I picked up some slides in a junk shop in Brittany last summer. I bought them for the info graphics but while scanning them I started to appreciate the photographs too. Often harsh, sparse and beautiful, they remind me of 1970s James Bond films.

Full set of slides on Flickr

This Christmas was spent at Kinghorn, Fife. Presents also took on a Kinghorn theme. Part of the fun was having Kinghorn as a saved Ebay search and seeing what came up.

Harbour Road Kinghorn. Woodcut print, 1974. Can’t make out the name – could be Dale.

Pettycur Bay Kinghorn. Postcard dated 1902.

Low Water by local artist Douglas Gray. Woodcut print.

Want to win a pack of greetings cards made from the Maraid vintage matchbox label collection? Just in time to send out for Christmas! Simply like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/MaraidDesign and leave a comment under the post. We have three sets to give away. We’ll choose a winner on Dec 7th.

My love of matchbox labels started with Eastern Europe, blocks of colour, propaganda and public service announcements. I was then offered a collection of Japanese labels, a different aesthetic and slice of history illustrated through advertising. A recent addition to the Japanese collection is this set of ladies. I’m not sure if they advertise anything or are simply collectable items. They are brilliantly bright, colourful, fun and just a little bit saucy!

Only once I returned home, sifting though many holiday photos, I realised how many images I had of maps from Brittany. I loved the individuality and hand painted graphics, often using traditional tiles or enamel. They were always a welcoming sign to a new location on our adventures.

1 Tiled map of the area in Camaret sur-Mer. 2 Map of the area in Aux Quatre Saisons campsite, Roscoff. 3 Pont-Aven and the surrounding area. 4 Cap Fréhel map in Du Pont de L’Etang Campsite. 5 Map painting of the island Île-de-Bréhat inside Chapelle St-Michel. 6 Map in of the area in Huelgoat

A couple of vintage postcards I picked up in Pont-Aven on my recent travels around Brittany. Perfectly illustrated by Bernard Aldebert.

I’m having a clear-out at the moment. Something that takes up a little too much room is this collection of vintage light bulb packaging. I’m not quite sure how it started, I’ve always had an interest in found design that is unwanted or discarded by others. But it’s time to pass it on to someone else. This photo did make me question my decision, they look so good!

I spent a lovely Sunday pottering around the popular vintage and and textile fair in Newcastle. It was the first one I had been too and I was sold on the great poster by Alice Pattullo. The day was really enjoyable, inspiring and full of lots of nice people.

The images come from ‘The Observer’s Book of Flags’ published in 1966. They appear in this pocket size book at approx 5cm wide and look great blown up into a desktop.

Great Britain Navy
Former Admiralty Flag and also used by the Queen when she was head of the Royal Navy

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Uganda
Bands of colour with a Crested Crane in the centre.

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Washington State, USA
Baring a replica of the State Seal

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Burma
‘The President’s flag’ of Burma with a peacock on.

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Netherlands
The ‘Geus’, the naval jack of the Netherlands.

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Belgium Airforce
Target and gold lion with superimposed stylised wings.

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New Mexico, USA
The Ancient Zia sun symbol of the Zuni Native Americans and the colours of Old Spain who once ruled the area.

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South Dakota, USA
The Sunshine State also known as The Mount Rushmore State

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Some postcards from Jane’s collection of vintage matchbox labels have been made into postcards (via the folks at Art Press). Some of the cards are now on sale in Paperchase. We are giving away five sets – simply leave a comment in this post. These are just a small part of larger collection – if you have a little time to spend check them out!