Of recent.

I've been totally into my work still since my postcard project, really enjoying (long may it last!) I've been able to get so much inspiration from just 20 days of work, and have been busy since tweaking and dreaming up what to turn these into...my favourite part. It was a great way to work- sometimes I feel like my brain is so far ahead of things materializing, it was the perfect kick start. 

Here are some photos from recently...I'm trying to keep up posting on here more regularly!

We had a super busy but really nice Easter with two lots of visitors, so I found myself doing my Helsinki tour which is pretty perfect by now (If you're wondering what the heck I'm doing in Finland, see here and keep up!) It was also the perfect excuse to do some of the museums & galleries we haven't mooched around yet, so I'm feeling pretty cultured...

We also saw the sea for the 1st time since being here. Until now, it's been frozen solid enough to walk all over, which has been fun to stomp across the lots of tiny islands and take a gazillion photos! I've never properly lived by the sea before (except for at uni). It's pretty breath-taking and makes you feel quite small. Missing the little seaside villages and towns of the UK though- no fish n' chips to be found here...unless you want some slimy salmon. Not quite the same!

Anyway, I was thinking I should do my own version of my Helsinki tour on here, with all the design finds and good eateries I've discovered for you to share if you fancy a visit to Finland...I will when I have a mo...

Here's some worky bits...

Back soon with new product news and Stephanie Cole tours! X

Answers on a postcard.

Hi! Hope you all had a nice Easter? Mine was a busy one with family from the UK visiting Finland to see us, lots of walking & plenty of eating as usual. Lovely. We're still getting such bright, sunny days here which I'm thrilled about, and even caught our 1st glimpse of the sea this weekend! (It's been solid enough to walk on-and still is in places. Will never get over that!) Feels like Spring is on the way here...

Here's the last lot of postcards from my 20 day drawing project.

Day 14:

Sometimes when I have no inspiration of what to draw, a quote will spark off something...(& painting my nails & a cup of tea!)

Day 15:

Today is day 15, and I'm thinking of spring at home in the UK...though hear it's not too spring-like at present there either... grumble grumble...here's some sheep!

Day 16:

A fox in some brambles. 

Day 17:

Some nice spring flowers after a sunny day here walking across the frozen sea.

Day 18:

Today is another lounging pet, there's quite a series of them now! This is a nice Airedale, I've always fancied one of them. Have you ever considered getting a portrait of a pet done? How about if he/she was on a nice rug?

Day 19:

Happy Easter one & all!

Day 20:

The last day of my project, another chinese proverb saves the day after a chocolate fueled weekend!

Feeling almost a little exhausted mentally from the strain of picking something to draw each day...but have so enjoyed. You see, for a creative person not able to convey this brewing urge is the death of all deaths. Slightly dramatic, yes, but I felt like a nomad after a month of not feeling much like drawing when I moved here...what.do.i.do? (Cue complete identity-crises-designer-strop) My fella deserves a gold star for bravery...and patience.

But I think it was worth it. Anyone who has followed my work will see it's pretty different now from this time last year. This has been the perfect time to start over, and like I've said before- learn from what I'd do differently from the first time around. That's not to say I'd change anything I've already done...it's just been almost like a social experiment to see what I would come up with here... 

The darkness and cold has brought out a load of colour I'd always been a bit afraid of using before at home in the Cotswolds (a bit of a Farrow-&-Ball-green / chicken bubble of a place!) 
I used a lot of colour before at uni doing Surface Pattern Design, where I had the time of my life. I also remember a day a visiting lecturer came in, who owned a fashion print house in London. On looking at my work, and then looking at me, she asked why a girl wearing a violet tie dye top was trying to be so un-feminine and graphic in her work. That really bothered me at the time, though now looking at something that's come straight from me, naturally, I realize & can come to terms with the fact- I am a girly girl. There, I said it...I will paint flowers & whales if I feel like it!

Go over to my facebook page & vote for your favourites! I love to hear what you think :) 

S X

Postcard project continues...

Hi!

I'm on day#13 of my drawing project now, and I've managed to keep them up each day...time is flying since starting, and i'm finding it interesting (and pretty pressurized!) to see just what I draw. The timescale is good too- normally I would mull over a design for a fair while and re-tweak (or normally totally scrap it!) but there is no time for that, oh no! That's quite scary for me, as having to put something out on the internet to be judged daily feels pretty brave...so here they are if you haven't been catching them on my facebook page each day as I post them...

Would love to hear what you think! 

Day 7

Day 8

He looks a bit storybook, but is actually terrifying...! The national animal of Finland, though I haven't seen any yet...where are you hiding?

Day 9

A nice plant who's shacked up with us & a small tile from a good friend back home...been sticking all my postcards on our wall, they're growing slowly each day like our own mini exhibition!

Day 10

This one is for explorers...

Day 11

Today I bring to the table a rather psychedelic whale...a combination perhaps of too much coffee/David Bowie/sledging today...!

Day 12

Fans of Day3/4 will be pleased- more lounging pets! Not sure if I would let a cat snuggle into my welsh blanket...probably would...

Day 13

I reckon fans of Day2 will particularly like this one? I've been painting them all in gouache & watercolours, in case anyone's interested! Hope you like it, this has eased the shopping urges I've had today...mildly!

Been so enjoying doing these, I think I might draw postcards forever! 

Back with future postcards soon! 

S X

A postcard round up.

Hey! 

It's day #6 of my postcard project and I've been religiously drawing away each day, so thought I'd update the situation on here in case you had missed them on facebook ,where I've been uploading them each day. 

Being just over a quarter of the way through my 20 days is pretty daunting but I'm really enjoying drawing regularly and the response from you all. It's amazing how easily I feel I've slipped into it when I was finding it so hard to draw anything I was ok with since we moved to Finland. Perhaps the pressure of having to produce something to show, or the smaller area, or it naturally came back? Who knows. Most hard is deciding on what to draw that day, but it will be nice to look back and decipher how I felt each day and what I was thinking about...

I've written in the commentary too so you get the background story. Let me know what you think!

Day 1

A guy we saw on the way back from the supermarket the other night.

Day 2

I have been reading a MARIMEKKO magazine I picked up this sunny morning, it's very nicely printed onto some newsprint & full of nice things...

Day 3

Blue skies have inspired a good dose of some colour, but I miss my beautiful orange friend at home...

Day 4

A fellow carpet appreciator, as yesterday, though I don't think they'd share...

Day 5

Down at the beach here in Espoo, Finland. I can't wait until the snow has melted & I can see what this place really looks like.

Day 6

 I had to tell myself this a lot when I arrived here with my two suitcases...! (You might recognize the birds from the cardboard pair I posted a pic of a while ago? They're still up as a reminder of how far we've got since!)

This is what I was on about- I made them from cardboard boxes we'd acquired through moving before we had any internet and I had to wait in for our washing machine to be delivered! 

They're all rather different, but I kind of like that. I've used Indian ink, white acrylic ink, watercolour & gouache paint...my art supplies are finally replenishing themselves here! Would love to hear if you've got a fav?? 

Back soon! X

A personal project.

Today I decided to start up a small personal challenge: I give to you 'The 20 day Postcard Project!'

Each day I will draw onto a postcard, simple as that. The idea is to get me drawing again regularly- what with the move and a hellofalot of new information to take on board, my creativity has been a little stumped of recent. Even with the numerous amount of new galleries and exhibitions I've visited in Helsinki and hours I've spend trawling the web for divine inspiration, I haven't felt happy with anything I've done myself...is there such thing as creative overload? I think a total  blank canvas here has got me thinking too hard about what I want to do now...

A postcard is rather less intimidating & throw-away than a hefty sketchbook full of blank pages, where each to me feels as important as the last visually- massive pressure! It's also a lot smaller format than I'd normally work on, which will be interesting...and less chance I'll get bored half way through the work! 

Today was Day 1, here's a guy we saw on the way back from the supermarket the other night.

I used ink & pen. Would love to hear what you think of bits, I'll be posting new work everyday on my facebook page & will round it up every so often on here. Excited about the project already! 

S X

Monday confessions...

I confess, after swearing to write more often, quite the opposite has happened, and now 3ish months later I don't even know where to start. Those that follow me on facebook will be fully aware of my gallivanting, as is a little easier to keep on top of regularly I find. But for those of you who don't, I'm sorry to keep you in the lurch. Here it is: 

I moved to Finland on December 28th with my lovely animating fella who landed a job here, and I decided to come along too. We had about 2 weeks to decide, pack and get on the plane, and aside from having to give up my job and say a brave goodbye to friends and family, it was a fairly easy decision- I love to travel and with Helsinki earning it's World Design Capital last year, how exactly could I not??

Good news is, my Etsy shop is still open for business & shipping hasn't changed as is still posted from the UK, hurrah! I really look forwards to trying out some new work too- it's the perfect opportunity to do exactly what I'd like to do now, and scratch up on things I would've done differently the 1st time around. Lucky me!

It hasn't all been plain sailing, I miss home a lot and am so impatient with being able to get on with my work here. With two suitcases of belongings each to bring, I made the hard decision of what exactly I couldn't live without for now...strangely cleansing really! Another obvious change is the temperature- we've had it as cold as -28C, a little nippy to say the least! It was funny to watch facebook's reaction as the snow settled in back at home last month...! We are looking forwards to the midnight sun come the summer, see below. We will certainly deserve it!

Finland - Land of the Midnight Sun from Flatlight Films on Vimeo.

Here's some of my photos from so far...

Here's me in my two coats walking across the sea (will never get over being able to walk on the frozen Baltic!)

Days like these are so good for the soul, the light is incredible

No, I haven't done this yet! Nutters.

Such an amazing, different place to exist. We have a tiny but perfect studio flat looking out across snowy pine trees, I could watch them sway all day...

Will write with news soon, promise! X

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