More cushions!

These delicious cushions are on sale exclusively through notonthehighstreet.com. Prices range between £30-£40, brilliance ranges between high and very high!

A new cushion!

This cushion comes in a divine blue and a delicious oatmeal, it's cute and funny and perfect for a gift or treat.

measures: 30cm x 40cm. 100% cotton. £38

I was in Lanzarote last week, a place where a the sun never seem to stop shinning. I was there for some last minute sun before I submit fully to our long winter months!

Whilst there I visited the house of Lanzarote's most famous artist, Cesar Manrique, he used colour and shape to their best advantage in the dark and moon-like landscape of the island. He was a great pioneer in keeping the island from becoming a high-rise tourist center, he reasoned with the government to preserve the island's natural beauty, believe that it was a major draw in itself, he was of course right.

Photos taken at his home, Casa del Campesino, which is built in the natural bubbles created in the lava flow. Definitely worth a visit if you find yourself on the island.

Sally and Dave from the brilliant and witty named website To Dry For (if you haven't guessed it, it's a tea towel focused site) have been so kind in introducing 3 of my tea towels into their outstanding range...i'm ever so pleased to be on their pages!

http://www.todryfor.com/bybrand.asp?brand=40

I've just added a whole load more photos of my new stuff to my flickr account....check it out!!

I went to Harrogate to set up today for the Home and Gift show which takes place from Sunday 18th until Wednesday 21st. I will be exhibiting there on stand E50, launching my new range which you can view on the blog Lizzie Prestt Trade - see link under links bit to the right of this.

Couldn't be more nervous but am pretty excited too, I'm rolling with the big boys now!

The BUST fair was a success although the weather was so amazing that it was actually too hot, and all people really wanted to be doing was lying in a swimming pool drinking cocktails, not drooling over all the lovely wares on offer but when all is said and done, i did have a lovely time!

LONDON'S SUMMER BUST CRAFTACULAR!

I am lucky enough to have been selected for the London Summer BUST Craftacular on July 10th. It will run from 12pm until 7pm at York Hall, 5-15 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, London. Admission is £2. It should be a really good event with crafters, DJs, drinks and dancing.

I will be selling my wares including exclusive, never before seen items which I am working on as we speak in preparation!

Please come if you are near by, it would be lovely to see you.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=324178535537

Lizzie Prestt Designs is now on Twitter, find me at: Lizzie Prestt and follow!

I've been up (down) to London this past week to meet with the brilliant Habitat and Conran. I couldn't quite believe my luck when they both requested a meeting and I have spent the last few weeks in a whirl of nerves and excitement.

Post meetings i can say that although i am unsure what the final outcome will be and if i will have the opportunity to work with them both (fingers crossed!). I am just entirely flattered that they took the time out to look at my work and were as complimentary as they were!

THANK YOU!!

Over the recent months i have been designing my socks off and trying to put together 3 designs worth going to trade with. The pressure was on because i decided that i would show at the Harrogate Home and Gift Show in July, they have a specific hall for designers new to the world of trade, they've called the Hall (E) Intro North so i am hoping it will draw a lot of buyers looking for the next big thing...which will hopefully be me! (i'm on stand E50 if you happen to be there, come and say hi).

I find that designs either come to me in a flash or i have to bleed them out drop by drop. This time, unfortunately, it was a relentless/plainful task which took months and involved plenty of mood swings (sorry to my family there!). But i have finally come out of the other side and sent them to the respective manufactures a couple of weeks ago, we seem to be getting through the teething problems and so now it's just a case of sitting back, hoping, wishing and praying that a) they turn out like i hope and b) they are liked by others!

I have now entered the world of stand display, packaging, brand imaging, marketing, PR, labels, stationary, pricing, wholesale, quantities and much much more - the mind boggles, i'm starting to understand why people who run their own business look so dam tired! But i have to say i wouldn't change a thing.

www.homeandgift.co.uk

I've just re-found this lovely website by Lucy May Schofield, she makes the most beautiful books, i wish i owned one.... www.lucymayschofield.co.uk

This illustration is of my home town, Chester. It's a really beautiful roman city and apparently the 3rd most visited tourist city in the UK! These are 2 of 3 made of these exclusive cushions. They are 100% Linen, have feather inners, measure 40cm/30cm and retail at £40.

I'm not a real supporter of the whole facebook thing but it does have it's pluses, one being that everyones on it and it means i can shamelessly advertise myself and my work and draw attention to my blog and website! But incase you found me through another method then here's the link to my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lizzie-Prestt-Designs/377159417448?ref=ts It has proven to be a good way of creating awareness and seeing my work in bulk, so thank you facebook!

Des Ombrelles

Fashion illustration by Georges Lepape

I bought this card years ago from the V&A, i've kept it in a cupboard never knowing what to do with it but loving the colours and design. On a recent colour mission i dug it out and kept as a reference for colour combination and placement. It helped a little - i can find colour overwhelming, there's to much beauty in it!

Yorkshire Sculpture Park is fantastic and totally worth a visit. Above are some of my photos from my trip there this weekend.

Some of the most boring things can be made brilliant by good packaging. I adore this packaging for these wafers by Curious Chocolates and the pretty little houses by Rococo Chocolates.

Dead or alive

Olive pots, the left one is for the whole olives and the right is for the pips - as you can see they've gone to heaven.

Happy Easter.

Dafs...you've been much anticipated and I couldn't be enjoying you more...Spring, please come soon!

mmmm beautiful colours

Tea pots!!

This is the first tea pot of 2, only 4 have been made

in total with the idea of only making a further 2 so they're pretty exclusive!!

I went to the Affordable Art Fair the other day in London and these are some of the artists i liked in no particular order...check them out:

Simon Tozer: http://www.bristolcreatives.co.uk/node/341

Keith Hayman: www.keithhayman.co.uk - I'm not sure if this is the right Keith because his site is not up and running at the mo but will be soon so check it out when it's done.

Paul Bower: http://paulbower.co.uk/

Jonny Hannah: http://www.heartagency.com/artist/JonnyHannah/gallery/1

Maggie Jennings: http://www.axisweb.org/seCVPG.aspx?ArtistID=1743

Alison Read: http://www.brumfield.co.uk/printmaking-gallery/alison-read/alison-read.html

I was advised by Living Etc magazine, not personally but because i bought the magazine and read about it, to join the private online members store: achica.com. I'm not to sure about it and am worried i've taken up limited space on the membership list...if you know of this sight please share your thoughts because i'm not sure i have the patience to get to know it any better but i'd love to be proven wrong and find out it's the best.

I'm loving Elle Decoration this month, i'm not always a fan but they've ticked the right boxes for me this month (April 2010).

I've actually found a very useful link through an article in it - i use a transfer process to get my designs on to the ceramics but i have been having major problems and loosing lots of the ceramics (and money!) in the kilning process not the fault of the wonderful compan, Jones and the Thimbles, whom do all my firing for me but the fault of the actual ceramics and my cheap skate self! But anyway back to the point, the website is www.homecrafts.co.uk and through them i will buy some transfer paper at a reasonable price and will just put the ceramics in the oven - not a long term solution but great for testing purposes!

I'm potty about these little pots i made! haaha

If you like cheese as much as i do then maybe you'd like to put it on this lovely cheese board i designed.

The ceramic plate is originally from Burleigh, which is a family business established in 1851 and is still manufacturing a pure English earthenware product in the 21st Century. Their stuff is beautiful and i feel very privileged to have transfered my design onto their ceramic. For more details on Burleigh please take a look at their website:

http://www.burleigh.co.uk/index.php

The fruits of my Valentine labour:

I got my new tea towels yesterday....this is the first time that they've been seen by the public, hope you like them.

Hello, i hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. I did, although it seemed to pass me by far to quickly. But wasn't then snow fantastic! I never can get over how it makes EVERYTHING beautiful.

Above is the view from my office window a couple of weeks ago.