Interior Porn...

The Mice are always on the look out for quirky bits and bobs to brighten our flats in London and Hong Kong and make them a little more homey. When Mini Mouse and I first moved into our East London pad, we were super eager to fill every inch of the flat pronto - we wanted it to look finished and lived in but that meant that on occasions we bought items we weren't necessarily in love with. The key is to collect over time and not rush the creative process! Our London flat doesn't stick to a particular style or theme - it's minamalistic in the fact that it's not crammed full but also boasts flair and personality with little touches. From family hand me downs...

 

Recycled Pimms bottles made into candle holders...

 

A little family of Russian Dolls that we used to spend hours playing with when we were baby Mice...

Vintage crates full to the rafters with beautifully bound books...

 

Propped up vintage framed posters...

 

 

...to a picture perfect clock which I live my life by...

For me it's not about picking an interior style and sticking to it, it's all about mixing it up and dressing your home with bits you love and have collected over the years. My latest obsession is with Emily Isles' illustrated poster designs that I was introduced to by my lovely work friend Chrissie. Emily's designs are inspired by anything and everything vintage including all things Italian, clock, bicycle, typewriter and map related! Each poster creation embraces the art of storytelling resulting in a charming and oh so sweet outcome... 

"La Moka" invented by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933. An important part of every Italian's kitchen. The secret to a good coffee : don't overfill the base, don't pack the coffee grounds too tightly and stir before pouring. Enjoy...

 

"La Vespa" invented by Corradino D'Ascanio and produced by Piaggio in 1946. Vespa is the Italian word for wasp...

"La Lettera 22" invented by Marcello Nizzoli in 1950 and produced by Olvetti. Italian typewriters use Qzerty instead of Qwerty as 'W' is seldom used in the Italian language...

"L'Ape" invented by Corradino D'Ascanio and produced by Pigggio in 1946. Ape is the Italian word for bee...!

"LA 500" invented by Dante Giacosa and produced by Fiat in 1957. It took the place of the first cinquecento 'Toplino' which means little mouse in Italian - how fitting...!

 

Emily's posters are available to buy in both A4 and A3 sizes. Opt for one to hang as a statement or snap up a few and frame and display in a row!

£15 for A4 size

£20 for A3 size

Printstagram Your Life...

Instagram is a recent obsession of mine, yeah yeah yeah some may say 'get with the programme' or you are 'late to the party' - agreed, in this case I have unarguably taken my good old sweet time in appreciating the snap happy craze. Regardless - I love it now.

YES taking photos with your eyes would be pretty awesome but not something that's likely to be possible in my lifetime SO for the time being I have to work with what I've got... It's not practical to always have my chunky DSLR handy to freeze beautiful moments so I rely day-to-day on my trusty Smartphone camera. After taking a shot I instinctively select a filter or a creative effect to make my picture look the best it can. It's second nature now and one that has been made easier with the invention of photography aps like Instagram. You can capture, stylise and share seamlessly in a few seconds flat.

All Instagram enthusiasts reading this will agree when I say there's nothing quite like that proud and glorious moment when you take a picture, transform it in Instragram, share it with the world and seconds later are rewarded with a flurry of likes and congratulatory comments from fellow followers ... 'wow what a shot' ... 'amazing picture' ... 'quite the photographer aren't we' ... If only that online minute of Instagram fame could live on in reality and be displayed for all to swoon over for ever more! Well I'm happy to say it can! Last week I read about the new Printstagr.am service which gives you the option of turning your Instagram masterpieces into a range of printed products. Tear-off calendars, posters, stickers and even coffee table books - neat huh?!

Images via www.printstagr.am

To mark this inspired idea, I have scoured the web and collected some of my all time favourite shots so sit back and check out my cream of the Instagram crop below... 

Images via www.pinterest.com