Zing!

As I was shopping at the market this week, I was also pondering on the next cover for the local magazine. I've been aware of a trend for ethnic, block printed patterns appearing in interiors magazines recently, and combined with my own interest in prints and printing, an idea had started to form. Although we're a small budget magazine, I like to try and produce an original cover each month. It would be easy to use a pre-prepared fashion or homes shot from a large manufacturer, these are readily available free of charge, but we are a local magazine, firmly rooted in the community, and I think it is best to use local suppliers and our own photographer if possible. 

Yesterday I hunted high and low in Peterborough for accessories that I could use to style a bright and sunny shoot for the June issue. It wasn't easy: Peterborough is not really blessed with quirky shops. In the end, I bought one small length of fabric from John Lewis and then, not sure if it was really what I was looking for, I purchased two block stamps from one of the nicest shops in the city centre, Art in the Heart. When I got home, I printed some of my own fabric on a piece of old linen, using my lino cut printing ink. 

I've had fun playing around with arrangements, injecting some colour into a very grey and rainy day. 

I found the Moroccan plate in an interiors shop in Stamford today. It's a really interesting independent store called Snow Design and Interiors. Knobbly lemons and fresh asparagus came from Stamford's lovely Friday market.

I enjoyed creating that mood board. Whether or not any of these ideas will translate into a cover shot or not, I'm not really sure yet. What do you think?