Melanie Chadwick set up her screen-printing studio last year when she moved to Corwall. Through her designs she aims to ‘inspire joy and creativity’ and to produce products that are functional and beautiful. She’s certainly got that nailed.

Her specialties are hand drawn lettering, illustrated vignette and repeat patterns. This is translated to tea towels, notebooks, cards, decorations and bags.

Melanie works on commission too. If you have something special in mind she can create unique artwork from your specifications or from photographs.

View the collections at www.mellybee.mysupadupa.com.

The art of quilt making is something that has fascinated me for years. I think it’s the idea of creating something that is so personal; a future heirloom perhaps. I like the idea of putting together scraps of fabric that have some sort of personal significance. A swatch from an old dress that you wore the day you met your husband, or a motif from your baby’s first blanket. And what you’re left with is not only something functional and beautiful but a recording of your life or the bits you want to remember.

These quilts are made by Pippa Eccles Armbrester from Pippa Patchwork. Pippa is a full time quilt maker and designer and has a book due out in November. Her work is bold and vibrant with lots of colour and a focus on geometrical designs. They’re beautiful aren’t they.

In true patchwork tradition Pippa can also take bespoke orders and create something that is unique to you. For further details visit her blog at www.pippapatchwork.com and her Etsy Store at www.etsy.com/shop/PippaPatchwork.

This little pouch from Julie Brzezinski of Belrossa works for me on a number of levels. It’s made from an antique linen children’s book with a cotton lining and back and a sturdy zip closure and as such is one of a kind. I use pouches all the time to store my phone charger, ear phones, dongle and other bits and bobs to prevent them from becoming lost or tangled in my work bag.

As well as the pouches Belrossa makes a wide variety of bags, totes and purses in a range of sizes. Many of these are constructed from salvaged or vintage materials making them functional and robust as well as visually appealing.

Julie ships internationally from Green Bay in the US and you can buy direct from her Etsy store at www.etsy.com/shop/belrossa.

Mixed media textile artist Kirsty Whitlock is eager to challenge preconceived ideas about textiles as she pushes through boundaries and experiments with technique and materials.

Taking inspiration from everyday objects, especially those that would be otherwise discarded, Kirsty reclaims and recycles, drawing attention to the throwaway culture of consumerism.

There’s humour here too, from the laughing, smiley faces made from thread to the fabric train ticket stitched into a cushion.

Find out more at www.kirstywhitlock.com.

Around this time every year there comes a day when the first real rays of sunlight shine through the windows. On that day we’ll look around the room and then back at each other and I’ll say, “Look at the dirt on those windows!” I’ll look around again and think, “Look at the dust. Look at those cobwebs.” This will lead to thoughts and plans of spring cleaning, only half (OK a quarter) of which will ever come to fruition. That day arrived yesterday.

Next month it will be a year since we moved into our new house. We’ve been so busy since then that we still haven’t fully unpacked or put our own stamp on the place. One of the reasons is that we have very little storage space and with no place to put away our clutter it’s still sat there in boxes. My tolerance levels towards domestic untidiness are probably a little higher than they should be but there is a limit. Hence the sudden interest in ample but stylish storage solutions.

Top: Tiger Tiger Burning Bright is one of Hunkydory Furniture’s War of the Worlds sideboards. Designed by Toby Davies this unit is made from zebrano veneer and orange glass and is made in limited quantities. At £1,550 this is a quite a bit beyond my budget but it’s so beautiful. This is one for my dream home.

The handsome 12-drawer apothecary cabinet above is made in the US by Red Rooster Bed and Breakfast Folk Art. The cabinets are available in a number of colourways and can be displayed both horizontally and vertically. Cabinets cost around £123 in Sterling.

This study chest of drawers started life as a pumpkin crate from W H Timms & Sons and has been reclaimed and restored by Relic Interiors. Again, this is not cheap at £1,195.00 but the price tag reflects the care and craftsmanship that has gone into making this. Find out more on their blog.

The Stroller Desk is designed by Steuart Padwick and sold by Made.com. (Check out their website if you haven’t done so already. They have some beautiful and reasonably priced pieces.) I love the central storage compartment and pull up mirror. This is priced at £299.

Now this cabinet is an ideal choice to store all those bits and bobs that usually end up rattling around the kitchen drawer; birthday cake candles (why do I keep these?), drawing pins, paper clips, safety pins, plastic bag ties and old champagne corks. Created by Arabesque the beautiful patterns and illustrations have been created using the technique of pyrography or wood burning. The price is £250.

An finally the Bailey Chest of Drawers is from Graham and Green. Again this is outside of my budget at £1,595.00 but think of the space you’d save. Another one for my dream home.

This Ici C’est Paname t-shirt is a collaboration between French label Bleu de Paname and the artist Tyrsa to celebrate Paris. I didn’t know this before but ‘Paname’ is the word for Paris in French slang or argot.

The creators have put together a short film recorded in Paris in Tyrsa’s studio and the Bleu de Paname Atelier where you can follow both the design and production process. And checkout their premises. I love the old index drawers and their workstations. Paris makes everything beautiful, even the pigeons.

The t-shirt is available to pre-order now at www.centrecommercial.cc/en. Shipping will begin on their launch day of 22 March.

More paper cut work today. I really can’t get enough of this. These pieces are from Anglo / French team Famille Summerbelle.

Drawing on both French and British culture their inspiration comes from a mixture of family life and a shared love of design. In addition to their original paper cut pieces Famille Summerbelle has created a beautiful collection of prints, wallpaper, bags, cushions and tea towels, all of which are available to buy from their website.

They have also put together a number of videos to demonstrate the precise and painstaking process of paper cuts. More videos are available on their YouTube channel.

I LOVE these. I would never have thought of crocheted lampshades but these are fantastic. A real mix of retro styles and modern colours.

The lampshades are the work of Felicia Melendez of Atmosphere Lamp Shades.

If you’re wondering how they’re attached, they require a lamp with a metal harp that surrounds the light bulb socket and the finial. (See diagram in Felicia’s Etsy Store) Each shade comes with its own spider ring which attaches the shade to the lamp. Florescent or LED light bulbs are recommended as they release less heat and use less energy.

I’d love to see them lit up. I expect they cast some interesting shadows.

I can’t even begin to grasp how much time, patience and skill has gone into creating these intricate paper cuts by Niki Landry. So fragile and so beautiful.

You can spot common themes running through Niki’s work such as architecture and maps and other notable designs include postage stamps, ships and a range of decorative capital letters or initials.

The delicate artworks are shipped between foam boards, wrapped in craft paper and placed in sturdy boxes to protect them. Nikki suggests that they can be displayed to advantage either using coloured paper as a backdrop or sandwiched between sheets of acrylic or glass for a see through effect. I quite like the way she uses books as a background for this image.

The detail that has gone into the Turkish Rug and Peter’s Square, Rome images below just blows me away.

For further information about Niki Landry and her work go to www.nikilandry.com. To purchase her paper cut work go to www.etsy.com/shop/landryniki

On 1 May this year Suzy Prince, of Nude Magazine fame, will embark on a yearlong adventure into the world of secondhand shopping. During this time any physical, non-perishable product which is purchased or obtained by either Suzy or her husband for personal use will be secondhand.

She will be sourcing goods from car boot and yard sales, junk shops, charity shops, specialist and antique fairs, high end vintage shops and ‘romantic riverside flea markets in far flung destinations’.

Suzy explains the inspiration behind her journey:

“A lightbulb moment for me came when I realised that I was considerably more delighted by the purchase of a second hand infant bed for our youngest daughter from a charity warehouse (£20, a top quality British-made bed, and with a lick of paint as good as new and delivered for free) than I was by the purchase of a similar bed from IKEA for our older daughter (£130, £25 for delivery and a ton of hassle as we’d bought the bed online, only to find that IKEA doesn’t sell the accompanying mattresses online. And we don’t drive. And IKEA is far, far away without a car). Since that moment the idea’s been germinating.”

There are a few notable exceptions of course, including food and drink and items that can’t be purchased secondhand for hygiene or medical reasons. Suzy has also allowed herself one luxury exclusion and for this she has chosen hair dye. A full list of the rules of the hunt and exclusions can be found at www.secondhandsafari.com/the-rules-of-the-hunt.

You can follow each step of Suzy’s journey through her Secondhand Safari blog and through Facebook and Twitter.

I can see this quickly becoming one of my Friday lunchtime destinations.

[Photo credit: Jamie Alun Price]