Slumbermonkey Designs

  Welcome To My Garden Spring is one of my favourite seasons and one that I get lots of inspiration from. This year it feels later because of all the snow (and they keep saying we may have a white Easter!) but signs of life are appearing in the garden. My mind has now turned to lighter and brighter makes, flowers and pastels. I love my studio in the garden and I find that what's around me finds it's way into my designs (like the pyrography sign above!). Pyrography is a technique where you burn the design into wood using a special tool. I have been using this method for pieces like the one above as well as door hangers and ornaments Hedgehog Sign. Another favourite subject is hedgehogs. You will find them all over my store as jewellery and stationery, but I though I would show you something a little different. This illustrated art work is also created using pyrography. With this item I once again been inspired by nature and have included lots of quirky organic fo...

This month I have been taking part in a "Meet The Maker" challenge devised by the wonderful Joanne Hawker ( https://joannehawker.co.uk ). Every day throughout the month there is a prompt to follow. Inspired by that word you devise and then publish a post to Instagram. It has been a wonderful way to engage with the creative community and like minded individuals. I have tried to be individual in my approach and have hopefully put across my ideas and my passion for making. The video above shows me in time lapse (wish I was that fast!) hand colouring a piece of shrink plastic jewellery. Social media is such a huge part of building a business these days but this is such an enjoyable way to be involved. If you are on Instagram take a look at all the posts with the hashtag #MarchMeetTheMaker and see the diverse range of independent business taking part. My Instagram link is here if you would like to see more of my posts this month. See you there! https://www.instagram.com/slu...

Most of you in the U.K have probably been affected by the awful weather this week, with snow, gales  and ice. Here in Dorset we had a big dump of the white stuff on Thursday. It snowed all day! This is the first time we have had snow since we moved here. It is now that I can truly say how amazing it is to have my own studio in the garden. I could still be creative without having to stray far. My studio also has underfloor heating. How amazing is that? So this week I have been snug and warm whilst I develop some Easter ideas and get to grips with my Silhouette Cameo. Here's my studio from the outside in the snow! You can see the bird feeders outside the window. I love watching the birds in the garden whilst I work. This week I've been keeping an eye out for some Bullfinches that seem to be hanging around. Such gorgeous colours! No photographs of them I'm afraid but I was inspired to make some bird themed jewellery a few weeks back. Coincidently they feature a Bullfin...

Everything seems to be happening early this year. Mother's Day is on Sunday 11th of March, so not long to get sorted. I have lots of ideas in my Etsy store that could make lovely little gifts and a great card that is a brand new design! I was inspired by the idea of the garden and flowers and how they are nurtured and looked after. The perfect sentiment for Mother's Day.                                            Mum, You Helped Me Bloom Continuing with the light, Spring like theme I love my new bird themed jewellery including pins, brooches and earrings from £8 plus p&p. Once again inspired by my garden. These are the birds I watch from my studio!                                                               ...

I thought long and hard about restarting my blog where I had left off! After all it's been two years since I last posted. Then I thought, why not? It's really interesting to see how far I've come and what has changed. So here goes... The last time I posted I had just moved to Dorset. Well I am still there. My studio in the garden(that's my view from the window) is my favourite place to work and I have built up my business and continued to expand my ranges and ideas. However, I have struggled with depression over the last year which has made me think even harder about what makes me happy. My studio is my sanctuary, I feel happy every time I'm in there. Just sitting and looking out the window soothes me. I have managed to keep designing and this gives me comfort too. My plan is to get back to blogging about my time in my little studio, showing you what kind of things I design and perhaps chat about the challenges I (or we) face as a designer/...