New Year, New Me...

Every year I make a New Year's Resolution and every year I break it by February! This year I decided to do something different and give myself some goals rather than my usual trick of say thing slike "A drawing a day!" which I can tell you now I'll never stick to.
This year I have 2 resolutions, the first is to be healthier... I don't eat vegetables and I don't do exercise unless you count flinging stacks of books around in my day job as a book slave. So I bought myself a hand blender and am learning how to make soup... cos I will eat vegetables blended into soups!.The second new years resolution to be more creative! Yeah Ok so I run 2 sucessful businesses and I make something almost everyday but it's starting to feel like a job so despite the fact that today I finished 3 felt birds and sewed a bunch of lavender bags I don't feel that I have been creative. I have set myself a project, the 7 magpies project where I have decided that I shall illustrate the Magpie counting rhyme:
One for Sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret never to be told

I have found versions of the rhyme that go further than seven but I thought seven was a nice number to aim for... lets see if I can do it! I have started Two for Joy as a lino cut... no pics yet it's not finished but it's based around the magpie I goccoed for my shop!I also bought myself a table etching press as an early christmas present to myself and to beat the VAT increase in the UK. So I am looking forward to getting back into etching again... when I find the time... so I have big plans for this year and the direction I want to take my business in. It's all very exciting!

A Happy New Year... the First Inky Day of 2011

Happy New Year Inky readers!!!

I have been so busy over Christmas that I rewarded my self with a little break, I had to my body simply wouldn't let me carry on at the speed I had been and firmly told me to have a rest and eat lots of chocolate!Unfortunately as of Boxing day I have been having itchy fingers and craving the smell of printing ink so today I kicked my boyfriend out into the streets and got out the gocco! I decided I really needed a magpie to add to my growing menagerie... I played with a few different designs first but settled on this one... I am really happy with him too.He'll be making his way to the shop soon as we get a decent day with some light for me to photograph all the prints properly and I need an extra printing day to get him onto some fabric so I can make some lavender bags.The magpie has always been one of my favorite birds but he just didn't want to be pinned to the paper... I have had many many abortive attempts at drawing him but they have ended up being a disaster... It's so hard to capture the mischievousness of this bird.

Merry Inky Christmas

Print Class Part 2

My print class has finished for the year and I feel a bit sad that it's over... luckily it's starting again in the new year and we will be learning new things... yay!
Being a bit rubbish and totally snowed under with work I only made it to about half the classes this term but I did finally manage to get a handle on repeat lino cuts... not contented to "do something simple to try it out first" as the teacher advised I decided that I really wanted to do a circular pattern. One lino cut which when turned thru 90 degrees would form a circle.
This involved rather more swearing in the registering process than my class mates were comfortable with, the teacher was impressed with my ambition, which I took to mean that I was running before I had learned to walk but then I have never really been one for half measures!
I decided to try a wren on a nest and I am really quite pleased with the result, the print quality isn't amazing but we have been promised a go with the presses next year which should improve that... and I shall be trying it out myself at home with some oil based ink as soon as the festive season is out of the way.
I also made one in blue and brown which is going to be my mum's Christmas gift... it's a shame I couldn't go to all the classes as I now have so many ideas that I think my brain may explode! They will have to wait for the new year tho a the festive shopping rush is in full swing and my inky fingers are being kept very busy wrapping orders!
x
Mel

Last Posting Dates for Christmas 2010

Crikey O'Rielly people! I can't quite believe it myself but it's almost upon us... the last posting dates to guarantee your parcels arrive for Christmas from my lovely shop are as follows:

Sat 4 Dec 2010 South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand

Thursday 9 Dec 2010 Eastern Europe, USA and Canada

Mon 13 Dec 2010 Western Europe

Monday 20th Dec United Kingdom

As always the sooner you get your order in the better... International buyers remember I am based on the rainy east coast of Britain and that items can occasionally get trapped and held hostage by customs so order now to be sure! UK buyers... we love our Great British Post Office but remember they aren't always as good as we'd hope!As an added incentive I am running an coupon code in my shop for all my lovely blog friends just enter the code:

CHRISTMASPUDDING

At checkout for a very tasty 10% discount on all your orders... offer is running right up until Christmas eve so you have lots of time to get those stocking filler sorted or even just treat yourself because I know you have all been very very good this year!

An Inky Update... Busy Busy Busy!

Inkmeup has been having a hectic couple of weeks so this blog post is a little overdue I am afraid. Last week Inkmeup's very own Doris lavender bag was luck enough to be featured in an Etsy Finds Email... so began a scrabble to best take advantage of the feature with frantic sewing of Doris' galore!
The Doris-a-thon resulted in 12 Doris's all clucking their ways to new homes and several other creatures finding a new home too!My sewing machine has gone into overdrive and as well as a whole Gaggle of Doris lots more Kitties have been made, some with festive red bows I time for the holidays season and while I was scouting around the flat for a place to store stock I cam e across a box full of zip and just had to make some pouches! Available in Doris, Kitty and Wren!


Also my Robin Illustrations and tree decorations hit the shop too... selling 3 before I even had a chance to list them... I really like the Red Breasted Robin, larger decoration but the cheeky robin makes me smile! Robins are also available as notebooks, prints and lavender bags and of course my lino cuts which I am so proud of! There will be Robin cards soon too!
So I am already changing up the gears for a great festive season, I half terrified and half excited... I know this year is going to be huge, not bad for a shop I opened just to pay for my gocco printer!

Lino Printing Fun

I have recently been spending my Tuesday evenings at a little print class at the local sixth form college run by a very talented artist friend of mine.I have already got some print qualifications but always thought that to make prints you needed a press... my friend convinced me I didn't and encouraged me to come along to learn how... I have always loved the process of lino prints, it's so different from gocco, and I love the style of print that comes out of it.
I had a great time learning and it's been inspiring and invigorating to try something different for a change. It's also been wonderful to meet other printers and see how they work. Next term we are going in to greater detail on how to make repeat patterns and hopefully will be printing out own wrapping papers for christmas.In the mean time I shall soon be introducing a couple of my lino prints to Inkmeup... my classic wren design has been give a new twist and of course in the run up to Christmas I am finding myself increasingly Robin focused!
I can't wait for the next lesson... but I really need to do my homework first!