Oct 03
by bibelotm_wp in Eat, Reviews 0 comments tags: Chef, Cookbook, Cooking, Jeremy Fox, On Vegetables, vegetarian

On Vegetables by Jeremy Fox – A Review

In June, the Borough Market Cookbook Club had a wonderful summer party.  The book chosen to celebrate was Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book (published in 1978) and around 80 home cooks brought along a dish they had cooked from its pages.  We feasted on tomato tarts, stuffed leeks, beetroot salad and many other delights.  Esteemed food writer Felicity Cloake told the assembled foodies why she believed Jane’s vegetable book was such a gem, and the ice-breaking phrase “what did you cook?” must have been said a hundred times at least, there in the Market Hall.   When I was asked to review the new Phaidon uber-book On Vegetables, I jumped at the chance.  This publisher specialises in oversized tomes that present themselves as the ultimate collection of dishes on a theme.  In theory, you could get rid of all your much thumbed little second hand paperback cookbooks, and just have a few enormous Phaidon books on your shelves. France: The Cookbook, Thailand: The Cookbook and America: The Cookbook might not give you much room for anything else.  But I approached On Vegetables with caution.  My much admired and beautifully presented Mexico: The Cookbook has taken such a bashing on the internet over mistakes and misunderstandings in its recipes, I am too scared […]
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Nov 04
by bibelotm_wp in Creative, Read, Reviews 0 comments tags: Book Review, Collage, Cute Paste Create, Eleanor Shakespeare

Cut, Paste, Create: A Design Journal by Eleanor Shakespeare

Cut, Paste, Create is a brand new design journal created by Eleanor Shakespeare and finished by you! The book starts with some key collage tips from Eleanor which introduce 52 projects for you to complete ranging from building tree houses to designing cushions for a sofa and cheery umbrellas for rainy days.     Leading on from the huge adult-colouring trend which seems to be dying down a little (although I am still loving Johanna Basford’s releases), activity books seem to be the big new trend in publishing. I read recently that this is down to the fact that publishers are looking to emulate the experience the younger generation are used to on screen, and that it is no longer enough for any form of media to be complete when published but instead should be interactive in one way or another. The increase in popularity has also made the activity book market a very saturated one and any book hoping to stand out from the crowd must have a fairly unique quality. Cut, Paste, Create’s niche comes from its vintage twist. Just like Eleanor’s beautiful portfolio of work, the book is filled with monochrome drawings and photographs, aged textures, retro […]
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Jun 01
by melinosa in Art, Reviews 0 comments tags: Barbican Centre, Exhibition, photogra

Review: Strange and Familiar

Do you ever wonder how foreign visitors to Britain view the country and its inhabitants? How do we appear and what do they make of our ways and customs. Do we appear familiar to the outsider’s eye or are we strange and peculiar? Bringing together a stellar cast of 23 international renewed photographers, including greats Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank, and featuring previously unseen work, a new photography exhibition at London’s Barbican Centre, seeks to address these very questions by focusing on both the mundane, and eccentric aspects of life in Britain. So not too surprisingly rain sodden sooty pavements, derelict housing estates, and the bright lights of London as well as decaying northern towns are all on display here. But what makes this exhibition unique and the photographs on display utterly compelling is the story they tell about Britain and its changing cultural, social and political identity. The earliest images in the exhibition date from the early nineteen-thirties, and the most recent are from 2014. So as you wander around the exhibition you see desolate post-war Britain merge into the spirited 1960s with its mini skirts, nudity, student protests and optimism. The rigidity of the British social class is also […]
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Apr 29
by bibelotm_wp in Creative, Reviews 0 comments tags: Children's Books, Illustration, The Printed Peanut

Playing with Food – Book Review

You already know Louise Lockhart, you actually know her very well. The name might not ring a bell and you might not know this pretty face, but trust me, you have seen her work all over the internet, in all good stationers, popping up in your Instagram feed and on the covers of none but the coolest magazines. She makes the work you wish you made. She designs and illustrates in a way that makes you want to seize a roller and become a printmaker. Her work is reminiscent of Eric Ravilious, but through a joyful 1960s Technicolor telescope. Can you tell we are her biggest fans yet?     You have most definitely been acquainted with her first book, the quirky concertina book Up My Street depicting a romantic notion of a 1930’s high street and she is now preparing to launch her second, more substantial publication; Playing with Food. Proudly labeled ‘an activity book’ – and well, she’s not kidding. Just flick through the first few pages and prepare to make involuntary gasps of joy. It’s a hefty release, making its precursor seem like a delightful amuse bouche in comparison. Now Lockhart has fully opened the doors to her world and […]
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Jan 03
by melinosa in Reviews 0 comments tags: Barbican Centre, Exhibition, Photography

Review: Strange and Familiar

Do you ever wonder how foreign visitors to Britain view the country and its inhabitants? How do we appear and what do they make of our ways and customs. Do we appear familiar to the outsider’s eye or are we strange and peculiar?     Bringing together a stellar cast of 23 international renewed photographers, including greats Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank, and featuring previously unseen work, a new photography exhibition at London’s Barbican Centre, seeks to address these very questions by focusing on both the mundane, and eccentric aspects of life in Britain. So not too surprisingly rain sodden sooty pavements, derelict housing estates, and the bright lights of London as well as decaying northern towns are all on display here. But what makes this exhibition unique and the photographs on display utterly compelling is the story they tell about Britain and its changing cultural, social and political identity.     The earliest images in the exhibition date from the early nineteen-thirties, and the most recent are from 2014. So as you wander around the exhibition you see desolate post-war Britain merge into the spirited 1960s with its mini skirts, nudity, student protests and optimism. The rigidity of the British […]
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Nov 20
by melinosa in Read, Reviews 2 comments tags: Bohemian, Creative, Decorate, Interior Design

The New Bohemians – Justina Blakeney

The New Bohemians, design blogger Justina Blakeney’s debut interiors book, showcases a selection of 20 of her favourite homes and accompanies them with DIY tutorials and ideas to add that boho vibe to your own space. If you are unsure of what defines bohemian style (I was a little hazy before I read this book), there is lots to enlighten you within its pages. Aesthetically, bohemian homes layer together bold patterns, warm colour palettes and lots and lots of plants to create eclectic spaces. But more than this, “bohemianism” is about having a unique style and not being afraid to let it run free. Throughout all of the homes showcased in The New Bohemians, making a personality-filled statement is key, and this results in spaces filled with meaningful items and plenty of heart. Defining bohemianism further, the book groups the homes into six different categories – Modern, Folksy, Romantic, Earthy, Maximal and Nomadic. Maximal boho (the style which Justina favours for her own home which is also included in the book) is perhaps the style most commonly associated with bohemianism. What is most notable – and often most impressive – about these homes is the paradox which they create by […]
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Oct 30
by bibelotm_wp in Read, Reviews 0 comments

Halloween reads: The Haunting of Hill House

  “It was a house without kindness, never meant to be lived in, not a fit place for people or for love or for hope.” “God! Whose hand was I holding?”     A select group is invited by a mysterious doctor to spend the summer in a countryside mansion to explore its reputed occult phenomena. A strange, ugly building with a troubled past, Hill House disturbs and intrigues its four new guests, and soon begins to live up to its reputation.   Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House first tingled the spines of America in 1959, taking inspiration from classic ghost stories of the past in the same year that futuristic dreams became reality, with Russia landing the first spacecraft on the moon.   This chilling tale embraces many typical Jackson motifs, such as poisonous human relationships, the darkness within, and the supernatural, and is a great way to give yourself a good scare this Halloween!    Seen from the point of view of Eleanor, a mousy, anxious woman burdened by guilt and resentments, bonds of friendship are formed and broken as the disorientating Hill House gradually reveals its secrets. With a history featuring mysterious deaths, abandoned children, and […]
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Oct 16
by bibelotm_wp in Craft, Reviews 2 comments

Colouring Books for Grown-Ups

How do you organise your bookshelves? Mine are categorised, split into books on illustration, those on graphic design, reference books, picture books and – my most recent addition – colouring books!   Colouring-in transports you back to a much simpler time when your biggest worry was whether you would manage to stay inside the lines, creating an oasis of creative calmness as you unwind and reminisce. These nostalgic and calming properties, along with the fact that it allows you to have a hand in creating something beautiful whether you have an artistic background or not, has lead to adult colouring-in to become a huge craze with millions of avid adult-colourers declaring once and for all that colouring is no longer just for kids! With any trend the marketplaces can become over-crowded and so for a new title to stick out it must endeavour to do fresh with the concept. Below is a list of 3 new and upcoming colouring books which do just that…   Beautiful Birds by Emmanuelle Walker     As I am sure anyone familiar with their work will agree, Flying Eye Books have pretty much mastered the art of producing beautiful and engaging picture books, and […]
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Aug 26
by bibelotm_wp in Ethical, Reviews, Shop 0 comments

INDISKA – A Far East Goldmine in Sweden

INDISKA is an ethical Swedish clothing and homeware chain. Founded originally as a little boutique in Stockholm showcasing patterned fabrics, leopard skins, precious weapons and idols in 1901 by the well travelled Matilda Hamilton. Back then, all the profits went to schools in India. Eventually she started selling imported handicraft, textile and spices. In 1951, she sold the company to Åke Thambert who transformed it into the successful chain that it is today. His granddaughter Sofie Gunolf is the deputy manager and the company is run by his family with about 700 employees. The name is the plural form of the Swedish adjective for ‘Indian’. Today, INDISKA have 93 shops in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland as well as an online shop catering to the European market. They also have three Indian restaurants located in Stockholm called Hurry Curry.     In their design, they want to convey their passion for India and the country’s crafts, colours and materials. Indian and Far East influences marry with Scandinavian design. They have an impeccable eye for detail. Their unique style exudes colours, patterns and energy. They want to give the customers the possibility to look like they feel on the inside and […]
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Aug 12
by bibelotm_wp in Craft, Creative, Lists, Read, Reviews 0 comments

Paper Only – Review

Paper Only by The Papered Parlour includes 20 varied and beautifully written tutorials teaching you how to make everything from delicate paper roses and wreaths, to printed wrapping paper and origami bows. Since being founded in 2009, The Papered Parlour has hosted experimental workshops, critically acclaimed masterclasses and mini festivals, welcoming thousands of participants to their craft-centric events. Their passion for crafting, and adoration for paper and its versatility, shines through on each page of Paper Only. With this, their debut book, The Papered Parlour endeavoured to create more than just a craft book – they wanted to create a book about creativity, pushing the boundaries of paper-craft whilst simultaneously encouraging creativity. Below is a list of five reasons which make Paper Only much more than your average craft book:     1. Personality Unlike some books, the goal is not to create exactly what is on the page but rather to adopt The Papered Parlour’s messy, carefree way of working; take some artistic risks, experiment, let your artistic flare go wild and see what happens! This experimental approach injects excitement into each challenge and means that 20 tasks can in fact create an endless amount of unique, personality-filled crafted […]
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May 15
by bibelotm_wp in Read, Reviews 0 comments

5 Fabulous Books by Women

The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto A young graphic artist moves to Tokyo after the death of her mother. She is grief struck and spends her time staring out the window. One day she notices a young man across the street who is staring out of his window. They hesitantly fall in love but there’s something horrific in his past. While they’re visiting two of his friends who live by a lake, the pieces of his past start falling together. Banana Yoshimoto took inspiration from the infamous Aum Shinrikyo cult for this beautiful, fragile novel.   We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson Narrated by Merricat Blackwood who lives with her older sister and her uncle, who is confined to a wheelchair, in their large family home after the rest of the family is poisoned at dinner. The older sister is the acquitted murderess and it has caused them to live on the fringe of society. This is gripping Gothic psychological suspense at its best. This book evokes nostalgia, conjures up memories of childhood and may even cause déjà vu for Shirley Jackson fans.   A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki After the 2011 tsunami […]
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Apr 22
by bibelotm_wp in Art, Events, Fashion, Reviews 0 comments

Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty – Review

British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was hailed as one of the most innovative designers of recent times, but a new highly anticipated V&A exhibition in celebration of his lifework, Savage Beauty, sadly doesn’t always succeed in showing or explaining why McQueen’s work mattered. The exhibition, which was first seen in New York four years ago, starts with a London section (an added addition not included in the New York exhibition), which features garments from some of McQueen’s first shows such as The Birds (1995) and The Hunger (1996). A large quote from McQueen inscribed on the wall states: “London’s where I was brought up. It’s where my heart is and where I get my inspiration.”     The thinking behind this section, one presumes, was to show how the city was rooted in McQueen’s work. But it doesn’t quite work. Apart from the quote and a voiceover from McQueen, who committed suicide aged 40 five years ago, proclaiming his love for London, and his ideas on beauty, there is very little in the way of explanation about how the capital and McQueen’s early years influenced his work. McQueen was born into a working class family; his dad was a taxi […]
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What is Bibelot?
Bibelot is about more than craft projects; it represents an imaginative and sustainable way of life. Readers will feel stimulated, uplifted and motivated. Bibelot will begin its life as a blog, an online hub bringing artistic, original and innovative people together. It’s a space for sharing ideas, learning and sparking inspiration!
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