53 - Grand Budapest Hotel

We managed to see "The Grand Budapest Hotel" last weekend (thanks to the in-laws for babysitting).
I can't help but feel pulled around by my emotional split on this film. On one hand there is the fondant icing facade (literally in the case of the hotel, just look at those colours...) but delve deeper and there is a historically relevant and really quite sad story.

The story is an obvious fabrication (being that Zubrowka isn't even a real place) but the occupation of the hotel by the military and some of the sub-plots were certainly quite truth bearing. I could honestly sit and watch it as a silent movie anyway and not worry about plot. The level of detail creates a visual feast and as a designer I am in awe of the job that Annie Atkins did as lead graphic designer. I feel a Mendl's inspired wedding invite suite on the horizon, the sugary sweetness of it all is too tempting not to.

You can see Annie Atkins work above, visit her site http://annieatkins.com/ to see more of her work

Images via: creativereview.com | fastcodedesign.com | annieatkins.com/

read more

49 - Shaun of the Dead Extra

I've been under the weather to say the least over the past three or four weeks. Most days I've looked and felt like an extra for Shaun of the Dead (ah, how I do love Simon Pegg). I feel better today. So much better in fact, that I decided to get in to a fight with the AGA and a burning hot pan and I now have a line of burn blisters along the tips of the fingers on my right hand. You don't realise how much you use the end of your fingers until despite soaking them in iced water for 30 mins they still feel like they are on fire. I digress.

I have been running on a bare minimum of getting orders out and sulking back off to bed when I could and so haven't been blogging or getting much else done (thats a bit of a fib actually - I've re-read the entire Hunger Games set and slept A LOT). I have however just ordered lots of new materials for the coming year for the splendid new direction I'm taking the Alfies Studio brand. My smallest is at playgroup twice a week now and I'm starting to find my feet with business again. Next year will see some big changes as I begin to have 2.5 days (DAYS) a week to work rather than stolen moments and the twilight shift. I have already begun to shape my product offering and how I want to share my expertise and am excited about getting to work on some branding and event projects again now that I have more time. At the moment I have four spots open for large scale projects (wedding/event stationery, branding etc), if you have something coming up that you want to share with the world then do get in touch, I'd love to hear from you.

I fear that it will be the new year before I manage to cover some things I've been itching to post about (such as properly sharing the new Alfies Studio branding) as I'm working on something very close to my heart (Hunger Games styled invites!) but for now wanted to share a discount code with you in lieu of missing Small Business Saturday and everything else that has been happening of late. Use the code 15JUSTBECAUSE at the shop (http://shop.alfies-studio.com) before 9am on the 20th December for 15% off your order.

I hope you are all well and weathering the storms / colds / Christmas rush well. I'm so desperate for the colder weather now. Do any of you have snow yet?

Image from http://keithroysdon.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/movie-classic-shaun-of-the-dead/

read more

47 - Alfies Studio for SMUG / 007

I have the good fortune to have eyes like a hawk for great finds when it comes to Pinterest and spotted a call for submissions from the lovely people at SMUG for their Christmas pop up shop.

You can buy this exclusive for SMUG colour way online (click here) or pop in to their lovely shop in Islington.

-

I've been working this evening on updating my shop / site / online presence and like to have a little bit of Spotify or a movie going on in the background. This evening I've had the lovely James Bond in the corner of my screen. Aside from feeling like an ultimate geek (looking at web code and having James Bond in the corner of my screen whilst I'm doing it makes me feel like an uber geek and I love it!) I have come up with a "conspiracy theory". Non Bond fans, please feel free to hop on over to SMUG now if you haven't already... My theory is this. It was always "assumed M was a randomly assigned letter", however, in Skyfall when Bond introduces her to Kincaid the reply is "nice to meet you Emma". Is this a slip on Kincaid's part for assuming Bond said "Em" rather than "M"? As it seems that in the world of Bond we are no longer travelling in a straight time line I am putting forward the notion that it is in fact E.M - Eve. Moneypenny. "M" says she always was a lousy shot and we know that Moneypenny shot Bond. I wonder...

Digression over. Feel free to let me know your thoughts and what your favourite Bond film is. I'm currently working my way through the box set so am still undecided. I like "The World is Not Enough" for sentimental reasons but would love to hear your suggestions on what I should be watching and who your favourite Bond is.

read more