Dog days

Today is the last day of dog-sitting. It's been fun, Saffy!

A lot of bottle

Hello! Long time no see!

Today I've been painting paper and cutting the shapes of my old bottle collection. I love looking at the lovely raised lettering on them, they're so tactile. I like that they are from local (and long since folded) companies too, and the more gross things like 'Lung Tonic" that appear on the sides are hilarious! Ew, lung tonic...

Tomorrow I am babysitting the most gorgeous labradoodle called Saffy. Her owners are off to Italy for three days and I have lots of fun walks and picnics planned. I'm pretty sure the weather is going to be awful but I don't mind getting a bit damp and chasing rabbits! Thing is, she barks like fury at men. I'd have her at home with me in the day but of all the blinking weeks of the year, this week my landlord is having the entrance to our flats repainted so there will be noisy workmen everywhere! Typical! Any of you lovely lot got some rainy day ideas for dogs? Wish me luck people...

Finding the way

So, rather fatally I'd been playing with patterns with a view to ending up with some nice new paper collages for the shop, but things don't often work out that way. There's something about experimenting whilst knowing that it should amount to something nice which instantly sucks any joy out of it! But then I started looking at the things around me, my turquoise collection piece, the box of Echo and Narcissus prints back from uni marking and I realised something...

Cutting paper letters is what I'm probably destined to do. I absolutely love it. And when I think about it, it keeps popping up in my work - the Tobacco Trader project, my Freakshow poster, my Porto typography book - and they're some of the projects I liked most in the last two years.

Obviously I still love drawing and making images but making type really excites me. I have some plans now for new collection pieces, in the same kind of format as the collection of turquoise but varying the theme. I'd love to have a shop full of lovely posters.... the first of which will be a new ABC poster (top picture) in the shop soon.

A Fresh Approach

Since uni's been out for summer I've been losing momentum like nobody's business. It's fine, I needed a break, but now need a bit of a kick up the arse to make some nice work.

This month and next I'm working as a research assistant for one of my lecturers and am looking at storytelling, in particular Folk tales. The tales I've heard are mainly based on strange things lurking in forests and a lot of superstition which for me at least, conjures all sorts of visual intrigue.

Then on Thursday I found this wonderful book full of interesting patterns (that I instantly thought Lucie would love), which got me thinking about patterns and their early origins and uses to identify people. I don't know if any of this will lead to any new work but it's got me excited which is a good start...

In print!

I had some exciting news today. One of my images is going to be used as the cover of 10,000 student diaries at my university!

A couple of weeks ago I submitted a "colourful image" for consideration and today I got an email to say they are going to use it. I don't know if anyone else submitted anything so I guess they had little choice, but it just goes to show it's worth doing these things. My biog and web address will be printed in every copy too so it might bring me a bit of traffic and the image will be used to decorate freshers' info in September. Yay for paper diamonds eh?

And the winner is....

Congratulations Caitlin!

Thanks for everyone who left a sweet comment, I wish I could send you all something.

Caitlin if you can send me a quick email with your postal address I'll get the jug and brooch on their way to you!

All tied up

For the last couple of evenings, Jacob and I have been working on a project togther. And it's been great! Jacob is wanting to get into sailing this summer so was looking at knots on the internet. I'd always wanted a knot sampler since the collection project I was set last summer and I love arranging things as you might know, so it all came together quite quickly. I'm so happy with it!

Me me me

The lovely Cathy of habit of art contacted me a couple of weeks ago about doing a little interview with me and I immediately jumped at the chance...then promptly forgot all about it. But this morning I emailed her my answers and with impressive speed she's put together a lovely piece all about little old me! You can read the whole interview here. On her blog she also writes about her own creative practice, fashion and beautiful design.

Thanks Cathy!

Life's a beach

On Thursday we went to Wells-next-the-Sea, as it seems to be our favourite beach on the Norfolk coast. I finally got the chance to photograph most of the gorgeous beach huts there and am planning to do some drawing from them when I have time. Aren't the colours amazing? See the whole flickr set here.

Giveaway!

To celebrate my 100th sale on Etsy I am giving away a happy face brooch and a hand-painted milk jug!

It feels like it has taken forever to get to this landmark but I've learnt so much on my way. My style has changed a lot and more and more I'm making my shop reflect what I do in my uni life, which is exciting.

Thanks so much for all your support on here, you lovely things. Leave a comment before midnight Wednesday (UK time) and I'll draw names out of a hat on Thursday morning to decide the winner.

I've also listed another happy face brooch on etsy, sad faces to come soon...

Rain rain go away!

Oh, why must it rain today?

I was getting used to wearing sunscreen and sandals. Nevermind. Here are some cheery things from the last few days - some wooden flashcards with faces and vegetables that I might turn into badges, and a couple of new diamond collages for Etsy.

Did anyone just see this in the paper? Amazing!

My second quilt

I started this quilt for my friend Liz this time last year, and finally got round to finishing it on Friday! It's not the finest thing ever made but she sent me some pics of it in situ in her beautiful house and it looks great I think. The coloure are a bit more grown up than the first one but still bright and fun. Hurrah!

Catch of the day

I remembered this morning that there is a huge sale at the Salvation Army centre 4 miles out of Cambridge this week. I'd noticed the sign last week but totally forgot over the most hectic weekend I've had in ages.

On Friday, 13 of us jumped on a train to Edinburgh to run the marathon in team relays (my bit was 4.7 miles), and it was such an amazing experience. The heat was pretty unbearable - a freak 25 degree weekend in Scotland - but all three teams did amazingly, finishing at 3h 58mins, 4h 17ins and 4h 19mins. SO proud!

Today's haul of treasures was my way of treating myself and includes a sweet collection of old bottles, all decorated with lettering from local companies like Cambridge Lemonade, some early plastic dishes, and some vintage Corningware, an original pencil drawing of a boat and Hohner Melodica. The whole lot for a fiver, brilliant. Now if I could just lose the aching in my legs my day will be complete...

Political type?

Another great second-hand bookshop in Cambridge shuts this week. Galloway and Porter, one of the cheapest places to get paperback classics and obscure art books also has a large collection of interesting old books and ephemera, and at the weekend I found this fascinating piece of history.

Soldiers of Lead was published in 1948 for use in the Labour Party to advise on how it should be using type in a persuasive way. It's beautiful, and I would have been absolutely convinced if my vote were cast purely on typographic merit!

Weekend bargains

Some little bits and pieces I picked up at a car boot sale yesterday. I spent £1!

What shall I do with the scandinavian-looking pieces? I daren't use them on the table in case I get food on them but they're too cute to stash away somewhere...

Happy Day

Today I had a day off.

These sunny hand-painted cups and saucers are now on Etsy.

Phew

I just wanted to mark today as the day I handed in all my second year work for my degree. I'm now two thirds of the way through and it's equally exciting and terrifying. I worked really hard this year and have had some great successes I think. I was so chuffed the moment I handed it all over and felt all the more special for being with lovely friends doing the same.

Bring on Summer, holidaying in Istanbul, reading on the beach, barbecues and bare feet on grass - but first - celebratory drinks!