logo is a go go!

I've comissioned amazing graphic designer and friend Luke Fenech to do the logo for my final major project at university, He's sent me the finished product today and I love it so much!
I wanted him to create something quite vintage and hand-done with lots of texture and quite an honest look to it and he definitely delivered. My project is based around the knowledge that a lot of small vintage stores in the northern quarter of manchester can't afford the help they need to compete with major retailers in the recession so i'm creating a trend prediction hub and general retail clinic in the area called the 'style observatory' here are some of his initial sketches for a vague logo idea-



after we decided on the first one we worked on the textures that would give the best overall effect and this is the final product!

European Escapism

it's probably purely to provide escapism from the cold and wet of this grey country but the past few weeks i haven't seemed to been able to listen to any music that is not french and sang by a stunning ex-model. wierd. anyway enjoy some of these favourites, i think my heart belongs in france.
(i apologise for some of these god awful videos)

mohr cole please!

so it's no secret to anybody who knows me that i'm keen on boys with tattoos, i just find them so endeering and i hate to say i have been known to take a fancy to boys based on their tattoos alone. shameful.
anyway back to the point at hand, i love the fact that a new breed of male models have emerged with a more alternative look in the past few years, i just find them visually more interesting than the all american abercrombie and fitch poster boys that have been strewn across billboards in the past.
my (slightly out of control) obsession with tat-clad male model josh beech has been surpassed in recent times by a new super crush of the modelling world cole mohr, i love his almost awkward look and the fact that he doesnt seem to take himself too seriously.

grey days with prorsum

stella's knick knocks

feminine yet intelligent, with sex-appeal yet with a conscience, beautiful yet edgy. stella manages to pull this off in everything she does. her new range of lingerie is beyond beautiful and i have already got some pieces on my christmas list. here are a few faves-

splashing out

so i've ran into a bit of bad luck recently and somehow managed to get my bag stolen with what feels like my entire life inside it, ipod, purse, camera, keys, work keys, diary...bummer.
to turn my frown upside down, i've decided to invest in a lovely new vintage satchel, a leather super-wallet, got new keys cut, i have commondeered all my friends music for a new music player and found some lovely new treats for the ears on the way like this amazing cover with an equally amazing video.



to fulfil my camera needs i decided that instead of investing in another standard dixons digital camera i decided to go for my long lusted after lomography camera, deciding to go for a vintage smena and a diana+ F deluxe kit, just take a gander at these beauts-



and...

juju's delivery.

i've always liked illustration that incorporates beauty and humour with a little slice of cuteness too!
and how could i resist someone who shares a nickname with me and calls her website 'juju's delivery service' and lays it out like a take away menu? i love her simple line drawings that show a sense of vulnerability and charm. the child-like figures manage to depict a sense of childhood heartbreak whilst being adorable. Founded in 2004 in Berlin, the creator of JuJu's delivery, Julia Schonlau has worked for several companies including Rojo, Concrete Hermit and Threadless.
my favourite pieces of hers are -



this one being sweetly titled swampthing & warewolf.

i would become a boxer and take on both swapthing and warewolf myself if it meant i could get a mural like this on my bedroom wall-