Thursday 27 October 2011

It's time to think about Christmas!

Paperchase - Japanese temple 8 for £4
Paperchase- Flock 16 cards for £7.50
Paperchase- Candy cane Christmas £3.00
Marks and Spencer - Glitter deer 20 for £4
John Lewis - Midnight sparkle 5 For £5
John Lewis - Wishes charity cards 28 for £5

It's that time of year again where I start to think about what Christmas cards to send to my family and friends. I go through the same train of thought every year do I make my own or buy some? So I've been having a look to see what's out there to help make up my mind.

I love Paperchase and they produce some fantastic cards and wrap, often they have something a bit different. I picked out the flock and the cut-out as although it's been done before Paperchase have done them tastefully. I love the pattern on the little fat robin. I also liked their Japanese inspired cards with typical architectural features of Japan.

M & S last year had some fantastic cards, but this year the designs seem paired down. I like the glitter deer, but they don't give me that christmassy feel. Perhaps it's the blue that puts me off?

John Lewis' collection seem to focus on vintage and simplicity either in colour palette or imagery. I like the use of pattern in the midnight sparkle card and the cute bunny. But £5 for 5 would mean they would be reserved for special people and again it's blue mmmm! The font used on the charity set drew my attention and also the sophisticated colour palette and the nod to eras past.

All in all still not sure, a bit more research maybe and some drawing to see what I can come up with.

Thursday 13 October 2011

Celia Birtwell Presents GoodWeave Prize at Decorex International 2011 | GoodWeave Manchester UK

Follow the link to see the full article on GoodWeave's blog Talking Rugs!
Celia Birtwell Presents GoodWeave Prize at Decorex International 2011 | GoodWeave Manchester UK. It was a fantastic day, if not a bit nerve racking. Meeting Celia was brilliant and if I'm still designing when I'm her age I'll be chuffed to bits!

Wednesday 5 October 2011

www.ballistic owl!!

After going to Decorex it became clear that I needed to set up a website and give people the opportunity to see my work and maybe purchase a rug or commission one. So with a lots of help www.ballisticowl.co.uk/wordpress was created, why not drop by and see what you think. Designs on the site will change as I develop more collections, but there's a few to give you a taster for now.