I'm Loving... Jan Constantine's Textiles

I do a lot of trend spotting and research as part of my design work.

Great designs are everywhere - on textiles, mugs, greeting cards, rugs, aprons, ceramics, paintings.

I find it hugely exciting to follow other designers. Inspiration all around!

I absolutely love Jan Constantine's textile work.



A fellow Cheshire girl, her applique designs are so 'on trend'.
She's also recently branched out into putting her designs onto mugs.


(copyright Jan Constantine 2009)

They range from lovely country-inspired colours to pop art and Union Jack designs.
Take a look at her website here

Bryn Hall at the Mill

Today I'm going to tell you all about a superb family business called Bryn Hall.



They are one of our lovely stockists and where you can buy Karen Phillips greeting cards, prints, tea towels and canvas bags. They also stock Alex Clark, Robert Fuller and Sheila Gill. So lots to choose from.



Alison works with her family to run this delightful converted mill in Cheshire. They sell wonderful bespoke British furniture upstairs and on the ground floor they have a fab selection of cards, gifts and a lovely coffee shop.



Everything has a very stylish country theme to it and is well worth a visit.


You may see them at the leading country fairs across the UK where they usually have a large impressive stand.

Take a look at their excellent website for further info here

RHS Tatton Flower Show now on!

It's that time of year again when it's the RHS flower show at Tatton park in Cheshire (approx 5 minutes away from us). Aren't we lucky ?!



I always love going and seeing the variety of designs, colours and try and pick up a lovely new plant for my garden.

This year they've introduced a new section to showcase innovation and new designers, which I'm looking forward to seeing.


A great day out for the family.

Dreamy Treehouses

I had a lovely dream last night. I dreamt that I lived in a luxurious treehouse! It had all the mod cons and luxuries of a spa resort with gorgeous fabrics and colour schemes inspired by shabby chic.

Lovely and peaceful. No cars around. Internet access ( not the most eco-friendly element, but essential for life and work).

What do you dream about ?

Treehouse or ...



... hobbit hole? Choices, choices !


This is would make such a delightful studio.


Which would you choose?

All photos © High Life Treehouses Ltd. http://www.highlifetreehouses.co.uk/portfolio.php

Home-Made Scones Are Simply The Best !

(Copyright BBC good foods 2009)


Today, we've been baking lovely, scrummy scones. Delicious with Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve and clotted cream! What a treat and so easy to do.

James loved helping out with his little polka dot apron on. So cute.

Here's the fab recipe:

Ingredients

• 225g self-raising flour , preferably organic
• ¼ tsp salt
• 50g slightly salted butter , chilled, cut in small pieces
• 25g golden caster sugar
• 125ml buttermilk
• 4 tbsp full-fat milk
• a little extra flour for dusting
• strawberry jam and clotted cream, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C and lightly butter a baking sheet (unless you're using a non-stick sheet). Tip the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt. Shoot in the butter, then rub together with your fingers to make a reasonably fine crumbed mixture, lifting to aerate the mixture as you go. Try not to overrub, as the mixture will be lighter if it's a little bit flaky. Now stir in the sugar.
2. Measure the buttermilk, then mix in the milk to slacken it. Make a bit of a well in the middle of the flour mixture with a round-bladed knife, then pour in most of this buttermilk mixture, holding a little bit back in case it's not needed. Using the knife, gently work the mixture together until it forms a soft, almost sticky, dough. Work in any loose dry bits of mixture with the rest of the buttermilk. Don't overwork at this point or you will toughen the dough.
3. Lift the ball of soft dough out of the bowl and put it on to a very lightly floured surface. Knead the mixture just 3-4 times to get rid of the cracks.
4. Pat the dough gently with your hands to a thickness of no less than 2cm and no more than 2.5cm. Dip a 5.5cm round fluted cutter into a bowl of flour - this helps to stop the dough sticking to it, then cut out the scones by pushing down quickly and firmly on the cutter with the palm of your hand - don't twist it.You will hear the dough give a big sigh as the cutter goes in. Gather the trimmings lightly then pat and cut out a couple more scones.
5. Place on the baking sheet and sift over a light dusting of flour or glaze if you wish. Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack, uncovered if you prefer crisp tops, or covered loosely with a cloth for soft ones.
6. Serve with strawberry jam and a generous mound of clotted cream (Cornish people put cream first, then jam, Devonians the other way round). Eat them as fresh as you can.

Enjoy !

Onwards and upwards !

Every day we try and make a positive improvement here at Karen Phillips Art Limited.

The passed few days (weeks) we've been implementing new social media networks where our customers (and potential customers) can tap into a whole new community, share insights with us or benefit from free information. You can join in with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and even talk to us via Skype.

We've also improved our website based on listening to your useful feedback. Thankyou. Did you spot the difference?! We've added a handy new toolbar at the top of the page showing you instantly where to find our different products. You can now navigate your way around our website quickly and easily.

We've also added new and larger product images onto each product page. You can now see various images of all our products from different angles and settings, allowing you to make an informed buying decision with ease.

Finally, we've added a 'You may also like...' box to each product page showing you some other lovely little Karen Phillips products that you, well, may also like! When you see something else you like from our suggestions, simply click on the link and you'll be taken straight to that product. Easy peasy.

We hope the tweaks have helped you in your visit to our website. As ever, your feedback is much appreciated.

To go straight to our website now to see what the heck I'm talking about, simply click here!

Skype - A Whole New Learning Curve

Hello everyone,

in the true spirit of embracing all things new, I’m currently implementing Skype on my pc. For those of you who haven’t heard of it yet, it allows you to talk for free to other Skype users via your pc and see real-time video footage of the other person. Lots of fun!

Fiddling with my pc usually ends with boredom and frustration but I thought the benefits of using Skype were worth it!

So the new webcam and headset are set up. No problems so far. The free Skype software has been downloaded. Easy enough.

I can see myself on the webcam. Now all I need is someone else with Skype to talk with !

Luckily my family who are dotted around the country are keen to give it a try so we’ll all be able to see each other as we chat. A fab and fun way for grandparents and uncles to see how quickly the children in a family are growing up!

(copyright Skype 2009)

Click here for more info on Skype and the free software to get started.

Will keep you posted on how successful our latest project is.

As always, please do leave a comment below to share your experience of Skype and any top tips.

Best wishes

Karen

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