Drum Roll Please...

And the winner is...

(doesn't pause for dramatic effect)




Moira Millman, whose utterly charming illustrations are well worth a peek at.

Well done Moira...Eugene will be on his way to you pronto.

Just also wanted to say a massive thanks to everyone who took part and commented/blogged/tweeted or followed. I've really enjoyed reading all your comments and found it very hard not to send you all something!

The Totally-Crazy-Once-In-A-Lifetime-Help-Yourself-To-Anything* Giveaway!

I know. Bonkers eh? But that's the deal, anyone can enter, just visit my Folksy shop, decide what you'd like, post a comment below (sorry, no anony-mouses though) telling me what it is and one lucky winner will receive the item of their choice! If it's something I have in stock I'll post it asap, and if not, I'll make it for you (you'll receive it in about 7 days for UK peeps, longer for overseas peeps).

For further chances to win, add yourself to the rest of the very agreeable followers over to your right there. If you want to blog or tweet a link (include @TheRoundWindow in your tweet so I see it) to the giveaway, that would also be another entry - just let me know in your comment. I'll draw the winning name out the hat next week.


The reason I'm doing this? I'm being featured over on the brand spanking new and gorgeous UK-based website Craftsville, who will be bringing you the best in independent art, craft, design and creativity. The lovely Michelle and Helen will be giving you a guided tour around my (newly de-cobwebbed) workshop.


*Anything?
Yes, Anything.
Anything?
Yes, Anything.
ANYTHING?
Er, yes.

SORRY!

That was me trying to do a scheduled post and failing. It's sorted now though, and all kicking off at 9.30am tomorrow. I know you'll barely sleep a wink. Some poor souls are already camping outside the front of my blog....

No More i-Phone Envy + Giveaway trailer.

Because the main reason I've been hankering after one is I want to play with that Hipstamatic App. But now, thanks to a bit of detective work and the help of My Girl Thursday, I've found Picnik. Soooooo much fun. All sorts of effects, including Cross Process (above), Lomo, Sepia...the list goes on. This was a pretty flippin brilliant photo of the Nellster to start with, but all the better for a bit of tweaking.

Must go, I want to play with it some more. Oh, and do stop by tomorrow. I'll be doing a Giveaway.

Blossom inside and out.

As if there hasn't been enough pictures of blossom about the blogosphere lately, I'll add some more.

Just finished this small door panel for a lovely family - the chinese blossom design is copied from a vase belonging to Lisa's grandma, with the names of the family around the edge. Could you think of three nicer names than Finn, Jude and Orla? I don't think so - so perfectly balanced.


And this is the tree we pass in the churchyard on our way to school. You can climb it, you can sniff it and you can stand 2 small girls underneath it and shake the blossom off the branches while the church bells are ringing. Much fun.

"With colour one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft." Henri Matisse

Incredible documentary on BBC4 last night as part of their Modern Masters series, on the life and work of Henri Matisse. I've seen pictures of the chapel that he designed for Vence in Southern France many times before, and always loved the beautiful stained glass...but seeing it so close up in this documentary was amazing.

Matisse was an atheist. He once wrote, "My only religion is love of the work to be created, and total sincerity." But at the end of his life, recovering from an operation that had nearly killed him, Matisse was nursed by Monique Bourgeois, who later became a Dominican nun - Sister Jacques-Marie.

To thank her, Matisse built a chapel for her and her fellow sisters in the town of Vence in southern France, designing the project right down to the last detail - including the stunning stained-glass windows, the murals, and the altar statuary. It's still in use today. (from here)

The colours are at once calming and uplifting, and the simple abstract foliage motifs still look so contemporary. You can see his influence on all sorts of modern designers, ranging from Paul Smith to Orla Kiely to Dick Bruna (true!).

If you have an hour to spare, I recommend watching the full episode, but if not, just make sure you see the last 20 minutes that focus on the chapel and the stained glass. Alistair Sooke is utterly moved by being inside the chapel, observing the changing light coming through the stained glass, and the effect it has on him.

Click here to watch on i-Player(only available for a limited period!)

Spectrum

Been enjoying the other issues of my Graphis magazines, especially a couple of features on diagrams, packaging design and branding:




In a similar vein, we've all been enjoying this:

Oooh-arrrr.

Been working on some ideas for a few "boy-themed" pieces. Just finished this prototype tractor tonight - I've started doing this more and more lately - it's a luxury I can't do with larger pieces, but for small decorative items like this, it really pays to do a quick "sketch" in some cheaper, scrap glass to see where any changes need to be made. A few tweaks could be made to the shape here and there and maybe some more detail on the body of the tractor, but I'm pleased with the overall look of it. I'm thinking of doing a few more vehicles, which could then be lined up on a window sill in a traffic jam. I mean, who doesn't love a traffic jam?