Valentine's designs for 2016!

Here's 'Potty About You' and 'Let's Stick Together' two new Valentine's card designs for 2016. 
Both designs are hand screen printed onto recycled card stocks, supplied with a matching envelope and packaged inside a clear compostable sleeve.

Available now via Etsy and NOTHS!

Screen printing

Stack of screens

A shelf of cooler colours

A shelf of warmer colours

My favourite squeegee!

Hand printed paper bags

A close up of the 'Atomic' hand printed notebook

Screen printing is what I do.  Regular blog updates- not something I am so good at! But screen printing, that is something I work with in some shape or form pretty much every day of the week.  Here's a few photos from a selection taken by wonderful photographer Kirsten Platt during a studio visit.

I'm currently working on a number of projects including new bag designs, Christmas illustrations and a number of new limited editon art prints and stationery products.  To keep up to date with the day to day goings on in the Memo Illustration studio head over to my Instagram account and Facebook page.  There you can see a video of me screen printing and sketchbook extracts amongst other things. I find it much easier to post a quick update using those platforms whilst at work, but will be back soon with more blog news.

TTFN!  Helen

HELLO!

After an overly long pause in blog updates I thought it was about time I made amends!

I wanted to share with you some of the new work I've recently created for my spring/summer 2015 product catalogue (which you can view in full here).  In the run up to the British Craft Trade Fair that took place in April I created lots of new designs including two new card ranges 'Magic Numbers'  for milestone birthdays, and 'The Neon Series' a set of occasions cards inspired by the neon signs of vintage America.  Here's a few of the new designs...

 

 

 

  

All of the new products are now available to purchase direct from me via my Etsy shop and my NOTHS shop. There's lots of colour in the new work and a bit of a party theme... 

Which ties in well to my next topic.  On the 27th June I am getting married!  It seems to have come around very quickly, and taken more planning and time than I could ever have imagined.  Sam and I decided to tie the knot a couple of years ago and chose to do it this summer.  I designed and hand screen printed our invitations and will be hand printing items for the tables and favours too.  After the event I'll post images of the printed wedding stationery amongst other things. In July we are going to America to explore Tennessee, a trip that I cannot wait for.  I don't get many days off, generally one a week if I'm lucky, so three weeks in a row will be the ultimate holiday!

At the moment I am preparing for Hebden Print Fair which is happening this Saturday at the town hall in Hebden Bridge, if you're in the area come and say hello!

                                      

To finish here's a recent photograph from our engagement shoot taken on a walk to Scout Scar which is just outside of Kendal where we live.  My good friend Kirsten Platt is our wedding photographer, you can see more of Kirsten's wonderful photography here www.kirstenplatt.co.uk/

Bye for now!

Helen

A busy summer!

A hand painted wooden doorstop for my studio door.

 

I can't believe three months have passed since I last updated the blog! Wow- I've been busier than I thought!  Here's a few snapshots of recent goings on.  New products and seasonal cards to be announced very soon...  TTFN

June roundup!

Screen printing in the studio...

My garden is coming to life, lots of colour!

A great write up about my work in the July/August issue Craft & Design magazine.

And here's a two page write up in Gift Focus magazine, July/August edition.  Thrilled to have such kind words said about my work!

A new limited edition screen print: 'Good Times Roll'.

'Good Time's Roll is currently being shown in Cambridge Contemporary Crafts as part of their Tour de France exhibition.  It's also available online in my Etsy and NOTHS shops.

And finally, here's a highlight of my month... a kiss from a baby owl!

House Plant Heaven

 Today I've added two new products to my Etsy and NOTHS shops, 'House Plant Drinks Coasters' (shown above) and 'House Plant Notepads' (shown below). 

These two came about after a series of drawings I created based on my collection of cacti and succulent house plants.  Both are fully hand screen printed including the packaging.  The notepads come in mint/black and green/black colourways and the coasters come in a pack of five containing one of each colour shown in the photos above. 

A little injection of kitsch colour suitable for any table!

Here's a sneak peek of a new feature started today over on my Facebook page, Novelty Print Thursdays!  I thought this one seemed appropriate to include with the new House Plant range.  I'll be showing a fabric pattern from my personal collection of vintage clothing every Thursday, why the heck not?!

New Shoppers!

 

Introducing 'Shake, Rattle & Roll' and 'Cocktail Time', two new designs just in time for summer! Both designs are hand screen printed onto thick cotton canvas shopper bags which have shoulder length back straps.  Nothing like a bit of vibrant summery colour, these bags could be used for a shopping trip, picnic, beach excursion, lots of summer fun.  They're available in my Etsy shop and NOTHS shop now.

Hope you're enjoying the lovely weather!

Sheffield Print Fair

 

Here's a few pictures from the Sheffield Print Fair yesterday at the Millenium Gallery in Sheffield. Sorry for the not-so-great photo quality, my bag was so heavy I couldn't fit the camera in so took these using my phone.  You can get a feel for the stall layout at least!

It was a busy day with lots of great print makers displaying a huge range of art work for sale.  I had a catch up with the wonderful Sarah Waterhouse who's stall of hand printed fabrics looked fantastic, full of great colours.  Also nice to meet Zoe of Zebedee Print who creates amazing mid-century inspired lino cuts.

Today I'm back home having a much needed day off with a spot of Leon inspired baking.  Lemon bars on the way this afternoon and some hanging baskets to plant up for my garden.

Atomic Day Out

 

Yesterday Sam and I spent the day at a new event: The Atomic Vintage Festival at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire.  It was such a good day, full of sunshine, great music, dancing, tasty food and colourful mid-century aesthetics.

My fascination with this era began when I first encountered some of my Grandma's treasures as a child.  My Grandma Winnie had been a dressmaker and a big collector, I can remember her living room full of old display cabinets full of kitsch ornaments, lots of colour.

The day began yesterday with a vintage carboot sale in the big top.  Lots of exciting stuff on offer, I however was on a strict budget so detoured a table full of lucite handbags and Bakelite and came out with a lovely blouse covered in a sea shell novelty print pattern for a mere £3.  Not bad, and for me a very restrained carboot visit!

We saw two sessions of drag racing, including a number of hot rods and stock cars: lots of noise, smoke and amazing paint jobs- great! Another highlight was a visit to the Demon Drome Wall of Death, as Sam put it 'a total adrenaline rush'. I've never seen anything like it, the wonders of centrifugal force...  I'm not quite sure who screamed more, me or the six year old girl I stood next to ha! We both decided it was pretty scary but brilliant!  The vintage clothing and homewares tents were great to wander around, lots of great patterned dresses, I could have spent the whole day in there...
 
Other elements of our day included, for me an amazing halloumi and homemade felafell wrap and for Sam a beef taco from a Mexican food vendor.  (Who also had some amazing tequilas for sale, we tried a Herradura Anejo tequila that came in a bottle with a great horse shoe graphic logo.)  We danced to several DJ sets by Mark Lamarr and rounded off the night with a firework and light show from O'Briens Flying Circus and a live set from one of my favourite band The Domestic Bumblebees.  They finished with a cover of 'Rocker' by AC/DC, wow, really made my day!!

I've come away with lots of inspiration for new drawings and designs, couldn't ask for much more!