simplepretty

‘pale manhattan’ (oil on paper)*

One big advantage of living in London is the easy access a big city provides to an amazing range of art. Whether at a small gallery, or large museum, or a happenstance stumbling across a street fair, there are myriad ways to connect with artists and derive inspiration. One of my happiest discoveries in 2015 was UK artist Barbara Macfarlane. During September’s London Design Festival, Macfarlane presented “Zoomed In”, a collection of maps focused on Chelsea’s environs, at Anthropologie. (I love maps so I immediately took note.) I am taken with the colors she uses, the handmade papers that are the base of each work, the calligraphic details she incorporates, and yes, I revel in the subject matter as I love to pore over a good map.

‘london’ in pink and orange (oil on linen)*

‘upper east side 59 to 87’ (oil on paper)*

‘black point’ (oil on paper)*

macfarlane’s exhibit at anthropologie, kings road (september 2015)

Barbara Macfarlane is represented by Rebecca Hossack Gallery (with locations in New York and London). To see more of her work, please visit her website.

* art photos are courtesy of barbara macfarlane; the anthropologie exhibit photo is via so-shan au

I am addicted to travel guides. The ones with beautiful photography inspire you; those that are painstakingly researched give you the confidence to explore like a local. Whether you’re hoping to inspire or inform, they also make great last-minute gifts. If you’re looking for some great resources for travel in England or France, may I suggest you choose from the following:

1. Cereal City Guides  for a luxe, minimalist take on a city, look no further than Cereal magazine. The natural progression of the magazine’s feature stories and online travel suggestions, each guide opens with a series of personal essays from locals that thoughtfully describe the city and lend a sense of place. What follows is stunningly photographed, exclusive-to-Cereal photos paired with Rosa Park and Rich Stapleton’s personal list of the city’s best restaurants, shops, and hotels. Paris is the latest addition to the print lineup, but guides for New York and London (newly updated) are also available.*
2. Concierge Bath  former Soho House (Babington) events director Josh Tully wanted to showcase his insider’s take on Bath’s independent shopping scene. His new guide, which like Cereal is image-driven, stylishly captures the essence of the city’s creative entrepreneurs, many of which operate out of gorgeous old Georgian buildings. (The sublime combination of art and architecture is what led me to fall in love with Bath, and so the book will double as a treasured keepsake.)
3. Blue Crow Media Specialty Maps this map series addresses all of the subjects a committed foodie is interested in when visiting a new city. Well-designed and easy to tuck into a pocket — bonus: no roaming data! — each map/guide allows you to feel in-the-know whether your focus a well-crafted cocktail or a top-notch coffee. (London is the authors’ primary focus, but there are coffee guides for New York, Paris, and Berlin, and new maps are always being added.)
4. Simple Pretty London  a bit of self-promotion, but I’m proud of my tiny deck comprised of 25 favorite London spots, published by Telescope Cards. My intention was to shine a spotlight on my go-to sources for flowers, coffee, food, and shopping, honed throughout my expat experience. Telescope’s print-on-demand system means guides can easily be edited to remain current, and in that spirit I updated the guide earlier this month.

* Cereal’s website maintains an extensive city guide section.

Please note: I received review copies of all of the above guides either as gifts, or for the purpose of my review. In addition, while the Telescope deck is solely my creation, I receive no compensation from sales.

look 11

Simple simple simple for pre-fall from 6397. Just how I like it. Black and white (and navy); clean lines; no fuss. See the complete presentation at VogueRunway.com.

look 16

look 17

6397 courtesy images for voguerunway.com

regent street lights, december 2015

Happy Santa Lucia Day! It’s the season of bittersweet for me, as I adopted this holiday when my buddy was a baby, and this is the last year he’ll be at home for the celebrations. A reminder that time churns along, and the best you can do is be present and enjoy the now. (Said with a touch of irony, as all we seem to be doing is anticipate, whether it’s college, or living, or yes, even Christmas, which has fallen to a distant third in this December’s stressors.)

So join me: stay present. Celebrate that the darkest time of year is upon us, because it means lighter, brighter days are ahead. Cheers to the season and may we all find the beauty amidst the madness.

A selection of my recent favorites:

Instagram:

1. Shady characters.
2. Winter window.
3. Long weekends call for woodsy morning walks.
4. Thanksgiving
5. get outside
6. We like our tree tiny.
7. More from today.
8. Yesterday’s class at Castle in the Air with Lynn Dolan.
9. Home.
10. Pretty #Christmas lights
11. First clementines …

To listen:

1. “Christmas Time Is Here” // Vince Guaraldi Trio, A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. “This Christmas” // Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway
3. “Christmas Wrapping” // The Waitresses, Holidays in Dementia
4. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” // Frank Sinatra, The Christmas Collection
5. “Fairytale of New York” // Kirsty MacColl & The Pogues, If I Should Fall From Grace With God
6. “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” // Sufjan Stevens, Sufjan Stevens: Songs for Christmas

To read:

1. Sam Hamilton (the genius behind SF store MARCH) at Rip & Tan
2. How to Choose a Business Card (at gearpatrol.com)
3. Ham4Ham (Lin-Manuel Miranda + the Hamilton cast)
4. In Translation
5. Your iPhone Is Ruining Your Posture — and Your Mood
6. Entertaining Tips from Jane Larkworthy

photo at top: regent street, december 2015 by jane potrykus

nutcracker and mistletoe

presents and baubles

Always happy to add another talented artist to my roster of stationery options. London calligrapher/illustrator Lucy Bowes has a knack for simple drawings that have just the right touch of sweetness. I’m smitten with her mistletoe and baubles cards for the holidays: after living in London there’s no way I’m going back to puny sprigs of mistletoe  — it’s so much more festive as a massive ball! — and her classic illustrations (a selection shown below) would be darling to send as thank you notes. Hooray for pretty watercolors!

classics

from sketch to finished illustration

Lucy Bowes Design: website // instagram // pinterest // etsy

images via lucy bowes design