Happy New Year!
Happy January!..

After the festivities have ended and the decorations have been put away,
it's time to get our little houses in order and look forward with hope, to spring.
Just like this family of long tailed tits and their friend, Jenny Wren.
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This month I am taking a look back at the past year in designs, to look forward with hope and inspiration for a new year with fresh opportunities to be creative.

There were a few things I wanted to focus on in 2022.
​Those were - getting my designs available in a few more places, creating a couple of new collections and exploring different ways I can get my designs into the world.  I also wanted to work more with others, because emerging from the pandemic years, I appreciate how important collaboration is for me, to get me away from the isolation of my desk and be with other creatives more often...

The first collection which ticked a big goal off my list, was a sunny, colourful gardening humour collection to start a profile on Thortful...

The big collection for 2022 I had been wanting to create for a while, was a full set of the signs of the Zodiac, but a collection to complement the birth flowers range from 2021.
My vision was a sweetly coloured, floral collection which is informative about each Zodiac sign...

With the birth flower collection, I have gently been adding more flowers to it throughout the year.  I have also had the pleasure of creating many personalised family birth flower arrangements - it never ceases to amaze me how different each of these bunches end up, all equally beautiful.  As my collection of flowers grows, it's a goal for 2023 to add more options to the personalised family birth flowers, in terms of choice of flowers and jugs to hold the flowers.  I have loved creating these for customers, so this is a product that I want to, pardon the pun - grow to bloom!..

In the spring I had a wonderful surprise.  It's the sort of thing you dream about when you first start out with a creative business...

I was having an evening off, catching up on my favourite show on Netflix - 'Better Call Saul'.  It's a firm favourite in our house, having followed the series from the start and 'Breaking Bad' which is where the character Saul Goodman originated from, to create this spin off series.  It's fair to say I have been heavily invested in the storyline of these two shows for nearly as long as I have been running my little creative business.  The two things have co-existed in my life for years, in very separate ways.

Imagine my surprise when sitting watching Episode 2 of the final series, when the character Betsy Kettleman walks on screen in a dress with my 'Hibernating Fox' pattern on it!
It was a pattern I licensed to Unique Vintage for that dress as part of their winter 2020 collection.  I thought nothing more of it as the collection came, did well, sold out and then went again once the season ended (as is the way with women's fashion).
It had not occurred to me that it could show up in such a way.  It absolutely blew me away and made my day, to have my designs meet my favourite Netflix series in such a way felt pure magic! ...

This summer was all about the Queen's Jubilee.  

Creating a collection for the Jubilee helped achieve another goal for the year - to work collaboratively with other creatives.  In this case it's a local gift shop in the town.  

I came up with some designs that helped provide the shop with truly unique and local products.  The success of this project has opened up many more possibilities of products I can offer through my Etsy shop and locally in the bricks and mortar shop.  From this Jubilee project, I have plans lined up for more similar, collaborative projects this coming year and I can't wait to get designing on these!... 

2022 was the year I signed up as a Fy! artist.

Landing a licensing partnership with a Wall Art company has been on my wish list for a while.  My product range has been slowly but surely leaning towards creating collections that work as sets of wall art to sit alongside each other.  This was certainly a goal achieved this past year and I look forward to creating some new sets of wall art in the new year...

Here's to 2023!
I'm hoping to fill it with more designs, at least another new collection and
more exploring new products and collaborations.  

With the way of the world currently,
I am simply grateful to still be here, making my art
and finding inspiration in nature to do so.  

There are no big New Year resolutions for me, I don't believe in them.  
My attitude is, if you want to make a change or start something new, just do it. 
Even if it's one small thing.  Do it where you are now,
with what you have - one step in front of the other and keep going.  
That's how I started this creative business over ten years ago 
and that is how I hope to keep it going for many more years.

Thank you so much for your continued support and custom,
that has enabled me to make these steps to keep going over the years.
I hope you enjoy sharing my creative journey with me and that
​my illustrations and designs bring colour, warmth and joy to your days!

Wishing you a wonderful, happy and healthy New Year!
​Best wishes

Happy March!

On this month's desktop wallpaper, the March hare delights at the sight of all the golden daffodils peeping through the ferns at the edge of field.

​If you would like to get this FREE desktop wallpaper,
​​then here's a link to where to join my mailing list:

JOIN MY MAILING LIST HERE

Mother's Day in the UK falls on Sunday 27th March,
and in the US & Europe it's Sunday 8th May this year...

That means it's time to reveal my collection for Mother's Day this year.

First up, there are some new wildlife themed cards now available from Etsy & Folksy shop, including the illustration of the doe and fawn I shared with you last month.

Here is a closer look at the cards in the collection...

​With Mother's Day falling at the end of March this year,
it means there's time to make this year's gift truly personal.
My family birth flower prints are unique to every family, it's amazing how no two bunches are the same, but all are equally beautiful!  With up to 8 family members added and a choice of 3 styles of classic jugs, these make a very thoughtful gift...

One last thing to mention, until March 20th, I am offering 10% off all prints in my Etsy shop to help in the lead up to Mother's Day.

I hope you have a wonderful March!
​Best wishes