London’s Design Museum has been in touch to tell us about their upcoming events for children in the run up to Christmas so if access to London isn’t a hurdle then this might just keep your little ones amused and inspired!

Christmas is coming and it’s time to get crafty! Choose from a whole host of exciting, mini design projects to get your festive fingers into, including stylish greetings cards, contemporary decorations and gorgeous gift ideas to create for your friends and family.

Places for these ever popular workshops go as quickly as hot mince pies, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

The workshops are running on Sundays 7th, 14th and 21st December and are suitable for children aged from 5 to 11. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Workshops are £4 per child and accompanying adults are £8.50. This price includes entry to exhibitions.

Advanced booking is essential as places are limited. Please call 020 7940 8783 for further information and bookings.

One of the most active and exciting designers working today, Spanish born Patricia Urquiola exhibits Landscape, her recent porcelain range for the ceramic manufacturers Rosenthal.

From dinnerware to tea sets as well as cutlery and glass, this exquisite design, which took over four years to develop, combines smooth simplicity with richly textured surface pattern.

Patricia Urquiola – Purely Porcelain presents the whole process from concept, through the process of manufacture, to finished product.

See the complex, experimental and collaborative stages that transform a vision into a finished usable product.

Patricia Urquiola – Purely Porcelain can be viewed at London’s Design Museum. The exhibition runs until 25 January 2009.

Definitely a date for the diary for Alessi fans, Alberto Alessi will be at London’s Design Museum and in conversation with Museum Director Deyan Sudjic on 24 November at 7.15pm.

Alessi will be responding to footage from a selection of the ‘Design Interviews’, a series of DVDs produced by Museo Alessi, co-edited by Museo Alessi and Edizioni Corraini and directed by Anna Pitscheider.

Featured in the short films are five masters of design - Andrea Branzi, Achille Castiglioni, Alessandro Mendini, Richard Sapper and Ettore Sottsass.

To reserve seats call 020 7940 8783 or they can be booked online at Ticketweb.

Innovative design, intriguing forms and unusual ideas.

Talk directly to the designers and learn more about the creation and the characteristics of each product’s design. Discover your favourite object and take a small piece of BLICKFANG home with you!

This intriguing design exhibition runs from 21-23 November 2008 at Kongresshaus Zurich. What a great excuse for a pre-Christmas weekend away!

Get a little inspiration for your home or your wardrobe, buy your Christmas gifts or relax in the Bombay Lounge or the KENT Smoking Lounge. Visit the BLICKFANG fashion show. Take time to discover designers from the French region of Switzerland at their own special exhibition ‘Espace Romandie’ and last but not least get to know guest designers from Lisbon in the “City Corner”.

Sounds like a “must-visit” event to us!

The Design Museum cordially invites you to attend The Butterfly Ball on Friday 31 October between the hours of 6pm and 10pm.

Dress code: Flamboyant fineries and masked at the very least. Be decorated upon arrival at the Butterfly Salon or come ready attired. Take advantage of an exclusive offer of a 20% discount at Prangsta Costumiers who will be able to transform you for the night. To book a fitting go to the Prangsta website or call 020 8694 9869.

A prize will be awarded for the most creatively attired!

Butterfly Ball book readings, nature slide shows, gallery talks, music and dance is the perfect way to view Alan Aldridge, the Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes.

Tickets include entry to all exhibitions, only £5 from Ticketweb.

Designer makers from the Shropshire Guild of Contemporary Craft will be exhibiting their unique hand crafted wares at Ludlow College’s Harley Centre.

Guild members will be joined by designer makers from the Worcester Guild of Designer Craftsmen at this annual selling exhibition, aptly titled ‘Showing Off’.

The exhibition is running on Saturday October 25^th and Sunday October 26^th and will feature over 20 highly skilled contemporary craftspeople who will be displaying their unique and inspirational handcrafted items.

‘Showing Off’ will showcase a wide selection of quality, contemporary work by Guild members and guests. Disciplines on show include: ceramics, leatherwork, furniture, basket making, glass, jewellery, textiles and forge work.

Recently elected chairman of the Guild, potter Ralph Jandrell, works in the picturesque Ironbridge Gorge. He designs and makes a unique range of quality ceramics in his studio at the Coalport China Museum continuing the tradition of ceramic excellence established there over many years. Ralph said “‘Showing Off’ is a great event to be involved with and this year, we have over 20 talented designer makers exhibiting their exclusive wares.”

Ralph continued “Ludlow is a really wonderful place for us all to exhibit, as there is always such a fantastic atmosphere there”.

Shropshire Guild members showing include metal designer Julie Grose. The youngest member of the group, Julie works from her forge near Broseley creating contemporary, organic and imaginatively sculpted pieces for the home and garden, inspired by geometric shapes and natural forms. Julie told us “as a designer-maker you spend most of your time working alone, so exhibiting at events such as ‘Showing Off’ really is a chance to show off!”

Shropshire Guild member Ted Bruce from Ellesmere is celebrating his tenth year in basketmaking this year. Initially self taught, Ted studied with some of the best basketmakers in Britain.

Ted said “I am inspired by the beautiful Shropshire countryside in which I have lived and worked for the last 20 years.” Working with English willow, some of which he grows himself, Ted continued “I make strong attractive and functional baskets for a wide variety of home and garden situations. Most of my baskets are of my own design and are multi-purpose”.

Worcester Guild Members include Gavin Davidge from Hanley Swan. Gavin’s workshop is based at the foot of the Malvern Hills, in Worcestershire, where he designs and makes original furniture using temperate hardwoods from sustainable sources. Each piece of wood is chosen to ensure its grain and figure is sympathetic to the whole form.

Judith Price, who lives near Bewdley is also a member of the Worcester Guild. Judith designs and makes jewellery from her workshop at her home. Inspired by her garden and the surrounding countryside. Her pieces have a sense of natural growth. She sometimes incorporates gemstones into the work which is made mainly in silver and 18ct. gold.

The ‘Showing Off’ selling exhibition offers free admission and will be open from 10am-5pm on Saturday and then from 10am – 4pm on Sunday.

Cupcakes: so last season sweetie. The hot new trend from the States making its way to our shores is decorated cookies. With the launch of world renowned cake designer Lindy Smith’s new book, Bake Me I’m Yours Cookie, a craze for decorated cookies is set to burst into our lives.

Fairy cakes and biscuits were taken by our American cousins, given a transatlantic twist, and are now being fed back to us as cupcakes and decorated cookies. Stateside, decorated cookies are used as gifts and treats where a longer lasting nibble is needed or where different shapes, sizes and colours are called for which cupcakes can’t provide.

Not to be beaten at our own game, Lindy has seized the opportunity with the launch of her new book to show how creative us Brits can be. Wannabe US Martha Stewarts stick to their tradition of using royal icing on cookies and are thus limited in the effects they can create. Lindy takes the blank canvas of a biscuit and turns it into a work of art through the use of sugar paste: check out her chapters on fashion-forward handbags and shoes, baby shower booties (another American invention which has really taken off over here), wedding favours, Christmas decorations and thank you gifts amongst other ideas.

You don’t need to be an expert to decorate a cookie. Lindy’s latest book gives you all the help and information you need step by step to create your own works of art. Recipes for vanilla cookies, gingerbread and spiced orange cookies are included as are recipes for sugarpaste, royal icing and buttercream. She’s even created her own range of cookie cutters priced from a little over £4.00 to help you create your very own masterpieces on sale at Lindy’s website. Although if you don’t want to do any cooking but do want to bring out your inner Nigella, just buy some biscuits and use Lindy’s ideas to create a personal gift or treat for the tea-table.

“Decorating cookies is not only child’s play: cookies are all about having fun in your kitchen and creating gorgeous, tasty treats that everyone will love. When it comes to decorating cookies, the possibilities really are endless so I hope that you will be inspired not only to create some of my designs but also to invent some of your own to treat your friends, lighten up a work colleague’s day or spoil your family” explains Lindy.

Lindy is running the UK’s first decorated cookie workshops on Friday 7th November, ‘Designer Cookies’, and Friday 12th December, ‘Cookies for Christmas’, at Aston Clinton Baptist Hall, Buckinghamshire, at a cost of £85 each. To reserve your space, please call 01296 623906 or visit her website.

Fully established at the forefront of contemporary fashion design, the twice named “British Designer of the Year,” Hussein Chalayan, is renowned for his innovative use of materials, meticulous pattern cutting and progressive attitudes to new technology.

This exhibition, running from 21 January – 17 May 2009, will be the first comprehensive presentation of Hussein Chalayan’s work in the UK. Spanning fifteen years of experimental projects, the exhibition explores Chalayan’s creative approach, his inspirations and the many themes which influence his work such as cultural identity, displacement and migration.

Exhibits will include ‘Afterwards’ which explores the notion of ‘wearable, portable architecture’ in which furniture literally transforms itself into garments; ‘Airborne’ bringing the latest LED technology to fashion design with a spectacular dress consisting of Swarovski crystals and over 15,000 flickering LED lights, and ‘Readings’ a dress comprising of over 200 moving lasers presenting an extraordinary spectacle of light.

Presenting fashion as a site of exploration and as expressions of concepts, Hussein Chalayan challenges preconceived notions of what clothing can mean, rather than as garments with only functionality in mind. Motivated by ideas and disciplines not readily associated with fashion, Hussein Chalayan’s pioneering work crosses between architecture, design, philosophy, anthropology, science and technology.

Since 2003, Hussein Chalayan has also directed art projects, including the short films “Temporal Meditations”, “Place to Passage” and “Anaesthetics”. In 2005, he represented Turkey at the 51^st Venice Biennale with Absent Presence, featuring Tilda Swinton.

Hussein Chalayan’s presentations demonstrate his unique ability to combine beautiful and wearable clothes for today with an intriguing vision of the future.

Hussein Chalayan is the creative director of PUMA, which acquired a majority stake in Chalayan’s London-based fashion business and Hussein Chalayan brand in February 2008

Ticket costs are: Adults £8.50; Concessions £6.50; Students £5.00; Under 12s free. Advance bookings can be made by calling 020 7940 8783 or online at www.ticketweb.co.uk

Art For Urban Spaces aims to deliver cool urban pieces which encompass original artwork, funky prints and ultra cool furniture. They have just announced that Stuart Hampton is appearing as one of it’s guest artists.

Stuart was born in Bury in Greater Manchester and lived in Heywood until he moved to central Manchester where he studied for a degree in psychology at university. After university he spent some time in India. Upon returning to England, Stuart indulged his passion for the arts and became well known in many circles of artists and musicians for his surreal approach to both art and music.

During his time in Manchester he became active in the music scene and gained a lot of interest from local press for his music. Stuart always held a strong passion for the visual arts and painting and although he was painting during his time as a musician he felt that he wasn’t devoting enough time to cultivate his works so decided to leave the city and move to Cornwall.

Stuart says: “I now spend a lot of time painting and trying to create images that speak messages of peace, understanding, humility and appreciation for love and nature.”

Influenced by some of the great masters of painting such as Gauguin and more contemporary artists like Salvador Dali, Stuart tries to breakdown the borders of perception and reality and unite the imaginary with the real, creating powerful and provocative paintings.

Stuart’s paintings have created wide interest in art circles and in national and international press with exhibitions set to take place throughout 2009, Stuart is considered one of England’s most eagerly anticipated young talents.

This exhibition includes the following works: Hourglass, In A World Of My Own, Lot, Old Friends, Solace, Summer Came To Me, Time Well Spent & Transcendance. These paintings will not be available for long so take a look as soon as possible.

Gene Shapiro Auctions has announced an important auction of Russian, European, and Latin American art, to take place on November 5, 2008 in New York. The catalogue for the auction has now been posted online and the printed full colour catalogue is available for purchase.

Gene Shapiro, President of the company, is confident that this sale will attract many buyers, “Due to the success of our last several auctions, we have been very fortunate to get numerous inquiries about consigning with us, especially from private collectors. This has allowed us access to many high quality works, which are fresh to the market. It has also allowed us to be more selective in our offerings. The total estimate of the November auction is approximately $4,000,000 – 6,000,000, and the per-lot average is more than $20,000. Your serious Russian collector will not want to miss this sale.”

Shapiro has also introduced some new works into his sale as well by including a Latin American segment, and several important European works as well. With the art market more global than ever, and buyers branching out from their own national artists, this seems to be a sign of the times. As Shapiro notes, “Certainly the majority of buyers of Russian art are Russian speakers, but these same Russian buyers are sophisticated collectors who also buy Western European art, Asian art, Latin American Art, and so forth. Likewise, it is interesting to see the growing trend of non-Russian speakers buying Russian art, whether it be 19^th Century, avant-garde or contemporary, as they become more aware of the importance of these Russian artists in the greater realm of art history.”