Monday Moodboard

Happy Halloween!

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Meet Siobhan {British Craft Awards Winner}

Hello lovelies,

Last week I introduced you to the newest range in my shop ~ April Rose England, the brand created by watercolor artist and illustrator Siobhan Harrison.

Today I'm delighted that Siobhan, British Craft Awards 2015 Winner, found some time in her busy schedule to join us here on Duni's Studio for a mini interview! In fact, she's just back from a whirlwind visit to Japan where she showcased her items. Siobhan kindly provided a couple of pictures (further down).

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Hallo, ihr Lieben,

letzte Woche gab es einen kleinen Einblick in die neue Papeterie Kollektion ~ April Rose England und heute freue ich mich die Designerin und Illustratorin, Siobhan Harrison hier bei Duni's Studio inklusive Mini-Interview vorzustellen! Ich bin wirklich dankbar, dass Siobhan sich die Zeit für mich genommen hat, denn sie ist nämlich erst vor ein paar Tagen aus Japan zurückgeflogen, wo sie ihre Produkte auf einer Austellung vorgestellt hatte. Weiter unten gibt's davon ein paar Fotos!

Hi Siobhan! Thank you for joining us here today at Duni's Studio.

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Did you always plan to become a designer / illustrator?

Since I was a child I have always been drawing. I was brought up in a creative household so there was always paper, pencils and paint to hand. I trained for fashion and textile design in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in the U.K. After graduating I worked in the textile industry both in London and New York. I was interested in illustrating Children's Books so I took a short course in Illustration at Central St. Martins London. I then went on to illustrate many children's books which I really enjoyed.

2. What was your inspiration for the April Rose brand?

I exhibited at a Licensing show in London with my Childrens book artwork and watercolour artwork which I have always produced for the Greeting Card and Gift Industry. The watercolour artwork was exhibited under the April Rose name. I partnered with several companies to work in a Licensing capacity with the April Rose brand at the License show. The artwork took off particularly in the Craft Industry. I have always been interested in making studies of natural forms and the watercolor artwork fitted well with this. The name was inspired by British springtime.

The essence of the April Rose brand is based around watercolor floral work and vintage style images. All products are illustrated, designed and made in the U.K.

3. Which new designs are you currently working on?

Currently I'm excited to be working on a range of Greeting Cards for a local Greeting Card company for Spring 2017. The range has a vintage theme running through it.

4. You are so prolific. How do you stay motivated?

I stay motivated by always keeping an eye on up coming trends and ideas within the illustration and design industries.

I like visiting art galleries/exhibitions to spark new ideas. Travelling is also a good one for keeping inspired. I've just got back from a two week trip to Japan which was very inspiring in terms of soaking up the Japanese culture and viewing artwork (see collage below).

5. And lastly, what do you do to relax after a busy day at work?

I like to go swimming when I get the chance.

The above picture shows Siobhan demonstrating her beautiful watercolor drawings.

And in the picture below is where her studio is located!

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Das obige Foto zeigt sie bei ihrer künstlerischen Tätigkeit, das Foto unten das Gebäude wo sich ihr Studio befindet!

I am based in Cheshire in the Northwest of the U.K and travel to work at my studio which I share with several other Illustrators. The studio is based in the Bluecoat Art Gallery in the centre of Liverpool and is one of Liverpool's oldest buildings and has a long standing association with the arts. Its great to be working with a Greeting Card company that are based locally.

Hallo Siobhan! Es freut mich dich hier bei Duni's Studio begrüßen zu dürfen.

1. Bitte erzähl uns ein wenig über dich. Wolltest du schon immer Designerin / Illustratorin werden? 

Ich bin in einem kreativen Zuhause aufgewachsen und habe schon als Kind viel gezeichnet. Überall lagen immer Papier, Bleistifte und Farbe! Ursprünglich habe ich Mode-und Textil Design in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire England studiert. Nach dem Studium arbeitete ich in der Textilindustrie sowohl in London und New York. Ich interessierte mich aber besonders für die Illustration von Kinderbüchern, so nahm ich einen Kurs in Illustration am Central St. Martins in London. Anschließend habe ich viele Kinderbücher illustriert. Es hat mir viel Freude bereitet.

2. Was hat dich zu der April Rose Kollektion inspiriert?
Ich stellte meine Aquarelle aus den Kinderbüchern in London für die Lizenzierung frei. Eine Firma aus der Geschenke Industrie hatte Interesse diese auf Grußkarten zu drucken. Die Marke April Rose wurde geboren. Inspiriert hat mich dabei der englische Frühling und mein Interesse an Naturformen, die sich gut mit Aquarellmalerei verbinden lassen.

Die Marke April Rose basiert auf floralen Aquarellen sowie Bilder im Vintage-Stil. Alle Produkte werden in England illustriert und hergestellt.

 
3. An welchen neuen Designs arbeitest du gerade?

Zur Zeit arbeite ich an einer Reihe Grußkarten für eine hier (in England) ansässige Gruß-Kartenfirma für die Frühjahrskollektion 2017. Das Thema lautet natürlich Vintage!

 
4. Du bist so fleißig. Wie bleibst du motiviert?

Ich halte mich immer auf dem Laufenden was kommende Trends in der Illustrations- und DesignIndustrie angeht.
Ich besuche gerne Kunstgalerien und Ausstellungen um neue Ideen zu entfachen. Reisen dient auch als Inspirationsquelle. So wie neulich meine zweiwöchige Reise nach Japan. Die japanische Kultur und Kunst fand ich sehr inspirierend. (siehe Collage oben).

 
5. Und zum Schluß, wie entspannst du nach einem anstrengenden Arbeitstag?

Wenn die Zeit erlaubt gehe ich gerne schwimmen.

I'm in love with this card! Not only does it feature a vintage sewing machine, but I also love the saying "sew amazing". Any crafty person would be happy to receive a card like this along with the cute, matching notebook! 

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Ich liebe diese Karte! Daran gefällt mir nicht nur die zuckersüße Vintage Nähmaschine, sondern auch der Spruch "sew amazing" (Wortspiel: sew = so). Eine wundervolle Karte für eine Freundin, die gern näht. Dazu das passende Notizbüchlein!

Siobhan's watercolor illustrations are not only featured on greeting cards and notebooks, but, among others, metal signs as well! When I saw these I just had to have them for my shop. Add a sweet decorative touch to your home - hang them on a door handle, from a peg on the wall or simply display them on your kitchen shelf.

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Siobhan's Aquarelle gibt es nicht nur auf den Grußkarten und Notizbüchern im praktischen Handtaschenformat, sondern auch auf dekorativen Metallschildern! Diese musste ich einfach für mein Geschäft haben. Sie lassen sich überall dekorativ einsetzen - hängt sie an einen Türgriff, von einem Wandhaken und aufgestellt im Küchenregal zwischen den Tassen sehen sie auch hübsch aus. P.s. Weitere Designs folgen in Kürze.

Who else keeps notebooks in the kitchen? I usually keep one to quickly jot down recipes or ideas or whatever else I need to remember :) These ones would look so charming on your kitchen counter. The notebooks are A6 size and the paper is lined. They'd make a wonderful party favor too! 

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Bei mir liegt in der Küche immer ein Notizbuch...um schnell ein Rezept zu notieren oder eine Dekoidee oder was mir gerade so einfällt und ich es später nicht vergessen möchte :) Diese Notizbücher mit den nostalgischen Illustrationen machen sich gut auf dem Küchentisch. Als Mitbringsel oder Giveaway kommen sie bestimmt auch gut an. P.s. ich erwarte noch eine zweite Lieferung mit verschiedenen Designs.

The April Rose England range is a new brand distributed through boutique style shops in the U.K., France and now in Germany through Duni's Studio! I'm so thrilled! Make sure to stop by my online shop and check out the charming items, including Christmas cards or if you are in the area drop me a line so that we can arrange a viewing appointment. Huge thanks to Siobhan for taking  the time to answer my interview questions. Wishing her continued success!

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Die April Rose England Kollektion wurde im Jahr 2015 auf den Markt gebracht. Verkauft wird sie in Boutiquen in England und Frankreich. Und jetzt auch in Deutschland via Duni's Studio! Ich bin überglücklich diese bezaubernde Papeterie im Sortiment zu haben :) Schaut doch mal in Duni's Studio Online Shop vorbei. Es gibt auch zwei originelle Weihnachtskarten. An dieser Stelle ganz lieben Dank an Siobhan für das tolle Interview und weiterhin viel Erfolg.

April Rose England | Twitter

Monday Moodboard & New Website!

Hello lovelies! Today's moodboard perfectly reflects my current state of mind. I'm very happy, no...make that thrilled :)

Some of you may have already guessed it or even seen it. I'm talking about my brand new website!

*für alle deutschsprachige LeserInnen habe ich diesen Post auf Deutsch :)

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I've wanted my own online shop forever. A couple of years ago I even went ahead and started building a site with software suitable for my basic programming skills, however, I failed miserably when it came to the checkout and payment modules. So I put that project on the back burner, but it was never quite out of my mind. Then, as some readers might remember, came the difficult years as I had to focus on caring for my ailing mother, who sadly passed end of last year. 

I hadn't expected to fire up this project again this year, but through the lovely Ani I was introduced to a web designer who was willing and able to implement my vision for this new site. After emailing back and forth a few times it was clear that we were on the same page design-wise and basically it was ready-set-go. Which explains my irregular blog schedule. Honestly, with building the new site, endless photo sessions with the little available light and running my business I could only squeeze in so much. 

As many of my regular readers know, my main business revolves around my fabric collections. Locally I'm known as the "rose print specialist":) I started out at the online selling venue, Dawanda, at a time when the handmade movement had just made a huge impact over here. Seeing as Dawanda is the largest and most well-known selling venue in Europe I definitely profited from riding that initial wave. However, over the years Dawanda has restructured and changed its direction dramatically, so much so that their current mission statement doesn't resonate with me at all.

Imagine a cute little specialty fabric store on Main Street (that would be me)... and then a huge chain store like Jo-Ann's opening next door. That's how it's like on Dawanda these days. It was high time for me to make strategic changes and an effort to stand out in the crowd in a unique way. Easier said than done, but I do have one ace up my sleeve. As Dawanda is set to make yet more changes to their terms by the end of this month I'm especially pleased my new site came together quickly in the last few weeks and I was able to officially launch it last Friday! Of course, the site is not static. It will evolve over time plus I still need to figure out how to add social media buttons. But for now I'm super pleased with my virtual shelves!

If you have not yet taken a peek at my new website you'll miss that I have added a completely new category! This is the ace I'm referring to. The April Rose greeting cards and stationery range features original illustrations by designer and artist Siobhan Harrison. This is a quintessentially British brand and I'm a little bit proud that, in Germany, they are exclusively available through my shop. And the second shipment with even more pretty items is on its way. Yay! I love how they fit my aesthetic and complement the rose fabrics perfectly. If you'd like to learn more about this range and meet the designer stay tuned for the interview this week! Siobhan is really lovely and such a talented person. 

You may have noticed the two flags in the upper right corner. Yes! I translated everything into English to the best of my ability and thoughtfully included a currency converter too. Please note, however, that some system related terms can't be changed. Anyway, all the important texts like categories and product descriptions and also the terms and conditions are English. That was by far the hardest work and I had to put in a few night shifts to finish in time! Of course, this website is ever evolving. You'll have noticed the "coming soon" categories. Another shipment is due to arrive any day now and I can't wait to share! Also, I have decided to sell my handmade items here too :)

I find this new site is easy to navigate (one of my priorities). I did a few test buys and everything displayed and calculated correctly. In the left side bar you can sort by collection. The page will automatically display all items from that collection, so this will save time when searching for coordinating fabrics. Plus you can enlarge or zoom the product photo for a closer look! My website is also compatible with viewing on tablets and smart phones. Aside from that I love how the overall design ties in with my blog. This time around I have really made an effort in branding and aiming for a cohesive look right down to my new business cards and flyers as well. 

With my site up and running it's crucial it gets "picked up" by search engines, so I would certainly appreciate if you could help me out with a click or two or perhaps even bookmarking my site :) 

And remember to stop by again when I'll be introducing the wonderful designer of the April Rose greeting cards and stationery brand. Plus I have a sweet giveaway planned the week after. Don't miss!