I love Momofuku!

One of the highlights of my NY trip was going to Momofuku SSam Bar. We had heard so much about David Chang and those famous steamed pork buns in Australia that I was very excited when my friend told us we were going for dinner. OMG!!! I am still dreaming of those pork buns - absolutely delicious. Some of the other dishes we had were cured hamachi with edamame, horseradish, pea leaves, diver scallops with xo, bok choy, black garlic and stuffed quail (cavendish farms, vt) with sticky rice, shiitake, sour mustard greens. I can't wait to go back.


If you feel like making the steamed pork buns, here's the recipe.

(image from theilladelph.blogspot.com)

Desk Snapshot

I've started a new painting today - both scary and exciting at the same time (especially after not doing anything for the past month). This is a commission for a very special client. I will post pics of the painting as it happens....

(the inspiration)

(the layout drawn in)

Butterflies

How gorgeous are these butterflies from The Evolution Store? I think these creatures will be flying in some of my paintings soon.....so beautiful.

(Images from the Evolution Store)

New Fabric Debut!

Munaiba of SewJournal left me a comment to say that she had seen my next fabric range for Clothworks being shown on the popular TrueUp Blog by Kim Kight. Thank you to Kim and Munaiba for your coverage and lovely comments!! My new range 'Le Jardin de Papillions' comes out in November.

(photos courtesy of www.trueup.net)

(The original artwork for the range. You can see the original post here).

Under Construction

Sorry about the look of the blog - I started to make some cosmetic changes and now I can't fix it. Bear with me while I get it sorted. It's like a makeover gone wrong!

You Happy, Me Happy!

It's always wonderful to hear back from people who love your work. Part of the enjoyment about being an artist/ designer is being able to connect with other people through your work. Here's what Joel wrote to me when he purchased some of our Hamilton Baird Mugs:

"Just in case you’re interested, I originally found the mugs the other day on the Peters of Kensington site and instantly loved them. After I had purchased the entire 5 that Peter’s stock,  I Googled to see if you had a website. I found your online store and was so pleased to find there were many more to buy! It took me ages to decide J  So I have purchased 10 in total (below). You have such lovely, quirky designs and the cups are the perfect size. The cups are also really much better quality than I would have expected for the price and beautifully packaged.

Thank you so much for the included cards – they are beautiful. I have sent out your URL to friends who I think will be visiting you. I hope you do well with your online store. I’ll be back for more as the mugs are going to make fantastic gifts.

Thank you for the perfect online transaction."

Flying High!!

I was lucky enough to travel first class on a recent flight from New York to Hong Kong using my frequent flyer points. I wish I could fly like this all the time. Is this not the ultimate lunch drinking Krug with stunning views of the artic circle? It's going to be so hard travelling in 'cattle class' after this...

Remember Macrame?

How cool is this massive macrame owl by artist Andy Harman in the J.Crew women's store in Soho? I remember my Mum making all sorts of macrame when I was growing up in the 70's from plant holders to owls etc. And I think I even did some macrame classes during the school holidays. I tried to find out more about the artist but can't seem to find anything. God, I hope I got the name right.

(Photo from www.laughingsquid.com)

Soho

Another one of my favourite places is Soho.....a great place to explore and be inspired!

Outdoor Art Galleries in the streets

'Traditional Art Galleries'

We walked by Van Leeuwen Ice Cream truck and

and just had to have one of their artisan ice cream sundaes!

The Adidas Store that looks like a garage front - I love US retail. It's so exciting to shop here!

One of the many high end furniture stores. How gorgeous are these paper lights?

SATC2

New York has gone crazy for the premiere of the new movie 'Sex and the City 2'. Everyone from Macys to Bergdorf Goodman has used the movie to showcase their fashions. Patricia Field, the costume designer from SATC created the windows at Bergdorf. I didn't take any pics of the Macys windows - they're a bit boring in comparison.

My friend Lucie and I having champagne at the Plaza Hotel - one gets parched after shopping all day!!

New York Snapshots!

Here's some eye candy from shopping in NYC. I dare anyone who comes here just to window shop - with all the choice of goodies available, it's impossible not to buy something! And as usual, you always find something you must have when you really don't need anything at all.

Nautical theme at one of my favourite stores Anthropologie

NYC is going technicolor!

Pattern rules at Prada

Amazing paper dresses at Bergdorf Goodman

Patterns in Barneys

Colour is back at Barneys

Broadway

No trip to New York is complete without going to see a show on Broadway. We went to see the new musical 'La Cage Aux Folles' starring Kelsey Grammer last night. I can tell you the bits I saw were amazing!! Very funny and very camp. Unfortunately, my jetlag had finally caught up with me and I think I slept through most of the show. How embarrassing! I'm just glad we got discounted tickets and didn't pay full price.

(images from www.broadwayworld.com)

National Stationery Show

My first day at the Javits Centre was a bit of blur. I'm sure I looked like a walking zombie - I know I definitely felt like one!! So much so that when I visited the Papyrus stand and I failed to notice that they'd used one of my paintings on their lightbox display. You look at it and think 'How did I miss that?'

Scarpetta

I arrived in the Big Apple (after flying for 22 hrs) and made it directly to the Meat Packing District where I was invited to a dinner hosted by Clothworks Textiles. Normally, I'd check into the hotel first but there was no time! I was looking forward to catching up with the owner Ted and meeting a few of the very talented artists who also work with Clothworks - the very sassy Ellen Crimi Trent, the delightful Sharyn Sowell and the fabulous Sue Zipkin.

Dinner at Scarpetta was amazing!!! Exceptional Italian food and wines. I couldn't not post without showing you some food porn - homemade pastas, fresh seafood etc......if you're ever in NY, I recommend it.

Scarpetta Restaurant

from Left: Ellen, Sharyn, Sue, me and Ted.

Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad

Soft Shell Crab with Fennel Foam and Spring Vegetables

Duck and Foie Gras Ravioli

The Big Apple

Am heading off to New York today to attend a few trade fairs - Surtex, National Stationery Show and the International Furniture Fair. I will also catch up with some of my clients, meet buyers, be scouting for some potential new agents and have a bit of fun in the Big Apple!!! I will try and post whilst I'm there.

(Image courtesy of magculture.com)

Cartolina Cards

It's probably no surprise to anyone that I love cards!! One of my favourite stationery brands is Cartolina Cards designed by the fabulous and very talented Fiona Richards. Fiona is originally from Scotland and is living in Nelson, Canada. I first discovered her cards whilst shopping in San Francisco at one of my favourite shops Nest. Co-incidentally around the same time I arrived home, I discovered Fiona's fantastic blog Cafe Cartolina through my friend Natalie at Hiccupings.

I love the way Fiona puts her designs together using an eclectic range of inspiration found from antique cartouches and woodblock prints etc. Her colour combinations, patterns and use of romantic, exotic, vintage imagery all really 'sing' to me. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to catch up with her in NY during the Stationery Show next week. PS. There's also a great interview on her here by Modern Paper Goods.

(Copyright Fiona Richards. Images courtesy of www.modernpapergoods.com)