Friday 30 March 2018

Etsy shop find...a chat with Forme Jewellery

Something a little different for you in this months etsy interview...
We're delving into the world of jewellery with the designer maker behind
  Forme Jewellery, Jaynie Batty.
The first thing I noticed when I came across Jaynies jewellery, were the stunning colour combinations she used in her designs. The detail is in the shape, colour and subtle patterning.
You'll be hard pushed to pick a favourite, they're all so beautiful!
But give it a go won't you, and head over to etsy and her freshly stocked shop full of necklaces to 'oooooh' over!

You lovely readers can get a special 10% discount at checkout if you enter 'FORME10'.

So, grab that all important cuppa and let's get to know a little about Jaynie shall we, and Forme Jewellery...


1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your background?
I was brought up near Haworth (Bronte Country) and currently live in a village not far from Leeds.
I wasn't sure what I really wanted to do/be when I left school, I enjoyed Art and Design but was told I'd make a good teacher so applied for courses in both, I was accepted for both but decided to take the artistic route purely because it sounded more fun!

This led me to do a BA (hons) in Surface Pattern and Design at Leeds College of Art, I loved it! I graduated in 1997 (such a long time ago!!)
After a year or so with some determination and perseverance I got a job at a Home furnishing fabric company near Nottingham as a Textile Designer, I worked my way up to Senior Designer and stayed there for 15 years! After I had my son Alex (nearly 7 now) my fiancĂ© and I made the decision to move back up North to Leeds. 
I now work as a freelance textile designer and also run Forme Jewellery.

 2. Tell us about a typical day for you...
I am not a morning person so usually snooze my alarm a few times then get up and have a coffee to bring me round!
Then get Alex ready and take up to school, when I get back I have another coffee while checking emails.  When thats done I start working on whatever briefs I have been given by my clients. My main client is a craft fabric company called Lewis & Irene, I do all their designs for them so it keeps me pretty busy.
During the day I might also find a little time dedicate to Forme Jewellery (painting/sanding beads, choosing colours etc.) but that mostly happens during the evening when Alex has gone to bed. I find working on my jewellery so enjoyable and relaxing it doesn't feel like work.

 3. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?
It usually starts with choosing paint colours, I am always on the look out for new colour combinations (my phone is full of photos of interesting colour palettes I spot while I'm out and about). I then Sand-Paint-Repeat a LOT of wooden beads of all shapes and sizes, when they're dry and give them a coat of varnish to make them more hard wearing. I also use polymer clay to make the 'tube' beads in my work, this involves mixing colours together and experimenting with textures, then baking them in the oven.
Then comes my favourite part, I lay out different shapes and sizes in a necklace formation, I might do about 10 at at time and play about with different combinations until I'm happy, then string them and add the finishing touches.
4. Obviously, you're constantly putting beautiful colour combinations together to create your wonderful pieces of jewellery. Whats your favourite colour combination currently? What inspires your colour palettes?

At the moment I'm into shades of muted pinks and corals with slatey greys, I have noticed a lot of softer colours coming through at the moment. I do love a pop of neon though (must be the 80's child in me). My all time favourite colour is aqua- any shade of aqua!
I find reds and purples harder to use but am working on combinations using these colours at the moment!
I think Instagram is an amazing source of inspiration I follow a lot of designers and Illustrators and probably spend far too much time looking at it.
I also keep an eye on the emerging trends in fashion and Interiors, I find it fascinating. 

 5. What makes you laugh?
My little boy!
I also like to listen to podcasts while I work- Adam Buxton is my favourite- he always makes me laugh!
6. Where do you work? Describe your studio space...

We have just had re-shuffle in our little house and a loft conversion to create more space. I now have a room of my own for all my creative 'stuff'.
It needs work to make it beautiful but at the moment I have a long desk with my computer and iPad pro at one end and my beads and jewellery things at the other. 
7. Any exciting plans for 2018? New products, craft fayres,etc.....

I have had a slow start to the year with all the building work that happened in our house but plan to get up and running again with some new necklaces and hopefully do some summer and Christmas Makers fairs this year. I also plan to be more actively involved in Etsy Team Leeds.
8. Tell us 10 Random Facts about yourself..

    1. Coffee fuels my life! I don't even want to count how may cups I drink in a day- I love a Flat White!
    2. I was born in the Yorkshire Dales and crave the countryside- I would love to move back there one day.
    3. I like 1990's hip hop.
    4. I broke my ankle my messing about on my little boys scooter last year. 
    5. I don't like cooking much but I love eating!
    6. I love a quiz!
    7. I don't like purple and am struggling to like the Pantone of the Year.    
    8. I like Wes Anderson films- the colours, the symmetry- they're just so stylish!
    9. When i was young I would not wear dresses- I now love dresses and probably have too many.
    10. At school I didn't think I was very good at Art. I asked my teacher if he thought I was good enough to take an A level in it. Luckily he said 'yes' and it's shaped my life!
9. What books/ magazines are you reading?

I'm afraid I'm not a big reader, I don't know where I'd find the time to be honest!
I am reading Frankie and Caboodle Magazines at the moment though.

10. Whats your guilty pleasure?

Amaretto
Early Katy Perry tunes
Coronation Street (I've watched it since I was a kid)
Made In Chelsea
Ice Cream
11.Name 3 things you can't live without..
Tricky!
Coffee
Ipad Pro
Friends and Family (does that go without saying?)
12. What tips or advice would you give someone interested in starting their own business/ opening an Etsy shop?

Go for it!
Start small, maybe start with a few products and see how they go.
Try not to under value your products, you've probably worked hard developing your unique style and hand making products and the price should reflect this.
Use social media to your advantage- spread the word far and wide. 
Don't hesitate to open an Etsy Shop, its relatively easy and could lead to great things!

A big thanks to Jaynie for taking the time to be part of the etsy interview feature, and giving us an insight into her world.

Follow Forme Jewellery on instagram here.



x x x

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Wednesday 28 March 2018

Mini Moon...

Mini Moon was founded by the lovely Genine Delahaye, who has a wealth of experience in the design industry as a childrens illustrator and print designer, so it makes perfect sense for her to create a brand specialising in artworks for your little ones rooms.
Created for all, Mini Moon offers prints for girl, boy and also gender neutral, with core colour palettes throughout, working alongside their staple black and white to enhance the brand colours.

Let's take a look at some of the gorgeous artworks...

Click here to see more and order online.
You can also follow Mini Moon on instagram.













 (all artwork above © Mini Moon)

x x x
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Monday 26 March 2018

Rifle Paper Co.

I was having a little look through the 2018 catalogue for Rifle Paper recently, and as you would expect, there are some beauties amongst those pages!
A riot of intricate paper cut florals and foliage adorn many pages, and in true Rifle style, the prints and patterns are rich and vibrant with gorgeous colours and full of that beautiful detail we just love to see from this stationery and lifestyle brand.
A stunning curated collection of cards, notebooks, art prints, planners, enamel pins, phone cases, and much more await!
Click here to see whats new.











(images above © Rifle Paper)

x x x





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Friday 16 March 2018

Rainbow Party!

There seems to be rainbows everywhere lately, and what better way to be inspired by them than to inject a kaleidoscope of colour and fun into your little ones party.
Here goes with a few favourites from around blog land.
Plenty of ideas for a rainbow themed gathering...


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

x x x
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Wednesday 14 March 2018

On my bookshelf... Hortense and the Shadow

Hortense and the Shadow is the haunting debut picture book by two very talented sisters, Natalia and Lauren O'Hara.
Editing scripts during the day, but by night they draw and write together, and a fantastic duo it is too!
With beautiful inky illustrations throughout, the book tells the story of Hortense, a brave little girl with a dislike for her shadow.
"Everywhere she went, it went. Everything she did, it did".
But one night in the woods when she comes across some bandits, she soon realises she is better with, than without it, and her shadow saves the day.

A fairytale about light and shadow, you will surely be mesmerized by all the gorgeous wintery touches and decorative architectural details on every page.
A must for your bookshelf... 








Available from Wordery here.

(photos above © Love Print Studio, 
illustrations © Natalia and Lauren O'Hara)


Cant wait for the next offering from the O'Hara sisters, out in October...


x x x

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Monday 12 March 2018

Creative Quarters...Miranda Sofroniou

The next designer to be featured in Creative Quarters is Miranda Sofroniou.

Miranda is an illustrator and print designer from London, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. 
She graduated from The University of the Arts London (Camberwell College of Art) in 2012 with a degree in Illustration.

She worked as a designer for Caroline Gardner in London for three years, and in November 2017 she decided to move to Australia and concentrate on developing her freelance work. Sunshine, beaches, forests and nature, have inspired new developments in her illustration work.

She enjoys experimenting with different media, mixing drawing, painting, collage and hand drawn lettering to create unique, playful and engaging designs celebrating colour and pattern. 

Drawing on her own travel experiences, collecting memories and working from her sketchbook/on the spot drawings she strives to evoke a sense of exploration and wonder through her work. 

Stories and books play an important role in her designs, in order to create a world one can step inside. She often listens to audio books while painting.

Her work has a whimsical hand drawn quality that lends itself to textiles, stationery and editorial illustration, and she is currently working on creating her own product range which is available from her shop, selling greetings cards and art prints.

Miranda is also open to new collaborations and projects.



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I hope you've enjoyed reading a little about Miranda,
and seeing a selection of her work.

If you're interested in working with Miranda, or to get in touch with general enquiries, please visit her website for details.

If you missed the last Creative Quarters post featuring Megan Carter, you can read it here.

And don't forget, if you'd like to be featured, 
please send examples of your work with links to website portfolios, 
and some info about you and your background, etc... 
to Louise at loveprintstudio@live.com 
Look forward to hearing from you!

x x x



x x x
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Friday 9 March 2018

Something for the weekend...

Why not head into the kitchen this weekend and make something a little bit special for Mum!
How beautiful are these gorgeous little meringue cookies? 
Possibly too pretty to eat.


Check out the recipe here.

x x x
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Wednesday 7 March 2018

Mid week motivation...

There's nothing better than a little motivation to get you through the rest of the week...
You've got this!


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 

x x x


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Monday 5 March 2018

Colour crush...

Colour crush time!
A lovely dusky palette of baby pinks, soft greys and taupe, with a gorgeous pop of brick and terracotta.


(image credits clockwise from top left)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

x x x

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Friday 2 March 2018

Freebie Friday...

A nice little freebie for you today.
Happy Friday!






(image above © Louise | Love Print Studio)

x x x
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