July 29th, 2010 by Macleod
Last night we received an email from the organisers of the Dirty Dancing Festival. Yep! There is a Dirty Dancing Festival.
Why did they contact Coulson Macleod? Well, they want us to donate our ‘Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner’ print for their silent auction, which is being held after the ‘Time of Your Life’ Gala. How wonderfully cheesy is that?
And the best bit about the Festival? It’s being held at the lake where they filmed this…

The schedule of events made me smile. You can take part in a watermelon carrying contest, a cast look-a-like contest, and there’s even a lake lift competition (I’d be inclined to give this a go!)
Little fact for you: the film was set in the summer, yet the lake lift was filmed in October (there’s no close-up shots of their faces as apparently their lips were blue!) Since the leaves were already turning, they had to paint the leaves in the background and if you look closely you can see where they missed a few in one spot.
Whilst at the Festival you can have salsa, shag, and mambo lessons and then watch the A-Lure dancers perform the moves correctly.
So for anyone interested, the Festival is being held 17th — 18th September at Lake Lure in North Carolina. And if the prospect of spending your weekend surrounded by fellow enthusiasts recreating Baby and Johnny moments is not a big enough pull, the location itself is gorgeous. In fact National Geographic declared Lake Lure as one of the ten most beautiful man-made lakes in the world.
We haven’t decided yet to donate our print. What do you think?
Tags: Coulson Macleod, Dirty Dancing, Jennifer Grey, limited edition print, Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner, Patrick Swayze, typographic art, word art
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July 28th, 2010 by Macleod
As a child I was, like most children, a massive Enid Blyton fan. Massive.
The highly informative Enid Blyton Society list all the book jackets and I found the ones that I actually read. And the memories came flooding back. So I thought I’d share them with you.
My all time favourite books were the Faraway Tree adventures, where I spent many a happy hour having fun with Moon-Face, Mister Watzisname, Silky, and the Saucepan Man. I imagined feasting on Pop Biscuits and Google Buns and sliding down the slippery-slip that spirals down inside the trunk.


And of course I can’t forget the Famous Five…



What’s your favourite?
Tags: Coulson Macleod, design, Enid Blyton, Famous Five, typographic art, word art
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July 27th, 2010 by Macleod
Today we had an order from a customer who said that she’d seen our ‘What Is Love?’ art print in a café.
She had taken a photo of the print and tracked us down.
And this is the café…


It’s called The Laden Table and is in Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire. Isn’t it lovely? If you ever happen to be in the area, do pop in and say hello to Nicola who runs it.
They run creative writing courses, as well as serving up mouth-watering cakes like this one…

And this is our ‘What Is Love?’ print that is hanging on the wall at The Laden Table…

Tags: Coulson Macleod, love art, oak-framed art, The Laden Table, typographic art, wooden art, word art
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July 22nd, 2010 by Macleod
I used to live in Scotland. At the very top. In the Highlands. With views of purple heather clad hills and the wild north sea.
The air was cold and clean. Whisky was pure single malt. Made in the village where I lived. And venison was a staple.
So I thought I’d revel in a little bit of Scottishness.
The first is ANTA. Their factory shop was just down the road. And I fell head over heels in love with their handmade tartan stoneware.

Everything from ANTA is made in Scotland. The woolen yarn used for their carpets and tweeds is sourced in the Western Isles and is woven in the Borders. The oak furniture is made in the Highlands and some of the wood is homegrown. ANTA was created by designers Annie and Lachlan Stewart. And this is their amazing home.

The second bit of Scottish loveliness is Papa Stour. An online marketplace for all things handmade in Scotland. Papa Stour embraces art, craftsmanship and design in its purest form, like this bone china pod…

or this handsewn notebook…

or this lambswood baby blanket…

Slainte Mhath!
Tags: ANTA, Coulson Macleod, craftsmanship, design, handmade, love, Papa Stour, Scotland
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July 22nd, 2010 by Macleod
Yes I know it’s a Bill Wither’s song, but there really is just the two of us. And we can make it if we try (I’ll ignore the castles in the sky bit).
Coulson Macleod is a teeny weeny company.
There’s Mark, he’s the Coulson half. And there’s me, Hannah, the Macleod half.
The business is built on love and driven by passion. This is true. This is not some made-up marketing spiel.
Mark and I met, fell in love, moved in together and then got bored of staring at blank walls. We knew what we liked. But couldn’t find it to buy. Or if we did, we couldn’t afford it.
Then we said, “I bet there are other people out there just like us,” (or words to that effect).
Coulson Macleod is our baby. We love it and nurture it. We wake in the night to think about it. We proudly tell others about it. We glow with pride when it does well. It is ours. And we’re on a wonderful journey.
Perhaps Mark and I are building big castles way on high. Just the two of us. You and I.

Limited edition vintage-style art print by Coulson Macleod
Tags: art on wood, art prints, business, Coulson Macleod, handmade, love, love art, marketing, oak-framed art, typographic prints, typography, word art
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July 19th, 2010 by Macleod
“What is love?
To solve that riddle with just one answer is beyond me, for love is many different and contradictory things.
In the early stages love is excitement and breathlessness, it is the ache of separation and the comfort of togetherness, and it builds inexorably to that moment when ‘I’ becomes ‘we’.
Later, if blessed, love becomes a stronger, less transitory thing, a foundation for two lives lived as one.
It is all around us, there for the taking, yet to seek it out is futile.
It cannot be bought or stolen or given. It cannot be avoided or denied.
Love is the beautiful, wonderful, mysterious mortar that binds two souls together and I first heard its voice on the day I met you.
It has been with me every moment since.
This is what love is.”

Love Birds card courtesy of Ruby Wren
Written by Coulson Macleod.
Tags: art on wood, Coulson Macleod, love, love art, love birds, romantic words, Ruby Wren, typographic art, typography, vintage art, weddings, word art, words of love
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July 13th, 2010 by Macleod
Coulson Macleod has been invited to sell via the very hip and trendy mydeco boutique. How lucky are we?
The main site of mydeco is a home décor portal, created by Brent Hoberman and Martha Lane Fox, of lastminute.com. mydeco “brings together the country’s widest range of home furnishing products from over 700 retailers into one place. From high street stores like Heal’s and John Lewis to niche retailers.”
Within the site is mydeco boutique, which “aims to showcase a limited number of leading independent designers that mydeco feels represent the UK’s innovative design talent.”

Coulson Macleod will be sold alongside such huge names as Atelier Abigail Ahern, Kelly Hoppen and Celia Birtwell. Swoon!
‘It’s the individuality and character you get that make designer pieces special,’ says says interiors expert Rachel Moses from Design Nation. “Most of the beautiful items you spot in mydeco boutique are handmade in Britain. They are all bang on trend, original in design (no cheap imitations here), produced in small batches, and well respected in their industries.” Yep! that’s us.
Keen to find something unique that you won’t see on the high street? Then mydeco boutique is for you. An “exclusive treasure trove of avant-garde, independent designers at your fingertips.”

Tags: art, Atelier Abigail Ahern, Brent Hoberman, British, Celia Birtwell, Coulson Macleod, Design-Nation, designers, handmade, Heal's, John Lewis, Kelly Hoppen, Martha Lane Fox, mydeco, mydeco boutique, Rachel Moses, typographic art, typography, word art
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July 9th, 2010 by Macleod
IMPORTANT NEWS: As of 1st September 2010 Coulson Macleod will be a little bit more expensive to buy. Sorry.

We’ve been debating this for some time now here at Coulson Macleod HQ. Basically we don’t want to put our prices up. But if we want to continue growing, then we have to.
For any regular readers of this blog, you’ll have been following our progress as we grow and learn, the way you do when you launch a new business.
In September Coulson Macleod will be 18 months old. It’s been a fantastic 18 months. When we started the business we had no idea just what a global brand Coulson Macleod would become. Of course we hoped that people would like our art, and that some would become customers.
As the business has slowly grown we’ve made little tweaks here and there. And occasionally we make some whopping changes. Over the course of 18 months, we’ve had three completely new websites, can anyone remember the first version? We’ve created then deleted entire collections. And we’ve talked endlessly about where we want to go in the future. Sometimes to each other, sometimes to anyone who’ll listen.
The outcome is always the same. That in order to sell through stockists, and online marketplaces, and to go to trade fairs, and to create new and exciting collections, (and then there’s something called VAT, which I don’t understand and Coulson gets fed up trying to explain!), our prices are just a little too low to make this a long time viable and profitable business.
Our plans don’t involve charging Damien Hirst prices so we can retire to a villa in Antibes (although that would be nice). When we set out we wanted to create affordable art that we loved. This will remain the same. But you’ll just need a few more pennies (oh OK then, you’ll need a few more pounds).
So if you fancy owning a wonderful and unique piece of art at their current brilliant prices, then I’d suggest buying your Coulson Macleod before 1st September.
Tags: art, business, Coulson Macleod, distressed typography, small business, typographic art, typography, vintage art, word art
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July 5th, 2010 by Macleod
Our latest typographic collection ‘Words’ is now available to buy online at Coulson Macleod.

Coulson Macleod’s oak-framed typographic art. £125

Coulson Macleod’s oak-framed typographic art. £125

Coulson Macleod’s oak-framed typographic art. £125
Our ‘Words’ collection is made in the exactly same way as our hugely popular ‘Love’ collection. Gorgeous chunky handmade prints. But only half the size, just 29cm x 29cm x 8cm.
We’ve kept the lovely vintage-style, with a rough-sawn solid oak frame surrounding a white-washed oak panel printed with distressed typography. All handmade with love in the UK.
Our ‘Words’ collection is unlimited in print quantity.
For anyone interested in knowing just what goes into a Coulson Macleod wooden art piece… the oak panel is cut and sanded by hand before being covered with a coat of diluted white lacquer wash to fill the grain, and then sanded and re-washed with the lacquer a second time. The panel is then over-printed with UV ink. The mitred frame is handmade using rough-sawn solid oak with a shadow rebate on the groove. We purposefully retain any defects in the oak to add to the charm and character of the piece. These can include knot holes, warps and water marks, so each frame is totally unique. The printed panel is then encased into the frame which is then glued and pinned, ready for hanging.
Inspired by a customer who wanted a ‘Love’ print, but just half the size. And we loved it so much, we just had to create some more. Let us know if you like them!
Tags: art, art on wood, Coulson Macleod, love, love art, oak-framed, typographic art, typographic prints, typography, vintage typography, wedding gift, wedding gifts, word art, words
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June 24th, 2010 by Macleod
Our latest typographic art collection ‘Landmarks’ can be personalized. And we think this would make a totally superb wedding present.
All you need to do is give us a list of words (we use roughly 70 words to make up the ones in our ‘Landmarks’ collection pictured below).
You could create one that was based on their honeymoon destination. Or create one that focuses on places in their lives together, such as where the couple met, the pub they hang out in — you get the idea.
And we at Coulson Macleod HQ do the rest. We’ll find an image that suits the artwork. The result is a one-off piece of bespoke artwork. A totally personal gift. And you’d be loved by the couple forever!

Personalized typographic artwork (£149) based on the above ‘Landmarks’ print (£99)

Personalized typographic artwork (£149) based on the above ‘Landmarks’ print (£99)

Personalized typographic artwork (£149) based on the above ‘Landmarks’ print (£99)
Your personalized artwork based on our ‘Landmarks’ collection features a handmade frame and panelled backboard made from reclaimed antique Victorian roof timbers. The planks used to make the backboard vary in size for each print and we retain all those lovely defects in the wood to add to the charm and character of the piece. These can include knot holes, nail holes, warps and water marks, so each artwork is totally unique.
The finished item is then over-printed with distressed image and typography in UV ink.
Tags: art, art on wood, Big Ben, Coulson Macleod, distressed typography, Eiffel Tower, honeymoon, personalised, personalized, personalized art, reclaimed wood, Statue of Liberty, typographic art, typographic prints, wedding gift, wedding presents, word art, words
Posted in Genesis of an Art Business | 1 Comment »