
Sunday, 31 August 2008

Wednesday, 27 August 2008


What a dismal summer we have been experiencing: intermittent rain, grey skies and hardly the warmest of weather. I had one customer this morning tell me that he'd already been searching for UV light-globes on the internet. But let's not get too depressed about it just yet... I prefer to think of it as being the perfect 'art gallery' weather. So rug up and head out to explore the aftermath of exactly what Edinburgh's 2008 Art Festival has had to offer.
Two exhibitions that simply cannot be missed this year are Tracey Emin at The National Gallery of Modern Art (until the 9th of November) and Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller at the Fruitmarket Gallery (until September 28th).
Emin's reputation precedes her and this, her first solo retrospective, doesn't disappoint. 20 years of frankly autobiographical and astonishingly honest works are on display here, and, a word of warning, they are not for the faint-hearted . The exhibition is as comprehensive as it is candid, and a refreshing change from gallery's permanent collection that adorns the walls for the rest of the year.
Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller present us with a show that is equally as fascinating. Combining images, sound and music in architectural and sculptural environments, Cardiff and Miller create imaginary and dream-like worlds that the viewer can literally transplant themselves in. Climb inside a house constructed entirely of old books; lose yourself in the music of an eerie opera in a small room; and fossick through the old books, abandoned furniture, empty dishes, miniture models and whispering speakers that piece together the story of 'The Dark Room'.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008

The first image is the Duncan mug by Soop Design. The conception of the Duncan mug was a result of an MA project based on the perfect cup of tea. Each mug has a sweet suprise to look forward to, you'll find either a shortbread, jam sandwich or custard cream biscuit waiting for you at the bottom.
Annette Bugansky worked in costume and fashion design prior to creating these amazing porcelain vessels, they come in various bowl and vase shapes and have a fabric texture or a knit pattern, which results in a unique and original fusion of two separate disciplines.
Mememe draws inspiration from a huge range of sources including aspects of nature such as butterflies and clouds to religious ornaments and tacky objects, all the pieces fit together perfectly when on the front of a gorgeous ceramic bottle. The shapes make me think of a message in a bottle, and the skull bottle definitely had a bit of pirate chic about it.
Wednesday, 20 August 2008





Tuesday, 12 August 2008

Saturday, 9 August 2008


Above - 'No Place Like Home', ' The Sherman Swindler Sideshow', Below - 'The Machine', ' The Eternal Drop', 'The Night Watchman', ' Animal Autonomy'.





Our all time favourite stationer Kate from 'sunlight on closed lids' has just launched a brand spanking new range of cards which she recently previewed at the Home & Gift show in Harrogate. We have placed our order and will be receiving her gorgeous range of hand crafted treats very shortly.
Saturday, 2 August 2008
This morning a sweet postcard of a Highland cow and calf found its way to the Red Door from the lovely Miss Sarah who is lucky enough to be currently touring Scotland's northern wilderness.
It was a nice reminder that the humble pen and postage stamp is not redundant yet - and it's amazing how much a simple picture and a few words can brighten your day in a way that an email never could. It got me thinking about the postcards that used to decorate my family's fridge when I was a kid: sun-bleached and dog-earred snapshots of places with exotic names and landscapes. A quick search on the net delivered a wealth of kitsch old postcards, so I thought I'd share some here with you. Enjoy xx




It was a nice reminder that the humble pen and postage stamp is not redundant yet - and it's amazing how much a simple picture and a few words can brighten your day in a way that an email never could. It got me thinking about the postcards that used to decorate my family's fridge when I was a kid: sun-bleached and dog-earred snapshots of places with exotic names and landscapes. A quick search on the net delivered a wealth of kitsch old postcards, so I thought I'd share some here with you. Enjoy xx




