Xmas Is Coming!

So first of all I must apologise for the lack of posts in the last 6 months.....I've been a little busy with some other projects, but I am set to burst back on the scene before Xmas and into 2013, with new and better collections than ever before! So to set me back into things I have created a small contemporary Xmas range of cutsey cards onto brown rustic card to give a real exclusive feel to the range. More designs are to follow so watch this space! 

                                     

Some Figgy Pudding to warm the Winter Belly! 

Tomi Lady looking a little put out that I've not been giving her as much attention today! 

Thanks for reading! 

Facial Invitations

Character design is not really my forte, but when a friend asked me to help her design some beauty therapy business cards I couldn't resist at having a stab at this! Her brief was to have a cute feminine feel to the design to demonstrate the idea behind her beauty classes! 

Envelope Designs

Who said envelopes had to be boring?? I absolutely love receiving any form of envelope (except bills mind you) but a well decorated envelope....well then that gets me very excited :) I think as designers we cannot forget that it's all in the minor details, and this is such a great way to do it! So many of my customers have all commented on how delighted by the envelope design! What a great first impression it makes too!

After searching a wide variety of other designers, it's great to see that I am not the only one who believes so....so here are a few of my favourites.....

These vintage floral's make fabulous liners

Micro mini envelopes add so much intrigue and we love  the finishing package touches with the button and string fastening.

This shows that you don't need to spend lots to get a gorgeous envelope....make your very own from paper doilies.

Add some sparkle into your life with these glittery liners. 

And finally a few of my very own male stamped envelopes. 

Thanks for Reading!!

Life in Nanjing

Summer in Nanjing can get rather hot and stuffy, so this weekend we decided to take a little trip into the mountain.......where lies a small hidden lake (better known as Purple Glow lake)! I guess you could say it's our little version of The Hamptons, where we Nanjinger's like to escape the city life! So here's a glimpse into our day! 

On our way...it's actually rare to see blue sky 

and white fluffy clouds! 

First glimpse of the lake! Apparently legend has it that it's haunted! 

So it keeps the Chinese masses at bay!

Our attempt at a picnic! 

Relaxing in the Hammock....looks bliss! 

Lets just say we could be doing this again next weekend! :)

Thanks for reading!

Water Colour Monday........

Just had a bit of a painting day today to get me inspired again! Feeling there needs to be some new floral energy in the print world at the moment!  So here's just a few snippets....will get these properly put into some cards and invitations soon! x

Tomi giving her input  on the day!

Rose themed Christening Invitations

My very own big sis  recently commissioned me to design some simple, yet elegant Christening Invitations for her beautiful bouncing baby daughter (literally bouncing...shes never stops), Abigail Rose! :)

Instantly we both agreed on the Rose themed idea, with soft pink shades and illustrative hand-drawn roses - so I set to work straight away! Here's the results..................

Just want to wish my lovely big sis lots of luck in writing them all out now!

Fabric Shopping in Sham Shui Po

So last week saw another trip to HongKong and this time I managed to visit the streets of Sham shui po, where there's a fantastic maze of stalls, displaying rows and rows of fabric swatches of available stock on mainland China for bulk production. 

Ever wondered where some high street stores get there fabric from............

So this time my focus was on inspiring lace and embroidery anglais to help incorporate into some of my designs.  So next time your in HK make sure you check this place out....not only is there fabric, but little stores selling rather cheap clothing lines and well anything and everything you could imagine!

Sham Shui Po itself!

Beautiful swatches

a wee bit of sparkle...........

Pretty prints and embroidered hem patterns...

A Sunny Day in Five Sugar City

It was a gorgeous summers day in Wu Tang Xin Tuan yesterday, just 15 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of down town Nanjing, where the population stands at 8.1 million, (I kid you not)! Even this little street will later be manic with cars and people riding along on their bicycles! Anyway I managed to capture the quiet time...lunch time! where everyone literally stops what thy're doing to gobble-up their freshly made snap! 

A Peaceful Friday Afternoon...you wouldn't believe the
population is 8.1 million would you!

Josh (Liang Jing) eating his fried rice.....he obviously is pleased
oh and don't forget the free ducks blood soup...yum!!

Myself eating Liang Pi ...I know I don't look particularly pleased
but it really is delicious and for 4 yuan (40p)..........
how could you go wrong!

Liang Pi...the best summer cooler,  fat noodles with peanuts,

 beansprouts, and cucumber...how could you resist!!

Our neighbour's little herb arrangement!

Everyone's inside for lunch...but usually it's pretty busy

with the older locals playing cards.

Hmmm...well!

Rui Rui Business Card Proofs!

It's now time to make a decision.......proofs have just arrived! Any thoughts???

Notebook Snappies

So I did warn you about my little notebook fetish and today I decided it was time to take a few snaps from 

my little collection! So here goes...........

Love the composition and randomness!

Oh so Vintage!!!

Polariod shots!

Inserted Envelopes

Overprinting and layers are so inspiring!