quickkkk ...

i've had to make a slight change to my last posting dates as i realised i'm out all day tomorrow ... SO! if any of you last minute UK gift buyers were planning on giving things from my shop for christmas be quick and order by the end of the day today, and i will post first thing tomorrow (which is royal mail's last posting day for christmas)

stocking up ...

i've been sewing up new things! different sizes and styles of purses, ipad cases and cushion covers which are now in the shop waiting for you. obviously perfect for giving away as gifts, or keeping for yourself (or both!)
also! kitty tatts are now back in stock, all new and improved and as cat-tastic as ever ... gogogo!

cowes food and gift show

fancy a trip to the island??
i will be selling my wares at the cowes food and gift show this sunday 9th december, which is being organised by red funnel ferries ... they are offering a special rate for any of you mainlanders wanting to come across for the day, a super cheap £6 return on the red jet!

really worth a trip as you'll be able to sample lots of isle of wight goodness all in one place.
i'll be sharing a stall with the lovely mooksgoo (aka meeshypoo moonpig clarke)

admission is fee, and there's lots going on throughout the day, full details can be found over on the cowes xmas show website

i'll be there from 10 til 5, sipping mulled wine, eating mince pies and (hopefully) selling my things, so do say hello if you make it across

last posting dates!

are you feeling organised? just to add a little bit of panic to your day, here are my last posting dates for christmas (more info here) i've also added these dates to my etsy shop announcement page
don't forget if you don't have an etsy account you can always email me your shopping list ... harriet@harrietgray.co.uk

happy shopping! 

*cutsie psd arrows available for free here

meowvember

anyone else a bit jealous of all the boys taking part in movember? enter : meowvember!
i'm totally doing this next year ... basically you dress yourself in cat related clothes and accessories for the entire month of november!
one of my cute customers introduced me to this frankly, amazing idea. do check out their meowvember blog for more info .. tis all for charityyy ♥

toy run

i thought i'd bring to your attention something which i thought was rather lovely ...

fellow illustrator stacie swift is taking part in a christmas toy run on december 8th, where a group of wonderful people will be driving from london to guildford, stopping on the way at the john radcliffe hospital and the CHASE hospice delivering toys and gifts to the sick and terminally ill children who won't be home for christmas.

"presents are needed for kids of all ages, from babies to young adults and can be as big or small as can be afforded - we want to collect as many as we can to really spread christmas cheer and make the day as special as possible ...

Clothing, jewellery, stationery, baby toys, make-up, toiletries or anything else you make that you think would be perfect for Christmas, all would be appreciated!!
"

stacie also had the ingenious idea of calling upon her creative friends to donate some of their child-friendly work to the toy run too! i will be sending across a bunch of my tattoos, if you would like to donate something(s) head on over to stacie's blog to find out how 

♥

PRE ORDER

i got a gigantic box delivered yesterday. literally huge. and inside were these little guys! wonderful new labels for my cattoos ♥  beautifully printed by the very appropriately named awesome merchandise  on lovely recycled card. yum.

just to let you know the kitty tattoos are expected to arrive in about 7 days so i have set up some PRE ORDER listings for any of you wanting to get your mitts on them ASAP. all pre orders will be packaged up and sent out the day the cattoos are back in stock

meow

i scream you scream we all scream for i ... phone

exciting news! ... the long awaited phone cases have just been added to my shop.
and and and! ...even better news is that they're not just for the iphone gang! oh no! there are also some for blackberry and samsung phones too ... huzzah!

#fangirlmoment

so, i wanted to share with you a couple of *amazing* press features my tattoos have gotten recently ...
first up, the ever so beautiful frankie magazine posted my tattoos on their blog. since they're australian this all happened whilst i was sleeping, but i woke up to so many lovely messages and sales, which was  such a wonderful start to my day!
a massive thank you to frankie for sharing my work, that definitely was a fan girl moment for me!

a few days later i was contacted by etsy to write a short story for the blog about how i came up with the idea of making my drawings into tattoos ... when i stopped hyperventilating, i managed to get some words down for them ... here's a link, if you'd like to read it.
i've loved reading through all the kind/funny/sweet messages everyone's left on the blogs and corresponding facebook posts; so i just want to take a moment to say a big fat massive thank you!

♥ thank you! ♥

isn't the internet a wonderful thing!

*the super cute arrows in the pictures above are available for free download here
= i am a little bit in love with them

WIP (woof in progress)

a work in progress shot of a little sausage i'm drawing today, he's going to be friends with mr. pugly in my new dog tattoo packs! i really wanted to get these out sooner but haven't any time to work on them recently :( but if all goes to plan they should be in store in about two weeks ! ... just in time for christmas! 

the multi packs of kitty tattoos are currently sold out at the moment, only a few single ones left at the current price ... but don't worry they will be back in stock very very soon, i promise

oh, hai!

i am still alive incase you were wondering, most of my family came to visit our new flat last week, which was lots and lots of fun ... however not very well timed on my part with work, so i'm playing catch up now!
you may have seen i've had some wonderful press about my kitty tattoos the last couple of weeks, will blog about that soon ♥ if you've bought some recently you will have seen my new packaging, hope you like it!

thought i'd show a sneaky peak of something new that will be coming to the shop very soon! what do you think? these phone cases will be available in a range of designs and for different models - not just the iphone *hooray!*
i will probably be selling them for around £20, i'd love to hear your thoughts on them ...

as i'm a little behind i will be holding off the price increase for another week or so, til i have everything sorted, so make the most of it whilst you can! also don't forget the sale is still on, lots of you have been making the most of the bargains :)

super duper

that's right you guys ... the sale is now on! 50% off all prints and some marked down slight seconds to be snapped up (one of them went a second after i listed it so be quick!) 

happy shopping!

heads up!

i will be giving my shop a bit of an overhaul at the end of the month ... be prepared to see some new products and new packaging!

you may have noticed some new additions already actually - you can now buy gift vouchers for your lovely friends, perfect for indecisive gift givers

unfortunately, the overhaul will include raising the prices of some items, mainly purses, travel card holders and tattoos. so if you had your eye on something grab it now whilst it's cheap as chips! price changes will take effect on 1st november ... i had to double check that then, yes, it is nearly november already, sigh!

this friday i will be adding some items to the sale, which will include some slight seconds of the ever popular kitty purses, and i will be offering 50% off all prints, giving you a great opportunity to stock up for the c word ...

oh la la!

this happened last night, which was a little exciting to say the least!

pugly

soon you'll be able to cover yourself in little ugly pugs and other canine friends ... 

a pinch and a punch!

can you believe it's october already? no, me neither! anyway, i thought i would introduce to you some of my new stockists; you can now buy a selection of my wares at ...

the very awesome comma shop in oxford
a little further afield ...
le corner, paris
alphabeta, paris
and last but by no means least, this super cute online shop based in Japan, 'quote' (pictured above)


if you're interested in stocking any of my items (or know someone who might be) please do get in touch  for more info & my wholesale price list

itteh bitteh houseplant committeh

since moving house, i've had two big fat cat shaped holes in my life, which has lead me to want to grow things. i think i have concocted the perfect cat/plant combo.

new meows

i've been keeping my fingers busy sewing up some brand new kitty travel card holders! they're live in my shop now, so go check 'em out 

desk make over!

i don't have much i can share with you at the moment, as i'm busy with projects and catching up with my accounts, i was very naughty and didn't keep them up to date the last month (... ehem months!)
so in the mean time, whilst i'm wading through piles of receipts i thought i'd show you a before and after shot of my desk!
i picked up this hideous thing on ebay for 99p! it's so much better than my old computer desk as it's massive, has better storage below, and the keyboard drawer actually works ... but! let's face it. it's fugly.

so out came the tin of paint ...
because it's laminate i had to prime it first, i used this, then i applied two coats of laura ashley eggshell matte wood paint. i also prettified the edges with some washi tape!

much better, don't you think?

*update* my keyboard has been getting a whole lot of love recently, i bought mine off etsy

... we've moved!

gosh, it's been a little while since i last posted! ... i do hope you'll forgive me. i have many excuses which include birthdays, fun trips, and of course, lots of lovely work to explain my lack of contact with the online world, but the biggest reason is that i've moved house!

just over a week ago, luke and i took the jump and moved out from my parent's house in shropshire to a lovely little flat ... on the isle of wight (that's about 200 miles away, incase you were wondering!)
we've spent the last week getting settled in, unpacking boxes and making it feel like home. during which a small mountain of work has crept upon us. so i thought, before i embark upon that mighty task,  i'd share a few quick snaps of our new studio! we're a bit smitten with all the space we have now, and, of course our sea view :)

old school smugness

smug is bringing us another pop up print shop this october, and they'd like you to get involved! it's sure to be as awesome as the last, so if you'd like to be considered for the pop up exhibition, follow the details above ... good luck

august is my favourite

i'm usually a little biased towards the month of august, the small matter of my birthday is enough to sway it for me ... but this year, a few other things are making this month all the more exciting!

i woke up on 1st august to a ridiculous amount of hits to my etsy shop ... my tattoos were featured on the etsy front page (although technically it was 31st july in etsy land, it was august in the uk) ... annnddd then, last wednesday some of my lovely twitter friends noticed me in the etsy finds newsletter too (can you spot my tatts in the image above?) the power of the internet never ceases to amaze me!

here are some other things i'm super excited about this august :
- spending a long weekend in london with lukey and my parents, full of touristy things and sight seeing to celebrate both mine and my mum's birthdays! ... any suggestions of places to go/things to do would be muchos appreciated!
- my birthday
- my niece's first birthday
- taking the train to manchester to visit my lovely friend, her boy and their cat (most excited about the cat, obvs)
AND
- we're finally moving house on 31st!

three cheers for august! ♥

purrrp

i wanted to share with you a commission i finished today of these two little beauties! i've been given the all clear to share them online as the recipient is blissfully unaware of their impending surprise!

my cat lady status was confirmed the other day, i was in that wonderful shop home bargains buying multiple bags of cat treats, whilst wearing a top with a huge cat printed on it ... and then, my phone started going off; and whilst your phone ringing wouldn't be a problem for any normal person, i must point out here that my ringtone is a recording of luke doing a very realistic 'meowwww.' on repeat. and of course, my phone was set on LOUD. wonderful.

i'll be listing some new items in my shop this week, first up is your chance to commission me to draw a furry creature; do check it out!

catteemission.com

hello, have you missed me? i have been a terrible blogger recently! we've set a date for moving so my time has been taken up with planning the logistics, packing, rushing around trying to finish commissions and keep up with all the wonderful orders i've been getting in my shop (thank you!)

catteemission.com raises money for homeless and unwanted cats across the world ... wait? what? unwanted cats? i don't believe it :(
anyway, there's a giveaway on there at the moment where you can win a 3 pack of my kitty tattoos! but you have to be quick, as the competition closes 30th july! 

meow meow meowww

change of plans

so, i made this illustration along with another, as part of a secret project, sadly this one didn't make the cut ... so i thought i'd share it on here to fill the void

ella masters : business month!

i have been an avid follower of ella for a while now, i love her beautiful blog; so you can imagine i was absolutely thrilled when she asked me to be part of her new business blog feature. throughout july ella will be showcasing small creative business owners sharing their hints and tips about starting up and running your own business.
i've also heard whispers about some giveaways that will be happening over there, so definitely worth a visit.
oh, and look who's first up! head on over there now to read my thoughts on the subject ... watch out for the cheese; it appears i can't discuss anything i'm passionate about without it sounding super cheesy, lols

make sure you have a browse around the rest of ella's blog for her dreamy photography, gorgeous outift posts, her amazing jewellery line 'rubyraelove' and quaint illustrations ... i nabbed the business blog banner from her, isn't it pretttty! ♥


hooray!

cat tatts

apologies for lack of blogging lately, i've been too busy to finish off my next blogger in the series, hopefully i will get chance to show her to you in the next few days!

you may have noticed a couple of new items in my shop this last week, including these kitty tattoos! seven delightful kitties to choose from, available to buy separately, or in packs of 3 or 7.
i am so amazed at how well they've been received (big massive thank you if you tweeted/shared/pinned or even bought some!) i'll definitely be making some more tattoo designs soon - suggestions welcome if there are any you'd like to see? so far i've been asked to make some bird and dog tatts ...
we will be able to cover ourselves in a whole menagerie of fake tattoos!

... also i am updating my wholesale price list next week, if you are shop owner interested in stocking any of my items, please do get in touch!

gemfatale

what a cutie! fellow kitty lover gem, from gemfatale was next on my #bbloggers list. gotta love gem's blog for her amazing charity shop buys, nail art posts and diy tips (did you catch her on channel4's superscrimpers??)
Gem's now landed her dream job working for company magazine, and as if that's not good enough her bf popped the question recently - massive congrats! go and follow her ... now!

baby k

i couldn't resist the offer to make another tote bag for ballad of's latest candy pop inspired issue; ballad of baby k
the totes will be used as goody bags, filled with amazing free gifts! and will be handed out at the issue's launch party on 22nd june

i forgot how much i enjoy doing these totes (i did one for them last year too), definitely making an order for some more plain totes - like right now! expect to see some hand drawn bags in my shop soon! (any suggestions of what you'd like to see drawn on them would be muchos appreciated)
i'm really pleased with how this one turned out, and i'm a tad gutted i have to give it away, le sigh

oh, and! i forgot to mention ... did you see ballad's little feature on my work the other day? be sure to have a nosey around their new site because it's looking very snazzy

ps ... that is my pink house in the background!

llymlrs

i've finally managed to squeeze in a bit of time to work on my bloggers project (i've been very inventive with the project title haven't i? lolz) you may remember i posted a wip shot way back in april! i've decided to post the illustrations up one at a time, instead of bombarding you all at once! also, that way all my fave bloggers will get a dedicated post, which i thought would be nice ...

first in my series is lily from llymlrs : one of the first style blogs i ever started following (mainly fuelled with hair envy!) it's safe to say i could literally draw lily's hair forever. perfectly messy <3

i love lily's down to earth, natural highstreet style, and the fact she stays true to herself; did you know she's a diehard wrestling fan? just goes to show she's not your typical fashion blogger!
lily also celebrated her blog's 3rd birthday the other day and is holding a rather amazing giveaway to celebrate
... so much good stuff over on lily's blog, if you're not following her yet, shame on you

waste not want not

i'm a sucker for a good before and after.
i hate the thought of throwing something away just because it's not pretty and new. maybe i'm just a hoarder (luke would say there's no 'maybe' about it)

have you seen the amazing design*sponge before and afters? people's ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. now, i'm not saying my attempt here even begins to compare, but it's a start. and after seeing the lovely kellee blog about her ikea hack, (going to have to do this to the next set of drawers i acquire) i thought i'd share my meager attempts at plant pot facelift.

this ugly plastic thing has been sitting on my desk since my mummy repotted my money tree.
instead of buying a new pot, i indulged in a little diy ... all it took was a little sand paper (raided from dad's shed), some snazzy paper (free with some flowers i bought off the market) and good old pva glue
*tadaaaaa*

lovely jub*lee

i thought i would give one of my kitties a royal make over to share with you on this long and soggy weekend. yesterday we celebrated my sister's birthday in red, white and blue style. i spent the day eating cake and drinking pimms ... jolly good!

t & c

The Tea & Crayons ladies are very excited to be taking part in 'Uncontained' - a 30-day pop-up event in the 55DSL store in the Boxpark, Shoreditch, London. Join them on Tuesday 5th June for live illustration, cups of tea, a slice (or two) of cake, mini workshops, and drawing on the walls! There will also be lots of lovely little prints and goodies to buy. The girls would love to see as many of you there as possible, so please come and show some support for Tea & Crayons. 

sad i can't make it down for this, so if you do go make sure you have a slice of cake for me!

tuesday treasures

all the T's for today's triangular tueasday treasures! and what's even better is that all items are produced by uk sellers ∆ ace ∆

i missed last weeks #tt as i was busy swanning off to london to attend the opening day of clerkenwell design week. one of my illustrations was on display with etsyuk, so we headed on down to the farmiloe buildings to check it out. other work on show included illustrations by sandra dieckmann, jamie mills, faye moorhouse and rowan stock moore (to name a few) ... i managed to pinch a few of their lovely postcards.
it was fun to meet some of the lovely ladies behind etsyuk and also jimbobart, who was entertaining the crowds by drawing a bear in a bath! all in all a fab day out (apart from the fact i chose to wear black jeans in the swealtering weather)
... here are some (shockingly awful) photos i took on my phone that day

dear dilemma

every now and then i get approached to work on projects where the end result is really quite different to my usual style of work; a mural in a school, a personal portrait, or like this weekend some medical illustrations.

i personally enjoy the challenge of doing something a little unusual once in a while, it's a nice excuse to experiment and sometimes leads to finding a new technique which i can apply to my 'normal' style.  in the end, no matter how well the project has gone i am always left with the dilemma : should i include the final piece in my portfolio?
more often than not i decide against it.
interestingly i came across this article the other day discussing this very matter.
my portfolio is mainly built up of personal work; i have a clear direction/path laid out in my mind of what my style is like and where i want to go with it, so i feel it makes sense for me to only show work which portrays that.
i guess there is no right or wrong, and it ultimately comes down to showing work you are most proud of, no matter what the original intention (personal or commissioned). what do you like to share in your portfolio work? do you include things which step away from your usual style?

lizzie

i realised the other day that i hadn't posted this online yet, so thought i would share it today. a little while ago i was commissioned by the very lovely lizzie from ifeelsmug.com to draw her portrait (for use in press releases etc) it was a really refreshing project as it's a little different to my usual work, i also made a coloured version too. 

this project actually made me realise that i don't often draw clothes! definitely something i'm looking to change as i love studying all the natural folds, creases and textures. i have a feeling i'll be experimenting with this a little more in my #bbloggers project

... incase you were wondering, i am available for all kinds of illustration commissions, including portraits (and pet portraits too!) so if you are interested in commissioning me, do say hello : harriet@harrietgray.co.uk

#CDW2012

i am rather excited to announce that i will have a piece of my work on show at clerkenwell design week 2012! if you are on the etsyuk mailing list you may have seen the above email already, t'was a nice surprise when it appeared in my inbox on tuesday!
etsyuk are taking over a room in the farmiloe buildings, where jimbobart will be live drawing over the three day event, along side a small exhibition of selected uk based etsy selling illustrators ... including the lovely sandra deickmann, jamie mills and moi
be sure to check out the clerkenwell design week website to register for free tickets and for more information about the event
i will be heading down to london for the day on tuesday and can.not.wait!

winners

wowzers, thank you to everyone who entered my little competition, and hello to my new followers *waves*

i numbered you all up (blogger comments and twitter tweets = 49 entries in total) then headed on over to ye olde random number generator, and out popped #25  and #21 ... which means the lucky winners are
♥ lizee barry and rosepetaldeer ♥

huzzahh! thank you again to everyone who took part, i wish i could give you all a prize, you lovely, lovely people

owlsome deal!

i have a special deal going on over at my owl barn right now that you should go and check out :) 

only available for the next 7 days (or whilst *very limited* stocks last) 

tuesday's treasures

today's treasures are inspired by my newest additions to my shop (i was naughty and included a couple in there)

incidentally, don't forget to enter my giveaway which is also full of kitty goodness
... meowwww

giveaway

all my new items are now live in my shop for you to go and 'purrrr'chase if you so wish :)

to celebrate finally finishing all that sewing (which involved many pricked fingers, burns from the iron and totally losing all feeling in my right thumb from excessive scissor use), and to celebrate 160 followers on gfc and 1000 followers on twitter (hopefully they're not all spambots!) i thought i'd treat you all to a giveaway ...

i made some mis-matched purses using some spare kitty fabric and some colourful zips ....
i have two teeny tiny purses to giveaway (they're approx 3x4 inches) - i like to call them kitten purses as they are tiny versions of my new cat purses, n'awww
i'll also throw in some other bits and bobs too, like postcards and stickers etc. lovely.

to enter all i ask is for you to be following my blog (and/or) twitter, and to leave a comment on this post, competition is open to the whole wide world, not just the uk.

you can also have an extra entry if you tweet about the giveaway (remember to tag me in the post @harrietgray so i can see)

two lucky winners will be chosen at some point on friday 18th may 2012

^-.-^ good luck!

new 'purrrrr'ses and things

i have been a busy little bee the couple of weeks, working hard making lots of new little things for the shop. i thought you might like to have a little peek at what's to come ...
i have also been making some cushion covers, which i am *so* tempted to keep for myself, but i shall resist!

all will be available from my shop by this weekend. if you'd like to reserve an item let me know and i can make a listing just for you :)

tuesday's treasures

so after a lovely week away, i've become a little obsessed with wanting a place of our own again. in between working like a mad woman to get some projects finished off, i have been compiling 'want' lists on etsy, of things i'd like to fill our new home with *one day*

i realise i haven't posted any new drawings in a while, i'll put some up soon, promise :)
i've spent the last week and a half purely on the sewing machine, making new stock ... which i'm hoping will be finished and in the shop this weekend ... yays!
keep an eye out on the blog over the next few days for i have decided to hold another little giveaway for my followers, 'cause, y'know, you're all so lovely, and all that jazz

sale ends sunday!

... and so does my holiday! *sigh*
this weekend is your last chance to bag yourself some bargainous sale items
*and i warn you* i won't be having a sale again for a long time
*SALE ENDS SUNDAY 6TH MAY* sale items are very low in stock!

oh, and incase you didn't know already, every purchase from my shop earns you a 10% discount code to be used on future purchases ... YES that's plural. the code will always be live for you to use on anything in my shop, forever and ever! isn't that nice.

... and as i've been working on a whole load of new items for my shop, to be unveiled in about a week's time, it makes sense to treat yourself now, really. just look at it as a money-saving venture!
you know it makes sense

tuesday's treasures

so! i am spending this week on the isle of wight, catsitting a very elusive cat who i have seen only twice since arriving ... which is certainly a little different to the 24/7 feline company i am used to at home!
it's lovely to have a change of scenery though, with the beach just a short walk away, i am without doubt enjoying myself. even if it is a little drizzly!
so here are some tuesday treasures inspired by the beautiful life that has sprung from all this rain .. so much greenery & wildlife everywhere now! #goodbyedrought ♥

i am spending today sewing some new items for my shop to be listed *very* soon, you may notice me post some photos of my progress if you follow me on twitter

don't forget the sale in my shop will be ending on 6th may, there are lots of bargains to be had!! sale items are *very* low in stock now, so don't say i didn't warn you!
all orders will be posted when i return home on 7th may

this is a public service announcement ...

just to let you know that i'm off on holiday this sunday ... not trying to make you jealous. (it's a working holiday) i'll be away for a week cat-sitting on the isle of wight ^-.-^

i was going to end my sale this weekend, *BUT* i thought i'd be nice and keep it open whilst i'm away. this does mean that if you purchase anything between 29th april and 6th may i'll be unable to post it to you until 7th may.

i'm low in stock, so if there is something you've had your eye on you should pounce quick!
i only have one of my perpetual calendars, and a handful of mirrors and flamingo purses left.
of course there are none sale items available too

* also remember if you're not an etsy member, you are most welcome to email me your order *

any orders placed before i go on my travels will be posted on monday morning

tuesday's treasures

i've decided to start a new little feature on my blog, where every tuesday i'll post a treasury of a few of my favourite things on etsy
so here's my first ... not a great start to say that it's now 00.07am wednesday morning ha! better late than never, as they say

can you tell where i've been daydreaming about today? one day i *will* live there!

if you'd like to add me to your circle on etsy here's a link to my shop :) 

a nose around my studio

the lovely folk over at nook&cranny asked if they could interview me about my work space and i was more than happy to oblige

Where is this work space that you call home? 

I share the ‘spare room’ at my parent’s house with my partner luke. We moved here roughly two years ago (after living in Bournemouth for a good few years) with a mission to save money to move to London!
Our workspace is pretty tiny, squished between big bookcases filled with many, many books and records, and a sofa bed (good luck trying to fold that out)!
Luckily, we have a separate bedroom otherwise we literally wouldn’t be able to move.

What makes this space a perfect working environment for you? 
I actually really like working in a smallish space, it forces me to be tidy and more organized … I HAVE to tidy up when I make a mess, instead of just moving over to a part of the room that is tidy! Ha!
I also love that our studio’s at the front of the house with big windows, making it really bright with natural light. (also means I can easily spy on any passers by)
Another massive bonus is that I share the space; I’d be lonely otherwise!

What object in your workspace could you not live without? Why?
Most definitely pencils and paper … Bristol board, 2H, HB and 2B pencils to be precise. And, of course, my precious imac.
Also, I love having flowers (or, when they inevitably die, a pot plant) on my desk. It’s a nice contrast to staring at a computer screen.

Explain to us a typical day in your work space...
I am a big procrastinator and if I’m not careful I can all too easily waste away a whole day doing absolutely nothing of any significance! So I’m very strict on myself when it comes to structuring the day.
Basically, I schedule in two hour time slots throughout the day where I solely focus on my work. No distractions allowed! After every two hours I break for 1 hour to do anything and everything that is totally non-work related.
I’ve found working like this really encourages me to use my time effectively and allows me to feel content at the end of the day with what I have achieved … it also means that my breaks are totally guilt free!
And now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret …Most days I’m sat at my desk A LOT. Which really doesn’t help my back. So in order to loosen up and get the blood pumping, and generally an excuse to be silly, every half an hour we get up from our chairs and … (I warn you this may sound rather insane) … we run around the house like we’re mad!! Round and round and up and down! If you’re ever experiencing a creative block, this is the way to fix it!
Oh, I forgot to mention my day also revolves around making endless cups of green tea and tending to my cat’s every need, haha!

If there was a fire in the building, what would be the 3 items/objects that you would instantly grab? 

Luckily for me, pretty much all of my sentimental belongings are in storage boxes at my sister’s house! I’d most likely grab my imac. How ferocious are the flames? 
I may only have chance to save my external hard drive!
And my two cats as they’d most likely sleep through it.

Any tips on maintaining a work space and how to ensure a productive day in the studio?
Keep it tidy! Make lists (and stick to them) Take regular breaks, exercise, get out and away from your work regularly to keep your eyes fresh. Have fun.

phew ... that was long! hope you enjoyed reading my interview! head on over to nook&cranny's blog for more features and interviews with their other creatives 

(or visit the shop itself if you're in liverpool!)

i love having a nose around people's places and spaces, what's your work space like? do you have any weird and wonderful tips on keeping focussed and motivated? 

share your links in the comment box, i'd love to take a peep x

...also don't forget i'm having a big sale in my shop at the moment, to make space for some new products! take a look at all the bargains