It seems, wherever you go these days, if you pop into a cool designer shop, you’ll see the fabulous Momiji Dolls. They’re absolutely everywhere. In just about every major city in the world, sitting happily ready to be bought and given a new home. They come in so many different sizes, colours, it’s impossible not to have a favourite. We wanted to find out more about how it all started, so we asked Momiji co-founder and mother Claire Rowlands. Here’s what she had to say…

How was the momiji brand born?

The Momiji story began back in 2005 when we created our first collection of 12 message dolls; these days it’s difficult to remember life before Momiji, it has become our world!

We have a little office in Henley in Arden in Warwickshire and from here we work with great designers from all over the world to produce our collections.

Our inspiration comes from lots of different places; in the beginning we were heavily influenced by our trips to Tokyo and Seoul. These days we have developed much more of a global aesthetic.

The brand has evolved now, so as well as dolls we also have a range of wonderful stuff for the home, personal accessories and stationery too.

What’s been the best moment in momiji history?

That’s a tricky one. I always love the moment when we get a doll back from the sculptors and you see a new character in 3D for the first time.

This year we where very honoured when Gwen Stefani invited us over to LA to be part of a party she hosted to raise funds for families and children affected by the Tsunami in Japan. A Momiji painting and customisation workshop formed part of the event so it was really special for us.

I think the most emotional moment for me was when we ran a textile competition and asked people to make a fabric version of a Momiji doll. It seemed like such a big challenge and for weeks I felt sick with worry that nobody would enter! Then the entries started to arrive and each day the postman would arrive with armfuls of packages from around the world. Each one contained a handmade doll, everyone had put so much love and energy into them. I was completely overwhelmed to see how much people have embraced the brand. That was a top moment for me.

How many momiji dolls have ever been made to date?

We’re at almost 160 designs now and there are plenty more great releases arriving in the new year. We have an archive of all the designs we’ve done on our website, you can see them all here

What is the newest momiji arrival?

We recently launched a special limited edition trio in association with Sanrio to celebrate their 50th anniversary. We only made 500 pieces worldwide so they’re pretty rare.

What have you got in the pipeline for the future?

So much stuff from dolls to accessories and cool stuff for your home. Our new dolls are top secret right now but if you follow us on facebook and twitter you’ll be the first to know!

You’ll find us on Facebook as ‘Momiji HQ’ and you can follow our tweets on @MomijiHQ.

Competition

If you would like to win an incredible £75 to spend on Momiji Dolls and everything else Momiji, all you have to do is leave is a comment below stating:

Who you would like to send a momiji doll to and why?

Tip: That person, could be your closest friend or family member or someone famous who you think is a legend! Have fun, be creative!

Entries close Monday 12th Dec 11.59pm (GMT) and we will pick one winner at random, so there is enough time to spend your hard earned £75 on christmas presents if you so wish!

Good luck!

Extra Extra – more stuff to win!

Don’t forget to checkout the Facebook Momiji Page and enter another Momiji competition to win a Kindle + 6 Momiji Dolls!

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For a while now we’ve been thinking of expanding the Always Thinkin’ team. We are all really busy doing what we do, making art, writing, playing music, designing websites and generally living full on lives! We want to cover more and we just need more hands on deck. So with a planned relaunch in the not so distant future (watch this space), we’ve decided to cast the net out and we want YOU.

What we’re looking for

We’re seeking artisans in the fields of Urban Art, Music, Fashion, Urban Sports who are super passionate about what they’re into. Together we hope to create a common creative collective where we can share, learn and grow.

What’s in it for me?

Currently we can’t offer to fill up your wallet or purse, but as a writer we do hope to give you access to other exclusive access to offerings that come our way. (i.e. Promotional merch, festival passes, event invites etc). We can’t go in to too much here, but we like to reward good writers when can.

If you’re interested, send us a quick email and tell us why you think your opinion counts. Previous writing experience is not essential, but any links you have to your outstanding writing swagger would be superb.

This is not a test. The future is coming, be a part of it.

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Lisa Hassell with Illustrator Stephen Chan

Inkygoodness are a busy bunch. Since 2008, they have been showcasing UK’s finest upcoming character designers and illustrators, by organising events in Birmingham, Bristol to Berlin. We caught up with founder Lisa Hassell, last month just before their super feature show at Pictoplasma.

Hello, can you let the readers know a little more about what Inkygoodness is?

Inkygoodness is an art collective, founded by our passion for illustration and character design, developed during our degree courses and lots of trips to exhibitions and creative events over the last few years. The initiative started off as a small exhibition showing just our own work back in 2008, and quickly evolved into group shows with our friends and other like-minded creatives. We want to showcase new and emerging talent in this discipline alongside more established artists working in the field, offering a unique oppotunity for networking and collaboration, and allowing up and coming artists a platform to promote themselves from.

Can you explain the Character Totem project please and how it came about?

We were keen to do something a little bit different for the next Inkygoodness project. Pitching to Pictoplasma was our sole aim, but we knew we had to think outside the box to secure a spot on the Character Walk, one of the most prestigious gallery opportunities out there.

We had been talking about doing an installation for a while, but we weren’t sure what form it would take, other than customising objects, or cut-outs. We also wanted to create a show that would be fun to do, and of course incorporating character design, which is central to the Pictoplasma event. Pulling these elements together gave us the concept of the Character Totem.

Who will we be seeing at the show?

We are very fortunate to have met and befriended a wealth of talented artists and illustrators, many of whom have been involved with Inkygoodness at past events. Our background in illustration has really shaped the creative output of Inkygoodness and our understanding of the type of artists we want to work with. This year we are happy to be reunited with McBess, Felt Mistress and Good Wives & Warriors, Jason Devine, Toyfactory in addition to selection of up and coming artists such as Hannah Baber, Neil Keating and Liam Barrett.

Do you have any favourites?!

Oooh that’s a hard one as they are all so great! Liam Barrett’s piece is absolutely stunning, he’s a remarkable talent given his age. We love the plush Totem by Felt Mistress too. We can’t wait to unpack the Totems in Berlin and put the show together, its almost too hard to pick any in particular.

Our Colour Me Totem project has also attracted a wonderful selection of entries. We weren’t sure if it was really going to take off, but we’ve been very impressed with the standard of work so far and our favourites will be at the show!

Did you ever think that your projects would go international? It must be very exciting exhibiting in Berlin!

Absolutely, and incredibly exciting to be in this position. Hosting an international event has always been on our agenda – although, after just two years, it has come along a lot sooner than we could have hoped for! We’re thrilled to be exhibiting in Berlin, particularly as part of Pictoplasma – an event we’ve attended for the last 4 years. It’s an honor and a privilege to be rubbing shoulders with the best in the industry.

Berlin is such an eclectic and arty city especially from a creative perspective, we can’t wait to attend Pictoplasma and cant believe this year we are exhibiting!!

What is the next big plan after the Totem project?

That’s an interesting question! We’re open to new opportunities and collaborations that may present themselves after Pictoplasma – anything is possible. The last few years have been a lot of fun, we feel we have achieved a lot in a very short space of time, and our goal is to continue to work hard, build our reputation and eventually concentrate on Inkygoodness full time. We’re keen to diversify and try other avenues to showcase new talent, be it publishing, apparel or more events. We’re excited to see where the future takes us.

How can arty types found out more and get involved in your projects?

Our blog is a good place to start, we love blogging about projects we’re working on! We also feature artists from time to time, so its always worth sending in examples of work. Plus, we’re always happy receive submissions from interested artists & illustrators – we keep every e-mail submission on file and always make that our first point of call when we start a new project.

What next?

Travelling the world, organising bigger projects, it would be great to do something simillar to Pictoplasma in the UK even! We’re very keen to move into publishing later this year too – an Inkygoodness book would be amazing.

Check out all the events over on the Inkygoodness site and stay up to date with daily goings on their twitter and Facebook pages.

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Be the envy of your mates this summer with the stylish new HTC Desire S. Boasting a sleek aluminium ‘unibody’ and a 3.7 inch touch screen – the HTC Desire S is the phone to be seen with.

To celebrate Three bringing the power of all-you-can-eat data to Pay As You Go from just £15, Always Thinkin is offering one lucky reader the chance to get their hands this cool handset. Pre-loaded with a PAYG SIM offering all-you-can-eat data, you’ll be free to stream, download, tweet and surf the web without ever worrying about the cost – there literally are no limits.

For more details, visit http://www.three.co.uk/Pay_As_You_Go/

So you’re saying to yourself What do I have to do to win?

There are 3 easy ways to enter:
1. Simply leave comment on our facebook page.
2. Simply retweet the following –

“Win a #htcdesires in 3 easy ways – http://bit.ly/kwXBCO”

3. Simply Leave a comment on this page.

(You can enter in all 3 ways to triple your chances)

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

Competition ends on Thursday 12th May and we will choose a winner at random and announce a winner within 7 days.

That’s it! Easy right? Good luck!

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We’ve teamed up with our good buddies From The Wilde to bring you a blinding beast of a giveaway. You can win an exclusive and beautiful A3 print from Sophie Backhouse as featured above. The original canvas is worth over £200!

About Sophie

Based in Merseyside, Sophie is one of a rare breed of female graffiti artists. She’s a practicing graphic designer, typographer and illustrator. Not restricted by size or medium she works on canvas, paper a computer and brick walls. She’s influenced directly by nature, calligraphy and many art nouveau artists such as Mucha.

To Enter

1. Go over to the From The Wilde Facebook Page and just leave a comment saying why you think the print should be yours!

OR

2. If you’re not on facebook, just leave a comment below.

Closing Date

You have until 31st January 2011 to enter. So get on it and good luck!

More Info

Visit Sophie Backhouse’s blog or follow Sophie Backhouse on twitter.

You can also see more of Sophie Backhouse’s work and other fantastic artists at From The Wilde

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Gig posters is something that isn’t given enough attention here at Always Thinkin’, so what better way to start 2011 than to show you an awesome specimen of one!

Two Arms Inc (NYC) specialise in hand-pulled screenprinted art, made with all the blood, sweat and tears of true craftsmen and women!

The two ACTUAL arms are Karen Goheen and Mike Tabie, whose focus is on attention to detail and the sweet spot between concept and execution. Over the years, they have gained a long-standing reputation for producing awesome posters for bands.

They are also super kind people, and imagine my surprise when I recently received one of their awesome hand crafted gig posters in the post!

It has all the elements of a fantastic poster – an eye-catching strong centerpiece, vivid colour and most importantly… an awesome band – The Lawrence Arms! It can’t get any better!

I couldn’t help but admire the quality of the print and tactile qualities in the choice of stock and that beautiful layered screenprint feel. Best of all, the poster was numbered on the reverse, making it feel much more of an art print.

Amazingly it came with a tubeful of goodies too… including ANOTHER print!! (Jedi Mind Tricks!)

So to all those budding art screenprint studios out there, it’s all about the fine details! Go that extra step… it makes all the difference!

BUT HOLD ON! You can BUY the Lawrence Arms poster over at the Two Arms Inc Shop

You can also follow Two Arms on Twitter

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The guys at Vannen Artist Watches have done it again! Not only have they teamed up with one of our favourite illustrators, Drew Millward (Read our interview with Drew Millward), they’re also being oh-so generous and giving ONE of only 40 of these limited watches to YOU!

There are 2 ways to enter.

TWITTER Tweet the following…

Win a #FREE @vannenwatches x @drewmillward designer watch. http://bit.ly/bCwSfr

OR

FACEBOOK
Go over to our facebook page and tell us why you it should be yours.

That’s it. Tweet/comment and give us some twitter/facebook love.

Closing date is 10th October 2010

We’ll pick a winner by the end of the week.

And if you want to know more, here’s the full details of the Drew Millward x Vannen Artist Watch

More about Drew Millward

Born in England in 1981, Drew Millward has already spent a quarter of his life drawing. Drew likes to draw “the old fashioned way,” using pencils, pens and a love of the craft of illustration. While his subject matter can vary dramatically, he hopes that the attention to detail and the love of drawing is apparent throughout his work. Drew was recently included in The Art of British Rock, which chronicles the last 50 years of poster art. He has exhibited throughout the US, UK, Europe and beyond, as well as having the pleasure of creating work for an ever growing international client base. In the words of Creative Tempest: “Had Drew Millward’s posters been around in the 1970s, they would have easily replaced the standard Farrah Fawcett poster in every guy’s bedroom.”

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Rob ryan is one of the busiest yet friendliest men on the internet – he’s got time for everyone. When he’s not rapidly expanding and marketing his part Irish part Spanish tee shirt business, Lady Umbrella, he’s documenting his strategy and revealing all his secrets on his T Shirt Strategy Blog, as well as tweeting, facebooking, videoing, blogging his socks off. We caught up with the big man during the world cup to pick his brain about his growing brand, his thoughts on social media and just what makes him tick.

Hi Robert, how’s it going?

Hi Mike, all is grand here thanks, a lull in the World Cup (come on Spain) has me a tad uneasy but also led to a productive day – pros and cons I guess…big time thanks for the interview…here we go..

Tell us a bit about Lady Umbrella, where it started and where it is now.

LadyUmbrella is a ladies t-shirt company that I co-own with Elena Montes Casado, our Spanish designer. We launched our online shop on the 20th of January 2010 after about 18 months of trying, designing, refining and crying..The ball started rolling when Elena had a design that she wanted to get printed on a t-shirt as a present for a friend (she makes and gives cool presents)..I saw the design and thought it was pretty narly and that it could be worth “having a go” and trying to set up a business..Was a slog and a half to get it up and running but thankfully it has been going well..Since launching our online shop we’ve been fortunate enough to be able to open a walk in premises in The Loft Market in Powerscourt Shopping Centre in Dublin City which is kind of unprecedented but we’re grasping the chance and embracing it…

What is your daily involvement, what are you in charge of?

I guess I could say I’m in charge of everything..There are only two of us involved so it’s pretty hands on in every aspect of the business…I talk to suppliers, customers, banks, accountants, press and whoever else will talk to me really..My daily involvement I guess would be to make sure that whatever has to be done gets done..On a daily basis I try to tell about 100 new people about LadyUmbrella so that we can continue to grow..Elena is the creative force in the LU team, no doubt about that – I suppose I’m the spreadsheet guy hehe…

You’ve really used social media to your advantage to market your clothing line. What tips would you recommend to other similar startups?

Ye, I’ve just immersed myself in the whole social media buzz and thankfully am enjoying it..For us social media is pretty much our only means of getting the word out about our brand. As I said there only two of us involved and we don’t have a lot of capital to spend on ads [read as none] so I take it upon myself to bust a gut on twitter/facebook etc..My tip really is bust a gut..I hold a firm belief that if you put in the effort and the product is good then it is only a matter of time before things start to work out for you..Be honest when you are interacting with people online, be passionate and genuine – if you’re not people won’t gravitate towards you…Social media has levelled the playing field for marketing and the likes and I think the social media revolution is still only beginning..Its impact is going to become more and more profound to small business (and soon big business) and the top tip is to embrace it and don’t give yourself excuses like “I don’t have enough time” or “none of my customers use it” – you do have enough time and your customers are there…right, rant over…

You’ve recently opened the first official Lady Umbrella boutique in Ireland. How easy was it to make the transition from online to offline. What hurdles did you face?

Ye, we lucked out and were given the chance to open up in the Loft Market..Hehe, I’m still making the transition. We opened there on the 18th of June and are open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays so at the time of writing I’m still working on my salesman chops..The hardest part about the transition was the fear of failure…Things have been tipping along nicely with online sales but to enter an arena where we would have monthly overheads with no guarantee of return was a daunting one. But, like they say, you have to grab the bull by the horns and all that, better to regret trying than not trying so we are rolling the dice..Still have more hurdles to overcome but the learning curve is steep and we’re scaling it so hopefully we’ll have it fully sussed in the not too distant future…

What have you got in the pipeline? Where do you hope to take the brand?

Ah, the pipeline..Myself and Elena are dreamers..To start a t-shirt company in the middle of winter in the middle of a recession is far from a sensible plan but that is what we did…To me that it is a pretty ludicrous idea but as a result of it our pipeline and hopes are now uninhibited…We have our 2nd collection almost ready for release which will contain 3 t-shirts and a snazzy tote bag..We’ve also expanded the brand into framed prints and the likes which can be bought in our shop in the Loft (and hopefully online soon). I’m currently in talks with some suppliers about dainty printed LadyUmbrella notepads which we hope to get at some stage this year..On top of that Elena is going to unleash her design fury on some items for our autumn/winter release which I hope will include some scarves and hoodies – items apt for that time of year I guess…Also, the introduction of a LadyUmbrella umbrella is something I’d like to get sorted – makes sense I think hehe..Aside from the product side of things I want to build the brand up so that it gets global recognition (I suppose the hope and dream of all in the same position as myself) and will go gung ho until we get there..I also want to get involved in charity work with the brand and have an idea for a charity to set up..I hope that the brand will become a vessel that will enable us to be able make some positive change…big time..

What music are you listening to at the moment?

My music..well, I’m a rocker at heart and like to listen to all types of stuff really..iTunes is loaded with a diverse range of music, some nice and crunchy and heavy like Metallica, Mastodon, Slipknot, Down and some more easy going stuff like Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Kings of Leon, Pearl Jam..Good dollop of rap on there as well with Eminem, Dead Prez, Dr Dre, 2Pac and DMX..really, I listen to a wide variety of music but am always drawn back to guitar driven stuff…I used to be six string abuser so it resonates with me – rawk!

Who are you idols / heros?

Well, I just saw Pearl Jam in Belfast last week and am in awe of Eddie Vedder. I had seen Pearl Jam before but Eddie is just in a league of his own for understated stage and crowd control..He is the epitome of cool I think and all the fame etc has not gotten to him or phased him..He does his own thing and gives back what he gets..Pearl Jam have had numerous fines for playing longer than they should because Eddie realises that people pay good money to see them so might as well put on a show..Damn “the man” that says shows have to finish early etc..Another chap who I think is a bit of a champ is Warren Buffett..He is one of the shrewdest investors the world has ever seen and achieved his success by busting his gut, by understanding trends and pioneering a concept of “intrinsic value” in stocks..On top of that he is one major philanthropist who, even though he has more money than most (only 2 people with more than him in the entire planet), understands that money is but the cheapest commodity and wants to defy the transience of time by making a difference with what he has at his disposal. I’d also have a lot of time for Bill Gates and Steve Jobs – even though they are often in opposite sides of the heavyweight tech ring I think they both have to be admired for their belief in their plans and execution..Jobs is a marketing mastermind..Gary Vaynerchuk and Jason Sadler are two social media people who I would have a lot of time for and would love to have a few brews with..

What’s biting your brain and making you frustrated at the moment?

I get frustrated when things don’t happen as quickly as I’d like them to..I know it’s going to be a slog and LadyUmbrella is going to be a long haul flight but when things don’t go as I had planned I get frustrated..Another reason for this I guess is because the “buck stops with me” as it were with LadyUmbrella and if things don’t get done I only have myself to blame…

And in contrast, what are you really stoked about?

Really excited about taking pictures of our new designs… We received samples yesterday and our plans to take pictures tonight have been scuppered by an unwanted summer shower..We can’t wait to get the pictures up on our fanpage and have our fingers crossed that our friends on facebook and twitter will like them..Having seen the designs I’m gobsmacked at how cool they look..no doubt I’m biased but I think they look the bees knees..Have 2 different style t-shirts and 3 designs that will hopefully add to our brand – stay tuned

See all the new designs on the Lady Umbrella Facebook Fanpage

If there was one thing in the world that you could change, what would it be?

One thing I’d like to change? I don’t think one thing is enough – I think the world and its inhabitants needs a whole lot of help real quick.. If I were to pick one I’d like some advances in some fields of medicine pretty promptly…we are fragile and flawed creatures and the sooner we can find some cures to some of the things that ail us the better..

Big time thanks for taking the time to find out about us and what we do Mike. Have enjoyed answering the questions and hope your readers enjoy my prattle…ole…

So you’ve read all that and you likey? Now go and visit the Lady Umbrella Shop and get buying some top Irish / Spanish gear!

Exclusive 15% discount for Always Thinkin’ readers

Just visit the Lady Umbrella Shop and enter the code alwaysthinkin15 at checkout to get 15% off (and free shipping)!

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Milk and Eggs are a Californian based tee company born out of the love for simple smart graphics. Their colourways are bright, bold and full of every day humour. And Since their inception early last year, they’ve released some killer graphics which remind us a lot of the early Buro Destruct sensibilities.

The good news is that we’ve teamed up with the fabulously generous Milk and Eggs to bring you a fantastic competition. You could win a “Party like it’s 2011″ tee (pictured above) by just following the details below.

This competition is now closed.

Leave a comment at the end of this post telling us your ideas for the last party on earth ever!

Be extravagant and creative as you like, it’s the last party ever remember! Make it memorable!!

Closing date for entries is Monday 12th July Midnight GMT. Milk and Eggs will choose their favourite entry and the winner will be announced on Wed 14th July.

But if you can’t wait that long you can always buy the “Party like it’s 2011 tee” directly from the Milk and Eggs website.

Good luck and get your party thinking hat on! We look forward to hearing your penultimate party plans!

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Here is something epic by someone following their passion and adding real value to all those involved.

From The Wilde attests to be an eclectic collection of some of Britain’s most exciting and contemporary designer makers, artists and illustrators. Whether you’re after Textiles, Homewares, Ceramics, Jewellery, Fashion, Paintings, Prints, Stationery or Greeting Cards it has something awesome for you.

The site boasts over 20 independent artists, and you can purchase any individual item knowing that it’s 100% handmade with carefully sourced materials. Smashing!

Here are some of our favourite picks from the site.

Pavo Cristatus by Sally Boyle

The Wol Egg Cosie by Chain of Daisies

Emaki by Fay Martin

Garden - Hares by Beansquare Extraordinaire

We here at Always Thinkin’ always totally admire the work ethic of people who bring a community together, particularly when it’s to promote such brilliant work. So, we caught up with Helen Wilde the founder of From The Wilde, to ask her a few words about the brand.

Where did the idea come from to create From The Wilde?
I wanted to create a gallery of beautiful things that reflected my two main passions in life, the coast and the country. These collections are for people with a love of the country and the coast, for all of us who aren’t lucky enough to live there but are lucky enough to own a piece “From the Wilde”…

What do you look for when you choose the artists on the site?
I choose those most passionate about their work and what they make, the emphasis is placed on British designers and the quality of their products.

What’s in the pipeline for the brand? I'm awaiting work from several artists this week and will update the gallery on a weekly basis, we're always looking for new exciting talent! Plus, I'm currently negotiating contracts with two very exciting British artists, all I can say at this point is... watch this space!