We’ve had a messy couple of weeks because of server issues and hope you weren’t inconvenienced. All is now back up and running. Load times are faster than before. Next, a switch in payment gateways.

Thanks to our friends at Spiral Media for their hard work.

Our shop has been open for two weeks. We’ve had tons of good will from customers and passers-by – one lady stopped at the entrance and simply said, “nice shop…”, before walking on. We’lll be moving our online business there soon, to make what should be a very viable concern. More about the locality in a future blog.

New in… From the Jura, the region of France with a long tradition of toy making from wood, Vilac – classic toy cars. More at http://objectandline.co.uk/kids/vilac-wooden-toys

More about the architect who carefully treads his own path: http://www.ilikearchitecture.net/2013/03/peter-zumthor-in-conversation-with-ribas-tony-chapman/

Glorious lamps, the sort of product we’d love to stock, though dread the cost. Rare to see such primary colours in handmade forms. The makers worked hard to find the right materials – a couple of layers of cotton, pigment and a binding agent.

http://www.domusweb.it/en/news/pigment-lamp-/

Dwell Magazine has a review of a brilliant looking book about the houses of artists. They feature the home of Paulo Soleri, the Italian architect who over many years has been building a city in the Arizona desert – one of the world’s must see places to visit, should you be driving south of Flagstaff.

http://www.dwell.com/books/slideshow/artists-handmade-houses#4.

Find out more about Cosanti (Soleri’s home and office) and Arcosanti the city at http://www.arcosanti.org/

One of our favourite toys, Moulin Roty’s Shadow Puppets, feature in this week’s Independent Indybests. The stockist is given as another company but O&l has better prices!

http://objectandline.co.uk/kids/moulin-roty/shadows

http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/outdoor-activity/the-10-best-creative-toys-8503886.html?action=gallery&ino=10

The sun as tennis ball. With careful use of filters Friedman records the rippling, patterned surfaces and sudden perturbations…

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/02/alan-friedmans-astonishing-hd-photographs-of-the-sun/

Max and Pete, self styled ‘wobble workers’, are busy prototyping a pen that draws in three dimensions. It’s easy in principle – the pen spews a string of liquid plastic that solidifies as you draw in the air. Wonder what Picasso would have done with such a thing – drawings in the Vallauris style but spread across space.

http://youtu.be/DQWyhezIze4