Anthropologie birthday card

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So in my birth month, August, I received a curious envelope from Anthropologie - inside contained a card with a perforated cupcake, plastic candle and a birthday discount. Turned out that the candle is part of a necklace! The front read:

"Happy Birthday! Make a wish. And treat yourself to something special..." and the back read "Your candle necklace is for you to keep. This little gift is for you and only you. And cannot be turned into chocolate, flowers or cash. It's a one-time treat...."

I love the detail this store goes in to - it gets me every time! The discount came in handy as I also received a gift card in the cutest gift card holder I've ever seen - a little monster! I don't know who created this little monster, but Lizania Cruz (who I blogged about on 3rd April 2010) created the 2009 birthday gift for Anthro - also very lovely.

Images from 2Sisters and Effortless Anthropologie.

Monsters of a household variety

It's seems this month is all about monsters, maybe it's a reaction of Where the Wild Things Are.... But these monsters are different as they are hand sewn and in a gigantic book called Monsters of a Household Variety .

The book is a creation of British textile artist, illustrator and 2009 winner of the New Designers One Year On prize, Ruth Ashton. The book was commissioned by Anthropologie, to coincide with it's London flagship opening.

The pages are so intricately sewn and she uses interesting materials for each monster. Each spread is dedicated to the different monsters you might find in your own house like the smelly bin monster, the light bulb popper, the remote control remover, the hot water runner monster...each have their own mischievous stories. The book is enormous (25.5"H, 24.5"W, 3"D), I've included pictures from the Anthropologie site to show the size!

The 24 page book doesn't come cheap - a mear $1,200.00, but to be honest it is a limited-edition, soft cotton page, hand-embroidered book so if you can afford it then it's worth it's money. I will just have to keep popping into the NYC shop to get my dose!

Knitted monsters

Whilst having a photo clear out, I found images of knitted monsters I created a couple of years ago. Having grown up on Sesame Street, I have a fondness for cute monsters and I was inspired to knit some once I saw The Thifty Knitter's adorable own creation, Thrifty Critter with Long Striped Scarf, who is made out of scraps and leftover bits of yarn. How cute is he?!


I knew I couldn't knit something as lovely as the Critter, but I decided to make up my own pattern and see what would come out of it (I'd only been knitting for a year at this point, so I really jumped in feet first)...they turned out ok in the end, slightly mis-shapen, but that adds to the homemade charm!

Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are film is coming out tomorrow. The world's favourite book has had a 'wild' affect on everyone. I've seen no end of billboards, TV ads and even Urban Outfitters are getting in on the act. They have their own line of WTWTA toys, cushions, t-shirts, and other merchandise. As I also found out there is a Maurice Sendak exhibition on at the Animazing Gallery in Soho NYC, called 'Sendak in Soho: the artwork of Maurice Sendak'.



'Sendak in Soho' is the World's largest Sendak exhibition and sale of his original illustrations and etchings (they have over 200 of them). The exhibited work is a mix of conceptual illustrations and published work. It was a privilege to see the works in progress, tracings, early drafts, limited editions and etchings of one of the books I grew up with.

Those lucky enough to afford the artworks will be in for a treat, but it was out of my range especially as my favorite turned out to be $185,000...ouch. Some of the proceeds will benefit the Rosenbach Museum & Library and Jane Goodall Institute, an organization dedicated to the well-being of real-world wild things. This show coincides with the film release as well as the critically-acclaimed Sendak retrospectives at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City and the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. It's fitting that he has two exhibitions in his native NY (he was born in Brooklyn in 1928). You couldn't take photos inside, so here is what I could take:

"I never thought I'd sell this artwork. It holds a place in my heart almost too dear for me to part with it. But, as I age, I find myself letting go of things I never thought I would. Now, with the Wild Things movie about to be released, feels like the perfect time. Having worked with Nick and Heidi at Animazing Gallery in the past adds to my comfort in selling these pieces." - Maurice Sendak

This free exhibition runs from Oct 2 - Nov 8, 2009. In a few weeks time I will experience my first US Halloween, and I'm already betting that I will see many Max's or other characters from the book. We shall have to see!