Hello!
Yesterday I managed to escape my computer and our house. I even managed to get out of Somerset and spent the day catching various trains to go and see Spring Fair International at Birmingham's NEC. It was mainly to go and see all my new designs printed up in all their flittered and embossed glory and have a little catch up in person with the team I chat to all the time via emails....
It was certainly worth the long and tiring journey as I was over the moon with the finished results. My designs looked very happy nestled next to all the new photographic and occasions ranges The Heart of a Garden have been adding to their portfolio lately - there were lots of lovely images to soak up on their stand...
...This was the first glimpse I got of The Heart of the Garden's stand as I approached it. It made me feel very proud and a little blown away to be honest, to see all my hard work on display like that right next Hallmark's stand!...
...This year there were lots of my designs to be seen on display. Although I must confess to putting all my cards together in one spinner for the sake of these photos (he he - had to be done!). So it's a big THANK YOU to The Heart of a Garden team for letting me muck up their lovely display whilst they had people making enquiries on their stand! (oops!)..I think I got away with it though! ;)
...But my visit wasn't all about 'me me me!'...I also wanted to get around as much of the Fair as I could in the time I had, to check out the sectors I was keen to see the most. I spent ages in Hall 4, Greetings and Stationery which has resulted in my mind being filled to capacity with inspiration and ideas....
...then I moved on to Contemporary Home and Gifts to grab a sense of emerging trends - the what's hot and what's not for 2013 and what not!!
So here we go, this is my little summary/review of Spring Fair with a few links to stands that caught my eye:
For me there seemed to be a lot more homely, 'the good life' style influences. Granny chic, ditsy florals (very Liberty'ish') and Scandinavian influenced design were there in abundance. Colours seemed to be more earthy (lots of neutrals, gingers, ochres, browns, greens, teals and coral colours) lots of distressed wood - plenty of whitewash, but more natural wood too. Where as last year there were still lots of blue, reds and pinks in the 1950's retro style, they were still there this year but not as as dominant as before.
Some of the stands that stood out and caught my eye were: Over on some of the big publishing companies stands I was admiring the work of Madeleine Flloyd and Anzu. Sally Scaffardi had a very eye catching range. I've always loved the designs that Roger La Borde have published over the years and they didn't disappoint me one bit, lovely display as ever.
Arthouse Meath particularly grabbed my attention and deeply touched my heart as their products (which are an absolutely wonderful collection) celebrate the artistic talents and skills of people living with severe epilepsy and learning difficulties. If you have a couple of minutes I highly recommend watching the videos on their website's home page - proof, if ever anyone needed any, of the importance of art, craft and design and how it can make a difference to people's lives.
From the gifts and homeware section I was drawn to Sukie with their fun, colourful designs. I absolutely loved Magpie's range (but then I would, wouldn't I? just check out all those little birdies!). All the usual suspects were there - Pip Studios, Rex International, RJB Stone, East of India, Disaster Designs, Scandi Chic...I could go and and on and on...just like the NEC seemed to yesterday....
But I'll stop there and leave you with a new design from me which was at the Spring Fair yesterday...
...Introducing my London themed giftwrap 'Underground, Overground'.
I hope you enjoyed my quick review of Spring Fair 2013.
Best wishes
Angie x
