Punch Monday

I have these popular tea towels available for ordering again, they will be ready to ship end of the week. Use the code PUNCHTODAY for a special preorder 10% discount today and tomorrow.

Happy time!

As today is International Day of Happiness I thought it a good time to share these new cheery happy pillows on the blog. I sewed and stuffed them this morning while watching the beginning of season 4 of Modern Family and drinking copious amounts of tea.  Because that makes me happy.  

Don't quit my day job

Last month I travelled down to Penarth, South Wales to meet the owner of Dear Doris shop and to spend the day at the shop working on my first mural of sorts.  Here are some photos from the day but to watch a full video slideshow click here and enjoy!

Best pals

Custom plushies galore in my studio right now!  Here is the latest batch.  You can order them direct from my etsy shop.  Woo.

Rubber Stamp Society

It's like a dream come true that a wonderfully wonderful gift shop should ask me to help them with their branding.  I don't know about you but usually opportunities like this tend to disguise themselves in dread, doubt and procrastination and it's very difficult to appreciate them for what they are at the time.

The Dear Doris logo eventually came into fruition in my sketchbook while I was in Sydney almost two years ago.  I was sat out on our little balcony with a flat white and still trying to shrug off the jetlag nearly 5 days into the trip.  With no distractions bar a Frankie magazine I'd already read and some terrible Australian TV I had no escape but to work on the logo and - hey - the Ninja chickens were born.

That day I also created material for shop gift certificates and some of those illustrations are now being used as part of their twitter background.  In fact the dreaded design work has been rolled out across their packaging, online presence and now on the walls of the shop.  Next project: a new website!

Here are some pics of the rubber stamp I recently had produced for Dear Doris, which is now used on all their receipts and packaging.

I'm getting better at swallowing frogs - or confronting chickens, as the case may be.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

You know and I know at least five brides who have had complete breakdowns over glass jars.  Or chair covers.  Or hay bales.  I'm not saying I didn't spend an unspeakable amount of time discussing glass jars with my sister - but if I could pass on an itsy bit of advice to anyone planning a wedding, it'd be to not sweat the little things.  We made a pretty special day and there was no theme or bizarre colour scheme and there were no hay bales.  I guess I'm lucky in having creative people around me - dishing out jobs so that there was space in my brain to think about other things really made for not just a lesser stressed out Nicola but most importantly our day was a reflection of us and the people we love. 

(This cake is PINK INSIDE. And lasted less than 24 hours.)

On the day before the wedding I threw together our table menus and order of service. Placenames by the wonderful Caroline Dowsett.  Cake by my most amazing sister in law Charlie Hackett.  Flowers chosen by me and a mad Irish bridesmaid two days before the wedding in a freezing cold flower wholesaler's fridge.  Glass jars, pretty necklaces and confetti by my sister.  Photos by our pal Stu. Smiles, memories, and Tom Petty: unforced, un-themed and just exactly how we wanted it.

Laugh and be happy, and carry a little mirror everywhere

 Pretty new pocket mirrors! The PUNCH TODAY IN THE FACE pocket mirror is back in stock too. Yay! Don't forget you can buy two for £5 in my etsy shop.

Catch up

It's Wednesday and I'm finally back in my studio after a makeshift setup for a couple of weeks while we had some work done and our plug sockets were out of action.

I've also been on my travels here and there: Penarth, High Wycombe, Cork and Sheffield have all been visited recently.  I'm looking forward to some time settling into my new-old studio (it's had a little makeover and some new furniture) and enjoying a bit of the sunshine we've been lucky enough to receive this week.  Maybe I'll be lacing up my running shoes in the near future as well.  I'm so excited!

Speaking of running, have you seen the latest We Do Run Run posts?  I love meeting new people and finding out they are into running! Above are some portraits I did over Christmas of nice people I got to meet through the internet.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

National Mommy Day

Year of the horse mobile + Two Geese Mug

March 30th is Mothers Day in the UK.  Show some love and support to the wonderful mommies in your world.
Here are some gift ideas I love.

Suzie soft doll + Porcelain necklace + Botanica Facial Care Set

Watermelon pillow + lucky piggy + Baby card

DIY cowl knitting pdf + Pink circle print

Happy Monday

Hey friends! Hope you are feeling refreshed and happy after the weekend. I had a wonderful trip to South Wales and also got to spend some time with my sister and sister in law. Time away from my desk was exactly what my head needed. Here are some stinky artworks for you to look at this Monday.