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!

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!

'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 

get yer cushions over 'eeeere . . .

May saw me taking part in 2 design markets. i hadn't find a market since Christmas 2012 so i was both excited and nervous. 

markets are a strange old thing. you can go to one and do fantastically and your products are well received and you sell loads...and then the next can be somewhat disheartening with people walking by and very few sales. 

which is exactly how these two went!

Soho Flea Market was on bank holiday Sunday, outside down the whole of Dean Street. there were 14 bands playing and numerous food stalls amongst the 90 odd designers. it was AWESOME! such a good day ... got to meet up with Jo Clark (first met at Pulse and then won her competition full of wonderful prints!), Jimbob Art (i bought the cheese weasel plate for my friend for Xmas), Parasite Ceramics (an ex-fellow designer i spotted in We Make London), Lollipop Designs (been following for aaaages now, love the planners!)...amongst many other new found-and-fabulous designers.

Wimbledon Affordable Art & Design Fair was the following Saturday and was situated in the village hall...but alas, it just didn't seem like a day people were out for buying things, especially interior textiles. i did however FINALLY get to meet Anna Dent. she exhibited at Home this year but every time we went to each others stands we missed each other! also got to chat to kerry of Piccadelhi, Sophie Home (i so want one of her blankets!) and Joanna Layla. despite the not-so-great sales i had amazing feedback - lots of positive words about my colour palette and one comment being that my designs were 'spectacular'. which is always nice to hear! :)

no more markets or fairs booked at the moment - i need to concentrate on my new collection. it's always surprising how much time prep can take up for markets so for now i'm packing away and venturing to the woods...

May - round up!

gosh. nearly half way through the year. how'd that happen? May just fleeeeeeew by for me, it was so, so busy but for lots of good reasons...

- i took place in 2 markets. Soho Flea Market and Wimbledon Affordable Art & Design Fair. i hadn't done a fair since Xmas 2013 so i was half nervous half excited. but the first went excellently, and the second one? well, i'm there right now so i ca let you know later! i was so lucky with the weather for Soho and i'm so grateful!! rain would have made things a wee bit more complicated. a nightmare actually. anyway, there will be more detail on the markets coming soon...

- i finalised new designs for my Muckboots project. very exciting to see this moving along and can't wait to see samples! 

* i went to Rome! it was a joint Christmas and birthday present for my mum and we had a lovely (if not exhausting!) 3 days running / hobbling around all the sites and eating ice cream. 

* i completed '100 happy days'. a challenge to see if you can be happy for 100 consecutive days. photos were posted to twitter each day (unless i forgot. which happened far too regularly for my liking) and the big finale was rather fantastic - the Colloseum! 

* another successful month in We Make London  at Camden, which has now undergone a make over. pop over to have a look! 

* menus were completed for my friends wedding in July. these sit nicely next to the Save The Date and invites already produced. obviously i can't ruin the surprise for the guests by showing you lot!

* drawings have been started for my new 2015 collection and i am so eager to get started on the actual designs...so roll on June! i'd show you a sneak peek but i want to work them up a bit more...make sure i get the wow factor!

august - round up

it's that time of the, erm, month again... it's MONTHLY REVIEW time ;)

so what has been achieved in the month of augustus? well...

* the first weekend was a no-go as i had to attend the beautiful wedding of Mark and Lucy. i know, i know...such a chore.  ;) 

* my kickstarter project was more than successful, going far beyond it's target. a total of 39 backers and £509 pledged. i would like to thank EVERYBODY who donated towards this - it means so much that you have supported me and i can't wait to send you your notebooks! some quite interesting statistics - of the 39 backers 10 were close friends, 10 were design buddies from uni or the courses i have taken part in, and 20 were complete strangers! the average pledge was £13.05 with the biggest being a whopping £61...crikey!!

* i have submitted to the new Print & Pattern Geometrics book. fingers crossed my designs are accepted - it would be great to be published in one of Bowie's book again!

* i had my first product photo shoot. i can't give away the shots just yet but here are some close up shots as a bit of a sneak peak...

* i hit the magic 200 likes on facebook!

* the last product i have budgeted for the show are some tea towels. i have finalised my designs and sent them to the printer. should take about 4-6 weeks so early october i hope. then i can get selling for xmas! yes, i said it. C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S. 

* and on that note i have started researching places to sell my items, both online and offline. might even do a couple more markets this winter...


* i signed up to Monica Lee's Smart Creative Style e-course which starts 6 days after my return. i will be learning more about suitable branding and marketing techniques for my launch.

not the most satisfying month in terms of getting things done but there was a lot to prepare and i wanted to fit in a weekend at home with the 'rents.

so with that i bid you farewell for 3 weeks. 3 whole weeks on holiday. can. not. wait!!! very excited to a certain miss ruth canty who has now been travelling for, oooh, 10 months it must be, and join in her adventures. 

spitalfields finds!

i've been a bit slack recently on the posts, i do apologise. if you've been following my 'the big plan' posts you'll know why!  but i've been meaning to share with you all the visual delights i came across when i visited spitalfields a couple of weeks back - so here we go:

elle jane designs
liz was there (hi liz!) with a stall full of prettiness. 'sophia' is my favourite so i treated myself to a lovely notebook. not that i want to use it as i'll just ruin it, so it can sit on my shelf with all my other lovely unused notebooks...

mabel & bird
it was lovely to meet emma of Mabel & Bird - she had lots of advice to share and we got to discuss the high and lows of being designer/makers. it may be a life full of creative challenges but that's what makes it so rewarding when you overcome them! and it turns out we have the same retro floral duvet cover!!

paper heart
design studio Paperheart is run by nicole and sells fantastic screen printed products (prints, cards, totes and bunting). all paper used is 100% recycled making it even more appealing. and she also likes bikes!

lovely jojo's
don't you love it when you see some artwork online, and then you see something in the 'real world', you put two and two together and realise you 'know' this designer! this london map has recently been released - 'tis amazing!

love bessie (website coming soon)
love these bright and quirky illustrations of fabulous ladies on tea towels, coasters, cards, magnets, buttons ... you name it! fantastic hand writing too!

louise wright design
super cute illustrations and more 100% recycled goods here at Louise Wright Design. Louise recently pitched to John Lewis - nerve wracking stuff i'm sure you'll agree! she's waiting to hear back so fingers crossed that all her hard work pays off and we soon see her work stocked across al JL's!

Camden Market

i decided it would be great to do a stall at camden market so on sunday my alarm sounded at 6:37 and i rolled (literally) out of bed. it was -1 degree outside. what on earth was i thinking?! crazy fool. i made my way across london to meet pedro of alfamarama. a hot chocolate was definitely required upon arrival and we were allocated a prime location upstairs in the market hall. great! now time to set up...

it's always surprising how long it can take to arrange a 3m x 1m space! but ta-dah! - here are some shots:

some new products for offer - push-pins, hair pins and bookmarks

it's chriiiiiiistmaaaas!

lots of button jewellery

various calendars up for sale

pedro was still rearranging after 2 hours - such a perfectionist! :p he had some lovely products on offer - mugs, original screenprints, notebooks, and of course some mandatory Xmas cards for this time of year. he also brought with him some necklaces from lilu jewellery (she is his usual stall partner - i'm just the back up!)

the final arrangement!

screenprinted notebooks

it's chriiiiiiistmaaaas! (again!)

so all set - ready for lots of sales!

or maybe not. they came few and far between. it was a disappointingly slow day. we spoke to other regular stall holders and they felt the same. phew! at least it wasn't our products then! it seems things have changed dramatically from 10 years ago when camden was full of designer-maker goods and people were looking for something unique...nowadays it's pretty much full of tourists looking for a cheap 'londony' gift to take home. so despite everything being in our favour (it was the weekend straight after payday, we were now in december so people should be thinking xmas xmas xmas, it was a glorious sunny winters day...) we had a rather unsuccessful trip. 

BUT - it was a good day none the less! we met some new people (libby mcmullin had a stall there shared with designer friend of 'mel & may', knicker designer extraordinaire!), we had some delightful cake-y goods and had some good rock n roll & xmas tunes to listen too! the welcome was warmer at camden by the market organisers than it was at spitalfields, but the customers aren't as suited to designer-maker goods and that's where i like spitalfields more...

...which is good because i have another stall at spitalfields coming up very soon - december 22nd - put it in your dairies now! pedro will also be holding a stall next weekend with the Designer Makers group at hackney down studios:

a few treats from spitalfields...!

i promised to share some of the work from some of the lovely people i met at spitalfields market the other weekend so here we go...


anna wiscombe
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i fell in love with anna's cute wooden birds - such a delight! broooches, chalk boards, jewellery... take a look at her facebook page and her gorgeous website here

lilu jewellery
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i had a god chat with lilu who was selling some fab necklaces and ear-rings.  this is her new style - she's had a complete revamp and you can view all of her lovely jewellery in her etsy shop here, and follow all the latest updates on facebook

alfamarama
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pedro vieira was set up alongside lilu jewellery selling fantastic abstract patterns on mugs, notebooks and cards, and also a whole range of screenprints. he can be followed on facebook and you can view his etsy shop here

 

the laughing butterfly
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last but by no means least michele. she was also selling her lovely handmade jewellery next to lilu and pedro. follow the latest news on her facebook page and twitter, and she has lots more for sale in her etsy shop featuring all new cufflinks!

and the most exciting news is that i will be sharing my next stall with michele! we will be at spitalfields on saturday 22nd december for all of those out there that need to do some last minute shopping! i will have lots of great little stocking fillers so why not put the date in your diary and pop along to say hi!