Turning Japanese in Amsterdam

This blog is being brought to you by the letter R and the colour Indigo.

Hi everyone, Ive just got back from Amsterdam after a flying visit to see my friend and to get a tattoo from Salon Serpent. These world famous tattooists, headed up by Angelique are in a cool area called Jacob Van Lennepstraat in Amsterdam Oud West. If you are in the area and looking for food head to De Hallen, an old factory with an enormous food hall housing a multitude of restaurants.

My friend Rosey has lived in Amsterdam for many years on and off, and although she is British she grew up in Japan because her father worked there. This lovely lady who works in fashion, is a leading expert on all things Denim but also has a hobby where she collects vintage Japanese textiles called Boro and has learnt to dye and create Shibori work.  After hearing all about it Im hoping to find a course to go on myself, although it won't be quite the same as the one Rosey went to in Japan for ten days with a world expert.

Rosey lives in a little house in Amsterdam in the old diamond quarter "Diamantbuurt" just of Van Woustraat. The old gem factory is surrounded by streets named after precious stones full of cute houses which were for the factory workers. Despite being an old building on the outside, Rosey has styled the inside with her passions for art, textiles and retro furniture.

We had a good look around a few areas outside of the centre, these being more interesting now they are gentrified. I noticed that theres a great love of house plants in this city and many cool house -plant shops and florists. 

I can see where Judith from Urban Jungle Bloggers got her passion for house plants when you see shops like these.

We also visited an enormous flea market (IJ-Hallen) which is once a month over on the island area called NDSM.NL where the famous Botel (boat hotel) is moored and the restaurants are in old shipping containers, like the one called Pllek.

If you don't drive under the water to get there then you can get the ferry from just behind grand central station. Its a free ferry that takes you to a post apocalyptic world of old abandoned boats and docks with innovative buildings and art/street culture.

And now onto all things Indigo ...

To start with lets me just say what Indigo is. Well, its a plant and a natural dye comes from it. Many countries grow it in abundance particularly Japan, India and Africa. 

When choosing your fabric for dyeing its best to go for natural fibre and boil wash it to remove any chemicals that may barrier against the dye.

The best results are achieved with a large vat, say 9 litres. Obviously natural indigo is the best but synthetic will be the most easily available. The water should be free of chemicals so try to collect rain water for it. Add lime (garden suppliers do this) and the water has to reach a ph of 11.5 so test it with litmus.

Dissolve the Indigo powder in hot water and add it to the vat.  Then add hydro sulphate to remove the oxygen (this goes off quickly so just get little bags). 

Now about adding your design or pattern to the fabric. The technique of Shibori is about sewing through pleated fabric, then the thread pulled tight to create areas of resistance where the dye can't reach. The stitch used is Sashiko, a running stitch.  You can find the patterns for this on the net or from books. 

Another way to create patterns is Katsomi - stencilling. Cut a stencil on special paper, then a muslin is glued over that.  Squeeze the mochi paste through the stencil holes, there are different techniques for this, and most definitely something you need to learn in the flesh.  Alternatively you can draw with the paste using something akin to a piping bag like you are icing a cake. 

Rosey can recommend a few good teachers, there is Bryan Whitehead a Canadian living in Japan, he runs ten day courses like the one Rosey went on. He works in the Fujino area outside Tokyo.  This course is considered very intensive. Bryan grows his own Indigo so you would get the real deal training from him.  

Also there is Clarissa Cochran in Saffron Walden who does simpler half day or weekend courses and Jane Calender whose company Callishibori do courses and supplies.

I really have over simplified here but hope it gives you a flavour for Shibori.

Also in Rosey's collection is something called Boro.  Literally meaning 'ragged', boro is patchworked indigo fabrics on old garments and blankets. Much like the idea of Kantha quilts, the Japanese do not waste anything, so repairing and patchworking holes was part of their ethos.

Below is a sample book of Indigo dyed fabrics, a very old book that was found in a Temple market.

 This is how the book looks from the outside, in the background is a piece of Boro fabric. Due to their age and fragility Boro folk art textiles sell for large sums of money, one well known dealer is called Kimonoboy who specialises in this area.

this is a little rice bag made of patchwork, worn round the waste when workers are in the rice fields

I hope you found this post informative and inspirational, perhaps you will get the bug to hop across to Amsterdam and go off the beaten track a bit too.

Coastal Art and Colours - Lewes to Rye

I thought I'd just do a little round up of my  latest trip to the coast with some recommendations of lovely grownup things to do if you are interested in art and interiors particularly.

We drove to Lewes as our first stop, which unfortunately didn't give us a very pleasant hotel experience, having left it a bit late to book we chose what seemed to be ok location wise but was a very run down and overpriced place. In fact the worst hotel on our trip and the most expensive, I won't name it but its a pub/inn on the high street.

The best part about this location was its proximity to three things we went to, firstly the Vintage Fair in Firle, then Monks House the former home of Virginia Woolf and then Charleston House, the home of Virginia's sister Vanessa Bell, an artist. Have you been watching the tv series about them "Life In Squares" - love in triangles. Its worth catching on iplayer to get the general feel of the stories behind this set of bohemians and is also filmed at these locations.

Monks House

The best part about Monks House for me is that you can take photos inside and their welcome to visitors is very warm. The green colour in the lounge was mixed for them by Farrow and Ball and is truly stunning. 

Monks House is not as decorative as Charleston but the garden is just as stunning and the collections inside are also lovely. 

Firle House vintage fair was glorious, mostly because we had a really sunny hot day.  I knew the traders would have great stock as lots of the vintage sellers from the south coast go across to France buying. Disaster number two came when my other half got stung by a wasp on the lip! we are calling it wasp gate. The traders there were so kind, they found him some medicine and remedies. Naturally I picked up a few cute things as souvenirs and then we headed down to the coast to Eastbourne. 

This stretch of the coast is classic British and really quite smart and clean. We booked a comfortable hotel on the beach front, one of the old Victorian buildings. Laying in bed listening to the sea and seagulls was so lovely. What else should you do there? well buy some fish and chips and eat them on the pier of course.

We didn't do so much in Eastbourne, just sat on the beach and collected shells, soaking up the sun and fresh air.

From there we tried to stick to a coast road and in my search for a nice cappuccino we stumbled across the De La Warr Pavillion which is showing an exhibition of Bridget Riley paintings. I have wanted to see her work up close for so many years, I couldn't believe it! The exhibition runs to the 6th September with information here http://www.dlwp.com/event/bridget-riley-the-curve-paintings the cafe was also very nice so that was a totally unexpected bonus. 

Style guru Jeska at Lobster and Swan gave me some recommendations for shops she thought I would like in Hastings and thank goodness she did as I don't think we would have found them. Theres an amazing selection of vintage shops in lovely old buildings in the old town near George Street. The High Street and Post Office Passage will keep you amused all day exploring if you like a rummage. Butlers Emporium was recommended to me and it is really beautifully curated. I bought a few lovely things which will be featuring in my photos soon. We ate in Nazar a Turkish restaurant with very good food, its on Robertson Passage. We love lots of 'picky bits' so a Meze is perfect for us, me who grazes and the other half who eats like a horse. 

It was quite sad to say goodbye to Hastings, I could have done with another day there but Dungeness was calling. Since I worked at Mute Records with musicians who put music to Derek Jarman's films, I have wanted to visit his cottage and garden. It is so lucky for us that it is still possible to just drive up to the cottage and wander round, but please respect the occupiers. The cottage is called Prospect Cottage and you can see its location on google maps.

I read that Derek Jarman chose the yellow of the windows to reflect the yellow in the plants which grow there. Please do some research before you go so that you can better understand about the planting and how the garden grew into an art work organically.

We lost the good weather but somehow grey and dreary does really suit the area of Dungeness, a truly strange place.  Theres a toy train which the school children still catch, but we didn't actually ride on it ourselves. 

Our hotel in Rye was such a joy after a windy drizzly day. Perfectly located and with lovely decoration, the Hope Anchor was great value for money with very good breakfasts. Just round the corner from great shops and beautiful old winding cobbled streets. Mermaid Street has been used in so many films, transporting you back with buildings from the 1400's.  The Mermaid Inn is on my bucket list of places to stay, maybe next time, its one of Englands oldest Inns having been rebuilt in 1420.  

The George and The Standard are great places to eat, but you need to book. A lovely combination of interior design shops and antiques. It is good for mens clothes which is unusual. Rye is definitely another place to go back to and quite magical.

Tomorrow I pop over to Amsterdam to visit an old friend. Rosey is a very stylish girl and Im sure I will have some lovely photos of her cool house to share.  Have a lovely weekend everyone, and please don't forget to vote for me in the Amara Awards the link is here :
http://www.interiorblogawards.com/vote/janice-issitt-life-style/

Your support is really appreciated. 

Amara Interior Blog Awards #IBA15

I can't quite believe that Ive got through to the next round of voting for an #IBA15 in the colour inspiration category. This journey of blogging came quite by accident and at a time when I really didn't think it would lead to anything.

Initially I started blogging as a place to put my photos both of my home improvements and places discovered around where I had just moved to.

It seems that whilst all around are favouring the black and white, or all white minimal home styling (which I do love and admire), I simply can't do it myself. I love collecting, family heirlooms, bits of memorabilia, just lovely stuff. I find it comforting and inspiring, my brain just seems to respond to colour and maximalism. 

So this is me asking please, that if you like any part of what I do, to vote for me in the Amara Interior Blog Awards. Im pleased that this company are sponsoring such a thing as I often purchase from them.  While I like old, there are some things that just have to be new like bedding, kitchen stuff etc.  Also its good to support clever new designers like Pip Studio and the more established companies who respond to current trends and styles (Im so pleased the fashion for white 'white goods' is over, all hail the retro styles and colours of kitchen appliances. 

Voting in the Awards starts on Monday 10th August at http://www.interiorblogawards.com/ 

This weekend Im travelling along the coast, my previous post just got me in the mood, so I told the other half, I want to see the coast and I want to see it now. 

We are fitting in some cultural stuff too, like Virginia Woolfs house, (Monks House) which I will talk more about soon. But to my surprise the lounge had walls the same colour as Ive just been painting in my kitchen. I was told that Farrow & Ball had mixed this colour especially, it is called Monks House or something similar, I will look into it more. 

Also the seaside heralded some great colours and atmosphere, the sky was so blue, it was a really hot day, the first for ages, so it made the rather horrendous car journey all worthwhile. 

All the best for now, love Janice. 

Seaside colours - DIY Kitchen ideas

Where I live in Buckinghamshire is about as far from the coast as anywhere you can get. Is it any wonder then, that during August I long for the seaside, maybe because as a youngster my Dad would pack me and Mum off to Broadstairs for the school holidays to stay in his Uncle Toms guest house, right next door to Oliver Postgate's house on Chandos Square.  Yes, it was the sixties, ice cream parlours in shades of pastel, donkey rides, sand castles and the gift shops, with things made from shells.

So this week, when it seems like the world and his wife have gone to Cornwall, or some other cool resort in the UK or abroad, I've been hankering for the colours of the seaside.

This is also my birthday month and so often August treats are trips to the coast and a few extravagant purchases. These often take the form of something for the home, the first time I did this was my fridge freezer ..... the pale blue SMEG

When we moved to this house a lot needed doing to update it. As Im not much of a cook and neither is the other half, the kitchen was a dilema, I didn't want to spend lots of money on it, also the units were wood and it seemed a shame to rip them out. The kitchen isn't very big but for us its totally sufficient, and, at the end of the day, it really is just a home for pretty kitchenalia.  Oh yes, not being able to cook doesn't damper the spirit for collecting associated objects.

Actually, I think that the lack of ability to create gourmet food can be balanced with presentation, its smoke and mirrors at my dinner parties.

Last month my kettle broke, and I was getting fed up with our cheapish toaster which looked nice, but took forever to toast the bread for some reason. 

I had a look around for a nice kettle only to discover that SMEG do beautiful ones, and, of course, I also learnt they do gorgeous toasters too.  

Why is it that whenever you get something new and shiny it shows up how tired its surroundings are.  We had painted the kitchen cupboards in a few different colours, quite muted but with different coloured knobs on each cupboard. The top cupboards in a classic Farrow and Ball white (Pointing I think), still looked good and throws the light around the room but the bottom units were a bit dull in comparison to the new appliances so I mixed up a few different paints to zshusch them up.

Since working with Annie Sloan Chalk Paints as a Painter In Residence, I find that barely a day goes by without me painting something.  Often a backdrop for photos where I like to see how different colours work together, and sometimes on walls and furniture.

On one side of the kitchen where I now have my swanky new Nutribullet in purple, I have painted the bottom units with red details and stencils for a folk look. Choosing some different knobs from Anthropolgie to add the finishing details.

On the other side of the kitchen where the new SMEG kettle and toaster sit, I brightened up the units with a variation of paints that I mixed myself. Using up leftovers and tester pots. 

While I was painting the kitchen one morning over breakfast, I was taken to thinking about Vanessa Bell, having just watched the new tv show about the Bloomsbury Set "Life In Squares". 

I spend a lot of time on instagram, posting photos of colourful inspiration, and as it has a square format I started to think that my life is in squares too. Annie Sloan was kind enough to say that my style was reminiscent of The Bloomsbury Painters, in that every surface of my home is painted and decorated. As these were the first true bohemians I can see why my style is considered Bohemian Chic.

I snapped this through the window at Charleston House, home of Vanessa Bell

The other half bought me a Nutribullet and I started to use it this week.  I was sceptical but a few friends raved about it so, Im giving it a go and so far so good, I feel slimmer, less bloated and have a bit more energy.  

Nothing adds a splash of colour to the kitchen like a fruit bowl full to the brim. 

I may try to post a few of my favourite nutribullet drink combinations, so far I definitely like to add almond milk in the morning with some porridge oats and dates. 

If your kitchen needs a spruce up and the kitchen cupboard doors are wood, or wood veneer, then perhaps think about painting them. I find that Farrow & Ball paint lasts very well and can be wiped down, but you will need to prime and undercoat well before using it. 

Chalk Paint is a quicker fix but has to be well waxed to protect it from splashes and spills. If you clean a lot then the chalk paint may not be the best if you want to scrub it regularly.

I'm now looking at the Amara site for ideas about what else would look good, perhaps a Delonghi Espresso maker in pale blue ... mmm
also some new linens like the animal prints from Thornback & Peel.

I have a pinterest board for Bloomsbury Painters and styles over at https://www.pinterest.com/JaniceIssitt/bloomsbury-art-styles/

Here you can see the work of Vanessa Bell and the home where she lived called Charleston House. 

Next week I may not be blogging as its my birthday and Im going to Amsterdam.  I will of course be taking lots of photos there and Im keeping an open mind about what I will find to report back on, but I have a suspicion there will be some tattoos and flea markets covered.

Ink

Well I suppose it's been a long time coming and Im not sure why I haven't talked much about it before but some things just hinted at me this week to talk about Tattoos and my personal story with them.

I only started to get tattoos a few years ago and I have no plans whatsoever to "stop there" as people say, I'm simply going to get what I want, where I want and when I want.

My first tattoo was on my 54th birthday, I just woke up that morning and thought 'its time to throw caution to the wind' and having made it into my fifties being a privilege that some are deprived of, I wanted to celebrate life by growing old disgracefully. In some respects the first tattoo just needs to be gotten out of the way otherwise you pontificate for too long.

The first one was not good, I won't say I regretted it because I never think you should say that about a tattoo, whether its good or bad it does say something.  Anyway I did everything that you read not to do and went to some dodgy bloke at the seaside who had no bookings (not surprisingly), but I thought that if I got him to do a bit of flash (what they call the designs on the wall or in a book) that we couldn't go wrong.  His work was shoddy and he only had four colours so it wasn't great and within a month I had researched and researched until I was blue in the face, to find what I wanted to do next and with whom.

I was going to just post photos of my tattoos but as it's quite hard to photograph them, let alone photograph your own, I decided to incorporate them in artwork, as they are works of art, so as a photographer I made these pictures using an overlay of two photos taken by me.

It was by complete luck that I found Amy Williams on Pinterest, I saw a piece of her work, tracked her down in Sheffield, and discovered that she worked in a style that completely suited me.

So heres rule number one : no matter how far you have to travel, even if its to another country, make the travel part of the plan for working with the right tattooist. It's not a cheap hobby, nor should it be, you are paying a skilled artist, one who has worked an apprenticeship and takes their work very seriously. 

Because of the distance between us we talked via email about what I wanted and I sent Amy photos and ideas for her to vibe on. I knew this was going to be a memorial to my father and a story of our lives together, showing all the opportunities he gave me of learning, knowledge and travel.

Starting with a pocket watch and watch key because my father collected them, (he repaired and rebuilt beautiful watches and clocks throughout his life, taking me to Camden Market before it was fashionable to look for old broken watches that could be returned to their former glory. I also like Victoriana and antiques so this seemed a good idea.

During my visits with Amy we talked about where to go next with the design, and I would give her a theme and tell her all the things I thought should be shown, travels to India being high on the list. We represented these travels to the sub-continent with peacock feathers.

By the time I returned for my next appointment Amy would have drawn the designs and we would play around with the placement and size. 

This Dala Horse is quite small and we squeezed it in to show my love of Sweden and because I have a collection of the wooden painted folk art horses.

During this time I did start to think more about what I was doing and to be perfectly honest it is a midlife crisis kinda thing, I can't say Im particularly enamoured with the ageing process, so rather than looking at my once lovely body and wondering where it all went wrong, I decided to re-invent myself with art and ink.

Lesson Two: it depends on your age. Im glad I didn't get inked when I was younger because I probably would have chosen themes that weren't so relevant and also because the tattoos themselves become blury with time, however, the tattooist can refresh and cover up old ones with such skill these days and I really don't judge anyone's choice for ink. So lesson Two is about choosing the right person again, it's my experience that the best tattooists are those that say 'no' to requests and stick to it. I think this level of responsibility is key.  They may say no for many reasons, because the design won't look good, may fade quickly or wear off, or perhaps because they just don't think its a good idea to get your boyfriends name on your face! Their advice is imperative for a good design and if you have a good relationship with them then you will know they are right.

I have several birds, I know a lot of other people who do as well, birds just look lovely so why not. The significance of the Swallow on sailors was to show their sailing experience, for me it was my years of travel by air in both my job in the music business which took me around the world, and with my parents, who from an early age took me to very interesting places. We rarely had conventional holidays, instead we explored Europe in the car and the most memorable of all my lifetime trips with my Dad was to the USSR in 1978.

Amy Williams now works in Newcastle despite me trying to bribe her to move closer to me!  After reading Things & Ink magazine I came across my next tattooist Tracy D at Kings Cross Tattoo Parlour. A little closer to home this time.  

Tracy has such incredible skills and loves a challenge so I knew she wouldn't let me down when I went to her with the idea to draw for me Russian dolls holding cameras, cats, squirrels and with folk art flowers. We have tied these all together with Rosary beads, butterflies and swallows. The Rosary beads being a nod towards my Convent school education and the butterflies, like my birdcage with open door, are my freedom to fly free with no ties. 

I really like working with lady tattooists, as I find it easier to communicate my ideas with them. Tracy D just seems to love her job and her enthusiasm is infectious for trying out ideas combining her clients interests and style. At the moment we are talking about some Indian patterns onto my hand maybe and perhaps an art nouveau stained glass window on my thigh. 

Im also making a pilgrimage to Salon Serpent in Amsterdam where Guen Douglas once worked (she has inked a little cottage on my leg which looks like my house). Salon Serpent is owned by the legendary Angelique Houtcamp. It will be on a walk-in day which means you don't get to pre-plan, however, if you have done your research right then you will have a good idea of the type of work they will have drawn up for the 'on the spot' walk-ins. Angelique has done so many things I love but just lately Ive seen some tribal and line-work hearts which would fit in a little space somewhere.

I feel rather like I did in the Brownies where you collect badges for doing things. After Amsterdam I wonder where next? 

this is a piece of art nouveau jewellery that I own, given to me by my Dad

I find a great place to look at tattoo art and artists is on Instagram, there you can find the style that suits your personality and track down the perfect partnership for your tattoo journey. I get a lot of strangers talking to me about my ink, marvelling at the colours and the workmanship and asking where they can go to get it. Then sometimes people say, "I don't like mine, I asked the bloke to do this and he did that", on further investigation its often been that they have just gone to the nearest tattoo parlour. What you need to remember is that like all artists, tattooists specialise in a certain style, don't assume, like I did for my first tattoo, that every tattooist will carry the full range of colours for instance.

Basically, do your homework and you won't be disappointed. If you feel intimidated then walk away and find someone else.