As sad as we are that summer is over, a change in season signals a whole new exciting collection of purses, belts and bags from the talented Kate Sheridan. So as we eagerly anticipate the arrival of Autumn/Winter 2008, now would be the perfect time to come in and grab yourself a bargain in our end of summer Kate Sheridan sale. With everything from tote and satchel bags to passport holders and keyrings, there's sure to be something summery to keep you smiling throughout the winter months. x.

Meet Penny Sage everyone, I'm sure she'll be glad to meet you, and you'll want to be introduced to Lovers and other Monsters too. Above are snaps of a few of my favourite threads that this exceptionally talented young designer has been building of late, each piece is a true treasure. Every item is a complete mixture, firstly, like you could have as easily walked into an abandoned old house in the woods, climbed the stairs to the attic, and in among all the other Beautiful gems found something that feels like this, nostalgic and loved, then add the progressive intellectual approach to the shape and the pattern cutting, and you get something completely fresh and new. This is the clever, charming young label you have just been waiting to meet.....
xxx

Alison Hardcastle 'So Far So Good'

Alison Hardcastle is an illustrator, designer, book artist and printmaker from York making handmade screenprinted books, cards, stationery, prints and contemporary paper-based products in her home-based studio print room.

Inspired by randon bits of text, idioms, phrases, mantras and mottos which pop into her head, plus colour, patterns and shapes, devised from things seen in day-to-day meanderings, Alison's work displays and combines bold patterns, hand drawn lettering and illustrative elements.

'So Far So Good' is a collection of screenprints and collages that gather together all of these inspirations, ideas and drawings which Alison scribbles in an assortment of notebooks. This will be her first solo exhibition with us at The Red Door which opens on Friday 26th September. We will be posting lots more about this exhibition in later posts so stay tuned.

The lovely Amy from 'Cake with Giants' and I have been emailing away to each other since early June and yesterday out of the blue, a wonderful wee parcel arrived and made us all smile. Amy's creations under the label 'Vanilla Bug' are playful and cute yet but also have some serious attitude. We now have a fresh bundle of handmade felt brooches and badges to share with you all. Thanks Amy! x

For those of you who haven't come across Amy's creations, check out her website or her blog which has some gorgeous bound books, illustrations and design projects which I am sure will inspire you all.

We just had a lovely couple from Stockholm in to visit us this morning. They had found their way to The Red Door with a recommendation from the Ostermalmsnytt newspaper which comes from a central suburb of Sweden's capital. It was great to read the cutting they were carrying (which they kindly translated for me ) which featured Edinburgh as a travel destination and The Red Door as the place 'to get proof of urban trends and to come across some very promising up and coming designers.' Thanks!

Stockholm as been on my list of places to visit from some time (fingers crossed I get there before Christmas) and judging from these photos below (from Lookbook) the individualism of the city is still very much alive. I think I might books tickets very soon!

Well, time for another solo show at The Red Door and this month, the talented artist who takes the spotlight is Alison Hardcastle with her show 'So Far So Good'. We will be keeping you updated with interviews, write ups and images from Alison over the next few weeks. The opening night is Friday 26th September so mark it down in your diary. More on this to come.........

September signals the end of the festival here in Edinburgh meaning that things wind down to normal pace again. September also means that Edinburgh opens its doors to the public in the annual Edinburgh Doors Open Day which allows us all to explore some of Edinburgh's most architecturally, culturally and socially significant buildings - all for free. We get to wander down closes, climb stairs and peep through wee windows whilst exploring an amazing mixture of both heritage landmarks to some of the city's newest architecture.
Doors open day kicks off on Saturday 27th September this year, so remember to check out their brochure (which is available around the city or online) so you can make the most of everything thats on offer. I know I will!

For those of you in London, duo Revenge is Sweet are due to open their exhibition 'Love/Hate' in East London's The Flea Pit Bar on Friday the 19th September. Time to grab some great prints whilst enjoying a night out!

HAPPY AUTUMN!
What better way to celebrate a change of season than with the supercute Belle and Boo 'My Favourite Spot' series. Pop in store to see the latest arrival of Belle and Boo prints and goodies xx

Here is a wee selection of new goodies that I have just uploaded to our online shop which means they are available to you wherever you live in the world!

Here I was sipping on a cuppa reading the latest Nylon when I came across a 48 hours in Edinburgh article. Mentioned was a shopping trip to Victoria Street with 'don't miss The Red Door Gallery'. it put a smile on my face for hours!

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'.

We've gradually been building up quite a collection of ceramic goodies of late, so heres the pick of what caught my eye this afternoon.
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.

Fresh in the door all the way from Glasgow are these 'Hug Cards' by all round great guy (and amazing illustrator) Stuart White. Now who wouldn't want to get one of these beauties in the post. I know I certainly would. (images courtesy of Stuart White)

If you manage to find any spare minutes in your day this week then hopefully you can swing yourself past the always wonderful Analogue Books (just a stones throw from us) to check out 'Findings' a new superfun exhibition by Robert Hanson. We just love it and are sure you will too!

So the Edinburgh festival is currently in full swing, its been busy, wet and very happy times this week. A favourite show of late would definitely have to have been Camille O'Sullivan. Her show has the feeling of being a journey provoking a full spectrum of emotions from humour to despair, with lots in between, expertly guided by her slipping seamlessly from different characters ranging from burlesque seductress all the way to a bunny rabbit, hopping and all. In her performance you get a real feeling for her passion for words and stories, and it really makes every song come to life as she re-tells it in her own personal way, a highlight was Nick Caves 'The Ship song'. Anyway, if you are local (or not, she does tour internationally) see her if you can, shes charming , funny and generally great, you'll love it.

We are being flooded! Aggrahhh. With all these buckets of water leaking into the building (dont worry, its being slowly fixed) I thought that this image would cheer our team up. Its funny how something cute can override an leaks that come our way!

For those of you who haven't made it in to the shop yet to check out Seymours 'Under the Looking Glass' show, here are some images of his amazing prints, all of which are available now from our online shop. All Giclee prints are editions of 10 and range in price from £300-£480.

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.

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