31 Dec 2011

Mark Ryden: Pretty in Pink & Sold Out

Art book publisher Taschen features a treasure-trove of creative outlet and American artist Mark Ryden is no exception to the rule, as testified by his highly coveted and now sold-out Pinxit collection.



Source: Taschen. Top illustration is 'Allegory of the Four Elements'. More about Mark Ryden from Signature Illustration.

28 Dec 2011

I'm Not Yours

It was one of those heartstring moments while idly surfing the high tides of the web: Mirabelle stumbled across a nifty monochrome animation cleverly put together by Brighton-based freelance animator Nick Murray Willis for the 'I'm Not Yours' song by Australian brother and sister duo Angus & Julia Stone. Not exactly the sort of video you may wish to show your sweetheart on Valentine's Day (unless purposedly trying to prove a point...), and while not lifting spirits up on a sad rainy day, it certainly won't leave you indifferent, we promise!



I'm not yours - Angus and Julia Stone (2011) from Nick Murray Willis on Vimeo.

27 Dec 2011

Because You're Worth it!

'I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.'  ** Marilyn Monroe **


Source: Here is a declaration of independence in feminity, a fresh yet defiant statement of truth that no other young lady than Marilyn Monroe could have mustered with candid honesty and which would decades later end up as a mantra for the modern woman on a Facebook page clocking over 3 million 'Likes' to the counter!

Meanwhile Marilyn spent her short lifetime battling prejudices in their derogatory demeasure brought about by her divine looks and status as a hot sex kitten. The Californian actress who claimed having spent most of the 1950s on her knees, who slept at night wearing only a bra and a drop of Chanel No.5, who hairdried homemade pasta ribbons in her bid to be the perfect housewife to Joe DiMaggio, and who popped uppers and downers like there was no tomorrow, happened to have a thirst for knowledge (Arthur Miller), a quest for cinematic recognition (The Actors Studio) and a general lust for life. She was the product of the American dream, its coming of age and ultimate demise. She remains however one of the most alluring and enduring actresses of all times.

Photographic Sources: (1) 'Marilyn Reading at Home, 1953', via Vi.sualize.us/ Photobucket. (2) 'Marilyn Monroe by Douglas Kirkland, 1961, pt.9, Trials and Errors', via Vi.sualize.us. (3) 'Marilyn Monroe', via Vi.sualize.us.

26 Dec 2011

Lady Penelope

First time Mirabelle spotted 'The Lady of Shalott', the thought of Penelope came straight over (as Penelope is mythically known to painstakingly unweave by night the needlework she had accomplished by day, as part of some unspoken pact she had made with herself while waiting for her Ulysses to return). Hope is conveyed to the lovelorn with the message that love comes to those who wait (or so are we made to believe)!



Sources: (1) 'I am Half-Sick of Shadows Said the Lady of Shalott' (1916), oil on canvas by John William Waterhouse. A product of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood movement, the enigmatically-named painting actually refers to Lancelot. One wouldn't be mislaid to view it as being imbued with Dante Gabriel Rossetti's influence and essence, with the classical Greek elegance and mysticism carried by an abundance of detail and grace while maintaining an idea of distance, sultriness, mystery and imminence. From an interesting perspective, the artwork (produced is 1916) is chronologically at odds with the Pre-Raphaelite timeframe (second half of the 19th century), thus designating John William Waterhouse as a Modern Pre-Raphaelite. (2) 'Mariana' (1851), oil paint on mahogany by Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir John Everett Millais. Picture via Tate Britain. We have a mystical 'Penelope' theme going on here too, in the form of the passage of time carried out gracefully through yearning and weariness. When it was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1851, the painting was accompanied by a few lines from Lord Tennyson's poem 'Mariana' (1830): She only said, 'My life is dreary,  He cometh not,' she said; She said, 'I am aweary, aweary, I would that I were dead!'.

24 Sept 2011

Don't Throw in the Towel Just Yet!

In the kitchen department, there's a mundane bit of cloth that tends to be overlooked: we dry our dishes with it, maybe sneakily wipe our greasy hands on it half-way through cooking, we throw it around, scrunch it, drop it, and frankly show it little or no respect; fair enough, let's just make sure though that it's at least noteworthy!


Source: Those design-led tea-towels were made for show-time! They're the deal for ToDryFor and we love them for it! (1) The 'Small Brain' design shown here is by Robert Ryan, (2) 'Mermaid' by Lucie Sheridan, while (3) 'Storm in a Teacup' is by HelloWilson and (4) 'Jonah' is by Peter Slight.

17 Sept 2011

Show Me Some Love!

Love may be shown in the most unusual places, by the unlikeliest people, at the ungodliest hour, all in all when you least expect it: via a lingering glance, a smile, a compliment, some lovely attention or little touch of some kind that will work the magic by pulling the heart strings, so then just go for it!


Sources: (1) Vintage, cute and quirky in equal measures, Night Owl Paper Goods has it all; and touch wood (take our word for it!), this design is printed on eco-friendly sustainability harvested yellow birch card. (2) Say it with a heart-shaped brooch, like this one made out of Fimo, by Kone Kyandi via A Little Market. (3) A touch of loveliness and some more with this 'love bird bowl' by Elizabeth Prince c/o Prince Design UK, via Folksy. (4) With endless possibilities in creatively conveying messages or formal declarations, charms are popular right now. This one by French fancy jewellers Agatha is called 'Boula', it is made of silver, glass and ceramic and available in a choice of 7 colour schemes (featured here is Fuchsia pink). Just pick your own!

28 Aug 2011

The Kooky Kitchen

It's the little things that make all the difference, the details that break up the triviality, the little touches that add interest and bring a compliment; so then, why not start with the kitchen?


Sources: (1) Always one step ahead, Anthropologie brings quirky home to its adoring fanbase. Check out their diamond-cut measuring cups. (2) Woolly but not fuzzy, here comes Herdy from Kendal, UK: good clean fun on the kitchen table thanks to those round rubber coasters in funky colours! (3) And finally, why not add some oomph (and romance!) to that cuppa with a sprinkling of rose-flavoured green tea from Kusmi Tea... We can hardly wait for the effect! (4) Guests will be equally impressed by the jigsaw cookie cutters from Cox & Cox!

16 Aug 2011

Vintage Flavours

Here today, gone tomorrow: here's the kind of vintage that won't last in time, yet last in effect, with nostalgia galore that whips us back like an ice cream to the sunny side up of British seaside, with edible creamy colours and flavours that sound like Knickerbocker Glory, Peach Melba and Neapolitan, resistance is futile!


Source: From British chocolatier, cocoa grower and chocolate reinventor Hotel Chocolat.(1) Header from their 'Summer Sizzlers' email newsletter (July 2011). 'Knickerbocker Glory' available in (2) + (4) Neapolitan and (3) Peach Melba flavours. (5) 'Making Sandcastles' Raspberry Chocolate Puddles. (6) Sweeter than a Carry On film, the 'Carry On Gift Box'!

31 Jul 2011

Start Something

Whenever you go round in circles, skip a beat and lose track of things, whenever you feel stuck in a rut, chained down to a reality that has lost its sheen, tell yourself that fate has nothing to do with it. Life is a series of options and opportunities and it is up to you to see them, seize them or make them happen to become what you aspire to be, rather than be your worst (best?) enemy, feeling sorry for yourself. So then, put your skates on because it won't be long until the best that life has to offer you will have passed you by and you'll be that bitter old prune stuck to a dusty corner of that dirty old couch, watching those same old re-runs from back in the day when you could have chosen to get up and go and make it all happen!


Sources: (1) Pack of Holstee greeting cards featuring the inspiring (2) Holstee Manifesto, an invitation to stand up, get creative and live your life to the full. (3) Take the plunge with Arcade Fire's awesome concert poster at Seattle's Key Arena on 26/09/2010, which was designed by Invisible Creature and is available to purchase from Poster Cabaret as a hand-made screen print.

Just Like Queen Anne's Lace

Summer on the farm deep in the country just wouldn't be so without the commonly found wild flower known as Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) that sways in the wind to the tune of surrounding grasses, gracing meadows, roadsides and informal romantic bouquets. This member of the apiaceae family is a fascinating display of tiny flower clusters all to itself, linked together into a lacy umbellated pattern that lends it its 'Queen Anne's Lace' moniker; in other words this ephemeral botanical work of art deserves more than a passing glance!


Sources: (1) to (8) Photography is copyright Mirabelle Design Inspiration, taken on location in Northern Corsica between Summer 2010 and Summer 2011. (9) Black & white illustration: Queen Anne's Lace, Wild Carrot, Daucus Carota, by Britton, N.L., and A. Brown (1913), Illustrated Flora of the Northern States and Canada. Vol. 2: 625 (via the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health).

24 Jun 2011

Handpicked Corsica

Off the beaten track and the tourist traps, away from the lazy tacky convenience of breeze-block architecture that corrupts the essence of many a mediterranean shoreline, there are little gems of style and character waiting to be unearthed; most come at a price and all are brought to you on a silver tray by the discerning travel agent who does the legwork for you, so why not treat yourself for once to what you truly deserve, ditch the low cost and instead rediscover the countless pleasures of a premium holiday...


Source: In the spirit of those holidays with a difference, Corsican Places offer premium accommodation packages to the French mediterranean island of Corsica, with a hot selection of handpicked character rental houses, including the Condé Nast-commended Bergerie Olivella (Gulfs of the West Coast). Go past the crazy paving, fly open the shutters, take the views in and make yourself at home!

20 Jun 2011

An Intimate Getaway

There are times in a life when one needs to take time and a deep breath, gather their thoughts, step back in order to think ahead, desert the hustle and bustle of the city simply to reconnect with their true selves, take a much-needed holiday, sail away or simply head for the country a few miles down the road. Despite being Danish in origins, those adorable little retreats might as well be found in a countryside near you...


Source: Katrine Mortensen-Larsen is a Danish interior stylist and writer who, after years' experience as a project manager for high-profile organisations, set up her own interior design consultancy, KML Design. The top three pictures are part of The Coastal Path brief, while photo 4 is part of A Charming Villa and photos 5 and 6 part of Romantic Log Cabin. Photography by Stuart McIntyre.

14 May 2011

B My BB

If sensuality were a woman, it would most likely incarnate Marilyn or Brigitte; if the former exudes 1950s suggestive feminity, titillated by a touch of fragility, wide-eye innocence and tampered eroticism, the latter exhales the smouldering sensuality of the liberated 60s, with a heady blend of spiritedness, assertiveness, effortlessness and girly sassiness (a celebration of 'girl power'), while her trademark pout, sun-kissed mane and eye-liner doe-eye have been emulated the world over ever since, by female artists, fashion figures and girls next door, from Claudia Schiffer to Kate Moss, via Sienna Miller, Béatrice Dalle and Laetitia Casta.


Source: Version Femina (Corse-Matin week-end magazine supplement), inside cover, full-page advertisement from upmarket French designer bag maker Lancel, celebrating 'le Brigitte Bardot', the Bardot bag that it created in honour of the iconic French actress. (Photo by G. Dussart/ Rapho).

2 May 2011

These Bots are for Real! These Bots are Top!

People, will you find the kindness in your heart and space in your home to adopt one of those immensely friendly yet equally lonely bots, endearingly cute tin creatures carefully assembled by crafter extraordinaire Brian Marshall (these robots are living demonstration that 'recycled' does rhyme with covetable and loveable)!


Source: Pics 1-4 via La Boîte Verte, 'Les Petits Robots de Brian Marshall' (13/04/11). Robots may be adopted directly from Adoptabot, the world's first robot orphanage via Etsy, with zillions more to be viewed on Flickr.
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