Say hello to Mia!

So this little cutie-pie is Mia Luz Fullerton-Meléndez, sitting pretty at nine weeks old in her brand new nursery. I remember packing up this big parcel of fabric just before Christmas and sending it away to a far off place called Jupiter in Florida, USA. I had my fingers crossed that it would arrive in time.

I do love a good customer order and this one was very special. Mari approached me via my Etsy shop about ordering some of my printed fabrics for her new baby's nursery.  Mia was due just before Christmas and I had about 3 weeks to get the project done.  So began the longest conversation on Etsy to date (38 messages in total!) Everything was carefully planned by Mari with mood boards for colour and scale and we discussed measurements and patterns in detail -  It reminded me of when I was pregnant with Stanley and all the nesting instincts and excitement I had about my future baby - Mari was bursting with enthusiasm from the start (with just a hint of panic!) and was planning everything meticulously.  Her mum, Gloria, was to be the Queen of the sewing machine in those last few days before Mia was born and what a fantastic job she did!

I was so chuffed when I received these photos.  I love how the room is decorated with a white and grey colour scheme and then you get a whoosh of brights from all my prints and the little extra details! I couldn't have asked for a better result.

Love the wallpaper!

The cot below was designed and made by Mia's dad - beautifully simple and even this didn't miss out on the tiniest of cushions!

Thank you, Mari for all the photos and keeping me up to date.  I'm so pleased we had a chance to work together.

Meet the happy family:
Just in.....Mia Luz Fullerton-Meléndez
Mommy - Maria del Mar Meléndez (originally from Puerto Rico) 
Daddy - Adam Fullerton - both Graphic Designers / Art Directors
Maria's Mom and chief seamstress - Gloria Muñoz

x

Working on it....

I've not quite got the hang of Instagram.  I'm not an iPhone user (yet!) - I'm an HTC girl and I've only just been able to download it to my mobile. It's not as spontaneous as taking pictures straight from the camera on my phone so I've got to work out the best way to do it before I get bored and work out the point of it all!
Anyway - my Monday at the studio was snail like, given that I have a very stiff neck (an unfortunate recurring problem which likes to surprise me every now and then!) Never the less I managed to pack up and send a flurry of orders from my notonthehighstreet shop - thanks to all you Sunday shoppers!  I also printed some Moroccan Tile in olive for an Etsy customer order for cushions which will be made this week and I took a pic with Instagram - looks a bit blurry on the big screen!
The HR signage at the back came from my favourite little vintage shop Committee of Taste. They'd only got a handful of letters so I was lucky. The little stool (which I think might have been taller in another life) was a street find and is perfect for giving me a leg up onto my print table when I need to grab things from the shelf.
So that was my Monday - roll on the sunshine and bye bye neck pain!

An Illuminating Read!

I'm very excited about this book by Hannah Nunn, published by Bloomsbury.

It's due out around October, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.
A whole book about contemporary lighting - the hands on, beautifully made variety and I'm extremely flattered to be included in it.  I first met Hannah back in 1999 when I did my first Trade Fair at Top Drawer in London.  She was just about to open her shop in Hebden Bridge and was interested in taking some of my lamps.  Radiance soon became a reality and I'm pleased to see it's turned into a great success, selling not only mine and many other lighting peeps work, but her own beautiful range of laminated, paper cut shades which are the backbone to her fabulous shop.
We almost met again last year when she first approached me about compiling the book as she wanted to talk to the designers first hand.  Sadly we missed our appointment due to my school holiday mix up and then the birth of her friend's baby took top priority. Nevertheless, we've since chatted over the phone and emailed and continue to keep in touch.
There are so many artists featured in the book (43 in total, from across the globe!), the amount of work involved must have been massive, a real labour of love.  It's finally done and off at the printers.
If you're not familiar with Hannah's work, you should pop over to her online shop here as well as taking a peek at her own blog.  She writes honestly and beautifully about her work as both designer and shop owner (not always an easy balance I'm sure! I loved this post on the subject) and shares photos of the wonderful countryside where she lives, which is a constant inspiration to her work.  One day I will make it to her shop, but for now I shall keep popping over to the virtual one and shall wait patiently for the book to arrive.
Here's the link telling you more about it with a sneak peek inside and how to pre-order.