Monday, 28 October 2013

Easy, fun Halloween décor

Here are Roost, we think you're never too old to indulge in the spooky celebrations of Halloween - and you'd be surprised what you can do with bits and pieces you might find at home or in the garden.

We plan on re-creating the D.I.Y idea we found at shelterness; a beautiful pumpkin window display that's super-simple to make. We'll also be adorning our outdoor nooks with elegant hand-written white pumpkins inspired by Lil' Luna's trick or treat one (no carving involved, hooray!). If you fancy trying out these super simple decorations, here's what you'll need: 


For Shelterness' pumpkin display:

1. Pumpkins and gourds of various sizes and colours. 
2. Dry fallen leaves (as many as you wish). 
3. Tea lights.
4. Hanging basket (if you want to incorporate it). 

Place the whole pumpkins on a ledge or windowsill and scatter them with leaves (you might want to use glue to fix them). Weave leaves into your hanging basket and top with tea light-filled mini pumpkins. 






For a Lil' Luna's pumpkin: 
1. Permanent marker.
2. Acrylic paint.
3. Paint brush.
4. A steady hand! 
All you need to do is use the marker to roughly write out your message, then go over it with acrylic paint. Let it dry, then pop your pumpkin wherever you like.




1. Mason jars (as many as you want). 
2. Googly eyes (from any good haberdashery).
3. Bandages (from your local pharmacy).
4. More tea lights. 
5. Glue.


For goody bags (designed by blogger Almost Make's Perfect):
1. Cellophane bags (available at good craft shops or eBay).
2. Stapler.
3. Printer.
4. Stiff card (print/colour of your choice).
5. Sweets!
Cut and fold the card to fit each cellophane bag, then fold over these downloadable 'trick or treat' headers and staple to secure. 




Monday, 14 October 2013

Designers we love around the globe: Australia

This week it’s designers from down under that are captivating us here at Roost Living, with a bit of an unintentional print theme – we're sure you'll love them, too.

Everingham & Watson
Brisbane based design duo Susie Everingham and Liz Watson create Australiana inspired homeware, injected with fun and colour.   We love their bold shapes and colour and this very prawntastic prawn

And of course we are not biased,  even if we do know them from our high school days..




Ink and Spindle
Melbourne-based Lara Cameron and Tegan Rose are the creative forces behind interiors label Ink & Spindle. Together, Lara and Tegan screenprint all of their textiles by hand, using ethical and sustainable processes wherever possible. It’s their prints that really set them apart and we’re coveting each and every one. If we simply had to choose, it’d be ‘blockprint’ which adorns their cushions, and ‘wrens’; a lovely inky blue pattern upon neutral cotton that you can use for all manner of furnishing projects.







Bonnie & Neil

Also in Melbourne, Bonnie Ashley and Neil Downie describe themselves as “compulsive hoarders”, clinging onto scraps of vintage fabric and pieces of timber that often serve as inspiration. The design duo, similarly to Lara and Tegan of Ink & Spindle, hand-print their expressive shapes upon bedding and tea towels to beautiful effect. We love the organic feel to their use of paint, and their choice of equally natural materials such as linen.















Thursday, 10 October 2013

Designers we love around the globe: France


While we love nothing more than to support art that's made right here in the U.K. - British designers we stock include Richard Brendon, Thornback & Peel and Rory Dobner -  we're also romanced by several other craftsmen around the world.

We begin in France, where our hearts are captured by three very different designers. The first, is La Cerise Sur Le Gâteau. Their humourous prints ooze grown-up girlish charm and opt for a signature colour palette of chic pastels.

We're also swooning over Mathieu Challiéres whose sculptural lighting takes shape in surrealist forms, including our favourite; wire birdcages, complete with vividly-hued feathered friends.

Lastly, it's Zoé De Las Cases's vintage-like portrait prints and pop art-inspired stationery that we're coveting - she also crafts charming toy sets - choose from a mini garage, kitchen, sweet or grocer's shop, fold and tuck them together and pop up on the wall - adorable.

Whom are your favourite French designers?