Debbie Powell ink.

2012-01-20T13:48:00.002Z

at the end of ast year I worked on a collaboration with the fab Lagom design for a new card collection which has just launched on their site

see the rest of the collection and to purchase here

2012-01-07T15:01:00.002Z

hello 2012!

I started the new year with a bike ride to one of my favourite haunts The British Museum

2011-12-30T16:11:00.002Z

got handy with scissors and metal whilst back home working on a special project

hope everyone has a wonderful New Year full of new ideas, happiness and exciting adventures...bring on 2012!

2011-12-26T15:34:00.002Z

a few photos from home over the past few days

Happy holiday guys!

2011-12-14T17:23:00.002Z

I have instagram on my iphone - gotta say I'm hooked

Rah & Rah jewellery and linocuts I worked on today

2011-12-13T17:15:00.003Z

some photos from the Nishijin textile center in Kyoto that we visited back in October

2011-12-06T20:24:00.001Z

love a good webshop - Analogue Life in Japan gets my vote

2011-12-04T14:45:00.004Z

get ready folks The Workshoppe is coming to town

Rah & Rah will be there along with lots of other fab hand crafted and designer made goods perfect for that special someone!

check out the website or facebook page for all the details...hope to see you there!

2011-12-02T09:31:00.002Z

a last minute decision brought me to NY for a week.

We celebrated my Grandma's 94th and Thanksgiving, ate a lot of pumpkin pie and knishes, checked out the Picasso to Koons exhibit at MAD, long walks with coffee and pretzels, caught up with my agents and brought myself some new gloves.

2011-11-17T13:43:00.002Z

we spent last weekend in San Marino celebrating good friends tying the knot

such a beautiful town, incredible food, special friends and lots of coffee and wine...what more could you ask for!

2011-11-14T10:14:00.002Z

Giveaway now closed! drumroll please......

Congrats to Lucy Joy!! 2 packs of letterpress cards will be making there way to you

Thanks so much to everyone who entered and for taking the time to stop by and say hello.
It's been really lovely to read through all of the comments and I wish I could get cards to all of you!

2011-11-07T16:30:00.005Z

roll up roll up its time for a giveaway!

To celebrate the awesomeness that is Hello Lucky, Christmas, and paper chains I would like to give you guys a chance to grab a couple of packs of Limited edition letterpress Holiday cards featuring a paper chain design by yours truly.

Each pack has 6 cards so none of your nearest and dearest will miss out!

All you have to do is stop by and say hey in the comment section - Ill announce the winner next Monday on November 14th...easy peasy!

Check out a nice feature on me and my cards here at Hello Lucky!

::UPDATE - Giveaway now closed - thanks to everyone who entered! :::

2011-10-31T13:13:00.002Z

a new collection of wrapping paper featuring my designs are now available to purchase at Lagom

2011-10-25T10:00:00.002+01:00

a couple of new patterns that have been added to my website

and speaking of patterns I'm loving this ladies patterned knitwear

2011-10-24T22:21:00.002+01:00

Picasso's ceramics - not much to say apart from simply amazing!

Photos taken from the Picasso Exhibit at the hakone sculpture park in Japan

Japan PT5

2011-10-21T10:25:00.004+01:00

I spotted so many gorgeous prints and patterns in Japan...these are just a few of the ones that caught my eye

Japan PT4

2011-10-20T21:50:00.003+01:00

a few more photos from our Japan trip

we wandered through the bamboo groves in Arashiyama - the locals make their wares from the nearby bamboo and we stayed in little ryokans and met the nicest people along the way.

Japan PT3

2011-10-18T06:45:00.002+01:00

yup, more photos from Japan folks! expect a few more over the coming days

Japan PT2

2011-10-16T16:04:00.003+01:00

a few things that I love about Japan:

everything comes in beautiful packaging
pot plants everywhere
rice balls for the lady who likes to snack on the go
shoes off slippers on
kimonos as acceptable street wear

Japan PT1

2011-10-16T15:49:00.003+01:00

Back from an amazing trip to Japan

I spent the last 2 weeks traveling from Tokyo - Kyoto - Kurama - Nara - Hakone - Tokyo

Such an inspiring trip!

2011-09-23T18:27:00.002+01:00

a DIY wall border inspired by the night sky

2011-09-19T22:45:00.002+01:00

This looks like one hell of a good exhibition

Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts at the Park Avenue Armory back in March of this year

2011-09-09T10:44:00.002+01:00

a nice collection of bookmarks that Ive had for a while and just rediscovered in my bookcase

images are from the Natural history Museum's Slavery and the natural world exhibit

2011-09-08T16:10:00.003+01:00

I like Matisse
so it's nice to see a clothing collection inspired by him
check out Gudrun Sjodén a/w 2011 Matisse collection

2011-08-28T10:41:00.004+01:00

another Iron age purple glass pendant that is 2600yrs old (600bc) when you hold it up to the light the colours are truly amazing

good shadows are always worth photographing

my sister Sarah has been working on new designs for Rah and Rah...expect to see a lot more shale pieces in the coming months.

bits and pieces from this weekend

2011-08-20T09:55:00.002+01:00

patterns on metal from around my dad's workshop

i have family from NY coming this weekend...my aunt's grilled cheese is one of the best out there

have a great weekend folks!

2011-08-18T09:58:00.002+01:00

this guy really loves working with wood!
Force of Nature: The Sculpture of David Nash

2011-08-17T15:33:00.003+01:00

uncommon wild flowers a book my dad gave me which is full of floral inspiration

2nd photo is a sketchpad doodle
last 3 photos taken in our garden back home

2011-08-16T16:46:00.001+01:00

put your feet up and check out Once Upon a Time in New York: The Birth of Hip Hop, Disco and Punk on iplayer at the moment

2011-08-02T15:40:00.003+01:00

photos from today...

a photoshoot of my desk

the perfect shale bracelet from Rah and Rah

bees at the lavender from morning to night

my dad came to put the handles on our home made wardrobe...its a 3 part job!

now a tea break!

2011-07-27T13:21:00.002+01:00

Robert Ambrose Cole

Queenie Mckenzie

Dorothy Napangardi

I checked out the exhibition Out of Australia: prints and drawings from Sidney Nolan to Rover Thomas this morning at the British Museum...these 3 were amongst my favourites

2011-07-24T10:48:00.004+01:00

a fabulous week spent back home at my folks - working from my laptop, home made pie and a couple of new shale bracelets were all included!

the shelf in my room holds some nick naks in shale and ekki wood

2011-07-20T09:21:00.003+01:00

a new range of ethnic snacks at Marks & Spencer featuring my illustrations

The giant pretzels are pretty darn tasty and were my favourite snack to illustrate!

2011-07-11T12:48:00.001+01:00

a new wrapping paper print for the Toasted range at Urban Graphic

2011-07-08T20:28:00.002+01:00

great viewing on iplayer at the moment NY Export : Opus Jazz

2011-07-08T09:04:00.001+01:00

a super thin bronze snake bookmark made on a whim

2011-06-29T22:53:00.002+01:00

Ive been back home for a few days and this morning before heading back to London we jumped in the car and took a drive out to a favourite spot on the dorset coast

nothing says summer more than a mid week mini road trip!

2011-06-28T13:27:00.001+01:00

working on a little something involving a snake...all will be revealed in a day or so

snake inspiration from the British Museum and the Brooklyn library

2011-06-24T08:47:00.003+01:00

last night at the RCA private view these pieces caught my eye

top - Jonna Saarinen
middle - unknown (anything with a pretzel gets my vote!)
bottom - Teresa Georgallis

2011-06-22T10:01:00.002+01:00

my dad also made a bed - wood work is my new fave hobby!

bottom pic - John kapel's home and studio in C magazine via YHBHS

2011-06-14T12:44:00.002+01:00

one of my favourite family photos - my dads clan hanging out on the porch..looks like a whole lotta fun

also, a couple of photos from my garden back home...it's one of my favourite places in the world

2011-06-12T19:17:00.002+01:00

as promised, the clothing rail in detail...designed and handmade by my dad

if you'd like a pop-made clothes rail...get in touch, I'm sure he would make a few more for a very reasonable price!

2011-06-09T21:35:00.002+01:00

wood is good, I mean pretty pretty good

spent the last few days visiting the local timber yard and working with my pop on a much needed clothing rail, bookends and table

ill post more on that clothes rail soon as its a-m-a-z-i-n-g

2011-06-03T17:40:00.004+01:00

my friday afternoon = reading in the park

and trying to work but gazing out of the window

Have a lovely weekend folks!

2011-05-25T16:58:00.002+01:00

The awesome US store Terrain is now stocking Sparrow & Co candles that feature my illustrations

2011-05-23T08:07:00.002+01:00

nice prints and patterns from my weekend

also, good news on the root beer front - a little shop near me sells them!

2011-05-20T14:45:00.002+01:00

a screenprint that's not quite 100% makes me like it that little bit more. gotta love the accidents with screenprinting

my weekend plans include the british museum, hunting down a root beer, and making the most of the sunny weather

hope everyone has a super weekend!

2011-05-16T14:57:00.002+01:00

from NY to Southbourne, a few photos from last week spent at my folks

2011-05-16T09:33:00.002+01:00

scans from several old National Geographic mags that I picked up from my local thrift shop

2011-05-12T14:49:00.000+01:00

last year I was lucky enough to work with the rad folks at Galison on a couple of new lines of stationary.

Out to Sea, The big Apple and Book of Friends are online now and available to purchase here

2011-05-08T12:10:00.002+01:00

floral inspiration from around and about NY this past week

I'm back in London after the best month in Brooklyn with lots of exciting new work projects lined up

2011-04-30T13:49:00.000+01:00

inspirational women at the Met

Happy weekend chaps!

2011-04-28T13:51:00.002+01:00

a trip to the Cooper-Hewitt to see the Sonia Delaunay colour moves exhibition was definitely worth it

the museum itself is a must see, such a beautiful building

2011-04-25T12:31:00.003+01:00

snaps from here and there this past week..

a beautiful NY sunset
strolling down Kings Highway and finding a deli with the most amazing rye's and cakes
great Japanese food with the Fam
more pretzels!
the blossom tree outside my apt. is a beaut

2011-04-19T22:55:00.005+01:00

Met eye candy part 1

2011-04-19T22:51:00.001+01:00

Met eye candy part 2

2011-04-17T00:52:00.002+01:00

inspiration and wonder at the natural history museum today

I gotta say that the gemstones and minerals room blew my mind

happy happy weekend folks!

2011-04-17T00:30:00.002+01:00

a few things from here and there this past week

on other news...matzo ball soup is definitely the way forward

happy weekend folks!

2011-04-12T00:41:00.002+01:00

a few shots from my new hood in Brooklyn.
pizza, pretzels, sunny weather, coffee and friendly neighbours have welcomed me into NY life..
hope everyone has had a great weekend - I heard the weather back in London has been super duper

2011-04-05T11:58:00.003+01:00

a brilliant book full of inspiration, get your copy here

I'm going to be visiting family & friends and working from NY for a bit...I leave tomorrow, I'm super excited!

2011-04-01T13:08:00.002+01:00

I took these photos on my phone of a vintage gemstone map of the world that I happened upon a while back

turns out that these are a great source of inspiration for my latest illustration commission - will post more on that in the next few weeks!

2011-03-30T12:53:00.001+01:00

its official, my mum has the best taste in birthday cards

2011-03-26T10:16:00.002Z

Spring is the thing!

spent the last few days at my folks in the garden - the weather has been beautiful down South.

I was able to work on my laptop in the sun and do a little experimentin' for possible future Rah and Rah designs

Happy weekend folks, hope y'all have something nice planned

2011-03-22T09:51:00.003Z

the Rah and Rah shop is here

check out the shale disc earrings in all their glory

2011-03-21T12:45:00.002Z

and the winner is.......

Mallory!

Thanks so much guys for saying hello...I quite like these giveaways so who knows, maybe Ill do another one sometime

2011-03-14T13:58:00.003Z

so...my new updated website is finally live folks!! check it out here

to celebrate the joy that is my new website Ive decided to do a giveaway of some DP ware...Ive never done a giveaway but thought that they sound pretty fun so all you have to do is swing by the comment section and say hello...that's it easy peasy.

heres what I'm giving away:

screen printed DP tote bag
a set of screenprints inspired by rah and Rah jewellery
sterling silver Rah and Rah triangle studs handmade by my lil sis Sarah
a set of Sparrow & Co notebooks featuring my designs

to add an extra element of surprise I will also include something from the Carluccio easter range which feature my illustrations

make sure you leave your email in the comment - the winner will be picked randomly and will be announced next monday on march 21st

2011-03-11T16:08:00.003Z

sweet tooth?
then check out Carluccio's new Easter range featuring DP linocut illustrations

2011-03-11T10:40:00.002Z

I spent yesterday afternoon in the local printing studio screenprinting simple patterns in 1 or 2 colours

2011-03-08T12:13:00.005Z

from this

to this

from our trip to Kimmeridge we collected shale

over the weekend we watched pop make the beads on the special 'shale bead' lathe

today I received the finished necklace in the mail

and soon this beauty will be for purchase at Rah and Rah

2011-03-07T14:23:00.002Z

scored a couple of amazing books at my favourite local charity shop over the weekend

African textiles and abstract art in A3 format - what's not to love!

Kimmeridge pt2

2011-03-04T17:22:00.003Z

we broke open a rock to discover crystals

picked up rocks that sparkled in the sun

is that an eye in the stone?

another fab fossil find

I heart Kimmeridge!

Kimmeridge pt1

2011-03-04T17:12:00.004Z

morning drive out to Kimmeridge Bay on a special mission for jurassic Dorset shale

great to see nature at its best. I loved finding fossils and patterns on rocks

swing by Rah and Rah to find out what we wanted the shale for

2011-03-01T10:29:00.002Z

lots of new patterns to feature on my updated website, hopefully to go live by next week!
Thought I would show the inspiration behind some of these new patterns.

cave paintings
horse shoes
metallurgy

What sort of things are you inspired by?

2011-02-25T17:01:00.004Z

Had some free time this afternoon and seeing as its friday I thought I would do something a little fun.
No reason, apart from I dig archaeology and geology does indeed rock!

Happy weekend folks, hope y'all have something nice planned!

2011-02-20T15:00:00.004Z

Since my trip back home I have been incredibly busy with work trying to finish projects before my trip to Japan.

I'm also working with a super talented friend on updating my website which should hopefully launch in the coming weeks, I'm thinking about giving away some DP ware to coincide with the launch of my new site, so watch this space!

2011-02-11T10:46:00.002Z

some photos from a day back home.
early morning walk along the beach looking for cuttlebone to cast
with the found cuttlebone we carve out a shape and get casting
ta da! this will become a pendant

2011-02-11T10:31:00.004Z

This week I travelled back to my home town to spend a few days with family and break away from city life.

It was marvelous!

I worked on my illustrations in the evenings and spent the days making jewellery, visiting timber yards and being inspired by the simple things in life.

2011-02-05T17:31:00.003Z

From a screenprint into a greeting card.

My bird print is part of the new toasted range at Urban Graphic
which features lots of lovely cards from talented people - they have a neat blog too

2011-01-31T21:09:00.003Z

found these in the wood pile back home.
I would like to try sanding and smoothing them...you could probably build a decent tower with them.

on other news, our neighbourhood foxes enjoy peanut butter - who knew!

2011-01-30T20:52:00.001Z

hurray! finally figured out how to make my blog images bigger

2011-01-30T15:52:00.006Z

A weekend of early mornings and good food
with a little bit of website updating and photo taking thrown in

Rah and Rah blog update - crescent earring inspiration

2011-01-12T17:28:00.004Z

still carving shapes for the commission I'm working on...you can't go wrong with a triangle.

I use home made carving tools made by my dad - they work a treat!

I ve found a use for a tiny pot I made a few months back and I also found this nice photo from an old national geographic mag, now it hangs above my desk.

2011-01-08T18:01:00.006Z

A new commission means I have spent the last few days linocutting and being inspired by ceramic tiles

tile images are from The British Museum database

2011-01-03T22:55:00.003Z

photographing the lights in our apartment when i should be working.

the working part of 2011 officially starts tomorrow, I have a week full of deadlines.

I have been watching Cheers re runs all through the holidays - will cram in one more before my busy week begins.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS!!

2011-01-02T15:59:00.003Z

New Year = A new calendar and a new scarf knitted by my mum...what more could a girl want.
Hope 2011 brings everyone happiness!

2010-12-29T14:38:00.004Z

I Spent my holidays with my family.
We ate a lot of good food,
took walks to the beach,
I carved wood blocks in front of the fire.

I feel very relaxed so today, my first day back in
the city, I baked a cherry pie.

Hope everyone had wonderful holiday times!

2010-12-22T19:40:00.004Z

Happy Holidays folks...hope there is cookies, ice skating and snow for everyone!

2010-12-17T14:08:00.005Z

A busy week of working, organizing, drawing on ikea lampshades and eating good food!

I managed to fit in some debbie time and read my new issue of apartamento magazine

2010-12-13T20:38:00.001Z

a nice profile of my work over at Communication Arts

2010-12-09T15:17:00.005Z

more on that bead -

I made it for a buddy of mine, for her 30th.

we spent the day stamping out the beads with a specially made cookie cutter and marking into them with a pin.

I was going for a wabi-sabi approach.

as we got toasty by the fire, so did the beads.

we glazed them with a home made glaze from a crushed wine bottle.

And then we fired them.

strung on silk cord with a snug bronze bead, thats all there is to it.

2010-12-08T21:05:00.003Z

pretty pretty good...is how I'm feelin' about my venture into ceramics...

Lots of nice colours and patterns scattered around the pottery workshop...and yup, I'm pretty pleased with the useless selection of pots I ve made.

The top photo is off a clay bead I made at home in my pop's workshop...will post some more photos on that soon!

2010-11-28T18:34:00.003Z

I know, its been a while since I updated my blog....what can I say apart from I have been crazy crazy busy this last month!
I ve started a weekly illustration gig with the Independent, working on a Penguin cover, and a load of other exciting commissions..plus I'm in the process of updating my website with all my new work...so watch this space!

As well as the candle packaging I illustrated for Sparrow & Co homewares, we have also collaborated on a set of notebooks featuring more of my designs...and voila, here they are! They are available to buy here so grab em while there hot!

photos via Sparrow & co

2010-11-08T12:39:00.001Z

trial bank note designs found via The British Museum

Happy Monday folks!

2010-10-28T17:34:00.002+01:00

planning on making some simple tops with these fabrics featuring 2 of my designs.
Hope everyone has something nice planned for their weekends!

2010-10-07T14:10:00.003+01:00

over the last couple of weeks Ive been working on a collaborative project with Sparrow & co for a new range of candle packaging. If you make your way over to the Sparrow & co website the candles are available to pre order, I think they would make lovely christmas gifts!

Also The lovely Grace over at design sponge has featured more of the Sparrow & co products which are available from the S&C website.

There will also be a range of notebooks featuring more of my designs in the not so distant future!

2010-09-30T16:20:00.006+01:00

so the last few weeks have been pretty busy...

Ive started my pottery class, absolutely love it! I brought some clay on the side so I can get super good on the sly - there happens to be a woman who owns a little ceramic shop right down my street who is going to be firing my clay for me.
My first attempts are pretty hilarious...the woman down the street says ill get better.

Ive also started to experiment with some needle work and pattern designs - will post some of my experiments soon!

And Ive been working on a collaborative project with the lovely Samuel Sparrow of Sparrow & co whose brand new webshop is due to open this winter, you can check out his blog here
wil be able to reveal more about this in the next few weeks..

2010-09-22T15:33:00.001+01:00

Thinking about NY a lot these days

Photo found here

2010-09-17T11:16:00.004+01:00

was back home the past few days soaking up the sea air and working with my sis and pop on various things.

The top photo shows a pot we fired at home - it didn't quite turn out as it cracked and we weren't too pleased with the glaze but its a start right!

middle photo shows a couple of ceramic necklaces with home made glazes which are a work in progress - were hoping to have something similar for sale when the Rah and Rah shop launches..

2010-09-09T11:47:00.004+01:00

I'm starting a pottery class in the next few weeks so I have been doing lots of research for inspiration...

from top to bottom: intelligent clashing, Lucie Rie, Bridgeman art library

2010-09-08T17:13:00.003+01:00

these last few weeks Ive been doing a zillion different things, here is a sneak peek at whats to come!
Can you believe its September already, 2010 is going way to quickly!