Hungarian folk vintage xmas cards

What's that you say?....folk, red, vintage, hang on ....there's a running theme here!
How GORGE are these cards I found from Etsy shop Found Vintage Style based in Toronto. Check out their other scrumptious items too.

Print pattern feature...

I had to blog (with baby on knee!) to tell you about my new range featured on one of my fave blogs - print pattern. If you're not familiar then check it out, I find it really inspiring...

Xmas Brucy Bonus...

Hi All, look at me blogging more than twice a year - life must be getting easier.

I'm telling y'all about my spesh 'Brucy Bonus Xmas Bonanza'. I've still got tons of Christmas stock (I ordered WAY too many!) so I'm putting it on special offer for any Xmas early birds.

You can now buy 12 of my luxury, glossy, thick (no it's not a hair advert) Xmas cards for...

ONLY £8!! ...Ta da!

They retail individually for £2.20 each in the shops so it's a HUGE saving of £18.40. I'm trying to clear some stock ready for new designs that will be out soon (well, just as soon as I sit my bottom down to design them!)

Each of the six designs is also available individually for just £1 also from folksy.

Click on the cards to take you to my li'l ol' Folksy shop.....

Hello long lost bloggers!

Goodness me, a bimonthly post is a bit rubbish isn't it?? Well it's sunday morning, I just made myself a big cup of Jo and a fried egg sarnie and settled down to catch up on the blogging world so I expect any minute now my sleeping babe will awake!

Amazingly I've managed to keep my business afloat and growing, new updates are my new range 'Fur & Feather' came out last month and is selling well. I have a fantastic new agent for the SE who's bringing in tons of new accounts and doing amazingly well. I also have a development with a company in Dubai who are setting up a moonpig type business and want to license my designs. I've also ventured into prints for a new company called 'Beautiful Pea Green Boat' who launch next Saturday, so it's all good.

I'm struggling to have time to create sales myself and I can only do the bare minimum for so long before it all catches up with me. My good old mum has stepped in to help and has taken on my orders and dispatch for me which is a god send and should free up more time for me to get stuck in to some marketing and design (in my sleep!).

Of course I'm a bit frazzled but we're through the toughest baby bit, she's still waking every 2 hrs to feed but 3rd time round I think I've become invincible! I just feel very lucky most of the time that I have a job I love and a gorgeous family, yes it's blinking hard work and I never have a minute to myself but I'm very happy and that's priceless.

I'm feeling creative

Maybe it's the spring sunshine (and the fact that I'm running short of time before baby arrives!) but my feverish brain has been spinning with lots of creative thoughts.

I couldn't sleep last night as my design cogs whirred and clicked with new ideas. I sold out of my birdy design some time back (sob! - my fave design) so I want to create some more designs that are blank for any occasion.

I'm going to start designing next week. God I love that bit - can't wait. I've also got to think of a way to produce new products that don't break the bank. These print runs are my biggest bank breaking expense and i always have more than i need. Hmmm a little lateral thinking is in order me thinks, time to get my biz thinking hat on as well.

Brilliant News!

Yippee yay! Had a lovely mention on the delicious Print Pattern blog this morning, featuring lots of my new designs. I was a bit of a div though and forgot to mention my wholesale website - duh.

My other good news is I've also got 2 new agents covering East Anglia and Scotland!

A very gorgeous retailer...

I'm supplying Toby Tiger with my cards. I absolutely adore their clothing ranges. You can find them in The Lanes, Brighton. They also supply to lots of outlets across the country. Hmmmm, I feel a spend coming on!

Blog Update and Amazon a Go-Go....

You may have noticed that my blog has had a bit of a revamp. You can now shop from Amazon by clicking on the left. I have a blog search feature at the bottom of the page so you can find articles on my blog more easily on subjects that you're interested in.

I also have these 'quick shop' buttons so you can buy cards for upcoming events like Mothers Day and Easter.

Ooooooh I love having a tidy up and a sort out!

I'm actually nesting...

I'm getting rather large with baby no3 on the way and sitting at my desk for hours on end is pretty tough. I seem to need a mountain of cushions to get comfy! I've also decided to invest in a macbook so I can work in the evenings from the comfort of my sofa/nest of cushions/bed/anywhere in a horizontal position. Mmmmmmm, new gadgetry for my nest.

Wooo Hoooo!!!!

Just a quick post to say Top Drawer was a phenomenal success!!! I'm so excited and super happy! After all the determination, frustration, hard work and (many) tears - it's all paid off and I can finally make a living doing something I absolutely love.

I had tons of orders (actually quite overwhelming now) and more than 50 leads to other great retailers and developments. Some included John Lewis, Mamas and Papa's, Amazon and many many more. There's so much to get my teeth into.

People were so lovely and lots of people complimented the stand (pics coming soon) and said my cards were really different and stood out which is a relief because the greetings card market is HUGE so that's really important.

I was so tired after the show, standing around with a now rather large bump was a bit tough but I ran on adrenaline and had a great time. I'm still walking around with a smile, I'm a very happy bunny.

I've got a new website too so have a look if you want to see my new designs:


www.designrocks.co.uk

I know it's barely September...

...but us card designers do our Xmas selling as early as June! It's hard to think about Christmas designs when you're sunning yourself with a long cocktail.

I sold my Xmas cards as singles last year, I thought I'd offer them as a pack this year - here's the new packaging.

The packs and singles will be on sale in my shops from this evening if you want to have a little shop. I'll also be doing mini stationary sets which will make nice stocking fillers or mini gifts for friends. I'll keep you posted!

Back to school - YAY!

I've got that back to school feeling - yay! After getting my head around the end of summer, I can't wait to get stuck into designing ranges, business, selling & growth for my little business. My new mantra: Create, enjoy, have fun & sell!

I have some new stationery (any excuse) my pens and pencils, a tidy(ish) desk and my new shoes - I'm ready to roll and all excited about preparing for Top Drawer London in January.

My exercise books sell really well but I just found this french exercise book complete with exercises inside from Etsy shop Petit Vintage. She has gorgeous Gallic goodies so have a nose if you get chance.

Happy Harrogate!

My God, people in the greetings card industry are SO lovely. I went to check out Harrogate Home and Gift to get an idea of trade fair set ups and a fresh feel for the market, before I take the plunge in Jan at Top Drawer. I chatted to a few of my competitors and I couldn't believe how friendly they were.

My two best show pals were: Iain from Hello! Lucky, here's their stuff. I've always loved the Letterpress stylie and these guys are definately one of the best so there was much scribbling and chin stroking whilst talking to my mini mentor Iain.

My other mini mentor/verbal sponsor is the lovely Alison from Aliroo. Not only is she always so generous with her time and knowledge, she does all this with a 10 week old baby in tow!

I think what I like the most is that these great people have the same outlook as me. I love helping people and sharing what I've learnt, I'm not guarded or defensive (or naive!). Supporting people on the way up is a two way street.

I believe there's a market out there big enough to support all these diverse companies so the best thing we can do is to support each other to make British design the strongest in the global marketplace. And I believe it is. Right. I'll get down off my soap box now.

my joyous cards

I've just taken some nicer pics of my cards - lets hope it's at the finest eyecandy level to attract some blog space!