Cats and Kerts: My favourite bits of Budapest.

Retrock Deluxe

Nosztalgia Antik Shop- (Klauzál Utca 1)

New York Café

Sugar! Shop

Károlyi Kert

Cat Café

In June I finally visited Budapest; being totally in love with derelict buildings, I knew I should go. I had heard many wild claims that 'It's like Berlin five years ago', and curiosity got the better of me. So if you happen to visit, here are my favourite places from our five day trip:
Day one was for wandering, we visited Printa, a screenprinting studio/gallery/cafe with good coffee, where I found the perfect illustrated guide to the city which helped us plan our days. We sat upstairs in Telep and watched the world go by from the warehouse style windows drinking homemade lemonade, and later made ourselves at home in  Szimpla, the most talked about of the 'ruin bars', which we couldn't stay away from and returned at some stage every evening.

To ease the hangover the following day we visited the famous Széchenyi Baths, and despite it being our third choice 

(the Bauhaus baths on Margrit Island were closed due to the river bursting its banks), 

it was an absolute pleasure. 

We basked in the outdoor hot pool for hours and watched local leathery 

old men in speedos play chess.

To top off our day of pampering we had afternoon tea in the 

stunning New York Café, which was an incredibly decadent setting and the cakes were delicious.

An unhealthy habit developed on our lovely trip, of visiting Sugar! 
everyday, a Parisian  style sweet emporium,  
to work our way through sampling all their treats 
(their gelato is excellent).

The weather was beautiful so we lounged around a lot in Károlyi Kert, 
Budapest's oldest little park around the corner from the 
immaculately styled Retrock Deluxe Boutique.

Fogashaz became another favourite ruin bar, once a dental clinic 
it is now a bar/gallery/general cultural hub and their outdoor 
courtyard became a firm favourite

 (we recommend a sneaky shot of Unicum or two).

The Cat Café had to be visited, although the terrible decor let it down, 

it was hard not to enjoy the novelty of fifteen cats roaming around.

We finished the trip off by hiring bikes and cycling across to Pest 

to see the castle district and have milkshakes in the sun in Tranzit, 
an old bus terminal.

So, it's official, Budapest is now easily my JOINT favourite city 
so far with Berlin, which coming from me is very high praise! 

Beers, brasseries and Belgium.

So a few weeks ago I went on a little European adventure to Belgium, to see what treasures I could find, and how much specialist beer I could drink. I did weeks of research for the trip, but all the places I mention below have been weasled down to only my favourite places, but I have only given links to the venues that I think are truly worth the trouble of visiting.

First up was Bruges where we stayed in the Bread and Butter Guesthouse with the lovely Frederika and John. They were great hosts and gave us excellent recommendations for the evening, although my favourite part of Bruges was Frederika's lovely breakfast and the orange bath!

We went for drinks in Cafe Rose Red, which have some truly excellent speciality beers, followed by a trip to 'T Zwart Huis, a jazz bar with good food and the best service I've received in a long while (come on London) but the saddest tale of all is that 'T Brugs Beertje was CLOSED, which was a real shame, I would recommend a visit for a truly excellent Belgian beer and old fashioned pub interior.

Next up was my favourite part of the holiday, Antwerp. 

We stayed in an amazingly cheap apartment from Air BnB, which was very tastefully furnished in lovingly thrifted sixties-wear, we felt very at home there. Favourite hang out spots were Ra 13, which was my ultimate bestest place (that's a real word, right?). Like a smaller and slightly more 'out there' Dover Street Market, I could have stayed relaxing and chatting in the cafe ALL DAY. Literally. Enjoy the odd video link. Other almost as good cafes included Coffeelabs, which was perfect for spying good street style and was handily placed near the Belgian equivalent of Beyond Retro, T2. We accidentally stumbled across Seven Rooms Concept Store, but ended up sipping free champagne there for quite a while. It's a fascinatingly indulgent use of space, and they weren't snobby about the fact that I clearly was not going to spend 1000euros on a hairband, when I was clutching excitedly at my champagne glass wearing some threadbare fingerless gloves. 

Delicious hot chocolates from Ra 13 & Mademoiselle Moustache

Antwerp was small enough to be able to wander around aimlessly, but trendly enough to still stumble across endless gems of places, we loved it there.

I would recommend Dansing Chocolat for an excellent traditional supper and lovely surroundings, and Cafe D'Anvers for dancing the night away in a raw factory/warehouse style shell of a building. Don't make the same mistake as we did, unfortunately we accidentally gatecrashed a '16 and overs' club night. It was awkward.

Other favourite bars were Elfde Gebod, which means, 'The Eleventh Commandment', it was hidden

near the beautiful Cathedral area, and featured a bizarre collection of religious statues lit by candlelight. Good beers can be found here. 

Hungover but still ready for more, we trekked to Brussels for the final leg of the trip. We stayed in another stunning apartment from Air Bnb by the Royal Cemetery which is very similar to Pere Lachaise (I would like to add that all our accommodation was between 25-40 Euros each a night...)

We loved having more hot chocolates overlooking the whole of Brussels on the 10th floor of the stunningly designed Museum of Musical Instruments. A la Mort Subite was a glamourous venue for a specialist fruit beer, and Mademoiselle Moustache Et Son Le Freak Show was one of my favourite clubs, EVER.

The flea market at Place de Jeu du Balle was fantastic, and is open every day. TOP TIP: do not go on a weekend, prices are quadrupled for tourists. We went on a Monday and haggled some absolute bargains. 

The Atomium is worth a visit on a sunny day,  we took cakes and chocolate from Wittamer and Pierre Marcolini. These two both had excellent treats, but I would recommend taking away as I didn't personally enjoy the interiors. Any of the street vendors so fantastic frites if you need a guilty little traditional Belgian pick-me-up...

Phew, so there you have it. My final tip has to be: When travelling by Eurostar, remember you still need to bring a passport. We made it by the skin of our teeth.....

A Festive Feature.

This December I can be found amongst the pages of Little Thing Magazine...amusingly the only English words that feature are 'Alice' and 'Big hair'. I got to jaunt about my favourite places so that the lovely Jas Tang could write about 'A Week With Alice Gabb'. 

So here are the lovely places that have been featured:

Monday: The Vintage Emporium 

(marvellous for free Life Drawing sessions on Tuesday evenings)

Tuesday: Columbia Road Flower Market

(which is on Sundays, although Late Night Christmas Wednesdays have begun)

Food: Brawn - Printers and Stationers

Shopping: J and B - Choosing Keeping

Wednesday: Regents Canal

(My favourite walks are Warwick Avenue to Angel, or Whitmore Bridge to Hackney Wick)

Thursday: The Shop, Cheshire Street

(extremely affordable vintage textiles)

Friday: Towpath Cafe

Saturday: Broadway Market

All clothes worn are from Beyond Retro, Rokit, Old Spitalfields, Urban Outfitters Renewal or The Shop (I'm a creature of habit....)

Bust Craftacular 2012.

It has arrived once again, Bust Christmas Fair is here, and I will have a stall there! If you have had the misfortune of not visiting one of the Bust fairs, just look here, here or here to read how marvellous they always are. It is where I do most of my Christmas shopping (and Broadway Market, of course) as some of my absolute favourites will be there, Andrea Garland with her fabulous beauty products, The Shoreditch Sisters with their fine preserves, my good friends The Bobby Dazzlers and Jill will be there too. For a full vendor list, click here.

Pencil to Pixel.

Original Arial drawings.

Last week I braved the rain to Wapping to visit Pencil to Pixel, an exhibition about the history of the Monotype institution of typographic printing. Because I am over enthusiastic about such type related events I signed up for the free 'guided tour', and I can happily say it was my favourite exhibition this year. We were talked through each display case of examples of the design and production of printing type, and it was concise and clearly explained, which was good for me because it took me a while to get my head around the enormity of the process of switching from human hands arranging single letters into entire publications, to mechanically organising them instead. It was fascinating hearing about the impact that Monotype has had on the history of printing and type design. 

Sadly the exhibition has ended, otherwise I would be back for a second visit and to make a few Christmas purchases in their lovely shop...if only it was on for longer...

Photographic Matrices for the Linofilm Europa 1970.

Part of the workforce before the Monotype machine was invented.

Master record of the origin of design and current status of use of typefaces.

A London Outing.

Last week I escaped the studio to Somerset House to see Tim Walker's 'Storyteller' exhibition. It really was my Vogue-reading-teenage-self's ultimate dream. The photographs were totally enthralling; the sets and prop design had me staring open mouthed. They are so incredibly decadent, playing out fantasies that are so visually satisfying that I kept forgetting to look at what the models were actually wearing. Being able to see the unbelievable scale and detail of the props added to the appreciation of each photo shoot (I still don't understand how you would go about creating a giant bee). It was lovely to appreciate his work in a larger scale and off the magazine pages. For further reading of what all the fuss is about, visit his website here.

For more visual treats we wandered to see the little Su Blackwell 'Sleeping Beauty' exhibition at the Kings Road Anthropologie. I had never been before and I can finally understand the Anthropologie hype, it was so beautifully curated, far beyond what you would expect from such a shop. It made me very proud to have my work selling in there...

 After a tiring morning's exploring, we treated ourselves to tea in the Rose Bakery at the top of Dover Street Market where we sat and listened to the fashion types' chit chat over the perfect pot of tea. Worth a visit, even if a scone was pretty much all I could afford in there...

Recent Commissions...

I thought I would share some snippets of some rather nice projects that I've been asked to do this year...

The above commission was a delightful birth announcement, screenprinted A6 notecards in peachy rose. 

Below is a personalised version of one of my fold out invitations, that I screenprinted a set of for a Naming Ceremony...all commissions welcome, just drop me an email with your idea at hoorayfor(at)alicegabb.com

Little Thing Magazine.

So here it is, four pages of me and my studio at home for the lovely Little Thing Magazine! All photographed by Jas Tang (she is amazing). I only wish I could read the nonsense that I probably came out with...

The W.I. Wardrobe.

If you're around the East this Saturday get yourself down to Birthdays (below Rita's Dining) for the marvellous Dalston Darlings' W.I. Wardrobe Sale. I have only been a member for a few months, long enough to marvel at the consistently stylish numbers that they all sport at every meeting. As well as vintage treasures, there will be high end designer gems AND homemade cakes and delicious treats. Most importantly they are raising money for a fantastic local charity Nia: Ending Violence Against Women. 

Go and have a rummage... 

Stepney Green Design Collection.

This month I have been commissioned by the lovely Katie Antoniou for Vivo, to create a piece for their  Stepney Green Design Collection in the beautiful art deco Genesis Cinema. There's some lovely work there from Petra Storrs amongst many others, all available to view from the 25th October until the end of December.

The drawers were another piece of treasure that I found at Old Spitalfields Market, and they are filled with an assortment of my own handprinted stationery, and some of my most prized possessions from my ever expanding vintage stationery collection. Each draw is filled with carefully placed nostalgic items, some admittedly completely obsolete, but that will hopefully lure you into the mood to brighten someone's day with a letter. And just to remind you of how it's done, the rather excellent, 'Pocket Book of Etiquette' is there to steer you in the right direction.

This Saturday!

A Most Curious Wedding Fair.

On Saturday 6th October I will be taking part in the wonderful Most Curious Wedding Fairs at York Hall, Bethnal Green. It will be my first wedding fair so I am really nervous, and squirrelling away finalising my designs. I will have a grand mix of all my stationery formats, all tailored for the most stylish of weddings, handprinted in Dalston. A few of the exhibitors are listed here, I'm particularly enjoying I Like Pens's lovely work. 

If you happen to stop by do come and say hello, I will be the one shaking.

A London Style Guide.

I have recently received some lovely copies of this new book to sell at my stall on Broadway Market, where I have been featured fiddling over pen nib boxes. It is such a nice surprise seeing where photographs end up, and this book has not disappointed...in fact, I can't stop reading it and making notes as to where to visit next. As a loyal creature of the east, it is luring me further afield already, with its sophisticated photography and well selected eateries, I am already working my way through the long lists.

Available to buy here.

Company Magazine.

It seems Broadway Market's getting all the attention these days (rightfully so), so here I am in August's Company Magazine....I am not entirely sure what I was doing when this was taken....!
I have to say while I'm on the subject, that Company Magazine has got GAAAAME. With a neat new size and swish matt paper, it seems that employing London's fashion bloggers to contribute has worked an absolute treat. I'm still reading my way through....

I also have to give credit to Clobber where I bought that dress from. They are one of my favourite vintage shops and you can visit the seaside while you're at it......


P.S. Please excuse my mini interview, it has been edited by the powers that be.....

A Little Feature.

Here I am in Marie Claire, Australia! I was very surprised when an Australian tourist recognised my stall at Broadway market from June's edition...and I have finally tracked it down....

Thank you Marie Claire Magazine x

A New Stockist.

Here is my work on the shelves of Anthropologie, London. A selection of four of my hand printed stationery products have found their way to the Regent Street and Kings Road stores, and I was so pleased to see how nicely they had been displayed in their marvellous stationery department!

Betty Magazine Launch.

Hooray for Betty Magazine! Issue 2 was launched at the Lomography Store in Spitalfields last week, and we were spoilt with endless Pick'n'Mix and cake pops and delightful Malibu cocktails...not only were we visually treated by the lovely surroundings, but we were played a little set by Peter and Kerry. 


The magazine itself is full of lovely features, great work from Calico Melton as lead illustrator... Broadway Market has its own double page and the crafty Dalston Darlings have their say too. I have even already tried out some of the tasty recipes and recommendations....


Thank you to Charlotte, hostess with the mostess and editor...


Make sure you get your copy here.

Once Wed Magazine.

 Hooray for Once Wed Magazine! After a wonderfully inspiring blog, it has finally transitioned into print, and I was fortunate enough to be asked to contribute with my wedding stationery. It is filled with stunning photography, framed only by white space and minimal text. It makes even my cynical self want to start making colour schemes and start back combing my hair for my imaginary big day....

Happy Menocal's beautiful illustrations were also featured, I recommend a visit to her website here.

The Diamond Jubilee.

Well it's been a long time since my last post, but things have been very busy running up to the Jubilee! My Royal candles have been selling quicker than I can make them at Broadway Market, and to mark the wondrous occasion I was asked to have a stall at the Diamond Jubilee Festival at Battersea Park. 

The atmosphere was still marvellous despite the rain, and I would like to say thank you to all the lovely customers and friends who kept me going throughout the day, I was stuffed with cucumber sandwiches and cheese and pineapple sticks, and the candles were still selling even when they were eventually sat in puddles on my stall! I loved seeing so many of my favourite sellers there, including Hunted and Stuffed and many others in the excellently curated Vintage Village, Elle and the Pocket Belles, and my favourite Brass Roots kept me moving around with their jazzy music.

Hemingway and team did an incredible job putting on such an amazing event for 90, 000 people, I'm very sad that I cant make it to their Vintage Festival this year...

Creatures What Live in the Country.

Over the past month I have been taking occasional trips to the deepest depths of the countryside in Hampshire to complete a very special commission; painting frames around these Victorian taxidermy beasts in the grand dining room. There are eight boxes in total, with varying species, from a bittern, to penguins, to albino pheasants, my brief being to 'jolly the place up a bit'. Unfortunately the light in the room has meant poor and limited documentation, but I hope you enjoy these snippets, sadly they don't convey the stunningly high ceilings and beautiful textiles. Some of the frames are adorned with sleeping badgers, quail babies, a fox and a rather regal pheasant, the largest box being over a metre wide.

So thank you very much to the lovely family who let me take a paintbrush to their walls, of the most incredible house I have ever set foot in, I hope all their dining room occasions are more merry from now onwards.