Card and Gift Blog

Behind the Design: Ella Goodwin Illustration ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Say hello to ... Ella Jane Goodwin

Tell us a little about yourself and your company?
Miss Ella – I am an illustrator based in Norwich and I make whimsical illustration for cards, prints, jewellery and fabric. My background is in animation and costume making so much of my work is quirky and textural as well as being character based.

Describe your typical working day ...
I am an incredibly early bird. Often waking up at 4 the morning with a fizzing brain, which forces me out of bed not long after! I do like to spend my evening with my family so this works out well. I love that early part of the day when the worlds still asleep. Powered by tea and marmitey crumpets I usually check orders and emails first thing. Orders will then be made up ready to be sent out later in the morning. I also teach part time online on a BA Graphic Design and Illustration course so I will check in with my lovely students and see how they’re doing and give them feedback. Mid morning I will get on my big pink bicycle with orders and tinkle off to the post office. When I get home the rest of the day will be spent sketching for ideas, illustrating and colouring interrupted by the odd ball of fluff running across my drawings or keyboard in a somewhat obvious hint for food!

What is the best thing about your job?
Freedom. I love that I can organise my time completely how I want to. I can work in my pyjamas and if I want to finish early I can just start earlier, if I want a couple of days away I can juggle my schedule and I can work anywhere in the world.

Do you use any specialist techniques or equipment to create your products?
I hand draw my illustration and then use lots of different collected textures to colour them. So I am always collecting different media to use and scan whether it be fabrics, papers or washes of paint. I have also recently got really into carving stamps so I plan to experiment with printing more.

Your products …

What is your personal favourite product in your collection?
Percy the cat is the centre of most of my illustrations so my favourite would have to be him on his sewing machine sewing himself a catsuit! (shown at the top of the post). This was the first ever Percy image and inspired many more.

What are the most popular products in your range?
The most popular cards are “Catsuit” and ‘Curled Up Love”. Of my other products the mirrors are proving very popular and the Merkitty necklace is a best seller of the jewellery.

What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on a concertina book based on Percy’s dreams of a circus life. So expect to see Percy in many incarnations of circus performer!

What do you have planned for 2013?
I did my first Designers/Makers market last month and will be at Spitalfields with them monthly this year. 19th April is the next one as they are the third weekend of every month. I hope to get out more to meet my customers at these kinds of events as well as putting together more themed card collections. I also have some wonderful wooden handled bags that I am putting together which I have designed and had cut from beautiful oak veneer, which will be very unusual and desperately cute, watch this space!

Your inspiration …

What inspires your products?
My family (son, hubbie, two cats), vintage trinkets and illustration, crafts, travelling to beautiful places always sparks new ideas for invented worlds and characters.

What other card and gift designers do you admire?
Mab Graves, Gemma Correll, Donna Wilson, Alice Potter

What current or upcoming trend are you're coveting?
I’m always a bit late with trends but currently very into overly sweet wrapping on my orders including hand made mini pompoms and using my hand carved stamps.

Quick questions ...

What's your favourite book?
“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” By Michael Chabon – I still miss those characters and remember crying on the beach in Spain reading this.

What's your favourite film?
Pans Labyrinth. Beautiful in every way.

What's your favourite album / band or song? All 3 if you want!
Frank Turner and my favourite song of his is “Photosynthesis” which is an inspiration to live your life.

What's your favourite card or gift brand?
I love the work of Mab Graves. Dark in places and so touching with her isolated characters and beautiful use of colour.

What's your favourite website or blog ?
Pikaland is one of my favourite sites showcasing the best in illustration but I also recently discovered Genine's Art Blog an illustrator who’s always sharing all her experiments with other media. She is an inspiration. I also love Lane Smith's Curious pages where he blogs about lots of wonderful long forgotten books and oddities.

What can't you live without?
My family ... (and tea, chocolate and cauliflower cheese!)

What's your guilty pleasure?
Food, craft and design magazines and unravelling my brain into doodleworlds.

Thank you Ella! Click here to visit Ella's website.

Dilys Treacle Treasures Tackle First Trade Show ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Last week, card publisher Dilys Treacle Treasures took a big step into the greetings card industry; exhibiting their designs to the trade for the first time at PG Live. Designs showcased included existing card ranges and new collection 'Catz', which has been created specifically for the show.

Those of you familiar with the blog will recognise Dilys Treacle Treasures founder Janine's signature collage-style on new baby, occasion and playing card designs. Alongside these are a bright and bold range of 'Catz' cards. The new designs are based on original pastel artworks, which are finished with stitching details ~ an important feature across the Dilys Treacle Treasures collection. All cards are printed on a heavyweight, textured board, which uses 75% recycled materials, and matched with a Kraft-ribbed envelope, hand-stamped by Janine. All cards are blank inside, making them ideal for occasions and general correspondence.

Dilys Treacle Treasures cards retail at £2.40. You can see more examples showcased at our sister site, Piccadilly Lane. Designs are available to purchase from the Dilys Treacle Treasures website.

Like what you see? Tell me what you think of today's featured cards in the comments below.

New Sentiments Cards from Megan Claire ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Carrying on from yesterday's blog post today we're taking another look at some of the fabulous new cards that will be launching at the PG Live trade show. Today's card selection is fresh from the studio of Megan Claire beautiful, contemporary designs with bright colours and strong typography.

The new greetings cards are additions to the best-selling 'Sentiments' range, which was shortlisted for 'Best Contemporary Trend' collection at the 2012 industry awards, The Henries. PG Live will see the launch of 40 new card designs, with 'Sentiments' for male and female ages and relations. The collection now has an amazing 180 designs, ensuring there is a card for every occasion.

PG Live runs from 14-15th May at London's Business Design Centre. You can visit Megan Claire in the Springboard section, stand 812. To find out more, and see Megan's full collection of greetings cards please visit her website.

Symetria to Launch New Cards at PG Live ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Apologies for my lack of blogging for the last few days, bit of a broadband meltdown ... I now know a lot about routers! Today's blog is a sneak peek at must-see best sellers and new collections that will be launched by Symetria at next week's PG Live trade show.

The show is dedicated to greetings cards, and showcases new and emerging trends to trade buyers from across the world. Symetria will be exhibiting on stand 828 in the Springboard section, which is a special area for new and emerging brands to showcase their wares. Collections to watch out for are the popular Lovebites range, a series of designs with sweet sentiments coupled with cute illustrations, and new ranges Plonk and The Little Red Bow. Covering everyday and festive occasions, both of the new collections demonstrate the stylish simplicity and elegance of Symetria's designs. Take a look ...

Symetria's new cards will retail at £2.50 for Plonk and The Little Red Bow Designs, and £2.00 for the Lovebites greetings card collection. To find out more, or purchase any of the cards please visit the Symetria website or visit PG Live, stand 828.

Unique Gift Ideas from Herdy ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Herdy was established in 2007 by designers, Spencer and Diane Hannah, the founding aim was to offer visitors to the Lake District, a choice of responsibly produced, high quality, giftware. Today's post is a look at their current collection of gifts, which includes homewares, craft kits, stationery and accessories. Each gift is a fun & contemporary design in bright colours, inspired by the Herdwick Sheep.

Since its launch the company has grown and extended well beyond its Lakeland boundaries and now sends its unique brand of Herdy gift products all over the world. In 2010 Herdy were selected as the 'Small Company of the Year' by the Business in the Community organisation, and have been re-accredited in subsequent years with BITC’s Big Tick ‘responsible business endorsement’. The accreditation recognise Herdy for their policy of giving back to the region through responsible business practice and the ‘Herdy Fund’, which supports sustainable rural communities, upland fell farming and of course the Herdwick sheep.

Featured gifts: Rucksack Knit Kit, £38.00; Herdybank, £23.50; Peep Notebooks, £4.00 each; Classic Keyring, £3.25; Peep Tote Bag, £24.00. To find out more or purchase any of the gifts shown, please visit the Herdy website.

Meet the Retailer: Cappuccino Cards ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Say hello to ...

Helena and Tracy from Cappuccino Cards

Tell us a little about yourself and your company?
We founded Cappuccino Cards in October 2012 with a very simple premise. We believe every card that is sent could be a charity card, not just the cards that you send at Christmas. We are Helena Golunska and Tracy Oakley – two friends who met about ten years ago. We previously worked together at Belle and Boo and then decided to take the big step into building a website and working for ourselves.

Describe your typical working day ...
At the moment we still work at home so take it in turns whose kitchen table to sit at! Our days are a lovely mixture of finding new artists, taking photographs for the website, updating and publicising our website and talking to and working with the charities we support. In between all this, we always try and rustle up something delicious for lunch – food is another passion we share. And of course, as our business name suggests, we also do some brainstorming in any café which serves good coffee!

What is the best thing about your job?
Helena - At the moment it is the diversity and challenge every day brings. Because we are such a new company, we are constantly changing, growing and learning new skills!

Tracy - I really enjoy the creative control we have over how the website looks, which comes with being your own boss and the thrill of a big order that we know will make a difference to the charity chosen by the customer.

Who are your customers?
We have two strands of customers at the moment – those who love beautiful cards and those who support a particular charity or the idea of charity cards. Most of our artists are up and coming and so it is fantastic to promote such a talented bunch! The charities that we work with do the most amazing work. Most of them are small and so although we are not sending them massive amounts of money (yet!) we are assured that everything we do makes a difference.

Your products …

What is your favourite product in the shop?
Helena - Now that is very tricky and I think we would have different ideas on this one but mine is ‘Peacock and the Orchid’ by Lindsay McDonagh. The colours are so vibrant and it feels like a gorgeous tiny piece of art.

Tracy - My current favourite is this brightly colourful number from Bishopston Letterpress – 'ONE'. I love the fact it’s perfect for either a boy or girl – a really gorgeous first birthdady card.

What are the most popular products you're currently stocking?
These cards in the garden series from Gemimalou are very popular at the moment – they are such bold images and beautiful colours. This is the lavender card.

Another of the artists that we stock is Susie Brooks. She is a well known artist and we were so thrilled when she agreed to sell her cards on our site. All her cards are very popular but especially this one; Utterly Butterly.

What products are you introducing for 2013?
We, of course, will be adding different cards to the site throughout the year but we are also introducing prints to the site. We have a few of these on already but will increase the selection. Prints seemed a natural extension to our beautiful cards and will include a 10% donation to charity in the price. We are also keen to start stocking tea-towels. Many of our artists produce their art on a variety of formats and tea-towels are very popular!

What plans do have for your business in 2013?
Our main plan is to increase our customer base and to sell more and more cards. We would love to get a space that we could work away from home but I think that may be a plan for 2014.

Your inspiration …

What inspires your product selection?
Fortunately we have a similar eye when it comes to picking a design or designers. We are always trying to find new designers as it gives them an opportunity to showcase their work and it means that we get a unique collection of cards on our site.

Who are your favourite card and gift designers?
Helena - That is a tricky one! We love the designs by Jane Ormes, we haven’t managed to get her cards on the site as she is tied into a distributor but her cards are exactly the type of thing we love. I have also been looking at YOKE designs recently – his bright and bold designs are right up my street!!

Tracy - I love Simon Tozer’s work and Lisa Jones Studio – who we would LOVE to have on the site.

Quick questions ...

What is your favourite book?
Helena - Impossible to choose – I'm a readaholic and couldn’t possibly pick one!

Tracy - I too read voraciously – so will go with my most recent favourite which is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

What is your favourite film?
Helena - The film I have seen most often is An Officer and a Gentleman but that was when I was MUCH younger!

Tracy - I will always have a very soft spot for The Sound Music!

What is your favourite album / band or song? All 3 if you want!
Tracy - Favourite album is currently Lana Del Ray’s Born To Die, band is The Arctic Monkeys, song is Crazy in Love by Beyonce – guaranteed to get both me and Helena on the dancefloor!

What is your favourite card or gift brand?
Tracy - Orla Kiely

What is your favourite website or blog?
Tracy - Rockett St George

What can't you live without?
Helena - Sunshine! (although we are having to learn to at the moment!)

What is your guilty pleasure?
Helena - Not particularly guilty about it but love red wine!!

Thank you Helena & Tracy! Click here to visit the Cappuccino Cards website.

New Greetings Cards from Olive & Belle ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Today's post is a quick preview of the latest greetings card designs from Olive & Belle. A must-see collection at this year's Pulse trade show, which showcases new and innovative design.

Additions to the popular Pickle & Pip range, there are 12 new card designs covering milestone ages and occasions, including: anniversary, retirement and engagement. Featuring a bright colour palette and vibrant patterns, the new designs are a fun, bright highlight in Olive & Belle's growing card range. For those of you visiting Pulse this year, be sure to pop along to stand A25 to take a look.

Available from a growing number of stockists nationwide, the cards retail at £2.45. Sized 145mm square, each card is presented with a crisp white envelope. To find our more please visit the Olive & Belle website.

Quirky Gift Ideas from Pugs Might Fly ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Pugs Might Fly is the creation of Margaret Meenaghan, inspired by her very own Dwarf Pug, Mutley. Adored by all, and inspiration to Margaret, her family and a talented team of collaborators Mutley provided the 'lighting bolt inspiration moment' for creating the 'Pugs Might Fly' brand. In a chance moment, Margaret's Dad caught Mutley in a photograph playing and leaping with all four paws off the ground - the idea seed for Pugs Might Fly was sowed.

Since Mutley arrived in Margaret's life on a snowy, cold day in December 2010, the Pugs Might Fly brand has grown to a collection of fabulous Pug inspired products, brought to life by talented Designers and Makers from across the UK. Today's blog is a look at some of the great gift ideas from across the collection - cushions, fairy lights, gift soaps and more. Perfect for anyone who cannot resist the cute, whimsy of this Pugs life.

Featured gifts: Angelic Perfumed Pugs Might Fly Soaps, £10 each; Pug Cushions, £19.95; Pug Fairy Lights (shown in white and neon pink), £39.99. To find out more or purchase any of the featured gifts please visit the Pugs Might Fly website.

Pinocchio & Grimm Fairy Tales Stationery Set Gift Tin

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

On Friday I published a post on some of my favourite stationery finds from craft website Etsy. There was however one find missing from the post. The blog feature was a very last minute idea, and unfortunately I only got permission to show this last stationery discovery after I had published the original post. (I always seek permission to feature a product from the Designers-Makers they belong to, especially if I am using the original product pictures). So today is a last look at an amazing stationery find.

This super cute mini 'Stationery Set in a Tin' is created by Little Treasures. The theme is Pinocchio and the Grimm Fairy Tales, but these stationery gifts are also available in Anne of Green Gables and Wizard of Oz designs. Each Stationery Set contains: 35 mini postcard sheets and 10 sticker sheets presented in an 8cm diameter gift tin. It's a delightful miniature gift idea or stocking filler with some beautiful illustrations.

The featured stationery gift set retails at $10 (£6.63 at time of blogging). To see more or purchase please visit the Little Treasures Etsy Shop.

Seven Great Stationery Gifts from Etsy & Beyond ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:30:00 +0000

For our final stationery themed blog post of the week (in honour of National Stationery Week) I've turned my attention to Etsy and some Designer-Makers and Illustrators creating their own brands of unique stationery gifts. Some of the featured Designers have their own website as well as an Etsy shop, I've included a link to each individual site or online shop as appropriate. Take a break and check out their full collections, there's lots more fab stationery to discover!

A Bear with Pears Stationery Cards by Iota Illustration, £7.99. Set includes 3 folded cards.

Illustrated Owl Writing Set by Kate Broughton, £8.00. Set comprises 4 sheets of paper, 4 envelopes & 6 stickers.

Children's Penguin Post Stationery Set by KateFete, £15.00. Set includes 24 postcards, envelopes and stamp stickers.

Panther Letterpress Notecard Set by Maple Tea, £7.60. Pack includes 6 notecards and co-ordinated envelopes.

Illustrated Writing Stationery Set with Bunny design by Miss Magpie Designs, £6.50. Set includes 9 sheets of paper and 4 Kraft envelopes.

Illustrated Robin Notebook by Nyha Graphics, £3.00.

Make Stuff Postcard featuring vintage type drawer by Typescale, £1.80.

Top Ten Stationery Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:45:00 +0000

Continuing our paper goods themed celebrations for National Stationery Week, I've picked a Top Ten of my favourite stationery items. Great for gifts and every day...

Chunky Ditsy Notebook by Caroline Gardner, £7.50.

Banksy Damien Rat Staionery by Go Stationery, from £3.50.

Bakers Twine Notebook from Idea Chic, $12.

Animal Themed Stationery Pack from Karenza Paperie, £15.

Big Ben Sticky Pad from Katy n June, £2.30.

Liz and Pip Paper Notebooks, £2.75

The Green Gables Eco Stationery Club Gift Subscription, from £18.95.

Cute Critter Jotters from Night Owl Paper Goods, $8.00.

Hedgehog Mini Letter Writing Set, £10.07 from The Fox and The Teacup

Write it Yourself Postcards by Cole of London, £2.20.

Behind the Design: Cut Back Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Say hello to ...

Lewis Morgan from Cut Back Cards Ltd.

Tell us a little about yourself and your company?
Cut Back Cards was created by myself and Alexander Green about 8 months ago. We were recent University Graduates who didn’t really know what we were going to do. He studied Fine Art and I, Ancient History. I was writing sitcoms as a hobby and Alex came to me with the idea that he could design cards if I could come up with the humour behind them and further ideas. Originally our aim was the show the current economic climate in a light hearted and humorous way. However, we’ve quickly expanded our range and cover a lot more topics and themes and trends.

Describe your typical working day ...
We work in quite a relaxed and easy going environment - we live close to each other and have been friends for years. Music is always on in the background and we take a lot of pool breaks. Alex prefers working at night, while I look after more of the business side so have to be contactable during the day. I guess the day revolves around designing and brainstorming new ideas and marketing the business through social media, magazines or preparing for shows.

What is the best thing about your job?
Definitely the creative side. Neither of us would be any good doing a 9-5 job. I switch off easily and Alex works best at night. The job allows us to more or less do our own hours. This job means we spend most our time thinking up quirky, funny and eccentric ideas and then seeing whether we can make a card out of it.

Do you use any specialist techniques or equipment to create your products?
Not really. Alex is a fantastic artist so can design in lots of different styles. He’s also very proficient with Photoshop but beyond that we’re pretty run of the mill with our card design.

Your products …

What is your personal favourite product in your collection?
It’s from out new ‘What are YOU like’ range. It makes me chuckle every time I see it.

What are the most popular products in your range?
Motivation male has proved to be extremely popular recently, as has Stan’s Holiday card. The ridiculousness of this card makes me smile.

What are you working on at the moment?
We’re working on a few new cards ranges at the moment. I don’t want to divulge too much as this point but they’re all humour cards and ranges, but have different themes. We’re looking at a new occasion range but with a unique and fresh twist to it.

What do you have planned for 2013?
Now this is more or less our full time jobs, we’ll throw ourselves fully behind the business. We’ll look to make a number of new cards and ranges and take part in more trade shows. In May we’ll be at PG Live, Stand 842, and hopefully though we’ve left it late, a couple more later in the year.

Your inspiration …

What inspires your products?
Our cards are taken from and inspired by things we’ve seen or done throughout our lives. But I would say, our humour owes a lot to comedies like Red Dwarf, Blackadder and Men Behaving Badly. Perhaps a bit masculine, but overblown, silly and eccentric as well.

What other card and gift designers do you admire?
We’re a very new company and only been to one trade show, but at that trade show we were next to J2 Studio. We met Jan Morley, who owns the company and she was very helpful and kind to a couple of people who didn’t really have a clue what they were doing. We really like their cards and style also, especially the collective nouns range.

What current or upcoming trend are you're covering?
We’re currently looking into the London centric/ business/ drinking trend. We should be unveiling a new range that is a sarcastic/subverted view of this lifestyle soon.

Quick questions ...

What is your favourite book?
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

What is your favourite film?
Naked Gun

What is your favourite album / band or song? All 3 if you want!
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, The Verve, Bright Side of Life.

What is your favourite card or gift brand?
Splimple

What is your favourite website or blog?
9gag.com

What can't you live without?
Kit Kats

What's your guilty pleasure?
Whitesnake

Thank you Lewis!

To find out more and see the collection please visit the Cut Back Cards website.

New Stationery Gifts from Belle and Boo

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:15:00 +0000

In case you didn't know this week (22nd - 28th April) is National Stationery Week ~ an opportunity to revel in paper products and encourage Britain (and hopefully the wider world) to get writing. With this in mind, this week I'm going to be looking at some new products and old favourites in the world of stationery. I myself am a bit of a stationery addict so it seemed appropriate!

Today's featured products are some lovely gifts from the new Belle and Boo stationery collection. A charming range of illustrated gifts with a nostalgic feel. The collection includes a rucksack, wooden stationery sets, pens, pencils, writing sets and a super sweet wooden pencil box. Everything a budding stationery addict could want, each decorated with a gorgeous Belle and Boo illustration.

The Belle and Boo stationery collection is priced between £2.99 for a Pencil with Boo Dangler to £30.00 for a Rucksack. Detail images show: Exercise Book, £5.99; Writing Set, £12.99 and Wooden Pencil Box, £7.99. To see the full stationery collection, please visit the Belle and Boo website.

New Creative Space: Makers' Yard Leicester

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:30:00 +0000

This weekend I went to an 'open studios' day at the new Makers Yard in Leicester. It's a lovely new space for independent Artists and Designer-Makers and I took a few pictures to share with you today ... apologies for the dodgy picture quality, photography is not a skill I've mastered yet!

Located in Leicester's cultural quarter, the Makers' Yard is housed in the oldest surviving hosiery factory in the East Midlands. The listed building has been transformed into 10 studio spaces for a growing creative community of Artists and Designer-Makers. The building retains many of the original features, and has a 'distressed' look throughout, which gives great authenticity and personality to the spaces. Dotted throughout is a timeline of historical facts, and audio equipment plays recorded memories from the people who have first hand experience of the life of the building.

There were lots of lovely collections on show, and with thoughts of gifts in mind there are some Designers that I am keen to research further. I was particularly impressed with the work by Amy Bonsor, Kelly McRobie, Anna Calvert and Amelia Kirk. Click on the links to see their websites and find out a bit more about their work. To find out more about the Makers' Yard please take a look at their website.

If you have a creative space to share, please email me.

Vintage-Inspired Greetings Cards from Monahan Papers

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Today's gallery of greetings cards are from Monahan Papers, distributed here in the UK by ycuk greetings. Based in Missouri, Monahan Papers specialise in museum quality, reproduction paper goods with vintage-inspired themes.

The full collection includes decorative giftware accessories, stationery items, fabric and wallpaper but today we're focusing on the greetings cards. Each card uses images from Designer Stephanie Monahan's own family archive, so are unique to the Monahan Papers collection. Stephanie hand-ages each greetings card, achieving the 'foxed' design by staining the paper with tea and coffee, before baking and pressing the cards to create a high-quality finish. A unique set of greetings cards, the collection has a wide variety of subjects for every occasion and would work equally well as stationery for every day use.

Featured greeting cards retail from £2.85. For more information on Monahan Papers please visit the ycuk greetings website. You can also see more at the Monahan Papers website.

Behind the Design: Gemimalou

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Say hello to ...

Gemma Hampton from Gemimalou

Tell us a little about yourself and your company?
I am an illustrator living in Bristol. Fuelled by a passion for drawing and painting along with a penchant for stationery, I began selling my work last year. I design a range of goodies including greeting cards, prints and accessories. My playful designs explore shape, negative space and the use of colour.

Describe your typical working day …
The day begins with a strong coffee and 6music on the radio. I tend to do bits of drawing and painting, creating ideas for new designs, also packaging up stock for orders and upcoming markets. Undoubtedly, I get distracted by twitter and various blogs/pretty things throughout the day (I like to call this 'research').

What is the best thing about your job?
It's wonderful to be doing something that I'm truly passionate about. I'm really enjoying the learning process involved in starting a business and developing as an artist.

Do you use any specialist techniques or equipment to create your products?
I like to use a combination of traditional and contemporary methods. I draw, paint in watercolour and work digitally. I have recently been experimenting digitally, creating vector drawings on the iPad.

Your products …

What is your personal favourite product in your collection?
The Hummingbird Nebula tote bag. It's the perfect shopping companion.

What are the most popular products in your range?
My range of Garden cards have been very popular. The favourites seem to be the Beetroot and Carrots. It's lovely to see people's reactions to the bright colours.

What are you working on at the moment?
I've recently finished a new piece 'Bees'. I find the natural world hugely inspiring.

What do you have planned for 2013?
There are some exciting things on the horizon! I'm delighted to be taking part in the Spring volume of Made in Bristol's temporary emporium Paper Scissors Stone, opening mid-April. It'll be my first 'pop-up' shop experience and I'm really looking forward to it. I am also on the lookout for lots more stockists this year.

Your inspiration …

What inspires your products?
A fascination with nature, a sense of nostalgia and a fondness for simplicity.

What other card and gift designers do you admire?
Quentin Blake has been a favourite since childhood. I find his work so magical, it always makes me smile. At the moment, I really like the work of illustrator and graphic designer Blanca Gómez. She has a lovely clean, simple style. I also really admire artist Susie Brooks' architectural prints, beautifully balancing line drawings with blocks of colour.

What current or upcoming trend are you're coveting?
Vibrant colours for spring.

Quick questions ...

What is your favourite book?
Anything by Roald Dahl.

What is your favourite film?
Amélie.

What is your favourite album / band or song? All 3 if you want!
That's a tricky one! I have quite an eclectic taste and am struggling to choose...will go with Nick Drake – Pink Moon.

What is your favourite card or gift brand?
I love Rob Ryan's whimsical, intricate paper cuts. I've recently discovered Rifle Paper Co. and adore their range of florals inspired by vintage botanical studies.

What is your favourite website or blog?
I'm a bit addicted to Pinterest.

What can't you live without?
Yoga. I started in the new year and feel rejuvenated!

What is your guilty pleasure?
Baked Camembert.

Thank you Gemma! Visit the Gemimalou website

If you would like to be featured in 'Behind the Design' please email me for a questionnaire.

Stunning Homeware Gifts from abigail*ryan

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:30:00 +0000

abigail*ryan is the young Belfast-based design duo of husband and wife team, Abigail and Ryan Bell. Launched onto the homewares scene in 2009, they're products are highly desirable and make fantastic gifts.

The current homeware collection is sold in prestigious stores such as Liberty London and Fenwick's of Bond Street and has featured in numerous glossy magazines. Working together, abigail*ryan products combine Abigail's signature organic and nature inspired illustrations with Ryan's love and flair for colour and graphic design. The result is beautiful fabric designs, which make unique gifts and stunning objects for the home.

The majority of designs in the collection are hand-sewn in the abigail*ryan fabric studio in Belfast; with the exception being the tea-towels, which are hand screen-printed on Eco-friendly, unbleached cotton in England. Keen to support local business and source suppliers close to home all of the linen used in abigail*ryan products is 100% Pure Irish Linen, crafted by a firm which has been milling Linen in Belfast for over 40 years. On Lavender bags, tea towels and cushions I love the combination of natural themes and sharp, bright graphics. Take a look ...

Featured gifts: Lavender Bags, £13.00; Tea Towels, £12.50 each or £80.00 for a Boxed Set of 8; Cushions, £59.50. To see all of these items and much more please visit the abigail*ryan website.

Illustrated Cards and Gifts by Anna Wright ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:15:00 +0000

Working from her Edinburgh-based studio, in a former chocolate factory, Designer Anna Wright has created a unique and appealing collection of greetings card and gifts, which I am delighted to share with you today.

Inspired by Anna's interest in wildlife and the outdoors, the designs are brought to life with a menagerie of lively animals and birds. The collection includes: greetings cards, art prints, tote bags and mugs, each based on one of Anna's original illustrations. I love the patterns and colour palette used throughout the collection; Anna uses colourful mixed-media collages in combination with pen, ink and watercolour. The result is a signature style that is warm, affectionate and adds charm and humour to every character.

Cards and gifts are available to purchase direct from the Anna Wright website. Pack of Five Long Greetings Cards, £8.00; Unmounted, Limited Edition Art Prints, £65; Mounted Art Prints, £75; and Penguin canvas tote bag, £12.00. A selection of fine bone china mugs (not shown) are also available at £13.00 each. To see more please click here.

Give the Gift of Personalised Art ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:30:00 +0000

The Bombus story began back in 2003 when Designer (and Bombus Director) Amelia Coward, a graduate of Central St Martins and the Royal College of Art, découpaged vintage cowboys and Indian comic strips to a 1950s coffee table. A prop for a shop window display, the table sold within hours and sowed the seed for a new business.

The découpage technique was applied to a range of homeware products and specially commissioned pieces that drew an eager audience to Amelia's designs. The unique element that I love in the Bombus collection is the use of personal, and sometimes unconventional ephemera. Like that first table, the collection utilises comics, vintage papers and maps; the result is a varied collection of homewares, greetings cards and gifts that become a treasured and personal memento. Today's post is a look at some of my personal favourties from the artwork collection.

Featured gifts: circle of floral dots, £45; sixteen vintage map circles, £325; trio of vintage map circles, £85; patchwork retro man, £1690 and florence map heart, £45. To see more or purchase any of the art gifts shown today please visit the Bombus website.

The Secret Life of Animals: Cards & Gifts from HAM ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

The brainchild of East London based Designer Jo Robinson, HAM captures the unexpected moments from the contented lives of a pig, a horse and a rabbit, on a range of thoughtfully crafted and 100% British made gifts.

A farmer’s daughter, Jo grew up in the Shires before training as a fine artist at The Ruskin School of Drawing. Jo spent the next five years working at a London design agency before establishing HAM back in 2011. A strong advocate of British industry Jo has spent time carefully selecting UK suppliers to help craft her products. The collection includes: greetings cards printed in Worcestershire, fabric gifts made in Lincolnshire, fine bone china mugs created at a pottery in Stoke-on-Trent, and screen prints hand-pulled by Jo in her East London studio. I love the fun and character that Jo conveys in her illustrations, even as silhouettes in black and white they are thoroughly charming. A fantastic range of hugely entertaining greetings cards and gifts, I can't wait to see what HAM creates next.

Featured cards and gifts: greetings cards and priced at £2.75 each or £8.95 for a set of four; mugs are £11.00 each. All of these designs, and many more are available to purchase direct from the HAM website.

Miniature Gardening Gifts from Another Studio for Design ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Another Studio for Design is an independent London-based company creating ‘gifts for thoughtful givers’. Their unique collection is both innovative and interactive, charming gifts that reflect and respond to their environment.

Today's gallery is a look at their 'Postcarden' and 'Plantini' gifts. Fabulous designs that celebrate the natural world and enable us to give the gift of gardening on a new and exciting miniature scale. Developed over time, with many adaptions through the design process the Postcarden and Plantini products are made truly special by the care, and attention to detail that can be seen in every design. I love the small details of these gift products; the weather vane on the roof, the street lamp, the bike propped against the picket fence, the intricate arches and patterns of the Plantini roof. Another Studio for Design strive to make great quality, British-made gifts, and the impeccable craftsmanship is evident in every design.

Featured gifts: Postcarden gifts are priced between £3.95 for single designs and £11.85 for a trio pack. The Plantini miniature hothouse retails at £24.95. All of these gifts and many more can be purchased direct from the Another Studio for Design website. Click here to go straight there.

Top Five Bath Bake Gifts from Miss Pattisserie ...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Founded in 2009 by Charlotte Ridgwell, Miss Patisserie is a collection of amazing bath products, a great gift idea for beauty fans. Charlotte's love of beauty and bath products, illustration, patisseries and boulangeries inspired her business and the creation of beautifully constructed 'Bath Bakes' in wonderfully illustrated packaging.

Originally sold at craft fairs and Charlotte's local shops the business has now grown to be sold in boutiques across the world, and online from the Miss Patisserie website. All of the bath bakes are created in Cardiff, by an experienced team of Miss Patisserie 'Chefs', who mix, press, ice and decorate each item by hand. The team use natural ingredients such cocoa butter and Epsom salts, combined with amazing fragrances to create these extra special, luxurious gifts. In 2011 and 2013 bath products from the Miss Patisserie collection were shortlisted for 'Gift of the Year' awarded by the Giftware Association demonstrating the unique quality of the designs. Today's gallery is a look at the Top Five best-selling gifts from the collection.

Featured gifts: Madame Bubbles Gift Tin, £15.50; La Vie En Rose Mini Bath Bake, £4.50; Macaroon Gift Tin, £18.50; Lily of the Valleys Mini Bath Bake, £4.50; Rosie Mini Bath Bake, £4.50 and an example of the Miss Patisserie gift packaging. Miss Patisserie are firm supporters of animal welfare and ensure none of their ingredients are tested on animals. To find out more or purchase any of the items featured today please visit the Miss Patisserie website.

Card & Gift Blog gets another Liebster Blog Award!!

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:30:00 +0000

A break from our normal showcase and feature posts today as Card & Gift Blog has been nominated for a Liebster Blog Award by the lovely Jo from The Writing Bureau to read all about it click here.

"The Liebster Award is for bloggers with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer the 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

Thank you Jo!

First a big thank you to Jo for thinking of me and nominating me. Jo creates gorgeous greetings cards, which have been featured here on Card & Gift Blog in the past, and I'm sure will be popping up again in the future. Click here to visit her website and see them for yourself.

11 random facts about me...

I've inherited a love of Agatha Christie books, and am currently building my own collection of her novels. I get sent a monthly 'Agatha parcel' with two books, each is a hard-back with reproduction of the original artwork from when they were first published.
I spent my 30th birthday in Boston (the Massachusetts one, not the Lincolnshire one) with my lovely friend Christine ... we ate Chinese food and got suspiciously drunk on a few cocktails. Christine also arranged for our hotel to make me a birthday cake, which was lovely!
I'm a bit of an insomniac ... 'bit of' is probably an understatement.
When housing situation allows, I have a list of animals I want to adopt, so far I have names for 2 dogs, 5 cats and a horse. I'd also quite like Donkeys but have yet to think of names for them.
Despite living in an entirely land-locked county I love water and swimming.
I'm a compulsive list writer, which works out quite well as I also love stationery and buying notebooks.
I seem to be a bit backward when it comes to what temperature drinks should be. I keep 'ice-cold' fizzy drinks at room temperature and often take so long drinking tea or hot chocolate that it gets cold, which is fine with me.
I love gigs, but don't actually get round to going to many any more (pesky self-employment getting in the way). I do however have plans for one gig in May (Muse!) - I think this will be my holiday for 2013 - as this is an evening out at Coventry's football stadium this is pretty sad.
I've been dreaming about visiting Berlin. I haven't been on holiday for three years but that would be my first choice destination.
I find listening to loud music relaxing, and often listen to Rage Against the Machine as alternative meditation, it helps to clear my mind and stop me thinking.
I'm very squeamish. I spent a large portion of the time watching Game of Thrones hid behind a cushion. Oh and you could not pay me to sit through an episode of those embarrassing or most-shocking body programmes.
Despite usually having a fairly bad memory and truly appalling knowledge of geography I can name all 50 American states.*

*several hours after this was published I noticed I gave 12 facts not 11, so apparently I have trouble counting too!

My answers to Jo's questions...

Where do you see your business in five years time?
In five years time I'd hope to have a very slick business and to be working with a nice little team of talented people. Card & Gift Blog, and my business Piccadilly Lane, both revolve around supporting independent Dessingers, Makers, Publishers and Retailers, so in five years time I hope to be able to do this on a bigger and better scale ... I like to keep things moving forward and improving so I imagine in five years there will have been lots of tinkering. I also hope that a few of the top secret plans have been started too!

What’s your favourite recipe?
I really don't have the patience to cook I'm afraid. I tend to get distracted, wander off, send an email, crop an image or two and then realise something's burnt or turned into something unrecognisable. The one thing I can make, and a good contender for a favourtie recipe would be Banoffee Pie - it's really easy to make, cannot be burnt and tastes lovely.

What’s your most inspirational quote?
I really wanted to give you a good answer for this but the only quotes I can ever remember are silly, stupid or 'inside joke' quotes from movies or TV shows. As I just saw this yesterday I'll go with one from Dead Poet's Society ... "Don't just jump off like Lemmings! Take a look around!" ... it's all about looking at things from a different perspective, not following the crowd and looking at the world for yourself, so I think that fits into inspirational.

What do you listen to when your creating?
I either listen to BBC 6 music on my lovely DAB Radio or whatever CD I have loaded onto my laptop. Despite having quite a large collection of music, I don't often seem to get round to changing things so I tend to listen to the same thing on loop until it drives me crazy. Currently the CD honours go to 'The 2nd Law' by Muse. As a 90's girl, I gravitate towards the indie / rock / 'boys with guitars' genre. Muse have been a particular obsession for the last 10 years or so.

What’s your greatest business tip?
Right now, I'm really appreciating the importance of having an outsider that you can ask questions or seek advice from. Find someone ... a friend, family member, ex colleague, mentor - anyone really who isn't immersed in your business as a 'go to' person. It can be overwhelming running your own business, and you get so caught up in the million little things that every now and then you need that outside person to help you see the big picture, focus you, or just stop you going a little mental. I'm regularly on both sides of this idea, both providing help and seeking help so I know it works.

What’s the best part of running your business?
I love researching, so I enjoy seeking out new products and designers. Once I've found them I get to help showcase their products, increase awareness of their brands and for a few I get to help develop their business further, which is really great too.

Who or what inspires you?
Lots and lots of things really, but as we've been talking business I have to say that I've got quite a few family and friends that have started a business in the last few years, and I find each one of them inspiring. I like that they're going out into the world, taking a risk and creating something new. In the current economic situation it's really easy to moan and complain but I like the people that persevere and remain positive.

Do you have any advice for starting and writing a blog?
I think whatever the motivation for starting a blog you need to think about your subject in depth before you get started. Blogs are a long-term commitment and you need to be consistently adding new content, so you need to be enthusiastic about what you're discussing. If you're a bit half-hearted you're likely to give up, only blog once every six months, or resent having to do it so much that it will just become a chore.

What’s your biggest success?
It's early days but I think Piccadilly Lane. It was a big risk as I had to invest a lot of time and money into making it happen but I've had really amazing feedback and the initial statistics from how the site is performing for our clients is very exciting!

Any tips on staying organised?
Pick a system that works for you and takes into account your likes / dislikes. I tend to like keeping a list of everything and then use that to create a mini list of high priority items. As I have a pretty random memory I also have a calendar in place to keep track of future events.

Why did you start your blog/business?
Myself and my colleagues had been made redundant from our jobs at a greetings card publisher, and like our company I knew a lot of independent businesses struggling with the credit crunch / economic crisis. The blog was a way to share my industry knowledge and help those independent businesses. Piccadilly Lane takes this a step further providing long-term support and promotion for card and gift businesses.

My 11 nominees...

Workspace 1 Blog ~ wisdom and entertaining posts from a fab creative company ran by my friends Christine and Ross.
Blue Eyed Sun Blog ~ industry knowledge and business wisdom from Jeremy at Blue Eyed Sun
Ask Flimsy ~ fabulous, entertaining illustrations and wisdom from Leicester-based Illustrator Rachael Smith
The Love Monk ~ life lessons and love from my friend Lindsey
Laura Felicity Blog ~ behind the scenes goodness from Designer-Maker, Laura Felicity
Coulson Macleod Blog ~ behind the scenes of a fab art brand
Alice Perry Blog ~ lovely surface patter design from Alice Perry
JLW Illustration Blog ~ lots of lovely crafts and design from JLW Illustration
Origami Chicken ~ great blog by Designer Joanne Hawker
Pennychoo Blog ~ retro goodness from the lovely Sue at Pennychoo.
Dilys Treacle Treasures Blog ~ a lovely sneak peek at the world of Dilys Treacle Treasures by founder Janine.

11 questions for my nominees...

Why did you start your blog / business?
What advice have you found helpful?
How do you motivate yourself?
What inspires you?
What free software or application would you recommend?
What is your favourite city or place to visit?
Which TV boxset (s) would you recommend?
Do you have any design loves or hates?
What are your favourite card or gift brands / designers?
If you could request one gift right now, what would you ask for?
What aims do you want to fulfil this year?

New Fanciful Greetings Cards from YTR Design

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:15:00 +0000

Today's gallery is a look at the new greetings cards from YTR Design. Called 'Fanciful' this latest range was launched to the trade at Spring Fair, co-ordinating with the arrival of YTR Design's brand new website.

The fanciful range features pretty illustrations of everyday favourites, and on-trend themes of gardening and baking. I love the candy colour palette that gives a real softness to the range and compliments the delicate illustrations perfectly. All of the cards are designed and manufactured in West Yorkshire, with card stock, envelopes and embellishments sourced from within the UK. A beautiful, high quality, hand-finished collection.

YTR Design greetings cards retail at £2.85 and are available to purchase from stockists nationwide. For more information please visit the YTR Design website.

Cupcake Kit: Winner Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Charlotte Biggs) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:00:00 +0000

After a lot of faffing on my part (pesky day job getting in the way!) I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the fabulous Meri Meri Cupcake Decorating Kit, chosen by random computer generator is Satya Fox. Congratulations to Satya, the kit will be winging its way to you this week. As soon as I can get a little more organised I promise to hold some more giveaways so please keep checking the blog for updates.