"One glove .... Cooler than two"

A quick post on the beautiful thing that is this wooden ipod - yes thats right, a handmade ipod mini in wood. Found via Boing Boing Gadgets, this made my heart skip a beat! 

We officially hit 31 degrees here on Thursday, and for those who know Edinburgh, that is a pretty big deal. Along with the heat came melted ice creams cones, sweaty socks and of course - tops off. A good friend of The Red Door shot this beauty in the Princess St gardens which pretty much sums things up nicely. Thanks Chante. x

Last week, the lovely Katy of Katy & June was telling us all about her London Strawberry Smoothies... This week has been pretty muggy in the Ole Bonnie Burgh and Katy's suggestion of a refreshing berry treat has become part of my survival strategy.... until this morning... hoping to catch up on some Andy Murray gossip, I gleefully typed his name into the search window, unaware that my previous entry (for strawberries - of course) was still there... low and behold a bizarre tale of Wimbledon strawberry fare popped up... this year, in all the muggy heat, the tennis fans are being fed..... Strawberry Sausages... Katy, please for the sake of all things tennis get down there with your legendary smoothies and Save Our Murray's Fans!

Anyone catch the BBC documentary on the man David Hockney last night? It was fab... and the lovely chap that Hockney is, he has agreed to allow us punters to download three of his prints... for free! But there is a catch... you only have another 27 hours to do it in... click here now... times a runnin oot!

A fresh new batch of Third Drawer Down goodies have arrived and are making us smile. Our favourites include the teatowels 'Waesch Regan' and 'Dandelion Tea' and the super cool new 'Video Art Patch'. Get them whilst they are hot!

Some more of our magnetic feathered friends arrived in the gallery this week, so we made them an extra large bird house to share together and gave them a top spot in our window for all to see! Clip them to your jacket or place them round your house for some beautiful decoration!

Wimbledon time again and Andy has a cheering squad here at The Red Door Gallery... he should just about be able to hear us over the roars and grunts of his opponents and fans.... and by the looks of things, he's shouting back! Andy? !

Feeling Foxy? Then Skulk our way... The beauteous animal brooch brigade are back...

Here's a little handwriting test for you... pen and paper at the ready folks! Just relax and arrange yourself in your ideal position for scribbling a note to a friend, stranger or yourself and begin... when your done, have a peep at the angle of the paper compared to your hand. Some bendy people like to twist the paper and contort their bodies to match... if that sounds like you, your notebook dreams have just come true. We now stock Jeeyun Michella Chung's ruled notebooks for people who like to write at angles. These are designed to suite your hand preference, benefit your posture and remind you of school jotter days... Perfect pen ship at last...!

I stumbled upon these great Nike dunk sneakers as a result of my other half and myself arguing (in a friendly way of course) over whether Piet Mondrian was French or indeed Dutch (as my partner thought). Good old google came flashing up with these beauties which are the perfect combination for those of you who love both modern art and sneakers!

We are full of beans today at The Red Door! Especially after receiving ever popular goodies from illustrator extraordinaire Gemma Correll. These little felt bean brooches happily adorn your jacket, shirt or bag. Choose from: edamame bean, green bean, strawberry jelly bean, magic bean, pinto bean, mung bean, black eyed bean, blueberry jelly bean, baked bean, cool bean (a personal favourite!) or soya bean.

Things that made us smile with excitement last week - Scottish strawberries and raspberries, new sneakers, jammy dodgers, people who smile a lot, nicky's gallery playlists, summers sandals, thunder and lightning, writing letters, smiles from a 4 week old baby, putting on new socks, curry + beer = good times, booking long haul holidays, people who hold the door open for you, rainbows...... this list could seriously go on. As you can see, the team at The Red Door are happy!

It's been awhile since we have heard a peep from our all time favourite artist Seymour, and now we know why. He has been a very busy boy creating what we consider the most amazing chess set ever! Created as part of Strychnin Galleries 'Midsummers Night Madness' show, Seymour decided to take on the mammoth task of sculpting and casting each character as well as creating the amazing inlaid board. This piece is a one off and if it hasn't already been snapped up, you can nab it here. Amazing!

"Normally happy inside their cosy homes, Flat Pets don't normally like going outside, but these four are different. They are due to set off this month on a journey around the outside world. They will each go to the home of a friend of Garudio Studiage and then continue their travels with some of their friends. You will be able to see their progress via the Garudio Studiage website and check how they are getting on, what they have seen, and who they have met."

Above, you can see them taking a tour of their home city, London. Lets see if the ones we stock get a chance to venture out of the store and on to the streets of Edinburgh.

Illustrator and all round lovely gal Sophie Elm aka Jeff Josephine Designs, has just launched her first illustrated publication 'The Sea Dancer at St Abbs'. The cover makes me smile, so I can't wait to check out the inside. Available from The Smokehouse Gallery or at either the Borders Book Festival ( 20th June) or from the Edinburgh Book Festival in August, this one is a must for your book shelves!

My Mum just send me a Fuzzy-Felt card which not only sent me down memory lane, but also gave me an hour of fun. I had forgotten how much fun it is to move those simple little felt pieces around. I was equally fascinated with the Fuzzy-Felt history and wanted to share it all with you. Enjoy. x

THE HISTORY OF FUZZY-FELT

During the Second World War, Lois Allan agreed to set up a small factory in the grounds of her Buckinghamshire cottage. She enlisted the help of local women whose husbands were away fighting for their country to cut felt gaskets for tanks and other vehicles. Whilst working in the factory, the women also took turns to care for the young children.

Lois soon discovered the entertainment value in the small felt cut-offs from the gaskets. Using the baize back of table mat, she encouraged the children to create pictures using different shapes - Fuzzy-Felt was born.

Fuzzy-Felt was first launched in 1950 and has gone on to become one of Britain's all time favourite toys. Its simplicity and creativity has inspired generations of children, bringing back happy memories to many parent and grandparents today.

Fresh from our posties truck today is a box of goodies from Natalie at A Skulk of Foxes. This means there are some old favourites back in stock (fox, bunny and horse brooches) and some brand spanking new goodies also - our pick of the bunch is definitely this Nadezhda acrylic brooch which comes in at just £24. Limited stock available so best get in and nab one whilst you still can.

Feeling some money burning a hole in your pocket? (don't we all wish) Well, if you do and are searching for some property to buy, then look no further. This A. James Spayer designed steel and glass cantilevered house surrounded by woodland in Illinois, United States has your name written all over it. Famous from its appearance in cult film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' this architectural treasure comes is currently for sale at a cool 2.3 million USD. Anyone want to chip in?

With the 6 consecutive day of Summer sun in Edinburgh (and yes, we are counting) our thoughts have gone from afternoons in dark cozy pubs to sitting stretched out in Edinburgh's green spaces enjoying good food and drinks with friends. An essential part of this is of course, the portable barbecue and here are some stunners! Both from John Lewis the bucket bbq comes in at just £14.50 and the more upmarket Weber Smokey Joe is still a steal at £53.50. Pick up some charcoal and some sausages and you are an instant hit!