Announcing the Tropical Fusion Blog Hop!

Next Saturday, yes it's almost here, the Tropical Fusion Blog Hop will begin. Over 50 surface pattern designers will link their blogs together to form an inspirational 'blog hop' with the theme Tropical Fusion featuring of course the beautiful Pantone Color of the Year 2014 Radiant Orchid. Nice and Fancy will be taking part and you must be sure to come and visit.

So please make a date from the 18th through to 21st of January 2014 you can run through our blogs and enjoy a taste of new, exciting and inspirational work. Make sure you have some time on your hands and a cup of tea handy, it's gonna be a load of fun. See you there... I mean here :)

Radiant Resolutions

Hello my lovelies. I am here to wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2014, and of course, I hope all your dreams really do come true!
This year my New Year's Resolution was NOT to make New Year's Resolutions, so there you go, I got all that done and dusted pretty quickly. However, that doesn't mean I haven't got any plans, hopes or dreams for 2014 it's just that I am working on them and not writing about them.

When Pantone announced their Color of the Year I realised that for me 2014 was starting on a high. Such a fab colour! To design patterns using colour palettes which include a bit of Radiant Orchid will be a dream. I have begun a new project (and I will write about it pretty soon) which has this beautiful colour as part of the brief... so watch this space.

 

If you love Radiant Orchid like me you can read more about it on the Pantone Website or follow the Color of the Year on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. I also have a modest Color of the Year board on Pinterest which will I hope you will follow. Maybe it will inspire me to greater things pretty soon! 

P.S. Happy New Year to you all xx

News from the 'posh gift shop'

The festive season is finally in full swing and we are rushing around in the 'posh gift shop' selling lots of useful, fun, nice and not so nice gifts of every kind imaginable. This year we are a little understaffed so it's hard work but we still find time to joke and smile. The traditional competitions are all underway for the sweetest client, the rudest client, the most ridiculous request, who spends the most, and, who spends the least wanting of course all the trimmings like beautiful gift wrap and a free bag!

 
Some of my Keka cases are in one of the five windows, I am still hoping to sell them ALL! We have already sold our last singing snowman who has spent the whole of 2013 in a cold storeroom waiting for his moment, we are happy he has gone to a good home. The old lady who comes in every year to buy all her Christmas presents for NEXT YEAR!!! arrived today so the world is still as it should be :) I still have to wrap up an ironing board but as a substitute I have already wrapped up a hat and coat stand so we are still in practice. 
There are still 9 days left to go, for us each day that passes is always worse than the last because the clients become more and more frenetic and demanding. Some are convinced to have seen 'this or that' in our windows last week at 'that' price and we don't have the heart to tell them that we have never had an item like that in stock! In the run up to Christmas all is feasible and possible... even the impossible. 
Looking forward to Christmas Eve when things begin to calm down and everyone is at peace that finally what they still haven't bought they won't be able to buy because the shops all close in half an hour. Then just when you think you are safe you see him coming 30 minutes before closing time to buy 2 gifts and he is without fail always, ALWAYS, our last customer!

December - 2013 Designer Calendar Project

It is time for you to download the month of December in the fabulous freebie Designers Calendar Project organised by my friend the lovely Maria Jose Bautista V.
So we have gotten to the end of the pile and last but not least is the month of December designed by Esther Cox. Her work is colourful and very jolly and just perfect to finish of 2013 with a smile.

As a reminder of the project organised by MaJo  - 12 surface pattern designers each have created a month in 2013 using their unique style, the only guidelines being the format and the colour palette! The result is a very different calendar full of fun designs and patterns.  

This month's fun design can be downloaded directly from MaJo's blog where you can also read a a little about Esther Cox and her Kiosk. Download the full version HERE.
I am a little sad that this project has come to and end but good news is that MaJo has bigger and better plans for 2014 and I intend to be involved... I will obviously keep you all informed.