Bah Humbug

This is dear Michelle. What would we do without her? See how this slip of a girl copes cheerfully with our pre-Christmas interweb order postage. The sooner she stops being our downtrodden intern, finishes her degree and gets on with the magnificent-career-she-is-bound-to-have the better

Hey! We're all crazy here at Lush designs - look at how wacky we are!!!!

(Thats our wonderful team at the studio - Michelle, Nesba and Yvonne. We love them kooky gals)

Today's post is brought to you by the letter P

Popular pussies on a plate

Perfect for party pies.

Purchase at:

http://www.lushlampshades.co.uk/

8 College Approach

Greenwich

London SE10 9HY

Heat without heating

In these straitened times you can save money and reduce your carbon footprint by installing one of these new Cottages and Castles lampshades. You will surely reclaim on fuel bill savings the cost of this glowy home essential.

Why, we estimate that it will have paid for itself in less than ten years. A wise investment indeed.

Disclaimer:

Any attempts to suck the 2nd party (the customer) into our evil vortex with untruths are in line with regulations set by Lush Designs -:article 1f. "That any lampshade will be attributed by the 1st party (Lush Designs) with unrealistic claims shall be so nice that the customer will forgive the party (Lush Designs) and buy one anyway."

Castles and cottages

"When oh when oh whenowenowen are those Lush Designs so-called designers going to do a new lampshade design?" they cried

Now oh now oh now. Thats when.

Here's our new Cottages and Castles range. If stern detractors have found us dilatory then perhaps they'll realise it took a long time to draw the curly whirly trees of this liquorice and lace arboretum and all those fancy follies with their architectural embellishments. Now we can rest our achey-breaky fingers and get on with something else.....

Available now at the Lush Designs shop, 8 College Approach, Greenwich SE10 9HY, and very soon at www.lushlampshades.co.uk

Runnin' fo' fun. teens:)unite

I bet most of you, at one time or another have longed to don festive attire and run, quite fast in a non-competitive, "fun" way for, say 4, maybe 5 kilometers.Be jealous, be VERY JEALOUS, For on Sunday 4th December one half of Lush Designs will be running around Greenwich with a load of other Santa-alikes to raise money for good causes.

OUR particular good cause couldn't be gooder. We're raising money for teens:)unite who support young people who have a life-limiting illness. Please sponsor us, the link below will make it very easy to donate....

http://www.doitforcharity.com/greenwich

TOBYBOO

I was visited in the shop today by an interesting designer-maker called Tina Crawford. Under the name TOBYBOO she produces embroidered drawings, mostly architectural in nature. Here is The Sun pub - see how the charmingly free stitchery brings out the fine features of this familiar building allowing us to appreciate it anew.

Have a look at her website http://tobybooillustrated.weebly.com/

Here are some cushions Tina has made which have the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons stitched upon them and the relevant London churches accurately described with lovely wobbly sewing-machined lines.

These bonkers Wizard of Oz characters are my favourite though ....

Look at the dear little faces!

Joan Osbaldeston

Foxes

Last night I heard the foxes call my name.

Twisting in my sheets,

I heard it clearly as if it were you out there,

calling up to me from the garden.

I jumped out of bed, hurried to the window.

The night sky, though punctured with stars, obscured everything.

That tree where we saw the pair of jays

was just a blur

and the roses were charcoal drawings

not the riotous shrubs that filled the room with scent all Summer.

Two dark shadows slipped under the fence, out of sight.

You weren’t there of course,

but the thought of your voice

stayed with me all night.

This poem by Joan Osbaldeston was the inspiration for this drawing of nocturnal fox activity.

Those of us who have been kept awake by the eerie wailings of our vulpine neighbours will identify. Our response would be less literary and might include a bucket of cold water and some sweary shouting.

(Not really - we love you foxes and will do some fancy drawings instead)

Time for Tea

Bathing beauties. In a teacup. On a tea towel.

Or perhaps on this simple clock. Made of screen printed birch ply and useful for letting you know when its time for tea, a bath, or a combination of the two.

Its our way of saying

JUST DO IT

However, if you agree that those dear little ladies are just begging to be sat upon you'll have to wait for us to create the cushions in order to fulfil this fantasy.

Unless of course you are resourceful enough to sew your own from two of the tea towels....

These were made by Laura Picarelli and featured on her blog http://mycaptainkirk.blogspot.com.

Clever gal.

Lushest East Dulwich

Never let it be said that we at Lush only have each other.

No, for we have friends, REAL friends. The kinda gals who you need to have around when a shop needs a lick of (industrial grey) paint.

This is the work of knit specialist Row Pinto, whose exquisitely soft scarves in coloured stripes make your heart go PING.

She, like us has a studio at Cockpit Arts and now you will find her work alongside ours at Grace and Favour on Northcross Road in East Dulwich.

http://rowpinto.com/shop/

Not only is she the nimble-knitter of woollen wonders, but she's thoroughly nice person and (as is oft said of crusty old variety artistes such as Bruce Forsythe and Madonna) one of the hardest working people in this business.
Here's Row vacuuming before painting the floor. Who's got the cutest face, her or Henry? You decide.

Half -done.

Ah the smell of fresh paint. Almost, but not quite as good as the smell of the top of a baby's head.

Here's dear Amanda Ross putting one of her botanical prints on the wall.

She's fellow Cockpit Arts resident and in common with most designer-makers is erotically obsessed with Leonine Rock-Legend, Robert Plant. Now she's got her work in Grace and Favour perhaps we should have Improbable Bob's bleatings playing on a loop to soothe the customers and create a sophisticated ambience.

We were lucky enough to have a camera handy when this stylish customer (below) came into the shop. We thought she looked particularly elegant in front of a display of Amanda's delicate flower prints. http://www.amandaross.co.uk/home.html.

...and what was the choice of this person-of-good-taste? Why, she chose a Thames-inspired shade for her (doubtless impeccable) home. Thank you for your custom Madam, and thanks for looking so chic in the shop.

A teetering Lush Designs shade display as would tempt any homeowner.

Come and see the real thing at 35 North Cross Road, London SE22 9ET, as well as 8 College Approach, SE10 9HY.

www.lushlampshades.co.uk

(trade) Show Business

Two or three times a year we at Lush Designs load a donkey cart with gubbins, trundle up West and show our wares at a Trade Show. Top Drawer at Earl's Court was where we were a few days ago. See how we created a magical environment within the confines of a 2x2.5m stand. This is where trade buyers and the press find themselves powerless to resist as we suck them into our evil vortex.

This excellent example of a nicely turned out young person is perusing our new range of prints. How sensible of her to be sporting (this season's must-have) yellow satchel and shoes - all the better to complement our purple wall.

Lush Designs, I repeat, Lush Designs.

You know how you've always wanted a duvet cover with the words "Adventure On" and a picture of a woodcutters axe on it? Well your dream will soon come true for we at Lush Designs have at long last created a repeat print on wide fabric and of this will be made bedlinen.

For those of you who are indifferent to tools and inspiring mottos there's some rabbits for the ladies and some architecture for the men.

As usual we've thought of everything.

Cat bores

Yes. Thats what we've become.

Since we found the (thrice) faecal evidence of their presence in our garden this morning we think we're entitled to exploit our neighbours cats and depict them on a bone china mug soon-to-be-available-from-Lush-Designs.

Having resisted drawing them in the act of befouling our lawn we have brought out some of their more charming characteristics.

Parma Violet

Parma Violet - the chalky mauve sweet that ameliorates minging morning breath, available from independent chemists alongside Friar's Balsam and Compound W.

So many fine things are to be found in Parma; Parma Ham of course, Parmesan cheese ... However Parma Violet is to be found in Kirkby Lonsdale, for not only is it a prehistoric confection, but also a lovely shop. Currently displaying and stocking a selection of Lush Designs products as well as lots of other fabulous gifts and Accessoires de Maison.

So those of you Cumbrians who crave a little Lush Designs something gallop along to Parma Violet at 45 Main Street, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria LA6 2AH.

http://www.parmaviolet.co.uk/index.asp

"Yesterday...

...when I was young, the taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue...

there are so many songs in me that won't be sung.

I feel the beetter taste of tears upon my tongue..."

So sang Charles Aznavour.

Not us though. We feel the bitter taste of beer mostly.

This picture was taken when hairstyles, makeup and clothes such as these were commonplace on young people - whereas now they are only sported by attention-seeking ladies of a certain age wishing to audience-participate at a tribute band night on a cruise.

We have moved on sartorially and are ever so chic these days.

Gotta love Charles though ...

Butterfly Cakes v Cupcakes

We have a problem with cupcakes.

Why all the icing? Bleeeagh.

We also have a niggling suspicion also that they are retrogressive and anti-feminist. A wholesome flapjack could never be accused of this for they uphold the spirit of the Greenham Common Women (look it up, young folks).

Having voiced this opinion one day in the shop an observant customer explained that cupcakes are indeed the bastard offspring of Kath Kidston. Which explains everything.

Time for a revival of the Butterfly Cake as seen here being served up in the garden by some cats who might be familiar if you know our work already.

Its not compulsory to use real butterflies - but they add a touch of sophistication we think.

This design will be appearing on our new china mugs in the Autumn. Pussy lovers take note.

Lush Designs SWANKY NEW website!

We at Lush Designs like to think of ourselves as exciting, elegant and MODERN.

To reflect this excitingness, elegance and modernity we have a new, improved website which we exhort you to click upon with gay abandon...

http://www.lushlampshades.co.uk/

Nutritious

Imagine yourself forking some sausages whilst smoke billows around you.

Well thats what we'll be doing if its nice this weekend.

To ameliorate the effects of charred meat we will be sporting our Lush Designs vegetable aprons.

AND - heres a tip - If the weather's hot we like be quite NUDE underneath our aprons and, providing one always faces frontward no-one is the wiser.

Porcine tray

Its tray and its got wild pigs on it.

Country-style.

Available from the Lush designs shop at 8 College Approach in Greenwich and very soon at www.lushlampshades.co.uk

GREEN

Here's that frolickin' stag lampshade again. Now available in that lovely kind of green that all right-thinking people ADORE .

Its a way of being green whilst doing absolutely nothing to save the planet.

However we also recommend that you look at http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/ and spend some money there.

Eminent visitor from overseas

Just an ordinary day at Lush Designs. The window looks most gay in shades of pink and green.

... look who's here! Why its our dear friend Soyang who is visiting from a faraway land. She's a Doctor of Philosophy and fearfully brainy

Look at her though. She's as daft as a brush.

WATCH OUT!!!!

Our new tea towel bears a warning to those unwary scuba divers who think the most dangerous thing in the River Thames is the undertow...

Available very soon at www.lushlampshades.co.uk , at the Lush Designs shop at 8 college Approach in Greenwich and Grace and Favour, Northcross Road, East Dulwich.

Today East Dulwich, tomorrow THE WORLD!!!!!

Those of you who are lucky enough to live near Northcross Road in East Dulwich may be familiar with a shop called Grace and Favour. The proprietor, Rose Ratcliffe asked us if we would like to have a Lush Designs presence in the shop and we loved the idea. Grace and Favour sells unusual gifts, accessories, vintage fashion and homewares, and Rose has let us occupy part of the shop with a cheery display. See here our friend Karen who we enslaved in order to help us get it together over the Easter weekend. Karen kindly played the role of Lush designs helpmeet but actually she's a world reknowned embroidery designer. Oh yes. See her fabulous work at http://www.spurgin.co.uk/

Here's Karen again - we eventually let her leave once she had made everything look ship-shape and Bristol fashion.

Indeed here's a picture of Karen's fabulous work...

... and here's a picture of part of our display at Grace and Favour 35 Northcross Road, East Dulwich, SE22 9ET. Come visit!!!

Three cheers for the red white and blue

This is part of an illustration for an article about the things various non-British celebrities love and hate about the UK.

The loutish behaviour of the British was commented upon negatively.

I can't think what they mean.

Oh, but the weather's dreary.

Time to butter-up a teetering stack of toasted crumpets, park your arse on one of these cheerful cushions and watch a boxed set of Sgt Bilko.

Tins on tinternet

Those dandycats are putting in an appearance once again;

This time on a handy storage tin which would be just the thing to put your teabags/pencils/cottonwoolballs/sweeties in;

or if you're a cat you could keep a dead bird in it.

Available soon at www.lushlampshades.co.uk and RIGHT NOW at The Lush Designs Shop, 8 College Approach, Greenwich, SE10 9HY.