been pretty quiet on the blog front lately, apologies. though i'm still planning on moving my blog i'll be using this one in the meantime. just a quick update to let you know about a couple of new prints in my shop: we did good & [waves crashing].
also, hello to new followers, all 500+ of you. my blog came to the attention of blogger after it was compromised, & they graced it with the title 'blog of note'. getting 8000+ hits in a day is kind of daunting. but hello nonetheless.
back in may last year, helen entwisle (aka memo aka screen-printer extraordinaire) compiled ten fingers issue #1, a collection of illustrations based on contributer's hometowns. now she's gone & done it again; ten fingers issue #2, again hand-bound & hand-printed, contains a series of prints/postcards depicting childhood memories.
alongside jay cover, will bryant, mia chrisopher, anthony zinonos, lesley barnes, gemma correll & helen, you'll find a drawing by me illustrating my three childhood imaginary dogs. their names escape me now but i do remember their breeds: an australian shepard dog, an italian greyhound & a chihuahua (dog breeds are my secret skill).
i have a few copies up for sale over in my etsy shop. this is definitely a good 'un to add to your zine collection.
so far this year i've managed to see, visit & hang out with so many of the people that matter to me. my family, extended family, all of my old flat-mates, most of my close friends from university, creative types i've met since, my best friend from school, people i've met via the internet. one of my resolutions this year was to visit out-of-town friends, & those who were close by too, & it seems i've managed to get on top of this goal already. i'm looking forward to more visits already lined up in future.
of course, it's not always so easy to be able to visit people thanks to clashing schedules, the cost of travelling and distance. there's always good old snail mail to fall back on however; not quite as great as meeting face-to-face, but one step better than an email or text message. until 5 february, if you buy any two cards in my shop, i'll send along an extra random one for free. good for writing to someone to let them know what you've been up to & how ace you think they are.
drawing-wise, i ended the past couple of years with a self portrait. kind of a way to see some sort of progression perhaps. i was a little late with producing it this time around (no time on new year's eve!), but better late than never.
2009, 2008.
& just before it ends: you can get 10% off everything in my shop until 8 january. enter the coupon code HAPPYNEWYEAR at checkout. go!
happiest of new years to you, friends! 2010 was far & away my very favourite year that i've had. i met so many great & inspiring people, looking back over the last twelve months makes me feel very lucky. i brought the day in with my best friend & good company. we set off lanterns into the new year's sky, then huddled around a fire & ate roast chestnuts. it was excellent.
in keeping with the last couple of years, here's my list of 25 thing to do whilst i'm 25. i'm excited to get started! i'm also setting myself a goal each month in 2011, but will cover that some other time.
1. buy a plant each month - includes houseplants, flowers, herbs & edible things
2. make trips to visit out-of-town friends (& those who live close-by too of course)
3. reach 550 sales on etsy - ambitious, but a good challenge
4. add 12 new items to my shop
5. make a poster print - minimum A3/three colours
6. print tote bags - bought bags months ago, must use them
7. do taxes quarterly
8. learn to use my sewing machine - plus sub-goals:
9. make a lightweight summer dress
10. make a tie for alan
11. make something using fabric printed with my gocco
12. make fabric using spoonflower
13. floss!
14. join the library
15. avoid mass-produced clothing - buy direct from makers/second hand/sustainably
16. buy food from local sources/businesses & smaller supermarkets
17. go foraging
18. massive clear out of workspace
19. visit london with alan
20. make a recipe box
21. read the self-sufficient-ish bible & infuse it’s advice into my life where i can
22. keep lists of all the books i read & films i watch
23. redecorate the kitchen (rollover from 2010)
24. stay in a wooden cabin/tipi (rollover from 2010)
25. get a massage (rollover from 2010)
to give a little help to goal #3, if you use the code HAPPYNEWYEAR in my etsy shop, you'll get 10% off your purchase if you order before 8 january. hurrah!
thanks for all your support, comments & purchases over the last year. 2011 is going to be excellent, i know it.
with petite noël just around the corner (wednesday 15 december!), i've been trying to get a few more products ready in time to fill up my stall. this includes a giclée print of my drawing inspired by hilary grant's beautiful circle scarves. i did the drawing as part of my annual every day a drawing in december project (which i am on top of, i just haven't had time to scan & post the images), & it got such a good response that i've turned it into a print. you can purchase one if you feel so inclined.
i've sold out of a few items in my shop recently, which is kind of wonderful. the only downside is a dwindling stock, especially when petite noël is next week (!), but i'm certainly not complaining. make sure you order asap if you're in usa/canada/western & eastern europe/uk if want something before christmas - this weather certainly isn't helping post get anywhere fast.
above you'll find a new addition to the shop. this two colour screen-print is an update - & larger sized version - of my (sold out!) there's no place like home gocco print. i wish i could live in this little house. a porch, a veg patch & a tree. & the mint colour is inspired by a house i spied in gothenburg. dreamy!
i kind of can't believe it's december on wednesday. the weather in scotland is crazy at the moment, i've never seen this much snow in my life. hopefully it won't get in the way of all the things that need doing (although i didn't go to the print studio today - the thought of trekking all the way there, printing for a few hours, then trekking back was too much). above you'll find the card i've done for this year. i can tell you that at no other point in 2010 have i been so thankful for a good pair of thick socks as this week!
thought i'd just post the christmas posting dates for my shop. i'm sure a lot of you are down with the idea of handmade festive gifts already, so i won't try to coerce you further into picking up some prints & things for gifts. just let me mention that all orders come lovingly wrapped in tissue paper - all year round, not just at this time of year! - & all orders are very much appreciated, more than i can say. thanks guys!
last dates for ordering:
uk: sunday 19 december
western europe: sunday 12 december
eastern europe, usa & canada: wednesday 8 december
south/central america, caribbean, africa, middle east, asia, far east (inc. japan), australia & new zealand: sunday 5 december
i know there have been a lot of calendar round-ups on blogs recently, so here's another to add to the mix. two friends of mine, hilary grant & nikki mcwilliams, organised a little project called a year in prints. twelve artists created an edition of fifty prints for their designated month to make fifty calendars (i'm january - you may recognise a certain bear). find out more about the artists here, & you can pick one up here. at £24, that's a measly two quid per screen-print. bargain.
new print in the shop - this bear is fighting the cold weather with a large scarf. it's getting pretty chilly around here, so it feels pretty fitting (also, this photo has made me realise that my carpet needs a bit of a clean).
on a slightly more random note, i was asked by bbc radio scotland to talk to them about zines. you can listen to the show, which aired on friday, on their website (i'm not sure whether or not you need to be in the uk to listen). the zine part starts 00:36 mins in. please excuse my multiple 'umms'. i've never done radio before - a little bit daunting, but nice to be asked to do.
i was very happy to be asked to exhibit in manchester exhibition toy shop in october, alongside an amazing array of artists & illustrators. my piece was this simple three colour screen-print of those red & yellow cars i'm sure some of you are familiar with. how i'd have loved one of these for real. available in my shop, a limited edition of 10.
speaking of cars, my boyfriend passed his driving test! we're now embarking on the daunting task of finding a car. i can't wait for weekend adventures to places that buses & trains don't take you, car-boot sales and coastal drives.
ps. i'm nearing 200 sales in my shop - numbers 191 - 199 will get a couple of added extras, & the big two-oh-oh will receive a few more. hurrah!
lately i've made a pact with myself to try buy less new things (the ipod touch was a big slip). the idea is to spend less, to think before i buy & to not bring as many brand new products into my home. i'm allowing myself to buy recycled, handmade & second hand so if there's something i'm thinking of buying, i'm making myself hunt it down via etsy, ebay & charity shops. on the one hand, this has been great. for example, i was looking for a mustard yellow cardigan, & ended up getting one on ebay (after a week or so of searching) for a lot cheaper than i would have if it were brand new, & it was exactly what i was looking for. however, the terrible loophole is that i'm basically using 'oh-it's-recycled/handmade/second-hand' as an excuse to buy things. i can't win!
a slightly delayed giveaway (i'd hoped to tie it in with my shop's birthday) but a giveaway nonetheless. to enter, just leave a comment saying hello, & i'll pick a winner at random on the evening of sunday 26 september. the winner will receive a life is good print, one of my new notebooks & three hello cards, so you can send the fun onto friends.
just to share a little more, i've finally finished making my notebooks! it's available in a range of colours, & is hand printed & hand bound. check out the listing for more information. they were quite therapeutic to make, i'll be making more in future.
update, 26 september: thanks for all the entires, comments are closed & winners will be announced tomorrow!
new print in the shop! after enquiries about the bake a cake postcard from my nice advice postcard set, i decided to turn it into a screen-print. it's proved pretty popular so far; after only listing it a couple of days ago, 20% of the edition is gone. i'm glad people like it.
i'm currently in the middle of making some notebooks, i can't wait to see them finished. i'm going to spend a couple of hours binding/trimming them on sunday & monday, then they'll be pretty much complete.
just a little post to celebrate the fast that my etsy shop is a year old. one whole year! the experience has been a good one, & i'm so grateful to all the people who've made a purchase, & to those who have given feedback in any form. it's been great adding so many new things over the past few weeks, & i've got a few other things in the works that will make their way to my stock list soon.
in the meantime, i've got a little sale on. until 15 september, everything is available for up to 25% off. snap up a bargain if you fancy. i'm nearing the end of a few editions, so buy one while you still can!
long time no speak! the number of readers of this blog drifted over 300 since i last posted, so i felt i was due an update.
august was a busy one (actually, 2010 as a whole has been rather mental). since joining my local print studio, i've been trying to make it in once a week - i wish i could spend more time there, i've got so many ideas floating around. as well as the prints i've posted recently, i printed the above design in the form of a card, have done two more editions (green & yellow) of my life is good print (there's only one left for sale from the original edition!), & i've also produced a small run of a print for an exhibition, toy shop, in manchester, which i'll post at a later date.
as well as gaining two new stockists (the shiny & new hannah zakari in edinburgh & lovely frank in kent), the next dundee jamboree is almost upon us - as part of n_ilk micro-music-festival at the botanics, we're holding a mini-market, with some previous sellers & new faces. it's looking to be an excellent day, you should come join us if you can - tickets can be purchased here.
in other news, my little etsy shop is just shy of being a year old. august has been my most successful month, which has been a nice way to finish year one. i'm going to be having a blog giveaway & shop sale soon so keep an eye out.
i really ought to update more often; these big monthly updates are long and i'm pretty sure the only person who reads them is my mum (hello mum! x). until next time!
mondays are my favourite days. today i had a good driving lesson & got back into the print studio to make the above. you can buy it over on etsy.
yesterday i went through to welcome home in glasgow to help out at the zine workshop marceline was holding. it was a fun little afternoon, & lots of people came & made zines which was excellent. it was good to visit welcome home again, & i met some nice creative types. you can read marceline's account of the day here, & learn how to take part in a zine challenge (go on, sign up).
well, alan & i are about to make mince & tatties. i haven't had it for over twelve years, but we bought some quorn mince so we're going to give it a shot.
hurrah! at long last, i've started screen printing again. as much as i love my gocco, it felt so good to produce a print that is larger than A6 in size. a simple two colours, i got an edition of eight prints out of this session, with a few extra prints that weren't registered well enough to make the cut, but will be available at craft fairs where people can see the print for themselves. i can't wait to get back into the print studio & print some more. the above print is available on etsy for just over £20. since it was a test as well as a finished print, i feel okay with letting it go at a lower price.
been busy the past couple of weeks. spent the weekend in edinburgh/fife. went to view the new analogue books show, turn up the colour, & also visited edinburgh printmakers and the lovely new hannah zakari shop. had my first ever coffee (yes) at peter's yard, & after wandering around edinburgh with alan for a while, we made a stop on the way to visit my sister to walk along the coast, so nice to be outside by the sea. an ace weekend.
creatively, i've been trying to squeeze in doing work. i'd love to be able to tell you that i managed to prepare a brand new zine for the zine workshop at welcome home on sunday, but alas, my schedule has worked against me. never mind. you can still come & hang out & make stuff with marceline & i. she's been much more organised than me & is unleashing a new zine at the workshop. stop by & say hi if you can.
here's a little bison to add to your menagerie of bears, foxes, deer & rabbits. new gocco print available on etsy. first time i've used gold ink, it's shiny, i like it.
hey all. just to let you know that marceline of asking for trouble & i are holding a zine workshop at the wonderful welcome home in three weeks, on sunday 8 august. marceline is a pro & i can do some scribbles & staple them together pretty well, so together we shall show you the wonders of zine making, for free. how about that?
heads up, my 25% off sale on folksy ends tomorrow, there's a few things left so snap up a card or print, all orders receive extra freebies & i ship worldwide. no sale on etsy at the moment, but if you'd prefer a little more choice i'm adding a couple of extras in with all orders from there until tomorrow too.
