April - round up!

and so another month has passed! 7 weeks free of my day job and still no regrets. it had to be done and i am realising how much i can actually get done given the time. which sounds silly - of course if you have more time you can get more done. but i can only imagine how long my to-do list would take if i was still working a day job!

i will admit i had a bit of a blip this month. i had such a 'full steam ahead' straight after leaving my job that i think said steam finally ran out. boo. so i spent a week in london to rejuvenate myself. i went to a couple of markets for inspiration and had some more studio days with Liz of Elle Jane Designs. it's good to talk things through...especially the amount we can natter for! 

i visited the Crafty Fox Market and the Renegade Craft Fair. both were fantastic and full of brilliant designer-makers. i found some real gems amongst the isles including Ginger Doodles and Lucie Ellen. I got to catch up with the lovely Jo Clarke and finally got to meet Caren Barry after, ooh must be over a year now, of regular chit-chatting online.

i also took part in another superb workshop from Patricia of The Design Trust via the New Creative Markets programme. it was all about creating my business plan. so lots of brain work required! i'm still working through the tasks but it is raising some good questions as to where i see myself in 3 years time and what my priorities are. it is making me question a few things, which i'll admit, is a wee bit scary, but it has to be done. so doing it i am!

i was accepted onto 2 spring fairs - i will be at The Fairy Tale Fair at Brighton Open Markets on the second May bank holiday (Sunday 24th), and i will also be returning for another year with City Showcase, this time we'll be at Victoria Embankment Gardens just by the tube on Sunday 31st May. i really hope you'll be able to make a visit, they are both fantastic shows and i'll be airing different products at each event with special market offers, so be sure to get to as many as you can!

i have been working on a project, something a bit different from anything i've done before. it's for children, it's illustration based, it's colourful, it's fun... it's gonna be a-moo-zing. that's all i'm giving you. i'm just putting the finishing touches together and then i can share!

another 'new thing' are my newest products. something i'm about to release just in time for my spring markets - brand new wash bags and purses! yes, i know, very exciting! they are in a variety of prints and will soon be up and running on my Etsy store. but for now here is a sneak peek... i'm so pleased with how they have turned out, a huge thank you to Robyn of Archie Mac London who made these beauties, she is very very talented.

i have a strict(-ish) new schedule in place to help me work through my list of projects and all my admin work. so far it is proving useful! hopefully it's not just the initial excitement of a new spreadsheet to work to, haha!