NEW silkscreen print "Lake Boathouse"

Hey guys, I've got a brand new limited edition silkscreen of only 50 prints called "Lake Boathouse".

Printed by hand in my West London studio, this four colour print was so much fun to do. I love how the colours came out - it really makes you think of kayaking on crystal clear waters along tree-lined shores. I can smell the fresh air! There is something distinctly Scandinavian about this print.

"Lake Boathouse" is available HERE in the Mengsel Shop.

Please scroll down to see images of the making process of this limited edition print.

 "Lake Boathouse" by Luzelle van der Westhuizen

Colours mixed and ready to go.

Lining up the little red kayaks

Red layer being pulled. Aaah, fresh ink.

Red layer done.  Now it just needs to dry before the last green layer.

Making sure the green tree layer is perfectly in line before pulling the ink.

Pulling the green ink through the fine mesh screen onto paper.

Drying between layers.

Giclée prints at Mengsel

I've just introduced a new giclée print range to the Mengsel Shop featuring a selection of my best selling limited edition silkscreen prints:

- Bigger Boat in turquoise
- Whale in chartreuse and grey
- Whale in delft blue and black
- Mountain Cabin

All sized A3 (42cm H x 29cm W) and a steal at only £25. You can even buy a couple as a collection.

All of these prints would make fantastic Valentine's Day gifts and the quality of the prints are really great. Printed in London with archival quality inks on 220gsm fine art paper.

The prints will not have my original signature, date or number on it (like the limited editions), but will have the Mengsel logo in the bottom righthand corner.

You can find them all HERE at the Mengsel Shop.

I have so many ideas for this year, so lots of new work coming soon!

Bigger Boat giclee print - £25 

Whale giclee print in chartreuse - £25

Whale print in delft blue and black - £25

Mountain Cabin print - £25

Affordable Art Fair Battersea

Mengsel prints (framed and unframed) will be for sale at the DegreeArt stand (G12) at the Affordable Art Fair Battersea from October 19th - October 24th. You can get your hands on some of my most popular prints, including Moka Express, Fish&Chips, Robots in Love, Whale and Bigger Boat. The fair is a great way to see my work up close if you are interested and just a fun day out, viewing all the talented artists' work.

More information at DegreeArt's blog: http://www.degreeart.com/blog/2011-affordable-art-fair-degreeart

You can see some of my prints at the show in the image below... Have a great weekend!

in case you missed it last time...

... my limited edition beach towels made exclusively for One Kings Lane are available in their online shop until Thursday 30 June 2011 only. So be quick if you want to get your hands on a couple of these perfect beach items for Summer. This time around another sweet little canvas tote with my "Whale" print was added to the one off event on the wonderful One Kings Lane site. Better get them while you can! Go here to register at One Kings Lane and shop. (You have to be a member to view items)

More info at this previous blog post: 

reversible "Whale" beach towel

reversible "Bigger Boat" beach towel

"Whale" canvas beach tote

"Whale" canvas beach tote

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b&w

New in the Mengsel shop this week:
Tiny Retro Robots! Silkscreen printed by hand in crisp white ink on pitch black Canson paper, this limited (edition of 30) print really plays with contrasts and will be a sweet addition to your home or a great wedding present for a couple with a taste for all things fun. The repeat pattern is based on my own illustrations and is available in here in the Mengsel shop. Hope it makes you smile!

(Also available in my here in my Etsy shop)

new moka express colours

If you've had an eye on my shop over the last week or so, you would've noticed that I have some brand new colours from my Moka Express prints in a new A2 size format (59.5cm x 42cm = 23.42 inches x 16.53 inches). You can even leave a little note for me when purchasing, if you would like me to trim the print down to fit a 50x40cm frame, as there is enough white space around the printed area for custom framing.

Great for bringing a pop of colour to your kitchen or a wedding gift for a lucky friend. Hope you like?

Available in the Mengsel Shop and my Etsy shop.

Denim Blue Moka Express silkscreen print

Neon Pink Moka Express silkscreen print

Charcoal Moka Express silkscreen print

Curate 40 X Pedlars

My framed hand pulled silkscreen prints and cotton tea towels will be for sale at the Curate 40 Summer pop-up shop at the wonderfully fantastic Notting Hill store Pedlars. The pop-up shop will be launched tomorrow night (Thursday 5th May 2011) at the store. So if you are enjoying the glorious Summer in London town, please pop over to Pedlars. I promise you won't be disappointed. The collection is limited and it will only be on for 6 weeks until 12 June. See you there!

once upon a time

We are now exactly two weeks away from the biggest event of the year here in the UK. Yes, the holy matrimony of Wills and Kate (in case you haven't heard). The excitement here in London has almost reached fever pitch, with all of the shops filled with Union Jacks and Royal memorabilia. On the morning of the wedding, I will be getting on the Eurostar to Luxembourg via Brussels, so I will miss out on the big event. Maybe I'll record the whole thing on Sky? Will you be watching?

Anyway, as cheesy as Royal memorabilia can be, there's some pretty sweet and quirky things out there on Etsy to celebrate the special day.

William and Kate Royal Wedding Commemorative tea towel by Taylors Type at Etsy

Royal Party Parade Tape by Belle and Boo at Etsy

Royal Wedding Breakfast tea towel - neon pink

Westminster Abbey Cushion by Helena Carrington at Etsy

love bird commemorative tea towel by Heartzeena at Etsy

mengsel in canada

The randomness of this world never fails to amaze me. Lauren, a girl who worked with me in the London jewellery boutique EC One back in the day, stumbled upon my tea towels in Toronto, Canada. She kindly took a few snaps of the shop window, where my black Moka Express tea towel is displayed alongside some pretty cool designs. The shop is Good Egg, my stockist in Canada. Check out their website. Quite an amazing space. Thanks Lauren!

ski bunny

Going on a very last minute ski trip to Meribel, France for one week in a couple of days. I'm definitely not a pro skier. Don't laugh, but I've been looking at ski instructor video clips on YouTube to prepare myself to not actually ski off the side of the mountain and come back with broken bones. I've been once before, so everybody's telling me that the second time will be a major improvement. Fingers crossed. Last time, I was in tears and hiked all the way back to the chalet and stuffed my face with cake to ease the pain. It was only on the last day that I actually found my groove and got the chance to actually look around at the stunning scenery. Very excited! Last year, I loved all the vintage ski posters in the restaurants and bars. Found some great posters at Snow Ski Posters.

colour of the day: olive green

Freshly printed: an olive green version of my "Whale" hand pulled silkscreen print. The little grey whale is floating on top of a sea of olive green pattern of graphic waves. Also available in delft blue and black.

You can check out this playful, happy print at the Mengsel Shop and Etsy.

Mengsel prints now available at Heal's!

I am very pleased to let you know that Mengsel's limited edition silkscreen prints are now available at Heal's! I've been so excited about this for a while now and so so happy about it. Mengsel prints are available to purchase at the Tottenham Court Road flagship store and online at www.heals.co.uk. Heal's have chosen a small selection of framed limited edition prints for their flagship store: Moka Express, Tiny Towers and Toucans.

A little piece of history about Heal's:  

"Starting out as a bed-making firm in 1810, we've been designing and making quality furniture ever since. We love it and we're good at it. 

When Sir Ambrose Heal joined the firm in 1893, he had the vision to work with the most skilled designers and craftspeople of the day to create furniture that is comfortable, beautiful and affordable, reflecting the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Influential designers like Mies van de Rohe, Marcel Breuer and Robin and Lucienne Day have all been drawn to Heal's distinctive character and reputation for innovation.

This tradition lives on. Heal's continues to work with the designers of the future and offer home furnishings that represent the best in contemporary design."

You can read more about the history of this great British company here at the Heal's website.

It is just an absolute thrill for me to have my prints in a store that stocks most of my design heroes. Happy 2011!

Mengsel now available at brand new online store, Cow & Co.

Cow&Co. is an international online design superstore delivering new, unique & vintage items & gifts straight to your door. Mengsel's Moka Express and Retro Roosters tea towels are now available in this fabulous UK based online store. My favourites from the shop...

Ship Pillow by Gabriela Pardo. Price: £35.00

Glass Jar Light Shade by James Shaw. Price: £18.00

Teardrop Brooch by Lori. Price: £18.00

a few favourites from the week

Can't believe that 2010 is almost over! Now that I have a little time to sit down and think about all my plans for Mengsel for the new year, I've also found myself compiling a few wish lists...

Black "Florence" Velvet & Silk Bow Necklace from Melbourne designer Hopeless at Etsy

Quotes Measuring Spoons from Beehive Kitchenware at Etsy

Belle and Sebastian 2010 North American Tour Poster, Limited edition silkscreen by Strawberryluna at Etsy

GEEK and NERD recycled-wood signs from William Dohman at Etsy

Tripple Bubble silver mirror headband/necklace by Jennifer Loiselle at Etsy