Lovely Colourful Things

Spring is on the way, and it is time to share some of the bright and colourful things that I love right now:

Snuggly knitted blankets by Seven Gauge Studios.

This giant patchwork floor cushion by Big Bird’s Boutique.

Stunning quilts by The Family Love Tree.

Illustrated Linen Lavender Bags by Ceridwen Hazelchild Design.

These charming textile tea sets by Emma Dolan.

These handmade patterned notebooks by Brookfarm.

These illustrative dresses by Poppy Children. (Part of me wishes they came in adult sizes!)

Chloe Owens

Take a look at the beautifully colourful world of Chloe Owens, full of 60s flower prints and vibrantly patterned animals. Scrolling through her website is a feast of creativity, and is well worth perusing. But be warned, you’ll come away bursting with inspiration, enthusiasm and oh so many things for your next Christmas present list!

Lush Designs

If you are looking for colourful and quirkily designed home wares, I wholeheartedly recommend taking a browse through the delightful products by Lush Designs. Their screen printed lampshades are one of my favourite things to ogle at when I am in need of healthy dose of pretty things. Naturally I was drawn to the fox design, but after some thought I decided that I preferred it in the cream and pale grey to darker tones because of how the colours of a lampshade can affect the light in the room. The colours of all the designs are so beautiful and well combined that they seem to make my mouth water. The cotton napkins adorned with root vegetable screen prints are a prime example, with their exquisite array of purples, oranges and blues!

Celebrating and Coupon Codes!

My etsy shop recently hit its 1500^th sale, which was aptly celebrated with an afternoon out of the studio for a celebratory cup of tea with some dear friends. After a lovely, if slightly chilly afternoon, I decided that it would be a wonderful idea to let our customers celebrate too, by offering a 15% discount code for my etsy shop.  Simply quote ‘CELEBRATE15’ in the coupon section at the checkout to receive 15% off your order! This code is valid until Wednesday, so you’ve got a few days to take advantage of it. Christmas orders have already been pouring in, so I know some will love an extra discount when buying gifts for their loved ones!

Colour Variations in Make Tea Not War totes

A few weeks ago I blogged about and uploaded my Typewriter totes on etsy. When I pressed two different coloured versions of the illustrations onto bags I was interested to see which would be more popular, and whether having different coloured versions was worth the extra time spent taking photos and listing online. As it happens, the two designs are roughly equal in their sales and favourites so far, although the orange version has been slightly more successful than the blue.

I think that having several colours available allows people who like the design to find something in your shop that compliments their colour tastes and usual colour scheme. Since I transfer all the designs onto my tote bags in my studio, rather than sending my designs to be printed wholesale by someone else, it makes it relatively easy to make the same design in different colours, and I can make more of one colour variation easily if it proves to be more popular than the rest!

Following this, when I was drawing my Make Tea Not War design last week, indulging in several wonderful cups of delicious tea for inspiration, I decided to make use two different colours for the totes again. I chose a charming turquoise-y blue and a beautiful shade of slightly burnt red which is very in trend this season. I am very pleased with results, and can’t decide which of the two I prefer! Any thoughts?

Oh, and don’t forget to take a peek at my new facebook page for my etsy shop!