Amy Lous Space: Travelling

Showing posts with label Travelling. Show all posts

TRIP TO LONDON

Big Ben

Adam and me in London

Hello! I recently visited London with Adam and I wanted to share a few moments with you. First of all isn't London amazing? It was our first e v e r visit to London and we had a fantastic time being tourists. Adam caught the "can we relocate there" bug, which i find tempting.

We made a list and ticked almost every box! To name a few things, Big Ben, Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, the Changing of the Guards, 10 downing street and China town. We also shopped in Liberty of London, M&M world, ate in a really cute cafes, my favourite was called Bella Maria and we also visited Battersea Dogs and Cats home. Not forgetting that we walked around St James Park a few times, feeding the ever so tame squirrels and birds. Adam really enjoyed seeing the parakeets and pelicans there. We walked everywhere which we enjoyed but our feet did not. Next time we visit, I've made a mental note to brave the underground!

Breakfast at Bella Maria Cafe

Tea and cake in another cafe (forgot the name!)

Liberty of London was heavenly

Whilst visiting Battersea Dogs and Cats home we met a handful of rescues that tugged our heart strings. A Jack Russell named Charlie and a deaf Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Scarlett were our favourites from the kennels (Scarlett has now been re-homed, YAY!). They both had lovely personalities, so much so that we actually walked round a couple of times. We also visited the cattery and fell in love with a Bengal cat who was later that day adopted! I was amazed at the facilities that Battersea have, every rescue has their own pen with plenty of space with toys and home comforts like cushions and blankets. We bought a few things from their shop and also stopped by their cafe.

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

Palace of Westminster

Buckingham Palace

China Town

Next time we visit we are going to travel via the underground, go on the London eye, visit the zoo and Hotel Chocolat (Rabot 1745) restaurant and see what the night life have to offer.

Have you been to London? What was your experience and can you recommend anything?

Amy Lou xoxo

Manchester

Me and Adam were in Manchester over the weekend. We visited the art gallery and went to watch Fink and She Drew the Gun perform live at the Academy 2. It was a nice break for us but now it's back to cray cray at university.

Manchester with Adam

Manchester China Town

Dream Home

Lucienne Day

Kitchen Set by Albert Edward Gray

Matthew Darbyshire

This was one of Adam's favourite pieces

Ed Atkins

Grayson Perry

Fink

She Drew the Gun

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair

Lemon tart and a latte from Cafe Nero

Yesterday I went to the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair at the Old Granada Studios in Manchester. It was my first time attending the event and as soon as i had bought my ticket, i felt giddy and inspired! This event was named 'Tourism Event of the Year 2014' and i could see why! There was over 175 designers and makers. I took full advantage of the event and networked like crazy.

Two artists that really influenced me were Jasmine Simpson, an emerging ceramic maker and Claire Murray, a surface pattern designer. Jasmine Simpson is based in Staffordshire and i thought her pieces are enchanting, especially the paint splattered bear which i deeply regret not buying. She was really friendly and we had a good natter about university. Jasmine gave me some good advice - to use the facilities and support to their full potential. I guess it's what I'm paying for but i forget to ask for more. For more information, more guidance, more experience.. So now i've written a note on my studio wall to push for more. Thank you Jasmine!

Jasmine Simpson

I instantly fell in love with Claire Murray's work. There was a wallpaper called 'Flight' (it's the first wallpaper on the left, in the image below), it was so elegant and had a sense of life to it. As soon as i saw it, i was daydreaming about my future house with that wallpaper on a feature wall, along with a matching lampshade and cushions. It's truly a delightful design and Claire is lovely!

Claire Murray

I bought a card from Ruth Green (It's the yellow card with the sleeping dog on it, pictured below), her work is clearly inspired by the British countryside. At the moment i am overcoming my fear of using bright colours in my work, so it was refreshing to see Ruth's work at the Craft Fair.

There were many artists that inspired me at the craft fair and to name a few, Sarah Cemmick, a lino print artist, Abigail Bury, a recent textile graduate from Hereford College of Arts and Emilie Taylor, a ceramic artist that reminds me of Grayson Perry's Turner Prize winning vase.