tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33528891101808093302024-03-13T18:57:23.389+00:00Emma Frances DesignsA blog by Emma Hawman - My journal of inspirationAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-40258157292088124432014-08-01T15:46:00.000+01:002014-08-01T15:46:20.944+01:00'No' now may not be 'no' laterWhere have you been for the past three weeks I hear you yell!!! Yes I have been a little MIA for the past month, but it was all for a very good reason. I had a wonderful opportunity that came along so I of course threw myself into it and had to put some little things on hold for a little while. I've had a chance to work with an agency I have admired for a looooong time, but I've got a little story to tell of how it all happened with a huge lesson in it that I'm finally ready to share with you after being utterly mortified. <br />
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I'd wanted to work with this agency for quite a while as I came across them while I was at university and was instantly drawn in by their talented artists and fun style. Having put it off for a long time I eventually decided to go searching for agent representation, so I made a list of my top agencies (aim high right!) and drafted a simple introduction email just to enquire about their submission process and what they are looking for in artists. <br />
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After drafting it and sending it to the first three on my list (this agency being one of them!) I realised I hadn't changed the name of the agency in the email and had sent it to three wonderful companies. I'd basically scuppered my chances in one fellow swoop. I can laugh about it now but at the time there was absolutely no way to come back from it and I was convinced I was going to be put on all three of their blacklists, never to be considered.<br />
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The lesson would be check, double check and triple check your emails before you send them! For goodness sake don't do what I did!<br />
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Luckily for me the lovely gentleman from the agency I've just done some designs for found the funny side and was a little sympathetic. Nothing happened at this point (which I kind of deserved) but I bided my time, kept designing and my work is now a million times better so I knew I was in a position to go for it again. I also secretly hoped he had forgotten about my blunder the year before.<br />
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So I emailed again (quadruple checking this time) and had a very pleasant chat with this agent, he'd noticed my blog and everything I had been doing to promote myself and build my business and wanted to see my portfolio (Score!).<br />
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So I got there in the end :)<br />
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Lesson 1 - Check, check and check again before sending!<br />
Lesson 2 - Just because it's no now doesn't mean it's no later!<br />
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Oh and nice to be back!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-61289991798742402072014-07-08T08:48:00.000+01:002014-07-08T08:48:48.859+01:00Part 3 of the Emma Frances greetings collectionFinally a look at the rest of my new greetings cards! You can see the first two parts <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/Emma-Frances-greetings-cards-floral-cards.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/emma-frances-boys-greetings-cards.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-Rsxa017cOHS3zBotSd_j8MU2WP660Zaz2Va1aBdEwjOk8HcFwELwiKSk8PvC-xp7FBZ00MLMo9bPWMTLYybzIAqWvGYuwWVnM_WGXL4hYfMGMJOp2BYE6xSCDoDYS54Icdtrg9Clu63/s1600/Birdie-Told-Me.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-Rsxa017cOHS3zBotSd_j8MU2WP660Zaz2Va1aBdEwjOk8HcFwELwiKSk8PvC-xp7FBZ00MLMo9bPWMTLYybzIAqWvGYuwWVnM_WGXL4hYfMGMJOp2BYE6xSCDoDYS54Icdtrg9Clu63/s1600/Birdie-Told-Me.gif" height="385" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/195028141/a-little-bird-told-me-greeting-card?ref=shop_home_active_6" target="_blank">Birdie Told Me</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/195027707/someone-special-blank-birthday-card?ref=shop_home_active_8" target="_blank">Special Picnic</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/193669946/red-ladybird-birthday-card-blank?ref=shop_home_active_7" target="_blank">Ladybird</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/192789681/bright-floral-blank-greeting-card?ref=shop_home_active_12" target="_blank">Ladybird Florals</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/194244691/cute-bumblebee-birthday-card-blank?ref=shop_home_active_23" target="_blank">Bumblebee</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8dCG2khY-ed4UF3YKvt2cRJ7q74WTwknIOMDHPoi9C53KqR-LpQB-IeFLToLkimRNZZP0gSxAqyEsRrwaVFvrpHdrb7t84R8wahXCh4EbhTBZxJxYrWoM4VCmkssiM7yv2ZQ0eCCsSyU/s1600/SunflowerTY.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8dCG2khY-ed4UF3YKvt2cRJ7q74WTwknIOMDHPoi9C53KqR-LpQB-IeFLToLkimRNZZP0gSxAqyEsRrwaVFvrpHdrb7t84R8wahXCh4EbhTBZxJxYrWoM4VCmkssiM7yv2ZQ0eCCsSyU/s1600/SunflowerTY.gif" height="386" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/195027203/bright-floral-sunflower-thank-you-card?ref=shop_home_active_10" target="_blank">Sunflower TY</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigR-60Dvj8jEie9ugJ1EwMGBqoZZTp3Y88Qc3oEWzgNeeTtsfzaowLb1Rv4Mqtlk-rjQIAiw8wQkQMEgPSBSkODGUVai0b9pJjMAuzZWLYQ6iCq04LbF6DR_QPm0FV1edPdjOGlqeTxRE4/s1600/Dragonfly.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigR-60Dvj8jEie9ugJ1EwMGBqoZZTp3Y88Qc3oEWzgNeeTtsfzaowLb1Rv4Mqtlk-rjQIAiw8wQkQMEgPSBSkODGUVai0b9pJjMAuzZWLYQ6iCq04LbF6DR_QPm0FV1edPdjOGlqeTxRE4/s1600/Dragonfly.gif" height="386" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169703868/floral-birthday-card-blank-dragonfly?ref=shop_home_active_18" target="_blank">Dragonfly</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-sEOU59-Dwx-d2ePiqjkDbg9cDpy5aG921GInE1SqQGDdmdPUlhc0Hr8xReTm2HDoPmFuuPZGQh-2YlSI5zwai9Qcu6UUntu7HWfEfYX6-jrnc8uKXSu_ueWcpYM0LNwf18smKiiBBkY/s1600/Pastel-Floral-Greetings-Card.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-sEOU59-Dwx-d2ePiqjkDbg9cDpy5aG921GInE1SqQGDdmdPUlhc0Hr8xReTm2HDoPmFuuPZGQh-2YlSI5zwai9Qcu6UUntu7HWfEfYX6-jrnc8uKXSu_ueWcpYM0LNwf18smKiiBBkY/s1600/Pastel-Floral-Greetings-Card.gif" height="383" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169704278/pastel-floral-birthday-card?ref=shop_home_active_19" target="_blank">Dragonfly Botanics</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6DSMSA7pU3SV4rFd2eFbrd53K1eBRp6y1MxaPXQw2WmqKEhWS_exlOvyS2v9jHbFXZQegoXe1V73zDHi8h1zs4cqC1ZHmEc8PPd3zVrn4R7y_lHVtnwvIo4hDn7VlCzQzoa0rH56X1Zy/s1600/Bouquet1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6DSMSA7pU3SV4rFd2eFbrd53K1eBRp6y1MxaPXQw2WmqKEhWS_exlOvyS2v9jHbFXZQegoXe1V73zDHi8h1zs4cqC1ZHmEc8PPd3zVrn4R7y_lHVtnwvIo4hDn7VlCzQzoa0rH56X1Zy/s1600/Bouquet1.gif" height="387" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/193985955/bouquet-card-birthday-anniversary?ref=shop_home_active_6" target="_blank">Bouquet Green/Blue</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/193994887/bouquet-card-wedding-birthday?ref=shop_home_active_5" target="_blank">Bouquet Blue/Yellow</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169705586/floral-greetings-card-blank-birthday?ref=shop_home_active_14" target="_blank">Springtime</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VyUN4zSCtnrN7Jwx_LHKEN5CHupoqYJ0_LuCEBsSxFPpqmlB8UP1zBOkSPexCPqEH-yQs_Dl-bpz6fJ7fA_gIzSTIZaTV5f5_udmNQjuZlSg6raA1BAg6xyz5ljXxVF2aF6ybd1jD9rr/s1600/A-Lighthouse-Greeting-Card.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VyUN4zSCtnrN7Jwx_LHKEN5CHupoqYJ0_LuCEBsSxFPpqmlB8UP1zBOkSPexCPqEH-yQs_Dl-bpz6fJ7fA_gIzSTIZaTV5f5_udmNQjuZlSg6raA1BAg6xyz5ljXxVF2aF6ybd1jD9rr/s1600/A-Lighthouse-Greeting-Card.gif" height="382" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169704604/lighthouse-birthday-card-blank-card?ref=shop_home_active_17" target="_blank">Lighthouse Family</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-4383570663277378472014-07-02T13:15:00.000+01:002014-07-08T08:50:03.415+01:00More from Emma Frances's new greetings collection!Following on from the Boy's designs here are the Patterned Typography group. These designs have already proven to be quite popular. Who doesn't like floral patterns teamed with hand drawn type! There are two other parts to this post with lots of my other greetings cards! <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/part-3-of-emma-frances-greetings.html" target="_blank">Here</a> and <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/emma-frances-boys-greetings-cards.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/194247409/floral-birthday-card-white-lovely-day?ref=shop_home_active_13" target="_blank">Vintage Brights White</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/195027943/floral-happy-birthday-card-birthday-girl?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank">Ditsy Birthday Girl</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/194234724/bright-floral-birthday-card-happy?ref=shop_home_active_17" target="_blank">Flower Cluster Birthday</a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-44382842577005346962014-06-25T08:56:00.000+01:002014-06-25T10:37:52.144+01:00Staying Motivated in More Situations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/staying-motivated-design-business.html" target="_blank">talked about</a> motivating yourself when your stock isn't selling and when you get rejection emails. Today I've picked to talk about staying motivated when craft fairs don't go as planned and when your inspiration has dried up. I've fallen prey to the latter of these two recently and it can be so difficult to stay focused and keep going when these happen.<br />
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<b>Craft Fairs</b><br />
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Most of you will know my craft fair experience started out reeeeeeally badly, I've had some absolute stinkers, the type of fairs where no one turns up, it's completely unorganised and you go home and have a good cry (and a large glass of wine). You can read about my experiences in my previous posts <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/my-craft-fair-experience.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/my-craft-fair-experience-no2.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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It's just disheartening when you've spent a lot of money on stock and packaging, you've made sure your stall looks beautiful and you've put in so much time and skill to ensure your products are the best they can be, and then craft fair is a major let down.<br />
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So how do you stay motivated, well first of all, you are not alone, anyone who sells at craft fairs has these days, ask around and I'm sure you'll all have horror stories! It's nice to be able to laugh about my bad experiences and I have certainly learnt a lot about doing craft fairs from those first three (I'm sure they will haunt me forever!).<br />
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<b>How to tackle it!</b> - When you get home from the fair, just have a little 'me' time, enjoy a nice cup of tea and a huge wodge of cake or something similar, and if it's been that bad, have a cry, then sleep on it. I just look after me when I get home after a bad craft fair, if you ponder on it too much you'll end up feeling really down and things like 'I'm never going to make it...' and 'No one likes my work...' will begin to play on loop in your head. Don't let this happen! So a little 'me' time and then have a good sleep and you'll wake up feeling much better. <br />
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Next step is to write down what the good points from the craft fair were, what did you learn, who did you meet (other stall holders?), was there anything that happened that made you smile or laugh. My craft fairs were as bad as they could be, and I still managed to take away something from each of them. Write all of these down and when you have another bad craft fair in the future read these back and just see how far you have come! I still smile at the little boy from <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/my-craft-fair-experience.html" target="_blank">my second craft fair</a> who loved my designs but didn't have enough money for a notebook, I let him have it for less and his beaming face will stay with me forever. He won't even realise the impact he's had!<br />
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<b>Inspiration</b><br />
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Next up, how to stay motivated when your inspiration has gone out the window. I'm having an awful time of this at the moment so would love to hear how others cope with this! I need to get on and design my Christmas range (yes I know, Christmas, already!), and yet when it is sunny and hot outside I don't feel like thinking about the winter, let alone sit and draw snowy scenes, holly, mistletoe, penguins and other such wintery things. I honestly struggle with this and some advice like I've heard of is to get away from the computer, go and take photos or do something you enjoy, but this just doesn't work when you need to get something done soon! <br />
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<b>How to tackle it! </b>- So my advice here is to just keep drawing, to put time aside everyday for your designing and just keep at it, you may end up with pages and pages of rubbish but there will be some lovely illustrations in there that will have potential. Sometimes there isn't the option of putting it off and waiting for your inspiration to come back, sometimes the only option is to plod along until you power through and the ideas begin to flow again. It's like what they tell writers to do, just keep writing, even if it is utter rubbish, eventually it will come together. If anyone has any better advice for this let me know!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-2012557816622808792014-06-23T16:32:00.000+01:002014-07-08T08:50:47.448+01:00Emma Frances Boys Greetings Cards!For the past week I have been battling with hayfever! Having never had it before it has been quite a shock as to how bad it can actually get, but I won't let it stop me. I've had loads of deliveries over the past week of new products, packaging and just general bits and pieces, I wonder what the neighbours will think!<br />
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I've 32 cards in my collection now, and have been packaging them up so I can neatly stack them away ready for any orders that come in, so I thought I would give you a better look at all of the card designs in a few different posts. First up some of my children's designs, all of which are already proving quite popular! <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EmmaFrancesDesigns?section_id=14550221&ref=shopsection_leftnav_1" target="_blank">Find them in my Etsy shop here!</a><br />
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There are lots of other new greetings card in the Emma Frances range too, take a look <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/part-3-of-emma-frances-greetings.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/Emma-Frances-greetings-cards-floral-cards.html" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/194116757/cute-hand-drawn-castle-greeting-card?ref=shop_home_active_23" target="_blank">Flag Castle</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/194105752/illustrated-castle-greeting-card-boys?ref=shop_home_active_24" target="_blank">Tiled Castle</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/194106098/astronaut-childrens-birthday-card-blank?ref=shop_home_active_9" target="_blank">Spaceman</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/194106262/blank-space-childrens-birthday-card?ref=shop_home_active_22" target="_blank">Space Rocket</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/192890167/boys-digger-greeting-card-birthday-card?ref=shop_home_active_6" target="_blank">Construction Digger</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqj0jiVkjkZ_8f8obXMYTMDeLSOEWUZfGcnUbMJIUwxpCcnxfJEFa4oUjWFtU22W_YlphaEcCvd1bOG6-hHV7uD2ErCkkycW-jNc5r3EdCbvP6mj8K9yOzScL-ZfaRQcgoyl645XOXtfUb/s1600/DumperTruck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqj0jiVkjkZ_8f8obXMYTMDeLSOEWUZfGcnUbMJIUwxpCcnxfJEFa4oUjWFtU22W_YlphaEcCvd1bOG6-hHV7uD2ErCkkycW-jNc5r3EdCbvP6mj8K9yOzScL-ZfaRQcgoyl645XOXtfUb/s1600/DumperTruck.jpg" height="380" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/193556181/boys-dumper-truck-greeting-card-birthday?ref=shop_home_active_10" target="_blank">Construction Dumper Truck</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169702810/tractor-birthday-card-boysmens-birthday?ref=shop_home_active_10" target="_blank">Harvest Time Tractor</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169713643/combine-harvester-birthday-card-boys?ref=shop_home_active_13" target="_blank">Harvest Time Combine</a></div>
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<b>Do you have any particular favourites? I'd love to know which, leave me a comment below!</b></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-85771694993296294182014-06-13T12:23:00.001+01:002014-06-13T12:23:08.095+01:00Staying Motivated in Certain Situations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Staying motivated when you are working from home can be quite difficult sometimes. Everyone will have those days where they just don't feel inspired, when a design isn't coming together, when they feel sluggish and you don't seem to get as much done. You need to find some ways of tackling this head on, because if you leave it, it can go on for days and who has time for that!<br />
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There are loads of factors that may make you lose motivation, apart from just having 'one of those days'. I'll often feel a little down in the dumps when a rejection email lands in my inbox, but it can be from buying a lot of stock and nothing is happening on Etsy or when you don't get any email back! When a craft fair doesn't go well or when you hear a rude comment about your work. There are so many things that are trying to keep you down and are wanting to prevent you from succeeding!<br />
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So here are some ways I handle these things.<br />
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<b>No. 1</b><br />
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When you get a rejection email....these can be the worst, it's almost better not to hear anything than to get an email saying 'nope we don't want you'. It really isn't the end of the world! <br />
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I write all of these companies down in a big excel document and it has become my 'I'll show them' list. I have faith in myself and my designs, so maybe I'm just not a good fit for their company (in which case I'll find one I do fit well with) or maybe now just isn't the right time. If some of them don't say my work isn't a good fit, then I'll highlight them as ones to contact again in the future.<br />
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<b>How to tackle it! -</b> When you get that email, your heart will be beating so fast before you open it and then it'll sink when you realise it's a no. At that point you need to go and do something you love, what I do is put on a song which makes me feel happy, motivated and as if anything is possible! At the moment, for me, this is Coldplay - A sky full of stars, don't forget to play it loud!!<br />
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<b>No.2</b><br />
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So you've spent all of your money on stock and now you're facing the daunting task of selling it. To who? Well you've got the choice of online, in person at fairs or gain stockists who will sell it through their shop. I'm tackling all three of these at once, which is quite the juggling act, but it's not impossible. <br />
Feeling overwhelmed can make you shy away from what needs to be done, so write down what you want to achieve, for example 'sell £X of stock in a month', and then figure out how you will achieve it. Once you have a plan of action for what needs to be done you won't feel so overwhelmed.<br />
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What is you have stock that isn't selling? This can be quite tricky, you can either just keep going and eventually it will sell, just veryyyyy slowly, or what I saw one of my designer friends doing (<a href="http://louisewrightdesign.com/" target="_blank">Louise Wright</a>) is give away these items (as long as they're not costing you loads of money) to customers who buy from you regularly or who spend quite a bit on your stall. I saw it first hand, and it makes them feel extra special, plus they will remember the kindness.<br />
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<b>How to tackle it! -</b> When things aren't selling it is easy to get disheartened but what you may need to do is find another route for selling your products. For example if you only sell online, try going to stockists, or if wholesale isn't an option then sell straight to the public at fairs. Look at all of your options if you aren't already. <br />
Have a sale or reduce the stock that isn't moving so you are at least getting some money back that you can then put towards a product that will sell a lot better.<br />
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<b>How do you cope with getting rejection emails? What do you do about stock that isn't selling?</b><br />
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Next week I'll talk about craft fairs not going as planned!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-38807106494853125382014-06-10T10:14:00.000+01:002014-06-10T10:14:36.268+01:00Tips for planning your business goals - Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On to part 3 of business planning, if you've not read the first two yet, you can find <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/business-goal-help-business-organisation-planning.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a> and <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/business-goal-help-part-2-goal-planning-organisation.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a> here.<br />
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So you have written down your big goals and sorted them out so you have some to aim for now and some you will tackle in the future. Then you have broken your current goals down into bite sized pieces, you've answered tons of questions about these goals that will help you reach them. We now need to get going on them and all of the questions you answered make up your steps to reaching them. <br />
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What we are going to do now is plan out our weekly and monthly tasks, you can also plan out each day, but I know some people prefer not to do this.<br />
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First up, when do you want to achieve this goal? Get your calendar out (I have a separate work calendar for all of my design deadlines, etc) and decide on a deadline. Now if you aren't very motivated, and when it comes to your own business you really need to be strict to sticking with your deadlines, you need to think of this deadline as an important client's deadline or a huge university dissertation hand in. It is just as important (if not more so!) as it will be getting you one step closer to having a thriving business.<br />
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After you've marked your big deadlines on you need to sort out smaller deadlines for each week. There are loads of <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=free+weekly+to+do+list+printable" target="_blank">weekly planners online</a> which will help you with this, so download one of them, or design your own, and use this to give yourself weekly tasks.<br />
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Here is the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/188460974/weekly-planner-cute-hand-drawn-floral?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank">one I designed</a>, I'll write down and highlight tasks I need to get done on that day, but everything else I write down I can do whenever. I also have three main goals that MUST be done that day!<br />
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We're always going to have those easy tasks on our to do lists alongside the not so nice tasks. It can be so easy to just complete the easy ones first and leave all the nasty ones until last, which is only going to make you feel less motivated and you may not even get everything done in your week if you avoid them!<br />
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What I have begun doing is alternate between the jobs on my to do list, I will do one I enjoy and then tackle one of the ones I would rather not have to do! Knowing I have another nice task after I get it completed makes it easier. Imagine leaving all of the jobs you don't want to do until the end of the week, it's Friday and you're getting into that weekend mood (which is basically 'NO WORK, WOOOO'). The chances of you getting those jobs done are slim to none, I know, I've been there many a time!<br />
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Which brings me to my last point on planning your week, leave a few really nice jobs until Friday, nothing that is going to leave you frustrated and feeling like you need a whole bottle of wine to just get through it. Just those nice easy ones you don't mind doing, preferably jobs you can have a bit of music on while you do it, it will leave your week finishing on a good note!<br />
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You can break down your week even further into daily tasks and I'm sure this works for a lot of you, however I quite like to make a mega list to get done in the week and then I have the choice of what I want to do when. You may have an off day, a day where you are feeling tired and just not on your game, so you may not get through your to do list that day. A weekly plan will help you plan out certain tasks for certain days aswell as those jobs you can do on any day, so those off days won't affect your whole week!<br />
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<b>How do you plan out your goals? Do you have daily to do lists or do you use a different method? Let me know in the comments below!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-69644127629392985382014-06-06T09:00:00.000+01:002014-06-06T09:00:07.199+01:00New product! - Bright and cheerful children's invitationsI asked some of you earlier this week for a little help with my new product - Children's Invitations. Loads of you came to my rescue and let me know which style you preferred, it was incredibly helpful to hear your thoughts, so thank you!<br />
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I have finished the invitations, so wanted to let you see a couple of them before they go to print, I'd love to hear what you think! They will be A6 in size and printed double sided.<br />
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Dinoworld</div>
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Dreamy Garden - Dragonfly</div>
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Vehicles - Construction</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-58208896469455850182014-06-02T14:55:00.001+01:002014-06-02T14:55:56.733+01:003 Important Newsletter Tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have had the item - Set up a newsletter - on my to do list for months and months, and have finally sat down and set it up! I've always signed up to other designers newsletters as they're a fantastic way of really getting to know these people a little better. They will often give their readers exclusive deals, first pick on sale items and you get to know all the news first!<br />
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By looking at other designers newsletters I've got a good idea of what I want to put in mine and what I want to use it for, I've picked out a few tips that have helped me see how to make it better:</div>
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<b>First of all</b>, it is so important not to spam your readers, I've unsubscribed from newsletters in the past because it felt like I was getting bombarded with emails. Some were trying to sell to me, all the time, which gets old very quickly and others were sent everyday and often said the same thing each time I received it!</div>
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So I've decided to go with once a month to begin with, it means I have all of the exciting news from a whole month to share with you. Of course around exciting times, where I have a lot more news I would send them a little more frequently.</div>
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<b>Secondly</b>, DO NOT sell to them all the time! I don't know about you, but I switch off as soon as I realise they are trying to sell me something. This isn't to say don't include links to your products, a newsletter is a fantastic way to direct people towards your shop. I like something interesting to read before being directed out of the email!<br />
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<b>Lastly</b>, the subject line is so important, it's the first thing your readers are going to see after all. So what would make you want to open an email? I've gone with mailchimp and I can set up several different types of newsletters which can focus on different types of readers. For example, some of my subscribers are other designers, they may want to hear more about my work and tips for the design industry, compared with potential customers that will also want to hear about my work but will want to hear any new deals and products that will be launching.</div>
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It means you can tailor your newsletter to your readers by just slightly changing the layout and order of your newsletter. Which in turn will make them more likely to open and read them!</div>
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<b>What will my newsletter include?</b></div>
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Each month will vary, they will all include a funny story or two, some new work and new news aswell as a little look at what is in store for the next month. I want to really give you the exclusive scoop on what will be happening with Emma Frances before anyone else! There will be a special deal (only for my subscribers!) each month and maybe even a freebie or two!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B3g_mbulSxzTWT-OwgTrrdwtGho7-pMgqGJsAUPU9UanA4Co4ZyIzFrwr1y3355Ym3GhkYGHEaHtEbk9pO8eUQWn8ekAT5_wMHtgiRCzTd-VYA9-Y3JCfpddzX1DUFFMmDitAxUbAjUQ/s1600/Emma-Frances-Business-Goals2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B3g_mbulSxzTWT-OwgTrrdwtGho7-pMgqGJsAUPU9UanA4Co4ZyIzFrwr1y3355Ym3GhkYGHEaHtEbk9pO8eUQWn8ekAT5_wMHtgiRCzTd-VYA9-Y3JCfpddzX1DUFFMmDitAxUbAjUQ/s1600/Emma-Frances-Business-Goals2.gif" height="502" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Following on from <u><a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/business-goal-help-business-organisation-planning.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a>,</u> about organising your business plans, I'll now show you how I go about planning my goals from the plans in my little notebook.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I can imagine you have quite a few pages covered in colour co-ordinated notes by now, what we need to do is sort these out into what needs to be tackled straight away (these will be the ones that will benefit your business right now) and the longer term goals that will need to be built up little by little.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Start with your large goals, some of mine are:</div>
<div>
<br />
<ol>
<li>To launch new product collections</li>
<li>To get more sales through Etsy</li>
<li>To gain more stockists</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
These are all huge goals which on there own seem an impossible task! There are tons of questions to be asked for each and it can be daunting to really go for it and make them happen, I mean where do you start! It's so easy to dilly dally around and put it off so it takes you a lot longer, when your business could be flourishing if you had just taken the leap to begin with!<br />
<br />
Some are a little more straight forward than others though. These three goals interlink with each other too, which helps, so try and aim for goals that all revolve around a similar theme (for example have your freelance goals, building your brand goals, blogging and social media goals, licensing deal goals). This way you're not trying to tackle everything at once. You will need the time to build each part of your business properly and you may not invest enough time to ensure you meet these plans, or they may take you a lot longer!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I've picked my three big goals that I will be focusing on at the moment, from here I need to ask my self lots of questions so I can assess how I will meet them and draw up a schedule I need to stick to to make it happen.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u><b>Launching new collections</b></u></div>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>What products</b> would I like to get manufactured?</li>
<li>Should I <b>expand upon current product ranges</b>? In which case do new designs need to be made or can do I have designs in my portfolio that work well together?</li>
<li><b>Researching manufacturers</b> needs to be undertaken, and this can take a considerable amount of time!</li>
<li>Do I need to send away for <b>samples</b> or get a product sample made up? (these can take a few weeks to be made, sometimes longer!)</li>
<li>Which <b>target market</b> will I be aiming these products at?</li>
<li>You need to look at your finances and see how much money you can <b>budget</b> for this.</li>
<li>What <b>quantities</b> will you be ordering?</li>
<li>What <b>packaging</b> would you need to order for these products?</li>
<li>Will you need different packaging if you were to <b>sell online or wholesale</b>?</li>
<li><b>Is wholesale</b> a <b>viable</b> option? Will you make enough of a profit?</li>
<li>Will you be <b>launching these collections</b> at an event? In which case how will you need to plan out your production schedule so you meet the <b>deadline</b>?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcenJElA4ITjLCQKTdzSHhlJ_bh0vdDzIlnh-YQtczCHzOf-KEgewj3eP-B6SRz-u_be-Tfosf1WTl8Mw8SWDtuhM-cd9ihwC5u0Qy1B5F-nKbgAnnAjrzLOEnHisbf4bWOiiLc_bDdwLs/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcenJElA4ITjLCQKTdzSHhlJ_bh0vdDzIlnh-YQtczCHzOf-KEgewj3eP-B6SRz-u_be-Tfosf1WTl8Mw8SWDtuhM-cd9ihwC5u0Qy1B5F-nKbgAnnAjrzLOEnHisbf4bWOiiLc_bDdwLs/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="316" /></a>You get the idea, there are a lot of little things that go into these goals, so you need to write each big plan out and then ask yourself lots and lots of questions. Ask other people or other designers what you need to do to meet a certain goal, they may know of other aspects that you need to take into account.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the most haunting pieces of advice I've been given is that 'you don't know what you don't know', which is why it is so important to ask others! <br />
<br />
<a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/business-goal-help-part-3-goal-planning-organisation.html" target="_blank">Follow on to Part 3 here!</a></div>
<div>
<br />
<b><i>Why not ask your questions below so I and others can help you get the answers!</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZcupGUKP0_CqF5lbvrLYeB4zR6XnAO2FlqIxdfmGYvPSsv8BVmY6F6TtwajWMlEYwYuJfdliu4nqp1uNtOE57ZzeO3Knsy74R_5QUTvWlfy33-4zSyBpKstPpC-cdvtDeRQzMJyXQfce/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZcupGUKP0_CqF5lbvrLYeB4zR6XnAO2FlqIxdfmGYvPSsv8BVmY6F6TtwajWMlEYwYuJfdliu4nqp1uNtOE57ZzeO3Knsy74R_5QUTvWlfy33-4zSyBpKstPpC-cdvtDeRQzMJyXQfce/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-80801021834037266822014-05-24T18:00:00.002+01:002014-06-10T10:24:47.848+01:00Tips for planning your business goals - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-hDWKzy0_LgqsSkZ17a-hrkoYr-iQy6fMB9dNXvlRsgkR6lhxeKBezYgoo3QOjRkBYEuIzWStslYq-udBLjJH98vhBjJVU6LouUX-bAbpklnoJb2RLaJbMwYNZf5KipSZLKf-GuFWKLE/s1600/Emma-Frances-Business-Goals.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-hDWKzy0_LgqsSkZ17a-hrkoYr-iQy6fMB9dNXvlRsgkR6lhxeKBezYgoo3QOjRkBYEuIzWStslYq-udBLjJH98vhBjJVU6LouUX-bAbpklnoJb2RLaJbMwYNZf5KipSZLKf-GuFWKLE/s1600/Emma-Frances-Business-Goals.gif" height="502" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It's so easy to feel a bit overwhelmed in this industry, I often have a huge amount of ideas, dreams and goals going on all at once. When this happens I start to feel a little nervous and worried I'm going to forget one of these important ideas that could be what helps me make it as an established designer or that gets me to the next stage of my career.<br />
<br />
I'm sure many of you are the same, it's when ideas come out of nowhere, something just seems to spark when you are doing the most mundane job! These ideas and plans can come from absolutely anywhere and from everything around you. With all of these ideas going on it is so easy not to know where to start, this is usually where I become less productive because I'm thinking through each route before I decide what order to tackle them in. By this point more ideas have sprung up and I'm even more lost!<br />
<br />
I'm on a mission to make it in this industry, so this needs to be tackled and I need to be utilising all of the time I have (show of hands for those of you that could use more hours in the day!). I'm going at this head on, I'll bring in better ways of organising these thoughts and plans and instead of wasting time on triple thinking each and every route and I will find a way of cutting this time wasting down.<br />
<br />
It's so important to get your thoughts in line and plan the future of your business so you use your time more effectively. This is going to be a series of blogposts that will hopefully help others in the same situation.<br />
<br />
Ok so today's tip is a way of keeping track of all of those ideas. No one can possibly do everything at once, you need to pick and choose, this isn't to say you shouldn't keep notes of any ideas you come up with! They may be future money makers, ideas for future products or generally things you need to do to make your business better but just don't have the time at the present.<br />
<br />
What I have begun doing is carrying a small notebook around with me, A6 is a good size as you can pop it in your pocket, but A5 can fit in your handbag too! I use this to write down anything that happens to come into my head that I would like to look into. I date the top of the page so I know how long I've been holding onto a certain point and give them a colour code at the end of the day or week.<br />
<br />
<b>Green for GO!</b> - These are the ideas I want to address in the short term, those ideas you just don't want to sit on and can't wait to get working on. These will be the most important for your business at this point in time. You can then add these into your daily/weekly/monthly plans (more on this at a later date!)<br />
<br />
<b>Orange for ON HOLD!</b> - These points are the ones that have sparked your interest and you feel they would be good for your business but you need to slot some other details in before you can act on these. They may be ones you just don't have the money or time to address yet, make a little note of why you can't do them and put them to the back of your mind. These points shouldn't be worrying you anymore, you've written them down so you won't forget them! <br />
<br />
<b>Red for REACH! </b>- These are the goals you are reaching for, the ideas that will come into play at some point in the distance. These could be products you would want to look into getting manufactured, businesses you would dream of working with, bigger marketing plans. These are the huge ideas that are just too big a project for a smaller business or the clients you feel you aren't ready to go for.<br />
<br />
If there are any ideas you liked at first look but once you've researched a little around it you feel it just isn't right for you or your business then keep a list of these points and the reasons why. This will stop you coming back to them (which is a waste of your time if you've already looked into it!), so track them in the back of your notebook.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWFRVRpw-EYucKhjZHuTBopXAV2XfemTA6YUcmw_7LSeQYabBRUx0_r9oIjR0dHYfBc9JlwYt4a3OzOB80DBXn03-MNtELkwPhUPkTnvbtlmDnwTQ158catvbEk14TcZCs9XTGPGSUliJ/s1600/Notebook+Sample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWFRVRpw-EYucKhjZHuTBopXAV2XfemTA6YUcmw_7LSeQYabBRUx0_r9oIjR0dHYfBc9JlwYt4a3OzOB80DBXn03-MNtELkwPhUPkTnvbtlmDnwTQ158catvbEk14TcZCs9XTGPGSUliJ/s1600/Notebook+Sample.jpg" height="320" width="301" /></a>Hopefully this system will help you feel a little less stressed out and the likeliness of you forgetting something amazing has vanished! I know it has helped me massively and I have been able to build up goals from these colour codes. You can even give your notebook a little makeover by covering it with your own pretty pattern, much nicer to carry around now!<br />
<br />
<b><i>How do you tackle all of the ideas you get for your business? Do you have another system or way of keeping track of them all?</i></b><br />
<br />
If you like this post don't forget to share it! You can do this via the social media buttons below.<br />
<br />
Don't miss out on <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/business-goal-help-part-2-goal-planning-organisation.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a> and <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/business-goal-help-part-3-goal-planning-organisation.html" target="_blank">Part 3</a>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-11977038799975570852014-05-20T10:35:00.002+01:002014-05-20T10:36:35.440+01:00Closer look at Emma Frances's new greetings cards!I have had the most wonderful weekend, I'm sure many of you will have been out enjoying the sun (for once the weather in England was glorious!)<br />
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Firstly I had a day out to <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/belton-house/" target="_blank">Belton House</a> which was spectacular, then Sunday was spent relaxing in the garden which resulted in gaining many more freckles! We had a delicious BBQ, my dad is an organic farmer and our burgers are the best I've ever tasted which made it extra special. Then yesterday I got down to some work, feeling completely rejuvenated, and managed to continue with my new greetings collection, which I can show you a few snippets of today!<br />
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I mentioned my <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/working-on-bigger-greetings-range.html" target="_blank">new greetings range</a> last week and how I was building up my current best selling cards to form bigger and better collections. My floral Happy Birthday card is super popular so I have taken other floral designs from my portfolio and combined them with some hand drawn typography to bring you some gorgeous greetings!<br />
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Bright and cheerful florals!</div>
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Cute little flowers and butterflies combined with big sketched flowers</div>
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A little sad, I know, but Forget-me-nots were my grandads favourite flower and the underlying meaning with this card is you'll never forget them.</div>
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There are more to come too! Are there any particular designs you would like to see as greetings cards? Take a look at <a href="http://www.emmafrancesdesigns.co.uk/#/portfolio" target="_blank">my portfolio</a> and let me know in a comment below!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-36947218749363998952014-05-13T10:55:00.000+01:002014-05-13T10:55:52.946+01:00Working on a bigger greetings range!I have loads going on at the moment and a lot of designing is being done for my expanded greetings collection. They sold so well at the arts market I did last week that I need to put another order in!<br />
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So I have been drawing away and expanding my current collection. At the moment I have a bit of a mismatch group of designs, although you can tell the same person designed them, they don't all go together cohesively. It's so important to design in collections and last year I didn't entirely do this. I did have big plans for larger collections that worked together but somehow in the excitement of getting products manufactured before the Christmas rush, my brain went and flew out the window.<br />
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I now have the time to sit down and get this done, so here is a little look at the collections I'm expanding upon and some of my ideas:<br />
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The harvest time <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169702810/tractor-birthday-card-illustrated-blank?ref=shop_home_active_17" target="_blank">tractor</a> and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169713643/combine-harvester-birthday-card?ref=shop_home_active_15" target="_blank">combine</a> duo will become a much bigger collection, I've always had loads of ideas for this group of designs and will be including a dumper truck, backhoe loader (digger), lorry, train, plane, helicopter, fire engine and police car. Below you can see the dumper truck and backhoe loader, what do you think?<br />
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The <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169703868/floral-dragonfly-card-illustrated-floral?ref=shop_home_active_8" target="_blank">dragonfly card</a> has been very popular and gets a lot of attention so I am adding a bumblebee, ladybird and butterfly to this, complete with the floral coordinating greetings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZi38-NNj4gvQzK8PWbvHurGY5f5RXK4QbT2C1kDHjwxNIgJlkzrtWe8iPucGSoHVs88QgqVzdqCH1QkwibGa7YnT_VhDKR5ACKgrxiZos0c6IAyCjQqshyphenhyphen_Uc6_kbKaq3Yvk23Fydkhnn/s1600/bee7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZi38-NNj4gvQzK8PWbvHurGY5f5RXK4QbT2C1kDHjwxNIgJlkzrtWe8iPucGSoHVs88QgqVzdqCH1QkwibGa7YnT_VhDKR5ACKgrxiZos0c6IAyCjQqshyphenhyphen_Uc6_kbKaq3Yvk23Fydkhnn/s1600/bee7.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another popular design is the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/169714311/cute-birthday-card-illustrated-floral?ref=shop_home_active_14" target="_blank">Ditsy Floral Happy Birthday</a>, I've decided to use my other floral patterns and combine them with some hand drawn typography to build up a bright and colourful collection that will sit wonderfully together in the shops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ys10qFiNQiytE83Ci2b5RywLA_7sHhMSyNWZAOb7SjuJmYBBNRX6XNQeXxgoOEADxoMbqZ7qNHDtHddtQmf2-sDd-iQKkCnTAlbTxMTHg7DB3TfXFER9ziYRDllH1DTJutF5vxvikvJX/s1600/DitsyBirthdayB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ys10qFiNQiytE83Ci2b5RywLA_7sHhMSyNWZAOb7SjuJmYBBNRX6XNQeXxgoOEADxoMbqZ7qNHDtHddtQmf2-sDd-iQKkCnTAlbTxMTHg7DB3TfXFER9ziYRDllH1DTJutF5vxvikvJX/s1600/DitsyBirthdayB.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally I'll be adding in some of my other children's designs such as the outer space, the castles and the under the sea designs. I think this gives me plenty to be getting on with but I do have a few others up my sleeve which you may get a sneak preview of in the future!<br />
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Take a look at my <a href="http://www.emmafrancesdesigns.co.uk/#/portfolio" target="_blank">current portfolio</a> and let me know if theres anything you think would make a fab greetings card!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-71127965068049125852014-05-09T08:00:00.000+01:002014-05-13T10:56:30.902+01:00Beautiful Artwork from Yellena JamesWhilst perusing through Etsy for some wonderful finds I came across an amazing artist who's eye for detail is incredible! I just had to share her work with you, today I'll be showcasing the work of <a href="http://yellena.com/" target="_blank">Yellena James</a>, who's intricate, abstract pieces are mesmerising. There is just so much to look at in her work, you don't know where to begin! I had a tough time choosing which pieces to show you all!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-41581197622056831602014-05-07T08:00:00.000+01:002014-05-07T09:04:09.796+01:00My Fear of Craft Fairs is Banished!After quite a few months of swearing I would never do another craft fair (due to <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/my-craft-fair-experience.html" target="_blank">this</a> and <a href="http://emmafrancesdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/my-craft-fair-experience-no2.html" target="_blank">this</a>) I finally got the courage to try again. Last Saturday I joined a whole host of wonderful artists and makers along with local shops and vintage stalls for a lovely little<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheena-Holland/144265195683009" target="_blank"> Arts Market</a> in the centre of Derby.<br />
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This market was set up by <a href="http://www.sheenaholland.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Sheena Holland</a> who runs a vintage shop in the Blacksmith's Yard which is where the market sets up the first Saturday of every month. Sheena has been working incredibly hard to advertise the market and get the word out there, and she's done a fantastic job!<br />
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The nerves began as soon as I woke up so by the time I set off to the market I was a bit of a mess. I just couldn't shake the feeling it was going to be yet another failure, and when you love what you do every failure feels so much harder to take. Once I'd set up and had a little chat with the lady on the stall next to me I felt calmer, the sun was shining too and it was set to be a wonderful day. If things didn't go to plan at least I would enjoy a day out in the fresh air and get a little sun after weeks of being inside working. <br />
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I'm pleased to say it went really really well, I not only covered my stall (which I didn't even manage at previous craft fairs!), I made money! Everyone was so positive and it was lovely to hear what people thought about my work. I met a local photographer who is going to help me get some fantastic product photos, chatted to other artists and illustrators, was invited to another craft fair and even gained another stockist! So all in all one a brilliant day, I can't wait for the next one!<br />
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<i>My stall on the day</i></div>
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<i>Some of the personalised children's prints I took</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-33837482863127657592014-05-01T09:29:00.002+01:002014-05-01T09:31:52.493+01:00The Truly Amazing Work of Maud Vantours!I'll often come across wonderful designers that jump out at me so I keep a file of websites and come back to them for these showcases. I love the unusual arts, where designers use different materials in an unusual way. Their talent really shines through and it's always nice to see how some artists push the boundaries of what is normally thought of as art.<br />
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Today I have the wonderful <a href="http://maudvantours.com/" target="_blank">Maud Vantours</a> who is a French designer based in Paris. She uses paper to make beautiful sculptures!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-88724132408180218932014-04-28T09:39:00.000+01:002014-04-28T09:39:19.810+01:00How to choose colour palettesWhen I was studying Textile Design at University, one of the aspects that I found most difficult at the time was picking the colours for my collections. I even ended up designing a black and white collection so I didn't have to choose a colour palette. My tutor didn't teach me the best way of finding a colour palette either, so I didn't get much help with it! He told me to pick a design I liked the colours of and to just copy them, it's not very inventive and didn't help me see how colours work well together.<br />
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I'm happy to say that I am no longer scared of coming up with beautiful colour palettes! I started out with my tutors way of choosing palettes, because that was the only way I had being taught. I now have a bit of a different way of doing this, although it still incorporates parts of what my tutor told me.<br />
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I don't know whether everyone works this way, but I begin with all of my motifs in black and white. I'll work on the composition before I introduce colour into my patterns and illustrations. However once colour is added some of the motifs need to be rejigged to make sure the pattern flows and the colours are equally distributed so your eyes aren't drawn to one particular piece.<br />
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On occasion I use websites such as <a href="http://design-seeds.com/" target="_blank">Design Seeds</a> and <a href="http://www.colourlovers.com/" target="_blank">Colour Lovers</a> which are jam packed full of lovely colour palettes. I prefer to use this method though:<br />
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I will pick out quite a few patterns and illustrations where the colour palettes really catch my attention such as these:<br />
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<a href="http://www.thewhistlefish.com/artist/lola" target="_blank">Whistlefish artist - Lola</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.noipublishing.com/index.php" target="_blank">Noi Publishing</a></div>
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<a href="http://annaemilia.bigcartel.com/product/in-meadow-print" target="_blank">Anna Emilia</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.hilberrydesigns.co.uk/index.html" target="_blank">Hilary Yafai - Hillbury Designs Ltd</a></div>
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<a href="http://paulamcgloin.com/" target="_blank">Paula Mcgloin</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RAlI865jJbaNGLvmOklOLciuV7y7A9Ldse07_wRAPg6PiXxWdU7wdU6IQkSrSUf7GCYVGkCRqeG-aFP3k_EJbJ06aL4yolxxz_wHadgniGyovG6Wr6MuNJ_m7wSZn6siSN40OTJFzyXG/s1600/b7805b8986931dac44b887771d2bad5d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RAlI865jJbaNGLvmOklOLciuV7y7A9Ldse07_wRAPg6PiXxWdU7wdU6IQkSrSUf7GCYVGkCRqeG-aFP3k_EJbJ06aL4yolxxz_wHadgniGyovG6Wr6MuNJ_m7wSZn6siSN40OTJFzyXG/s1600/b7805b8986931dac44b887771d2bad5d.jpg" height="400" width="245" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://theinkhouse.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Liz Alpass</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhEpHMz_Vt5bBb5h3xW6qNBS8laPXY1QNDOZkY9vC4CtO-PRSOL9ooUXxer7fQFyderpoIxbnJIJNnPWXJsOTaZXU5CYhunTUL9xykZL5FjwIEqBug9pJHJkvBYH9yhUv9s1_kmMyagJQ/s1600/ccfad1ae4e8ea8412277bb8ad9e6e019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhEpHMz_Vt5bBb5h3xW6qNBS8laPXY1QNDOZkY9vC4CtO-PRSOL9ooUXxer7fQFyderpoIxbnJIJNnPWXJsOTaZXU5CYhunTUL9xykZL5FjwIEqBug9pJHJkvBYH9yhUv9s1_kmMyagJQ/s1600/ccfad1ae4e8ea8412277bb8ad9e6e019.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://swj.spb.ru/" target="_blank">Julia Grigorieva</a></div>
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Then I'll compile a big palette from all of these colours and make up my own colour palette from these.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqlwI0eHt4Rhr6Cet5cj-rjwz78W2D4EQkbbe0jJX-B-Ld0ftc-O_v7AHC_97ALYxtsgoAeMrfMm6FQQHLcP0YanrHM_VNaXjinxedjLKTM6kqjgQiL4weYNsfi3nk_ONOnBlP5emBwU-/s1600/Palettes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqlwI0eHt4Rhr6Cet5cj-rjwz78W2D4EQkbbe0jJX-B-Ld0ftc-O_v7AHC_97ALYxtsgoAeMrfMm6FQQHLcP0YanrHM_VNaXjinxedjLKTM6kqjgQiL4weYNsfi3nk_ONOnBlP5emBwU-/s1600/Palettes.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></div>
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There will often be quite a few single colours that will jump out at me, then all it takes is a little time to test out different colours until they all click together.<br />
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My eye for colour is so much better now, and I'll never use a black and white palette in my collection ever again! I love colour too much!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-17237388188127186612014-04-22T08:59:00.000+01:002014-04-22T09:39:19.970+01:00Products that may be coming next from Emma FrancesIn between my design time for the big design show in New York, Surtex, I have been contemplating what product lines to bring out next. I love paper products so will be manufacturing more greetings cards but would like to look into getting other products too. I've had a good think and whilst I would love to manufacture loads of products it just isn't possible to spend that amount of money at the moment.<br />
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I can however use Kickstarter. For those of you that haven't heard of Kickstarter, it is a wonderful crowd funding website. I've seen many other designers reach their dreams through this and other similar websites, they carefully come up with a plan for the products they wish to get manufactured, set rewards depending on how much 'backers' pledge to their projects and promote their Kickstarter project as much as possible once it's live. It really is a fantastic platform for people to get their ideas funded whilst giving their backers some unique rewards.<br />
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So I've been doing a lot of research into different products and have a few in mind, before diving in and setting up a Kickstarter project however, I'd like to hear what the public thinks, which products you are drawn to and which products you think my designs would look great on!<br />
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I've put together some mock ups for you to have a gander through and you can let me know which ones you like best at the end of this post.<br />
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Cushions</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQo8kgvzV0jSmIHYczgy-yf4yBWhWYZr7MLGUAdpmwWHO6kClEjlERBNb0GHeHqo0rY6QHdlL-DLc9wQjeTsBytkjnbTzsujssIohpPZGtwvBIhyphenhyphenmyhi1DzBCd8KwFoWRWR10UztahyFH/s1600/Forest-Birds-Cushion2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQo8kgvzV0jSmIHYczgy-yf4yBWhWYZr7MLGUAdpmwWHO6kClEjlERBNb0GHeHqo0rY6QHdlL-DLc9wQjeTsBytkjnbTzsujssIohpPZGtwvBIhyphenhyphenmyhi1DzBCd8KwFoWRWR10UztahyFH/s1600/Forest-Birds-Cushion2.gif" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFLWboOAyq8J5JzvWKu4TBWE960rXuqUeyJEtkwe0hCrKfqYWc6WdsRsFvLyNovy3hp2mpl6DL_YrxNYlExpRwbUNoUiCD6x7ecAf3VmkqohCgrrrH-ED299B05PS0N5GonL-tnmEEo7F/s1600/Lighthouse-Cushion.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFLWboOAyq8J5JzvWKu4TBWE960rXuqUeyJEtkwe0hCrKfqYWc6WdsRsFvLyNovy3hp2mpl6DL_YrxNYlExpRwbUNoUiCD6x7ecAf3VmkqohCgrrrH-ED299B05PS0N5GonL-tnmEEo7F/s1600/Lighthouse-Cushion.gif" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qc4zYGNxOBtwke0HQkHw3o_NALIyZgfgzbCB5BA89BeqlcsRWH2gfqe06_xxoSfBXt3QQOT4AsWb1EY8KFDAS34THlu35D11LlbG9ttzFXwEz5nqMtE0USJ3HnxvB_9tBJw9C-Hb51L1/s1600/DitsyFloralCushion.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qc4zYGNxOBtwke0HQkHw3o_NALIyZgfgzbCB5BA89BeqlcsRWH2gfqe06_xxoSfBXt3QQOT4AsWb1EY8KFDAS34THlu35D11LlbG9ttzFXwEz5nqMtE0USJ3HnxvB_9tBJw9C-Hb51L1/s1600/DitsyFloralCushion.gif" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Wrapping Paper</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKDPx49uaO0VuD3U6MsXKTYBFwDTA1fgg_ojfnk5fVAI7M2jxt7k0VgqvzuTylBPYlTKPCuXZgFxm9v8X3CGj0cpKr9VwUQ93Qzh1VWi2OiSGjTs7CKhn-WlPXHGPriKjETj6wnLJo8en/s1600/Lighthouse+Wrap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKDPx49uaO0VuD3U6MsXKTYBFwDTA1fgg_ojfnk5fVAI7M2jxt7k0VgqvzuTylBPYlTKPCuXZgFxm9v8X3CGj0cpKr9VwUQ93Qzh1VWi2OiSGjTs7CKhn-WlPXHGPriKjETj6wnLJo8en/s1600/Lighthouse+Wrap.png" height="342" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QJoYabyqKKh0NH_rPKWFYYxPUKPMBO0cOwJURU1cFmpggTDRPx26Zs8uJ1ZJjfkBN1hDHb3bZubESL5HYtJHb9n_fFsDfxGj4qO_wzgOi1wXrCqLEbHQLZqRJ4bFXtQ3v5_vsiPh83KL/s1600/Spring+Birds+Wrap.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QJoYabyqKKh0NH_rPKWFYYxPUKPMBO0cOwJURU1cFmpggTDRPx26Zs8uJ1ZJjfkBN1hDHb3bZubESL5HYtJHb9n_fFsDfxGj4qO_wzgOi1wXrCqLEbHQLZqRJ4bFXtQ3v5_vsiPh83KL/s1600/Spring+Birds+Wrap.png" height="342" width="400" /></a></div>
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Children's Placemats and Coasters</div>
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Children's T-shirts</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInz1NblqALKRfeBD8CayJH-HGKEyHmEDLOa7C-Vq2Fd8YhjpzDIKcrjkPSmZRWGw_Co8_ghOcSkbspPZj_XxaVQYJxoKbIADt6yGypAXYtu-VGT1XhP5i956_V6vIA46ScBRj6EzGMevf/s1600/Spaceman-Tshirt.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInz1NblqALKRfeBD8CayJH-HGKEyHmEDLOa7C-Vq2Fd8YhjpzDIKcrjkPSmZRWGw_Co8_ghOcSkbspPZj_XxaVQYJxoKbIADt6yGypAXYtu-VGT1XhP5i956_V6vIA46ScBRj6EzGMevf/s1600/Spaceman-Tshirt.gif" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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To Do Lists</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h_RVwgD9cwmLDWqzG5Cu8i2ASCHJpzWoxFtVgla_WQnjPfBZcW_YmoHVPCSyaJHaztb-AnTsYQixjbGQsK2atFaffTYKco80Yz9ywnb54N2u9DbougXBlQ-Ldsqa-me51pwS9u3lY-lk/s1600/To-Do-Lists.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h_RVwgD9cwmLDWqzG5Cu8i2ASCHJpzWoxFtVgla_WQnjPfBZcW_YmoHVPCSyaJHaztb-AnTsYQixjbGQsK2atFaffTYKco80Yz9ywnb54N2u9DbougXBlQ-Ldsqa-me51pwS9u3lY-lk/s1600/To-Do-Lists.gif" height="400" width="310" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/186159204/cute-daily-planner-cute-hand-drawn?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">Daily Planner Notepads</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlCAdX9XdQrBv-lvJYhNV2slKpxn_29_GDuYGZV8HmtFMiSyZrNDZYGM9kjbc4NUDJAOYf1SOhTRtaYuQgznr9c0HH95gGI0cyVZqUi07pPoYNHZeH1u4Zv7ev3fpJUe4ERRJzcRKtn2N/s1600/Daily+Planner+Birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlCAdX9XdQrBv-lvJYhNV2slKpxn_29_GDuYGZV8HmtFMiSyZrNDZYGM9kjbc4NUDJAOYf1SOhTRtaYuQgznr9c0HH95gGI0cyVZqUi07pPoYNHZeH1u4Zv7ev3fpJUe4ERRJzcRKtn2N/s1600/Daily+Planner+Birds.jpg" height="640" width="448" /></a></div>
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Let me know which product you like best in this quick poll below, you can choose more than one! Also if there is another product you think I should look into just type it in the 'other' box.<br />
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Which products should be next?</div>
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<form action="http://www.poll-maker.com/results87835x4240446f-3" id="qp_form87835" method="post" style="display: inline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">
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<div style="clear: both; color: black; cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 5px;">
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<script language="javascript" src="http://scripts.poll-maker.com/3012/scpolls.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-81412781416795865402014-04-14T09:41:00.002+01:002014-04-14T09:46:16.424+01:00My Dream Design RoomWe are currently house hunting, which I've found is going to be a rather difficult experience. Some houses look great in the pictures (by great I mean it needs a bit of work doing to it!), then when we go to view the houses they're a lot more work than you first think. We saw one this weekend where the photographer conveniently missed the rooms with damp covered walls!<br />
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Anyway now I'm super excited to finally being able to put pictures and shelves up, paint the walls and put wallpaper up and just make the place ours! It also got me thinking about my dream studio/design room, so I've been <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/emmafrances22/for-my-design-room/" target="_blank">trawling the internet</a> for design rooms and have come up with some great ideas for my future studio. Although it may be quite a way down the road before all of my ideas come together, good job I have a super handy Matthew!<br />
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So what do I need:<br />
<ul>
<li>A nice big desk is a must, it's nice to have plenty of space for my computer, scanner and to be able to draw.</li>
<li>A smaller table for my whopper of a printer, yes it needs a table of it's own it's that big!</li>
<li>I'm desperate for some shelves! My desk gets cluttered quite quickly and it would be fantastic to have some shelves above my desk so I can keep my desk tidy (which at the moment seems impossible)</li>
<li>I'd love a huge pinboard/inspiration wall. It's important to surround yourself with beautiful patterns and a big pinboard would be perfect for this. It would also be handy to pin things up that I need to remember!</li>
</ul>
Whilst looking for pinboards I found these wonderful ideas, the first one is perfect, it's colourful, pretty and practical. It's a great idea to make some of the squares blackboards, some pinboards and some whiteboards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70jvsVMEhfPRVkepN_o4C22Aq4ePRAMAAVk4vytaYiShXhvIrB1Cfmfx4SIqPPgddq4iCzSew6Qf-JW_N4ZFv3jYBzKpnryHkf3EKp1hq7_j5-QLW5VbYYd9fLXsscjIt9Cjpo4zP8miR/s1600/Big+pinboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70jvsVMEhfPRVkepN_o4C22Aq4ePRAMAAVk4vytaYiShXhvIrB1Cfmfx4SIqPPgddq4iCzSew6Qf-JW_N4ZFv3jYBzKpnryHkf3EKp1hq7_j5-QLW5VbYYd9fLXsscjIt9Cjpo4zP8miR/s1600/Big+pinboard.jpg" /></a></div>
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This board surrounds the desk, meaning you have pretty inspiration right infront of you. Or that to do list so you don't forget to tick some off!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Ye7Qqo-hVNErZMAJHozK3MYNzRRANha_ovSjkJyIpS2a5MTawa1zFLAEWFl84eIw8zqOgsNKKPf4b0cqk3CrjJJmh84e-Ze3mXSF4YnF1DgNzL_V2TaZtZU4q0vpjXKmPLKsHv4m1Id/s1600/Pinboard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6Ye7Qqo-hVNErZMAJHozK3MYNzRRANha_ovSjkJyIpS2a5MTawa1zFLAEWFl84eIw8zqOgsNKKPf4b0cqk3CrjJJmh84e-Ze3mXSF4YnF1DgNzL_V2TaZtZU4q0vpjXKmPLKsHv4m1Id/s1600/Pinboard2.jpg" /></a></div>
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This is a slightly smaller pinboard but I love the crisscross ribbon to hold your pictures. The great thing about this desk is it has the shelves I so desperately need!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHchK1y321UQiEiQ-xCGIBLWKtyK_7IRukBcPNXqzUsJURmXSFCwq3wRmRCQABi9sVOl2jCgsU-bc8MqELyjo3i_qXcpLQ2ZqmjZNrGHUeDEo6AVRgTQnyt2A9WkLxTkCftTXvwA1MV8p/s1600/Pinboard3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHchK1y321UQiEiQ-xCGIBLWKtyK_7IRukBcPNXqzUsJURmXSFCwq3wRmRCQABi9sVOl2jCgsU-bc8MqELyjo3i_qXcpLQ2ZqmjZNrGHUeDEo6AVRgTQnyt2A9WkLxTkCftTXvwA1MV8p/s1600/Pinboard3.jpg" /></a></div>
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I love the idea of a blackboard wall where you can scribble down things you need to remember, although I would no doubt get chalk everywhere!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhoHq3v630olSHYcbQ2lQmL9Ay8qS99BpequFmppIPotZEMY26H8w6YZZxKhwlpaJe95YHarZPr9ullWabNNcWGzXQ2BhWv36-zF2BPKY_Z3D4CiFIgATLP4WE4uIwIm5bqdte5YV38yL/s1600/theredhouse.tumblr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhoHq3v630olSHYcbQ2lQmL9Ay8qS99BpequFmppIPotZEMY26H8w6YZZxKhwlpaJe95YHarZPr9ullWabNNcWGzXQ2BhWv36-zF2BPKY_Z3D4CiFIgATLP4WE4uIwIm5bqdte5YV38yL/s1600/theredhouse.tumblr.jpg" /></a></div>
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A smaller section may be a good idea though, where I could write the big objectives of the day. A whole wall of black may darken the room too so this is a happy medium.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7ZeytasPEhMLzSYHlWsNG558Cq70ogxj9lb_aAODwv-HDTi3jF5xmbyJ-EIwCAExL5ruLy-MkdtXspRJOTm3NZcmow2qAxAP8x5rerthWUyazUjxWyTYwXPHmDXwBaqFWbf7jfATB8oR/s1600/c90118592a6082791ff95cc9f0c9d7da.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN7ZeytasPEhMLzSYHlWsNG558Cq70ogxj9lb_aAODwv-HDTi3jF5xmbyJ-EIwCAExL5ruLy-MkdtXspRJOTm3NZcmow2qAxAP8x5rerthWUyazUjxWyTYwXPHmDXwBaqFWbf7jfATB8oR/s1600/c90118592a6082791ff95cc9f0c9d7da.jpg" /></a></div>
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Finally some big shelving units would be fantastic, I have a lot of products and need a nice, organised area to store them so I can easily get to them when orders come through.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFw3TE3CQA41CeVBVj6krOVX4uxtKmEL-MV4939Hy2Slkhn26qk4ewy9zVKT824YSoef4uo7pruyI39AbjdLJny18mkpIbqzmzJjFyTOsJMoi5tnhtgV6k8B-cTeZfAOnkBQABg2gjvzjs/s1600/be72990d30fb68d5055892dc7b577d35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFw3TE3CQA41CeVBVj6krOVX4uxtKmEL-MV4939Hy2Slkhn26qk4ewy9zVKT824YSoef4uo7pruyI39AbjdLJny18mkpIbqzmzJjFyTOsJMoi5tnhtgV6k8B-cTeZfAOnkBQABg2gjvzjs/s1600/be72990d30fb68d5055892dc7b577d35.jpg" /></a></div>
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These baskets make the studio look so neat and tidy, I'd love to do something like this so the shelves don't look so cluttered!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcx139-R9Rmf_SXRgspV495ZZOtA0DgmkZRtBuMiuWfKUGRrDe7BCOVcyIIjL3anRMESG9Jl4xld0poNaRHR7VRLkaPdtankZUd-T0UO8NTRokyP8X4Q9vF1FyihtINIhAYTlTYJIewos/s1600/ce84f14a8330f27344fbf55b65a9c5f7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcx139-R9Rmf_SXRgspV495ZZOtA0DgmkZRtBuMiuWfKUGRrDe7BCOVcyIIjL3anRMESG9Jl4xld0poNaRHR7VRLkaPdtankZUd-T0UO8NTRokyP8X4Q9vF1FyihtINIhAYTlTYJIewos/s1600/ce84f14a8330f27344fbf55b65a9c5f7.jpg" /></a></div>
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A mixture of shelves and cupboards would be nice, so no one can see all of the clutter I throw into the cupboards!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVN19ub3D9zQkM1Q4PPdwa7qRntywGXl-TbVy_c6AApofiN8XH-coTVx7Ntcj9EkYJuUR2S_O1-xoQCP6EYHlcUjZE4H9ifgvbN4BRKYIca9ot885ntNaEgbO74f9iGOsx5JAIQ259C76F/s1600/e85dcd32eced2f4b574fac094799a6e7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVN19ub3D9zQkM1Q4PPdwa7qRntywGXl-TbVy_c6AApofiN8XH-coTVx7Ntcj9EkYJuUR2S_O1-xoQCP6EYHlcUjZE4H9ifgvbN4BRKYIca9ot885ntNaEgbO74f9iGOsx5JAIQ259C76F/s1600/e85dcd32eced2f4b574fac094799a6e7.jpg" /></a></div>
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It's a long way off but it's nice to have an idea of what I'd like when the day comes.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-48661224505018371022014-04-10T10:08:00.002+01:002014-04-11T10:43:02.418+01:00New Personalised Prints and Product Photography!<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I started by ticking off some of the items on my huge to-do list,
taking some product photos and getting the personalised prints up and
running.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> There has been a lot of positive feedback about these so I'm so pleased to say they are <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EmmaFrancesDesigns?section_id=14515971&ref=shopsection_leftnav_3" target="_blank">now available!</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivg9VzCDyHqJg0e-XqhVzoneUkCanrl6yGifCe1H2JENWJ0IpAfP4nhbeMRSavKF0oF63U98eGLWdeMK55qTAp0O-7naafbe2ksFazzxJnOJJJT_WUcw5Q11wmd6Zb86COqkZewkSb5DjQ/s1600/CastlePrint3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivg9VzCDyHqJg0e-XqhVzoneUkCanrl6yGifCe1H2JENWJ0IpAfP4nhbeMRSavKF0oF63U98eGLWdeMK55qTAp0O-7naafbe2ksFazzxJnOJJJT_WUcw5Q11wmd6Zb86COqkZewkSb5DjQ/s1600/CastlePrint3.jpg" height="496" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjN1FjNbv5hnXwRaO1FX5jVGakPtju45d27eL4WidLkrRDpNMMooAISv2eVPoMk8kKS1YSIZs5qUEhdWpMVSP_5P0Dn2JSteD882JbaHHifp5DOQ-EpbK28UQUxO2x47BtkOsMEkZrEmn/s1600/SpacemanPrint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjN1FjNbv5hnXwRaO1FX5jVGakPtju45d27eL4WidLkrRDpNMMooAISv2eVPoMk8kKS1YSIZs5qUEhdWpMVSP_5P0Dn2JSteD882JbaHHifp5DOQ-EpbK28UQUxO2x47BtkOsMEkZrEmn/s1600/SpacemanPrint.jpg" height="496" width="640" /></a></div>
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The product photography was a learning curve! I'll share some of my tips with you soon! <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-43712846516344166752014-04-07T10:40:00.000+01:002014-04-07T10:40:15.485+01:00Bye bye little car!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This
weekend I had to say goodbye to my faithful little green Clio, it was
heartbreaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll admit my car has
been weighing down on me recently because it did quite a lot of sitting on the
drive and the tax, MOT and insurance would all be due in a few short
months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I decided it was time to send
it off to another family, put it up on Auto Trader and was contacted within a
couple of hours by a man looking for a car for his daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-BS9rYjrr90S_WfOd4vPNll_-a9hf4tXQKdoETPyeVaIvEbPPrqvc_YPca3XkqYDD0Boh7tjPOwijPlV0ryh7IP9ZJOLF8uTeFd1oyxQWWSGWbWTNY9O6FjdDjL2O6MzboLykUr0yymt/s1600/LittleCar3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-BS9rYjrr90S_WfOd4vPNll_-a9hf4tXQKdoETPyeVaIvEbPPrqvc_YPca3XkqYDD0Boh7tjPOwijPlV0ryh7IP9ZJOLF8uTeFd1oyxQWWSGWbWTNY9O6FjdDjL2O6MzboLykUr0yymt/s1600/LittleCar3.jpg" height="556" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I’d
taken good care of my little car and gave it a good clean out (cleaning a car
is harder than it looks!), washed and waxed it so it was sparkling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put some new wheel trims on and it looked as
good as it did when I bought it 6 years ago!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This
car really signified my freedom when I bought it at 17 and I have so many wonderful
memories of my adventures!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From having
it jam packed to the seams when I needed to move houses at University to my dad
teaching me to drive in this car and taking my test in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrXxSzghcD9ytKALv4yGnjp-qrj4fQvnysNAwwZLCgH1Rwx4JTm8eGQ2NBa84-CzfzxTJuRk8bywAHutUuOEByD0owYDBnuwoInWel1HBfnnDPI3N8Yc-IcfO1dylJ0s9lqQwqTn9V-qy/s1600/LittleCar2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrXxSzghcD9ytKALv4yGnjp-qrj4fQvnysNAwwZLCgH1Rwx4JTm8eGQ2NBa84-CzfzxTJuRk8bywAHutUuOEByD0owYDBnuwoInWel1HBfnnDPI3N8Yc-IcfO1dylJ0s9lqQwqTn9V-qy/s1600/LittleCar2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_OStRO-DHCd-ogDVEmLLcoWzhZhOw_i5Ir37TCAVL0Buk-HW1p35cVdoOpVSWy94Cx4VJARL-3E0tQAamvSUalSNvntP8bRE8tS42xaoNqOy5TIsSJhxAVV_B5kwIdMFsQg5gavYwtRl/s1600/Little+Car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_OStRO-DHCd-ogDVEmLLcoWzhZhOw_i5Ir37TCAVL0Buk-HW1p35cVdoOpVSWy94Cx4VJARL-3E0tQAamvSUalSNvntP8bRE8tS42xaoNqOy5TIsSJhxAVV_B5kwIdMFsQg5gavYwtRl/s1600/Little+Car.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">From
getting stuck in the snow (more than once) then having to get my dad to come
and dig/tow me out to endless trips in the summer with my friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zh-1W4az9R8F-lLWKl4x6dN-vEn_mHWLSmeDv95iE3xh1KQNkrBdyri064q3FmerHCQb29gKWRrbyIUYRD0EuI_bs22Ar-jcFs68MQ7qiFWDyLK0xa_t6VhrHeYecx9GTTfszY1VHHiA/s1600/LittleCar4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zh-1W4az9R8F-lLWKl4x6dN-vEn_mHWLSmeDv95iE3xh1KQNkrBdyri064q3FmerHCQb29gKWRrbyIUYRD0EuI_bs22Ar-jcFs68MQ7qiFWDyLK0xa_t6VhrHeYecx9GTTfszY1VHHiA/s1600/LittleCar4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So
as you can imagine I was quite sad to see it go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However it went to another Emma who will be
learning to drive in it, so I’d say that’s a good sign it was time to let it go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I’m
just happy it’s gone to a nice home instead of selling it then seeing it raring
up and down my street with one of those huge noisy exhausts and rave music
booming from the speakers….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-66975419371908459012014-04-04T10:25:00.002+01:002014-04-04T10:26:26.637+01:00More Pinterest FavouritesI wrote about some of my favourite Pinterest boards a while ago which was quite a popular post, it's nice to be given all of these fantastic sources of inspiration so I thought I would show you some more of my favourites.<br />
<br />
I love to design for children, they're full of such active imaginations that your designs can be fun and full of colour! Children's designs are always full of colour and I love colour!<br />
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<u>Children's Design</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
There are some amazing boards for children's illustrations and patterns on Pinterest so here are some of my favourites:<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/phyllida/for-kids/" target="_blank">Phyllida Coroneo</a> has a wonderful children inspired board which has patterns from clothing to wallpaper, a mixture of products and digital pieces makes it a nice mix of inspiration.<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/nikkiupsher/children-s-design-illustration/" target="_blank">Nikki Upsher</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/jillielu/childrens-pattern-designs/" target="_blank">Jill Turney</a> both have wonderful boards full of colourful, cheerful patterns and illustrations.<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/salhoulker/childrens-designs-work-reference/" target="_blank">Sally Payne</a>, a freelance children's designer, has one of my favourite children's boards! It's jam packed with amazing designs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xIde3fgLHDmwdkty6_rU21lAsV5_hpNF6DLWDIqCMjEFJT6af5K5QAQA2YKxAIIRIhUrihQAycxfMz_oprtIa0n72lMkkeYqXdV54YSVOfPc28Aa5Xg3wkDMe2lvceG4xOQA_adejoHC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-04+at+10.19.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xIde3fgLHDmwdkty6_rU21lAsV5_hpNF6DLWDIqCMjEFJT6af5K5QAQA2YKxAIIRIhUrihQAycxfMz_oprtIa0n72lMkkeYqXdV54YSVOfPc28Aa5Xg3wkDMe2lvceG4xOQA_adejoHC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-04+at+10.19.11.jpg" height="316" width="640" /></a><u>Flowers and Gardens</u><br />
<br />
I'm a big fan of floral patterns and have more florally dresses than I can count, so I do a lot of drawings of flowers and nature. Some of the boards I follow are gardening and flower filled and they're fantastic to use as inspiration.<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/glamod/bouquet-flowers/" target="_blank">Glamod Fashion's</a> bouquet board is perfect for this, the colour palettes from the bouquet's are also great inspiration.<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/annelinesophia/garden-inspiration/" target="_blank">Anneline Sophia</a> also has a beautiful gardening board (which will be great for when I get my own garden too!)<br />
My own <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/emmafrances22/english-countryside-garden/" target="_blank">English Countryside Garden</a> has lots of my favourite flowers too!<br />
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<u>Trends and Themes</u><br />
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There are loads of boards which revolve around a certain theme or trend, when you're working to specific trends it's an ideal way of collecting loads of images into one place. <br />
Some of my favourites are the woodland and nautical trends, Inspire Art Licensing has fantastic <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/inspireAL/woodland-wonderland/" target="_blank">woodland</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/inspireAL/nautical-but-nice/" target="_blank">nautical boards</a> full of beautiful illustrations!<br />
I've put together my own <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/emmafrances22/forest-life/" target="_blank">Forest Life</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/emmafrances22/under-the-sea/" target="_blank">Under the Sea</a> boards aswell as one full of <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/emmafrances22/trends/" target="_blank">trend ideas</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxWk1v0tmMJfeQ1_ejMpEICd4PgJM4vG15Y_T6I8luMpz5dYzOo0MP8r0C_q9M6Uxa1KoVjmuWIB77LFZGqg5PkD7yDxRrw8IxTc43cBMaDSCfRC-xxSb4L-fd-gkqilItfswxyZraWTFs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-04+at+10.22.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxWk1v0tmMJfeQ1_ejMpEICd4PgJM4vG15Y_T6I8luMpz5dYzOo0MP8r0C_q9M6Uxa1KoVjmuWIB77LFZGqg5PkD7yDxRrw8IxTc43cBMaDSCfRC-xxSb4L-fd-gkqilItfswxyZraWTFs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-04+at+10.22.59.jpg" height="316" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u>Some of my favourites</u><br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/salhoulker/" target="_blank">Sally Payne</a> has so many amazing boards so I definitely recommend checking her Pinterest account out!<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/carenbarry/" target="_blank">Caren Barry</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/creativebloq/" target="_blank">Creative Bloq</a> also have loads of fantastic boards, I just can't pick which I like best.<br />
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Here's a mix of some that really stood out for me:<br />
Phyllida Coroneo's <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/phyllida/stationery/" target="_blank">Stationary</a><br />
Nikki Upsher's <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/nikkiupsher/pattern-love-board/" target="_blank">Pattern Love Board</a><br />
Lauren Hay has a few that caught my eye, her <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/LaurenGemmaHay/packaging/" target="_blank">Packaging</a>, <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/LaurenGemmaHay/crafting/" target="_blank">Crafting</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/LaurenGemmaHay/papercraft/" target="_blank">Papercraft</a> boards are great!<br />
Jane Farnham's <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/JaneFarnham/illustration/" target="_blank">Illustration</a>, <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/JaneFarnham/surface-pattern/" target="_blank">Surface Pattern</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/JaneFarnham/colour/" target="_blank">Colour</a> boards<br />
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<u>Wedding Stationary</u><br />
<br />
Another product I like to look at for inspiration is wedding stationary, they have some really dainty designs and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/mustardcreative/stationery-wedding-invitations/" target="_blank">Natalie from Mustard Seed Creative</a> has a lovely board full of them.<br />
My own <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/emmafrances22/wedding-stationary/" target="_blank">Wedding Stationary</a> board has some intricate typography as well as some more unusual stationary designs.<br />
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Finally a bit of studio and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/annelinesophia/decor-love/" target="_blank">decor love</a>, Anneline Sophia's are my favourite boards for this, she combines her love for pattern with these boards so they are full of pattern filled decor! and the <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/annelinesophia/studio-love/" target="_blank">studio ideas</a> just make me want to get redecorating mine!<br />
<br />
Let me know which are your favourites and come and check out my <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/emmafrances22/" target="_blank">Pinterest boards</a> :)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-20689135020523726712014-03-31T10:44:00.001+01:002014-03-31T10:44:25.977+01:00The job hunt has begun!After quite a bit of decision making I have decided to go on the search for a full time job. Working for myself has been fantastic and I've loved every minute, but whilst there are tons of advantages to being a freelance designer there are also negatives. I'm self motivated by nature so have no problem with getting on with my work, everyone gets a little distracted from time to time but on the whole I'm a hard worker and am happy with designing without needing someone stood over me making sure I'm not procrastinating!<br />
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One of the hardest parts I find about being a freelance designer is the lack of human contact, I imagine it is a lot quicker to improve your designs when you are in a studio full of other creatives whom you can bounce ideas off. Working on your own can often be quite hard to see what is missing in a pattern or illustration, so you end up leaving it and coming back to it with fresh eyes the next day. I have a fantastic online network of wonderful designers but am looking forward to getting into a studio full of them and feeling the pressure of a fast paced environment.<br />
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It can be quite difficult, when writing covering letters and CV's, to get your passion for the job across. You have to maintain a certain level of professionalism and can't really start warbling on about how designing is all you would dream of doing, how you sometimes feel like your bursting with ideas and are so keen to learn and progress through a company that you would jump at any opportunity! <br />
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So I've written this blogpost full of my passion for the industry and a bit about myself too.<br />
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Why do I love pattern and designing for print? That has to be one of the hardest questions to put into words, I honestly can't imagine doing anything else, I love to draw, I love to come up with lovely colour palettes, I love to see my designs go from initial idea to finished digital piece to the final printed product. I enjoy everything about designing prints and illustrations, patterns really appeal to the organised side of me and it takes a good eye to make sure the composition works and the colours are well placed so the pattern flows without your eye being drawn to one particular part of it. <br />
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I've always been a hard worker in everything I do, I worked part time whilst at University and took part in quite a few societies aswell as the usual student nights out. I was constantly juggling all of my commitments, but I thrive on the feeling of being under pressure.<br />
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I've worked in restaurants for over 8 years and I would much rather the restaurant was crammed to the seams than only having a handful of tables. I can somehow stay calm and organised when the environment around me is chaotic. This is the same for being in the design studio where I am more than prepared to push myself and my design abilities, I find I've designed some of my best work when there was a tight deadline looming over me.<br />
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My drawback is I can be a little shy at times, and yet I have probably signed up and achieved more than your average 23 year old. I single handedly sourced and designed all of the costumes for a University theatre production (my assistants backed out at the last minute), I completed my Gold Duke of Edinburgh which included going to Edinburgh on my own to volunteer on a children's summer camp, I've travelled over to America a number of times on my own, I took up kickboxing (which no one expected!) and probably one of the biggest - I set up my own business.<br />
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Everyone has their flaws but I don't let mine hold me back, I'm always tackling my shyness head on and just go for it despite sometimes feeling terrified! One way I get over this is to be prepared, I like to do a lot of research so I go into a situation feeling confident in my answers, it really helps you to feel ready for anything that might get thrown at you. That is until the interviewer asks you a rather nasty question you've not thought of, in which case, don't panic! <br />
<br />
Matthew's being helping me to prepare for interviews and such as he has been through quite a few and now appears to be an expert. It's quite funny he's helping me with regards to interviews because even though he landed himself a fantastic engineering job, he has had some rather embarrassing moments on his job hunting journey. I don't plan to follow in his footsteps! I won't go into detail as I know people who know him may read this, but as long as I make sure to double check the city in which the interview is I should avoid at least one of his mishaps...<br />
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I've updated my <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/emma-hawman/4b/b78/432" target="_blank">LinkedIn profile</a> so my CV is available online for you to have a look at and I've launched a <a href="http://www.emmafrancesdesigns.co.uk/" target="_blank">new website</a> which has my portfolio for everyone to take a look at too.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-21352838317115617152014-03-25T09:30:00.003+00:002014-03-25T09:30:37.047+00:00Bobbing Along - Minted SubmissionI recently came across <a href="http://minted.com/">Minted.com</a>, I'm not sure how I managed to miss this website as it is full of wonderful illustrations! From wedding to party invitations it includes just about any type of stationary you may need, all beautifully designed by independent designers. It's a wonderful sight!<br />
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They regularly put on design competitions with one of the most recent ones being for a children's birthday invitation, so naturally I entered. I had some children's designs I was dying to show the world so inbetween my other work I took the time to put my submission together. Perfect for a little boys birthday party!<br />
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Now this competition requires you to collect votes (which I'm sure most designers hate to ask for!) but there are a number of awards up for grabs which are chosen by a group of judges, which is one of the things I loved about Minted's design competitions. So if you have the time I'd really appreciate a <a href="http://www.minted.com/design-rating/154709" target="_blank">vote or two</a>, if not then just have a look at my entry and let me know what you think :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPGl-0SD6pqmSb3DJzHpggybHis62bvQDOFaxQnNNvIrnfE82dfhsYzALYf48TSlKiIHpq6rhLo6K2tDEaV89cVoULwrOGo7_J9LvLIGL5gM5FFxt6waWHxlkaFDolqSsG4nc9J0px2S8/s1600/Bobbing_Along.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPGl-0SD6pqmSb3DJzHpggybHis62bvQDOFaxQnNNvIrnfE82dfhsYzALYf48TSlKiIHpq6rhLo6K2tDEaV89cVoULwrOGo7_J9LvLIGL5gM5FFxt6waWHxlkaFDolqSsG4nc9J0px2S8/s1600/Bobbing_Along.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352889110180809330.post-61215953932209697402014-03-15T10:48:00.001+00:002014-03-15T11:23:46.305+00:00Personalised prints are now possible!I have recently bought a brand new all singing, all dancing printer. The Canon Pixma Pro-100 is replacing the pitiful Pixma MP190. My old printer really needed updating, it very rarely printed the right colours, wouldn't work on my computer so I was having to print and scan everything through my laptop. It was fairly temperamental!<br />
<br />
My wonderful new printer arrived two days ago and the guy carrying it from the van looked like he was struggling....it was a huge box! This printer is a bit of a monster. I had to carefully push it up the stairs as the box was too heavy to carry and I was far too impatient to wait for help. I wanted to get this baby up and running!<br />
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Having finally got it up and into my studio I opened the box to find the printer in a sort of sling, it was that heavy it needed a huge thick carrier bag complete with handles just to get it out of the box. It is now happily sat on it's own table next to my desk.<br />
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The print quality is perfect, I've ordered some special photography paper so I can get going with personalised prints and cards aswell as bespoke orders. I love that I can now print my designs off and not worry about the colours looking completely different to how they do on the screen. Now all I need is a super scanner then the MP190 can officially retire =)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063853183014459990noreply@blogger.com1