Bob and Roberta Smith Blocks - Tate
If you've been following you'll know that my kids love art. We have a
wonderful museum in Montpellier which runs art courses for adults and children all year round, including school holidays. Dylan and Savannah went on the
Emil Nolde course at Easter culminating in a huge chalk fresque, mostly drawn by Dylan in the heart of the city. I love to see my children at ease in art galleries and museums. Savannah's very receptive to this environment in particular.
If you're looking for new ideas for gifts and are short of inspiration, why not shop in online museum and gallery stores? I always find unusual birthday and Christmas presents at the
Tate,
the V&A, the
Design Museum and
MoMA, but there are so many other great addresses across the globe. I intended to show you a few of my favourite objects from museums and galleries in Great Britain, before searching in other places across Europe and elsewhere. However, I've been pipped to the post - a group of four men in the UK have also seen the potential in this museum market and recently created an online culture lover's dream called
CultureLabel. This has to be one of my best finds in 2009.
The new
CultureLabel website aims to bring together over 20,000 culture-related products curated from museums, galleries and cultural institutions in Great Britain. These four cultural entrepreneurs plan to trawl the rest of the world in the future. What can I say? A culture shoppers dream, thousands of amazing, original, artist-designed products and a chance to visit - at least virtually- hitherto unknown places such as Baltic, the Royal Armouries (fantastic place) and the Lighthouse all via one platform. I love it!!!
Spread the word, but before you take a peek, please be warned, time flies when you're on this site, there's so much to discover!
Iggy Peck, Architect, - IKON
What's inside - by Hazell Nicholls - Keep Calm Gallery
Build a Taxi Kit - Museum of London
London in a Bag - Museum of London
Wake Me-Up Tube Stickers - Museum of London
Clifford Richards Fairy Wings - the V&A
Milko C Backpack - The Lighthouse
History Timeline Lunchbox - English Heritage
My Sweet Dog -Baltic
Samourai Magnetic Armor set - Royal Armouries
Making Stuff for Kids - The Lighthouse
Helen Dardick of Orange You Lucky! fame has designed two super-cute "back to school" labels for you to download here. Aren't they lovely?
I know it's not fresh news, but if you're a book lover and are interested in seeing how jacket design has changed over the years, Things Magazine has created a fantastic gallery of Pelican books dating from the 1930s to the 1980s.
I was also drawn to Julian House's prints shown at his first exhibition "The New Spirit Happening" seen over at the brilliant Analogue Books' store. Julian is co-founder of Ghostbox records who records under the name The Focus Group. He is an acclaimed graphic designer with Intro, known to most for his work with Primal Scream, The Prodigy, Oasis, Stereolab and Broadcast.
It's been a while since I showed you some of my etsy finds. You know how much I love London, so here's yet another amazing vintage teatowel from one of my favourite stores callmejasper. That woman never ceases to amaze me, just look at those graphics! This would look great framed or on display in a mid-century kitchen. Fabulous!
What's inside - by Hazell Nicholls - Keep Calm Gallery
Making Stuff for Kids - The Lighthouse