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!

Spring Flowers - New Card Design

So spring has finally arrived!! Can't you just hear those bees buzzing around! Well maybe I' m been a little hasty, but still its nice to get excited about all the new summer clothes we will soon be sporting!

Just been updating my Etsy shop and here's one of my recent updates, very simple and fresh for spring! Hope you like it!  xx

Rui Rui Designs has a new Intern!

Yes thats right, after much deliberation I have decided to take on an intern to help with my busy schedule! The candidate seemed eager to learn and pretty happy with the salary I was offering and obviously the invaluable experience she would gain! She heres what she got up to today in her words.

Hi I'm Tomi and I have just started my first day at Rui Rui Designs,

 I'm pretty excited and eager to earn my first pot of salmon biscuits!

 So I was working very hard! Meow!!!

I was learning alot about different fabrics

and embroidery techniques....

But then wait! I can hear a buzzing noise!

Haha, No false alarm, just a lush smelling flower!

"No wait!!! I definitley heard it that time"

"Hey did you see anything?"

"I'm sure I !!!"

Tomi unfortunately didn't finish the end of the morning,

she had drifted off to take a cat nap!

Think I'm going to pass on the intern!

Ah!! Sigh!!!