This weekend is the start of the NEC Spring Fair...

Doesn't time fly?  ...and sometimes, thank goodness it does as I'm cock-a-hoop that January is almost done - its my least favourite time of year.  I'm not really one for winter and January with its damp, dark gloomy days and far too much administrative hell to endure really is the pits in my book (yep, I'm referring to those dreaded accounts and tax returns!).

Hooray for February arriving this week and I've already spotted the first snowdrops in my garden - ahh lovely :-)...

The beginning of Feb also marks the opening of the NEC Spring Fair International which will be featuring some fresh designs from yours truly on The Heart of a Garden's stand No.4F20.   

Here they all are for you to see at last - the additions to my 'Life is Sweet' range in their full glory!

They include the following...

Cupcake Gift Wrap...

Pack of 6 Note Cards in 2 Cupcake Designs...

Roses Gift Wrap...

Pack of 6 Notecards in 2 designs - 1 Roses & 1 Teapots...

Teapot Gift Wrap...

Then 6 new additions to the greetings cards range - 

all with flittered details and printed on eco-friendly stock :

'Go On, Go On, Go On' 

'Tea for Two'

'Maiden Over'

'Tasty Investments'

'Good Friend'

'7 Days'

Hope you like them.  I'll be trotting off for a day trip to the NEC next week to see them all printed up for the very first time (so I am very excited about that).  I'm also very excited about seeing the other things on display at the Fair and maybe getting a chance to meet some of the faces behind the designs/ blogs/ facebook pages/ twitter profiles / etsy shops etc. etc.

I'll make sure I take my camera so I can take some snaps to show you on here next week.

Have a great week everyone!

Angie x 

Perks of the Job!...

NOM! NOM! NOM!...look what I had in my hands earlier today!...it was a case of blink and you'll miss it as these babies didn't get an opportunity to stick around!...actually, I only ate one and gave the other one to my husband (ahhhh! that's real love that is!)....

...Why the gratuitous cake pictures you ask? well a few months ago, my friend Ali wanted me to create a logo for her celebration cakes and cupcakes business, Nice Buns.  That's the logo I created for her above.

Business has been going well for Ali and thanks to spending each Friday on her stall on Bridgwater's Castle Market, she's built up a regular customer base in our town.  So much so that she's now taken the step of moving into a shop unit in Bridgwater's Cornhill Market.  This is a great move, it keeps her business in the heart of the town as well as enables her to bake on the premises....mmmmm, the smell of Ali's cakes will be wafting onto our High Street, yum! yum! yum!...

...Now that she has a shiny new shop, she needed a shiny new sign to go over it.  This is where I fit into the story as that's my design right there above Nice Bun's shop.  I'm so delighted that Ali has taken the candy striped theme and colours from the logo and used them as decorative features of her brand new shop which opened for business yesterday!  Woo Hoo!...

...When I visited Ali today to see how her first day of trading went, she was frantically baking lots more cakes as stock was low already - so I take that as a sign of a great start!  Which is only right as her cakes are completely gorgeous...

...Luckily for me, there were still plenty for a box for my family and my youngest daughter was more than happy to choose them for us (as you can see from the pictures above)...

...Phoar! look at that sponge cake!...its getting me all inspired to add to my greetings card range. Speaking of which, it looks like Nice Buns may be stocking some of my 'Life is Sweet' prints & greetings cards very soon...

...I hope your day has been as sweet as mine!

Angie

Portraits & New Print Revealed...

Hello, I'm delighted that I can finally reveal these pics to you.  Before Christmas, I had a lovely commission to do 2 family group portraits printed onto canvas as Christmas gifts from a group of siblings to their cousins....

...they're very special portraits indeed, as they include personal messages and imagery from the children to their much loved cousins.  Now that Christmas is well and truly out of the way I can show these to you as hopefully these will be on the bedroom walls of the boys and girl they were created for...

...I did enjoy doing these as it had been a while since I'd done some portraits...and I do love the challenge of trying to get the likeness and expressions right.  I must confess that its children I enjoy drawing the most as they tend not to hide their emotions, so their expressions are endlessly fascinating, you really get a sense of their character within....

...I only hope the children these pictures were a gift for are enjoying looking at their portraits as much as I enjoyed creating them!....

...I can also reveal the first of my new prints to be listed on my website shop and Folksy shop.  This one comes from my new range of greetings cards which are off to the Spring Fair International in a couple of weeks time.   Father Ted fans may spot a little nod to the legendary Mrs Doyle within this illustration...well, my card range is all about tea, cake and chocolate, and Mrs Doyle is definitely my all time favourite tea lady!...

...You can now find this print in my Folksy shop here : 

http://www.folksy.com/items/2866030-Go-On-Go-On-Go-On-10x8-Framed-Print

I hope you have a great week!  

Angie

Here's a cheeky reveal of some of the designs off to Spring Fair International...

Hello, hope all those new years resolutions are coming along nicely!  I apologise now if a new year diet is what you've resolved to do as I'm about to flaunt temptation your way!

After spending Christmas stuffing my face with chocs, there's no chance for me to resolve to go without them as I've had a very tasty project to sink my teeth into....

...As some of you may know from previous sneaky peeks on this blog, I was asked by The Heart of a Garden to create some more designs for my Life is Sweet range to be displayed on their stand at the NEC Spring fair in a few weeks time.

So, for the past couple of months, in and around the chaotic lead up to Christmas and a little bit over the Christmas hols too, I've been busy burning the midnight oil working on 3 double sided gift wraps, 4 note cards and 6 new greetings card designs!...

...Apologies for the quality of the photo of my computer screen above, but it does sort of sum up the way I've been working lately - in the dark, just me, my machine and my imagination...Oh and Radio 6 - I mustn't forget their important input as they've kept me going ;-)...

...Its all getting exciting now as I sent the final artworks over yesterday and I've just booked my train ticket this morning, so I'll be off to the Spring Fair in a few weeks to see the fruits of my labour on display.  

I can't wait, especially to see my first ever gift wrap designs in print!

Have a great week,

Angie

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas break and are all refreshed and ready for 2012...here's wishing it will be a very happy, healthy, lucky and peaceful year for everybody! xx

Its been wonderful to have a well needed break and spend some quality time with my family away from my computer as much as possible.  I put many hours in on my PC, designing, networking, blogging etc... I think it needed a rest as much as I did!

I'll be reopening my online shops this Weds and will be spending some time in the next few days catching up on the messages and enquiries that were left for me just after I shut my shops before Christmas - thanks for those, I promise to be in touch very soon.  I also want to come and have a catch up on your blogs too, it'll be great to see what you've all got up to over the festive hols.

Having said that I've been away from my computer, I did manage to have a little bit of a website sort out over Christmas and will be reopening my website with a new improved look.  I've tried to make the shopping experience a bit easier and better - all will be revealed later this week.

Have a great first week or 2012,
Best wishes

Angie :-)