Bank note design
A recent project I have been working on for fun. I have seen some great design done with collaging old engravings, so thought a bank note would be a good project to try it on. I'm pretty happy with the results.
I collect old coins – the designs on them are so beautiful, especially foreign coins which seem so much more exotic.
Here are some gems from my collection
2. A close up of the 2 Francs coin - I think the design on this is absolutely stunning - the style is reminiscent of Art Nouveau with the flowers, fruit and elegant font, but also a bit of geometric Art Deco influence and a beautiful but strong profile.
The designer was the sculptor Alexandre Morlon.
3. The oldest coin I have, from 1899 - this one is quite tiny and really cool - the intricate and aggressive looking two headed eagle is the symbol for the Austro-Hungarian Empire which doesn't even exist any more. I think that is awesome.
4. Not an old coin, but a lovely one! the tiny little animal icons are so cute! This is the 2011 WWF 50p.
5. A coin from the reign of King George VI. He was a dude but was never meant to be King. He always lived under the shadow of his older brother Edward growing up, who was first in line for the throne. But Edward abdicated after a year of being King to marry Wallace Simpson - a twice divorced American, as depicted in the beautiful film 'W.E.'.
George had a stammer and was often ill as a child with several health complaints. He was also pretty miserable growing up and didn't see his parents much which was common in the aristocracy at the time. He said when he had to tell his mother that his older brother was stepping down and that he had to be King "When I told her what had happened, I broke down and sobbed like a child."The first few years of his reign were in the tension leading up to the second world war which he subsequently led the country in. He and his family stayed in London during the bombings and narrowly missed being killed by a bomb that hit Buckingham Palace while they were there. His brother, Prince George (King George's first name was actually Albert, he took on George when he took the throne), was killed in action in the war. The stress of the war took a toll on King George's health and he died aged 56.
Other reasons why he was a dude are; he played tennis at Wimbledon in 1926, had a stint big game hunting in Africa, and was the last Emperor of India. He was appalled when told to only shake the hands of whites in South Africa by the government there which is obvious to us, but this was the 1930s and he was the top of the pile, so I think this says a lot about him.
Unlike his upbringing, when he had children of his own (the current Queen Elizabeth and her sister) they were a close family. And a film has been made about him starring Colin Firth about him overcoming his stammer, called 'The King's Speech'.
I really like the look of these coins. the first one has a utilitarian bauhaus style - geometric and chunky and masculine - and I like how the style of them changes over the years.
happy links
Here are some things I have been enjoying on the Internet lately:
50 Steps to simple happiness from the New York Magazine and the Secret to authentic confidence.
Tate kids has some great games and activities and is really excellently designed.
Simon says - what we used to dance to at the school disco when I was 6, and also for a bit of nostalgic childish fun the Secret fun blog.
50 Steps to simple happiness from the New York Magazine and the Secret to authentic confidence.
Tate kids has some great games and activities and is really excellently designed.
Simon says - what we used to dance to at the school disco when I was 6, and also for a bit of nostalgic childish fun the Secret fun blog.
This Week
Spring is definitely here now, and me and Jon have been painting, gardening, and getting this place looking a bit prettier. I've painted our front door a fresh white, and framed a Mucha inspired drawing I did and hung it on a bare space in the kitchen.
Me and Jon's mum did some patchwork over the weekend which came out pretty nicely, and I have been moving all our furniture and trying to find proper homes for it.
Going down the rabbit hole - Mental Spring Clean
One of my biggest joys and also struggles is that I am a scanner. The site MetaFilter is a good example of what a scanner's brain looks like - we get interested in everything. I never ever get bored but sometimes I can get overwhelmed. My brain constantly feels like it is coming up with ideas and projects, and the world around us is so filled with awe inspiring, beautiful stuff, and people are creating so many interesting things - that I get boggled.
The internet especially is like Willy Wonka's candy garden and there are certain sites that are like mental crack for me, one prime example being Reddit. There is a good article on Cognitive ecstasy which explains well why I feel this way.
I collect a lot of articles online and save websites for later reference, as well as reference materials for projects and resources. I also follow a lot of blogs, youtubers and sites which I often get a lot from - there is something about a really high quality website with good content that is really enjoyable, and I like seeing different people's take on the world. I get very inspired by all this.
This really clutters up my computer and my brain with a million tabs and loose ends and I feel I have to tie every one up and follow up on them. The problem is the internet is constantly leading you on - 'click this link...click this link' until you find yourself looking at the most random things - I really enjoy this process as you can discover some amazing things - but I call it 'going down the rabbit hole' - it can be bad and can waste a lot of time and also, for me - generate a lot of miscellaneous book marks I then don't know what to do with.
One reason for my recent surge in blogging is I realised I was hoarding all these amazing articles, sites and links for future reference because I didn't want to loose them. By putting them on my blog I can share them for others to enjoy and use, and also I can find them again should I want to come back to them, without clogging up my bookmarks bar. This article on apartment therapy on online organising was quite inspirational for me to have a look at my digital clutter.
I also personally have a bookmarks folder for each day of the week with different sites to look at that day. I really only do this with my absolute favourite sites which update regularly and are high quality because I feel to a degree 'you are what you eat' with your internet consumption, and I want sites that inspire me to push harder with my work and life. I switch in and out sites as and when I find new good ones and get bored of other ones. I try and tie up the sites thematically with the day so they are in line with what I am doing that day. At some point I will do a post with my day tasks and sites I read, but this post has gotten long enough I think.
To summarise though, this spring I am trying to clean my internet habits by 'having a good chuck out' - both deleting links and putting them on my blog, and 'tidying up' - organising the links I do want to keep in folders and keeping them up to date. My main thing to focus on will be dealing with stuff as it comes in and not letting it build up I think.
The internet especially is like Willy Wonka's candy garden and there are certain sites that are like mental crack for me, one prime example being Reddit. There is a good article on Cognitive ecstasy which explains well why I feel this way.
I collect a lot of articles online and save websites for later reference, as well as reference materials for projects and resources. I also follow a lot of blogs, youtubers and sites which I often get a lot from - there is something about a really high quality website with good content that is really enjoyable, and I like seeing different people's take on the world. I get very inspired by all this.
This really clutters up my computer and my brain with a million tabs and loose ends and I feel I have to tie every one up and follow up on them. The problem is the internet is constantly leading you on - 'click this link...click this link' until you find yourself looking at the most random things - I really enjoy this process as you can discover some amazing things - but I call it 'going down the rabbit hole' - it can be bad and can waste a lot of time and also, for me - generate a lot of miscellaneous book marks I then don't know what to do with.
One reason for my recent surge in blogging is I realised I was hoarding all these amazing articles, sites and links for future reference because I didn't want to loose them. By putting them on my blog I can share them for others to enjoy and use, and also I can find them again should I want to come back to them, without clogging up my bookmarks bar. This article on apartment therapy on online organising was quite inspirational for me to have a look at my digital clutter.
I also personally have a bookmarks folder for each day of the week with different sites to look at that day. I really only do this with my absolute favourite sites which update regularly and are high quality because I feel to a degree 'you are what you eat' with your internet consumption, and I want sites that inspire me to push harder with my work and life. I switch in and out sites as and when I find new good ones and get bored of other ones. I try and tie up the sites thematically with the day so they are in line with what I am doing that day. At some point I will do a post with my day tasks and sites I read, but this post has gotten long enough I think.
To summarise though, this spring I am trying to clean my internet habits by 'having a good chuck out' - both deleting links and putting them on my blog, and 'tidying up' - organising the links I do want to keep in folders and keeping them up to date. My main thing to focus on will be dealing with stuff as it comes in and not letting it build up I think.
Loving This Week
Jon built a rocket stove and fixed our washing machine before I had even woken up on Saturday morning - his new name is "Alpha Male'. He had the washing machine on its side with its guts out and screws and tools all over the place, so I think he has gone up a few levels with the adult skills this week. I built a dry stone wall and bought a garden plant last week for the first time - so I'm feeling pretty old right now too.
We have been trying to eat much more fruit and vegetables at the moment - we already eat pretty healthily but not much on the fruit side. I bought a big watermelon which we have been eating in slices - I like it with mint - and because it is so massive I will probably cut it up in centimetre slices and freeze it - it comes out like ice lollies.
I have also been loving fruit you can buy pre frozen in bags from the supermarket - if you add a portion of frozen fruit and a spoon of natural yoghurt and fruit juice together in a blender it is a really easy and quick way to make a smoothie - if you only use a little bit of juice it comes out like sorbet/ ice cream. It is so cold and sweet and delicious and I always feel fizzy and energised from all the good vitamins and goodness after I drink one.
I have also been attempting to run more and got really inspired and started going last week - then I got really sick and slowed down and didn't feel like going - but hopefully I can get enthused again. I'm half thinking of building up to the Bristol half marathon this September but definitely need to train as I haven't run consistently for a while and am out of practice. Running advice from R29.
I am also enjoying watching happy feel good films. I watched and re watched Shallow Hal. I had completely forgotten how good it was. Jack Black in my opinion can pretty much do no wrong, and Gwyneth Paltrow is really sweet in this film - seeing her is reminding me I need to try and give 'The Royal Tenenbaums' a re-try and that I want to watch some more Wes Anderson. I never really got him before but I'm feeling for a bit of a Wes Anderson marathon. I also re watched 21 Jump Street which is just great on so many levels and I really want to see the sequel now.
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