Etsy shop find...a chat with Shannon Kirsten

I'm super happy to be able to share the beautiful designs of Shannon Kirsten with you in todays etsy interview.

I discovered Shannons signature style on instagram a while ago, but saw it in all its glory at The National Stationery Show in New York.
A talented gal in the surface pattern world, Shannon is an artist who creates the prettiest of stationery, adorned with colourful florals, hand lettering and whimsical illustrations.

Obviously she has her etsy shop full of greeting cards, enamel pins, phone cases and prints, but Shannon also has her own product line of stationery for retail and wholesale, and has done work for clients such as Hallmark, Urban Outfitters and Nordstroms.
She's also available for custom wedding invitations.

Shannon is one busy lady!

So, let's get to know a little about this creative gal shall we...

1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your background... 

I have always been interested in art and making things. 

My mom is an artist so we were always doing crafts and projects growing up. 

I went to the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale (Florida) and majored in fashion design. 

It was there that I fell in love with illustrating and became intrigued by surface design as I learned how to make repeat patterns and such. 

In 2009 when I graduated, I opened up my Etsy shop just for fun. 

I took a freelance job with a large department store doing surface design (making repeat patterns for textiles / clothing). 

On the side, I was adding to my shop and starting to do a bit of custom wedding work. 

I took a full time job as a design director for an athletic apparel company. 

It wasn't fulfilling my creative needs, so shortly after I embarked on my own freelance adventure and never looked back. 

I began adding more work to etsy, participating in styled shoots with other creatives, 

and working for friends in order to add examples to my portfolio. 

A styled wedding shoot I had created invitations for got picked up by a notable wedding blog and I began seeing more traffic to my shop. 

Things just grew from there!

2. Tell us about a typical day for you...

I really have no typical days, ha. 
I do like to head to my studio early in the morning and start with e-mails. 
I try to blog a few times a week so some mornings I work on my posts and I like to read other blogs while I finish my coffee to get inspired. 
Some days I paint all day...sometimes for myself which ends up being new cards and prints for my stationery line and sometimes I'm painting client projects like wedding invitations. I wear many hats so somedays I have to keep up on the business stuff like accounting, managing wholesale orders, etc. 
I love that everyday is a little different due to the large amount and variety of projects I have.

3. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?

I keep a notebook of ideas, it's a variety of wording I want to use for greeting cards and little sketches of things I've seen and loved. 
I take lots of photos on my phone when I'm out and about as well. 
If I'm working on a client project we start with a moodboard to determine the vibe and colours. 
Everything I do starts as a hand painting and I use only my hand writing for wording! 
After I paint, I scan and clean up my designs a bit on photoshop before printing. 

4. How would you describe your work?

Whimsical, colorful, happy and quirky.

5. What’s the most popular item for sale in your etsy shop? And your personal favourite?

My current best selling greeting card is the 'You're the foxiest' 

My newest favourite item is this boho floral notepad planner. 
I find these to be so useful for jotting down notes. 
I use mine as a mouse pad and am always writing stuff on it.

6. What’s the most rewarding thing about being a designer/illustrator?

Being able to do what I love everyday is my biggest blessing. 
I have always loved cards since I was little...
I like knowing that my cards are floating around out there, being sent amongst friends and family to make each other smile. 
Working on weddings is also rewarding because my typical client is a fun, creative gal who loves design, they are so excited about the designing process so that makes it really fun for me being able to bring their visions to life. 

7. What are you currently passionate about or fascinated by 
and how is it inspiring your work?

I'm passionate about seeing the world. 
That has always been a constant source of inspiration for me. 
My sister is the ultimate travel buddy and we've been to some exciting places together. 
I take tons of photos when I go anywhere and love drawing from the colors, architecture, and cultural of new places. 
I am fascinated by the large amount of amazing, talented female entrepreneurs who are making their own way...between gals I've come across on social media and my own group of friends with businesses, it keeps me super motivated and inspired.

8. What books/ magazines are currently on your coffee table?

I read Vogue, Elle, Frankie, and Flow every month!

9. Where do you work? Describe your studio/work area...

My studio is in the downtown area of our small-ish town. 
It's in an old building with an adorable courtyard in the middle of several offices. Everything is all white with the exception of my colorful illustrations on the wall, above the table where I paint. 
I have two adjoining offices; one side I work on my computer and painting and the other side is mostly my storage and inventory with an area for packaging orders that are ready to ship. 

10. What art do you have on your wall?

In my studio, I have a random assortment of my past work and projects that are in progress with pages from magazines and little things I've collected that I enjoy looking at. At home, I have a lot of photography from my travels, a couple animal prints of Becca Stradlander that are just the cutest, and a big print of one of Emily Jeffords paintings – her work is so soft and calming, those are among my favorites.

11. What makes you laugh?

My friends make me laugh the hardest. 
I love my band of weirdos and fellow creatives, most of whom I've been friends with since elementary school (going on 20 years with some of them). 
When we can all get together it's constant story telling and loud laughter. 
I also have three goofy pets that entertain me on a daily basis.

12. What are you working on currently? 
And any big plans for the remainder of 2017?

I always have wedding clients that I'm working with. 
I just finished a project with Shutterfly that was fun and different for me. 
I designed a collection for Hallmark last year that got released this month so I've been having fun styling some photos of them for a social media (and also seeing them pop up in my grocery store!). 
I have a big collaboration for the end of the year, it's still a secret so I can't disclose much but this will be very big and exciting for me! 

(all images above © Shannon Kirsten Studio)


A huge thank you to Shannon for giving us an insight into her world.
If you'd like to follow her on social media, click below...

instagram | website | etsy | pinterest | twitter

x x x

Etsy shop finds...a chat with Jessica Hogarth

Todays etsy interview is with the lovely Jessica Hogarth.

I was fortunate enough to meet Jess whilst we were both in NYC recently for Surtex,
such a lovely gal!

Jess lives in beautiful Whitby, creating gorgeous pieces of art that go on a multitude of products; homeware, greeting cards, art prints, wallpaper and many more.
With such a distinctive, individual style to her work, you may have spotted her coastal inspired designs in Oliver Bonas, Paperchase or John Lewis, amongst others.

Jess is one busy lady; a greeting card publisher, NOTHS and etsy shop owner
as well as taking on freelance work.
Pheweee.. exhausted just reading that right?

So, lets get to know a bit about Jess shall we...

1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your background... 

Art wan’t my focus at school at all - I was musical and sporty and my extra curricular actives focused around this. 

I did do an A level in Fine Art but I hadn’t considered an artistic career. 

After doing a semester studying classical music at Leeds University I left, and reapplied for Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design at Leeds College of Art, which is where I spent a very happy three years gaining my degree and honing my skills so I was ready for a job in the design industry. 

I was fortunate to get a job in a design studio immediately after graduating but after 8 months I left, wanting to work for myself and launch a small product range alongside designing on a freelance basis. 

I officially launched at the British Craft Trade Fair in April 2012 and I am thrilled that my business has grown from there. 

After starting my business from my bedroom at my parents house, moving to a purpose built studio in the garden of their cottage and then to a business centre in Whitby, where I now have two offices, I am really happy with how the business has progressed. 

It has been hard work keeping all of the plates spinning, fulfilling online shop orders, launching new work to the wholesale market on cards and textiles, and also working on freelance projects but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

2. Tell us about a typical day for you…

Is there a typical day when you’re self employed?! 

I come in to the studio in the morning, but I am a bit of a night owl so the time I start work depends on how late I was up the night before! 

I like to be really organised with emailing and accounts so some of my day is always taken up with admin type tasks. 

I also spend a fair amount of time on Instagram – it’s addictive! 

There always seems to be something to prepare for. 

I was recently in New York for Surtex, and the entire month running up to that was spent preparing my portfolio, the booth layout and promotional materials for that. 

Since I have been home I have been organising mail-outs to my wholesale stockists and of course following up leads from the show. 

I have been finding more time to design this year, which is obviously what I should be doing most of the time, but running a creative business is so much more than that.

3. What books/ magazines are you currently reading?

 I recently purchased Beth Kempton’s book ‘Freedom Seeker’ and I have just started reading it. 

Being a card publisher, I enjoy reading the greeting card mags – Progressive Greetings and Greetings Today. 

I have also been enjoying reading the chapters of House of Cards, by Sarah Hamilton. 

I was thrilled to be asked to be the digital illustration contributor to the book, and I have my own chapter, giving people step-by-step instructions on how to take a sketch to a final design, for digital print. 

The other chapters cover all kinds of processes from screen print to paper cutting, and I have been enjoying reading about other people’s studio spaces, as well as the history of greeting cards!

4. Who are your design heroes and what inspires you?

My design hero has got to be Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. Her artwork and eye for colour is inspirational. I am also a huge fan of everything that Marimekko produces. I’m a fan of anything Scandinavian, and this brand is no exception. It would be a dream to create something for them. I love unusual colour palettes and seeing other people’s beautiful design work also inspires me to want to do better. 

5. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?

All of my designs begin as black pen illustrations, before I scan them and colour the art on Illustrator. 

Sometimes I use coloured pens and pencils and for fun, when I’m sketching or playing with different ideas, but only black pen illustrations make it to the computer for artwork development. 

6. Where do you work? Describe your studio/work area...

I have two studios in Whitby, in a local business centre. One studio is messy and holds all of my stock, and the second one is smaller and where I spend most of my time. 

I have pinboards up on the walls with my recent work on, and I’m always playing music via Spotify in the background. 

It has white walls and some nice white muslin curtains made for me by my lovely mum – who also works for me! 

These allow the room to still feel light, but stops the sunlight blasting in and reflecting back off my mac screen!

7. In three words, describe your work... 

Naïve, nostalgic, colourful.

8. What are your big loves?

My friends & family, cats (two in particular), sunsets by the coast, Paris, and chocolate, lots of chocolate!

9. What’s the most rewarding thing about being a designer/illustrator?

I feel very lucky that I get to be creative for my job. 

It’s still as exciting today seeing my work for sale on products online and in shops as it was when I went self employed back in 2011. 

I love being able to, within reason, work to my own schedule, and collaborating with different people and companies keeps variety, which I crave.

10. What's your guilty pleasure?

Irn Bru!

11. Why do you like being an illustrator/designer? 

(in 10 words or less)

The creative industry is so friendly, I love being social!  

12. What’s the most popular item for sale in your etsy shop?

The most popular item in my Etsy shop is my Coastal Cottages tote bag. 

This print features on a number of products, but the tote bag is by far a favourite with my customers. 

And here's the beautiful studio space where Jess works...

 (all images above copyright of Jessica Hogarth)

A big thank you to Jess for giving us an insight into her world, and if you want to follow her goings on, click below...

  etsy | website | facebook | twitter | blog | instagram

**Jess has very kindly created a special code for you lovely readers!**

**Just enter 'JHLOVEPRINT' for 10% off orders placed in her etsy shop**

Happy days!

x x x

Etsy shop finds...a chat with BettyJoy!

This months etsy interview is with Lucia Wilkinson aka BettyJoy.

Lucia is a Sheffield based freelance designer and sells her fun and happy digital art prints in her etsy shop, including a crazy cat lady, a mermaid, a cute woodland fox and Claudette, a very french looking bunny about town. 

She also creates custom portraits on request, perfect for Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries and more!

More recently, Lucia has been exploring the media of watercolour and has been sharing her progress on her instagram feed.

So let's get to know a little about Lucia shall we...

1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your background... 

I've had a bit of a winding journey to get where I am these days.  

I finished a degree in Fashion way back in 2001 and worked in the industry for a couple of years in London before feeling disillusioned and followed my heart to Sheffield to be with my partner (now husband).  

I left fashion behind and did various 9-5 admin jobs and did a bit of travelling before setting up the original incarnation of Bettyjoy in 2006 which was an online shop selling handmade wares from makers from all over the world.  

I did that for a few years in my spare time and ran craft workshops at the weekends.  

I was hoping to become a textiles teacher so had started working in a school for some experience.  

In 2010 I was asked to interview for a Channel TV show to be a presenter for their craft segment, I got the job and ended up spending a few months filming that and when I’d finished I found out I was pregnant so plans for becoming a teacher and everything else were put on hold.  

I had never really wanted to become a teacher or a presenter or office worker, I had always dreamt of being a print and pattern designer (I’d actually applied to do Surface Pattern at University back in 1998 but was turned down and ended up doing Fashion instead).

But I had no skills, I didn’t know how to use Illustrator or make patterns and my drawing skills were pretty limited, so I had always just pushed the idea of being a pattern designer to the back of my mind.

But after my daughter was born, I decided I wanted to make it happen, for me, but also so I could show my girl in the future that you don’t have to settle for a job that doesn’t make you happy, you can do it if you put your mind to it and work hard.

So, for the next few years I taught myself illustrator and went on lots of MATS and ABSPD online courses. 

And in 2015, I contacted a design studio to ask if they would sell my work, and they said yes!!  

For a few months I created designs for them whilst still working an admin job to pay the bills.  

It was so thrilling to start selling my designs to high street stores that I shopped in.  

At the end of 2015, I had a very serious illness and ended up in a coma, I was 7 months pregnant at the time and subsequently lost my son which was very hard and took a lot of time to recover from.  

I'm now back at designing and doing it full-time which feels amazing and is a very good therapy. 

2. What books/ magazines are currently on your coffee table?

I'm terrible, I haven’t got the attention span to read books much anymore, but anything visual with lots of pictures does keep my attention - so lots of Interior Decoration magazines, Flow and a couple of nature magazines  - Im always trying to get my daughter interested in animals and nature! 

3. Who are your design heroes and what inspires you?

Helen Dardik is the designer whose work I first saw that inspired me to try and learn Adobe Iillustrator many years ago. 

There are so many artists and designers I have found since using Instagram that inspire me every day.  

Kelly Pousette, I came across via Instagram, is an amazing artist that creates wonderful scenes from cut paper illustrations that are just magical. 

Sonia Lazo - I just love her style and use of colour.  

I’m inspired by all sorts, a walk in the woods, pinterest, children’s stories and nature programmes (I particularly loved Wild Russia and Yellowstone).  

I’ve always been inspired by nature as I grew up in the countryside and me and my mates had a nature club that met in our garden shed, we used to keep nature journals and collect ’specimens’ and had animal codenames and walkie talkies - lots of fun!

4. Tell us about a typical day for you… 

After my daughter is packed off to school,  I usually start by answering any emails and doing admin and also reading a few design blogs before starting work.  

I spend the day doing a mix of personal work (Im currently trying to understand watercolour more and hope to master photoshop this year too - I’ve been putting it off!) and work for the design studio, who are an agency that sell my designs. 

A couple of days a week, I break up my day by going to yoga or going for a walk in the local countryside.  

At 3pm, I pick up my daughter from school and we usually do a bit of drawing/crafting.  After she has been tucked up in bed, I usually have an hour of either freelance work/personal work/online classes.

5. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?  

I start off by looking at the subject on Pinterest/online/books to get visual references, then I draw pencil drawings, or sometimes use ink to add in a bit of a different style, which I scan in and trace in Illustrator before adding colour and texture. 

The watercolours, I do by hand and scan in and clean up in Photoshop before adding them to my Illustrator designs.  

6. Whats the story behind the name ‘Betty Joy’? 

Bettyjoy is named after my 2 grandmas; Betty and Joy, both were very creative in different ways.  

Granny Betty died when I was 3 so I didn’t get to know her as well as Grandma Joy who I was super close to growing up. 

We’d sit up chatting til after midnight with tea and biscuits and I could talk to her about anything. 

7. Where do you work? Describe your studio/work area…  

Well, I don’t have a studio yet so I work at the kitchen table with my laptop/out in the garden if the weather is nice enough and when Im having a sketching day, I go out to the local countryside or Garden Centre and sit and sketch there.

8. What art do you have on your wall?  

Helen Dark’s jolly plates, Papio Press prints, lots of Maggie Magoo’s Cactus prints, a couple of Sarah Papworth illustrations, Bonbi Forest Bird Print, Rifle Paper Don’t Worry Be Happy print and Ingela Arrhenius Stockholm print.

9. In three words, describe your work… 

Happy, Bright and Busy

10. What's your guilty pleasure? 

Bob Ross painting show - its like meditation, so calming to watch, Gardener’s World and Grime music (I'm pretty sure I'm too young for Gardeners World and too old for Grime!)

11. Why do you like being an illustrator/designer? (in 10 words or less) 

It doesn’t feel like work and its an amazing therapy!

12. What’s the most popular item for sale in your etsy shop? And your personal favourite?  

I haven't had my prints listed in Etsy for long, but My Mermaid print seems to get the most interest but my favourite is a toss up between the Cat Lady, the Fox and the Stargazing Bears.

Lucia has just added some brand new original designs to her shop too! 

How cute are these...

 (all images above copyright of Lucia Wilkinson/ BettyJoy)

A big thank you to Lucia for giving us an insight into her world.

You can follow BettyJoy here...

etsy | website | instagram | facebook | pinterest

**Lucia has very kindly created a special code for you lovely readers!**

**Just enter 'LOVEPRINT10' for 10% off orders placed in her etsy shop, until 30th June**

x x x

Etsy shop find... a chat with Melodie Stacey

This months etsy interview is with Melodie Stacey.

Melodie is a fine art and mixed media artist based in Brighton.

Her dark and whimsical artworks are full of intrigue and wonder and leave you wanting to know more about the mysterious ladies that feature in her paintings.

Beautiful dreamy landscapes, lush foliage and interesting buildings in the distance all help to create drama to each piece.

And lets just mention the colour palettes and how amazing those bright pops of colour look sitting on dark grounds, yum!

So, lets get to know a little about Melodie shall we...

1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your background... 

I'm from Brighton now but previously I lived in Scotland and studied Fine art at Aberdeens Grays school of art, for a BA Hons in painting.

The following year from that I did a MA in Art and Design.

2. What books/ magazines are currently on your coffee table?

I don't buy magazines very often so it's more likely to be books..my latest is about Wes Anderson whose films I'm a huge fan of.

3. Can you give us an insight into your creative process?

I normally work at my best in the morning, and I have to plan my time very carefully as I home school my daughter so consequently everything has to be tied around her routine.

I keep a sketchbook to sketch or write any ideas and then I try them out! 

Some work and sometimes others don't, which is fine as it's all part of the process. 

4. Tell us about a typical day for you...

I work in the mornings to finish work started the previous day and then use my afternoons to work on admin in my shops, answering emails, checking Instagram which I'm a bit addicted to!

I don't tend to work later than 6pm, but sometimes, especially if I'm making dolls it can go all evening too.

5. Where do you work? 

Describe your studio/work area…

I work from home, I don't have a studio. We have a large dining table so that suits me fine as I work small and can put things away quite quickly. 

It's not ideal and I have to confess I'd rather have a studio but it works for now.

6. What’s the most rewarding thing about being an illustrator?

I wouldn't really call myself an Illustrator yet, though it's something I'm working on. I've always seen myself as a mixed media artist though illustration is the path I'm hoping to take now.

I have recently started making prints and it's lovely when people send me photos of them in their homes.

7. What makes you laugh?

My husband and Father Ted, I'm a big fan of daft humour.

8. What's your guilty pleasure?

Cheesy detective shows

9. What’s the most popular item for sale in your etsy shop? And your personal favourite?

I've just sold my favourite, it was a painting called 'Jay mountain' but currently it would have to be Mr Magpie, which is in my Etsy shop.

10. What are your favourite books from childhood?

I have many favourite books but the one that stands out is The Bedtime Book by Richard Scarry, a huge book full of stories, poems and lists! Jan Pienkowski, Judith Kerr and Janet and Allan Ahlberg amongst others were favoutrites too..and not forgetting Roald Dahl!

11. What are you currently passionate about or fascinated by and how is it inspiring your work?

I have recently been trying to use paper clay. I've made some figurines and dolls with it, I really would like to use clay further.

12. Who are some of your favourite illustrators/designers and what do you love about their work?

I have a lot of favourite illustrators, the one that stands out though is Isabelle Arsenault. 

I recently brought The Cloth Lullaby which is about Louise bourgeois, it's just an exquisite book and the illustrations are breath taking. 

(all images above copyright of Melodie Stacey)

A big thank you to Melodie for giving us an insight into her world.

You can follow Melodie here...

etsy | website | instagram | facebook

x x x