Thursday 28 November 2013

Christmas Market #2 - Galumptious Goodies from all over the World!



Today more artists and designers from all over the world present samples of their exclusive 'Galumptious Goodies'  to make your Christmas shopping more enjoyable!

Beginning with:


Countrymouse Studio from British Columbia, Canada

I create watercolor paintings of birds or animals. Love of nature drives me to create and humor makes the journey worthwhile so if you love nature and have a sense of humor you should enjoy your shopping experience. 


My store has unique, customizable giftware: T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, travel mugs, stickers, tote bags, shoes, ornaments etc.


  

Diana Ting Delosh from New York


Diana is an illustrator living in the suburbs near NYC. She loves animals and nature which is why they are the subject of many of her whimsical ink and watercolor illustrations.





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Mi Jung Lee from Seattle, Washington


I am a surface pattern designer living in Seattle, Washington.  I love to create designs with a unique feel for beautiful living.  Antonio Gaudi, Parisian iron work and Spanish tiles have propelled inspiration for much of my work.




'Swish' Coffee Mug


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Carol Allen Anfinsen from Florida, US

I have had a lifelong career as a freelance writer and a second career as an artist. I sell prints, giclees, greeting cards and originals online.   I have also been an avid Popeye collector and adore the charming characters and toys created by King Features Syndicate, Inc. If you’re looking for something fun and unusual for holiday gifts, try an Olive Oyl Puppet, or an original inlaid Popeye Puzzle or a bendable Popeye doll. Christmas and Valentine cards are also available in my Etsy shop.








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Boriana Giormova from Sofia, Bulgaria


CUTE and STRANGE CREATURES

I draw funny creatures and design stuff. 
I have two wonderful kids which inspire me and I love to read books and to play video games.













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Andrea Rincón, from Mexico, living in Spain

Hello!! My name is Andrea Rincón, my friends call me Anchobee. I’m a Mexican designer living in Spain. I’m passionate about surface pattern design and illustration. I would describe my work as hand drawn, contemporary and bold, organic patterns. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy doing it!






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FLORALS by FRED from Southern California

I’m a 50 something retired municipal worker who decided to do something with a lifelong passion, photography. I enjoy many different styles of photography, florals and landscapes are a specialty. Choose from a large variety of floral and landscape posters, wall art and canvas photo art, T shirts, greeting cards and many other products to enjoy and treasure for years to come. I also take requests.



Merry Christmas Snowmen Card
Merry Christmas Snowmen Card by FloralbyFred


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Jessica Lewis from Swansea, South Wales

I am a Graphic and Surface Pattern Designer who loves traditional crafts like knitting and crochet. I particularly like creating items for little people and each item is made to order with love and care. I like tea and Ballroom dancing when I'm not curled up with a crochet hook.

   Jess's Etsy Shop



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Sherry Harris from the High Desert of Los Angeles County, California


I'm a stay at home grandmother, awaiting the arrival of my first great-grandson any day. I've been married for 41 1/2 years to the same man. I have two children and six grandchidren...five on earth and one in Heaven. I sell Digital Collage Sheets for Busy Crafters. I find images so they don't have to. I've been selling digital collage sheets on Etsy, Artfire and the Website for over five years as well as greeting cards, as below. I've been a crafter since childhood and love helping others find what they need.


Fliss Braham from the UK

I am a digital designer; my work is on many products, phone cases, fashion bags, wedding and party invitations, art posters prints, personalized gifts and more. I have designs in many styles but tend to go for quirky, cute and whimsy; think it must be because I am still a kid at heart.







Judy Adamson from Abergavenny, Wales, UK


I am an English grandmother, living in beautiful Wales and enjoying working as a self-employed painter, illustrator, surface pattern designer and blogger. 

Even after nearly four years of selling online, I still find it ridiculously exciting to see my patterns on products in stores such as Zazzle! My newest store, 'Posh & Painterly' focuses on shopping by 'collection'. If you see a pattern you like but it's not on the product you want, just contact me through the store and I'll create what you need in double quick time and at no extra cost!









I hope this selection of Galumptious Goodies, brought to you by artists and designers from all over the world, has given you some ideas for your Christmas shopping!

Thursday 21 November 2013

Autumn Trends in Abergavenny -


Time for an update on Abergavenny and how this small town in Monmouthshire is keeping up with the latest fashion trends.

Fortunately, in our modern culture, owls are not the symbol of doom that they were in the past and still are elsewhere. If they were, a shopping trip in Abergavenny would be very depressing indeed - owls seem to be taking up residence everywhere!

But the owls that are filling the shelves of our local stores and our window displays are decidedly friendly-looking, cute creatures - most of them not even looking particularly 'wise'!



And owls are also not the only woodland creatures to be popular this autumn - it wasn't always possible to photograph some of the lovely little animals - including squirrels and hedgehogs - that I spotted. But here are a few that were accessible to my camera -




My personal favourites are the Toadstools and I love them so much that I'm working on a new toadstool pattern when I get time.

I suppose it's a natural progression from the forests of the Northern climes to the unmistakable Scandinavian style of Christmas. 

And there's plenty of that in evidence in the Abergavenny shops, as well as the year-long trends, Black and White, Emerald Green and Chevrons, sometimes all three combined!



Strangely, though, I didn't notice these colours carried over to the High Street dress shops, though the styles were in evidence in Fair Isle jumpers, Chevron pattern knitteds and the ever-popular black and white

But the overriding colours are vibrant pinks and magentas continuing along the purple spectrum, right down to a really deep, dark aubergine:



This beautifully nostalgic lavender lace particularly caught my eye!



What will 2015 bring to tempt us to throw out the old and rush out to buy the new?

That remains to be seen. But this year's look at the way Abergavenny shopkeepers have responded to global fashion trends encourages me to believe that, small though the town may be, 'out in the sticks' doesn't mean we have to be 'out of fashion'!


Thursday 14 November 2013

International Christmas Market - Christmas Gifts and Cards



This week I'm proud to present the work of a 'Baker's Dozen' of artists, photographers and designers from all over the world in a little virtual 'market' of products that I hope will give you some ideas for 
Christmas Gifts -


First, from Southern California:

FLORALS by FRED


I’m a 50 something retired municipal worker who decided to do something with a lifelong passion, photography. I enjoy many different styles of photography, florals and landscapes are a specialty. Choose from a large variety of floral and landscape posters, wall art and canvas photo art, T shirts, greeting cards and many other products to enjoy and treasure for years to come. I also take requests.







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Nicola Jones from North Wales, UK

I'm Nicola Jones, owner and designer behind gooseberrymoon. I'm a self taught designer who lovingly combines hand-drawn and digital illustrations into motifs and patterns. With a less is more approach to design I create simple, elegant and timeless pieces of stationery and art prints.

Nicola's website




Monogram Nursery Art Print from notonthehighstreet.com



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Jayne Wilson from Houston, Texas


3D DESIGNS by JAYNE


Originally from England, Jayne Wilson is a self-taught artist who now lives in the Houston area in Texas. When she was introduced to the 3D digital graphics program Bryce in 2004 a whole new world of artistic possibilities opened up to her. Since that introduction, she has branched out and expanded her skills and now uses Vue Esprit and DAZ 3D to create artworks in a variety of styles, including landscapes, equine art, fantasy art and abstracts.

Jayne's Zazzle Store


Boriana Giormova from Sofia, Bulgaria.


CUTE and STRANGE CREATURES

I draw funny creatures and design stuff. 
I have two wonderful kids which inspire me and I love to read books and to play video games.





Boriana's Society6 store








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Jennifer Wohlferd-Rowlands, originally from Minnesota 





I'm an American expat living in Wales and I've started a small company based in the heart of South Wales, specialising in making wax candle shells and scented soy candles. A wax candle shell is a hollow wax shell made entirely of wax which is completely re-usable, they do not melt, so when used correctly will last for a very long time.  You place a tealight in the centre and it lights up the wax shell to create an enjoyable glow









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Sherry Harris from the High Desert of Los Angeles County, California


I'm a stay at home grandmother, awaiting the arrival of my first great-grandson any day. I've been married for 41 1/2 years to the same man. I have two children and six grandchidren...five on earth and one in Heaven. I sell Digital Collage Sheets for Busy Crafters. I find images so they don't have to. I've been selling digital collage sheets on Etsy, Artfire and the Website for over five years. I've been a crafter since childhood and love helping others find what they need.





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Cheryl Hall from New South Wales, Australia




GOLDEN JACKAL GREETING CARDS and PRODUCTS

My artistic passions lay in photography, designing and graphics. I like to share what I create and to try many different and varied things. Everything I have done on a computer is self taught and I've come a long way with that.

I have created my own website, regularly blog and have a networking group on facebook. Visit my website for all the links. http://goldenjackal.weebly.com/

Cheryl's Zazzle Store

Christmas card xmas Christmas animal kitty cat

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Cherie Balowski from Michigan

My name is Cherie and I live in south central Michigan, in a lovely rural part of the state. I call myself a 'creative soul' because there truly is never a time in my life that I'm not either creating something or thinking about creating something. I feel Blessed to have an opportunity to sell my arts and crafts online and hope you'll visit my Etsy shop to view some of my work!





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Nandita Singh from India



I'm a freelance Surface Pattern designer from India. 



I love to see colour in everything. My style is hand drawn intricate Indian motifs in bright and eye-catching colours. 



My work is inspired by the colourful, geometrical and floral drawings of India, and the detail art works of ancient Mughal Paintings.









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Countrymouse Studio, British Columbia, Canada


I create watercolor paintings of birds or animals. Love of nature drives me to create and humor makes the journey worthwhile so if you love nature and have a sense of humor you should enjoy your shopping experience. 


My store has unique, customizable giftware: T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, travel mugs, stickers, tote bags, shoes, ornaments etc.



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Wendy Flynn from S.W. London, UK

I am a surface pattern designer and Illustrator from SW London who designs under the name Doris & Fred named after her Grandparents.
I have been creating art for as long as I can remember, doodling, taking photographs and making a mess. I love colour and pattern and gets my inspiration from everything around me, from park trips with my son to digging veg at the allotment, vintage fabrics and trips to the beach.
I love using a mix of hand drawn motifs, photography and digital magic to create fun fresh designs.






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Inkflo @ Chez Inflo, living and working in France

I work from France and I love all things quirky! I am a bit of a fidget, so I'm constantly changing my designs, but hopefully that means I can't rest on my laurels, and it keeps my store new and exciting.







Sarah Hudcock from Vermont


Sarah is a self-taught artist, but all that means is that she loves to draw, paint and create pretty much all of the time. She raises a small flock of chickens, sells her unique greeting cards to small shops around Vermont and elsewhere, and is fond of exhibiting yearly at the fair in her tiny town of Newfane.








Missed out this time?

If enough people are interested (at least 10)
 I'll hold another 
International Christmas Market
(in a couple of weeks' time)
 please just follow the instructions below
as soon as possible!