Maybe its because its mid afternoon, but as soon as I saw these gorgeous photos I began craving the sugary sweetness of a good cupcake. Of course who does them better than everyones secret favourite, Martha Stewart. These three look delicious - Strawberry, Chocolate-Buttermilk and Chocolate (follow the links to the recipes). Mmmmmm. x

Time to get out your diaries as we have finally set concrete dates for the remaining solo shows for 2008. There is some amazing pieces being done at the moment by this bunch so the shows are shaping up to be pretty exciting (we can't wait)!

Schedule as Follows:
Mike Inglis 6th - 20th June
Seymour 11th - 20th July
Alison Hardcastle 19th Sept - 5th Oct
Laurie Hastings 17th Oct - 2nd Nov

To keep you all up to date, here are a few images from around the store at the moment. Check out our new card racks which mean we can finally stock all the cards we want! I hope you are all enjoying the gorgeous sunny day. x

When Homeless take over the world is a collection of hillariously clever ideas from the brain of Sydney based product designer Chris Thomson. This website is a "sarcastic glimpse into the future of product design, taken from the perspective of when homeless take over the world". It boasts some great products all made with card (the future gold) and pokes fun at some desirable objects which are just as good make with card as well touching on the all important issue of sustainability.

Take a look and check out which is your favourite product. I'm stuck between the 'braille jigsaw puzzle' and the 'back up tie'! So, so funny.

For those of you who have been asking to see some photos of the The Red Door team, here you go. Sit back, have a cup of tea and get acquainted with who we are and what we like.

SARAH - Is having trouble making her list concise enough so that people don't get really bored. Here is a selection from her massive list of things that she likes - new magazines, mornings, rabbits, cookbooks, nicely wrapped presents, cheese, dresses, having a diary, tidying, music quizzes, sketchbooks, road trips, teapots, late nights with friends, lillies, museum shops, travelling, collecting, train journeys, ceramics, baby photos, spring, cushions, posting letters, giving presents, a new bag, walking through autumn leaves, all berries (esp strawberries!).


ANNIKA - At the moment Annika is liking - red wine in the bath, band beginning with B (Belle and Sebastian, Beirut, The Bird and the Bee, Bjork, Bob Dylan, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Broken Social Scene ), Peter Carey Novels, Babuska Dolls, Bangers and Mash on a winters day, tea tea and more tea, tulips, new cities, national rail, daylight saving, T.S Eliot, using the words 'bizarre' 'horrific' and 'curious', indian ink, and her bed!


MELANIE - Melanie likes you mostly, but also - white sneakers, twin peaks, fluffy animals, palour games, paper goods and stationary, G+T in the sun, postcards, berlin, quick wit and puns, records, polariod photos, collecting, hunting, gathering, hoarding, assembling, rearranging, magazines, any and all chocolate!

Maybe I am slow with this one (its so hard to keep up with everything these days), but after reading Saturdays Guardian, I came across Mixwit -the time wasting, lots of fun website. Now, we all used to make mix tapes to give to friends (see a great previous post by Mel in March) and Mixwit is pretty much the next version of this. Make your own personal mix and share it online. Just another addition to all those websites we cant get enough of!

At the moment I'm loving - 'New York' , 'Surf Music is Good Music', 'Big Band and Swing'.

Yesterday Michael Kirkham popped in to say a quick hello reminding me that I have been meaning to post some of his amazing illustrations for awhile now. Michael studied Illustration just around the corner at the Edinburgh College of Art, graduating in 2006. He has since taken the illustration world by storm along with the help of Heart Agency, meaning he has worked for clients such as Dazed and Confused, Time Out, The Guardian and The New York Times. He also recently won the gold award (new talent) in the AOI's 2007 annual. We love his work and hope you do too!

I've just been having a long overdue browse at Craft and realise how long its been since I last took a leisurely browse through their wonderful world of craft. If you haven't stumbled across this website yet, then you must go and check it out. It is full of useful and inspiring information about pretty much everything to do with craft. A magazine, blogs, forums, recipes and amazing projects and tutorials just touch on what they offer. Even if you arent particularly crafty, you will love this site (and probably want to check out their sister/brother site Make too). I thought that their cheif in charge editor Mark Fruenfelder summed them up nicely; "Our vision with CRAFT is to unite, inspire, inform, and entertain a growing community of highy imaginative and resourceful people...".

Check out just a couple of images above from some of Crafts recent blog posts. I love the dos directories embroiderd cushion by Art Lebedev Studio and adore the sunlight poem projector by Jiyeon Song.

Here at The Red Door we have some very excited toys. Joining our current cuddly residents are some of Donna Wilsons new wooly wonders, bursting with character and charm, we're sure they'll all get along smashingly. Red Door resident Mitten Kitten and new commer Tig share a love of playing a good game of hide and seek. As well as sharing biological ties Ralf and Rill both lead an active lifestyle, Ralf loves mountain biking and extreme sports, and Rill is a lively sort of character, forever on the go. And who's not going to love Harry Hairyhead when they watch him sporting his moves on the dance floor of the roller disco, bopping his big, green, cuddly head. While the toys get aquainted with each other, the residents of The Red Door (of the human variety) are aquainting ourselves with the couch, and why not with a pretty view of one of Donnas new owl cushions to accompany us, as always beautifully designed, amazingly soft and totally gorgeous.

Yesterday the cheerful Carolyn Alexander popped in and dropped off some great new prints. Carolyn, a freelance illustrator/artist is based across the way in Glasgow (soon to be the French Alps), graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2006. Her ideas led work is visually stimulating and has a beautiful simplicity to it. Her recent drawing, 'Family Portrait' (bottom left) has just been picked to show up in Australian Design Company Third Drawer Down's next teatowel range, which we will also have in store soon. Thanks Carolyn and best of luck with the move. x

NEW YORK
I arrived back from my first trip from the amazing New York City just over a week ago. For those of you who have been to New York, you will understand its greatness, for those of you who haven't, start saving your pennies and get to what is one amazing city!

There is a lifetime of things to do in New York, one of which is shopping. I visited some amazing places and thought I would share just a sneak peek of a couple with you all. Enjoy x

FISHS EDDY - (photos above) with its odd but memorable name, is an amazing place to find a bargain, meaning I came out with way too many bags of goodies. Fishs Eddy’s specialise in American sturdyware, vintage dishware, flatware and glasses both new and recycled from restaurants, factories, overstocked corporations and out of business restaurants. This makes a really eclectic mix of products which keeps you rummaging for hours – I certainly did.


OHIO KNITTING MILLS -Stepping into the Ohio Knitting Mills shop in Brooklyn is like a viewing a glimpse of an era gone by. They showcase some amazing pieces of vintage clothing produced by the Ohio Knitting Mills from 1947-1974. This space is really unique and works perfectly with the rare collection of sweaters, scarves, vests, jackets, shirts and dresses which are all made with 100% Virginia wool as well as other fibre mixes. A great place to find a piece of unique vintage clothing made in Midwestern America.



DARR - was a fascinating shop due to its unusual yet fascinating inventory. This is the place to stumble upon taxidermy bears, deer and other animals, old signs, apothecary jars, busts and everything in between. You will find yourself wondering if this is a store or museum.



SLEEP - is a delightful store based around all the nice things that are associated with sleep. Bedding, candles, lingerie, jewellery and homewares help make up this lovely space.



BIRD - is a gorgeous shop based in Brooklyn which I stumbled upon one morning after a much needed coffee break. This beautifully fitted store focuses on women’s apparel, shoes, accessories and jewellery from emerging and established designers mainly from New York and Los Angeles, but also Paris, London and Japan. With some hard to find, fresh and very up to date pieces, this shop can do some serious damage on your credit card, but you will walk out looking all the better for it.



IN GOD WE TRUST - is one of those stores you walk into and wish was your living room. Stocking both men’s and women’s clothing and accessories amongst gorgeous antique finds this store sticks to the owner’s belief in “uniting the adventure, play, and fantasy of youth with grown-up ensembles that can be taken seriously.”

I could go on for days posting about all the great things that New York offers, but you will all just need to get there for yourselves. Have a great weekend. Sarah x

Created by Matt and Kelle, the husband and wife superduo behind the brand, My Favourite Mirror are so much more than just your favourite mirror. They have a whole range of products including mouse pads and coaster sets proving that you can have more than one favourite thing. They work with big talents such as Eleanor Grosch, Jaime Zollars, Sew Darn Cute and Ashley G. Amazingly every product is made by hand, so you will find no outsourcing and mass production here. From cute to classic, colourful and fun, its definitely no easy task picking a favourite to go home with tonight.

I have just been going over our choices for the next Kate Sheridan collection. It is hard to get our heads around ordering autumn/winter 2008 when the beautiful spring daffodils are starting to poke their heads up around Edinburgh. Kates autumn/winter range, which is due in the shop late August, is of course stunning. Full of gorgeous fabrics, to die for patterns and vintage inspired bag shapes this range is going to be brilliant. I cant give too much away, but thought you might like a sneak peak of a few new shapes. Enjoy x

The lovely team at I Saw It First have just posted up another bundle of the infamous 'wake me up at' stickers to us at The Red Door. This product is a must if you live or are visiting London (plus a great present to send to a friend living in London). Whether its a heavy night out or a long day at the office, these handy stickers will help get you home safe and sound.

Each pack contains two sheets of stickers featuring the most frequently used tube stops as well as stickers you can write your own message on. And for only £4, you can drift off to the land of nod without worrying about missing you stop.

The super duo Iain and Vala from The Dandelion Project just popped into the shop to say hello. It feels like a lifetime since I had seen them last. They are as busy as always with Iain creating new drawings and Vala knitting and gocco printing bags and tees.

The Dandelion Project are based here in Iains home town of Edinburgh. Vala hails from the beautiful shores of Iceland which gives both of them inspiration on a daily basis. With backgrounds in photography for both Iains previous studies in graphic design in Edinburgh and Vala's craft skills inherited from Iceland, it seems natural to combine the skills and produce the varied work they do. From knitted cuffs and illustrated bags to limited edition prints and photographic projects, The Dandelion Project really are a well oiled production team who constantly produce great products.