february funk...

Been feeling the February blues this past few weeks, I've had plenty of stuff to be getting on with but just haven't been able to muster up the enthusiasm to just get on with it! All I've wanted to do is pull the covers back over my head and sleep until the grey and drizzle has disappeared, could take a while in England... So I'm off to make a cup of tea in the hopes that it may perk up my spirits, tea cures everything don't you know?

&...

I had a flurry of inspiration the other evening after discovering this print on the keep calm gallery site. I'm a total typography freak, I love anything that has different or quirky lettering on it and Douglas Wilson's print inspired me to try making patterns just solely using an ampersand. I am amazed just how different the results are from font to font! Some work better than others of course...what do you think?

littletree makes...a bow brooch

This little brooch started out life as two hair grips from H&M. I'd been wanting to get a fabric brooch or corsage to wear on the many blazer jackets I own and so I decided to give up the hunt and make my own! The hardest part was deciding which ribbon and button combination I was going to use, I think the preppy navy and red with the denim worked a treat!

cushions!

How cute is the fabric I found for my cushions? And the colour that completly matches my bargin Ikea chair? A whole £1.50 from a local charity shop, it was the perfect size for the two cushions I had so no waste either. My little workstation has come together quite nicely I think!

Birthday Cards

I have been really lucky that there have been so many people in need of birthday cards in the last month! These are some of the designs I have come up with for various friends and family, it's been good to have a  deadline to work towards rather than my own 'finish it when I want to' motto that I usually work to!

Web Wonders - Adore Home Magazine

I couldn't believe this wonderful site! Adore Home is a new Australian magazine that's completely online. I found it as a recommendation through blog site skinny laminx, who's own blog/website is also a little treasure in itself! I am so glad that such a thing exists, a totally online magazine, not a preview or few select pages, a whole magazine some 120 odd pages long! It's super simple to use, there are some amazing ideas and recipes, plus it's the London edition showcasing some great British design talent.

kooky birds

Think I have finally finished tweaking (tweeting?) with these little birdies, this has been a project I have been working on for a while so I thought I would share some of the collection with you. I may come back to them as they definitely have the potential for some birthday/christmas card designs.

Etsy Finds - curious doodles

Wandering around Etsy this evening I came across some lovely prints from the shop of curious doodles. I love the graphic patterns and coral/turquoise colour palette. In particular these four art prints on birch wood. I am also loving these quirky card designs using text shortcuts and the cards with phrases stitched into them.

Check out her blog as well, also a treasure chest of inspirational finds and she has just set off on a 6 month journey around the world! I'm sure it will mean some fab posts from all those exotic places, I'm definitely going to be checking in regularly! For now I am off to browse holiday websites as I'm very jealous and in desperate need of a holiday...

Lists...

Spent the weekend at work which is always a joy, so on my lunch break I started a list of things that I needed to get done to kick start this 'new beginning'. Some things are relatively small like organising my workspace, others a little more advanced such as starting a website or getting an agent...so no pressure! I have some leftover holiday to take in the coming weeks so hopefully I can tackle some of the smaller tasks, designing birthday cards for friends and making some cushions for my new desk chair, which I will hopefully be able to share with you if I can master this blog technology lark!

New beginnings...

Right...its the beginning of a new year (well almost it is still January!) and the beginning of a new part of my life. I have decided to try and get my design work out there in the world and hopefully make some sort of living from it. I want to think of this space as a never-ending scrapbook that I can fill with design ideas, images, photographs and maybe the odd recipe! I am rather partial to a slice of cake...or two! And tea, lots of tea.