i wanna be yours by john cooper clarke

a customer contacted me a while ago to ask if i'd design a piece based on the poem 'i wanna be yours' by john cooper clarke. it was a fun commission to do, here's the final piece. 

"it's come to my attention that it's the wedding favourite. the number of people that have said, 'i had that read at my wedding', or 'my husband proposed to me using that number'… it's been very useful in the world of modern romance! it is to modern wedding ceremonies what 'always look on the bright side of life' by eric idle is to humanist funerals. i probably go to a great many more funerals than you do, so take it from me."

john cooper clarke interviewed for NME by mark wilkinson

hand lettering

hand lettering experiments for a range of prints that are in the pipeline. you know what's a lot more difficult than it looks? calligraphy.

perfect match

well this year i got (kinda) organised and printed some valentine's day cards before mid february, whoop! i wanted to make cards that combined printed images and actual objects, i've had a nightmare doing this before when i made the tea bag cards (will i never learn) but i like the way it looks so... i printed the typography and imagery in my home studio and then spent ages striking, sealing, hand whittling and sticking each match. if you have a special someone who sets your heart aflame you can buy them a card from my etsy or folksy shops.
i really like the #justacard campaign which encourages people to buy a card from an independent maker or gallery. even small purchases mean such a lot to me and other designer makers and a handmade card is so much nicer than a mass produced one don't you think?

snow balls

there have been some flurries of big, dozy, chubby snow flakes here in manchester but they have fallen on wet pavements and soggy grass and have fizzled away before even the quickest kid could fashion a decent ball. wee j has been enthusiastically reading 'elmer in the snow' and both kiddos were desperate for a bit of the white stuff so today we went to kentmere in the lake district in search of a white out. while we failed to track down a proper covering we did find enough for a few snow balls, yay!

ambridge print

there was a time that my work featured lingerie and fancy hosiery, not any more! these days it's all about radio 4 and tea, how times have changed.
the archers theme is, like the shipping forecast, one of those things that is embedded in our national consciousness. i love imagining people around the country whistling, humming and dum-di-dumming along with that unmistakable tune. the lovely m has a vintage rovers radio which was kind enough to be the model for this print... limited edition screen prints available here.

360 studio

hello strangers! it's been a while. so, we've moved back to the frozen north and this blog has been neglected, covered with cyber dust and virtual cobwebs. our new place is a semi in the world's quietest cup-de-sac. no drunken hipsters walk down THIS street shouting and guffawing at 4am (and hurrah for that). we've got a lovely garden with a pond (with frogs), an apple tree and beautiful stained glass in the front windows. my new studio is in the attached garage. it's luxuriously spacious compared to the old airing cupboard but is several degrees chillier.  i've been donning lots of layers (and the ever present nose drip) in order to make some new work. here's the studio post tidy-up (can you tell?). check out my new drying rack! and wait tip you see how much the kiddos have grown...

stop, hama time!

father christmas left a hama bead set in o-o's stocking. i couldn't resist using a few to make this!