hello winter.

Hi-O,

I've been a little slow on the up keep, but there's been new things happening I'd like to tell you about! 

I've become a fully fledged Pinterest addict, so if you're into that you can follow my favourite bits here. For visual, creative people it's just a dream and so inspiring...

There's also loads of new bits in the shop, a lot of which are one-offs so once they're gone, they're really gone. Perfect as special handmade gifts to friends & fam for our impending C******** time...! Have a look here.

Hand painted wooden snow globe brooches with bronze chain and freshwater pearl, perfect all winter long for years to come. THREE different designs, 'Deer', 'Cabin' & 'Skyscape'. See them all here

Microwavable pocket hand warmers, hand printed and made with linen, British tweed, wheat & rosemary- great for nippy walks & achy joints!

Festive & not so festive cards...

I'd really like to hear what you think of things?

A-side from that I have been kept busy with my art technician job in college and my birthday, which was enjoyed with plenty of wonderful people, food & fireworks. I was spoilt...love having my birthday around bonfire night, it feels a little like everyone's celebrating. I reached the quarter century mark- not sure when that happened. I really thought I'd be sorted by now...!

I was given a really beautiful moth necklace made by Elaine Day, a member in the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen I'm involved with. I've always liked moths, they're sort of the 'under dog' of the insecty world, in the shadow of butterflies but beautiful & mysterious in their own winged way! I always prefer something someone has made, I think I'll wear it everyday.

 Speak soon, keep warm X

Autumn underway.

WOW, where did time go since my last post here...? (seems to be a similar start to most of my posts nowadays-slaps wrist) 

I have been super busy, the art technician job I took for some extra pocket is taking much of my time, though am enjoying the problem-solving satisfaction & physical side of it (never was going to be one to sit behind a desk) And, for now I am spending lots more of my precious time making exactly what I fancy...and completely ignoring my neglected pile of admin, gulp.

Last week I organised a student trip to the Knitting & Stitching show at Alexandra Palace, and was by far the most excited. Some impressive stitchery to be seen, here's some of that:

Tilleke Schwarz

Diem Chau

Alice Kettle

Surjeet Husain

I did a lot of embroidery on my degree so it was bitter-sweet for me as I'd love to pick it up again. Maybe I'll show you some one day...

In the rest of the time, we've been enjoying some newly acquired National Trust membership which has filled our weekends with nice days out, tea & cake and pretending we live in these amazing places! Young persons membership is a snip and I'd say we got our money's worth already. Recommended.  

Promise to try writing more often, been working on some nice bits & pieces!

S X

 

 

Of late.

At last! Some sunshine, I am rather pleased. Though it's a bit stifling to work in, it's a lot easier to get out of bed.

There's around a week left of my exhibition in Painswick, Gloucestershire with The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen, ending on the 26th August. It's open daily from 10-5 so pop by if you can make it- there's some great work in there including stuff by local students.

I particularly like Lucy Rolfe's silk scarves...

There's also some new bits added to my Etsy shop including the likes of The Fig print, a make-your-own butterfly garland for idle hands and printed, embroidered lavender pillows to grace your halls! Have a gander. 

I myself am gearing up to start as art technician at my old college and also the start of some exciting, larger new work fingers crossed. Will of course keep you posted X

summer.

Wow, it seems I went into hibernation a little with all that foul weather- I haven't posted in ages. Hibernation is perhaps the wrong term to use, maybe just an unsocialable-hermit-like lull. After all, I have had an exhibition at Craft in the Bay, in Cardiff Bay for a couple of months, been working on some branding for a shop, done a couple of personal commissions for big birthdays and some new projects of my own too, which you'll hear about soon! 

I also went to a beautiful wedding in the Royal Chapel in Windsor and have swapped my 'bread and butter' job for a new art technician role at my old college too- just to ease the burden of an artist existence! So it's all change here.

Just would like to share a few things happening:The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen's anticipated summer exhibition is upon us again from 4th-26th of August in Painswick, Gloucestershire. You can catch my work amongst lots of other local handmade treasures so jot it down and venture over! The show is open 10 - 5 daily.

Some other sneak previews...soft, newly sourced leather to be made into cases for my illustrated pocket mirrors- these are going to be beauties! Also sneak peaks from my summer exhibition and a snippet from the commission I've been working on...

Now I'm off to cook dinner (breading my own parmesan chicken with basil & caper sauce in case you were interested!) and will then sit down and see what this large sporting event has to offer...as I'm perhaps the most unsporting person in the country I doubt I'll watch any more than the opening ceremony, but am quite interested to see what Danny can pull out of the bag!

Have a lovely weekend! S X

Big numbers & new bits.

Hope your weekends were good? My mum reached the respectable half century mark so I put on a modest little party, (she's determined no one will know!) and we spent a lovely afternoon / evening eating in the garden (thankfully, it didn't rain.) SO much food.

www.coburgbakery.co.uk

The amazing scribed bread came courtesy of Bristol based Coburg Bakery, who also do a weekly run of incredible flavoured breads you can have delivered locally. Bread heaven.

I've also added a few new bits to the shop that I've been working on, would love to know what you think. I myself took this tote on holidays and can vouch for its handiness & strength, plus I still love it- always a good sign!

Have also been busy working on more personalised art prints, some branding for a newly opened shop and personalised napkins for a wedding on Fire Island, New York. Will of course keep you posted! X

 

Hello June.

Cripes, where on earth did May go!? Sorry to come back to a rather neglected blog, May was a busy one with Rapture & Wright's open day, my Tetbury exhibition and several stalls at various countryside locations- thanks to everyone who came along! I then buggered off for a couple of weeks- well deserved, a good month I'd say! Here are some of my travelling snaps before we get to more EXCITING and important things. Perhaps these will warm the cockles in this revolting weather...?

I went to Rhodes, came home for a friend's wedding then went to Kalkan, Turkey, if anyone's interested. Absolutely beautiful & totally rested :) 

 

Before I left, I also got together a nice parcel of new things to send to Cardiff's 'Craft in the Bay' for a guest exhibition with The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen, including a NEW 'location' print tea towel and art print, apron and tote bag. It's well worth a trip, though I'll be slowly putting new bits in my Etsy shop along the way. The exhibition runs from June 2nd until July 31st, so you have no excuse, especially if you haven't been to Cardiff Bay before- it's really lovely for a wander and a coffee or see something showing at the spectacular Millennium Centre...

As always tea towels are hand screen printed and designed by me in the UK onto quality linen union. More new things to come, keep an eye out & happy weekend! X

April showers.

Hi All! Just a few bits and pieces coming up to let you know about...

Open studios at Rapture & Wright, Sunday 6th May 2012

The studios will be open for having a nosey alongside my work, remnants sale, beautiful open gardens and teas served all day.  A rare opportunity to see where the British made interior fabrics are created...

Open 10am-5pm Grange Farm, Evenlode, Gloucestershire

www.raptureandwright.co.uk

Also in Tetbury, Gloucestershire 9th-13th May 2012...

It was my turn to design the flier for the event, here it is!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, I'm off with the girls on my very first hen party- we're staying in a caravan in Devon for the weekend and should expect plenty of cream teas and surfing, my kind of hen party! X

Round up.

Hi All, a rather sporadic round-up of newsy bits to keep in touch, I'm not entirely sure where the weeks go to!

I have added a few more events you can catch me at this year to the website; love it when these kick in as it means spring is finally here after a long, slow and rather isolated winter in the studio, it's nice to say 'hello' to people again as I re-emerge, blinking like a mole...! Get them in your diary.

There's a new tea towel! This time one of my map series is Tetbury, the 'little London' and antiques capital of the Cotswolds...

A bit of spring for your kitchen! The tea towel runs alongside an exhibition I have my work in with The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen in May, which I will surely nudge you about a bit closer to the time.

In other news...

• I have a new stockist, the fabulous 'Made in Stroud', in Gloucestershire. Pop in on a Saturday morning and witness the best Farmer's Market in the UK (Pippin doughnuts, hot local apple juice and a proper sausage are a must!) Our favourite thing to do..

• Map bunting I made for a clients friend's 30th Birthday. The beauty is she can take out the '30th' for other 'happy birthdays' or flip it to reverse for some pretty map print bunting in her home...versatile or what!

• My entries for a curator friend's exhibition, 'Best of British' to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It's open to everyone so get involved, kids included (and most importantly!) Simply draw your 'best of British' onto a postcard and send it in, only the cost of the stamp is needed and your artwork will be in the exhibition and possibly even a book or stamp... http://bestofbritainsubmissions.tumblr.com/ for more details.

•  I was lucky enough to do New Design magazine's 'Passionate about' feature, my chosen subject being 'hand made' of course! 

Last but not least, I posted this to my facebook page a couple of weeks ago so apologise if you have already seen this, but it's worth a watch if you haven't! A short film showing how the company I print for, Rapture & Wright, screen print their beautiful British fabric.

They have an open studio & gardens weekend on Sunday 6th May, 10am- 4pm at Grange Farm, Evenlode, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 0NT, a rare opportunity to see what goes on there...

That's enough for now, sorry for the information overload! X

In Bruges.

Today I'm doing zombie jobs as I rejuvenate from a (very) long weekend in Belgium, where we hopped on the Eurostar to explore Bruges, Antwerp & Brussels. The change of scene was just what I needed, love visiting Europe, although am a little overdosed on trains, chips (the best ever with plenty of mayo) and chocolate (also the best ever!) It looked a bit like this:

Also got to visit one of my very favourite interior design companies, Emery & Cie who I blogged about back in September, here. Their colour arrangements are just mind blowing-ly amazing; I need a house like this...

Now back to work! x

The new nautical.

New A3 sized art prints have landed in the shop, and although I painted these with the sea in mind there's something a bit more biological and sophisticated to these Crustacea...

Part of a new range of prints based on curiosities, inspired by biological drawings and Victorian diagrams, these prints would add drama and intrigue to any dining space or kitchen. Digitally printed onto a quality heavy weight textured paper, these are definitely 'the new nautical'. Get them here.

With love.

It is the day before Valentines, and though I'm rather 'valentines-schmalentines' about the whole thing I thought I'd best make my contribution! I've never been a red rose and chocolates kind of girl, and would much rather be wooed by these finds...

Balloons Geronimo, Flowers Saipua, Kitty Old World Primitives

We 'celebrated' at the weekend just gone as we work away during the week- in reality, true love is a giant cupcake, a trip to IKEA and an all-you-can-eat 700 seater restaurant; and I've never been happier! My parents are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary tomorrow, (along with every other loved-up couple, bad decision folks!) That's pretty good going, I'd be rather happy with that...

Chocolate sponge, peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache & maltesers...bit good

On a not so soppy, business note- I give you the long awaited Diamond Jubilee tea towel to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne; hand illustrated by me and screen printed and made in the UK. A slice of British heritage, grab yourself some memorabilia and start stringing up the bunting!

Whatever you're up to tomorrow, it's just another day to show the people you love you care, just as every day should be...(now pass the bucket!) X

For luck...

New in the shop- hand printed 'for luck' cards, featuring a horse shoe and a couple of shamrocks for some extra luck! I hand carved and printed these beauts with a deep turquoise water based ink onto a nice textured watercolour paper (fabriano in case you'd like to know...)

Live on the art of writing, we all know how exciting it is to receive something other than a bill through the door! Let someone know you're thinking of them and send some luck their way...

Also thought I'd share some of my recent favourites on Etsy, where I sell my bits. If you haven't taken a look through the things they have to offer from all over the globe, you're certainly missing out- plus you can find handmade lovelies to do with just about anything on there, even for the hardest person to buy for!


S x

Happy weekend!

The week has flown, and that's really not allowed to happen when I need to squeeze so much into it! This week I've been working on some exciting jubilee ideas, soon to be revealed...

...a friend's wedding invites (see the sweet little fabric trees; she's getting married in the forest and I can't wait!) We've sat down and looked through so many invite ideas together, seen so many smart, same-old designs and decided that these handmade ones would reflect the day perfectly; casual, relaxed and fun- plus it's been lovely to have a few evenings of glueing and snipping and getting excited about the big day! (except for one evening we spent coaxing the missing kitten down from a tree with a rather large ladder & a torch...) Anyway.

Some new art prints made their way into the shop, a limited edition lino cut of my Singer sewing machine design after a few requests from the tote bag fans, and also my large archival Cirencester print ready to grace your walls...

There have also been several hours staring blankly at Pantone charts, an enjoyable exhibition over at The Brewery Arts by The Oxford Printmakers, and a bit of painting. That's a general round-up, more soon! Tomorrow it's 'bring your boyfriend to work day' as we're off to Rapture & Wright (where I print for a few days of the week) to shoot a 'behind the scenes' video of what goes on and how their beautiful fabrics are created- will share with you when it's polished up and in its full glory! 

Have a lovely weekend! S x

Spring...

Another nice surprise- I am page 131 of Etsy's Spring Look Book for this year! Have a browse through and you'll be sure to come across some lovely new bits, as well as a couple of interesting reads from designer makers towards the back...So exciting to see what people are up to in this miserable climate (financially- today's a beautiful bright day here!) X

Open publication - Free publishing - More 2012

A nice start to 2012...

A very (belated) happy new year to you all! Hope Christmas was relaxing as it could've been; mine was spent with family playing Scrabble, eating far too much and a good stomp in the countryside before a nice quiet week in Wales around new year...feels like a long time ago already!

I'm back in the office sorting mostly my first tax return out, (oh, the glamour) though my day was saved yesterday when I heard I'd been included in Channel 4's list of 'top 10' makers to watch and invest in for 2012 on Folksy! Such amazing, exciting news, totally ready for 2012 now after my slow crawl into the new year! 


Lots of things to report to you in January, it's turning out to be quite a busy month which is surprising so will keep you posted as bits evolve...This is a small sneak snippet of a 40th birthday commission I did for a client's best friend just before Christmas...

It ended up being nick-named 'the love token' and was so beautifully thought through, with just about every important aspect of my client's friends life entwined together including places she'd lived, first cars,the names of her children and husband and other bits and pieces along the way. It was printed absolutely huge and was so lovely to work on, especially before Christmas when we all need reminding of the important things in life! 


I'd love to do more personalized illustrations like this, I'm thinking wedding presents, retirement gifts and 'big' birthdays. Interpreting and digesting photos and information that people have given me to work with is a nice challenge and I end up feeling like I know these people inside out! ...is that a little too creepy...?! 

So...back to the book keeping. May all your wishes and dreams come true this year, make it a good one! X