Rock Scissor Paper Tea Towels

Sisters Susie and Heidi Bauer were inspired by the pop culture and mass-produced items they grew up with in 1960s California, and this has formed the basis of their design company Rock Scissor Paper.

Rock Sissor Paper produces a wonderful range of stationery and homeware, including a selection of cheerful tea towels, featuring prints in teal, orange and lime. The ‘Tree’ tea towel is particularly lovely and reminiscent of Orla Kiely’s prints.

They are available to buy individually for $14 (approximately £7) or $39 (£20) for a set of three. Further details can be found on the Rock Scissor Paper website.

70s Fashion: Vintage Fashion and Beauty Ads

It is all too easy to look back at the past with an air of sneering superiority especially where advertising is concerned. Old advertisements are often considered to be naïve and unsophisticated by modern standards. However, this book, 70s Fashion: Vintage Fashion and Beauty Ads, proves that is not necessarily the case and that advertising as we now know it really began in the 1970s.

Admittedly, with the benefit of hindsight, an endorsement of Dingo Leather boots by OJ Simpson with the line “Like OJ, we always mean what we say” will raise a wry smile or two, but there is plenty more to this book. Advertisements for long-forgotten brands like Hubba Hubba dresses and Pachouli Cologne, can be found alongside classic Adidas, Converse and Levi. The Levi models wearing high-waisted, wide-legged jeans actually wouldn’t look out of place in this season’s fashion spreads.

Besides the hundred plus glossy pictures, the book also has an excellent introduction (in English, German and French!), which places the fashions and advertisements in context in relation to music, film and the wider culture.

You can buy this book new from Amazon for £4.49 or even cheaper from their marketplace sellers.

BMW launches Mini Clubman - the luggage-friendly Mini

Following in the tradition of the original Mini, BMW has launched a luggage-friendly version of the car under the previously-used Mini Clubman name.

It hits the UK on November 10th, with a choice of three models and allsorts of colour combinations, all packing a vertically split tailgate, a single rear-hinged door and of course, more length along with more legroom in the back compared to the standard Mini. The boot has 260 litres of luggage space, increasing to 930 litres when the seats are flattened, while the engines are claimed to be cleaner and quicker than previous Mini engines and the suspension is a little bit firmer.

Prices have also been announced - the Cooper Clubman costs £14,235, the Cooper D is £15,400 and the Cooper S is £17,210. That's just over £1,000 more than the standard Mini for each model.

Get an interactive tour at the BMW MIni website

Karlsson Vintage Dome clock

Karlsson has done some interesting and indeed cheap retro-styled items in the past - and they're at it again with this Karlsson Vintage Dome clock.

Available in three colours (orange, black and white), it has a glass face and polished steel 3D numbers, with the clock sized at around 35cm.

Powered by a single battery, it sells for £30.

Find out more at the Utility Design website

Georg Jensen Mosaic cufflinks

I'm a fan of Georg Jensen designs - stylish and minimalist, they're almost timeless and certainly a good investment. But these Georg Jensen Mosaic cufflinks by Magnus Steffensen break that mould a little.

Yes, there's a splash of colour, creating a retro-style design that's a little bit op art or indeed, a little bit like a mosaic tile or table. The cufflinks are made from sterling silver with an enamel design in a range of colours.

And of course, they're not cheap, with prices around the £175 mark. Then again, everyone needs at least one pair of good cufflinks.

Find out more at the George Jensen website