portobello_hotel

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

And this is the Portobello hotel. Comfy and restful and very nice, especially the warm croissants with marmalade in the morning.

stanleygardens

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

This is the street of the Portobello Hotel where we stayed in London. After all that talk about bright color accents, we stayed on an almost all-white street! But across the street, there were a few brightly constrasting doors. I think I will put together a photo montage this weekend so I can do one post with little thumbnail photos and write about the highlights. Or do you like daily, digestable photos and posts rather than one big one?

ronsbarber

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

England seems to be full of bright accents. I took lots of snaps of these examples in the Glastonbury area in Spring, and I saw more in London. Perhaps it’s the nice matte grey sky’s that make these colorful accents pop. But it could also be that the city is so historic that one way to update things is to add color. I loved how the city felt low and quaint and accessable, especially in contrast to high-rise mid-town NYC, where I work. I think it’s also something very European, to see little doorways painted bright colors, little accents that you don’t see in strip-malls of anywhere, usa. Delightful!

stencil_portobello

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

Tucked amidst a very preserved, historic, quaint neighborhood (again, Notting Hill) was this little stencil, very Banksy-esque although he signs his work, so it’s probably not his, but it’s in his style. Stuff like this makes me so happy, it’s adorable, well done, and completely unexpected and out of context. This is art, people. And all that scribble of punks trying to throw up their name, is tagging, which is NOT art. Tagging is more like a dog pissing around a perimeter, marking his territory. Art gives something back and although illegal on these public surfaces, does not, in my opinion, reduce the value of the environment. But hey, what do I know anyways, all I’m really trying to say is I love this little stencil!

specs_portobello

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

Salvi and I went to the Portobello Market in Notting Hill, near the Portobello hotel where we stayed. There were numerous vintage treasures to check out, it’s definitely the best place to find old stuff, in a country that’s really old and has a lot of history. If you click on this photo you can check out my updated UK photo set and see what else I saw!

spike_sarah

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

I got to meet up with EuroSpike in London! We met in Portland back in 1999 when we both worked at Twenty Four Seven Marketing…. I had the illustrious job of Office Manager, while Spike was a cool designer. You know, even though I had an administrative job, it was working at that small, design-led creative company that really influenced me to go back to college and pursue design and art. The last time I saw Spike was in Portland, 3 years ago, before I moved back to California, and before she moved to London to get her Masters at Central St. Martins. Our lives have both changed so much, and it was great to catch up in person and talk about art, design, music, travel, life, and Peroni Italian beer! More on London to come!

coppers

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

I’m back from my weekend in London! Still jetlagged, and with so much to report on! More later!

wells

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

04-15-06_1203.jpg

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

wells_cathedral_window

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.