Pens and Doodles

Kwilla, Kilkenny.

2012-01-26T03:19:00.000-08:00

One of my stockists, the lovely Shannon, owner of Kwilla, based in Kilkenny has had a lovely feature on the Irish fashion website Help My Style.

Link to the article here.

Shannon's shop is full of the latest design led, fashion forward, unique accessories at affordable prices. All of Kwilla's products are exclusive in Kilkenny with most of them handmade in Ireland and the UK.

I am lucky enough to supply Kwilla with my greeting cards (seen here in the window) they are always so well received. Shannon is really enthusiastic about my designs and is really keen to promote what I do, hence one of my 'Enchanted' cards being featured in the article.
It has some great write ups! Take a look here. You can also find Kwilla on Facebook and Twitter

Print & Pattern blog feature.

2012-01-26T02:48:00.000-08:00

Today, I have featured on the wonderful Print & Pattern blogspot. I appeared there last February with some of my Valentine's cards which brought a lot of visitors to my website. I am a huge fan of the blog and visit it every day without fail, I also own both of the books based on the blog.

The past few months have brought lots of exciting news I wanted to share and many new designs and finishes amongst my product ranges, so I contacted the publisher of the blog, and hey presto! I got a lovely write up (below) about my current work for Next and also my own new product designs.

Here is the feature in full on the Print & Pattern blog page.

26 January 2012
CARDS - fay's studio

Spring Fair 2012 5th-9th February NEC Birmingham.

2012-01-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that a whole year has passed since the last Spring Fair, but here it is again, and I am very much looking forward to it. So much in fact, I thought I was setting off next weekend to set up, but I'm now feeling slight relief as it will give me more time to prepare.

Last year's show.

The opening date is 5th February and the show stays open until the 9th. It's going to be great to catch up with old friends and to meet customers and potential buyers. I have had a lot of interest already in my new card ranges so I am very excited about their launch at the show. You can visit my full profile here at the Spring Fair website.

At the moment I have 56 brand new designs launching at the show, that's plenty to keep new and old customers very happy. I may even add in more if I find the time, but with orders already coming in before the show even begins, it will be very busy for the next couple of weeks.

The catalogues are all now out in the post (that was a mammoth task) but of you've missed your copy then please do let me know or pop by at the show and pick up your copy. I have so much to share with you and I'm so excited about all of the new ranges. Keep an eye out for 'Sweet Treats', 'Milestones', 'Christmas Crackers', 'Christmas Elegance', 'Ditsy Hearts' and 'Easter' cards all being launched at the show.

Phew! I'm off for a lie down.

Leaflet designs.

2012-01-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

Just before every trade show I exhibit at it's important to send out mail about my products to tell customers what is NEW! As this Spring I am launching over 40 new designs I thought these ranges would stand out better on their own leaflet, so I designed a seperate insert to go out to customers and prospective buyers.

If I'm honest I just haven't had the time in the past few months to put together a whole new catalogue with all of the product development I've been doing, but I hope having the new products on an info leaflet will drive traffic to the website, and as buyers usually have a good look at the show they have an idea of what's available to order. I ensure the product codes are all visible on the website, and I am always on hand to help with orders by email or telephone if customers have any questions.

So today I have been folding leaflets and order forms, and stuffing envelopes, I then spent hours buying postage online (I think they look more 'important' with a printed label and barcode), but I have only just scratched the surface of my mailing list. I always send catalogues with great anticipation as you never know who will respond with an order, or who will keep the info at their shop for many months to come then order randomly, that's half the fun when surprise orders come in.

If you would like a copy of the leaflet with trade prices, please get in touch at mail@faysstudio.com.

Foiled!

2012-01-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about this blog post, as it shows the final outcome of the foiled ranges I have spent months working on.
I have been tirelessly designing and preparing the designs for print, and today the proofs arrived in the post. I enjoyed a little laughter as I opened the parcel, as it is very surreal to finally see all the hard work in print. I was straight on the email to let the printers know how pleased I am and to go ahead with the large print run!

I then had to ensure the envelopes I chose matched the colours of the cards and, hey presto! All the final elements are on order to put together for February. I cannot wait to see the cards on the stand at the trade show, as they are going to sparkle and shine under the spotlights.

The photographs don't do much to show off the highlights, you'd have to see them first hand, but hopefully you can see some of the twinkles. Just click on the photo to see an enlarged version.

The Milestones range.

Each 145mm square design is printed on to an FSC certified glistening board, embossed and finished with silver foil. They come wrapped in a biodegradable bag with either a pearlescent white, blue or pink envelope. Each card is blank inside.

The investment has been expensive, and with any embossed and foiled design, you have to be sure that each card will see a return on investment and so I now have to see how well they do. I hope they more than cover their own cost and are very popular, but only time will tell.


The Sweet Treats range.

Each 145mm square design is printed on to an FSC certified matt board, embossed and finished with silver foil. They come wrapped in a biodegradable bag with a hot pink envelope. Each card is blank inside.

I already have some pre-orders waiting to be fulfilled which is a great start!

They will also be available to buy from the website in a few weeks time, once the stock is ready, so keep an eye out for those.

If you too would like to stock these designs please do email over your details and I can send you some more information (mail@faysstudio.com).

Thank you for the photograph!

2012-01-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

I was sent this lovely photograph from friends in Bristol who spotted my freelance designs on greeting cards and gift bags in the Next store there.
Here is Katie holding up one of the bags in store. I am yet to see them myself, but it looks lovely in print.


Thank you Katie and Jon!

I will hopefully be adding some more photographs soon!

End of year catch up.

2012-01-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot to share with you some photos of my cards ranges in store at Paperchase in the Tottenham Court Road store. I popped in (for a few hours) when up in London for the day and found my little greetings spread across the store in a few locations. I was very happy to see them all there!

All three shelves from the top are my Elegance, Handbags and Gladrags, Graphic and Enchanted ranges.


My jolly snowman and 7 others on the second shelf from my Christmas Crackers range.

The 'On Your Engagement' card (top right).

Freelancing for NEXT

2012-01-05T01:47:00.000-08:00

Many months ago now I starting work on four greeting card designs for Next's Spring/Summer 2012 stationery ranges. I haven't been able to reveal anything up until now, but as the cards are now in store to buy I am able to share them with you.

I am so pleased with the final results, and the designers in-house have even matched the collection with some lovely Birthday wrap and have used one of the designs on a gift bag which is so bright, fresh and fun.

I cannot wait to see them in store and get a few photos of them on the spinners glistening with their glitter finish. It is a momentous achievement, and one which I still can't believe I was invited to do. So here they are. Please go out and snap up lots of them, as I would love for them to do well.


A section of the gift bag.

Birthday wrap designed in-house to match.

Christmas 2012.

2011-12-21T00:56:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. My Christmas sales have been up dramatically this year compared with last, due to the fact that I had a much more developed product to sell and a wider audience to buy. Exhibiting at trade shows, four in just over a year, and sending out catalogues throughout the year has certainly helped to attract more customers. There was also that unexpected email from Paperchase last year, and a new relationship built with my overseas distributor in New Zealand so things are definitely moving forward.

The greetings world is much like fashion in that we design months in advance for the seasons ahead. So this may seem strange to some readers, but I have designed my Christmas cards for 2012 already, and here they are.

My Christmas singles have been a real hit this year, I have seen a huge demand for my Snowman, Rudolph and Puppy, so I have built up my Christmas Crackers collection to meet further demand. These cards are 10.5 x 14.8cm and are printed on to a glistening high quality FSC board. They come individually wrapped in a biodegradable bag with a matching festive envelope. They are all blank inside for your own message.

I have also introduced a new range called 'Christmas Elegance' (inspired by my everyday 'Elegance' range) in a larger square format (14.5 x 14.5cm) that are designed specially for close relatives. For the new range I have kept the colour palette to black, white and red, so that they have a strong presence on the shelves and spinners and are completely different to my existing range.

These designs will be printed on to a high quality FSC board. I have opted for a special embossed finish to give extra surface texture, and I am now choosing a specially made envelope to match with the same embossed finish and hopefully a red colour to compliment the card. The retail price will reflect the quality of the product, and I cannot wait to see these in print. I hope you will like these just as much as my Christmas Crackers range. They are huge step away from my other Christmas range and will appeal to a completely different audience, so I hope they are well received. I will be adding more relations in when I can.

Product Launch 2012 'Sweet Treats'.

2011-12-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

Alongside my new 'Milestones' range launching in the New Year will sit 'Sweet Treats' a summery card collection, inspired by cocktails, cakes, icecreams and lollies. This vibrant range will be in the same 14.5 cm square format as 'Milestones' and will also be printed and foiled on to carefully selected FSC board. Each card is blank inside and comes individually wrapped in a biodegradable bag with a matching envelope. Perfect for everyday Birthday cards.
Here is the 8 card range, I hope you like them too.

Celebrate with a Pina Colada!


Enjoy a slice of cake and strawberries.

Indulge in a glorious treat.

Splash out with a Birthday cocktail.

For the sweet-toothed.

Spoil yourself with the ten scoop cone.


Here comes the icecream man!

Feast your eyes on these retro lollies.

Product Launch 2012 'Milestones'.

2011-12-20T11:18:00.000-08:00

You may remember back in September I was working on a new range of cards designed specifically for special Birthdays.

I decided that this range was going to be extra special and of an especially high quality due to the fact that when we celebrate momentous milestones, the things we receive are often keepsakes for many years to come.

With this in mind, I spent weeks creating the designs and thinking through how they were going to be made. I finally decided on two special boards of superb quality and I took days to put together files which would go towards making the dies for foiling. The dies are made by a specialist company who produce a foiling block which is then used to add foil during the printing process.

Foil blocking machine.

As this was a first for my products, the whole project has been enormous, and I had to get my head around many new functions on the computer software when preparing the files for print. It was no easy task to get things just right.

I am still waiting for the foil samples to be returned, and then I will make my final decision on the board I think is right before going ahead with a large print run. The whole process is very expensive, one of the biggest commitments and investments I have made for the business since starting up. But hopefully it will be a step worth taking, and I hope they will achieve the sales I have in mind for them when they are launched.

Although I don't have the final products with me to photograph, I can however show you the final colour outcomes of my designs. The cards will be 14.5 x 14.5 cm and come wrapped in a biodegradable bag with a complimenting envelope. So here are a few tasters for you of my new 'Milestones' range.

Logos.

2011-12-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

For a while now I have wanted to take a look at my branding and logo, but like most enormous tasks they get put to the bottom of the pile of things to do. Just recently though I have had time to sit back and think about lots of new products and designs, along with the release of my first ever foiled ranges of greeting cards that are being launched in the New Year.

I don't confess to being a graphic designer and so coming up with a logo for my own company has taken weeks of thought, research, planning, development and design. I wanted a logo that says everything about my work ethos, that being designed by hand, personal, and products that consider the environment. I received some good advice from a graphic designer friend who gave me lots of pointers. My initial ideas all got thrown out quickly from the early sketches, until I came up with an idea to illustrate a pencil (the hand-drawn element) which would bend right round in a circle (to emphasise the biodegradable material used and my plee to the customer to recycle afterwards). The personal part comes with hand-drawn letters and I have cleverly incorporated my name into the end and tip of pencil.

Take a closer look at the logo and you will see F A Y in the design. I think I have spent too long on the Nintendo DS playing Professor Layton, as with so many puzzles, it made me think about how I could hide my name in the design.

I now have a logo to add to all of my products, website, blog (eventually), business stationery (another cost to consider) which I hope says more about who I am and what I do, and this hopefully won't date.

Let me know what you think about it.

Fundraising.

2011-11-30T01:07:00.000-08:00

On Friday Mum and I travelled to London to meet the Ernst & Young team who had purchased over 800 of my Christmas cards to sell to staff and the public to raise money for the Prince's Trust. In the end, they weren't able to secure the public locations in Covent Garden etc (as mentioned in my previous post), due to some complicated licensing they would have needed. However, they still achieved hundreds of sales with proceeds of £1600 going directly to the charity.

By the time Mum and I had arrived to the head office at around 11am, the staff had almost sold out of cards. There were 14 teams out at different locations altogether, many had dressed for the occasion as spotty dogs, and we even spotted a banana collecting money. One of the teams managed to collect £240 in just 45 minutes, so sales were really strong. It's also great to know that now over 800 of my cards are circulating thanks to this event and the very friendly staff that made it all happen.

By London Bridge - A human cow collecting money for the Prince's Trust

The Ernst & Young staff even won a prize for being the most organised team which they most definitely deserved. A great day all in all with brilliant sales results, and an invitation to do the same thing again next year. I'm already designing Christmas cards for 2012, so I am well prepared.

Grab-a-Grand for the Prince's Trust.

2011-11-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Prince's Trust 'Million Makers' is a national competition, challenging teams of employees and university students to come together and raise £1 million for the Prince's Trust and make a real difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people across the UK.

Million Makers teams pitch their business plans to a Dragons' Den style panel, in order to secure an initial investment from the Prince's Trust.

Teams from companies and organisations across the UK then implement and promote their own mini enterprise. Aspiring Million Makers entrepreneurs must work together to turn seed funding into profit for the Prince's Trust over the course of six months, competing against each other to run the most profitable mini enterprise.

My involvement with the Prince's Trust as a Young Ambassador and success story of the Business Enterprise programme, means that I get to meet a lot of people that support the charity through their fundraising ideas.

In the past year I have been to many Prince's Trust events organised by Million Makers teams. One company I have presented to are Ernst & Young, who have raised huge sums for the charity.

This week Ernst & Young have been in touch with me again, quite randomly, as they have been on the lookout for Prince's Trust funded businesses who have Christmas products to sell. Their plan is to sell these products in their next fundraising event, they've called 'Grab-a-Grand'.

'Grab-a-Grand' is going to take place in several busy locations across London on Friday 25th November, where the Ernst & Young staff will be setting up Apprentice-style stalls selling a selection of my Christmas cards and some delicious Christmas cake, all in an effort to raise £1000 in a day for the Prince's Trust.

One of my Christmas cards just right for the occasion.

From what I have heard so far it is going to be a really buzzing event which I am thrilled to be a part of. It is a privilege to have been selected due to my connection with the Prince's Trust and also for the quality of my products! For such a large company to be invested and excited about what I design and create, and for them to be so enthusiastic about selling my cards, it's a wonderful endorsement for what I do.

I am hoping to visit all of the locations on the day (yet to be confirmed) and take lots of photographs documenting the event. This is such an exciting opportunity because it means that my products will be on sale at some great locations. At present, the locations in the plan are Charing Cross, Kings Cross, Waterloo and London Bridge stations, near to Canary Wharf tube station, Leadenhall Market, Covent Garden, Westfield-Stratford, and even possibly Selfridges/Harrods.

Leadenhall Market - Often used by Lord Sugar's Apprentices.

I'm not very good at travelling around in London, so I am hoping perhaps to have a close friend/relative to keep me company throughout the day, and it will be someone to also enjoy sharing the buzz with.

We are hoping for some great PR for the event. We want to generate more awareness of the young people and entrepreneurs that the Prince's Trust can only support with help from people like the Million Makers.

So, I will keep you updated on the final date and locations, and you may even spot me serving out the pudding!

The Palace of Westminster.

2011-11-01T03:55:00.000-07:00

On Halloween, the day of my speech at the House of Lords, was perhaps not the day to be ill with a throat infection. But, with some strong painkillers I made my way to Paddington station where I met two lovely members of staff from the Prince's Trust. Together we made our way to the House of Parliament discussing the agenda for the day.

We found our way to the entrance as instructed by the guards where we were given access to enter the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. After our photos were taken by the guards, and access badges printed, our bags were scanned and we got through the metal detectors to then be escorted to our venue for the day.

It was a really strange experience to be entering through the side of the building and to be watched carefully by the armed guards. Although we didn't get to look into the main house, as discussions were already in progress, we were shown to a very grand dining hall that looked out over the Thames. I imagined seeing myself in one of the tiny windows at Parliament from the other side of the river. It felt very peculiar to be there in such a grand venue.

At 12 o'clock all 40 of the guests arrived, including Lord Young and the director of the Prince's Trust, who were there to start proceedings with their stories about the Prince's Trust. Lord Young has been involved with the charity from the very beginning. It was interesting to hear the history behind the Trust, but needless to say all the while I was beginning to feel very nervous about addressing the audience in the shadow of a Lord just two seats away.

After a lovely lunch and lots of chatting with some very interesting people it was my time to speak. I had enjoyed speaking to one of the people from the production company that made Channel 4's 'Educating Essex' and BBC 1's 'Highstreet Dreams' and joked about making about a programme about my business start-up. Well, I passed on my business card, so they have my number!

Surprisingly, my speech went well. I covered all aspects of what I was doing before I contacted the Prince's Trust, how they have helped and supported me over the past two and a half years and how business is doing now. The audience was really inspired, and extremely thankful afterwards that I had shared my story with them. I just hope that having inspired them, they will go on to support the Trust, which will help lots of other entrepreneurs get their businesses up and running. With just £1000 from the Prince's Trust I was able to make my business what it is today and I hope I get invited back to keep on telling my success story for many years to come.

A box of chocolates given to me as a souvenir of the day.

The House of Lords.

2011-10-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Prince's Trust have invited me to speak about my business at a very prestigious venue on Monday. Like many of the other events I have attended as a Prince's Trust Young Ambassador, I will be speaking to a group of 40 very important people about how I started out in business, what I was doing before, and how my business is now.

With recent news back from my distributors in New Zealand that my cards are selling steadily, and as they have put in a new order this morning, it will all add to the story I have about my business, and the experiences I have had along the way. It is only a couple of months now before my designs are made into greetings cards for sale in Next across the country, so there will be a lot to tell the audience.

The purpose of Monday's event is to encourage new trustees to support the Prince's Trust, and I hope the story about my business will encourage them to help more young people start their own businesses. The truth is that you can really start up with very little, and the support from the charity makes it all happen. I have not found any other form of support out there for young people wanting to begin a business, especially if they have been out of work for more than six months.

I will have ten minutes to speak to the audience of 40. I am quite pleased that the house won't be as full as the picture above, but having said that, I get nervous talking to any audience.

It will be such a great day, a one-off experience I could not turn down. I will try to take lots of photographs and tweet throughout the day, so please keep your fingers crossed for me.

The Drawing Board.

2011-09-25T02:07:00.000-07:00

If you follow my tweets you will know that lately I have been spending lots of time designing new cards. I have made a start to 24 new designs, these include a really fresh summery range which is going to feature lots of tasty summertime treats and a special age range for 16th, 18th, 21st, 30th, 40th Birthday etc. Taking a break from my usual sized cards (10.5 x 14.8cm) these will be square 14.5 x 14.5cm, but still made from luxurious eco-friendly card and envelopes and wrapped in biodegradable packaging.

I thought I would treat you all to a sneak peek of some of these new designs. The photos are taken at odd angles so you can't quite make them out. I am still adding colour to these, but here are some close-ups of my black ink drawings.

SWEET 16TH BIRTHDAY CARDS.

KEY TO THE DOOR - 18TH BIRTHDAY CARDS.

21ST BIRTHDAY CARDS.


30TH BIRTHDAY CARDS.

FABULOUS AT 40, BIRTHDAY CARDS.

I would love to hear your thoughts on these, so please do leave your comments below.

Nelson Street Graffiti

2011-09-13T01:59:00.000-07:00

The other week, I wandered into Bristol to see Europe's largest street art display, the brain child of Banksy collaborator Tom 'Inkie' Watson.

The project 'See No Evil' is a permanent fixture in order to brighten up what is a very down in the dumps area of Bristol, just a stones throw from Broadmead and Cabot Circus.

There was so much to see, lots of hidden gems, so I will give you a link the full press article, and just show you the photos from the day.

Back In The Studio.

2011-07-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from Harrogate Home & Gift Show. It has been a long 6 days!
The day before opening, Mum and I took the day setting up the stand ready for buyers to come in and see what I have been up to. Once again arriving to an empty shell scheme, and visualising how to make it look pretty.

Surprisingly it took us even longer this time to set up, including an hours lunch in the town centre, but adjustments had to be made to the walls I had prepared as the boards weren't as tall as they were set out in the plans, so a bit of cropping had to be done. The spotlights also had to be moved to fit in with the plans I had submitted. The minutes add up when unexpected things crop up.

With an extra 30 designs to accommodate we had a bigger stand this time.

The show was down in footfall this year according to past exhibitors, which was a disappointment, but I did take orders at the show, and it would seem that orders are coming in by phone afterwards rather than being taken on the day. So it is looking promising despite my initial thoughts.

Anyway, getting everything to the location, a five hour train journey from home, was the usual fun. Especially carrying a new greeting card spinner to show off my Enchanted Collection.

There is nothing Mum and I can't get in a suitcase!

Making time for a wonderful chocolate cake from Betty's Tea Rooms.

It was lovely to meet lots of twitterers at the show, and existing customers too, who had travelled a long way to exhibit or come to order or have a chat. It is like having an extended family and as always the other exhibitors were so fun and friendly. I am so lucky to be in such an exciting industry where everyone is really supportive and energetic. No doubt I will see you all again soon, and I will be tweeting with you as usual!

So, it's now on with packing orders and working on new designs. I have so much planned for the future, it's really exciting!

Nomination for the Prince's Trust Young Ambassador of the Year Award.

2011-07-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

On the 30th of March this year I spoke at an event for the Prince's Trust alongside TV presenter and Prince's Trust Ambassador Nicholas Owen and the founder of 'Trunki' Rob Law at a South West Leadership Group 'Evening of Enterprise'. After presenting at this event and others that I have attended for the charity as a Young Ambassador, the Prince's Trust have put me forward as a nominee for the Prince's Trust Young Ambassador of the Year Award 2011.

It came as a real surprise to be nominated and I have recently been sent feedback about me from Nicholas Owen, which is slightly surreal as I am more used to seeing him on the TV.

Me caught on camera at a Prince's Trust event.

Here is what Nicholas had to say about me:

"I was frankly astonished and utterly impressed by Fay Martin. Her dedication to her business, her determination not to give up....her qualities are exactly what the Prince's Trust wants to foster. I can think of nobody better to encourage others. With her, we can indeed Celebrate Success."

I will have more updates on my nomination soon and a date for the ceremony, so I will post some photos when it all happens.

Harrogate Home & Gift Show 2011

2011-07-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

Off went my first export order last week. It was really exciting as I watched the lorry drive away. The boxes have such a long way to travel all the way to New Zealand. They will take a couple of months to arrive, so I hope they are ok when they get to their destination.

I have been busily preparing for my next trade show, the fourth in 19 months. It is a lot for me to take on, as it is with many start up publishers. I don't have the luxury of a lorry to transport all of my display to the exhibition centre and so Mum and I struggle along on public transport which in itself is a challenge. We decided that as Harrogate is a five hour journey, travelling and putting up the exhibition in one day is just too much to take on, so we have booked an extra day in Harrogate to at least have a little relaxation time before the doors open.

I am really looking forward to visiting Harrogate for the first time and meeting buyers from further North. I can't wait to bump into my creative friends too and meeting those who I have only spoken to via twitter. It will be great to put faces to those tiny avatars.

I am just recovering from tonsillitis. I am glad that it didn't come this week as I have had so much to do, but it delayed cuddles with my newborn Niece Ella-Jane. I am so happy to be an Auntie and wanted to share this photo with you. She will be pulling my hair in no time!

I have also had a little secret mission for a while, which I haven't been able to share much about. I am so pleased to say that over the past couple of months I have been working on a freelance basis, designing some greeting cards for Next which will be coming to the shops in 2012.

I am really fortunate to have been working with them and I can't wait to see the results. I will share it all with you when they are published.

I was also in Birmingham last week with my boyfriend who was hunting for somewhere to live during his PGCE (teacher training), and of course I had to pop to the Bullring shopping centre for a browse. I hadn't realised that my cards were in the Paperchase inside Selfridges, so when I spotted them on the shelf I had to get some snaps. It made my day! I am sure people were wondering what I was smiling about.

I am sure there will be lots of news after the show, and hopefully some new projects to take on. I already have plans for new card ranges but need some Studio time to get pencil to paper.

Fay's Studio expands!

2011-06-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

It is with this post that I bring very exciting news for Fay's Studio!

Since Spring Fair International in February, I have had a lot of projects in the pipeline and this week they have come to reality. I have been working closely with a fantastic distributor in New Zealand who have placed their first order for Fay's Studio greeting cards.
It is such an exciting time for me and it's quite unbelievable that my creations will be shipping off to the other side of the world. I feel a bit scared for them.

It will take a few months to hear any sales reports and if my ranges do well there is the possibility of extension of the range and increase of volumes. For now I am going to enjoy the moment and see what comes from this awesome opportunity. I have Spring Fair to thank for making it possible to meet buyers from outside the UK, and to the other exhibitors at the show who all gave their help and advice to launch me into exporting my products.

Please keep your fingers crossed for my cards and I will update you in a few months time.

New Catalogue.

2011-06-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

My new catalogue is now ready and so here are a few pictures of what is inside this edition. My catalogue has now gone from an 8 to a 12 page booklet, it just shows how many more products I have these days and I have even had to leave a few cards out where I just couldn't find room. But they are always on the website with their product codes should you need them to place an order. If you would like a copy then please let me know.

Busy times!

2011-06-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's been an incredibly hectic time really since Spring Fair International in February. With repeat orders after the show and some big orders going out, it has meant a lot of packing and boxing up. However, as the designer (and general dogs body) I have been working away on lots of new designs for release at Harrogate Home & Gift Show, which is fast approaching.

'Picnic' new to Handbags & Gladrags range.

I have added to the existing ranges, and created a new range called 'Elegance' of which you can have a sneeky look below. The range is inspired by gorgeously fashionable women and I hope is a little bit reminiscent of the wonderful Rene Gruau who's illustrations are a huge inspiration.

I have also been busy with a secret project which I will hope to reveal soon. It's been under wraps for a while and as the products don't launch until next Spring I don't want to give too much away.

The new catalogue is also in its final stages, so if you would like a trade copy then please send me your details, and I'll pop you down on the list.

The Fay's Studio website has also been nominated for Website of the Month by Mr Site (my web hosts), so fingers crossed for an achievement there.

I will also be unveiling lots of new Valentine's Day cards at Harrogate, so come along and visit me in Hall F stand F72.

Wedding Days.

2011-04-29T02:39:00.000-07:00

Whether you are putting up bunting, waving a Union Jack flag, having a street party, or just trying your best to avoid anything Royal Wedding, I do know that today perhaps if William had known about my designs he might very well have put in an order for....

Enjoy your celebrations whatever you may be doing!

Little Wishes

2011-04-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

A little while ago I mentioned a new childrens card range I was developing and I can now reveal the finished articles for you. I hope you like them!

I believe the older I get the younger I feel, and so this is reflected in my new illustrations. I have wanted to begin a young ages range since the start of Fay's Studio, as I love using bold colours in my designs and this is the perfect excuse to use a strong colour palette.

1st Birthday for a boy or girl.


A playful 2nd Birthday card.

The Owl And The Pussy Cat.

A bright Birthday owl.

Roar! You're 4.


A happy kitten.


Robot for boys aged 5.

For astronaut wannabes.

Each C6 card comes wrapped in 100% biodegradable packaging matched with a white hammer envelope. Perfect for little wishes!

Please leave your comments below, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Cream Teas and Coastal Breeze.

2011-04-27T04:41:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough last week to have a few days away whilst the weather was gorgeous. My boyfriend and I stayed at a lovely farmhouse in Boscastle, which had an award winning breakfast I might add. Scrambled egg and smoked salmon for breakfast was yummy!
We visited Bude, Port Isaac, Polzeath, Rock, Wadebridge, Padstow and Tintagel. I enjoyed all of the coastal walks we did as you can't beat the fresh sea air. We couldn't have been more fortunate with the weather as I know from experience how rough the coast can be having lived in Falmouth and Bournemouth for 6 years.

Looking out to sea from Boscastle.

On the second day of our holiday we visited Port Isaac, a place that I have wanted to visit for many years. Firstly because I love the Cornish towns and villages that have so much character and a relaxed way of life, and secondly because the filming of ITV's Doc Martin takes place here. We couldn't beieve our eyes when we arrived on the Wednesday morning to find a film crew gathered outside a white house rolling film, and hushing the crowds that had gathered to watch. And to our surprise here is a glimpse of the star of the show. It was very surreal!


Martin Clunes on set.

Padstow on a beautiful sunny day.


The Camel Estuary viewed from Rock.


Stunning views at Tintagel.


No pasty for you!

A break by the sea always leaves me feeling revived and inspired, so back to work we go, there's lots to do!

School Assembly.

2011-03-16T01:21:00.000-07:00

It is quite a while since I attended a school assembly, but last Thursday I woke at the crack of dawn to travel to a school in Calne, Wiltshire, an hour and a half train journey from home, to speak at a school assembly about my experience of the business enterprise programme at the Prince's Trust.

The boarding school, for girls aged 11-18, is hoping to raise lots of money for the charity over the next year, and I may be further involved with their fund raising in the months to come.
At the assembly, there were 300 girls very quietly listening to my story. It was quite difficult to throw my voice across the room, there was a microphone available but I thought that may only amplify my nerves.

The Prince's Trust have since told me that the school were incredibly enthusiastic after the assembly and the pupils can't wait to get started on their own business ideas to raise funds for the business enterprise programme. I might soon be going back to the school to help the girls with their business ideas, which will be a fantastic experience.

International Women's Day.

2011-03-09T03:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my role as a Young Ambassador for the Prince's Trust took me to the Bristol office of Ernst & Young, to mark the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day. I was invited to speak as an 'Inspirational Woman' who had been through the Prince's Trust Business Enterprise programme.

Ernst & Young have recently raised thousands of pounds for the Prince's Trust when they got involved with the 'Million Makers' scheme that runs across the country. They too have their own Entrepreneurial Winning Women Programme to help accelerate the growth of women-owned businesses, and each year do something special to mark the occasion.

I always feel nervous before speaking to groups, but everyone was really friendly and keen to find out more about me and my business. As they had invested a lot of their time, energy and money into supporting the Prince's Trust, they had real enthusiasm, and were keen to ask me lots of questions. It was great to be an example of success nurtured through the Business Enterprise programme, and to show that the Prince's Trust are such an important charity to raise funds for.

Print & Pattern Blogspot.

2011-03-06T01:20:00.000-08:00

On the 14th February my work featured on the Print & Pattern Blogspot. I had no idea I was going to feature on that particular day, and I saw my website hits quadruple!

I am a massive follower of the blog and bought the first 'Bowie Style' book put together by the author. It's one of my all time favourite design books, and I am looking forward to the release of the second issue. You never know I might even appear in the book myself one day.

It's an achievement to appear on this blog as the author has a great eye for wonderful design, and if you follow the blog you will know that it is updated nearly every day with something new and exciting. To be amongst that was really great!

New childrens card range.

2011-03-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

When I met up again with the lovely Lisa Fellows yesterday over coffee, we both agreed that business can sometimes feel like 80% business and only 20% design. This couldn't be more true, and for a creative person this is incredibly frustrating.
I am always trying to 'make time' and just find a few hours here and there to really get into a rhythm with new design ranges.

With a new baby arriving in our family soon (not mine before you ask) I thought it would be the perfect time to create a childrens range. I really got into the swing of things very quickly and before I knew it I had designs covering ages 1-6 for girls and boys.

Illustrating a new children's range of greeting cards.

I have a very sneaky peek for you here, a design in it's very early stages. The final articles will follow soon, with lots of wonderful bright colours. Just right for children.

Boxed in.

2011-03-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

Just recently I have been taking in deliveries of quite a few boxes of cards and envelopes ready to be packed by hand and sent out to customers. Here is an example of 3000 cards that had to be prepared for one of my customers who have come back with new orders. It's great to receive repeat business, and keeps me incredibly busy. An arrival like this can be daunting, so I have to manage my time very well.

Gradually business is growing, and at a steady rate that I can cope with. I am still learning about the industry all the time. I have just registered for barcodes so that my products can be ordered in larger volumes and are ready for export.

All packed and ready to go - 3000 hand packed cards!

Soon I will be sending lots of samples to an overseas distributor who I met at Spring Fair. This is an incredibly exciting time as I wouldn't have dreamt I'd be at this stage with my products so early on. I'm certainly getting through a few rolls of tape now.

Spring is here!

2011-03-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

I have been a while in reporting my time at Spring Fair International, and so if you have been waiting for news I am sorry to have kept you.
My jaw dropped when we arrived at the empty greetings and stationery hall of the Birmingham NEC. I hadn't realised that the stand would be open ended and so the plan for my stand wasn't going to work. To cut a very long and rather stressful story short, we managed to acquire a cancelled stand opposite. We got some extra lighting rigged in and hey presto I had room for my new products and a whole extra stand. Every cloud.....

For those not familiar with trade shows, the halls are massive. This is just an example of how long and wide any one of the halls can be, and in fact even larger as we were situated part way down the hall. We were lucky to have a really friendly bunch of exhibitors surrounding us, and everyone was so kind and helpful. Plus, we were very close to a coffee shop, vital for those long hours of trading.

My helper again at the show was my Mum, who knows the business inside and out. She has got incredibly good at taking orders and dealing with queries, so I feel confident in leaving her on the stand should I need to dash off. We took it in turns to alternate between stands, sometimes just to stretch our legs and have a different view of the hall, but it seemed to work well.

At Spring Fair I launched a brand new range of stationery sets that I have been working on for a few months. The range 'Dilly & Eric' was inspired by some owl characters I drew previously for a greeting card and I thought they would work well for notelets. The sets went well at the show so I hope to make them available in the online shop very soon.

The show was a huge success, with orders taken at the show, and after. I have also started to work with a distributor in New Zealand (more on that soon). I made lots of new industry contacts and had a nice chat with existing customers too. Stock has been sent out to some lovely new stockists. It's been non-stop for a month!
I have already registered my interest for a stand in 2012, but my next show will be Harrogate Home & Gift in July.

The mad dash to Paperchase!

2011-01-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

As many of you may already know, Paperchase have started stocking a selection of my Valentine's Day cards in their Tottenham Court Road, London and St. Mary's Gate, Manchester stores. As London is a little closer to home I decided to go and visit the store with my Mum, Dad and boyfriend on Saturday.

We took a coach to Victoria for a comfortable and stress-free journey, and since we had all got out of bed very early that morning, most of us had a little nap on the way there. The tubes were a nightmare on the Saturday so we taxied through London, and it was really nice to go past Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch and Leicester Square, a very small bit of sight seeing before the exciting event.

We had a very chatty driver who claimed to have had the likes of David Cameron, Ann Widdecombe, Stephen Fry and Richard Branson in the back of his cab, and he was very amused by our Gloucestershire accents.

Our trip was also a chance for me to meet and catch up with one of my closest friends, so it was an all round lovely day.


A first glimpse at the store to find my greeting cards.

I was really pleased to find my cards under the designated section for Valentine's Day and a whole line of a shelf with my cards on. It was a slightly strange feeling to know that these have come all the way from my tiny Studio in Cam into this huge store!

Here I am with a big smile, having found my cards on the 4th shelf.

To think that two years ago this was all just a pipe dream. I have come a long way since then. Some of this has been down to just being in the right place at the right time, but I have to also say that it's been a lot of hard work, paper cuts, sweat and tears. But so worth it when you get results like this!

So, if you're near the store anythime soon, please pop in and have a look and maybe do a little shopping too.

'I Walked and I Walked' for Stella Bombella and thanks also go to Becky for her photos too.

Photos from Celebrate Success.

2011-01-14T01:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was sent some more photos of the Celebrate Success Awards in November, I thought I would share them with you.


The Bristol Old Vic - We are sitting in the front row on the right.


Phillipa Forrester presenting the ceremony.


Some of the fantastic entertainment for the evening was 'Boxed' a vocal orchestra, who were truly amazing. My boyfriend and I went to watch them again the weekend after, seeing as they were so impressive. They perform hits from different decades using only their voice as an instrument. Here is a link to their website. They are highly recommended, very talented and funny.

Collecting my certificate alongside category winner Leanne Townsend, and other finalist Robbie Winstone.

Paperchase store snaps.

2011-01-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

Today the lovely Becki Button took a store snap of my greeting cards for Valentine's Day. Thank you Becki!

These are now stocked in Paperchase, on Tottenham Court Road, London and St. Mary's Gate, Manchester.

I knew that my greeting cards would be in store this week, so I am thrilled to see them here. For the full photo click here.

I am off to London next Saturday to have a look myself. I'm hoping there will still be some remaining for me, my boyfriend and Mum and Dad to see, as we are all really excited about it!

More photos to follow soon!

Spring Fair Preparations.

2011-01-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

As my last post was a bit text heavy, I thought I would let you see my progress on display designs for Spring Fair. I am more nervous about this show than any of the others I have done, as it is just so much bigger and visitor numbers are a lot higher.


Hand drawing and painting onto the display.


Adding gems for a little sparkle.

Deciding on the layout of my new greeting cards for men.

12 new glistening Christmas designs added to the range.

Fingers crossed that the new designs will be well-loved at the show. Come and visit Fay's Studio stand 3R56 to see all of the collections available, including some exciting new stationery!

Gloucestershire Gazette Feature.

2011-01-07T01:43:00.000-08:00

Already this year I have been fortunate enough to be featured in our local Gazette. Out of the blue, the Prince's Trust contacted me to ask if I would like to feature in the paper and supply my 'case study' to the reporter. It was a fantastic opportunity to get more local interest in the business and to also publicise the work of the charity and how they have helped me.

I am never that keen to talk about spells of illness I have had, but without the background story it doesn't really highlight what is possible with a bit of hard work, and how difficult the past few years have been. Friends who weren't aware of the article were surpirsed to see me in the paper, and were the first to say well done.

'Greetings Today Magazine' are also going to run a feature on me and my products which should be out in February. They spotted me in the Gazette and were on the phone before I even knew the story had been printed.

Best of all I didn't have to go for a photo shoot, which I would have hated. Instead, I sent in a photo of me at my first trade show, much more fitting.

Here is the article:-

Young card designer turns life around with help of Prince's Trust (From Gazette Series)

Young card designer turns life around with help of Prince's Trust

11:25am Wednesday 5th January 2011

A CARD designer has spoken of how the Prince’s Trust helped her out of a low point in her life through access to support and work.

Fay Martin, from Cam, runs a successful greeting card business selling her own designs online and in top UK retailers.

But just two years ago Fay, 27, was unemployed and was uncertain and anxious about her future.

Having studied illustration at university and finding work as a visual merchandiser in her early 20s she developed symptoms of a chronic illness, similar to Crohn's disease, which made it difficult for her to hold down a full time job.

She had to leave her job when her symptoms, such as extreme tiredness and stomach pain, got particularly bad.

However Fay did not want to be out of work so started applying for new jobs, but did not receive a single offer which started to knock her confidence.

"I got so many rejections and after a while I started to feel worthless. It was depressing that, despite having a good degree, I couldn’t even get a simple day job," said Fay.

As time went on, Fay started to feel increasingly anxious, and her self-esteem hit rock bottom.

She said: "When you’re at home all day, you have no reason to go out and meet people. You get bored and depressed and it really affects you mentally."

Fay sought help from her local Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB), who put her in touch with Business Link, which in turn suggested she enroll on The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme.

The leading youth charity offers mentoring and financial support to young people who want to set up their own businesses.

Fay dreamt of using her illustration skills to set up her own greetings cards business, and received practical support from a Prince’s Trust mentor, as well as funding to cover start-up costs.

Running her own business has meant that Fay can work at her own pace, and she is better able to manage her illness.

Today, her company, Fay’s Studio, is proving a huge success, and her designs are stocked in one of the UK’s top card retailers.

Fay said: "The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme gave me the practical advice and self-confidence I needed to set up my own business. I am so glad that I can now fulfil my career aspirations and I’m really excited about the future."

Last year, The Prince’s Trust supported more than 44,000 disadvantaged young people, building their skills, confidence and motivation. More than three in four moved into work, education or training. For more information call 0800 842 842 or visit www.princes-trust.org.uk

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T03:36:00.000-08:00

It's a brand new year and what would be better than to sum up 2010 in this post. Needless to say it has been very eventful, embarking on my first ever trade show and following it up with a second, an award nomination, brand new customers and a start to a team of sales agents covering the UK.

Progressive Greetings Live was a two day show which gave me an insight into trade shows. Although for me it was a quiet show I met lots of new contacts within the industry that were all happy to help me source new materials and suppliers. It was a steep learning curve that was money well spent.

I turned 27 in August. It was good to look back over the past 15 months to see how far the business had come and to enjoy some cake in celebration.

I also had a lovely break in Mevagissey, time away from the heavy demands of the business before embarking on the second trade show of the year, Top Drawer Autumn.

My products changed considerably last year as I realised that there was a market for environmentally friendly products. Being part of the eco-trail at Top Drawer drew in more customers looking for responsibly sourced products.

I worked hard on launching lots of new designs which now stand at nearly 100 greeting card designs and at the end of 2010 I started working on new stationery ideas to release this year.

I now have three sales agents who work in the North East, North West and West Midlands. I am really happy to have them on board as they are vital for expanding the business.

Last year also saw me heavily involved with the Prince's Trust who have supported me over the past two years. In recent posts I have talked about my first event as a Young Ambassador and also my nomination for the South West Prince's Trust Business Enterprise Award.

Pictured below - my parents and I at the award ceremony held in Bristol in November.

Although 2010 was a busy year, 2011 promisies to be even more hectic. I will be exhibiting at Spring Fair International in February and Harrogate Home & Gift in July. I am even hoping to begin exporting my products, so there is lots in the pipeline. It has been a tough year and also financially a huge commitment, no one should embark on this route if they think it is going to be easy. I have had a lot of backing and support from many sources, but hopefully this year will see increased popularity of my products and new adventures along the way.

The most exciting news of 2010 has to be my first order from Paperchase. When their enquiry appeared in my inbox I thought it was spam or a joke, but in reality a selection of my cards are going to be on sale for Valentine's Day in the Tottenham Court Road, London and St. Mary's Gate, Manchester stores in the next couple of weeks.

I wish everyone a really happy 2011, and lots of luck with your creative business.

x Fay

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2010-12-23T03:16:00.000-08:00

I am sure by now if you are in parts of the UK that have had all the snow then you may well be very tired of looking at snow filled pictures. However, I have a few snowy snaps to share with you all of my wintery walks.

Pictured here is Holywell Orchard close to where I live. This is usually a very overgrown walk way so it was much easier to cross in the snow.

Below sits my usual stop where I catch my breath, which reads "rest but do not rust". No resting here today.

From this seat you can normally see Cam Peak, but on a day like today when the fog lingers over the hill, there is nothing more than a few fields and trees.

My dog, Shadow, loves the snow. Mostly, he likes to eat it!

From a very white Cam in Gloucestershire, wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Fay's Studio over the past 12 months and I hope you enjoy all the news and updates in the year to come.

x Fay

Slightly emptier Studio.

2010-11-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

I quickly dashed out first thing this morning before the snow set in, to take my big boxes of greeting cards to the post office. This extra special delivery is on the way to the Paperchase warehouse ready to be distributed into their Tottenham Court Road, London and St. Mary's Gate, Manchester stores.

The cards on sale will be a selection from my Love Birds Collection and the Enchanted Collection. This is by far my largest customer to date, and I am thrilled to have finally sent the boxes out and to feel reassured that they are now out of my hands and on the way to the stores. It has been an incredibly nerve wracking time for me. I am planning to take my parents to London to have a look at the store. I think they will be overwhelmed by it all as they have no idea how big Paperchase is, especially my Dad!

I hope to take a few snaps in store too, so that I can share the momentous occasion with you all. They will be available mid-January, so if you are in store, please show your support for my products. You may even bump into me.

Fairfield High School Careers Convention. 'How To Run A Business'.

2010-11-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

As a Prince's Trust Young Ambassador I represent the Trust at events and share my experience of running a business. Today I was a guest speaker at Fairfield High School in Bristol.

This was my first event as a Young Ambassador, so there was a bit of pressure to do the Trust proud and to represent my business too. It was a little nerve wracking to stand in front of a class of 30 15 year olds, but actually the majority seemed very interested in what I had to say and gave some good feedback to my questions throughout the lesson.

There are lots of talented pupils at Fairfield as it is a specialist visual and performing arts school, and many of the pupils I spoke to today are keen to start their own businesses when they are older. I met students who aspire to be fashion designers and computer game programmers.

Most of the pupils weren't aware of the Prince's Trust so I explained what the charity does, and who they can help. The pupils seemed interested to know that the Prince's Trust can help people into business, or into careers in music through the 'Get Into' programme. The Prince's Trust also helps people who are under achieving at school, have come out of care, who have a history of alchohol/drug abuse, who have been homeless or in trouble with the law, and those who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. There are many programmes that help children from 14 yrs to adults of 30 yrs.

Today I gave the pupils a questionnaire to get them thinking about their attitude towards money. As young people their expenditure is fairly low, and as expected their priorities at the moment include food, games and going out with friends, but it allowed them to consider putting money aside for a rainy day. When asked 'where does their money go' one pupil replied 'to the Government'. Very well said, I thought.

The pupils were great at identifying the positives and negatives of running your own business, and what attributes it takes to be a successful business person. They understood the importance of writing a business plan. I asked them to complete a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of a small business (eg a local convenience store) in comparison to a large company/chain store (supermarket chain). This they found a little more challenging, however they did grasp that large companies often move in, pushing the little shops out.

Overall, I think the pupils went away with lots to think about and I hope they gained a lot from the lesson. I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be, and in fact I had a lot more planned to do with the class, but they were saved by the bell.

Giveaway winners announced.

2010-11-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

Thank you to those who have commented on my recent blog posts. If you entered the giveaway then you are in luck as I have decided to send each one of you a prize. So, Vixen Lily, Kelly Johnson (Womble), Tatt Giff, Who Drank All The Tea, Sabah Designs, CLare_beaR, bloomers, Stellabombella, the sketchbookartist and Emele you are all winners!
All you have to do to claim your greeting card is send your full name and address to me at mail@faysstudio.com.
Once you have received your prize it would be lovely if you could post it on your blog or mention it in some other way, even tell me who you will be sending it to this Christmas, or if you are just keeping it for yourself.

Thanks again for leaving your lovely comments and well done!
x Fay

An update on happenings.

2010-11-12T06:58:00.000-08:00

Firstly, thank you to those who have entered the blog giveaway. It won't be long until I announce the winners but please keep mentioning the giveaway to your followers and fans.

It seems to have come round very quickly, but on Monday I will be off to The Old Vic in Bristol with my two very important guests (that's Mum and Dad) for the Prince's Trust Celebrate Success Awards. As you may know I am one of the three finalists for the Business Enterprise Award in the south west region. I am really pleased to be one of the finalists and I'm sure it will be a fantastic day of celebrations and a few tear jerkers along the way. Even if I don't come away with an award I will still be thrilled with the outcome, because I know how difficult it is for any business to make it, so the winner will go home with thoroughly deserved recognition. There is no tougher journey than going from unemployment to running your own business, it is a strain financially and emotionally, and wouldn't have all been possible without the support I have had. That goes to my twitter followers too, because throughout it they have been a wealth of information and help and I have learnt so much from trade show exhibitors and designers alike. So thanks to everyone who has offered their advice over the past year. You know who you are!

In just two weeks time, my first ever huge delivery will be leaving the Studio and heading to the warehouse of Paperchase Ltd. This couldn't actually have come round quickly enough as it has been an incredibly exciting time and I cannot wait to see them in the London flagship store. I'll be taking a train to the big smoke, just to see it for myself and then sit back, breathe, and enjoy a cup of coffee to take it all in, upstairs in the shop.

On the trade show front next year, I am already booked to exhibit at Spring Fair International at the NEC in Birmingham and Harrogate Home & Gift. Trade shows are a crucial part of the business, a lot of exhausting work, but a great way to meet and greet new customers, release new products and make friends within the industry.

That's all the news for now, I'll keep you updated about the awards.
Please keep supporting my products and the online shop.

x x x
Fay's Studio

Christmas Crackers Giveaway! Ho Ho Ho.

2010-10-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

As Christmas is fast approaching I have decided to do my first blog giveaway. This year I have designed and published 8 gorgeous glistening Christmas cards for the Fay's Studio shop. These cards are all a bit of fun and I have tried to capture the tacky side of Christmas and put them into a range. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a knitted jumper from your Granny, a cracker full of useless miniature inanimate objects, or a chiwawa dressed up as Santa would it?!

With that in mind I have 8 of these cards to give away, that's one each for 8 winners. I thought I would have more winners this time to give you all more of a chance.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning one of these little lovelies is to leave your comment here on the blog about which card you like and why, and it could very well be yours. It would also be lovely to get some more followers on my blog so please mention this giveaway to your twitter, facebook and blog buddies.

I will be announcing the winners mid November so that gives you plenty of time to post your thoughts.

Don't forget these cards are all made in the UK using only FSC certified materials and the packaging is 100% biodegradable too. So they are not only funny but also friendly, I think a little bit like the creator. I hope you love them! x Fay

Makers And Designers Emporium.

2010-10-12T02:21:00.000-07:00

Tucked away in the Cotswolds is the beautiful market town of Cirencester. Here lies one of my very first stockists who have sold Fay's Studio greeting cards for just over a year. It isn't often that I get to visit Cirencester and so I used the opportunity at the weekend to pop in to say hello to one of the lovely owners, Louise, who was extremely busy in the mad Saturday rush. I was really pleased to see my cards on the shelves, some of which were down to the very last one!

M.A.D.E (Makers And Designers Emporium) is full of the most wonderful British designed and made gifts by over 100 artists and makers. It is stocked full of textiles, homeware, ceramics and wood, jewellery, accessories, stationery, giftware, wall art and photography. It really is a one-stop shop for all of your gift needs and it's very difficult to leave without buying anything.

Whenever I see my cards on the shelves I am always really delighted. It reminds me of all the hard work that has gone into designing and making each one. Here on the top right is my 'Let's See The World Together' card which had nearly sold out, and my 'I'd Be Lost Without You' and ' You Are My Cup of Tea' cards on the second to last shelf also going well.

M.A.D.E is separated into three rooms. The room pictured above specialises in new baby and childrens gifts and cards. It is a wonderfully bright and colourful room full of gorgeous items for the new arrival. I also have a passion for visual merchandising in retail, so to see a collection so well put together with lots of thought and consideration for the product and the customer is great to see.

Making use of every space and utilising each product to make a display, I was thrilled to see my 'Congratulations' greeting card tucked in beside some gorgeous pamper gift boxes for a new Mum.

And here it is again on the card display on the right hand side of the second shelf. This section is a lovely mix of pinks, whites and blues all tied in with new baby clothes and gifts. M.A.D.E make use of every bit of space they have and it is done with real expertise and flair!

Up on the wall behind the paper octopus sits my 'Wonderful Daughter' greeting card (centre of top shelf). This selection is for the slightly older child, and my design fits in perfectly here.

Finally, just between room 1 and 2 is a wall of gorgeous gift wrap, ribbon and more greeting cards. Here you will spot my 'You Are The Cherry on my Bakewell' greeting card, looking lovely amongst all the other patterns. I also have my 'Twit Twoo' and 'You Make Me Dizzy' cards in the shop, but as they were just by the till and it was an incredibly busy day I didn't get the chance to take a photo. But why not visit yourself just to see how wonderful M.A.D.E is. I will be sending in my Christmas stock very soon, and if I have the opportunity to visit nearer Christmas I will take some more photos then. I hope you enjoyed a look around one of my stockists, I will try to do this more often.

The role of a Young Ambassador.

2010-10-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

In May 2009 I went through the Prince's Trust Business Enterprise programme to help me get into self-employment with my dream of becoming a greeting card publisher. From Monday to Wednesday this week I have been away in Saxmundham, Suffolk on an induction, following an invite to take on a role as Young Ambassador for the charity. Myself and twenty others from the South West and South East regions joined together at the lovely surroundings at Leiston Abbey to take part in the training to become a spokesperson for the Prince's Trust. Each individual had been helped by the charity on some level whether this was getting into an apprenticeship, work experience or help with a business idea and we had all been asked to take part in this residential to learn more about the role of becoming a Young Ambassador.

Not usually one to enjoy team building exercises I found myself having a great time with every aspect of the course. I was also surprised to find myself amongst a group of really inspiring young people who were really friendly and together there was a real sense of fun and achievement. It was also a very humbling experience to see that so many young people from disadvantaged backgrounds had turned their lives around with help from the Trust. There were many a heated debate about the levels of unemployment and lack of help for young people, and the stories of each Young Ambassador were not only heart breaking but heart warming too.

Each Ambassador left the induction at a 'passing out parade' where we each received a t-shirt, pin badge and a set of business cards to hand out at events. My role as a Young Ambassador takes place over the next year where I will be asked to attend a variety of events, meetings, conferences, judging panels, etc using my experience to tell supporters of the Trust how I have been helped to achieve success after a spell of unemployment.

I already have my first event invite, which is to talk to a group of teenagers at a high school in Bristol about my experience of self-employment. I will have to do a presentation about the pitfalls of working for myself and running a business, and conduct a group discussion with the young entrepreneurs. I hope to be able to use my experience to offer advice and guidance to other young people, by talking through my journey of where I was and where I am now. I will be helped to do this by a day of public speaking training, learning some really important techniques when talking to large groups of people. There are lots of opportunites available as a Young Ambassador and I am sure the next year will add many experiences to my CV. I will post about the events each time they take place. It is a fantastic opportunity to travel, meet lots of people and develop my skills as a public speaker. It should be easy to talk about my business and experience as I know it well, but sharing this with a room of 500 people may be slightly nerve wracking. I'll keep you updated on the events!

Christmas Is Coming.

2010-09-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Whether we like it or not, Christmas does have a habit of coming around quickly, and this means no rest for us greeting card designers. I am currently in the midst of designing new cards for Christmas 2011 to add to my festive collection.

You may have already seen my 8 card range that has just become available to buy from the shop. Also, it's not too late if you are a retailer to add to your Christmas stock.

When I design I try to look for things to illustrate that are a little unusual. For example, the design above shows all the wires of the fairy lights that we usually try to hide on the tree, but they make a lovely swirly background on this card, and as the designs are all printed onto a gorgeous glistening board, the cards really do shine in the light.

So if you are buying a card for someone who appreciates things that are a little bit different to the norm, then this range is ideal. All cards are matched with a pearlescent envelope and are left blank inside for your own message.

If I Wore a Badge.

2010-09-18T01:24:00.000-07:00

I don't often wear accessories, only on special occasions or when I am feeling a bit under-adorned. I find it all a bit fiddley and most days I can hardly find time to do anything other than come up with new doodles. You will often hear me mutter to myself if an idea comes to mind and then I quickly scamper about for a scrap of paper before the idea has gone. Beside my computer is a little bundle of notes with a big felting needle sticking through. Ideas all waiting to be turned into greeting cards. However, if I did find the time to add a little something, it would have to be a badge by Lazy Oaf.

Lazy Oaf, an East London based creative label, founded by Gemma Shiel in 2001, is a prime example of a great little business growing from a market stall to 150 stockists worldwide. In 2004 Lazy Oaf opened its first bricks and mortar store in Soho which holds their staple graphic tee's, greeting cards, jewellery and posters.

So, if I did have a badge, it would have to declare that I love drawing, and what could be better than a pencil with a smiley face?

Top Drawer Autumn 2010

2010-09-17T03:28:00.000-07:00

Top Drawer has now come to a close and I can happily say that we had a really good show (Mum and I). The funny thing about trade shows is one moment you are rushed off your feet with enquiries and the next the footfall drops which is your opportunity to quickly sneak off for a spot of lunch.

We arrived on Saturday 11th to set up the stand. Already the larger companies were well on their way setting up their displays and they looked great. It is a daunting task when faced with a blank 5 metre wall and it took just over four hours to get everything ready (which is actually nothing compared to others).

This is how I mock up my idea at home. It takes over my bedroom for weeks whilst I make decisions and hand illustrate designs onto the paper.

Seperating each range properly this time made the display much clearer to the visitors who were then able to make decisions about the stock they would like. I thought that I would get into a real flap with my first order but actually I remained calm and was very pleased.

Bit by bit the stand came together and it was apparent that the collection has grown quite a bit since PG Live.

Other exhibitors are always there to lend a hand if you need it. We borrowed this little step ladder as although I am tall I could not quite reach the top.

Sunday brought lots of enquiries and distribution of my catalogue. The response was really positive and there were lots of enthusiastic buyers who were very complimentary about my designs. It is always great to get feedback at the shows, as this often leads to new ideas of where to take my next ranges. I also met my very first sales agent from Chester who had driven all the way down to London that morning to meet me and his other clients. As a greeting card publisher it is so important to have sales agents and I have been on the look out for a few months. However, my new agent had actually found me through the Top Drawer website and was really keen to carry my ranges so he got in touch before the show.

Monday was a great day as I had my first sales. It is a wonderful feeling to bring out an order form as it completes the overall experience of the show. It is great for a total stranger to love the product and want to order right away. You may think that orders take place throughout the whole day but this is simply not the case, at least when you are new anyway. Everyone's experiences of the show differ hugely. Location plays an important role and can affect your footfall and sales, it really is imperative to have a good position where the footfall is constant. I really believe that if a 'buzz' surrounds your stand, other buyers will be instantly attracted.

Here is Mum on our first evening in London. We were staying in a studio (very appropriate) with a kitchenette which is ideal for me. As a Coeliac it is sometimes a real pain to find food in restaurants so this option was marvellous. X-Factor and roast chicken dinner! You couldn't ask for more when you are completely shattered from travelling and setting up all in one day.

My brand new range, 'The Enchanted Collection' has 10 brand new designs coming soon to the website. These went down really well with the buyers and actually stopped people in their tracks which was a great response for a brand new collection.

'Handbags and Gladrags' was very popular with the independent shops which cater for female shoppers. I am so pleased that these did well as well as the 'Love Birds' collection which had a wonderful response including some squeals of delight and laughter. I was so pleased to receive a warm response to these cards as they really show my humourous style. My greeting cards seem to make people stop and look and then they cause a second wave of amusement.

I also had the opportunity to meet the key buyer I have talked about a lot lately, which was fantastic. My legs did go to jelly. It was like meeting the Queen or Elvis but even better than that!

So here is the completed Fay's Studio stand (E150a)! I think you'll agree that it is looking a lot fuller than the previous show as I am really getting into designing new ranges.

Here is a detail of my stand where I stated my Product GB and Eco-Trail status at the show. I met buyers from eco-shops keen to know more about the materials used and other buyers were impressed by the quality of the products.

I also had enquiries from florists, gift shops, clothes shops, boutiques, fine art publishers, overeseas distributors, online shops, bookshops, independents and highstreet chain stores etc.

The next few weeks and months are going to be extremely busy for the business. I am always careful not to take on too much at one time as it is true that businesses can crumble under pressure, but I have a lot of support around me offering help should I need it. I am already considering Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham as my next show which takes place February 6th-10th 2011. This will be a key Christmas buying time as many companies plan well in advance, much like the fashion industry. I have lots of new Christmas designs to bring out alongside those already available on the website. You can never have too much choice at Christmas so I have lots of ideas to put onto paper.

Just keep chasing paper.

2010-09-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

If you are a follower of my tweets you will have seen me lately expressing my joy about a recent order placed by Paperchase. I thought I would tell you how it got to that stage and how I could have missed the opportunity without pushing myself.

Every year the greeting card industry holds awards to celebrate the best card ranges, gift wrap, calendars, licensed products, honourary achievements, and promising designers. In July I was very busy as it wasn't too long after my first trade show, so I was following up contacts and I really didn't think I would find the time to enter any awards. However, I really pushed myself to enter a couple of my ranges to the awards and who should be on the judging panel at these awards, but the head buyer and assistant buyer of Paperchase!

It wasn't too long before I was opening an email, which I thought was just a joke from a very unkind friend just winding me up, asking for my catalogue. After rubbing my eyes thoroughly several times and a few pinches I put together my samples and literally ran to the post office. The following news was very very exciting and in the past few weeks I have been preparing my very first order for this awesome company.

I still can't quite believe that at the start of next year a selection of my greeting cards will be sitting on the shelves of the two Paperchase flagship stores, Tottenham Court Road, London and St. Mary's Gate, Manchester.
Their website is having an exciting relaunch next week, here is the link if you would like to take a look. www.paperchase.co.uk

It just goes to show that luck really does come when preparation meets opportunity.
I will probably take a trip to London/Manchester myself just to believe it has really happened.

Product GB and the Eco-Trail

2010-09-08T04:52:00.000-07:00

As you may know, I do everything I can to make my greeting cards out of FSC certified board and paper and all packaging is 100% biodegradable. I wouldn't want to create products that harm the environment and that's why I have sourced these materials in the knowledge that although I am now part of a paper filled industry, I am not doing any damage by ensuring I use responsibly sourced materials and using only UK based printers and packaging companies. That said, Fay's Studio has been accepted onto the Product GB and Eco-Trail at Top Drawer and I was delighted to have my 'You Are My Cup of Tea' greeting card featured in The Essential Guide to Top Drawer.

I was really pleased to be selected out of many the many designers exhibiting at the show and I hope this helps to further demonstrate my work ethic.

'You Are My Cup of Tea' is in the bottom right hand corner of the guide below.

'You Are My Cup of Tea' - Product Code: FS12
Available at www.faysstudio.com

'A Prince-ly Celebration'.

2010-09-08T04:19:00.000-07:00

This month I had a small feature in the Progressive Greetings Worldwide Magazine. I wrote to the editor to tell them of The Prince's Trust Business Enterprise Award I have been shortlisted for and they were more than happy to feature it in the magazine. It is always nice to have something written about my achievements as it is further reward for the hard work that goes on behind the scenes of running a business and it also draws more attention to the Trust which they so deserve. It is just as rewarding for them when businesses they support are achieving what they sought out to do.

My new Christmas range is shown in the accompanying photograph which I hope will go down a snow storm at Top Drawer in just a few days time. They will be available on my website almost as soon as I arrive home from Top Drawer, as it surprising how quickly Christmas comes round especially if you have family and friends abroad that you need to send to.

I already have orders coming in for my Christmas range which is really great! I am always really happy to see my cards being enjoyed by the sender and receiver. It would be great to have a place where a receiver could post a photo of themselves with their Fay's Studio card, and to see how far they reach. Perhaps I could set up this function on my twitter account, it would be quite fun!

If you have bought or received a Fay's Studio card, maybe you could start the trend by sending a photo of yourself and card and a little about the special occasion and your location to me at mail@faysstudio.com. Then I will feature you here or twitter.

A break from the norm.

2010-09-08T02:58:00.000-07:00

I just have a little time to share with you the break I took with my boyfriend a few weeks ago in Mevagissey, Cornwall. When we took our first holiday together I discovered a lovely little place, very unspoilt, called Polperro. It rained for most of the week, however it just added to the fun of dashing between showers into the local restaurants and shops. On this break, from what has been an incredibly busy time for the business, again I wanted to find somewhere to go that was equally as unique that we would remember for many years. I used google earth to zoom in on the streets so I felt like I already knew the place before we arrived.

Mevagissey, allbeit very small, has many great little gift shops, lots of independents that thrive on the popularity of the town. It was heaving with people when we arrived, the narrow streets nearly impassable in a car, but the harbour town was simply beautiful. I really warmed to this booming working harbour, and we enjoyed the catches of the day at the harbourside fish restaurant which was very quirky. I have never eaten so many mussels and also fudge of many flavour from the centre of town. Our stay was properly Cornish, as on the news the next evening we heard about a record breaking Cornish pasty being made over in Fowey. It weighed a tonne and was 1.4m wide.

On our final day we visited my favourite Cornish town, Fowey. This is another thriving place made even busier during our visit because of the regatta taking place that weekend. A heavy sea mist had set in over night and so many of the bright colours you associate with all the boats, life jackets and buoys was dampened, but this did not take away from the lovely time we had. We found another restaurant serving mussels so I had a bowlful and sat back and people watched until it was souvenir shopping time. I went away with a gorgeous china cup, hand painted in egg shell blue with seagulls and the name of the town. An ideal keepsake. We then had a five hour journey back home due to the holiday traffic and a caravan with a burst tyre causing tail backs. It should have only taken a few hours, but still, it made the holiday last longer!

I am wondering if we might take our next British holiday in Rye, I have already been round on street maps and it looks lovely, especially the sandy beach!

But I am always torn when it comes to deciding, as my heart belongs in Kernow, like this little fellow.

Product Great Britain!

2010-08-24T01:48:00.000-07:00

My greetings cards have been certified as a Great British product and will be featured on the GB Product trail at Top Drawer Autumn (September 12-14th) Olympia, London.

My products were approved for the GB product trail by independent adjudicator David Nicholls, Design Editor from The Telegraph Magazine.

'Top Drawer once again demonstrates its support for the ever-popular Product GB trail - an initiative which champions the national economy and locally-made products. With the effects of the downturn still prevalent in some areas of trade in the UK, buying British ensures our local economy is given the best possible chance to flourish'.

'Product GB gives exhibitors a chance to showcase their products that are made using materials sourced from the UK, and are designed and produced locally.

Visitors to the show who follow the Product GB trail will offset carbon emissions incurred from goods transportation from overseas. Support for this initiative also encourages fair-trade practices, as the Product GB sticker denotes a traceable source of manufacture'.

'Demonstrate your support for the national economy and buy British at Top Drawer this September. Keep an eye out for the Product GB logo as you make your way around the show'.

www.topdrawer.co.uk

Putting my glad rags on.

2010-08-23T03:31:00.000-07:00

Whilst away in Cornwall for a few days, having a break from the day to day routine, I received a call from The Prince's Trust to say that I have been selected as one of three finalists out of the 30 entered for The Business Enterprise Award. This means that in November I will be attending the Celebrate Success evening where the winners are announced. It's all very exciting, especially as it will be an opportunity to put my glad rags on, which as a greeting card designer is a very rare occurrence.

I have also been asked if I would like to become a Young Ambassador for The Prince's Trust which of course I accepted. It will give me the opportunity to talk to other people going through the same experience and I hope to be able to offer some guidance about starting up in business. I do talk about The Prince's Trust when I can especially if I see that others are in need of business support. I will also receive more training for public speaking which has never been my forte. It will help enormously when I have to talk to large groups at conferences and meetings. I will keep you posted about my induction which takes place at the end of September!

Nomination!

2010-08-01T02:43:00.000-07:00

It has all been a little hush hush, but a few weeks ago I was told that 'Fay's Studio' is being nominated for The Prince's Trust Business Enterprise Award. I was speechless and really pleased to have been chosen for this award category.

'Celebrate Success is The Prince’s Trust recognition awards, celebrating young people who have changed their lives and those who have played a part in supporting the work of The Trust.

A series of awards recognise young people’s success in the areas of education, skills development, employment, enterprise and community.'

Just to be nominated for an award is reward enough for recognising how much life has changed for me over the past year. I started out with the idea of turning my talent into a career but The Prince's Trust gave me the business knowledge and confidence to get started up as a small greeting card publisher. I look back to this time last year, and realise that I couldn't have got to where I am today without their support and the expertise of my business mentor.

Visit The Prince's Trust website to find out more about the charity and how they help to change the lives of so many people.

Catalogues

2010-07-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

I have to admit it took me a while to get used to designing on A3 format having never made a catalogue before any larger than A4. I am really thrilled with the results. As I am exhibiting at Top Drawer in September and there is a lean towards the Christmas buying market I wanted my catalogue to celebrate my first Christmas card collection. I have been really excited by designing a Christmas range and I am proud that it is looking really different to the more traditional Christmas card ranges. I still love working with my figurative style and adding a bit of fun to my cards. I found it really easy to come up with the Christmas range as ideas seemed to just pop into my head. The front of the catalogue is based on the idea of the lovely Christmas stamps that appear on our post during the festive period. I have used one of my designs and turned it into a stamp! I thought the party hat in the design was a little like the Queen's crown on a traditional stamp and I used the font of Fay's Studio to create the final look of a stamp. I am also really glad that the Christmas range is printed onto a sparkly board and wrapped with pearlescent envelopes. They have that extra something that we all look for during the festive season. Anyway, enough about Christmas, although I am sure some of you may still have Christmas songs on your Ipods from last year?

I have already been posting out my catalogues to customers present and prospective, I really hope that it shows how far I come in the past 12 months from making everything at home to employing professional printers to make it for me. It's great to finally have a catalogue that has my personality and all the information needed for customers. It's all about making life a little easier for myself and Fay's Studio stockists.

I hope you like the look of the catalogue.
Keep your eye out for the Christmas range soon coming to the Fay's Studio shop.

Photographs

2010-07-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to add photograpghs of my greeting cards to my website since the new products arrived the other week. First of all I have had to wait for a decent amount of light to make the products stand out, but failing that Photoshop does help to bring out the colour.

Here are my new greeting cards! I am really pleased with the outcome having adjusted to the new biodegradable bags. When packing up my stock the bags felt strange at first compared to polythene, they seem to grip together when I stack them into piles, so at least I don't spend as much time now chasing my cards around the studio.

What do you think of the new cards? Do you prefer the idea that they are all FSC accredited and biodegradable and have you started thinking about your buying habits with paper products?

The 'Handbags and Gladrags' range.

The 'Love Birds' range.

The Website Re-launch.

2010-07-16T01:12:00.000-07:00

Since Progressive Greetings Live, things have been non stop for Fay's Studio. I made the decision when I first started out in business to be as environmentally friendly as possible and I only use materials that are FSC accredited and I also now have some great 100% biodegradable cornstarch bags to wrap the cards in. I have always felt that it is my responsibility as an illustrator and designer to be thoughtful when it comes to developing my ideas and to recognise the impact it can have on others.

12 months ago when I first started out on this venture, supported by The Prince's Trust, I walked the streets of Bristol and Bath with my trolley full of cards in tow. I trekked miles upon miles of pathways trying my luck with new stockists. I admit that at first the prospect of meeting retailers was incredibly nerve wracking, but it lead to some great business relationships with local customers. Other than that I have used the bus or the train to travel to meet my stockists and clients, so I like to think this keeps my emissions low.

As my products have developed and the ranges have extended I needed to spend time recently giving my website a total makeover. The whole look and feel of the Fay's Studio brand is brighter, more contemporary and fresher than before and I wanted the website to reflect this. The products have moved forward since sourcing special boards, envelopes and bespoke bags, and I think the price of my cards reflects the great quality and the fact that you can purchase something lovely that I have taken days to create.

I hope you like my new website and find the perfect card for your friends and relatives, or just for yourself.

Your feedback is always greatly appreciated.

'Knickerbocker Glory' from the Graphic range.

From The Wilde

2010-07-01T04:01:00.000-07:00

Today I am delighted to have one of my paintings (Branches) featured at www.fromthewilde.com from which I now sell my paintings and cards. 'From The Wilde' is owned by Helen Wilde a lovely lady with a wealth of experience in art publishing. She has been working extremely hard to launch the gallery to make it look as wonderful as it does.

The gallery showcases the work of some really exciting comtemporary British artists, designer makers and illustrators. Each artist is in some way inspired by the sea or the countryside and the products are really wonderful. There is a great selection of Textiles & Homewares, Ceramics, Jewellery, Fashion, Paintings, Prints, Stationery and Greeting Cards.

If you aren't too familiar with my work, you will discover that I also paint on a large scale. I love to paint seascapes and trees as you will see from the gallery. There is so much detail to be explored in nature and with my background in art and textile design I combine both painting and hand stitching to capture a scene. My work has been compared to Gustav Klimt which is a huge compliment as he has always been an influence in my work. I also have a penchant for Japanese prints and Emaki Scrolls which shows in my ink drawings.

With a wonderful array of products I am sure 'From The Wilde' will be a popular choice for many people sourcing beautiful, contemporary and one-off pieces.

My painting 'Emaki' is also featured at www.alwaysthinkin.co.uk in a great review of 'From The Wilde' and interview with Helen. Take a look here

Looking for agents.

2010-06-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

Each of my designs starts out as a line drawing in black ink. I have used fine Edding pens for at least ten years as they give me the best results.

I always used to be heavily criticised for using biro to draw but I really enjoy working with any black ink and knowing that I am under pressure to not make mistakes.

Many of my designs work well in black in white and sometimes I am a little reluctant to add colour. Yet in order to stand out on the crowded shelves in a competitive industry, I think it is wise to add a bit of colour or at least a little sparkle.

Here are some of my hand illustrations, showing how I work. Each drawing can take up to a day to complete because of the detail that goes into it, and then adding colour on the computer by hand can take another two or three days.

It is hard work to come up with a whole range working at this rate and it often leaves me with little time to do other things like selling.

I first started out finding new stockists by hiking around large cities like Bath and Bristol by foot with just my little trolley in tow. It was a great way to meet retailers and represent my business (and to lose weight) however it would be lovely to be able to concentrate on designing, because that is what I do after all.

I am currently looking for a team of sales agents as this would really help me to produce many more designs, develop new products and of course reach out to retailers far far away.

If you have any contacts with agents in the greetings industry and would be happy to help me it would be great to hear from you!

I like to draw...a lot!

2010-06-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just doodle for the fun of it. I always have new ideas for card designs, most of which get printed, but some I decide to keep and develop at a later date. I have to ask myself if the design is commercial, will it work as a greeting card. It doesn't hurt to be a bit ruthless with your own work at times. That is not to say that they won't appear as prints in the future because I always try to create work that can be framed and appreciated as art, especially as some of my designs are a bit unusual.

Developing the business.

2010-06-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

Since exhibiting at Progressive Greetings Live in May a lot has been happening at Fay's Studio. Firstly I have been very busy working on a freelance illustration project with a great lifestyle photographer, more of which you will find out about soon. I have also been developing my greeting cards in order to move forward with the business.

PG Live gave me the opportunity to meet a new paper and board supplier and a different printing company that will be able to offer me better service for what is a small home based business. It is the type of support I need as a small publisher and it is a very exciting time for the product. I cannot wait to see them on the shop shelves, all shiny and new.

Firstly the print quality has improved, I am still having my designs printed digitally but there is a noticable difference, to me anyway. A few weeks ago I was like a child in a sweet shop when a rep from a paper company came to visit me and brought with her lots of samples for me to look through. The choice of board was endless and I was glad to have expert guidance for my new products. I have chosen some wonderful finishes for my greeting cards, some matt, some silkweave embossed and the Christmas range is going to sparkle and shine!

To the left: Miniature samples that arrived last week.

I have also had the enjoyable task of selecting different envelopes to match my cards, so I now have a wonderful choice of colours, pearlescents and embossed white envelopes. Nobody buys a card for the envelope it is paired with, but it really makes a difference in framing the card on the shelf and I think adds an extra little bit of luxury to the product. I have also been working on the layout of the back of the card making it easy for customers to read about the product and the materials used to make it.

I am continuing to source FSC accredited papers and boards, envelopes included, but I have also most importantly moved on from cellophane bags and all greeting cards will now be wrapped in 100% biodegradable cornstarch bags, meaning that the products are even more environmentally friendly. I am proud to develop products using only British suppliers. That's good news for everyone!

I should have the new products packed and ready for my lovely stockists and waiting customers in the next few weeks, in the meantime I won't be taking much of a breather but working on new designs I have in mind and sorting out the admin I have waiting for me. I am also planning my next trade show appearance, so keep an eye out for the announcement!

Don't worry if you find my Folksy shop 'Funny Side Up' closed in the next few weeks as I will updating it with new products very soon.

Progressive Greetings Live 2010

2010-06-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

On May 25-26th Fay's Studio was in Islington, London taking part in its very first trade show. It was a difficult decision taking the plunge into such a large and fairly expensive adventure for my business but I would recommend it to anyone.

Fay's Studio stand showing the current greeting card ranges and new designs yet to be printed.

If you came to visit the show you may have met my wonderful Mum who helped with every last ribbon and sticky foam tab and she was great with the customers! Needless to say we were exhausted just after the set up as we had travelled by train with all of our equipment. It was a hard task but that isn't to say we wouldn't do it again because it was so easy to take down at the end of the show.

This is me looking slightly tired at the end of the first day.

It took around 6 hours to set up the stand and by 8pm on the Monday we were dehydrated and very hungry, but very pleased with the stand which had made the transition from my bedroom wall to The Business Design Centre. I have to say I was quite proud of myself, but still feeling incredibly nervous about the next day.

Tuesday was a very mixed day, chatting with the standholders nearby and getting to know them and their products. I met distributors from America, Japan and The Netherlands which was a good start to the show and Wednesday brought many more opportunities and contacts in the UK. I met so many people from a variety of businesses who really loved my designs, it was really encouraging that my designs struck a chord with many different retailers.

I have come away from the show exhausted but extremely pleased to have taken part, and optimistic for the future of the business. I am already looking into different paper and board suppliers and a whole new printing company for my products just to meet the demands of my customers. I hope to get even more green too, which will really benefit the environment and also please many customers who enquired about packaging.
I can't give away too much at the moment but I will no doubt have more to say in the near future about the next steps for me and my designs.

I am already raring to go with new designs sketched out this week, and getting excited about meeting a rep from a paper company to decide on the best surfaces and finishes for my products. So keep a look out for the new products. It's a really exciting time!

2010-05-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

As greeting cards are what I love to design most it would be fitting to share a few facts with you about the industry.

Despite being warned of the difficulty of working in the greeting card industry by peers and tutors (and I not being one to listen to advice) so far I have relished being part of one of the most competitive, exciting, rewarding design jobs there is. I think many designers would agree with me.

According to The Greeting Card Association the UK Greeting card industry is worth over 1.7 billion annually (to put that into perspective that's more than tea and coffee combined). It's acknowledged as being a decade ahead in terms of design than any other place on earth with over 800 publishers producing over 1.5 billion greeting cards in 2009 for the British consumer.

There is a greeting card available for just about any message you want to send. You can even have personalised hand-crafted cards to be as heart warming or insulting as you so wish.

'I Walked and I Walked' is one of my designs based on the fairytale idea of being lost in a deep dark forest but being saved by the string you set down to find your way back, a little bit Hansel and Gretel.

My personal hand-cut favourites are these beautiful designs by the ultra talented Helen Foers owner of StoreyShop.

Visit her Folksy shop here.

2010-05-07T04:48:00.000-07:00

My love of illustration goes way way back. It would be foolish to try to say who or what inspired me the most to begin a career in design but it is important to recognise those who excited me years ago and still do to this day.
The turning point in design for me was my discovery of Neasden Control Centre and Vault 49 famed for their explosive use of line and multi-layering. This was at a time when I saw the demise of minimalism (which had become somewhat tired) manifest into a wonderful world of maximalism celebrated worldwide by designers and illustrators like myself. My time at university was at the beginning of this wave of change, and I remember my classmates going mad for this style.