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Penguin post

24/8/2018

 
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Featured penguin book number two is A Book of Toys [King Penguin Books, first edition, 1946, by Gwen White] The simplistic but effective illustrations and matching descriptions catalogue the history of toys from ancient times through to the 20th Century; gifted illustrator Gwen White drew most of the toys from those exhibited in the British Museum (www.britishmuseum.org/), the Victoria & Albert Museum ( https://www.vam.ac.uk), as well as the V & A Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green (https://www.vam.ac.uk/moc) and Kensington Palace. Her front cover design of repeated rows of penguins is quite stunning and makes the book an attractive one to display on a book rack or console or bedside table; its black and white with honey-mustard colour scheme ties in with our blackbird theme and it would certainly look at home in most mid-century or mid-century modern interiors! 
For more details or if you would like to purchase A Book of Toys [King Penguin Books, first edition, 1946, by Gwen White][ £12 + £2.95 postage] please drop me a line!
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Interior design idea: ceramic penguin (Ian Williams) is from the Brae Fasach gallery on Skye; 'Book of Toys' by Gwen White is available in our vintage book shop
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King Penguin first edition 'A Book of Toys' written & illustrated by Gwen White (see our vintage book shop )

Pick up a penguin...

21/8/2018

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So, following on from my feature on Puffin Books, is a brief introduction to vintage Penguins, some of which will find their way into the eclectic Little Book Room Shop. 
It's difficult to choose from so many titles, so I thought a good place to start would be a very literal one in terms of 'penguin-ness': the first book to feature is thus a history of polar exploration by L.P. Kirwan; not just because it is a Penguin Book, but also for its foray into the virtually impenetrable frozen realms of Antarctica (this book in fact includes the North Pole too, albeit less relevant to our present discussion of penguins...) The ill-fated south-polar expedition headed by Captain Scott is just one example documented and (elsewhere) Scott is quoted as having said to his wife, 'Tell Peter [viz their young son] I'll bring him back a penguin...' 
Well, you don't need to go all the way to Antarctica to pick up a penguin now: the handsome fellow, pictured below, who features in our latest @blackbirdsandme Instagram post too, is an Ian Williams penguin, available from the Brae Fasach gallery at Waternish on Skye.  Having said which, our annual trek from Devon to Skye may sometimes be likened to a polar expedition, and Waternish itself is one of Skye's most far-flung corners, but it really is worth the journey!
Ian's ceramic penguin might seem a little bit of an indulgence on a 'shoestring' budget but we have had our eye on one for a long time and its simplicity of form suits my mid-century modern scheme brilliantly. For slightly more budget penguins of the book variety, keep an eye on our Little Book Room features and Shop for frequent additions! 

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​For more information on Skye and the Waternish Peninsula, see 
https://www.visit-waternish.co.uk 
& https://
www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/isle-skye/ 
For Ian's Penguins, go and visit 
www.braefasach.co.uk, : a personal polar trek to this destination is recommended, as penguins are fragile as well as flightless and don't travel very well...
For further details on our Penguin Book title, a history of polar exploration by L.P. Kirwan and a brief synopsis, please see my Little Book Room.  My next post will feature vintage Penguin Book number two!
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When yellow's on the broom...

13/8/2018

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We have recently returned from the Isle of Skye, grateful for the cooler weather and the chance to see birds of a slightly different feather, including the awesome white tailed eagle (or 'sea eagle').
It will be another year before we are able to return to the Misty Isle, but we took the opportunity to imbibe the fabulous palette of peats and glassy blues and greens against the backdrop of the Black Cuillins, with a dash of mauve heather and yellow gorse (I employed a little artistic licence for the title of this post, August being a little late in the year to see broom in flower, but it's such a wistfully romantic ditty!) - colours which are likely to influence and inform my current decorative trends.
   As well as sampling the stunning scenery we enjoyed its rendition into art-forms of every kind: photography, landscape paintings both abstract and exact, jewellery and ceramics.  It's so important to support local artists when on holiday too and the 'just a card' campaign is a good way of doing this, as whilst it's not always feasible (or affordable of course) to buy an original painting, a few cards here and there can make a difference. 
   This year our special art purchase was an Ian Williams ceramic penguin (see our forthcoming Instagram post @blackbirdsandme ! ) - not a very typical bird to find on Skye, but nevertheless an Ian Williams' 'signature ceramic'.  We purchased it from his former gallery, Brae Fasach Studio at Loch Bay on the beautiful Waternish peninsula, now run by Sarah and Richard Boone, who succumbed to Skye's charms whilst holidaying there and being inspired to make a dramatic lifestyle change (Skye has that sort of effect on people...) The Penguin we picked was black (in keeping with our mid-century modern theme of course) speckled with gold and yellow ochre. I hope to showcase it soon! 

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  • Home
  • Room Ideas
    • Entrance & Hallway
    • Kitchen
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  • Blackbird has spoken
  • Archive of Sold Items
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