Etsy news

After mentioning yesterday that I may list some of my cards on Etsy, I decided to go ahead and do so... I'm selling them in bundles of 5 and you can choose your own wording on the front if you want. I want to get a photo link list on the side of my blog........not sure how to do this yet!!

Christmas Cards

Today Ive been designing some Christmas cards, which I'm going to be selling on a site called Photobox. Obviously they take a massive cut!!! But then I don't have to print out or send off to people! I also will still hold the copyright to all images, so can always print and sell them in my etsy shop or send them to friends. These 2 designs are the start of a group of 4.

Bag holder

Hello readers, I salute anyone who keeps up their blog as well as everything else we all have to do at this time of year! I have been very busy doing commission work, which I can't blog about, except to say Ive been designing some boys wear textiles for a clothing company, which has been really good fun to do!
Also in the past few weeks I managed to finish off the bag holder for my brothers girlfriend. She wanted a bag to hold plastic bags, and even did a sketch of how she wanted it, so here's the result! In true kitty stitch recycled style, I used a skirt I had in the studio to make it with.
Ive started making some Christmas pressies, but can't even post pictures of those at the moment either, without spoiling any surprizes!!

The case of the dodgy monitor

A week or so ago I was browsing around blogs as you do, and checked out how about orange, a fab design blog. Jess had featured this fab hue test, which I proceeded to do. If you want to try it, you MUST click here. My first score was a dire 27. I couldn't believe it!! Then I thought, hold on, I cant be that bad at my job!! So I decided it was time to buy a new monitor(a bad work person must blame her tools right!). Mine was 6yrs old after all. After some research I decided on a 20"Samsung. Now here I am looking lovingly at it after my wonderful hubby bought it home for me the other day!! Ive just redone the test and improved to a 7! Yippee theres hope for me yet!

Freecycle

I know I usually blog about design, but this is really great: Freecycle is a fantastic Eco friendly idea, and I joined today. You have to follow the link and find a recycling group in your area. Then you can offer or request anything you want, within reason (it actually states you can't put your kids on!) Then off you go, clear out the loft, put something on that you were going to take to the dump and someone else may want it. It all helps reduce land- fill!
Oh and this is my orange butterfly brooch that is nothing to do with freecycle!

My journal day!

Yesterday I was inspired by blusheds journal day, so here's mine today, it will be my longest post ever!
Started by taking the girls to school in the freezing rain, but every cloud has a silver lining, and ours was a lovely rainbow arching into the sea!Took a photo of this gorgeous leaf that a girl in the village gave to me. Lovely colour. Checked out some blogs and had a cuppa tea! Inspired by Robins orange post so here's one of her cards with some of my grans orange fabric from the 1970s!Did some drawings for my new design and started it in illustrator. My brother rang for chat and then I went onto lynda.com to check out some techniques. I learnt how to make my own art brush! Then had to run to fetch my youngest who finishes school at lunchtimes until Xmas. (not alot of quality design time then!)After lunch Louisa hijacked my computer, so I made a start on a bag for my brothers girlfriend. As it turned into such a lovely afternoon we went down to the village for a wander before picking up Ruby. We went by the pond....okay so I did that especially so I could put our pretty little village pond on my blog!!
We popped into the local museum garden and found some great sculptures by a local artist Marion Briggs. Next stop to pick up Ruby and then off home, where....................... I'm now finishing my blog and will then proceed to make the dinner and all of that kind of palava that you have to get on with. I can actually see why I dont get much done now!

Birdy card

I have lots of old designs stacked up in my studio, as these days I have to print them out for myself to actually see, then I just send them off into cyberspace, to my agent. I used to have to print them out and then post them in the mail, and before that it was a case of painting by hand..oh for those days eh! I loved sitting painting all day!! I still like to draw in my sketch book, but I miss using a proper brush.
Anyway, this has turned into a rant about the good old days, must be getting old! The point is that old print-outs make great appliques, a good way to recycle your work too!