Beth Gunnell Design

Happiness Calendar...

2012-01-23T10:17:00.003Z

It's always great to see designs I've created in print and I was really

looking forward to seeing this 2012 calendar I created for Bunches.

Each month features a quote from one of their customers about

how they'd like to create happiness!

Bunches also have a new website here....featuring some of my illustrations as

well as their lovely bouquets. These orchids are my favourite!

**PLEASE NOTE COPYRIGHT OF ALL IMAGES BELONGS TO BUNCHES FLORAPOST LTD**

SMILE....

2012-01-13T14:11:00.004Z

...it's Friday!!

Here's a smiley tee I designed with the younger girls team at George.

Available to buy online here.

**PLEASE NOTE ALL IMAGES AND DESIGN BELONG TO ASDA STORES LIMITED**

Have a brilliant weekend everyone!

stamps from Roald Dahl

2012-01-10T08:53:00.004Z

The Royal Mail have released some fantastic stamps today featuring many of

Roald Dahl books and Quentin Blake's super illustrations.

They are available to buy online here or over the counter in your nearest post office!

I think I'd like them all, perfect way to perk up your post!

And talking Roald Dahl, I went to see Matilda the Musical at the

weekend at the Cambridge Theatre, London.

Oh it was so good, lots of fun with great songs from

Tim Minchin that were going round it my head all weekend!

I especially enjoyed the lyrics from

'All I know I learn from telly, the bigger the telly the smarter the man'

and the guy who played Miss Trunchbull was just excellent!

The set was fantastic, all very clever and charming to see! I would certainly recommend!

The run has been extended until October 2012.

New for boys....

2012-01-09T18:11:00.001Z

It's always a novelty to design boyswear as I generally tend to design all things girly!

The brief for the above was good fun...cheeky monsters!

Available to buy for little men here.

**copyright of images and design belong to ASDA stores Limited**

happy new year...

2012-01-06T12:02:00.004Z

Happy new year everyone!

I hope you had a fantastic time during all the festivities.

I certainly feel very well fed and watered after my break....

now time for a health kick including boot camp!! (what an earth have I let myself in for!!).

I look back over 2011 very fondly, as well as being a very busy work filled year

it has also been full to the brim with fantastic memories.

A number of my nearest and dearest got married, 7 in total (and not to each other!), lots of

lovely birthday celebrations (including my own 3 0!), I became a godparent to

the gorgeous baby Danny and I also had the great privilege of being

able to travel to both Swaziland and Malaysia for the first time.

Far too many good times to pinpoint a highlight....I feel very fortunate.

Especially with my visit to Swaziland, it really opened my eyes up to a whole new world

and helps put things in my little life into perspective.

Now to look forward and positively to 2012, it's full of exciting new work plans which I can't wait to get my teeth into, I will be certain to be keeping you posted as soon as I can!

I hope you are all managing to keep your new years resolutions so far this year!

Most importantly I do hope your 2012 is full of good health

and happiness for you and your loved ones!

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-23T12:55:00.003Z

Here's the mitten shaped christmas card I designed to send out to all the people I work with this year. I feel really lucky to work with so many nice people,

it really does make freelance work and life more enjoyable.

I'm signing off for christmas now....

I can't wait to catch up with lots of family and friends over the coming week.

I will be back in the new year with pictures of my recent break and lot of new projects to share with you. 2012 is going to be an exciting year!

I hope you've all got a nice break planned and enjoy the festivities!

Take care and safe travelling!

Happy Christmas One and All!

**please note that the copyright of the above design belongs to beth gunnell design ltd**

FREE download

2011-12-21T08:57:00.004Z

Hello all...I'm back after my lovely Malaysian break...photos coming soon!

But now it's time for work and present wrapping!

AND....listening to this wonderful EP from Abimaro and the Free.

A FREE gift for us all....it's brilliant please do check it out.

Abimaro's voice is beautiful. One to watch out for in 2012!

Click here to download for FREE.

If you're a fan of the super cover artwork...check out the Lakwena the artist here.

a winter break....

2011-12-02T08:10:00.000Z

we're off on a winter break...our first trip to Asia!

I'm so excited...after saving and saving I can't quite believe it's here!

We're off to Malaysia for a fortnight, for a mix of beach and city...

Langkawi and then onto Kuala Lumpur.

I'm sure I will have many photos to share on my return.

Take care everyone and enjoy the christmas build up!

coming soon....

2011-11-29T13:37:00.003Z

...well quite a while to go!

Perfect Patterns will be published at the start

of May and is available to pre-order here.

I'm really excited to see the cover is now showing on Amazon,

I'm pleased with how the colours have come out

and can't wait to see the whole book now!

This is my latest colouring book with Buster Books!

It's a follow on from Pretty Patterns which was released earlier in the year...

see my earlier blog post here for more detail.

Pretty Patterns is available to order here!

Pinterest Addict!

2011-11-18T14:05:00.003Z

I'm aware Pinterest is old news for many...and I've been a member for a little while now

but only over the last few weeks have I actually started using it.

I LOVE IT!

There's so much to see, smile at, be inspired by, cook, read etc etc!

I see it as creative and productive Facebook!

Though I'm sure anything is more productive than Facebook!

Here are some of my pins and if you'd like to follow me here's my link....

www.pinterest.com/bgunnelldesign

1. Embroidered car from here

2. I am now growing my hair for this reason...Gaga but better!

3. Love the colour and designs see more here

4. Cute charactes....from Happy Doodle Land

5. perfect breakfast treat from Martha Stewart

6. cutest monkey ever

Cockpit Open Studios competition....

2011-11-18T13:43:00.002Z

I had a quick trip to London last weekend and had a sneak peek at my lovely friend Abigail's space in Cockpit Arts Studio. Abigail is running a competition on her blog this weekend to win tickets to their up and coming Christmas Open Studios event. Click here to win!

The artists who are based there have such fantastic work I certainly think it's worth visit...

even Vogue says it's 'London's most exciting creative talent'!

Here's some pictures I took at the weekend of Abbie's wonderful work.

See previous posts here and here too.

Abbie also has an Etsy shop and blog!

**PLEASE NOTE COPYRIGHT OF ALL ARTWORK SHOWN

IN THE PHOTOS BELONGS TO ABIGAIL BROWN**

A Nordic Tale...

2011-11-08T13:04:00.000Z

Nordic Tale is a range I worked on some of the patterns, prints and embroideries for with the talented babywear team at Mamas and Papas.

There's some lovely photos online, their styling is always so brilliant.

It's available online and instore now.

**PLEASE NOTE

Monday....

2011-11-07T12:23:00.002Z

This is great....you can customise with your own message here.

Thanks to Victorinox and of course the talented Rob Ryan.

And I found this super link via Mrs Cheese....a blog certainly worth checking out

there's a new blog about....

2011-11-04T08:11:00.003Z

My lovely friend Abigail Brown has started a new blog that is

certainly worth checking out....here

Not only is she great at making beautiful birds....she's also a very talented illustrator.

spooked....

2011-10-31T09:56:00.004Z

I don't really like Halloween...am I the only one!? It seems like it's getting more popular.

But this is coming from someone who is put off seeing a

film if it's a 15! and an 18 certificate is out of the question!!

The one thing I do like though is carving pumpkins! I had a lovely sunday morning carving these faces this weekend!!

Here's some more pumpkins from a couple of years ago...click here.

I hope you all enjoy Halloween and you aren't as scared of Trick or Treaters as I am!

I'll be the one with the lights off pretending I'm not in tonight! haha!!

oh so girly....

2011-10-28T14:01:00.004+01:00

...it's always great to see the artwork I have worked on in store...

here's a couple of girly tops available instore and online now at George@Asda

and below an up close shot to show more detail....I loved working on this design.

***ALL COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO ASDA STORES LIMITED***

Happy Birthday Mary Blair

2011-10-21T10:37:00.003+01:00

Good ole google has informed me that it would have

been Mary Blair's 100th birthday today!

From the moment I saw her work I loved it,

I bought this book and then went on to add this one to my collection...lovely stuff!

Her colours are so vibrant and the characters are always so charming and lovely.

Have a super weekend everyone....

I'm really looking forward to mine....it's full of friends and family,

including 4 little nephews!

My African mural....

2011-10-07T08:45:00.002+01:00

The main purpose of my trip was to create some artwork on the walls of the

Timbutini Pre school which is linked to Hawane Farm.

I have no realised that I haven't taken very good 'after' photos...most of them are close ups

but hopefully you still get a good idea of what I was up to over in Swaziland....

Me and mom in action below...I certainly couldn't have completed

it in time without her help!

Me with the lion below....my favourite! I loved decorating his mane!

Timbutini Pre School now has a sign...it wasn't clear that it was actually

a school before I got my hands on it!

At times I missed my 'apple-z' option while I was painting but I am overall pleased

with how it's all turned out and really enjoyed working on a large scale.

I had no idea of what the school was like beforehand so I had to plan quickly once I arrived.

Below are some close ups, I really wanted to include some textural detail...

It was important to get some health messages across to the children...

Daily at Timbutini Pre School the children are given multi-vitamins and also

brush their teeth after their lunch.

Here's the queue for toothbrushes...

Lovely faces above and below that made my days painting very cheery...

above: singing to me....again! and the boys are fighting in the background...again!!

I'm sure boys will be boys no matter which continent we're in!

The head teacher Patricia, below, with the welcoming lion.

Above, our last day....it was all so much fun!

a fact for you: Timbutini means goats in siSwati the language of Swaziland!

I hope you've enjoyed having a nose this week at pics from my trip! It all feels like a dream

after a week back in the UK....a a very good dream!

Have a great weekend everyone....time to get those Autumn clothes out!

More photos from my African trip!

2011-10-05T18:17:00.007+01:00

This trip to Swaziland was with my mom, she has been before with my dad a couple of years ago.

A couple of my mom's friends live and work over there so we were fortunate to be able to stay with

them and see the work that they do....all part of the Lighthouse Project.

Their aim is to set up care centres for children, pre-schools, feeding stations, churchs,

clinics and life skills centres for the communities in Swaziland and train up

people in the community to run these centres. It was fantastic to see the work that is happening there....

a lot of people in Swazi, the majority, do struggle.

It has the highest rate of HIV in the world and medication (including contraception)

and healthcare isn't free (except for ARVs which are used for HIV).

Schooling isn't free either and a lot of areas don't have a pre-school.

The unemployment rate is high so money is very tight or non-exsistant for many.

I was surprised to see that the supermarkets are the same price as here if not more expensive!

But there are some positives, the work that the Lighthouse Project is doing is really

helping a lot of people both in the communities as well as in the centres they have

set up thanks the fantastic people involved and the donations from others.

Here's some more of my pictures....click on the pics to see larger versions

(I will be posting photos of the mural I painted while I was there tomorrow)

1.We were delayed for 24 hours in Paris on the way over....

so we deserved treats and here's a very good looking hot chocolate!

2. Beautiful wild flowers

3. I got dragged up to dance like a Swazi at the cultural village! cringey

4. Me and my mom trying Pap for the first time thanks to the welcoming staff at Noahs Ark Pre-school

and feeding station! the kitchen is in the background

Our tastebuds liked it but our bodies didn't!!

5. Getting fit to a Davina dvd with some of the ladies from Hawane Farm!

Hawane Farm is where we mainly stayed, we stayed in the hospice.

6. An amazing breakfast at Nisela after a 5am start on our way to a clinic in Lavumisa!

Chips for breakfast are the way forward!

7.My mom being pharmacist for the day at a clinic in Lavumisa....

I had the job of weighing people.

8.The clinic at Lavumisa in the new church.

9.Parachute fun at the brilliant Noahs Ark school and feeding station.

10.Putting on a show at Noahs Ark before lunch.

11.Getting crafty with the girls at Elustwini.

12.The strong girls of Elustwini Refuge centre.

13.Facepainting....a mini man!

14.More facepainting!

15.A huge joy to see zebras up close on our mini safari at Mlilwane.

16.Hawane Farm dogs Roxy and Maxine.

17.Birthday cakes, a double celebration on the farm.

18. Bandele the little poser!

19. Setsibele ready for a little trek at Hawane resort.

and last but not least....20.the Hawane Farm fire alarm!

Swaziland....

2011-10-05T08:42:00.003+01:00

....already my trip over the last fortnight is feeling a bit like a dream.

I had such a great time. Despite many many troubles, Swaziland is a beautiful country...

1. The wonderful Jane admiring the view after a nightmare drive up a 4x4 track (we weren't in a 4x4!). 2. Payphone anyone! 3. The best view from the loo ever! 4. Now time for a handwash.

5. Lovely old truck with the beautiful Swazi scenery. 6. With the lovely people from Noahs Ark school.

7. My trainers have never been so clean...daily view in the background. 8. Proud peacock!

More photos coming soon....it was a jam-packed fortnight!

back home....

2011-10-03T15:51:00.003+01:00

....and it's all a bit surreal!

Here's a quick snapshot of me and my mom with the kids

from Timibutini Pre-school in Swaziland on our last day!

Mural complete, thanks to lots of help from my mom!

I will be posting more photos soon....its been a truly fantastic trip!

off I go to....

2011-09-15T11:11:00.002+01:00

Swaziland!!

Hawane Farm to be exact! I'm flying this evening!

As I don't normally get much further than Majorca it's really

quite an adventure for me. I will be going with my Mum and staying

with a couple of her friends that live and work there.

I will be getting creative with the kids as well as hopefully

creating a mural, so hopefully I will have lots to show on my blog

when I return in October!

Have a great couple of weeks everyone!

take care.

a cat in a hat...

2011-09-14T07:54:00.004+01:00

Some of the designs that I've worked on for

George at Asda's toddlerwear is now in store.

This cat in a hat is my favourite so far,

click here to see it on their website,

as well as another one here of a dog

and also a little bird here.

**please note copyright belongs to ASDA stores Ltd**

home for the weekend

2011-09-12T09:10:00.005+01:00

This weekend I've been at home....it's been a while since that has happened.

Was very nice to potter about...shopping, hanging about with my nephews, eating takeaway, reading and cooking my first successful cake ready for my husbands birthday!

I can't quite believe I've made an edible cake!

I also popped round to Bagthorpe Gardens with our new neighbours....

the gardens/allotments are just next door to my house....

it feels much further than the mile or so we actually are from the

city when wandering around there. Very peaceful!

A very wholesome weekend....

a big contrast from my husband's weekend. He was at Bestival dressed as Lady Gaga!

cotton baked treat....

2011-09-08T08:37:00.000+01:00

After yesterday's post I thought I'd share with you another

birthday present that I received last month!

Again made by a super talented friend...this time Nicola Pearson!

I've been admiring her characters for a long time so it's great to now own one!

You can see more of Nicola's great work on her blog

and also her shop...Cotton Baked by Lulu.

Her characters sell fast so get in quick!

red red robin....

2011-09-07T08:30:00.001+01:00

I'm really lucky to have very talented friends....this beauty of a robin was a

30th birthday present last month! It's such a treat!!

Perfectly made by a very extra-ordinary bird maker and designer.... Abigail Brown!

Be sure to check her out! blog is here and website here and shop here.

UPDATE

***check out Abigails blog before the 16th September and enter her competition***

a boy or a girl...

2011-09-06T08:50:00.001+01:00

Here's some little characters that I've designed for some outfits that are available to

buy online or in store now. Click here for boys and here for the girls link!

the last wedding of the year!

2011-09-05T08:48:00.001+01:00

It's been wedding year for us this year...we've had 7! They have all been so so brilliant!

Lots and lots of fun! It's so so special to see close friends and family get married.

Here's some pics that I took at my sister in laws wedding last weekend.

All their planning was certainly worth it.

The wedding service was very special, complete with a super gospel choir.

There were tears a plenty!

The marquee looked fantastic, complete with a dressing up box, kissing booth, cake table. There was also a raffle, barn dance, a pub quiz and singing from the very talented Mary Leay!

It was a perfect day and I'm so proud to call the new Mr and Mrs Leay family.

60 years as Mr and Mrs

2011-09-02T08:43:00.000+01:00

It's a special weekend for our family this weekend as we celebrate my

Grandparents 60th wedding anniversary!

Here's a photo from their wedding day.... and they really are still smiling 60 years on!

They are such wonderful people that I'm so lucky to have as part of my life.

Happy Anniversary Nan and Grandad!

Have a great weekend everyone!

It's been a little while...

2011-09-01T08:45:00.001+01:00

It's been so long since my last post, time has flown

and I'm wondering how on earth it has got to September so quickly!

Here's some little snapshots from weeks gone by....

1. Surprise birthday trip to the Edinburgh Fringe thanks to my Ed!

we LOVE Edinburgh!

2. Treats thanks to John Lewis...

my jewellery is so well organised now!

3. Thirty!! thats me! 4. Beautiful giant Lilys

5. Tweed dreams....Ed's perfect shop!

6. Smiles from gorgeous god-son Danny.

7 and 8. Got to be one of the happiest days of my year! My best friends wedding!

LOVED being bridesmaid and wish the day had gone on and on!

9. Our Gary and my new birthday scarf and watch.

I hope you've all had fun this summer....it's not over yet!

Lovely balloon....

2011-07-15T07:31:00.001+01:00

I love this card, purchased earlier this week...in fact I love the whole range,

see here.

Happy Friday everyone!

And the winner is.....

2011-06-29T13:16:00.003+01:00

CT Mom!! who loves going to drive-ins and eating ice-cream!

(If you could email me on beth_gunnell@btinternet.com with your address that would be great!)

A big thank you to everyone who entered,

I really enjoyed reading what you love about summer!

last chance to WIN

2011-06-28T10:24:00.005+01:00

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway to

win this LOVE-ly print!

Simply leave a comment below or here to win!

The winner will be announced tomorrow.

gig time

2011-06-27T11:47:00.002+01:00

I'm gutted....I was meant to be heading off to London today to catch up with family and friends, as well as going to an Abimaro and the Free gig tonight

at ILUVLIVE at Hoxton Square bar....there's more info here.

Do check it out tonight if you can, its looks like a super evening.

Annoyingly I have tonsillitis so I won't be

going anywhere but just hoping the penicillin kicks in soon!

You can hear Abimaros beautiful voice here if you can't make it to hear her live.

**Don't forget my giveaway, just today and tomorrow

to enter and I will be announcing the winner on wednesday**

It's GIVEAWAY time!!

2011-06-24T08:45:00.002+01:00

Well, here it is! It's my very first giveaway!

Up for grabs is this digital print...hot of the press (printer in this case!)

and ready for posting to a lucky winner!

(1st class postage is included to any address, worldwide)

This little love themed print is A4 in size, signed on the reverse

and printed on soft white cotton fine art card.

Just leave me a comment and tell me what you love about summer!

I will be picking a name out at random and announcing a winner on Wednesday 29th June!

Above is a close up pic of the distressed detail of the print.

Looking forward to hearing about your summertime loves!

Good Luck!

It's official...

2011-06-22T13:00:00.000+01:00

I'm feeling good about this summer,

many super events happening with friends and family

and lots of exciting work projects!

now all we need is some sunshine! please!

missed out

2011-06-22T09:36:00.003+01:00

I'm pretty fed up I haven't managed to get Olympic tickets for 2012 yet....and there was me worrying that I'd applied for more than I can afford!

I will be up early on friday though...trying again for the leftover tickets.

I hope many of you out there have had some ticket luck!

a new look...

2011-06-21T15:31:00.001+01:00

I've been meaning to re-vamp my blog for a while. It was all looking a bit dated.

I hope you like the new look!

cinema weekend

2011-06-20T08:32:00.003+01:00

As well as heading to Birmingham to see

my Dad this weekend I also went to the cinema twice. I can't remember when I last went!

My Ed couldn't quite believe that I wanted to see a film about Formula 1 on friday night, but it was more about the person than the sport, was called Senna.

Would certainly recommend, was very interesting.

Then on Saturday we had a family outing to watch Life in a Day,

it was brilliantly fascinating and thought provoking.

A great reminder of how short, precious and amazing life is.

I am wondering why its unfairly not showing at more cinemas.

It really is the kind of film that should be seen! I hope its showing in a cinema near to you.

Happy Fathers Day!

2011-06-18T23:24:00.005+01:00

Here's a pic of me with my brilliant Dad many moons ago.

I'm so grateful for him. I really would be lost without him.

Enjoy your fathers day celebrating your own dad (past or present), being a dad or maybe
even looking forward to being one one day!

Girls World in Norway

2011-06-15T08:32:00.003+01:00

I've returned from my trip last week to some good post!

The Norwegian edition of Girls World!

Girls World has been out in the UK since the start of the year...

its great to see it's now going further afield.

Available to buy in the UK here

ahhh....an time to relax

2011-06-05T10:07:00.001+01:00

We're off to Spain this evening and I can't wait! We will be staying with my mother-in-law

(who has been asking about our food preferences over recent weeks so I have nice feeling we will be spoilt!) for 5 days near to Murcia.

Really looking forward to all that sunshine and sea air!

It's been a really really busy year so far, lots of work and lots and lots of weekends away due to weddings, christenings, hen dos etc etc. All super fun and very special and memorable times have been had but its going to be lovely to go away for no other reason but to be lazy and Mac free. To awake without an alarm and my only decisions being what to eat and whether to go to the beach or pool! I'm very excited!!

Have a really good week everyone, I hope the sun continues for you all in the UK.

Whitsand Bay weekend

2011-05-31T20:07:00.002+01:00

I had a couple of days in Cornwall over the weekend, staying here as we had a wedding nearby.

Despite the wind and drizzle it was a very lovely wedding, the bride looked beautiful!

Here's a little snapshot from my walk down to the beach on Sunday morning...

I loved all that sea air!

Lovely new boxes....

2011-05-17T08:24:00.001+01:00

I don't always get sent samples, especially from overseas (these are from a company in America)

so its been great to receive these lovely gift boxes....all 4 of them!

Here's out cat Gary having a sniff....

As soon as I find out where they're available to be purchased from I will let you know!

For a Pink summer...

2011-05-16T08:41:00.003+01:00

I've had the pleasure of working on some graphics for this summers Pink range with the talented folk at Mamas and Papas.....here's a few shots...

Available to purchase here and instore.

Surtex time...

2011-05-15T11:41:00.005+01:00

Surtex has come round again, running from the 15th-17th May in New York City.

It's been such a busy time for many designers and studios out there who

have spent weeks preparing for their stands out there.

The Print and Pattern blog has had a fantastic showing this last week

of a variety of work that will be shown.

Over the recent years I have produced artwork with the Inspire by Design Studio,

I've been too busy to produce anything new this year but

the lovely girls there have produce loads of lovely designs ready to sell sell sell!

Here's a flyer from Lauren over at the Fatty Moe blog

and another from Emma at Pocketful of Patterns.

I really hope everyone who is exhibiting has a really great show!

my new book!

2011-05-06T16:53:00.005+01:00

Its great to at last be able to share this with you....

the Pretty Patterns Colouring Book that I have worked on with Buster Books.

It was really lovely to work on this book... and am currently in talks about a follow up!

watch this space!

Pretty Patterns is available to purchase here

Have a lovely weekend everyone...I'm off to Cadiz in Spain to see my lovely old

friend, Louise get married! I can't wait!

lets scoot...

2011-05-06T08:36:00.000+01:00

Here's a print that I created for a boys babywear tee....available now from George.

After creating so many girls designs for baby and childrenswear,

it's very nice to get the chance to buy something I've worked on

for my little nephew Danny to wear!

Available to purchase here

**please note copyright belongs to ASDA stores Ltd**

a royal weekend....

2011-05-03T18:47:00.006+01:00

...another bank holiday! We've been spoilt with a run of short working weeks here in the UK!

Although I had to work a little this weekend it was still a very good one, firstly thanks to the royal wedding (1)! It was all very superb and so impressive that such a huge wedding looked almost effortless it went so smoothly!

I bought myself a lovely Will and Kate mug by Lisa Stickley (2) and put the bunting out (3) around my home ready for viewing the wedding with friends!

Over the rest of the weekend I managed to squeeze in a shopping trip, treated myself to a new face from Bobbi Brown and this lovely blouse (4), my first Topshop purchase in a long while!

On Sunday I sat in the sun and worked away on getting a tanned back and completing some wedding invites for my best friend and also my sister in law! (5 and 6)

Hope you all had a lovely bank holiday!

Happy Easter!!

2011-04-21T15:45:00.005+01:00

It's good to have an excuse to look at cute floppy eared rabbits!

I hope you have all got a lovely long Easter weekend planned!

Ours is family filled, can't wait to see the little nephews as its been way too long.

Then a lazy day is on the cards for Monday!

have a super weekend everyone!

(I haven't created any new easter artwork for a while...

but see here and here for Easter design from years gone by!)

another super wedding...

2011-04-12T14:02:00.005+01:00

This last weekend was spent celebrating my lovely friend Nikki getting married!

It was a super and fun day with beautiful weather, setting and a very beautiful bride!

Nikki had done a perfect job of making everything look great....amazing attention to detail!

I loved my placecard (complete with song lyric on the back!) and pretty jam pot!

I love weddings! And it's a good job too as we're off to 6 more this year!

My clever Mum!

2011-04-06T10:47:00.004+01:00

My mum finished knitting this wonderful blanket just in time for last weekend as it's

a wedding present for my brother and his wife!

I love it! and am a little envious!

I'm very impressed with my clever Mum....she even designed some of

the patterns for many of the squares herself! I wouldn't know where to start!

I'm hoping these knitting skills rub off on me at some point!

Well done Mum!xx

My new book!

2011-04-05T08:45:00.000+01:00

I'm really chuffed to see that my 2nd book with Buster Books is available to

pre-order on Amazon. It is available to buy from May 5th.

I'm eagerly awaiting my copies now so I can have a good look through it!

Can't wait

what a weekend!

2011-04-04T10:59:00.005+01:00

The above image is not free for you to use without permission

I've had such a wonderful weekend!

One of those that you never ever want to end!

My brother got married on Saturday and

I'm so very proud of both my lovely brother and

my beautiful new sister in law!

It was such a happy day!

Full of tears (happy ones!) and big smiles!

I'm very excited for their future together!

And I wish as always that time would just slow down a little bit

and that the good times would never ever end!

friends, hens and flowers....

2011-03-18T12:25:00.002Z

Here's a postcard I've created especially for Bunches....it comes free with each flower delivery.

Click here to see what super bouquets they've got available with free delivery!

I've just had a lovely weekend on a good old friend Louises hen do!

It was great! Full of wigs, karaoke and dancing!

Now for the next one....getting my sailor outfit ready for Nikki's hen do this weekend!

I hope you all had a lovely sunny weekend!

thinking of Japan...

2011-03-18T09:02:00.004Z

...its now a week ago that Japan was hit by the fierce Earthquake/Tsunami

and the problems there seem to be ongoing.

There's a great post on the Print and Pattern blog about artists and designers

raising money for the people struck by this disaster.

Click here to help and donate..... www.forjapanwithlove.com

Happy St Patricks day to you!

2011-03-17T13:25:00.001Z

A cute little shamrock...especially for today!

Weekend mooch around

2011-03-14T11:11:00.004Z

I had a lovely Sunday morning mooching about the Sutton Vintage and Arts Fair!

I was very tempted by many things but settled with a couple of lovely hand made jewellery pieces from Prudence Collins and A little bit of Annie.

I'd certainly recommend a trip if you're around the Birmingham area...

there were so many stalls and gorgeous cupcakes, there was also a specialist wedding section!

They have a facebook group where you can keep updated for up and coming event.....click here

Chocolates for mum....

2011-03-11T13:23:00.003Z

...its less than a month til Mothers Day now! I think 2011 needs to slow down!

I've designed the packaging for the Mothers Day chocolate box which accompanies

a gorgeous bouquet of flowers as part of the Bunches Mothers Day gift! Its £19.99 and available to purchase here...postage is free! Perfect for mum!

Have a good weekend everyone...

many many thoughts going to all those suffering after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

There's a lovely new blog about....

2011-03-10T08:40:00.002Z

....and its called Button Box cards.

As well as there being lots of lovely inspiration to see, the Button Box cards blog is full of beautiful card creations, which are designed and made by the

talented Elise Rowe.

7 years and no itching!

2011-03-09T10:22:00.006Z

7 years ago today...when we were a little more fresh faced and fancy free...

my heart skipped away as I set eyes on my super Ed.

We're certainly not perfect but love is a learning curve...and a very good curve at that!

Thanks to fattymoe for the dancing photo!

Make your own....

2011-03-04T14:12:00.003Z

...Mothers Day cards ready for Mothering Sunday on the 3rd April!

I've designed some papers especially for the card making purpose that are featured in this months Quick Cards Made Easy magazine.

Happy Friday to you all! I hope you've all got nice weekend plans!

Especially for London Fashion Week.....

2011-02-24T09:36:00.002Z

....there is a parade of Abigail Browns super duper birds

in the Sloane Avenue Paul Smith shop...

...be sure to have a peek if you can!

Happy Valentines Day....

2011-02-14T14:01:00.002Z

My husband is the omelette king, most mornings he makes

me his ham cheese and chilli speciality and I love it!

One of the many perks of being his wife!

Happy V day Eddie!x

Here it is....

2011-02-07T11:44:00.004Z

....Girls World!

As mentioned in an earlier post I've had the pleasure of working with

Michael O'Mara books on a book called Girls World!

And now I'm so excited to see it has been released!

The book is full to the brim of lovely girly pages to keep the young and young at heart busy!

The idea is for the doodler to finish off each page with their own ideas and colour!

Here's a few pics of some of the pages I worked on....

...firstly some totem poles! my favourite!

...flower power!

....finish off daisy chain

...oriental inspire fans

....and one big butterfly! And there's much much more!

The other artists that worked on the book are Katy Jackson and Nellie Ryan....click on on their names to check out their lovely work.

The book is available to buy now from Amazon as well as on the high street.

To see more from and about the Do You Doodle range please see here

**please note copyright of all artwork shown in this post belongs to Michael O'Mara Books Ltd**

Thank you followers and Happy New Year!

2011-02-03T09:02:00.002Z

China is full of big celebrations at the moment....Its the year of the Rabbit!

So what a great excuse to great a cute one for today!

And!

I now have 150 followers which is just great...thank you everyone for all your visits and comments it really is appreciated!

nephew filled weekend!

2011-01-28T13:54:00.002Z

We're off to see our four little nephews this weekend!

I've just created this quick teddy bear version of them all!

I'm cannot wait to see them!!

I hope you've all got a nice weekend planned! Relax and enjoy!

Happy Birthday....

2011-01-26T09:05:00.003Z

Here's me and my Mum hanging about together many moons ago!

My mum= a much loved inspiration.

and I'm home to cook her a Moroccan feast for her birthday tea!

top tip...

2011-01-25T08:45:00.000Z

This picture book 'Zoom' by Istvan Banyai is great....a brilliant concept,

nothing is what it first seems!

Here's a quote from Istvan's website:

"Just when you think you know where you are, guess again. Nothing is as it seems, but hang on tight as this tilt-a-whirl goes zooming by."

Available to purchase here

my first book illustrations....

2011-01-12T08:45:00.001Z

I was so so delighted to received the samples through from Buster Books

last week for Girls World!

I've always wanted to get into a bit of book illustration so I was delighted when I heard from the Buster Books team regarding the Girls World project!

Its just the kind of book that I would loved when I was a youngster

and was a real pleasure to illustrate!

For Girls World, me and two other artists have illustrated numerous pages that the reader/doodler can complete and colour in themselves.

The book isn't released until February 3rd, so look out for a blog post in early

Feb for a peak of what's inside!

It is available to pre-order here.

Flower post!

2011-01-11T14:16:00.003Z

I've had some lovely post today....some beautiful orchids from Bunches.co.uk!

Much appreciated..really cheering up my office!

See here to order

New Etsy shop from Nikkipea

2011-01-10T10:34:00.004Z

a new Etsy shop has emerged over the weekend! Cotton-baked by Lulu from the super designer Nicola Pearson! There's already three great characters for sale with more to be added!

They look great...so cute and fun!

Here's Nigel!....

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Nikkipea?ref=seller_info

Click here to see more of Nikki's artwork on her blog.

a new blog tip for the new year

2011-01-07T10:16:00.004Z

Describing herself as a vintage nutcase, Lucille's blog makes a fabulous read....

full of all things surrounding 1950s fashion, from shoppings finds to make up tips!

Its my recommended blog read for the new year!

Watch out for her cute little dog Inka too!

http://callmelucille.blogspot.com/

new year....

2011-01-06T09:01:00.006Z

.....2011 has arrived!

And its sounds a little annoying I know! but I feel so lucky to

feel so blessed and positive going into this year!

Lots to be happy about and to look forward to this year!

I have 7 weddings for a start!

My brother, sister in law and some of my best friends are getting married

(not to each other!)

...I'm going to be bridesmaid twice and I really cannot wait!!

I have lots of exciting plans buzzing about in my head work wise as

well as new projects lined up! I will certainly keep you posted!

I really hope you've all got something to look forward to in the year ahead

and you have a superb 2011!!

On the 12th day of christmas....

2011-01-05T16:24:00.003Z

...the tree is down and the holidays are over!

I've had such a lovely break, it kicked off with an evening of mulled wine and chips in the very festive market square in Nottingham...see above pic. The eating and drinking continued

for my whole break....my stomach has certainly expanded!

Its been so great to potter about between a few midland cities and catch up with lots of friends and family...I love christmas!

We had very good news amongst friends and family too....my sister in law got engaged and my friend Rebecca gave birth to a very beautiful little one called Matilda!

And I've been treated....my clever mum made me these mittens! So I'm ready for more snow!

My husband found a very handsome sewing machine for me for christmas!

Purely for show....I'll be sticking to my electric for practicality!

And! Santa did read my blog! ;) I got this great Donna Wilson cat plate in my stocking too!

Now for 2011! I have a feeling in bones! Its going to be a good 'un!

Happy Christmas one and all!!

2010-12-23T16:32:00.003Z

Well I'm well and truly ready to potter about seeing family and friends celebrating Christmas and new year for the next week or so! I cannot wait!!

Today is my last day of work until the 4th of January.

I'd like to wish you all a fantastic Christmas and all the very best

for a happy and healthy 2011!

A big thank you to all those who have visited and commented on my blog over the past year, it really is lovely to have support from all you fellow bloggers!

Take care travelling everyone, relax and enjoy this festive spell!!

xxx

3 days to go!

2010-12-22T09:58:00.002Z

I'm feeling festive...the christmas food is here, we're going to collect the meat from the butchers today and I've even had chocolate for breakfast!

So it must be Christmas!

Above is a design I created as part of a set that is for sale in America on Christmas cards.

A festive weekend!

2010-12-20T08:45:00.001Z

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend...I can't quite believe Christmas is so nearly here!

I had a lovely evening Friday present wrapping and making our home look even more festive!

Then it was over to my in-laws on Saturday for an early Christmas do!

It was great....the Christmas eating has begun!

I hope you're all enjoying gearing up for Christmas!

Here's my christmas tree post from last year....click here

Wrap up warm....

2010-12-17T08:37:00.000Z

Here's some wintery folk I designed a while back for christmas cards.

Its going to be a cold weekend....but I'm hoping the weather forecast is a bit of an exaggeration!

Either way this weekend is going to be a good one!

Early christmas celebrations with family tomorrow and hopefully going

to see nephew number 4 and his three big brothers in Oxford!!

Baby Danny arrived last week and really can't wait to meet him

so this snow better not get in our way!

Take care over the weekend everyone!

Christmas card...in store

2010-12-16T17:06:00.002Z

Its always great to get samples through the post....these cards that I created

for The Art Group landed on my doorstep this week and I'm really

very pleased with how they're turned out.

They can be found for sale in WH Smiths and 40p of each sale goes to the

Save the Children charity.

Marrakech snapshots

2010-12-16T08:45:00.000Z

We had a super time in Marrakech, it really was a great to go somewhere so different.

The whole city is full of nooks and crannies waiting to be explored and often adorned in beautiful mosaics and wood carvings.

In between the shopping (or should I say constant haggling!), stork spotting

(shown in the pic above in their massive nests on the city walls) and wandering about in the sun

we found some time to relax on the roof terrace of our lovely Riad with the sound

of the hustle and regular calls for prayer across the city.

I've never really ventured out of the Mcdonalds and Starbucks filled western world so it was a super experience to be sharing the streets with snake charmers, loaded donkeys, piles of herbs and spices, stalls full to the brim of lanterns and shiny teapots!

I now need a good recipe for mint tea...I drank so much when I was there and love it!

So tips are very welcome!

A lovely mini-break....pure escapism! I even tried belly dancing!!!

Thanks Marrakech!

All copyright of the photographs belong to Beth Gunnell Design Limited

lets get festive!

2010-12-15T23:03:00.002Z

I'm so excited about Christmas and as a bonus I can now share with you some of my christmas designs without being out of season!

I'm starting to feel festive...I've written 56 christmas cards in the last two days!

Now time to get present wrapping!

no more cold....off to see the sun!

2010-12-08T10:00:00.000Z

It feels like such a long time ago when we booked this mini-break....

its so exciting now its finally here!

We're off to eat, haggle, relax and enjoy the sun for a few days in Marrakech!

I will try and bring some warmth back for you all in the freezing UK!

Take care all!

Christmas gift guide

2010-12-08T08:45:00.003Z

Here's some finds that I've discovered during my internet shopping browsing

that may help make your gift buying a little easier this year!

1. the best bird box I think I have ever seen from Smith and Gift

2. Lilsonnysky is one of my favourite blogs, Lisa has had some super work for sale in her etsy shop this year including these christmas cards...see here for more.

3. I've not got an excuse to buy these yet...I'm waiting for my nephews to grow a little more!

See here for more details

4. I've put my order in for a couple of these calendars from the talented Rob Ryan,

make a great gift and only £5. Available here or maybe here.

5. I really love the simple yet very effective designs from Orla Kiely...

these little storage jars would make a great gift with some goodies inside...available here

6. I'm planning on sending some festive flowers this year....I love these orchids.

Available with delivery included for £17.99 from Bunches

7. I've had my eye on this Donna Wilson plate for a while and I've dropped a few hints!

Maybe Santa will read this! You can buy it online here Santa! Thank you! ;)

8. This is such a great gift idea for all ages I reckon....you can have an old Ladybird fairytale books personalised to have your chosen names in it! So you could become Cinderella!

Available from Gift Republic

Here's my christmas gift guide from 2009

Have fun christmas shopping everyone!

I love pub food....

2010-12-07T21:10:00.003Z

I've recently had the pleasure of working with the Angel Inn pub

in Misson (Bawtry, South Yorkshire, see here)....

and though you may think I'm a little bias....it is true to say you'd find it hard to

beat them for great pub food! It really is delicious!

Here's a Christmas Flyer I created for them recently.

Super photos taken by the photographer, Alex Leay

Let it snow!

2010-12-01T12:17:00.002Z

I love the snow! So I was happy to see even more today!

(I know, I know! this is easy for me to say....sat in my warm house working from home!)

Everything looks so pretty, the sun even came out earlier for a little while which made

the view from my window look even more beautiful!

I had a lovely walk to Tesco express this morning in my wellies!

Gary our cat is loving too...he's been either playing in it or watching it so far today.

enjoy the weather but take care walking and driving everyone!

Chocolate.....

2010-11-19T12:55:00.004Z

....perfect treat for a friday!

I've been doing a little packaging design, here's a little pic of a chocolate box

which I designed the artwork for.

They're available when you purchase a lovely bunch of flowers from

Bunches, a super flower by post company who come highly recommended....see here

Well what a week its been....I've finished my second book deadline for Buster Books, which I will be sure to share with you when I can, there is good news for a change in the media....the Chandlers are home and there's to be a royal wedding...bring on the extra bank holiday, and our cat Gary swallowed a polystyrene packaging wotsit whole!

Have a super weekend everyone....check out this wonderful heart warming video here....it's wonderful!

lets not forget.....

2010-11-11T09:08:00.000Z

find me in.....

2010-11-10T10:05:00.003Z

Quick Cards made easy....a magazine for all the card making fans out there!

I was asked back in the summer to get festive and create some papers to that readers can use to create their own cards. Magazine is out now....Issue 81, Christmas edition!

Purr-fect Lippy!

2010-11-07T08:48:00.002Z

This Lipstick from Paul and Joe must be the cutest around!

Almost too good to use!

Thanks to Lucy at LittlethingsImake for sharing. They can be purchased here.

snow? already!

2010-10-22T10:06:00.004+01:00

Here's a little sledging inspired design I did a little while back for a scrap-booking commission.

There's talk of snow already here in the Uk....no sign of it down in the midlands though.

Hope you've all got a fun weekend planned....

mine will be work filled broken up with a night of cheesy saturday night tv!

a wedding weekend!

2010-10-15T14:18:00.007+01:00

Back in September I went on Rachel from RahRahRepeats hen do!

I meant to blog about this a while back....before time escaped me!

I was 1950s themed and it was fantastic!

Her bridesmaid Ria did a very great job of organising! Hats off to Ria!

Here are some snaps from the weekend.....that included lots of treats including homemade diner style food, 50s hair dos thanks to the talented Lucille, a showing of Grease at the

worlds smallest cinema, popcorn goodie boxes,

more food and drinks, laughs and dancing amongst much much more! Perfect!

brilliant personalised chip cartons! Thanks to Christina...and here's her blog!

I've used the photos from Rachel, Lauren and the top bridesmaid Ria.

Click their names to see their blogs!

The pic below shows Lauren getting her hair done by the lovely Lucille!

Now for the wedding, I'm really looking forward to it! I'm sure it will be a super day tomorrow for all but most importantly for the lovely Mr and Mrs.....who met a long time ago back in maths class!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Check out the Suits!

2010-10-14T08:45:00.000+01:00

I think I have mentioned to you already about Abimaro Suit....my talented sister in law to be.

This is her blog...she's got lots of big things happening for her at the

moment which make for an interesting read and listen too!

Abimaro's sister Lakwena recently created this cover for the Abimaro and the Free EP....

click here if you'd like a listen or even better to purchase!

Lakwena is another creative talent from the Suit family...

who seems to always have an interesting project up her sleeve.

I certainly recommend that you check out her blog to see more of her work and keep up dated!

who loves chocolate!?

2010-10-13T08:30:00.000+01:00

Well I don't think there's many folk out there who dislike chocolate!

I was very pleased to be invited along to the launch of a

new chocolate company last week called Moko Chocolates!

I had a very lovely time playing hook a duck and sampling lots of very tasty chocolate!

I'll certainly be putting an order in soon!

These truffles look great!

welcome Autumn

2010-10-12T08:45:00.000+01:00

well Autumn is well and truly here....

I do miss my flip flops but I am enjoying having an excuse to go shopping for new hats!

Here's a little squirrel I created for a new Autumn brochure that I worked on for Bunches....a super flowers by post company! A perfect place for easy present buying...here's their website!

Cherished little one....

2010-10-11T15:37:00.002+01:00

Here's a lovely top which I had the pleasure of working on the graphics for. Its part of a new AW range called Cherished from Mamas and Papas. They've got some lovely ranges out this season....see here for more and click here to see the Cherished range.

All available to buy online.

--COPYRIGHT OF IMAGE AND ARTWORK BELONGS TO MAMAS AND PAPAS--

Origin Craft Fair 2010

2010-09-28T08:37:00.006+01:00

I had a lovely weekend in London

(but tiring!! I'm still aching from the half marathon on Sunday! But very pleased that me and my sister in law completed it! Hooray!!).

On Saturday I popped along to the Origin Craft Fair in Spitalfields Market....there were lots to stands to see so I thought I'd share some of my favourites....

Being a map fan this gorgeous wall art by Claire Brewster really caught my eye...

I unexpectedly picked up my first christmas present from Thornback and Peel! :D

Here's some work below from Lauren Van Helmond....I love her characters, great work:

This thread art really caught my eye, I hadn't seen anything like it before, it was very striking.

All created by artist Debbie Smyth. Debbie has an exhibition on at the moment called ThreadBare which is at Manchester Craft and Design Centre until the end of October.

I wish I was closer to be able to check it out more easily....so you'll have to let me know if you go!

and last but my no means least my lovely friend Abigail Brown had a lovely stand displaying her feathered creations! She really is a super talent...she will be at Origin until wednesday and I would definitely recommend a trip! Book online first if you can.

Happy Friday!

2010-09-24T14:43:00.005+01:00

My friday just got a whole lot better with the arrival of this beauty! Such a big treat! I have been eagerly awaiting Amazon to show up with it!

This week has flown by but Autumn seems to be creeping up on us here in the UK...I can feel that chill in the air and the leaves are starting to crisp!

Soon be time to get the winter woolies out!

I'm off to London town this weekend to visit my talented bird maker friend Abigail Brown at Origin, catch up with my brother and soon to be sister in law Abimaro (check out here beautiful voice here)....THEN its half marathon time on Sunday! Uh oh...what have I let myself in for!?!

Hope you've all got a lovely weekend planned!

a sunny retreat

2010-09-16T18:05:00.002+01:00

I've had a short week again this week after a lovely long weekend in Arta, Majorca...it was very nice relaxing with friends and consuming lots of good food and drink....we even had an evening dancing in the street due to the local festival being on while we were there. Oh it was Great!

Autumn seems to be well and truly kicking in now...I love all those fallen crispy leaves!

check out this fresh new blog!

2010-09-09T20:55:00.003+01:00

Here's a lovely brand new blog from friend Lucy Belfield....she produces super work so I certainly think this blog is one to keep your eye on!

Check it out here

I'm off away again! lucky lucky I know!

Its a long weekend in sunny Majorca!

oh I can't wait for that sun on my skin....with sfp of course!!

Have a great weekend everyone...make the most of what is left of summer! :D