Update & Christmas Wishes

Hi everyone!

Sorry for my blogging absence! I was so busy in New York I just couldn't find time to blog, I had an amazing time and have so much inspiration to share but I might just have to save those posts for the New Year!

Below are a few photos from the hundreds I took.. Just a few of the highlights being an incredible sunset from 'The Top of the Rock', the view from our apartment building and visiting the marimekko shop (fabric HEAVEN)!!

This will probably be my last post for 2012, so I am sending you all best wishes for the Christmas/Holiday season! I hope you have a great one!

Here's hoping 2013 is a great year! I have lots planned and lots of inspiration, new designs and products to share with you all, so come back in the new year! And finally, here's a rather cheerful Christmas decoration I saw in Canada back in the summer to see us out! Merry Christmas Everyone! x

Images copyright Rosie Simons 2012

Giveaway winner and a little Christmas treat!

Wow! Thank you everyone who entered the giveaway and for the lovely comments!

I am pleased to announce, the winner is.. Carrie!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As you all left such wonderful comments I have decided to return the favour and offer you 10% off everything in my Etsy store using coupon code 'CHRISTMASCHEER10'!

Feel free to share with your friends and family and spread the Christmas cheer!

This offer is only valid for 48 hours so get in there quick! Deal ends 12pm (midday) GMT Thursday Nov 29th 2012.

Images copyright Rosie Simons 2012

GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate gaining 200 followers on Twitter I am hosting a little giveaway! You can win a pack of 8 of my Christmas Cards, 2 of each of the 4 designs below, just in time for Christmas!

Use the widget below to enter the giveaway which runs until midnight Monday evening (GMT).
There are 4 ways to enter:
1. Leave a comment telling us why you'd love to win these wonderful Christmas Cards
2. Like Rosie Simons Graphic & Surface Design on Facebook
3. Follow @rosie_simons on Twitter
4. Tweet about the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you just can't wait to get your hands on these lovely cards or want to purchase a greater quantity, they are available to buy from my Etsy store!

Share some festive feeling and share this giveaway with your friends! Thanks for stopping by!

Spoonflower

This week I entered Spoonflower's Holiday Napkin Contest..

I wanted to create something fun and festive, so I chose bright versions of classic 'holiday' colours and combined them with contemporary Illustrations of classic holiday icons and 'happy holidays' caption in a playful typeface. 

You can vote HERE!

The only instructions for the competition were 'Using a fat quarter (21" x 18") of fabric as your canvas, create a set of holiday-themed cocktail napkins. We suggest setting them up sized at 4.5" x 4.5" inches, with an additional quarter inch on each side to be used as a seam allowance (making each square 5" x 5")' so you were free to play with different ideas and layouts of the design.. I chose to go patterned!

All images copyright Rosie Simons 2012

Feature Friday - Mel Smith Designs

Today I am introducing a new feature.. Feature Friday.

I thought it would be really nice to dedicate a day on the blog to featuring designers I know and/or whose work I admire! I mean who doesn't love some gorgeous work on a Friday?

Today our *first* featured designer is..

Mel Smith Designs

I first came across Mel's work on Society6 where the design below from her 'bold & beautiful' collection caught my eye. Mel like me is a massive fan of colour and I love her use of it. This pattern really does make my heart sing!

Mel describes her style and process of working..

"My work is quite graphic but I like to keep a hand drawn feel to it all. Everything starts as quick doodles, later tidied up with neater sketches and then finally scanned into Photoshop for recolouring and creating my patterns. I could change the colour of some of my designs all day - I think colour grabs my attention first when I'm looking around shops - and think this aspect of the design is just as important as the pattern itself, if not more sometimes."

"I love retro graphics and mid-century design, as well as the whole Scandinavian look, so I think all of these styles are incorporated into my work in one way or another."

 Mel sells handmade greetings cards, magnets, buttons, earrings, rings, notebooks and more in her Etsy store

"My Bold &  beautiful and Black Border ranges have been received well in recent months and I have a variety of handmade products available in these designs. I also have wallpapers, iPhone cases, canvases, and laptop skins available from online shops Wallpapered.com and Society6" (links below)

Mel is currently open to/looking for commissioned work, so please contact her via her website.

Hope everyone enjoyed the first feature friday! Thanks Mel for sharing your work with us! If anyone is interested in having their work featured in the coming weeks please contact me on twitter (@rosie_simons)

All images copyright Mel Smith Designs

NEW Etsy store!

Today I have very exciting news! My greeting cards are now for sale in my NEW Etsy store!

Currently for sale are Greetings and Christmas cards, I hope to branch out soon, selling other paper goods and my own designed fabrics. The cards are currently available as singles or packs of 8, custom orders are also accepted.

I love the About page feature on Etsy, which gives you a space to tell your/your shops story, with lovely big images and a cute round bio image for the shop owner.

My lovely little sister took the photos of the cards for me, I am so pleased with how they came out, she's very talented with a camera!

Images copyright Rosie Simons 2012

Sneak peek - New card designs

Today I am introducing you to a greetings card range which I am just in the process of sending to print.

I have always wanted to create greetings cards, I think they're lovely objects to have and to hold so went about creating some of my own!

There are 4 Christmas cards, 2 different designs each in 2 different colour ways. These will be available to purchase in dual design packs; Purple and Blue Merry Christmas and Red and Green Happy Christmas or each design as a single card. I will be opening a new Etsy shop to sell the cards (and lots of exciting other stuff!) next week, so keep your eyes peeled!

I have also produced some every day greetings cards, in my 'Inky Floral' design (seen here) which will also be available to buy SOON! Don't forget to follow or check back next week for news on where to buy the cards! To keep up to date you can also follow me on Twitter or 'like' Rosie Simons Graphic and Surface Design on Facebook.

All images copyright Rosie Simons 2012

Preparing for the holiday season

The holiday season is a very busy time for sellers on Etsy so I am starting to prepare myself and my shop(s) for the busy period and using this quiet summer period to add lots of exciting new products, both gifty and holiday season related, and hopefully open a new shop!

My current Etsy shop, iheartrosie, sells fabric items. Braided fabric bracelets, fabric hearts keyrings and other fabric items, such as fabric christmas trees and stars. There are also super cute friendship bracelets! Many items that would make great gifts this holiday season! (I'm cringing a little bit saying that in July, but there we go!)

I'm currently working on new bracelet colours and styles, and special holiday items, plush fabric christmas trees, stars and hearts, plush fabric christmas tree garlands and other nice things!

Here's a sneak peek of some of the fabrics I'm using for the christmas collection!

I've also been working on items for a new paper based shop where I hope to sell my own designs as prints and greetings cards. It's starting to come together so I will be able to share that with you soon!

Here's a little sneak peek of some of the things I've been working on! Let me know what you think!

All images copyright Rosie Simons

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

Shortly after my last post I jetted off to New York City for a week thanks to my wonderful boyfriend! Like many people out there I LOVE New York! It's a fantastic place all the time but just before Christmas it is so magical!

To add to my adventures before jetting off to New York I visited Gent in Belgium for the weekend, another beautiful place especially in the run up to Christmas!

This was my second year running celebrating my birthday in New York and attending the Etsy staff Holiday Party, so here are a few pictures from my trip! (it's quite hard to pic 'just a few' out of the 1000 photos I took!)

Exploring Brooklyn Bridge Park

The Winter Garden at the World Financial Center, absolutely amazing with lights hanging from palm trees inside the glass house

'One need never leave the confines of New York to get all the greenery one wishes' - Frank O'Hara

The Freedom tower is getting there

View of Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge park at night

New York Rangers vs Dallas Stars (my first ever time attending a sports game!)

Pretty Brooklyn Street

More views from Brooklyn Bridge Park across to Manhattan

I had to take a photo of this when I saw it because I couldn't believe the similarity to the South West Trains logo (seen below)

 On the roof of the Etsy office at 1am taking in the spectacular view, you are level with the Manhattan Bridge and traffic and subways go whizzing by beside you and the view over to Manhattan is unbelievable!

My first ever trip to Kate Spade.. 'Live color fully' and they do.. SO MUCH COLOUR!

Amazing Sephora window with paper crafter writing and flowers

The High Line Park - A public park built on a historic freight line elevated above the street on Manhattan's West Side. It's an amazing park, cutting through buildings, old and new and giving you unbelievable views down Manhattan's streets and avenues.

An entire shop of buttons.. heaven.

An entire shop of ribbon.. even more heaven!

Times Square (from a way back as it was so busy stopping or taking pictures was impossible!)

Looking down Avenue of the Americas

Central Park on a sunny (but absolutely freezing) afternoon

I love the look of the worn painted on advertisements on walls

Manhattan Bridge at sunset

Brooklyn Bridge Park at sunset

I LOVE NEW YORK

And then Christmas, New Year takeover and now, back to work. The sad reality of finishing my dissertation for hand-in in 3 weeks time! But I thought I'd finish off with this picture of the wrapping present my mum used. It was apparently very cheap but I really enjoyed the design, simple but very effective!

Now I guess I'd better stop avoiding work and get on! Here's to a great year!