The Swelle Life

Decor Daydreaming in Pastels

Here we go again, where I get lost in decorating daydreams on Designers Guild UK. It's impossible not to when you go there. I wouldn't normally want to transport an entire room into my house - the first time I lived on my own someone told me my living room looked like an IKEA showroom and I didn't take that as a compliment - but the Designers Guild stylists have a way of making the polished, elegant beauty of their model rooms seem lived-in and homey. Well, I think so. I have a friend who I suspect thinks my living room isn't the comfy place it should be, but I stand by my view that a room doesn't need overized brown couches and scruffy carpet to offer some peace and relaxation. I've fallen asleep in there enough times to prove otherwise! (I could fall asleep standing up but that's beside the point.)

The midcentury styling above is perfect for rooms that are more linear and have lower ceilings, and for those with lots of height to work with and big bay windows,  a bit of French is the way I would go, and I think they can exist in carefully thought-out combinations.

These textures and colours are gorgeous:

I  love the timeless simplicity of the chairs below and the way colour is emphasised by using contrasting fabrics for the buttons, though using analagous colours isn't my preferred approach - I think contrast with some harmony is far more beautiful. They've done a lilac chair with magenta buttons and it's my favourite, you can see a bit of it here (the stack of cushions isn't a stylish booster seat for short-legged people, it's to show the colour options!):

And these rooms are just a breath of fresh air:

I love the striped turquoise fabric backing this sofa which you can see a bit of in the bottom right photo, what a great surprise! And the matching blue buttons makes this white piece become instantly far more interesting:

Photos: Designers Guild UK

Haute Couture: Alexis Mabille's Monochrome (Probably Not Mannerist) Models

My first thought when I saw Alexis Mabille's monochromed models for Spring 2012 haute couture week was "The acid coloured faces - they're just like those in the Mannerist paintings!" Now I may not remember what I had for lunch yesterday (or today), but I vividly recall certain things I learned in high school art history, it was the only thing that truly interested me. As a fine art major in university I don't recall coming across this again and therefore re-confirming the information, but I do believe I was shown some paintings from the Mannerist period as an example of something you wouldn't expect to see from the time because they used vivid colours, on the faces as well. However, I should admit it's entirely possibly that I was half asleep and I got confused, because after searching for hours and hours over several days since the collection was shown, I cannot find any evidence of this. I couldn't drop the reference though and start over, because at the very least they remind me of Jacopo Pontormo's acid-hued masterpiece Descent from the Cross (1525-1528).

But it's small consolation, it's not a close resemblance. I might be clutching at paint brushes here. Now I am (almost) convinced I imagined the whole thing. It wouldn't be the first time!

I still wanted to show the collection, for two reasons. I love the colours Mabille chose and the way the faces harmoniously carried through the hue (not at first but it really grew on me) and focussed attention on the head which was adorned with a giant paper rose.  According to Tim Blanks, his inspiration was (guess what, not a Mannerist painting!) a photo of Lisa Fonssagrives on a beach "her face suffused with pink from the sunlight coming through her umbrella." Sounds gorgeous, doesn't it? I couldn't find that one either!

And the dresses themselves aren't bad either! Beautiful, actually. Modern classics.

These are my favourite colours from the collection, as shot by Style.com:

Right: I love this shade of gold, very pure and clean, completely devoid of yellow.

The other reason I carried on despite my failed concept is I found some absolutely stunning photos of the collection on Violeta Purple, a gorgeous blog with lots of original photography by Yavidan Violeta, a Mexican-Turkish woman living in Paris. She's utterly charming, signing her posts with a photograph of shoes, her other muse. 

Her Mabille photos are so gorgeous and convey the romance of the collection beautifully - the feel is so engaging it makes the standard runway shot seem pointless. Does anyone else wish we could ditch the singular view from the wall of cameras at the end of the runway in favour of something magical, like this?

 For more of Yavidan's Alexis Mabille photos including backstage, see Violeta Purple. Enjoy!

Cupcake Monday! Valentine's Crisp Strawberry Pavé

Today's treat was meant to be the latest Café Gourmand at our local chocolatier Gareth James - he's always working on an irresistible new surprise and I was told this one has homemade strawberry marshmallows and a white chocolate parfait with passion fruit granita - but word must have got out because they had none left when we arrived! That's ok, we'll be back later this week.

The topic of texture arose and Gareth pointed me to their new Valentine's confection which I'd been eyeing up. It was a white chocolate pavé coloured pink by the freeze-dried strawberries, and soon I was out the door with some. (No, I did not steal them.) As soon I was finished taking my shots I ate one. Then, two, then three. If I'd been left alone any longer I'm afraid I may have eaten all of them! Gorgeous texture indeed - it has a delicate crunch thanks to the strawberries which are in perfect proportion to the thinness of the pavé. I really do have no self-control whatsoever. No regrets, either!

Oh yeah that's the stuff.

Photos © The Swelle Life

Mid-Century Modern at its Best: Stills from 'A Single Man'

Tom Ford's directorial debut, A Single Man, may have come out nearly three years ago but I've now finally got around to watching it (that's my usual timing), and I'm glad I did. Ford's adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel is absolutely gorgeous, and although it's a story worth following closely, it's one of those films you could later watch with the sound down. Especially if you love the mid-century modern aesthetic which personally I go mental for - I had dilated pupils throughout. With beautifully shot scenes capturing with a discerning eye that which we wouldn't usually see, or rather, be shown.

Colin Firth brilliantly portrays George, a British professor living in LA in the 1960s who isn't the funnest guy by nature. He is struggling with the sudden loss of his younger partner, Jim, and we see him preparing to end his life. The film has a few, significant characters who were perfectly cast, particularly the sweet, young student Kenny played by Nicholas Hoult, whose 1960s American accent was so flawless that I began to doubt that it was indeed the English actor.  (Jude Law, take note. That's how it's done. What the heck was that in I ♥ Huckabees?)

I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story. (Don't mind the runny quality of most of the photos, I took them from the TV.)

GEORGE'S HOUSE

George appears as a kind apparition here. It could be taken as foreshadowing, or symbolic of the fact that since Jim's death he's become a ghost of his former self.

Hi-brow story alert! George is sitting on the toilet here, peering at his neighbours between the wooden slats of his beautiful walnut bathroom. Leave it to Tom Ford to make sitting on the can look stylish. That reminds me of something funny that happened to a friend once.  She was in the washroom at work, and you know how when you're on the toilet in a stall you can sometimes see out through the space between the frame? Well, when she was looking out (where else are you going to look?) a co-worker walked in and they actually made eye contact through that 1cm gap. It was really awkward and my friend didn't know what to do, so she smiled and waved. Her coworker did not. Needless to say, she waited until she left to come out!

KENNY

Kenny's friend Lois was played by model Aline Weber who I didn't recognise at first thanks to her Bardot-esque look. She didn't really speak, but she sure did smoke a lot.

CHARLEY

Julianne Moore's Charley was all about full-on glamour - she even brought out the purpley-pink cigarettes when she was dressed up!

JIM

SCENERY

Another model, Jon Kortajarena, who has featured in Tom Ford campaigns, plays an exotic James Dean-type who has a chance meeting with George. This LA parking lot features at both night and daytime with Janet Leigh's Psycho billboard looking on. It seems ominous, but I took it as symbolism for George's eyes opening to the tiny details usually overlooked in daily life, because he knows it's going to be his last day alive. He becomes engrossed in every little thing, and therefore so do we. This is my favourite scene:

GEORGE RUNS INTO THE NEIGHBOUR GIRL AT THE BANK

The head-to-toe turquoise of the girl's outfit with the walnut browns of the bank decor in this scene are gorgeous together. I love the random specifics of the scene. She's holding her pet scorpion in a curious jar which her more-than-likely gay brother - as she innocently insinuates in this scene - decorated with columns to make it into a mini Colosseum in which they watch it kill its prey.

A Single Man is a dreamy film, one that stayed with me which isn't something I can often say. Is there anything Tom Ford can't do?

Cupcake Monday! Maisie Fantasie's Floral Beauties

Maisie Fantaisie must have the most gorgeous collection of wedding cakes, they are so ridiculously pretty without being overdone, the epitome of edible loveliness. And I love that their photos are beautiful, accessorised with the pastel patterned wallpapers and charming cake stands. To quote an adorable, small and always smiling Italian man who used to do deliveries for us at the production studio I worked at in Canada years ago,  "'preciate." That's how he said "appreciate" which was his way of saying 'Thank you." (Do you know how many bad photos of pretty cakes I see? Far more than good ones - what a waste and so frustrating!)

Here are just a few of Maisie Fantaisie's floral designs, and I'm glad Im already married because I would never be able to choose! (Well I guess there are other reasons, too.)

Each design has a suggested flavour, although you can have your pick of their many options which are as gorgeous as their cakes.  The cake on the bottom left, Romantic Rose, is described as:

Madagascar vanilla bean cake, Amedei Chuao chocolate buttercream, grosgrain ribbon, satab
ribbon, handmade sugar roses, sugar pipework.

Enjoy drooling!

Photos: Maisie Fantaisie

Artist Series: Pop Fantastic's Susan Canaday Henry

Late last year I received a scrumptious surprise package containing two beautiful art prints from New York-based multi-media graphic artist Susan Canaday Henry. She knew just what to send - one was a lovely pastel-hued scene with a rendering in her own style of Marie Antoinette languishing on a chaise longue. I love the shades of blues, pinks and purples she used and would be happy to live forever in this room. (Especially if I had Ladies in Waiting as seen in the shadows. Oh wait, that would be weird, wouldn't it? I like to get dressed by myself. Maybe one to bring me tea and macarons every afternoon, that would work.)

The other is the Empress Wu Zetian, the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor.  The composition is gorgeously coloured in saturated blush, flame hues and crimson. Susan has outfitted her in long, dramatic stripes and an intriguing headdress. Her commanding presence against a backdrop of hazy dawn-lit mountains creates a portrait of power and serenity.

What  struck me first about Susan's works was the harmony of the beautiful colours in each, and what looked to be delicately hand drawn detail and watercolour layering in Marie Antoinette and painterly brushstrokes in  I didn't want Susan to give away any secrets but was curious how she created these images, and lucky for us she was willing to talk about it!

"The drawings all start as pencil/watercolor and then are oomphed digitally--- I think that's what gives them a sort of dreamy look.

"I get a lot of feedback that the colors in my illustrations are very bright, yet nuanced. I don't want to give secrets, but I think the watercolor base gives a weird glow to anything digital, and I aim to make sure you can still see the hand drawn beginnings of my illustrations. I think so much today is too digitized, too clean. I approach Photoshop like makeup: not too heavy, but enough to add distinction. And layer, layer, layer! Add to that a background in traditional animation (I studied a lot of Golden Age Disney, UPA & Warner Brothers at Pratt Institute) and numerous visits to the Metropolitan to gaze at classics... mix it all together, and these are the results. It took a long time to get comfortable with my style because there's a natural inclination to want to produce what is popular, but I've also found that this is what makes me unique, and have learned better to embrace it.

"The Marie Antoinette print really helped me with that. So many people responded to it, that I finally made it available as a print, and it's my best selling image. Marie Antoinette is my favorite, but so is the Empress Wu Zetian. Like many powerful female leaders, she has such a fascinating (and ruthless) story behind her rise. I am hoping to continue the portrait series of Empresses and Queens in the new year."

Susan is such a faceted, talented creative - and she's fun, too! - so  I'll be featuring more of her work on Swelle and talking to her about it.

If you can't wait - and you shouldn't! - see Susan's website Pop Fantastic which showcases her illustration and animation work. I just love her And, Darling...conversations films. Zing!

To see the range of Susan's art prints including Marie Antoinette and Empress Wu Zetian, you can visit her shop on Society 6

Marie Antoinette art print detail by Susan Canaday Henry

Empress Wu Zetian art print by Susan Canaday Henry

Cupcake Monday! Wintery Snow Cakes

 
A red velvet snow cake with snowman macarons! From Raspberri Cupcakes

(I'm back up and running after my laptop was incapacitated - again - last week. A severed cable and now even keys are falling off.  If this continues, reading my posts is going to be like playing Wheel of Fortune without the fabulous prizes.)

We haven't had any snow here at the coast this winter, unless you count one day in early December where it fell in huge, fluffy clusters and mostly all melted as soon as it hit the ground, and then got warm in the afternoon and made a lot of excited kids really crabby. After some freakishly warm days it's been properly chilly this past weekend if you consider -1° cold. The English seem to think because I'm Canadian that -1° is like spring to me. No way, cold is cold! Especially by the sea, it gets in your bones and apparently makes you really whiny. Except for the guys wearing shorts and a t-shirt, you know, because the sun is shining.

This morning there was frost on the grass and since that's the closest thing to snow right now, how about some snow cakes?

An Evergreen winter scene cake by Frances at Joules

Pearlized Snow Berry Fake Wedding Cake - just for show!

Pink Cake Box' Winter Wonderland Snowflake Cake

A Tiffany blue wedding cake topped with 'snowballs'! From The Twisted Sifter

And it turns out there's a movie called Snow Cake - who knew?  Possibly everyone but me. It's Canadian (so probably not, then) and stars Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman. I would be very disappointed if I watched it and there was no cake to be found. 

Here are some interesting keywords I found on Cinematic Intelligence Agency that are associated with it:

Film Canada winter Ontario autistic car accident death relationship friendship drama snow OCD lumber

What? Lumber yes, cake no?!

Cupcake Monday! Limoncello Pipettes & Torched Pear Chips

Cupcake Monday is back after an unscheduled hiatus (ie. I didn't realise it was Monday, I guess holidays easily confuse me). I wanted to kick off the new year with a Swelle favourite, Arthur & Aleksandra and their inventive and wicked cakes.

Let's get right into it because this is torture! Above and below is the "moist orange & lemon sponge, drizzled with orange & lemon syrup. Topped with an indulgent cream cheese frosting and an almond wafer. Served with a pipette of Limoncello." I love lemon. I must have this some day. (I always wonder if Aleksandra eats the smashed ones. If not, I am not above receiving a box of cupcake remains in the post. )

This one just looks so good (not that this differentiates it from the others!). The baked pear chip is so neat and pretty, decorated with edible gold.  It's a sticky toffee sponge, topped with a pear-liqueur-infused, cream-cheese frosting. Drizzled with toffee sauce and served with a pipette of pear liqueur. It's best warm. Oooohhhhhh..........

Photos: Arthur & Aleksandra

CREATIVE LIFE: WINNER LAUREN ART DIRECTS WITH FOTOCRUSH

In conjunction with The Swelle Life, Foto Crush recently ran its “Be An Art Director” contest, where the winner gets to co-create a photo stationery collection with a Foto Crush Art Director - a very cool prize. The lucky December winner was Lauren and we're about to look at how their collaboration produced concepts that were developed to create beautiful artwork that means something. I had the opportunity to do one myself, and we're working on it right now. I'm so intrigued and impressed with the Foto Crush team's creative process, it's so well considered and collaborative, and it allows for a choice of three wonderful options in different directions, capturing various significant elements of the subject's personality and loves. I would have been thrilled to develop any of my three and it was very tough to choose, but I made my decision and am very excited for the next step. (It's like they really know you!)

 

Creative Life is a series of blog posts by Foto Crush that follows each winner’s journey, illustrating their creative progress, and ultimately seeing how each person’s artistry shines. Taken as exerpts from the Creative Life series, here is Lauren's 'Creative Life' from the beginning to the final artwork.

LAUREN’S JOURNEY, PART 1

 

"Right away, we could tell that Lauren was a whimsical, curious mix of wonderfulness. She teaches at an alternative high school, and is an amazing artist in her own right. The first step in the process was for Lauren to take our creativity personality quiz. The goal: To understand what inspires her, then use that to inform the 3 creative concepts for her to choose from. What we discovered was a woman of great faith, who adores her husband, with unforgettable memories of their perfect honeymoon in Italy. She has an eclectic range of music, a few of her favorite songs being Awolnation’s Sail, Toccata & Fugue in D’Minor, and Hysteria by Muse. And she has a real playful side, even back from when she was a little girl who loved her cat, peanut butter and naps most of all! So it was no surprise that Lauren added her own personal touch to our quiz (see colorful border), which gave us more insights into her bright & sassy personality."

 

LAUREN'S JOURNEY, PART 2: THREE CONCEPTS

 

"It’s great to think of these concepts as creative mash-ups of Lauren’s personality. Prior to creating a card design, we first put together a “mood board” of sorts. These boards communicate a certain feeling in color, font and mood -- with some hint towards the design aesthetic. We also aspire to provide variety between the three design directions. Lauren inspired the following 3 concepts: Love’s Kooky Light, Ever Present Love & Faith, and Most Beloved."

 

 

 

 

If you were Lauren, which concept would you have chosen? Take the poll here!

LAUREN'S CREATIVE LIFE: THE WINNING CONCEPT

 

"Given the holidays, and our "love" theme, Lauren selected.... Concept 2!  Ever Present Love & Faith.

"Now that we had the concept, our next step in the creative process is design. Lauren collaborated with our FC Art Director, Melissa, to interpret the concept into several design options. 

Together, they created these 3 designs. Design 1 and Design 2 (a variation of 1) are inspired by the idea of, if you could travel back and sit amongst the wisemen (Lauren's answer to the time machine survey question), what would you wear? Yes, a whimsical thought (hey, it's fashion!), but it was challenging too, being a mix of humbleness, gratefulness, and regal bearing. The 3rd Design is based on the more traditional idea of that very holy night. Here, to balance the awe-inspiring art, we added an element of delight with the little lambs -- integrating Lauren's own artwork.

 

 

 

"Ahhh, the happy ending to Lauren's creative adventure! After mulling over her choices, Lauren chose the kingly BLING to represent her Collection, Ever Present Love & Faith -- a gorgeous blend of etherial whites, pinks, bronzes & glistening stars -- and a very spiritual and romantic representation of love. And since her little lambs were too cute to deny, we also created a photo card from the 3rd option, called The Wisemen. (Did Lauren pick your favorite?)"

A collection based on Lauren's beautiful artwork was created by Foto Crush for the holidays and has been adapted for Valentine's Day, which is perfect for its romantic and dreamy feel. You can purchase it from their two shops: Foto Crush Etsy or Big Cartel.

 

Would you like to be Foto Crush's next Art Director? To participate in their next contest, email yum@fotocrush.com  with “I want to be an Art Director” in the subject line. The next drawing is this month. Good luck!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! FIREWORKS FROM LONDON

Click to view the show on BBC

This is the spectacular display that is surely responsible for hundreds of small animals in and around London having heart attacks last night. Every New Year's Eve the BBC presents this world-class fireworks show put on by the City of London which you can watch by clicking the image. If you want to skip past the audience chat and get right to it - I highly recommend doing this - forward to about the 3:00 mark for the countdown.

Happy New Year! I for one am looking forward to a 2012 that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the last half of 2011. Onward we go!