Hasta La Ideas

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Regular UPPERCASE contributor Alanna Cavanagh has a tea towel design available through The Bay. It’s sold out online at the moment, but still available in shops around the country. Looks like a nice Mother’s Day gift!

Donna Wilson made me a list of places to see and Smug was one of the destinations. A pretty multi-level boutique in Camden Passage, Smug is the curation and styling of Lizzie Evans:

“Lizzie remembers spending her pocket money in Camden Passage as a little girl. Now as an interior and graphic designer, she has turned a regular shop front into a light and airy designed space filled with 1950s furniture, handmade toys, gorgeous stationery, quirky kitchenware, and chic ceramics. The space retains its old waxed boards and rusty manhole covers, but introduces sheets of glass as balustrades and portions of the floor, allowing light to penetrate the downstairs of the retail haven.”

The floor on the upper level was fantastic! I loved all the textures and contrasts in Smug’s shop design.

We received this video from Etsy last week. It is about Aysegul & Sebahat Cetinkaya, a mother/daughter team from Bolu, Turkey who run an Etsy store (irregularexpressions.etsy.com) and make accessories with a  crochet hook, needle, some thread, and beads.

Their work is breathtaking and is now on my covet list. But, the video is about more than their craft; it’s about the relationship between a mother and daughter, one that is both singularly unique, and yet somehow also universal in nature.

I come from a family of women who have created a stunning handwork legacy. My Grandmother could walk through a department store and recreate a coat she saw. My Aunt and I are linked through the creation of handmade Teddy bears. My Mother is a prolific knitter and has blessed us with many handknits. One recent Christmas morning, Mom and I each presented the other with a handknit cowl.

I am humbled by the talents of the women in my family and blessed to be able to pass these skills to my children. For us, handwork and creativity really are the ties that bind.

Homespun Style Market and Book PartyThe cards that I collected from market sellers.Such an appealing mismatch of vintage and floral fabrics everywhere!I’ve made a Flickr set with all my photos and links to the sellers’ websites.

It is just about noon, London time. After some restless hours in the middle of the night I needed to get some sleep and happily slept in this morning, something I never get to do at home!

Today I am off to explore some Saturday markets and perhaps a touristy bus tour for the grander sights.