April in Venice...

What a wonderful and inspiring trip it was; the constant feeling of walking inside a painting, the sunshine which glittered everything it touched, the picturesque and silent corners hidden away from the streams of tourists, the art and unique architecture. 

The main thing that fascinated us, almost to the point of obsession, were the mysterious gazes of the beautiful masks that hung on walls, from ceilings, in windows and were found all over the city. It was, however, only the traditionally made ones that stood out from the rest because of their authenticity, craftsmanship and intricacy...all this seeded some ideas in my head for some drawing projects!

Send a card...

Finally, my collection of embellished greeting cards is on sale on my Etsy Shop and in various shops throughout Bristol (without embellishments as well), Watershed included! I am very excited about it, it feels such an accomplishment, since the whole process took quite a while. 

Now that this business is taking off, I will be able to concentrate more on my stitching works and other fine art projects...as well as a brand new website, yuppieeee! 

Easy Tiger

Tropical Bird

Shiny Brean

Yesterday we went for a lovely sunny walk on Brean Down, a stunning location next door to Weston-super-Mare, in Somerset. As well as being a strategical viewpoint, Brean is protected by the National Trust and it has a lot of history. For us it was the perfect place to re-charge and relax. There were few cafes and ice cream places and beautiful sandy beaches, which extended for miles and miles...It was so nice to just have a pic-nic, breathe the sea air and feel, finally, the Spring-effect on people's moods and Nature.

A sneak preview...

Here's a sneak preview of my eight new card designs (front and back). I think they complement each other very well and also cater for different tastes and occasions. Nature plays a big part in the collection as it is a major inspiration. I plan to expand the series by adding more designs to suit the seasons as well as themes, such as woodland wildlife, which is extremely popular at the moment. 

The embellishments will enhance the nature element of the designs and bring some colour and pattern to them, but mainly they will bring a handmade feel to them.

An ideal gift to celebrate the arrival of Spring!

'VALENTINE BUTTERFLY'

Below is my 'Valentine Butterfly' design printed as a postcard. Soon, it will also be available on white A6 cards with the addition of heart embellishments. 

I am currently working on my first eight greeting card designs, which will be printed in large batches, with each card lightly embellished by hand. They will be available on my Etsy shop as groups of four and in local shops, such as the Watershed.  Updates and photographs will follow. You can always contact me in private if you are interested in purchasing any of my designs, I will be more than happy to arrange delivery.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

I LOVE CAKE!

The year just gone was a very productive year for me, in the kitchen as well as in the studio. 

It is fair to say that I love baking and I am attracted to beautiful looking desserts or anything baked to golden perfection (who isn't eheh??). Consequently, I found that I enjoy a great deal illustrating delicious yummy puddings and cakes - as well as making and eating them! - which can be seen in my greeting cards and prints.

Baking gives such a sense of achievement, you can start from bread and biscuits and then venture into more complex show stoppers, which, I assure you, have nothing in common with the stuff you buy in the supermarkets, mainly because there's so much thought, love, care and consciousness put into producing something yourself at home. 

I am now addicted to buying recipe books and baking implements...

Happy New Baking Year to all the keen ones!! x

Chocolate crust mascarpone pudding

Blackberry Clafoutis