the wise old owl.

From the lovely home of my lovely friend

2011-01-21T03:09:00.000-08:00

Top Drawer

2011-01-17T03:59:00.000-08:00

We had a brilliant day at the Top Drawer trade show at Earl's Court yesterday and found lots of new cards and gifts for the shop. Rob Ryan's colourful cotton bunting looked amazing on this vintage ice cream van!

Granny Square

2011-01-11T06:19:00.001-08:00

I've made my first Granny Square!!! One of my New Year resolutions is to learn more crafts, so I've started a crochet class at Spins & Needles in Lincoln. It's a lovely group and and as well as learning new skills you get to drink tea & eat cake...perfect!