Our Dads are unique, and quirky, and fun, and they always say they don't want anything for Father's Day!
The question I have to ask myself is, do they *really* not want anything for Father's Day, or do they just not want any more comedy socks?
It's May! Or, as we refer to it in the studio, M(a)y goodness it's nearly Christmas.
I'm genuinely sorry to mention the C-word, but honestly, it's come up a few times in conversation here. May is traditionally the month when we get serious about all the prep for every season that follows. That includes Father's Day, end of school year Teacher Gifting, and the summer sale, but there is a hefty dose of the snowy season in there too.
Enough of that for now - I just thought it might amuse you to know we've been playing the odd carol and donning elf ears to get us "in the mood". Read on for more appropriate May things.
You may remember last month we showed you our pop out daisy bunting? Those little flowers became a really cute Easter card and got our creative juices flowing for what else we could do with wooden flowers, wooden cards, and gifts.
We now have, not one, not two, but three gorgeous flower-based products coming soon and definitely in time for teacher gifts. They'll be launching properly next week but in the meantime here are a few pictures to whet your appetite.
Have you met Willow yet? She pops up from time to time in our stories and reels, but I don't know if she has ever starred in an email! She came to the studio with me this week and there's a fun moment in our stories right now of our postie, Aaron, trying to make friends. Willow loves it when people arrive, but she's over that event quite quickly!
One of the things I've been listening to lately is a fab podcast from Wisconsin Public Radio. The nationally-syndicated show dives into the deeper end of ideas with recent podcasts including "Writing as a political act", "Taking pop seriously" and this amazing one "To all the dogs we've loved" If you're a dog owner you'll love it. Willow was only interested in the bits where she could hear other dogs.
One of my absolute favourite things to do is see IRL a building or landmark that I know features in one of our travel memory designs. It ticks all sorts of geeky designer nerd things in my psyche and I always take a photo of it. The thrill of recognising it also means we've done an excellent job in designing the print!
In the last couple of months I've been able to tick off two landmarks in Oxford (the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum), and two in San Francisco (Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz). Let me know if you spot anything in the wild that we've designed a print for.
See you soon xxx
Each flower is available as a single bloom, but you can also build a whole everlasting bouquet of wooden stems to create a unique gift.
I really wanted to make sure the flowers could be freestanding but would also work in a small vase or maybe a jam jar so they can work in whatever setting you like. So, each flower will come with a small round stand. I found these cute hexagonal trinket dishes in Anthropologie that set them off beautifully.
I've just finished listening to the audiobook 'Daring Greatly' by Brene Brown - the title of which was inspired by this Theodore Roosevelt speech. It's opened my eyes to so many of the ways we feel vulnerable and how we try to compensate and the voices we hear and construct - I'd go so far as to say it felt life-changing. Not just for how I view myself and my own insecurities and fears (we ALL have them) but my relationships with everyone else too. And goddamit I'm committing right now to being IN the arena - what's the worst that can happen?
A couple of weekends ago I headed to the Forest of Dean with three gorgeous friends for some much-needed restoration. We'd all isolated at various levels around Christmas so we had a small festive re-do complete with gifts, crackers, a four-course meal, champagne, and of course a Christmas tree (well - branch that I found on one of the walks). Yes, we also brought fairy lights and a candelabra - don't you always pack those on your forest holidays?
It was definitely what my soul needed. Plenty of walks, good food, some soaking in the hot tub and fizz fuelled laughter. One morning I awoke to the sound of munching and there were two deer just outside my window having their brekkie!
Two of the gang are also Zumba instructors so there was a choreography session or two thrown into the mix. Fella was totally unimpressed.
We've made something beautiful, just for the Christmas holidays. A festive wall planner that spans five weeks to cover the school holidays in December and January and capture all those pantomimes, nativity plays, Christmas Fayres, working from home days, childcare juggling days, and the best ever days off!
Cool and icy blues, beautiful inky illustrations, and all the space you need to create a fabulously organised festive season. They're live on our website right now at just £15.
But Christmas was made for magic, so here's how you can get one for FREE.
Every order for our stunning Paint Chip 2022 Wall Planners placed in November, will include a free additional Christmas Holidays Wall Planner.
For us, the perfect Christmas Eve box is all very hygge, a time to hunker down at home in pure comfort and spend time together, before the excitement of Christmas Day.
We’ve put together some suggestions of what our perfect Christmas Eve Box might hold in case you wanted some inspiration. And spoiler alert – Christmas Eve boxes shouldn’t be just for the kids! (Which is basically me saying, I want one!)
Some new, and freshly washed, PJs. We love these ones by our pals at Lola and Blake Designs. Available in baby to adult sizes so you can all match!
Slippers – and nothing is cuter than these crocheted ones from Eka Wear. Available in baby to adult sizes.
Something to read – a comic, a book, a magazine – just some downtime away from a screen, whatever age you are! You can't go wrong with a Christmas classic, and with a redesigned cover from Bookishly - even better.
A card game – I can highly recommend Exploding Kittens if you haven’t already found this. Very addictive and fun for all ages. Or just a new pack of cards so you can play your own choice of games. We are big fans of QueenG cards for their gender equality and diversity of the royal cards.
A new Christmas decoration. This sweet mouse is handmade from 100% British sheep wool. Proudly wearing a Santa hat this little fellow would hang sweetly from a Christmas tree. From Brown Betty Blue
Or a personalised tree ornament as well, like these polar bear ones from Betsy Benn.
A little creativity – maybe some origami squares for the older ones, or some watercolour paints (yes – for me again!) or these gorgeous Elf stickers from Elf For Christmas
Some hot chocolate – and delightfully presented maybe like this one from Zac and Lily.
And maybe a mug cosy to keep little hands protected? We love this polar bear one from Chi Chi Moi.
For the grown ups you could add a miniature brandy or rum for extra warmth!
And absolutely include a snack. Either ready made biscuits, or these ones to bake yourself from The Katie Bakes
And just like that, we've cruised straight past half-term and landed in November.
My November days are almost all about getting ready for the peak trading days at the end of the month and early December, so jumper drawers have been organised and batch cooking has been full steam ahead.
The shorter daylight hours have me trying to squeeze dog walks into the middle of the day rather than the end, so I've had Willow for company in the studio. Which is lovely, but she does seem to think the bathroom is a Narnia-like transportation door and she cries outside whenever I'm in there. Daft pooch.
Not much product development happens in November - it's just too much plate spinning with everything else. (Oh, ONE print is coming soon!) Building new relationships though, can happen at any time.
I had a great morning on Tuesday with local stylist and Instagram expert, Dee Campling. She worked marvels with some of our old favourites and upcoming launches to create some gallery walls and has all the tips on how to blend styles and work with what you have. Keep an eye on her Instagram for Betsy flavoured stories! Her two ducks, Sage and Onion, looked quite disinterested until we got their favourite snack out - fresh peas. Billy the dog though was happy on the sofa throughout!
Having recently collaborated with Brighton jewellery designers, Posh Totty, we realised there was a love of all things celestial that we shared with our other pals at Bookishly. So the three of us are joining forces again on a Sun, Moon and Stars giveaway over on our Instagram tomorrow - so do check that out.
A stellar prize if ever there was one (pun totally intended).
After all our other travel plans bit the dust this year, we found a week during half term to visit Crete for the first time. Such a beautiful island and we were all thankful to be able to pause, take a breath, and enjoy some gentle sunshine.
I think I spent about two hours counting waves, trying to see if the seventh wave was always the biggest. If you don't know what I'm talking about then google it, but essentially waves travel in sets, typically anywhere between 2 and 15, so 7 quite often is an average. Counting the waves between the biggest and smallest is something I've been doing for years and it's so hypnotic.
Interestingly, we breathe in sets too. Sit for a few minutes and notice where you take your "biggest" breath.
We can source laserable items even if we don't have them in stock. Like these yoga mats. Similarly, we're happy to work with products you want to source yourself or include within a larger gift.
Whether you want your company logo, and inspiring message, or just each individuals name or initial we can create any amount you need. Short production runs are easy to do from our studio in Cheltenham.
Our Santa Hat decorations can make the perfect personalised desk drop Christmas gift. If you have the team photos, we can turn them into Christmas decorations.
