Chinese Owl Maps!

Due to a little disruption from builders this week, I've struggled to keep up with posting, and also with work in general too! I've managed to catch up this weekend, which is good as we're away for a few days next week so I'll be deserting you then too!

I have been transforming the Leeds Owl Trail map into Chinese this week! No, I don't speak a work of Chinese, the lovely Wanlin has done that part; I've just been fitting it all in to the map:

It's great that the Leeds Owl Trail has officially become an international tourist attraction. The map will soon be ready to download from the web site.

I have made wedding stationery before that the bride wanted translated into French and Italian (of course she provided the translated text!).

It's so strange doing something so alien to me that I can't check for mistakes myself.

This says "Leeds Owl Trail logo and leaflet design by Rosalind Wilson". I hope!

Now we are nine

Well, the birthday weekend is over and I think it was a success. We had a swimming party (did you guess that already?). I made the cake. Icing is not a medium I'm totally comfortable with and I don't find it at all relaxing, but I get a request each birthday and I can't refuse a creative challenge! The cake sponge for my daughter is always pink!

The notebook I made Sadie has already started being customised, so I guess she liked it! She also recieved one of these beautiful colour in posters by Scandi from her friend Ruby, which will look great framed on her bedroom wall, I just have to try not to be too precious about letting my nine year old colour it in!

The pens she used to colour in the notebook were another gift; Berol Felt Tips. I love them anyway (school/stationery nostalgia!) but they will now for ever be associated in my mind with John Thorpe MBE (Leeds Civic Architect) and my recent visit to his studio in a Leeds Owl Trail capacity. He colours in his amazing maps with his trusty berol pens, mapping and planning places and spaces in Leeds.

A place for lists

My big girl will be nine this weekend, which I have to admit is quite scary, time really is flying by! My mum says she is just like me (she says it in a "you get what you deserve" kind of way!), but along with the bad habits there are plenty of good ones she's picked up: a few of which are her love for stationery, lists (bad or good?) and books.

There is always a reading or note book stuck to her face while she sleeps when I go in to switch off her light, and much to my annoyance pen marks all over her bedding. It's great, though, that she chooses to spend her time that way.

I've just made her this notebook as a little something extra. I did the doodle a while ago but haven't done anything with it. I thought it would make a good notebook cover which she can colour and customise at will and then fill with lists!

I might just make another for me!

Big Birthday

There are a few big birthdays coming up...

This one was using a poem written by my very clever mum Rosemerry...

More Love Stuff

This is the card that I adapted my Tigerprint competition entry from. I changed it to suit their typography brief better, though I think I may prefer my original design? It's a card suitable for weddings, anniversaries, valentines or other romantic occasions!



Keeping on a romantic theme, my wedding invitation design above has been expanded as a range on ballisticblue.com with rsvp and thank you cards to match. This design is available in duck egg, pink, taupe, lilac and black; and you can order this design as a birthday or anniversary invitation too.

These two designs are also on ballisticblue.com, and can be personalised as anniversary, birthday or wedding invitations too, and with room inside for a photo upload!

Loved Up

I'm entering the Tigerprint competition today, the theme is Love Typography. I try to enter when I can, it depends on whether I am working at home or not as to whether I have the time. On this occasion I used my mother's day pass to work on my ideas yesterday evening while my husband fed and entertained our two children! (I did spend quality time with them during the day!)

I have had some success with the competitions in the past, but even when (more often than not!) I am unsuccessful I still have a few new designs to add to my own collection!

One of the criteria of the brief is to make the design editable to suit Marks and Spencer Personalised online cards (where you will currently find some of my designs).

Baby Boom

Continuing on the baby theme, there's been a few of these going out from my studio this month...
but as I said yesterday, mainly with (very pretty) girls' names...

(the full name, date and birth details go in the small aperture).

And a couple of christenings too!

There's something in the air...

I make cards as well as design cards for other publishers. The cards I make are personalised and they are particularly popular for new babies. My, there are a lot of new babies at the moment (Spring IS in the air!)... and they all seem to be girls!

My baby footprints card is always a popular choice, many have found themselves into frames on baby's wall or on the cover of baby's first album...

and don't forget the big brothers and sisters...

...and grandparents!

Hello Blog World!

Well, after being a long time blog reader I've decided to jump in and have a go myself. I thought it would be a good way to put out there what I'm working on instead of keeping it all to myself! I hope you (is there anyone out there?) enjoy and I look forward to any comments.
Bear with me while I get to grips with it all!