Take a look at Rob Ryan's brand new Valentine for this year. Could the man get any more old-school romantic? I think not. This lovely laser cut is hand-screenprinted and available in a limited edition of 250. You can purchase them directly from Ryantown on Columbia Road.
Everything's in black and white at Rob Ryan's shop Ryantoon at the moment, with all stock - from cushions and prints to tiles and decorative packing tape - rendered in a monochrome palette. Genius idea. Check it out while it lasts - until November 15.
Ryantown
126 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
Nearest tubes: Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Saturday 1pm-4pm
Sunday 9am-4pm
For more shops in East London, click here.
All images courtesy of Rob Ryan.
I’m back with one final giveaway for a lucky Wee Birdy reader: an amazing Nathalie Lete prize pack, valued at £36.95, courtesy of London boutique Lapin & Me.
One of my favourite new shops in East London, Lapin & Me specialises in all things fine, French-y and feminine, with a strong illustrative element. I really love the selection of pocket-money goodies for kids, as well as the extensive line-up of cult dolls. Get the full Lapin & Me shop tour here.
Lapin & Me also stocks an extensive selection of products by French artist Nathalie Lete, which feature a vividly-painted Parisian world populated by bunnies, birds and flowers.
The Nathalie Lete prize pack includes a best-selling Parisian shopper, valued at £16.95; a toiletries bag, valued at £13.50; and a super-sweet notebook, valued at £6.50.
To be in the running for the prize pack, simply leave a comment telling me your favourite thing about Paris. Don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!
Please note that the winner will be chosen at random (either picked out of a hat or by a random number generator – TBC) and all competitions close on Friday 24 July at 6pm (British Summer Time). Winners will be announced on Monday 27 July.
Thank you, Lapin & Me! If you love the look of the shop, why don’t you:
- check out the online shop here;
- peek inside the East London boutique here; or
- become a fan of Lapin & Me on Facebook here.
Today marks day five of the Wee Birdy blogiversary giveaway, and I’ve got some very special prizes from London design legend (and Wee Birdy favourite) Rob Ryan.
As some of you may know, I’ve posted extensively about Rob Ryan’s work over the last two years, so it’s a delight to welcome him back to the nest. He’s very kindly donated two of his bird-themed tiles for a Wee Birdy giveaway, valued at a total of £48.
Rob is a prolific designer and illustrator, and his paper-cut designs (and heart-felt prose) have appeared on collaborations with British Vogue, Liberty, Fortnum and Mason, Paul Smith and Earnest Sewn.
A shopping trip to London isn’t complete without a visit to his Columbia Road store, Ryantown, which opened just last year. All of his work is produced nearby in his East London studio, and it’s packed with his screenprints, tiles and t-shirts, as well as an ever-changing selection of gifts. A recent addition, for instance, are these cute sailor-print t-shirts. (Check out my full Wee Birdy shop tour here.)
To be in the running for this very special prize of two Rob Ryan tiles, simply leave a comment telling me what you favourite Rob Ryan print, product or collaboration is - and why. Don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!
Please note that the winner will be chosen at random (either picked out of a hat or by a random number generator – TBC) and all competitions close on Friday 24 July at 6pm (British Summer Time). Winners will be announced on Monday 27 July.
Thank you Rob! If you’re as big a Rob Ryan fan as I am, why don’t you:
- Check out his Etsy shop;
- Read my full shop tour of his shop, Ryantown;
- Check out his blog here; or
- See what’s new in Ryantown via the blog here.
I’m a real sucker for nostalgic sweet shops, and Suck and Chew on Columbia Road is no exception. Look out for the pillar-box red shopfront if you’re visiting on flower market Sundays and you’ll be treated to old-retro favourites like Rhubarb and Custards, Cola Cubes and Rosy Apples.
There’s also a delectable selection of handmade organic chocolate truffles from Norfolk (I love the champagne and strawberry) as well as some unique retro-inspired gifts, like Beano and Dandy tea-towels (£7.99) and blackboard mugs (£4.50).
Keep an eye out for the vintage cards, Ladybird books and chocolate tins (from £5), as well as the adorable Topsy and Tim badges (£1.50). Fans of the area should also seek out the ‘I heart Columbia Road’ badges (75p).
Suck and Chew
130 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
Tel. 020 8983 3504
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Saturday 1pm to 4.30pm
Sunday 9am to 4.30pm
Click here for more shops on Columbia Road.
Happy Bank Holiday, London birdies! Couldn't resist taking a pic of this rather handsome fellow on the door next to Ryantown on Columbia Road last week. You can also see that I've recently taken to photographing piles of shop bags (see pic below). However, you should note that these are extra-special shop bags, hand-screen printed by Rob Ryan and featuring a cute wee birdy stamp in the corner. Swoon!
London artist Sharon Elphick (of gallery/shop Elphick’s on Columbia Road) is exhibiting with Design Nation at Chelsea Flower Show this year, alongside Carole Waller, Chris Eckersley, Ella Doran and Katy Holford. If you’re heading to the show, you can find them at stand number CW/04. To celebrate, Sharon’s produced this special cut-flower souvenir poster (£15 + postage), which can be pre-ordered from Elphick’s.
Elphick’s
160 Columbia Road
London E2
Tel. 020 7033 7891
Email: info@sharonelphick.com
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Saturday 12pm - 4pm
Sunday 9am - 4pm.
By appointment Monday-Friday.
I'm loving the new prints and tiles by London-based artist Martin Grover: London iconography, pathos and an irreverent sense of humour rolled into one. Most excellent. They're available now from Rob Ryan's shop Ryantown on Columbia Road.
I went to the opening of Bev Alvarez's new shop on Columbia Road last Thursday, where she is currently exhibiting the work of UK artist Mark Rowney.
I was beguiled by his ornate hand-carved leather work, particularly these wallets featuring hand-painted blue tits, goldfinches and woodpeckers emerging from nest boxes - from both the front and back. From £110, at 158 Columbia Road.
For those who may have missed my story in Time Out, here are some more pics from my latest fave shop in London, Lapin & Me. The newest arrival to the independent shopping haven that is Columbia Road (well, it's actually just around the corner on Ezra Street, but near enough), Lapin & Me stocks a fanciful and French-y range of limited-edition dolls, design-led products, stationery, homewares and children's clothes.
Wee Birdy is also super-chuffed to have served a tiny role in the creation of the real bricks-n-mortar shop. Apparently owner Madeleine James was inspired by the Columbia Road Christmas Wednesdays post last year, and started looking around the area for the perfect premises.
On my shopping wishlist is the hand-stitched "one-eyed" doll (see top pic, £36), Nathalie Lete's illustrated "Parisian shopper", and a Fatina doll brooch (£21). There are also glass jars on the main counter brimming with the most delightful pocket-money goodies, like Alain Gree labels (£3.50), vintage stork & baby sets (£2) and Tooth Mouse boxes (£3.50).
Don't fret if you're out of London - you can dig into this whimsical treasure trove online at www.lapinandme.co.uk.
Lapin & Me
14 Ezra St
London E2 7RG
Nearest tube: Liverpool Street
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Friday 11am-2.30pm
Saturday 11am-3.30pm
Sunday 9am-3pm
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