A Cheeky Peek at Work Done in the last Couple of Weeks...

I've been working on a number of things recently that I won't be able to reveal on here in full for a couple of months, mainly because they involve surprise presents and collaborative projects. So, I thought it was time I did another of my 'cheeky peeks at work done last (couple of) weeks'. These are mainly works in progress, but it gives you all an insight into what I'm currently working on.

Do you remember my little watercolour sketch from a couple of weeks ago?...

Yep, thats the one!...well, I ran out of stock of my geranium greeting cards a little while ago and needed to order some more, so I thought the sketch I did would make a nice card design to go with the geranium ones. Here is the design I created from the sketch, and the cards are currently at the printers...

Finally, have you seen the re-brand makeover I've created for Memory Heirlooms? What a fantastic business, Heidi from Memory Heirlooms creates keepsakes out of old clothes and fabrics you can't bear to throw out for sentimental reasons. For example, she'll create beautiful teddy bears out of the clothes your baby has grown out of, she even embroiders personalised details like your childs name, date of birth and birth weight on the bottom of the bears foot. I thought, 'what a lovely idea - making the past a present!' ...and there it was, staring me in the face, the ideal tagline...

Half term week is looming, so I hope you all have a great bank holiday and I look forward to catching up on your blogs very soon :-)

Rebrands of the week - Elibee & Dosie Rosie

I love these blog and website makeover jobs, I get to meet lots of lovely people doing all sorts of inspiring things. Take Gill at Dosie Rosie for example, a keen crafter, gardener and blogger - but also a great collector of vintage crafting equipment which she sells in her etsy shop. When she briefed me to give her blog, folksy and etsy shops a revamp, I was delighted to find she was selling the most amazing vintage knitting patterns in her etsy shop. The wrappers on those patterns were my inspiration for her new look. I love all that 1950's Doris Day charm...and see those blue polka dots, they 're featured on many of the accessories in my kitchen! Hop over to Dosie Rosie's fab blog to see the finished design.

Then there's Elisa from Elibee Gifts with her very unique craft business. Elibee Gifts offers a wonderful range of handcrafted and often upcycled gifts such as decorative clocks made from CDs, pocket mirrors, jewellery made from buttons or found pieces set in resin. Elibee's website is filled to the brim with handmade delights and I based my design on some of those fab products. I was particularly drawn to a colourful button charm bracelet, a gift bag and a pocket mirror which lends a great tagline to the website - 'Keep Calm & Carry On Shopping'

2 new logo designs & *fanfare* my watercolours have been out!

Royal Weddings & Bank Holidays - Pah!...its been business as usual on top of all the festivities for me. Good job I really enjoy what I do - the logo designs I've worked on last week were great fun.

The first one is for my friend Ali's company, Nice Buns. I believe that the name of her company is the biggest understatement there ever was because her cakes don't just look amazing, they taste absolutely sensational too. If you are based in or near Bridgwater, Somerset, Ali has a stall in the town market on Fridays laden with tasty cupcakes. Or, you could always drool over the pictures of her designer celebration cakes on her website: http://nice-buns.net/

Like I said, I enjoy what I do and drawing cupcakes is no hardship!

My second logo job this past week was for a growing homeware business based in Scotland. Kirsty from Sew Homely wanted to have a new look for her business as she prepares to launch her new website, folksy and etsy shops (all coming soon). I've added a link button to the side of this blog ready to link to Sew Homely's new website once its up and running, so watch this space. Kirsty is a very versatile crafter creating soft furnishings and handpainted wooden items to make any house 'sew homely' (sorry couldn't resist the pun!). Many of the items in Sew Homely's range have a lovely, simple, coastal feel to them - here are my new designs to complement those products...

...Finally, and this really does deserve a fanfare!...I've had my watercolours out!!!!...OK, maybe only just for about an hour, but its still worthy of celebration. Once upon a time, I'd create nothing but line drawn or watercoloured images...I still get the pleasure of inky line drawn doodles, but Adobe Creative Suite is just so much cleaner and less hassle to set up & pack away than paint and brushes - especially with small children running around your ankles!!!..and there's no drying time needed with photoshop...Oh, but I do love watercolour painting, its so satisfying and relaxing. I've been itching to do some as a break from the computer screen.

When the sun came out and so did the gorgeous lilac bush in my garden...there were no more excuses, I had a paint brush in my hand and here is my little sketch...

Lets hope the good weather continues so that we can all have a great weekend - and who knows, I may even get a chance to get the paints out again!

Ballerinas & Darts Playing Bunnies!

Hello, hope you've all had a great Easter and have recovered from Royal Wedding celebrations. As much as I've enjoyed these extended festivities, part of me is relieved to get back to normal as work is stacking up and aside from a stack of chocolate eggs, my cupboards are bare!

I've had some very different jobs on the go these past few weeks. Its been great to get stuck into a couple of portrait commissions. The commission I can show you is this ballerina portrait with a bundle of matching birthday party invites. I did enjoy this job which has also provided me with a new product offer - I'm now offering these child name portraits with a bundle of 30 matching party invites for £30 +P&P on my website. I think this makes for good value for money as the birthday boy or girl gets some extra special invites to send out plus a very personal gift for their bedroom wall...

...Do you remember a little while ago I posted on here about my wall decal designs for Higher Shorston Lakes & Lodges games room. Well, here they are, my finished darts and snooker champion bunnies in their full glory on the wall by the oche and by the pool table!...

...I'm pleased with how the finished rabbits came out, the colours reproduced well and they fit right in with their new surroundings.

I've got a number of jobs and projects on the go at the moment which will keep me quite busy in the next couple of months - but I really don't mind as the theme of one of these projects is all about cake and chocolate!...so I'm off to do my thorough research ;-)