Seeking

I received a lovely package from good friend and distributor Clemens. He always sends me new paper goods that he has seeked out. I have never known anyone as passionate about paper than he!
The products above show that paper is not just about cards and gift wrap and notebooks. There is so much more to be done. You have to think outside the box and create something new and inspirational. Paper is so versatile and companies like Midori and O-check create the most fun and beautiful paper products. I especially love the sticky notes where you can write on the hairstyle and then fold it like a little envelope. This is very considered.
I struggle with this part of my job as I am no product designer and I often get wrapped up in my drawing rather than thinking about new exciting paper products that have never been done before.
Counties like Japan, China and Korea have access to so many manufacturing techniques and papers that are affordable and can be sold to the masses. The UK however doesn't even touch the surface of manufacturing. I may come up with a great new product but getting a good price with the quantities I need is almost impossible and I often find a lot of my designs get put on the back burner as I have taken months to try and find someone who can make it for me. It can be very frustrating. But I battle on and I will keep pushing myself in the world of stationery.

Celebrate Stationery

It's National Stationery week!
In celebration Uppercase (the most amazing, beautiful, interesting magazine on the planet) has released a stationery issue. I was so excited when Andrew found it hiding in the corner of the YSP shop. This is an American design issue and is very hard to find in the UK.
It has been my bed time reading and I was so happy to see a feature of my favourite stationery company 'Darling Clementine' They are two girls from Sweden and have the most beautiful cards and gift wrap.
There is also a stationery guide, which mentions lots of lovely little stationery companies as well as some British ones like Present and Correct and Mac & Ninny. Hoping I will be discovered in the USA one day. Keep dreaming big.

Progress is soothing

 

It's been a peaceful couple of weeks here in the studio. I have been able to really get things moving and feel very satisfied.

Orders are manageable and I have had time to finish off my recipe cards ready for Pulse. I am very happy with them since I made them double sided. Just wish I could get lovely boxes made for them rather than cello bags. This is a future goal. If they are as successful as the cards and wrap I will invest in beautiful kraft boxes. In the meantime they are £7.00 for a pack of 12. You can laminate them, hole punch them or put them in a recipe box. Whatever suits you. I hope they will be very useful for all those kitchen geeks out there. I will certainly be using them for all my favourite recipes online.

For all my stockists, please get in touch for wholesale prices.

I also wanted to show you what my new blog will look like. My Instagram photos will be updated daily and the general look and feel will relate to the website.

 I cannot wait to launch the shop so you can start buying directly from DP. It will be an exciting time.

February

February = good books, snow, cats, Valentines, London, Ottolengi, Afternoon tea, working late, sibling gatherings, Blueberry tart and tequila

Recipe cards

Over the past couple of years I have become quite a keen baker and enjoy nothing more than finishing work early on a Friday and heading to the kitchen to make a cake or two. I have many recipe books and often find that I would like to write down my favourites so I have them to hand.
So, for the past couple of weeks I have been working on some recipe cards. I received the samples this morning and have been trying them out. I think I may make them double sided as I found I didn't have too much room to write all the directions. There will be 12 cards per pack.
They are in very early stages at the moment but I am optimistic I could get them finished and packaged by Pulse.
Do we like?

A Heirloom

I wanted to post this weeks blog as more of a thankyou to my sister Sara and dear friend Katie for this wonderful, precious gift for my 30th birthday. They bought it at Trefriw woollen mill, which is known for it's craftsmanship and traditional weaving in Welsh blankets. It is the most wonderful heavy wool and even smells like it's straight of the spinning mules.
Katie is a very skilled embroiderer and put her love and tender care into creating what can only be the most unique personalized blanket I have ever seen. The way she has sewn the letters of my name with tiny little cross stitches lends perfectly to the geometric style of the blanket. Very few people have this amount of skill in hand embroidery today.
What can I say, I am a very lucky lady. My friends and family no me very well.  This blanket will be past down to my children and to their children. It will last forever.

What an improvement

I was very happy when I received my lovely new gift tags this week.
I have to be honest I was not impressed by the last manufacturer who made my first batch. The paper was not the greatest of quality and they just looked mass produced and tacky. So when my card manufacturer told me they could make them I jumped for joy! So now the card is exactly the same as my greeting cards. And you will be pleased to know that I have added Clyde to the collection of gift tags. I have had many stockists and customer ask for the specific tag to match the wrap. I don't like to disappoint. I will be launching these at Pulse as well as 8 new card designs.

January

Every month I am going to blog my favourite Instagram photos to sum up my month.
January has been full of mornings where I cant seem to drag myself out of bed, fennel tea, eating lots of root veg, drawing, and feeling happy when sunlight drenches through the windows.

Earlybird 2013

Thought I would post a few pictures of the Earlybird show in Hamburg at the beginning of the month. Clemens creator of Brevi Manu has been working very hard on yet another beautiful stand. He always comes up with new fresh ideas on how to display my cards and gift wrap. The hand drawn frames are a great idea. Another great show and a huge print order for me!

Missing my roots

I am feeling very nostalgic this week and have been looking over some of my old sketchbooks.
As you all know, I trained as a printed textile designer. After 5 years in a print room trying to find my style I wonder how I would be at printing now.
I was very messy and had no structure or neatness when I printed. Everything was a happy accident. I wanted the element of surprise when I printed. Not knowing how it was going to look was how I created. Too many people plan their designs perfectly. Quite often their expectations were not met. I ended up with five bag fulls of samples that I loved for their imperfection. Although, when I was asked to recreated them I never could.
I will always look to textiles as my inspiration for my stationery. At the moment Mina Perhonen brings smiles and excitment to this cold bleak January. His composition, use of colour and nature is so beautiful.
It makes me see that if I really believed in my ability to print clothes I could have achieved this. I remember At Art School I wanted my collection of dresses to have fields of sheep on them. My tutors thought I was mad and said it wouldn't be wearable. I so wish I had the confidence to just do it.
Mina Perhonen breaks all rules and just designs what he wants to. He treats his textiles with tenderness and finesse. I could see any of the above prints on clothes, upholstery, wallpaper and stationery. 
Maybe I will step foot in a print room again.........

Long time coming.......

Well.... what a journey. December has been a mountain with plenty of ups and downs.
Before I move onto the new year I just wanted to update you on some photos of my very first  Harrogate Country Living fair 2012.
 I decided I wanted my own little customer base and have the experience first hand of people who know and love what I do. I must say I was rather nervous and all the feelings of my first trade show came flooding back. Although it couldn't have been more different than a trade show. The main thing I noticed was the handling of lots of cash and also the constant hustle and bustle of eager customers wanting to get a peek. I have never had so many compliments and met so many lovely people. I loved every moment. It was more of a success than I thought it would be so I will be doing as many retail fairs as I possibly can in 2013.
I will be working very hard this month on getting my new website up and running and have a great shop where people can buy directly from me.
It has also made me look forward to a long term goal of having my own shop/studio.....the tricky question is where? I loved setting up my stand as I could really get a full view of what my brand is about. My vision is clearer than it's ever been.
Also, I know this post is well overdue. After the show I somehow ended up in hospital with pneumonia. Very random I know. I thought I just had a chest infection and a case of flu. This is why I have been a bit of a hermit recently. Fighting fit now!
So, to a new year, lots of new things to learn and achieve. Who knows what will happen....