A few words from Rob Mansfield

This remarkable chess set was designed by a guy called Dave Pickett and is actually made out of skeleton keys.

They’re all brass – one set is sandblasted, while the other has a liver sulphur patina.

I’ve been a huge chess fan since I was first taught it by my next-door neighbour Martin, when I was just three!

For many years, I travelled around London at weekends playing chess tournaments to a very high standard.

I was lucky enough to be coached by an international master called Nigel Povah and for a while, I lived and breathed chess, with all its endless variations of the Ruy Lopez and the Sicilian.

Needless to say, the call of a social life meant that my obsession with the game faded away as I got older.

Of course, it could just be that I heard George Bernard Shaw’s famous quote about chess and saw the light: “Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever, when they are only wasting their time.”

I do still love the game, though, and once I no longer have children rampaging around the house, I would love to have on display a hand-carved set I bought in Russia.

I love cookie cutters and these look fab. They’re made by graphic designer Beverly Hsu and Helvetica font cookie cutters.

Lovely idea!

Came across the wonderful world of Percy Gloom today, created by Cathy Malkasian, the creative force and brains behind the wonderful Rugrats.

Among the various curios on Percy’s site is the Goat’s Solstice Song – as most people know, twice a year goats from around the world get together and sing choral music that echoes the solstice theme.

Curious – go to the Goat Song on Percy Gloom and have a listen for yourself.

I’ve always loved teapots. In fact, the whole process of making tea is something I really enjoy and the art of producing a good cuppa seems to be disappearing rapidly.

As a kid, we always used proper tea leaves and a tea strainer. Always warmed the pot first and made sure the tea cosy got stuck on top to keep the resulting liquid warm.

I don’t think I ever used a teabag until I was about 16 and even though I totally understand the convenience of them now, I get a pang of nostalgia when I go to a proper tea shop and am served with a proper pot of tea.

Seeing the design of the Sorapot is actually quite exciting. The fact that someone’s bothered to put their design abilities into making something that is effectively an anachronism makes me warm inside.

It’s obviously a teapot, yet it’s also a piece of art in its own way.

If you’re intrigued by the Sorapot, then this video will explain how it works in a bit more detail.

Sorapot instructions from Joey Roth on Vimeo.

As for me, I think i’m going to be heading off to the supermarket for some proper loose tea after work!