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!

March - round up!

this will only be a quick round up today as i've had a burst of inspiration for a new project and i really, really, REALLY wanna get started! and to be hones there isn't much to share for March...

* the biggest thing of course will be that i left my admin day job - hoorah! i'd been there 7 years and had started building the design business alongside it. 7 years is a long time and i have made some awesome life-long friends there... but i can honestly say i do not miss it. (i write that with a huge grin on my face!) the time was right to move on and so i did, no regrets. (yet, haha!)

* and along with leaving my job i moved back home. i have given myself 3 months to get myself in order, and then i will be venturing back to London, this time the SE corner. so there's been a lot of unpacking and alas there is still some more to go but i'm sure i'll get there...just as i need to pack it all up again to move once more!

* i have spent a bit of time rejuvenating my online store. it was in need of a makeover and i'm rather pleased with the new look - lots of new fabulously colourful photos to show off the bold prints and gorgeous colours of my homeware products. it's actually made me fall in love with them all over again! 

* i've bought back some old favourites from last year - the button jewellery was pretty much a sell out last summer - so it is back in new colours, something to suit every occasion, and the tea towels are currently on a special 'Spring Clean' offer - BUY 1 GET 1 FREE! it's that time of year where we all need to have a clear out and clean up so what better to persuade you than some glorious pattern accessories!

* my newest addition to the shop are my greetings cards - a selection of birthday, occasion and blank cards from my both my 'Amsterdam' and 'London' ranges.

* and that's not all folks! there is more to come! i have new products that will be popping up over the course of the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled. and if you want to be the first to hear about all of these new goodies you can sign up to my newsletter here.  not only will you hear about new products first you'll find out about my events and projects and you'll also get your hands on some special coupon codes...so what are you waiting for?! 

* i found out that all of my designs for Muckboots' kids range Puddletons have been accepted and will soon be released! so very excited! i got to see some photos too and they look great...i can't wait to share them with you!

* on a similar note i will (hopefully) be able to announce a new collaboration in next couple of weeks...it involves bold colour, graphic prints and a product to do with the home...haha, teasing again, sorry...but just hang on in there and you'll soon find out!

right, now you're all caught up i'm off to doodle-town (sung to the tune of Funky Town). have a fabulous weekend everyone!

you can achieve a lot in 90 days...

day 4 of no day job. it feels great it really does! well, it does right now, but i'm pretty sure in a few days time reality will hit and i'll have a little panic and wonder if i did the right thing and oh my god i have no security and lots of scary things like that.

but then i'll stop and think and realise that of course it was the right thing and all is well and good and i'm pursuing my dream and everyone should have that chance and i am very lucky to be able to give it a shot. and everything will feel wonderful again.

phase 1 of my plan was to quite my job - check! phase 2 was to move back home, and by home i mean back with family to save some pennies and be able to concentrate solely on design work - check! well, i'm physically moved in but i'm not completely unpacked. turns out i own a lot of things, and these things need to be sorted. and that takes time. which (rather ironically for someone who just left their job) i don't have. ha!

but it is for good reasons. i have a lot of freelance work at the moment which i am thoroughly enjoying working on again. it has been a while since i worked freelance but it is great working alongside Laura Olivia on various projects for some great clients. i also have my new brief from Muckboots Fall '16 collection due in the next week. so it looks like the unpacking will just have to wait a little longer. darn.

it really is great to get to work on projects set by someone else and not just what has been dreamt up in your head. and this is where i have a little some fun ahead of me - phase 3. i asked a few friends and put out a call on social media for volunteers. these lovely people who accepted the challenge have set me briefs acting as a client. i will post the brief and my final pieces as i work through them...i'm quite excited about this as a i really want to push how quickly i can work and how varied my style can be. it should get me working wit some different mediums as well. yay!

if you're interested in helping me out and setting me a mini project there's still time! get in touch at mail@melsmithdesigns.com...i'd love to hear from you!

but if that all seems a bit much, do keep an eye out on my facebook and twitter pages as i will be putting a call out for a special project in the next few weeks... it'll be nice and easy (for you!) but rather more of a challenge for me... the only clue you get is it's hidden somewhere in my pinterest boards...

in between these mini projects i plan to organise my finances (encouraged by my recent workshops from Dean of Tax By Design and Ally of Business Bright); approach shops with my new products; update my own online shop - i have a few new ideas up my sleeve!; research lots of exciting companies to collaborate with and then of course approach them with a marvellous offer!...i won't burden you with my whole to do list though...

but what i will share are a few of the other things i wish to achieve in the next 3 months that are not design related...i signed up to learn spanish, something i studied briefly at high school and became fond of again after my trip to Peru last year. i have a short trip planned in May so that is my target! ; i want to cook more and now have a wonderful kitchen to do so. the cook books are still in the depths of the unpacked boxes though which could cause a delay to this venture... ; i do however have my yoga mat and trainers out and at the ready! which means i can get back into pilates and jogging again as i'll admit i've been rather slack at this the past few months. tut tut.

hmmm...sounds like i won't be able to fit a new job in what with all this going on!  i am so excited about the next 3 months and what i could achieve...it's a whole 90 days for just me and my business...what would you do?

January to February - round up!

february started off with a * bang * ... spring fair!! and with much of January dedicated to the show preparations there really wasn't much time for anything else. final samples to get made up, props to buy and paint, suitcases to pack, invites to send out...oh you know how it is.

setting up for spring fair was pretty straight forward (i like it when there are no surprises or complications...makes things far more appealing!). i had some bloody fantastic neighbours and the whole of the Design Lab group were an all-round great bunch of people to be stuck with for 5 days ;)

i made some good contacts from spring fair and set up meetings with a few companies to discuss potential projects. some rather exciting ones at that! so keep following and you might hear more about them all in the next few months...

my full review can be read here

i've been fortunate enough to attend yet more fantastic workshops from the New Creative Market scheme these past few weeks. both rather scary (one on tax and one on finances!) but both very informative and have given me lots to think about. in a weird way i'm actually looking forward to settling down and getting my spreadsheets sorted!

you may remember a couple of months back i announced that i was working alongside laura olivia to produce collections for our supermarket chains. what started off as a couple of designs ended up at over a dozen! there were some fantastic projects that i got to work on, a great variety of styles and themes...and to see them in production would be simply fantastic!

and of course let's not forget the big news...i quit my job!! i only have one more week at my day job and then i have 3 months focusing solely on building my portfolio (and sorting those spreadsheets!) ...i absolutely cannot wait!

the secret is out...

i do apologise for teasing you with my news and then disappearing whilst setting up for my second trade show at Spring Fair...but I'm here now to tell you all about it...

i quit my job!

yes i did. after 7 years of working admin i decided enough was enough and had to take a step to up my design game. i managed to drop down to 4 days a week last year but I simply need more time to spend on design, portfolio, promo, manufacturing, commissions...oh the list goes on and on and on!

not only that, but i am also moving flat. i absolutely love Teddington and will be very sad to leave but it's got to be done (it's rather expensive around this area so my manufacturing budget is less than i would like!). so i am moving back home for a couple of months to spend time really focusing on a few projects and getting my portfolio built up. 

so that's it, i have about 3 weeks left and the i'm off. woohoo!!! [queue George Michael's 'Freedom' as my soundtrack]

but what afterwards? well, i will be venturing across the city to the SE of London to play studio days with Liz of Elle Jane Designs (i'm trying to persuade her to get an actual studio space with me one day but she's not having it. not yet anyway.) 

so yeah, exciting times ahead!

off the back of Spring Fair (which was a very different show to Top Drawer, not least in size) i am definitely working more towards the commissioned/licensed work and collaborations. i had a few meetings with various companies and have some exciting projects lined up...but again i'm only able to tease you on that front right now...sorry! i'll tell you more soon, i promise!

2014 - how did it go then?

i don't know about you but 2014 went so fast. beyond ridiculous really. for me anyway. and i bet we all look back and go 'oh god, what did i actually achieve last year?' and then panic that we didn't do anything and didn't see friends enough and we're still stuck in that job and we didn't take that holiday...

but what about all the things you DID do? huh? don't be some blooming hard on yourself! there is only of of you and you can't do everything, and when you have big projects going on in your life (like starting a new business by yourself, from scratch) you have to make tough decisions, miss that night out, eat in and not out... it's hard but it makes it possible to get that bit further in your grand plan. i know i am guilty of working a lot but i do allow myself out. sometimes ;) i just have to plan my time wisely. i want this to work...i'm determined! i have big plans for 2015 and i WILL see them through dammit!

but anyway, as i was saying...it's always nice to look back on what you DID do and what you did achieve...try it. you might just surprise yourself. dare ya. 

and i would like to say an enormous thank you and have a big group hug with everyone that supported me this year - the bloggers & magazines, the stockists & pop-up shops, everyone from the courses i have met, all my new design buddies, all my friends and family...all of you. you're great. that is all. 

JANUARY

...Top Drawer. wow. my first trade show. LOVED IT! a lot of follow up afterwards which proved fruitful and my first 2 wholesale orders! completed 2 Pattern Observer e-courses.

FEBRUARY

...i started the Creative Hub workshops at The Fashion and Textile Museum, there was another Edinburgh hen do (seems to be the place to go!), my huge parcel of cushions arrived (much to my flatmates joy!) and first orders were shipped. possibly the biggest change was dropping a day at my day job to make more time for design...best decision. just need to drop another now ;)

MARCH

...i was accepted to become part of the We Make London family and sell in their Camden shop. i could finally announce my collaboration with Muckboots which had been very hard to keep schtum about! there was also a Glaswegian wedding, a jazz night, 2 German birthdays, and some pet shopping! 

APRIL

...seemed only right that i deserved a little treat after the trade show and went back to Alexander Spa for a weekend of relaxation. i saw my lampshades in the window of their first stockist...a very exciting thing to see.

MAY

...ok so maybe another treat - a weekend in Rome with mama Smith - not quite so relaxing this time though! 2 fairs this month - one a roaring success, the other not so much - but hey, you gotta try these things!

JUNE

...second hen do of the year this time to Bristol for a Crystal Maze (you all remember that right?!) experience in the woods!

JULY

...i got to play florist once more for my friends wedding in a beautiful country setting. Jools Holland was an awesome gig at Kew Gardens, and i returned form my 2 month creative block - thank goodness - and went full pelt at designing my new range. 

AUGUST

...my first colour festival - surprisingly fun throwing powder at strangers in a car park, especially with some amazing house tunes playing. i went Back To The Future, oh yeah.

SEPTEMBER

...i visited Autumn Fair to suss out my space for Spring. but most excitingly an amazing trip to Peru took this month over. i experienced some amazing things saw some jaw dropping sights and enjoyed the South American culture for the first time. pretty sure i'll be back at some point but more Asia to see first methinks! whilst away i was accepted onto the New Creative Markets mentoring scheme which is full of amazing workshops plus 1-2-1's with Patricia of the Design Trust - wowee! i was featured in the 2 big greetings card mags with my new Christmas card range.

OCTOBER

...my flat mate left...boooooooo! but i got a new one - yeeeaaah! i finally sussed out Illustrator, my Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded for my new range of tableware, the samples arrived, and i teamed up with Laura Olivia on some freelance work for high street retailers.

NOVEMBER

...lots of workshops and learning this month, and planning for the first of 3 Christmas fairs of the year. that takes up a surprising amount of time - especially when there are manufacturing problems to work around! i was also offered a spot on Print & Pattern blogs 'Designers for Hire' directory...roll on the commission deals!

DECEMBER

...another 2 Christmas fairs dominated this month alongside the standard Christmas dinners and work parties. most excitingly this month was the release (finally!) of my new Morocco and London ranges...went down a storm, especially the London coasters. yay :) i ended the year with 8 new stockists which i'm going to pat myself on the back for... and here's to 2015 and a whole host of new exciting projects and releases!!

festive fair finds!

ahhhhh...today is the first saturday in about a month where i'm not either at a Christmas fair or planning for my next one! i'm still in bed and it's delightful (except for the fact i have a nasty cough and cold). i enjoyed all of my markets (for different reasons!) and wanted to share some of the work of the amazing designers i met whilst exhibiting across the last 3 weeks.

Made In Clerkenwell

i was located in the basement but i was surrounded by 10 other fantastic designer-makers with a great selection of goods. 

i have a soft spot for ceramics and instantly fell in love with Sally McGill's new collection - bold blue and coral on white...right up my street!

another great selection of ceramics were on offer from my show neighbour Jane Sarre - i'm always a sucker for that olive colour, and putting it on beautiful vases...well, i'm not sure how i resisted! 

and of course Katie Victoria was my very lovely and very Welsh neighbour for the show. gorgeously bright and bold knitted scarves, cushions and a rather lovely bobble hat i had my eye on all show!

East London Design Show

hosted for the second year at the Truman Brewery there were over 100 stands selling homewares, jewellery, prints, furniture and...ping pong games!

the stand to catch my eye the most was from the lovely Winter's Moon, a combination of mid-century finds and new retro inspired prints on an array of homewares - my ultimate weakness!

i caught up with Sophie Home who i first met at the Wimbledon Art & Design Fair earlier this year, once gain selling her yummy geo knits

winner of the Best Stand was Reclectic, a company that sources vintage furniture to hand paint with imagery inspired by that era. we happened to be opposite so could gaze at it all day!

The StockMKT

i'll be honest - this was by far my favourite market - the atmosphere was just amazing and the dj's and live Voodoo Love Orchestra were bloody fantastic! the first time it has been held at Spitalfields but it went down a treat.

now unfortunately i was so caught up in the dancing that i didn't actually take any photos! but probably a good thing otherwise i'll end up giving away some of the Christmas presents i have bought people!

November - round up!

november - the month of market preparation! 3 christmas fairs lined up. 3 stands to plan for. and lots of stock to package. 

i have 3 very different style shows to cater for - first up (and which is currently on) is Made In Clerkenwell, a 4 day fair at Craft Central's open studios. second i have a shared exhibition space to fill at East London Design Show. and lastly an outside night market with StockMKT at Spitalfields. it's always tricky to know what products or designs to take to which market as you never know what will grab someones attention. all i know is that there will be sparkly fairy lights at them all!

i signed up to Print & Pattern's 'designers for hire' directory. i really want to get more licensing and commissioned work next year, so hope this directory will open up some opportunities for me. you can get so caught up doing your own projects and the designs that YOU want to see...so it's great when you get set a brief by someone else, especially when it has an enforced deadline...keeps up the challenge!

and on the topic of licensing deals...i finalised another 3 designs for Muckboots this month. these will form part of the 2016 range. as always these will be top secret until their release, but i have also produced designs for the kids range, Puddletons. mini wellies for mini people! i'm hoping to share the earlier designs with you soon as they are due for release next year.

i had my first 1-2-1 with Patricia van den Akker of the Design Trust. this was through the New Creative Markets mentoring scheme which i was lucky enough to be welcomed onto. we discussed my plans for next year and where i want to take my business. lots discussed and my homework has been set! i'll be checked up on in January at our next session so best get cracking!

'tis the season to SHOP!

hello hello! so sorry for the lack of blog posts recently, my to-do list has exploded and time has shrivelled away from me. but i am here to you today to show you what has been taking up my precious moments...

christmas fairs!

yes folks, it's that time of year to get shop-shop-shopping! and of course i will be encouraging every one of you to shop local and to buy from designer-makers. there are SO MANY markets on this year i can't keep up and i really hope i get the chance to walk around the 3 fairs i will be selling at and buy all my pressies.

and that is what is one the agenda today...christmas fairs. i am very excited to be showing off my brand new tableware products, designs from my 'Travel Bug' collection, starting with 'Morocco'. i know i've been going on about these for a while now but that's just how excited i am! i have wanted to have my own kitchen products for aaaages now and it's finally happened!

and not only 'Morocco' but my special surprise location that i mentioned on facebook this week... 'LONDON TOWN'! something for the locals and visitors alike, i have designed a print for greetings cards, mugs, coasters and cheeseboards...

so lots of new things to be snapped up in the next few weeks as well as my bright and jolly christmas cards, and a special 'stocking fillers' bargain bin! i can't wait to see what the other designer-makers bring along and get some unique presents!



November 27-30th - Made In Clerkenwell, 33-35 St Johns Square, EC1M 4DS

December 4-7th - East London Design Show, Truman Brewery off Brick Lane, E1 6QL

December 13th - The StockMKT, Spitalfields Market

TRADE : if you are interested in stocking any of the above products please get in touch at mail@melsmithdesigns.com 

September to October - round up!

2 for the price of 1 this week guys! i didn't do a September round up because, well, i didn't have much to say whilst i was off gallivanting around Peru!

now most people go on holiday as a break from work. but not me, oh no. as you will have seen from previous blog posts on Peru and it's gorgeous graphics and textiles my brain was very much activated and running full pelt whilst i was away! not only that but it was just before a tour to Islas Ballestas that i took a skype call and was accepted onto the New Creative Markets scheme. totally made my day i can tell you! (the islands were pretty too cool though!). i had my first meet up this month to meet the other designers and am signed up for a few workshops next month. there are so many amazing mentors involved i am so thrilled to have been picked and i'm really excited about what this could do for me and my business!!

i had a second proposal whilst i was away and another that i gladly accepted - i was contacted by Laura Olivia about working on some projects together for high street companies...more excitement just before going on a trek!

the new Muckboots collection for Spring '16 was started - loving the briefs and loving the palette- just all round loving the collaboration!

i was packing up some goodies for 2 lovely new stockists. i now have products on their way to The Gifted Magpie in Oxon, and Boka in Devon. it's so nice to chat to retailers and these are 2 particularly lovely ladies so i am very pleased to be working with them :)

also on the shop front i am back in We Make London! i took the summer off to concentrate on other projects but am now back with a selection of goodies ready for the christmas season. and new stock will be coming soon...watch this space!

i learnt Illustrator!!!! nuff said.

i've had 4 press features - 2 in national greetings magazines (Progressive Greetings and Greetings Today), 1 as part of a christmas gift list (Jess Jean), and 1 as part of a competition for the Jacqueline Wilson Fan Club mag.

the samples for me new products came through and my kickstarter project was successfully funded which means i can now place an actual full side order for said new products! so soon i shall be selling a collection of coasters, cheese boards and mugs. so pleased to have finally entered the kitchen, have been dreaming of this for ages and really hope that i can soon venture to plates and picnic sets as well...ooh the possibilities!

Peru - Part 2 . . . the graphics!

bit of a delay in getting this second round of images to you, apologies. but it's all because of good, exciting things! you can keep up to date with all the latest news as it happens on my facebook and twitter pages. 

but now let's go back to Peru. apart from the gorgeous textiles that adorned every table top, every bed, every neck, one other thing really stood out - and that was their use of graphics for their elections.  everywhere. 

walls were painted with the name and logo of those they supported, and it was like this in most towns. they even painted parts of the mountain! i've never seen such enthusiasm for elections. turns out they get fined if they don't vote. sounds like a good system to me. i asked what happens when the elections over - do they paint over it until the next round? but no, it all stays there, just the same. some of the locals hate it, i guess i would too if i could understand it and it wasn't just hold lettering!

and it wasn't just elections they were painting about - general signage was just painted on whatever surface they had...menus, company names, directions...

ah, i just love it. all of it! need to do some kind of text range methinks...

blog hop

it's always nice to hear from the brilliant Jess Hogarth, and this week was no exception. Jess has been such an enormous help to me the past 2 years, i really can't stress that enough, so was delighted to be asked to follow on from her in a blog hop this week. 

and following after me in the blog hop will my very good friend and amazing illustrator Liz Smith of Elle Jane Designs. Liz has been such a huge support to me the past couple of years - she has helped plan my stands (even helped man the stands!), provided critiques of my work, and just been there as all round go-to person when i needed help. 

now enough of the soppiness and onto the hop...

What have you been making at your desk this week?

well this week has been a bit of a mixed bag. i have mostly been concentrating on new work for Muckboots. i have a couple of briefs to complete for the new season, a good mix so really fun to work on. unfortunately i can't share these with you though, sorry!

i have also been chatting to some shops about stocking my current products - a box of christmas cards was sent off last week and i have another box of button accessories, notebooks and cards being packaged up as we speak! i really enjoy packaging up the products - i think it's that pretty final package i like to see, all the loose ends tied up and the thought of it being displayed on a shelf in beautiful independent store somewhere. love it!

most excitingly i think though was getting some of my new product samples through, i LOVE seeing my latest designs on new products, get such a buzz from it! and it's even more amazing when they get such good reception like my new moroccan mugs have.  it's always great to see that and know that your designs are being well received - gives you such a boost!

Where am I currently finding my inspiration?

my travels. my new range which is about to launch is moroccan themed but something a little different to the current style that is out there. next up will be some prints based on my recent trip to peru - lots of lovely geometrics! can't wait to get cracking on that one but have lots of other exciting things to do before i can started. you can see some of the textiles in last weeks blog post, and i have some fantastic graphics yet to share with you...watch this space!

i have my little library of design books that i delve into at the start of a new project, and i use these alongside pinterest. the Print & Pattern blog is obviously an amazing source of the latest prints that are out there but i can't resist looking backwards as well - i have a real love for old 1920's-1950's prints and illustrations and now have many boards featuring vintage style designs.

How important is being creative to you and how do you blend this with your work/life/family balance?

hmmm...'blend'...not sure i'm very good at that! i'll be honest, the design part of my life has a tendency to take over. a lot! it's too big a part of me to lock away, even if it's just doing some of the admin - it's very rare that i don't do something design related each day. i have waves of busy periods where the work/life balance becomes more of a work/work balance (oops) but this calms down and i sink back into my normal routine. 

it is tricky when you still work 4 days at another job (i haven't been lucky enough to quit the day job just yet!) because it's your evenings and weekends that are eaten into. but i love it, it's my passion and it will become my day job one day soon. and it does i will be able to embrace all my free evenings that i'll get back!!

Peru - part 1 . . . the textiles!

i'm ba-aaack!!! i've been off travelling about Peru for 3 weeks but i'm back on London soil now...and fully inspired!! it was an amazing 3 weeks and i will be sharing lots of photos with you in the next couple of weeks.

Peru is an amazing place and the trip i took was probably one of the most cultural holidays i have ever had. i went with my flatmate, Rebekka, and we ventured from capital city Lima through sand dunes, the 'poor mans Galapagos', the Nazca Lines, a canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, stayed with two families to experience traditional Peruvian life, and of course completed a 3 day hike to get to the jaw dropping Machu Picchu. 

but even through all that i can't forgot my true passion - the textiles. hand woven and hand stitched textiles were everywhere, in the form of scarfs, shawls, blankets, rugs...even trainers!! So much to choose from and some absolutely beautiful designs.

the main wool was alpaca or llama (and OMGoodness they are the cutest things!) and it was oh-so soft. baby alpaca is the softest but by far the most expensive. 

we were lucky enough to visit the Woman's Weaving Project in a small village called Ccaccaccollo. we were shown how they naturally dye the wool using plants, and how they hand weave their garments.

needless to say i bought a lot! but i resisted far more!! i am now the proud owner of my Mamas scarf, a rug, a set of llama hat and gloves, a small purse. and of course a llama magnet to add to my selection.

new release!

well, summer is all over now. and as fas as i'm concerned, when that happens it's now count down to christmas! in which case i want to share with you my new range of Christmas cards. i have 6 designs featuring chirpy robins, decorated deer, beautiful wreaths and the best dressed Christmas trees. oh yeah, and a few penguins. mustn't forget the penguins ;)

all designs are printed on A6 card from sustainable sources and come with crisp white envelopes. they will be added to my online shop very soon so pop back when it's time to get the shopping started!

TRADE : if you are interested in stocking my cards please get in touch at mail@melsmithdesigns.com

lots of lovely newness!

i'm finally ready to share my new ranges with you! up until now i have just been sharing some sneaky peaks into what i've been working on but now...here it is... 

Mel Smith Designs' take on the wonderful Moroccan life!

you may have guessed i was working on something along these lines from all of my recent pinning! i visited Marrakech in 2010  and it was amazing! an absolutely amazing if not bonkers place and i (as you can imagine) got quite snap happy with the camera! i would highly recommend a visit to anyone and would love to go back one day.

an obvious starting point for the project was looking at the tiles and architectural mosaics ('zellige') and i had a LOT of photos to work from! i read up a little on the history of zellige and it get a wee bit complex when you get into stars with 96 points! i'm not quite that skilled to tackle a pattern of such complexity...not yet anyway!

you may recall the 2 Moroccan prints i did for last seasons collection. blue and orange with an off white. i decided to keep these prints and have a play around with the palette so they could fit in with my new look . and i'm so glad i did...look how they came out:  

as mentioned in the blog last week i have been working on illustrations as well as good old repeats. i have a thing about 'scenes' (again you may have seen my pinterest boards already) and wanted to pursue this route. much like with my christmas card range. 

i couldn't resist a camel.

so what made me choose Morocco as a theme? well, it's not just Morocco, this is all part of a much bigger project, an ongoing collection that will be added to each and every year. i am documenting all of my travels and sharing my experiences through pattern and illustration. Morocco seemed like an good place to begin as i had already created those couple of Moroccan prints last season and it is on trend. 

you might also be wondering where i got my palette from. well, this is also part of my documenting - i am choosing palettes that link to either a place or event in that location. for Marrakech i absolutely loved the YSL Gardens. so peaceful yet full of colour and life. plus they were a nice little escape from the mental souks!

so where to next?

well, there will be a post on my facebook and twitter pages on Monday explaining the next stages and i need you to be involved. i hope you can join me there :)