Autumn/winter Card Range 2014

It's the 2014 Autumn and Holiday card range and it's ready for you to buy!  Hope you like the new designs.  Get FREE SHIPPING in my etsy shop on any card order over £5 if you use the code LOVETHENEWCARDS - stock up for christmas!!! (coupon expires this Sunday 6 Nov) xo

It's happening, whether you like it or not!!!

Get into the holidays, GET INTO THE HOLIDAYS my friends!!
I've written a list of some ways to help us all just settle right into this festive season.  
Because the inevitable is happening so we might as well just do this together.  
Here it is: 

1.  Wrap up warm/buy some nice things for yourself.  It has to be done!

Grey knit headband ▲ Eyeglass Pouch ▲ Knit slippers ▲ Crochet necklace ▲ Ring dish

2.  And while you're at it, start making a gift list, for yourself. 

Moon scarf  ▲ Organic Whipped Shea Butter 

3.  Get baking.  My pal at Riverside Baking makes a ton of tasty looking stuff and I always ogle at the amazingness that is Ohsheglows.

4.  If you can't bake something, cover something in chocolate and call it handmade.  Bag it up and give it to nice people. Chocolate covered pretzels are a great idea.  I've even designed you some labels to stick on gift bags.  

5.  Be organised and get an order in for a house portrait. They make awesome personalised gifts for a newly married couple, or the couple who has everything.

6.  Go outside and enjoy the crisp, bright air.  Go running or just wrap up and pickup a coffee. It's pretty nice out there.

7.  Still feeling like you don't know where to start? I've got a holiday starter pack for you.  It contains some cards, pocket mirrors, and an ornament - to get you in the mood and up to speed.

How are you feeling now? Still ready to run for the snow-capped hills, screaming 'IT'S NOT EVEN THANKSGIVING YET' ?

Or can I interest you in a little mulled wine tipple to get this party started?

Holiday Roundup, New Year, Janathon, and Yellow Tights.

It's 2013! Are you still there? I woke this morning with a slightly sore head which was more due to the overindulgent four-course meal we devoured last night, than the accompanying drinks.  With back-to-business day tomorrow it seems the transition from horizontal position to vertical position this year has been much easier, partly because my family Christmas took place in a very small rental house in the midlands (my Ma and Pa are the proud owners of a business in the North of France. More on this shortly.) which meant there wasn't room for spreading one's legs and arms akimbo without actually lying on another human being - and partly because I know I have a marathon in April and have thus maintained my running despite attempts by chocolate covered pretzels and Christmas TV specials to thwart my efforts.  And talking about efforts, I also decided to sign up for Janathon in further crazyness, as if I had no other things to be doing for the month of January.  Not that I need an excuse to do more exercise, that's not the hard part - the challenge will be to find the time to blog about it!

Anyways, check out these chocolate covered pretzels I created and gave to people (to myself) as part of their Christmas gifts.  I spent a little too much time on the labels. mmmm. pretzelly chocolatey goodness.  

So my holiday season started like this: finished up packing orders and posting and saying goodbye to my friends at the post office.

Drank rum at work-related Christmas dos and treated everyone in my studio to a delicious fry-up to recover (everyone being JUST ME)

Dressed up as Milhouse for our Nike Run Club fancy dress holiday run and won a sweet Nike Running coat.  I did no doubt wear yellow tights on my arms which did no doubt get very hot during our run! 

Went to visit my good friend who lives in Yarm.  It's pretty there.  Started 2013 race-planning. Where to go/which ones to try/totally nerding out. 

Got a 6 miler done did on Christmas eve, a very brisk mile and half jog on Boxing day, 9k (4k to Parkrun, 5k of puddles & mud at Platt Fields) this Saturday, 2 mile yesterday and 2 mile this evening. 

Best part of Christmas was being asked to be bridesmaid at my brother's wedding by my future sister-in-law.   (Little does she know I shall be asking the internet what this job actually entails as my knowledge in this area is based loosely on a handful of chick flicks and what I've made up in my head.)

I also was given some beautiful jewelry, amazeballs footwear and a sweet Dualit mixer which will no doubt be whipping up some doughs, mashed potatoes and batters, and looks nice on our countertop to boot.  

Speaking of carbs, here's today's bits of exercise: a hike up Alderly Edge with our good friends from Singapore and my evening run to buy two pints of milk.  Happy New Year.  

A catch-up with St. Nick

Dear Santa, here are a few ideas.  Please and thank you. 

1.  Floral facial mask  2. Book bag  3. Black&White Necklace  4. Coin purse  5. Pottery bowl  

6. Lunch plate  7. Tiny hand silver necklace  8. Flax towels

And while we're on the topic, I'm getting my Christmas groove on real good:

MountRoyalMint+EvaRevolver+Sweetbestiary+UpperTiny+mayagencic+Asleepfromday

I've just got to decide on which cards to send and how many pies to eat. 

Peace christmas card by Chloe Bonfield
Every last santa card by Imaginaryanimal
Goosey card by Lucy Eldridge

▲ △ ▼ ▽▲ △ ▼ ▽▲ △ ▼ ▽▲ △ ▼ ▽▲ △ ▼ ▽▲ △ ▼ ▽▲ △ ▼ ▽▲ △ ▼ ▽▲ △ 

Time to boogie!

I've got a collaborative bundle of festive rad-ness to show you. Yes! I worked with someone who I've never met and we smooshed our words and colours and scraps of gristly paper together to make something brilliantly brilliant.

My homie Jenn Smith and I worked our fingers off to create these six fab Holiday cards that we hope will be the bestest thing you've ever seen.  If not, they can be used as brussell sprout serving platters, mince pie shovelling devices and very short books.  (now we're talking!)

The super duper cards are available to buy as a pack of six, or individually.  Let's all boogie to the elf dance!

PS: Get some of Jenn's amazing colours and shapes into your eyeballs on her website and get them into your pocket via her etsy shop.

Decembertime

November and December happened rather quickly.  Some things happened, I'm not entirely sure in what order, but I'm pretty sure it all ended good.

Pined after ankle boots and felt useless during a few kitchen floor DIY emergencies.

Had my packaging printed on a lovely matt card, an upgrade from the flimsy paper packaging I was using.

Used a tacky christmas mug.  Made some moustaches on sticks for my friend's birthday party.  Drank some cocktails.

And finally, after weeks of 6am starts, postoffice runs, bubblewrap stock reordering and email inbox overload December 22nd popped up and it was time to close my laptop pack up my boyfriend's Mark 1 golf and drive across to Harrogate singing about ham egg and chips.

Had such a good break (this is me in Northumberland walking on the coast on new years eve.  It was windy but beautiful and the sky was so blue) that it has taken me a week to adjust to this whole getting up early thing again.  I think I'm almost there, just bear with me!  Lots of exciting things planned for this year.  Let's do this! x

New cards, woo!

I have some new cards available in my etsy shop.  For a limited time only I'm doing FREE shipping on the holiday card pack which contains the three cards in the top photo.  I've also introduced a mississippi mud pie card to my year-round greeting card collection.  Because everyone loves pie.  Right?

Christmas Fishes

This fishy guys are available to preorder now.  Christmas Fishes have many uses. Decorate your tree with Christmas Fishes! They are perfect for adding into your christmas cards as a little extra something. They are also awesome to use as decoration on your holiday gifts. Whatever you decide to do with them they are sure to fill your holiday with fishy cheer. They come bagged up or individually. On sale in my etsy shop, and available to order wholesale.