Merry Christmas - Buon Natale

 

If you could choose your perfect kind of Christmas tree what would it be like?

My choice would be this one made of special Gianduiotti chocolates... then after the festivities you can eat it!

Merry Christmas - Buon Natale to you all.

Christmas Rose!

 

You may have noticed that my blog posts have diminished over the last few weeks. 

I have been working very hard in the "posh gift shop" in Turin, it is a hive of lovely gifts for the home so this is our most busy time of year. 

We are coming up to the final few days before Christmas and the clients are becoming more and more demanding and frenetic in their search for the lastest gadget or gift seen in some convincing TV advert. I on the other hand am becoming more and more tired (my patience ran out ages ago) aching feet, sore hands and a brain refusing to work anymore don't help the general situation.

I have stopped doing any normal things like shopping, cleaning, eating, even sleeping.  Any enthusiasm I may have had for the festive season has long ago been forced to the back of my mind and has died under the weight of the "Christmas Marathon" we endure every year.

My design projects have been put a side for a while. I have little time to myself and it is very frustrating (I am in pattern abstinence) even if I try to design something late into the night my brain is numb and the results are not what I hoped for. The pressure of the Christmas delirium has forced me to hang up my pencils and paints for a while (I end up doing this every year) and wait for Christmas Day to come round as quickly as possible.

Yesterday I noticed this beauitful Rose, it is the only colourful thing in my garden at the moment and I think it is a little out of season to say the least. A beautiful red flower which has decided to join in the festive madness. Needless to say it cheered me up lots and I snapped a quick photo of it on my way back into the Christmas afternoon lunacy. :)

EFUTO picture envelopes

Efuto means decorated envelope in Japanese and I have been creating lots of them. 
This came about through a great idea by Gill Eggleston who has set up a surface pattern directory where more than 50 designers show their work on a hand drawn envelope. To take part we had to design two envelopes, one as our directory submission and one to post to another participant. 

Here is where the fun begins, not for Gill who is working hard to complete the design directory, but for all of the other 50 or so participants! Over the last couple of months gorgeous colourful envelopes have been making their way around the world. Infact I received a beautiful one from Carrie Tasman in Oregon U.S.A. and I have posted mine to Dawn Rae Conery in Maine U.S.A.

With a little cutting, sticking and doodling I made quite a few envelopes. I did'nt trust the Italian post, and rightly so, because when I went to the post office they refused to take my first attempts. So I just bought some stamps and trusted luck... and all three came back!

Below you can see the envelope I have posted to Dawn in Maine. It has an Italian/Christmas theme as the Italian flag is green, red and white. The colours reminded me so much of Christmas and, of course, it is also that time of year (if you hadn't already noticed). I also made a little card to pop in with the envelope and I have my fingers crossed that the envelope and card will get to her in one piece... it has a long way to travel and right in the middle of the Christmas rush!

Good Luck to my little EFUTO x

Turin - Luci d'Artista

If you visit Turin at the moment you will be overwhelmed by the beauty of Luci d'Artista. Already in its 15th year, Luci d'Artista transforms the city with stunning light installations designed by both Italian and International artists and it has become a regular event for both locals and tourists alike. 

Monte dei Cappuccini. 

Little Blue Spirits by Rebecca Horn. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Piazza San Carlo. 

Kingdom of Flowers by Nicola De Maria. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Every year new lights are added and the existing lights are moved round so that by changing the backdrop the lights gain a new meaning. The fabulous historical centre of Turin is what makes the event so special for me a mixture of history and modern art together to create a unique atmosphere. Majestic buildings and long rows of porticoes, early 20th century arcades and the oldest squares in Turin are all dressed up to their best to create this great "neon" festival.

Via Pietro Micca. 

Planetarium by Carmelo Giammello. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Via Po. 

Birds by Francesco Casorati. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Of the 19 installations only a couple have a hint of Christmas in them. The event is designed not to have a Christmas theme but to bring works of contemporary art together and make them more beautiful by their open air settings. Luci d'Artista is a must for the cold months when the true winter personality of Turin shines through.

Palazzo Madama, Piazza Castello. 

Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Piazza Palazzo di Città. 

Tappeto Volante by Daniele Buren. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Galleria Subalpina. 

Energy that Unites by Marco Gastini. Ph. Fabrizio Zanelli

Luci d'Artista can be enjoyed from November 3rd, 2012 until the January 13th, 2013. You can see a map and the full list of works here.

All the above photographs are by Fabrizio Zanelli © 2009 - 2012, and they can be seen along with many more on his super blog called TorinoDailyPhoto. Fabrizio lives in Turin and likes to take photographs of daily life in Turin. His blog is full of brilliant photographs which depict many interesting and 'quirky' aspects of this beautiful city.

Moyo Magazine 2 - I'm featured in it again!!!!

Well the second issue of the fabulous and unique MOYO Magazine is finally out and you can read it here on issuu.com. Moyo is the very first online magazine dedicated solely to the world of surface pattern design and is brought to you by Rachael Taylor and Beth Nicolls. Full of design tips, interviews and inspiration it really is a must for anyone wanting to know more about the exciting world of surface pattern. I can't believe it but my work is featured yet again (page 45), I am so delighted to see my patterns on the pages of this super publication, it has most certainly made my day!