Have a great weekend!

London is abuzz right now with all of the excitement of the 2012 Olympic Games. The atmosphere in my adopted city is amazing. With the Athletics starting this weekend, we will all be glued to the TV watching all of the action. Especially looking forward to seeing fellow South African and all round superhuman hero Oscar Pistorius in action.

Last Friday, I met friends for lunch and decided to walk back to Waterloo station via the "scenic route" past Tower of London, over Tower Bridge, Borough Market, past the Tate Modern and back to newly opened Blackfriars station. I didn't know that it opened on the South side and what a great spot! Right next to the Tate. Great for catching my direct train back home.

We also watched the Olympic Women's Road Cycling at Box Hill. Diving next Friday. I love the Olympics!

Of course I went a little Instagram crazy again. A few snaps of the Olympic City...

PS Remember that there is a 15% discount off your WHOLE ORDER at Mengsel during the entire 2012 Olympic Games. Enter the code OLYMPIC15 at checkout for discount. Yay!

Shop HERE

Going Green in Real Homes

Mengsel's Robots in Love silkscreen print in pea green is featured in the August 2012 issue of Real Homes UK alongside some pretty cool other green interior pieces in various shades of green. Love it!

This print is also available in red, neon pink and grey from the Mengsel Shop.

toucan love

I just love toucans! They are such fascinating creatures. My "Toucans" limited edition silkscreen print has been very popular and I've decided to extend the design to my cushion range. The pattern was drawn by hand by me. Now your sofa can be filled with bright colours and bold patterns.

Mengsel's original "Toucans" design is silkscreen printed onto 100% cotton and made in the UK. It is really important for me to keep the manufacturing side of my products in the United Kingdom and rather focus on limited edition pieces. 

Hope you like the bright coral colour? Toucans cushion covers are now available HERE in the Mengsel shop. 

Bigger Boat print in Sainsbury's magazine

Was so happy to find my Bigger Boat silkscreen print in Ultramarine green in the new July 2012 issue of Sainsbury's magazine! Featured alongside great nautical inspired products from Mini Moderns and the Tu range from Sainsbury's.

I sometimes get the magazine when grocery shopping, because of all the great recipe ideas inside. How nice to see my work in it?

Only a few left in this edition in this specific ultramarine green colour, so be quick if you want one! Also available on the new 50x50cm sized cushion cover. Visit the Mengsel Shop to find out more... MENGSEL SHOP

London sunshine at last!

I went a little instagram crazy yesterday in the beautiful London sunshine. The atmosphere is so nice in the city right now with the upcoming Jubilee weekend and Olympics. A few snaps from yesterday in and around Waterloo Bridge, St Paul's and Brick Lane...

NEW! "Black Cabs" silkscreen print

Just in time for the Queen's Jubilee and all the festivities for the Olympic Games 2012: Mengsel's brand new "Black Cabs" silkscreen print. Hand pulled in my studio with pitch black ink on crisp white 300g Snowdon paper.

I bought this little black cab toy car a while ago (from a very touristy shop on Oxford street!) to use as a prop in my photographs, but it was just so cute, I had to draw it. You can see my original drawing in my sketchbook below. I then used Photoshop to create a vibrant repeat pattern with my little black cabs and then headed to the studio to expose my screen and get my hands full of black ink. Luckily some of it ended up on paper and it looks rather nice if I may say so myself...

Ready to go up on the walls of all of you Londoners and Anglomanics out there.

You can buy a limited edition "Black Cabs" silkscreen print directly from the Mengsel Shop. Hope they get you into the spirit of this very special British Summer!

original drawing...

the finished product...

NEW! "Toucans" silkscreen print

I've printed another edition of my ever so happy "Toucans" silkscreen print in some groovy tropical colours: coral rose & black (edition of 140) and turquoise and black (edition of 110). Available in an A3 size.

You can buy the colour of your choice HERE at the Mengsel shop. Hope you like them?

a little thought on tattoos...

I can't quite wrap my head around this, but someone in the US got a tattoo (permanent ink forever) of my Bigger Boat design on his/her body.

My blog friend Diana Mieczan from the gorgeous ExPress-O blog sent me a tweet this week to say that she's spotted it on somebody's "Tattoo Inspiration" pinboard on Pinterest. Pinned from the charmingly named website, fuckyeahtattoos. Lovely. 

Well here is the tattoo:

And here is my original hand pulled silkscreen print: 

It is 100% a copy. I don't quite know what to make of this. On the one hand I'm a little flattered and on the other hand I'm just scratching my head in disbelief. Guess this is just what happens when you have your work online for all the world to see. What do you think? Opinions? Has this happened to any of you designers out there? 

we have a winner!

We have a winner in the Easter Weekend Giveaway Competition over here at Mengsel. The winner is...

Margaret! Congrats! I will be in touch to get your address to post your "Swans" print in your chosen colour of emerald and mint

Thank you for all the entries, I absolutely LOVED reading all of the friendly comments. Sometimes it is really great to get some good feedback to know that you are still on the right track with your work.

Sorry for the long overdue announcement. I just had such a hard time choosing a winner. Keep an eye on the blog, because I DO love a good giveaway. More coming soon.

Hope everybody has a lovely weekend!
- Lu

P.S. I just stumbled upon our winner's blog The Bite Size Baker. Gorgeous! Have a peep...

mengsel in MIX

So exciting! My "Bigger Boat" cushion was chosen for a preview feature of Pulse in MIX. (Quite appropriate, as Mengsel means "mix"! Oh the irony.)

According to MIX, Mengsel prints "are set to be a big hit this year". Yay!

I've always been a huge fan of the magazine. If you are a creative or in the design industry, this is the magazine for you. Fantastic for trend forecasts and seasonal colour choices, it offers pages full of inspiration. Check out the magazine's site at Global Colour. You can buy it online at their site.

So, as you can see, Mengsel will have its very own stand in the Launchpad section (right by the entrance) at Pulse this year! I have so much to do before the show and I'm very excited about it. Very much looking forward to meeting some of my twitter friends if you're visiting the show, do come and say hi and have a look at my prints up close.

Pulse will be held at Earls Court in London from 10-12 June 2012. More information about tickets and the show HERE at the Pulse website. If you are a retailer or designer and you've never visited Pulse, you don't know what you're missing! Mengsel's stand number at the show is LP5. Please come and say hello...

Easter Weekend Giveaway at Mengsel!

Hey folks, it's giveaway time here at Mengsel. You can win an original hand pulled "SWANS" silkscreen print. A3 size, limited edition of 50, signed and dated - and worth £40.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment below on which colour option you like and why and you have a chance to be a winner! The giveaway is open to all countries.

Colour options are: 

1) emerald and mint

2) bright red and hot pink

3) ultramarine and sky 

Entries close on Tuesday 10 April at 12pm GMT. Happy Easter everybody. Hope you have a great bank holiday weekend. Let's hope the weather is not too bad!

The "Swans" print is also available online in the Mengsel Shop.