the shock of the new... Flickr

As you know I am a huge fan of Flickr and have been for years now, so I don't think it's possible for me to gloss over the dramatic changes they made to their site on Monday. If you use Flickr I am sure you have seen it already and are likely to have some strong opinions. Everyone seems to have an extremely strong opinion on the new look...

I'll admit I was a little shocked at first since the changes are so visually dramatic and completely unexpected. I couldn't get into the site properly yesterday, but after playing around this morning to seek out all the functionality it doesn't seem so bad. Although I'm softening to the new look, I can't say I'm loving it. Here are a couple of key comments I left over on Flickr this morning...

"One of the reasons that I'm disappointed with the new look is that it's seems to have changed the perceived function of the site. Many photographers have used this site as a way to share their art in a beautiful way and stimulate intellectual discussion and interaction with each other. The old presentation allowed space for this, I mean visual space as well as titles, descriptions and comment forms. For me the new presentation undervalues all of this, it undervalues photography as an art form.

Images look cramped and cluttered in the justified format and portrait format images are almost lost entirely (although this format does make it quick and easy to flick through recent uploads to find certain images). Descriptions are hidden on the photo stream page and once on a photo's page the description text is smaller than that showing who has favourited the photo. These are quite simple changes on the face of it, but their impact feels very severe. Together they shift the focus away from admiring and respecting beautiful photography to turning Flickr into a photo dumping ground, so to speak.

I get what the new look Flickr is trying to do. They want to update their site to align themselves with other photo sharing sites and social media networks in a bid to stay competitive, but the beauty of Flickr was that it had more depth than those other sites. It respected and celebrated photography in a really beautiful way while still having a social networking structure through groups and whatnot.

I think I'm mostly disappointed because in this revamp they had the opportunity to do something really amazing and make Flickr the next big thing in photo sharing. I mean, how beautiful is Pinterest for image sharing!? They have totally hit the nail on the head with that one, it is so visually appealing! Instead it feels like Flickr are playing catch up to a bunch of social networking sites that I personally don't think do photo sharing very well at all.

Plus I really hate the 'black' look! I know I've flirted with a dark grey background here on my blog, but you have to try things before you can know for sure if you like them or not. I know for sure I love white space, fact!

So those are my thoughts, what are yours?

Emma, x

making everyday beautiful : colour punch

Image credits: 1. paulamills, 2. ueha nochi, 3. stof enzo, 4. rose hip..., 5. Artoleria

Is anyone else in need of a punch of colour today!? After day upon day of dreary grey, non stop rain and an awful tummy bug I am in desperate need of some uplifting colour. Something to warm my soul and cheer me up. Something to distract me from everyone's complaints about the weather and wondering why I still have a winter duvet on the bed when we're just one month away from the summer solstice!

But when all else fails I know I can always rely on colourful rainbows (without the rain!) and a little ray of virtual sunshine from 'making everyday beautiful'. Can you feel it? The summery vibe eminating from your screen? Lovely, isn't it!?

I'm feeling better already!

Emma, x

making everyday beautiful : petals & vessels

Image credits: 1. andrea creates, 2. **mog**, 3. Hermine Virginie Van Dijck, 4. Candy Pop, 5. Bine [was eigenes], 6. athenastudio

Hello, how was your weekend?

Things were calmly productive here. Last month when I started work on re-decorating my studio I was also motivated to start a flat wide purge. Living with a person who doesn't like change means this needs to be done slowly by making decisions one at a time and with good reason. In a way that's great because it means we don't lose something we might regret letting go of later, but sometimes I get frustrated because I love change. Change of routine. Change of surroundings. It always feels refreshing to see or do something in a new way. As the saying goes 'a change is as good as a holiday'. So over the last few weeks we've been slowly making changes and there have been lots of trips to the re-use cabin at one of the city's recycling centres and a few trips to the charity shops. There are still more to come too.

I'm also doing a studio purge as I'd like to free up lots of space in there and aim for a more minimalist feel. Not true minimalist, obviously, but a lot less cluttered or overcrowded than it has been. For a wee while I haven't felt like I've wanted to spend a lot of time in that room because it has felt overwhelming. That's not good is it!? Anyhow, I'm saving up all the lovely bits 'n' bobs from my studio purge and am planning on holding a wee destash sale in a couple of weeks or so. Whenever I get organised really but of course I'll keep you updated.

All of that is completely unrelated to today's favourites from 'making everyday beautiful', but I hope you love them anyway!? I am completely loving the pretty fresh greens and the 'petals & vessels' theme. Oh, but when I have cleared out a few more things from this flat I am planning on adding a few more shelves here and there for more plant space. I've been living without growing fresh herbs for far too long! There you go, we got there in the end... hehe!

Emma, x

shoptalk : European Kids on Etsy @ ByHand, Turin, Italy

So yes, a collection of my ladies have gone off to a fabulous fair in Italy. Actually they're already there and no doubt the stall is being set up as I type this here... eeek! This is my first event outside of the UK and the fair in question is Byhand located in Turin, Italy. I know, so exciting right!? Especially when you see the gorgeous venue, home of the Circolo dei lettori.

"Byhand is a temporary shop that merges fashion, design and art. The event presents unique opportunity for designers, stylists, artists, artisan boutiques, design studios, Italian and international ateliers, to showcase their latest collections and sell them directly to the public. Byhand is a place for people passionate about research, warm atmospheres and hot design. It's a meeting place for people in search of material poetry."


European Kids on Etsy, shops attending ByHand: robedellarobi, emma lamb (that's me!), domatoma, petitacosa, Mouton Cerise, yellOkids & mapano.

In a collaborative effort I'm taking part along with a select group of incredibly talented ladies from the European Kids Team on Etsy. Over the last few weeks seven of us have been plotting & planning and crocheting & stitching as much as we possibly could to have everything ready for today. We're all so excited and filled with anticipation for this three day event. I have to say it feels a wee bit odd not being there to represent my own work, I'm all geared up and excited but with nothing to do! Of course I have complete faith in the lovely Alessandra, from Mapano, who will be hosting the fair for us. No, I'm not jealous in the slightest... okay, maybe just a wee bit!

"Why byhand? It is all about hands which leave unique and inimitable signs. Hands that touch, interact, change. Hands that create objects intended for use, not just consumption.
Self-production | limited editions. In recent years, in a market crowded by industrial giants, self-production has become an informed choice, a way of life, a philosophy. Dotted around there are exemplary cases of design, creativity and craftsmanship which explore alternative avenues in order to create and emerge. Fresh, innovative and alternative this avant-garde contaminates and regenerates contemporary design through poetic processes and a 'slow' approach to work characterised by passion. The results are objects of desire, products not goods, creations rich in non-industrial charm. Garments, accessories, home design, limited editions, one-offs, brands and collections created by designers that work on a small-scale with human values at their core, which results in heartfelt, sophisticated designs."

I have high hopes for this weekend as the ethos behind the ByHand fairs couldn't be more in tune with ours as designer makers. They have four years of experience running these fairs in Turin too, which suggests that the lovely people there hold similar values and appreciate the beauty of handmade.

So exciting! Even writing about it just now has me all jittery with pre-fair nerves! I need a calming cuppa and a wee nip of chocolate...

Emma, x

shoptalk : open for business & accepting custom orders

A quick announcement today to let you know my Etsy shop is open for business again this week and I am currently accepting new custom work. If you have been in touch with me over the last few weeks about a custom project I shall be in touch with you very soon to chat about your ideas.

At the moment though a few of my Forever Flower Garlands are made to order since I had to send a bunch of them off to Italy for a fair this weekend (more about that later, but oh how I wish I could have gone with them!). I created some new colour combinations to replace a few old ones that I've decided to discontinue (change is good!), and they will be popping up soon along with a few pot holders and some blossom garlands once they are photographed. I'm also working on some new cushion covers too but I'm not yet sure when they will be ready.

On another note I've adjusted my shipping prices and am now offering tracking and insurance on most of my products. This also means that shipping will be quicker, within six working days to the USA or Australia sounds pretty fabulous to me! For more details, as well as other updates, you can check my shop announcement on my homepage.

Oh and while I'm nattering on about Etsy, it was such a treat to have my crochet flower garlands featured on their blog yesterday. They were included in a lovely 'Modern Folk' wedding round-up curated by Charlie Burton from The Natural Wedding Company. Thank you Charlie, you absolutely made my day!

Emma, x