Blue

It has been so hot in the office today (we really need an air conditioner). I'm sure we can't be the only ones in a hot office on this baking day so I thought I would post some refreshing blues to cool us all down.

Above is my Mughal patchwork painting, featured in our Patchwork range of cards.

Yoshigo on Flickr, via English Muse

Even though I love blue, for some reason I hardly ever paint in it unless I'm feeling a little fedup ( literally a case of the blues!). It's strange because blue is my favourite colour. I love the ever changing blues of the sea,

the vivid lilac blues of a bluebell field (I went to a small village school and this was pretty much the view from our classroom during May),

the soft grey of a Wedgwood blue as on this Anzu dressing table card,

the deep intense blues of Iznik tiles,

the clear blues of a Canaletto sky,

the Ming porcelain blues of a Cavalli dress,

the incredible underwater blues of a David Doubilet photograph (my favourite)

or a more pale turquoise blue as on the neckline of this Anzu turquoise dress painting.

Happy Father's Day!

Hermes

I am a big fan of Hermes, and I love these seashell bikes they have in their Bond Street windows at the moment. So perfectly summery. There is a heatwave forecast next week (fingers crossed!).

Blossom tree

I love this photo Stella McCartney has used for her new range. The grey English palette and the blossom tree are stunning. We have been designing the new anzu stationery and it has an element not dissimilar to this. I look forward to posting it once it is all finished.

Grouping art

Tim Walker photograph

I bought some old picture frames from Portobello market to frame some of my paintings. All but a few of my paintings are currently hidden away in a box and I thought it was a shame not to have a few more out in the office .

found via abloomsburylife.blogspot.com

I want to do a grouping of paintings like these pictures and there is definitely a fine art to it. I like it best when photographs, painting, drawing, and objet such as letters are mixed.

domino magazine

Mary Ruffle's house via House Beautiful

Find more tips online at www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/at-email/how-to-hang-art-in-groups-like-kate-spade-050872 Sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com did an excellent post on this some time ago too.

found via designhole.com

Kate Spade's office via Apartment therapy

Helena Christensen's home

Sometimes I think about moving and having a massive studio loft space with home and office combined. Not sure I ever will because I've heard these lofts can be freezing and I'm not up for that! However, if I ever do I think I would like it to look rather like Helena Christensen's place as featured in French Vogue this month (via English Muse)

I know it's now somewhat of a cliche, but I love exposed brick walls. I also love the pinboards of polaroids, polished wood floors, and anglepoise lamps.

In fact I would have it just like this, but minus the stag head!

All aboard!

My Dad emailed me this photo he'd done the other day and I love it - I wish it was real! The amount of stuff we seem to end up lugging about, I think an anzu bus would be very useful.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone that came to Pulse and especially for all your orders and all the absolutely lovely compliments we received on the candles. After working for months on them it means a lot! These are the pictures my Mum took on her iphone of the show.

Pulse and Anzu candles

We are exhibiting at Pulse at the moment

Stand J64

31st May - 2 June 2009

Earls Court

and showing off our brand new range of Anzu candles. We are so excited about them! Above is our Amber candle. More to come about the range later!

Sorry Joss!

I have been working so hard recently that I haven't really kept up with my cousin Joss who is currently doing his mock A-levels even though he put me to shame and wished me luck with all the new Anzu stuff.

So this is to say Good luck Joss and don't fill your exams out like this! xx

( Image found via www.Lolita.se)

Busy, busy, busy

So so busy in the office - putting the finishing touches to our new products, preparing for Pulse, sending out mailers..

Hardbacks

If I could, I would replace all my paperbacks with nice old editions. I think the cover designs were so much nicer, and it's lovely to have nice editions of books you like. One of my favourite writers is definitely PG Wodehouse, especially the Blandings series of which I have these two.

Evelyn Waugh is another favourite. I bought this the other day on Portobello road, but can't read it until I get Men at Arms, the prequel!

I also got this. I haven't read any Priestley and have heard bad things but I have to admit I was drawn in by the London cover.

Ok I know these aren't hardbacks, but Penguin paperbacks are just so classic I couldn't resist these. I also love the new letterpressed editions they are doing at the moment.

Here comes the sun?

Sisley asked me to illustrate their sunscreen products for the Summer, giving the illustration a touch of 1950s St. Tropez and here is the end result!

I was also lucky enough to be given some freebies to try and I can safely say that they are amazing. They smelt good and I actually managed to get a tiny bit brown on their factor 15 - normally I would have to drop to at least a factor 8 if I wanted to change colour at all. So if you're going on holiday be sure to pack some Sisley!

Linda Burgess

We have been busy working on some product shots. I am lucky enough that Jasmine's Mum just happens to be a famous photographer with a lovely fresh and English style, so it was great to have her do our photographs. The Anzu photographs are being scanned at the moment, but in the meantime here are the snapshots of the shoot and some other examples of Linda's work.

I look forward to putting the results on the blog soon, but in the meantime here are a few more examples of Linda's work.

I like that this photograph is called Picnic with salami sandwiches - my favourite!

Goyard

Image courtesy of styleawipblog

I absolutely love Goyard. A luxury luggage maker based in Paris, I think the trunks they produce are absolutely gorgeous. With an original print and such beautiful quality it is no wonder that clients have included Wallis Simpson, Marlene Dietrich and Karl Lagerfeld.

Image courtesy of Stephen Cribbett

Goyard is now coming to London too, and even the temporary hoarding is fantastic!

The fabric used for the luggage is all hand-painted.
Love this mini library of Assouline books

or this picnic hamper, but a trunk just for paints, pencils, and sketch paper would be an absolute dream

Cakes

My Mum thinks that we spend all day working whilst scoffing cakes, biscuits and chocolate in the Anzu office. I couldn't possibly comment on that. However, we are looking at tons of pictures of cakes and sweet things at the moment, for an event that we are working on. Here are some of our favourite pictures - I particularly love the one above.

Unfortunately I can't remember where I saw a lot of these, but the butterfly biscuits above were made by Peggy Porschen.

The Apprentice

Each time I watch the Apprentice it makes me smile to think that the contestants were being filmed right across the road from the anzu office! Whilst they quibbled over pantsman, rugs and boardroom politics, we were just quietly working on anzu cards and new products...

trip

Leaving for the coast so I can meet with an anzu supplier. Submitting to 'the lure of the Underground' and the trains,

so I can leave this

and get off the train somewhere rather resembling this.