Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to everyone and a very happy New Year. We have lots of very exciting changes going on in 2014 starting with a new fulfillment center to process all our orders from January.  We will be growing and developing more exciting innovating products!

Calm Doon its only Christmas!

Its always hard to know what will sell and what won't when ordering stock.  This year has been unbelievable across all the brands - we have had to reprint the Christmas cards just to keep up with demand. Its all good so I'm not complaining!

Calm Doon Christmas Geordie Mugs

Our lush Calm Doon Christmas mugs arrived today and they are lush - dead festive. Happy with those great day today another couple of new accounts (one really big one) so all is good!

Living North Mention

http://www.livingnorth.com/

Dead happy to be featured in the beautiful and stylish living North (November 2013 issue). I just love looking at the gorgeous houses and interiors just need to sell a few billion more cards and gifts and perhaps I could have one of them! 

Paper Mache Houses

Did this house in paper mache a while ago - it sits on my window sill in my office and gets much admiration from passers by.  I have been asked to do a paper mache sculpture as a prize for a friends charity ball in December so have decided to do a snowy Christmas house which could be a Christmas deccy which comes out every year. Now I just need to find the time to do it!! haha!

Ay Up Its Chris'mas

Arrrggghhh!  Christ'mas is in the shops and it made me feel completely inferior as I haven't thought about Christmas and my family whatsoever - yes I know its early but it was only summer like yesterday and now its mid October! Must get organised this year... must get organised....

New Tea Towels

 

Just took delivery of our new updated Scouse City tea towel - its large in size and in a lovely two colour print (pistachio and charcoal) available now for £7.99 including free P&P. 

Also have new single colour Geordie Whey Aye Man tea towels a modern design in blue and a revised design in pea green which are a bargain at £5.99 free P&P! 
All the Christmas stock has arrived now - can't move for boxes but its all good!! Stress levels have reduced slightly as I am getting loads of business advise to move forward and grow! Phew!

Stressss

Started promoting the Christmas ranges with our wholesale customers this week so its been busy. The big news this week is that the business as I know it is going to be changing drastically in the New Year and will be run in a very different way.  Its a scarey jump but is necessary to move forward and expand and start bringing in national products (gulp). I just wish it was a year on so I could see how it all goes.

Scouse Badges flying out the door

Soooo on Thursday I put the Scouse badges on the website for our wholesale shops and then everyone started ordering them!! How fab! Nice to see them leaving!! Best get some more made!

It's Friday!

Let the wine commence!!!

Scouse Button Badges

Dead happy to say our new Scouse Button badges are going on sale on Monday!  Here's a quick look at them. They are fab bright and vibrant. We are so pleased to add yet another Scouse product. We launched Scouse Stuff in January 2012 and it has gone from strength to strength. Our products are in some amazing shops including the Tate Modern at Albert Dock!  Can't wait for these to hit the shops too!

Shy Bairns Get Nowt Blog post by Expat Mum

This is fab!! A lady in Chicago from the North East wrote a book and was inspired by the motto "Shy Bairns Get Nowt" on her mug (made by us)!! Anyway not only has she had the book published but has had a piece in yesterdays Guardian. AND she credited us in her blog too for inspiring. How cool is that?? CLICK HERE ON ON THE PICTURE TO GET TO THE BLOG

Calm Doon & Sid Doon Cushion

Been asked to put up a single photo of our Calm Doon and Sid Doon cushion cover. It retails for £18.99 FREE P&P and is MADE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM!! Woo hoo! Hope you like it!!

New Calm Doon Range

I'm dead pleased to say my new Calm Doon range is now live on our websites www.geordiemugs.co.uk and www,wotmalike.co.uk .  This has been around 5 months of work getting the colours spot on and working with some fabulous UK manufacturers to assist in creating jobs and employment in the UK and creating quality products.  I am VERY proud of the results and think this range is totally lush and will look LUSH in any interior.  There is still more of this range to come so watch this space.

Madame Fi - the Beginning

Visit http://www.madamefi.com

 

 

I've been moonlighting this week as my lovely friend who is an author asked me to illustrate her new book which is called Madame Fi.  Its not for the faint hearted as its along the 50 shades of grey route.  But its already been purchased ALL over the world on Amazon downloads and now in paperback.  I loved doing this work as its such a departure for me and its amazing that so many copies have already been purchased. www.madamefi.com

Dusty Doo Dah

Yesterday was my lovely friend Fe's birthday. We both have kids and dogs and we walk our dogs together most days during school time and put the world to rights.  Fe's dog is called Dusty and is a black and tan Jack Russell - she is the girlfriend of my dog Chops (a border collie).  We talk in dog voices when we talk about the dogs can can't seem to talk in normal voices! "DUSTY LUV CHOPSY LANG TYME" - ok I'll go now.....

Back to work

Can't believe I was actually moaning whilst on holiday that it was too hot and I wanted to be back at home. I felt constantly sweaty and tired now I'm sitting at my desk and my feet are bloody freezing!
The great news is that I've come back to having broadband and a phone line after not having any for a week before I went away.  God knows how we used to survive without it as I didn't realise everything I seem to do revolves around it.  Having no broadband did mean I could get LOADS of design work done - stuff thats been on a list forever but because there was no urgency I hadn't done it.  Here's a new Geordie design for retirement - I LOVE THIS DESIGN - I've been desperate to wedge in the words YUH LUCKY NOWT somewhere. 

Northumbrian Dialect Postcards

I've had LOADS of stress this week so its amazing I actually managed to produce any decent work. I did manage to get these three designs produced and printed into postcards for my Northumbrian Canny Good brand. Love the dialect and SOOOO pleased I managed to get a SHUGGY BOAT and BUMBLA into some designs.

Nice Mention on Card & Gift Blog this week!

Really pleased to be featured in the Card & Gift Blog this week - we are really amongst some great designers and companies.  Woohoo!  Very happy.  Strange finishing Christmas designs when its sooo hot outside - I'm honestly NOT complaining!

DEED HOT NORTH EAST CHILLI FESTIVAL

Next weekend 6th & 7th July is the North East Chilli Festival.  Its an amazing festival of food set in the grounds of a beautiful National Trust Property Seaton Delaval Hall. My biz partner Jane LOVES hot spicy food - and we are proud to say we are one of the few NON food producing businesses attending.  We NEVER do fares as we are primarily a wholesale business supplying shops, so this is very exciting for us.  I have done a North East Chilli Tea Towel in honor - its written in Geordie too!

Print & Pattern Blog and Bykerlass!

OOoooh eeeeeeh Ooooooh eeeeeeh!  Sorry I'm incoherent just SOOO happy to be featured in the fabulous Print & Pattern Blog.  Having looked at this blog for years as a bible for all things surface design, its such a great feeling to get work featured. Yeesssss!! Just need to come down off my high and get some work done!

Run Rabbit Run!

My 11 year old son loves Banksy.  He then got a project from school to do a piece of art in the style of an artist from the last century.  Here's his montage - I love it and would've been proud of this myself.  He doesn't like drawing but is great with computers so I've been helping him to learn photoshop - I have to say I think he's better at it than me now! 

Happy Birthday Wor Kid

What do I know? never thought this design would do well..... we are selling loads - must be lots of drinking brothers in the North East!

Progressive Greetings Cute Owls

Very pleased to say that my new owl design for my much loved Wot Fettle (Cumbrian range)  is featured in this months Progressive Greetings magazine. Its great to see my work in such great company with the big designers in the UK.  Form an orderly queue please for autographs.....

Royal Princess Naming Ceremony WOOHOO!!

Soooooo yesterday 13th June - I was VERY lucky to go to the naming of the new cruise ship ROYAL PRINCESS which was named by the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate - Prince William's wife).  IT WAS SHAMMMAZZZZZINNNNGGGG!! Still on a high but need to get back to work at some point.  I could quite easily get used to swanning around in a posh dress drinking champers!

Bad Fettle??

Aaaahhhhh got loads of stuff going on like a new kitchen range which keeps being resampled as the colours are never quite right and 80 billion Christmas cards (I do tend to exaggerate when I'm stressed).  AND on top of that a Banksy project I'm doing with my son - apparently I would be a much trendier mother if I was spray painting walls instead of providing roof and walls being a designer.  I'm not in bad fettle but I REALLY need to get back to no swearing as I keep slipping the occasional bad word..........

Geordie Mugs at North East Chilli Festival

Been drawing lots of food stuff lately and kitchen type things too.  Got a new product line on the go - this is a snippet of a tea towel which will be available to buy at the North East Chilli Festival - taking place at the beautiful Seaton Delaval Hall on 6th and 7th July.  We don't as a company do fairs but this one is very special - it attracts thousands of visitors and we are lucky enough to be one of the only a non food companies at this event. 

Cumbrian Postcards

So my Cumbrian postcards are now on sale all over Cumbria and are being really well received.  I totally love the range and am so happy to see my work going into lots of lovely shops and big stores!  We are again getting a lot of competition it seems there are new businesses jumping on the regional card wagon every week.  We have been doing this for 3 years now and have a loyal following of lovely stores and customers so our new strap line is "the original and the best"!  Good design will see us through!

Wot Fettle?? Postcards and Blogs

I've been getting lots of love for my new Cumbrian Card range which has been picked up by one large very influential business in Cumbria and by several lovely boutique independent stores.  The locals love the range too with lots of lovely emails and tweets about sayings.  I'm just finishing a range of postcards which are going to print later this month.

Its always nice to get a mention on a lovely blog so we (myself and Jane my biz partner) were delighted when we interviewed by Hannah from My First House.  It was almost like being stars - well without the makeup, autographs and after show alcohol!  Thanks for the post Hannah - it can be read by clicking here MYFIRSTHOUSE  

Blaydon Races 2013

Our new Blaydon races merchandise has just gone on sale - we've got a lush tea towel which is only £5 INCL P&P (bargain) an a mug for £6.99 + P&P.  This year the artwork celebrates the annual Blaydon Race - running event - the event takes place on 9th June from the centre of Newcastle along the Scotswood Road to Blaydon!  Its always great to go and watch so if your up in Newcastle at this time go and see!

New Card Designs

 

Been busy lately - got a whole new product range coming out for the summer and 18 new card designs for all my different regions due in the shops next week.  Heres the new Baby Liver Bird cards for Liverpool! Will show more of the new ones when I get a mo!

Blog Feature Stylenest

OOOOh my cards got a mention in a very stylish blog this week - eeeh how fab. Click on the image to visit the blog!  The story about the baby headbutting did make me wince a little! Kids are dangerous creatures sometimes!  Working on our new Geordie range - just waiting for the first production samples eeeeeeeeh!