Happy Christmas from Bunches

After an exciting meeting at Bunches HQ this week to discuss projects over the coming year I went home with some of the products I have been working on for Bunches in recent months.

Here's a pic of the chocolate box and also candle that I created the designs for.

Needless to say....the chocolate box is now empty....and as it says on the box I can honestly say they are delicious.  The chocolates are part of their Christmas flower gift....available online here.

The candle, which smells good enough to eat, is also available as an extra gift with any bouquet!

Perfect for Christmas! 

Hello Mr Mouse....

Here's a mouse character with his little mates that I worked on for baby boys at

George@ASDA.  Available to buy online and in store.

**PLEASE NOTE ALL ARTWORK AND IMAGES IN THIS POST BELONG TO ASDA STORES LIMITED**

Just for girls...

I love working on younger girls graphics for George@ASDA and it's always fun to see the final results  for sale. Here's a selection of tops I have worked on for this season....

All are available to buy online or in store.

**PLEASE NOTE ALL COPYRIGHT OF IMAGES AND GRAPHICS BELONG TO ASDA STORES LIMITED**

 click here to see the above set online

See here to see the above I love my Daddy top online 

Click here to see the above top online

Holiday World...

It's great to see the cover for my latest book, Holiday World with Buster Books online,

 it's available to pre-order now and will be for sale April 2013. 

 It was great to work on this title and get summery during these cold months! 

Otherillustrators involved are Josie Jo and Ann Kronheimer.

A little (but growing) announcement

Something happened this weekend 

during my trip to London...a stranger, two in fact, gave up their seat for me on the tube 

so I could be seated complete with my bump!  

So thank you strangers...I didn't really feel like I needed the seat but thought 

that I couldn't pass on this momentous occasion!

So I'm becoming a mum for the first time...

we're feeling very lucky that this is happening to us and at times still can't quite believe it.  

I'm so fortunate that pregnancy as been straight forward over the last 6 months, 

this bump has been really very kind to me so far!  

Now I so want to see it, meet it, cuddle and kiss it again and again, 

find out what it is, (my money is on a boy!), 

see it's little face, and watch it grow and grow (but please not too fast!).

Such a massive new chapter in our lives awaits us and sure it will be tough, tiring and testing but 

I'm thinking and hoping this little blessing is going to be very best chapter yet. (tissue over here pls!)

I've started to knit! Here's the beginnings of a baby blanket, the first gift from me to the baby.

If you have any tips for online wool shops I'll be very grateful.

10 Top Tips for Creating Happiness from Bunches.co.uk

I recently had the pleasure of working with Bunches and Fat Free Media on the a little animation for Bunches Creating Happiness campaign.

Have a little look and you'll find some ideas for spreading smiles!

It was great to work on something different having never worked on an animation before. This has wet my appetite, it would be good to more one day!

Flick 'n' Mix

I was lucky enough to be asked to be part of Flick 'n' Mix this week!

Keeping with the Halloween theme...here it is...

I was given the task of the head so went for the pumpkin.  I love the results!

Credit to Rachel Fuller for the body and Ilona Drew for the legs.

Thanks Ilona.

Look out for these lovely Christmas cards in Oxfam at the moment illustrated by Ilona Drew

Happy Halloween

I'm too much of a wimp to be a halloween fan....trick or treaters actually get my heart racing!

Here's a tee that I worked on especially for those little lady trick or treaters out there, 

with George@ASDA.

Available instore or online here.

**PLEASE NOTE ALL ARTWORK AND IMAGES IN THIS POST BELONG SOLEY TO ASDA STORE PLC**

New Society6 shop....

I maybe a little bias as she's a lovely friend of mine but I'm such a fan of Nicola Pearson's work 

so it was great to see that she has now opened a Society6 shop so you can get lots of her 

prints on different products.  I would recommend you take a look, here's the link.

Nicola's Etsy shop is expanding too, now with cards and gifts as well as her soft characters.

I couldn't resist and ordered myself this iphone cover...looking forward to my post!

**PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COPYRIGHT OF THESE DESIGNS BELONG TO NICOLA PEARSON**

It's been a while...

Well it's been a little while since my last post....this summer seems to have flown by.

Lots to enjoy though as well as exciting new work projects.

 I've been working on a real variety of projects including lots of illustrations for a new website launching in the Autumn (got to keep quiet about it for now!), an animation for Bunches Florapost, a new colouring/activity book for Buster Books as well as a new personal venture....

a brand new greetings card company!

Can't quite believe it's really happening but we will be launching at Top Drawer in a couple of weeks....so watch this space for more details very very soon!

For now here's a graphic of mine that is available now in George@Asda stores as

well as online here for the bargain price of £4!  

Hopefully we won't be needing our brollies for much longer!

**PLEASE NOTE ALL ARTWORK AND IMAGES IN THIS POST BELONG TO ASDA STORES LIMITED**

Glamping Hen do weekend....

I've had a lovely weekend in York at Jolly Days luxury camping!

Certainly a camping experience I wouldn't mind returning too....

actual beds, a roll top bath, shower and loo, a stove and a sofa! Perfect! 

Here's the view from our decking yesterday morning...

It was a great hen do and Helen was the perfect Hen! Lots of fun was had by all....

knicker making included thanks to TopDrawerDiva!

Here are my pants! :D

A trip to Cockpit Arts

I had a great time in London last weekend....it was really good to pop by the Cockpit Arts Open Studios in Holborn.  It was so much bigger than I expected it to be and I am already hoping I'll be able to make it to their christmas one.  If you missed out last weekend it is on again this weekend in Deptford, see here for more details. I'd certainly recommend a visit.

Mary Portas was having a look around with her cute little dog when I was there.

Here's a photo of her having a look at an Abigail Brown bird!

You can read what she had to say about her visit here.

photo by Jamie Trounce

Abigail had her beautiful creations on show... 

I've got my eye on one of these lovely flamingos!

One day!

There was so much talent to admire there, here's some lovely stuff that really caught my eye and is now on my want list!

Perfect leather bags from Katherine Pogson

 Amazing ceramics from Katharine Morling

and I love this magnetic wallpaper from Sian Zeng

Have a great time if you make it to Deptford this weekend.

I'm off for my first Glamping experience at Jolly Days near York for a hen do!

The wellies are packed and I can't wait!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Off to Cockpit Arts Open Studios

I'm off to London tomorrow to visit the Cockpit Arts Summer Open Studios.

I've been wanting to go for a couple of years now as my lovely friend Abigail Brown is

part of Cockpit Arts Studio in Holborn. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing the variety of creations from the artists based at Cockpit, as well as Abbie's lovely birds of course!

It's on all weekend in Holborn and then next weekend in Deptford.

I'm sure you will love it if you visit....click here for more details.

Summer really is here....

Well it's not looking very summery out there for us in the UK

but it's nice and bright on the high street with all the summer fashions out now.

Here's a tee I worked on with George@ASDA available online and in-store in 

their girlswear section.

 I loved adding all the texture and pattern to this artwork.

**PLEASE NOTE ALL ARTWORK BELONGS TO ASDA STORES LIMITED**

Have a great weekend everyone, come rain or shine!

God Save Our Queen....

Well firstly a big thanks to Queen Elizabeth II for giving us an extra day off to 

enjoy this weekend! Mine will probably be spent working but still it will be a relaxed day!

Here's a picture from my visit to London on Tuesday....all looking very patriotic on Regent Street.

I know people have very mixed views about the Royal Family...but I see this weekend more as a time to appreciate the positive things about being British and living in the UK.

I know there are many lows, so many people are really struggling here, 

politicians bicker like they're in a playground and the media constantly lies to us.

but to risk sounding annoying....it really could be a lot worse! 

For so many people in the world, everyday they don't feel safe, 

they put up with an extremely corrupt government, no available health care or education.

You can't choose where you're born and I feel lucky to be British, really lucky.  

To live in a relatively safe country where I've had countless opportunities, 

education, healthcare, clean water, heating and much much more!

(Like Marmite, fish and chips, the Beano, sports days, the seaside and cornish pasties!)

I'd love for you to comment with what you love about being British!

Rose-tinted glasses or not, it's weekend to be thankful!

Here's some character artwork I created for George@ASDA.

It's available in-store now or here online for any little girls out there for only £2!

**ARTWORK COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO ASDA STORES LIMITED**

Have a great weekend everyone!

My Latest Book...Perfect Patterns

Last summer I was lucky enough to work with Buster Books again on a new colouring book 

and here are the results.... Perfect Patterns!

It was such a lovely project to work on, lots of fun and very rewarding!

It's now available to buy here as well as on the high street, here are some of my favourite spreads....

Perfect Patterns is a follow on from my first colouring book Pretty Patterns which you might remember from a previous post...here.

**PLEASE NOT ALL COPYRIGHT OF THE IMAGES AND ILLUSTRATIONS 

BELONG TO MICHAEL O'MARA BOOKS LIMITED**

Ginger Tea Tour....

Big things are happening with Abimaro and the Free this week.....

(they top my favourites list!)

They are launching their debut single 'Ginger Tea' by touring around tea and coffee

shops in East London and doing a series of live gigs.

There's loads of dates and it's FREE! unless you would like one of their exclusive goodie bags!

Here's some more details here and a list of dates here.

**please note all images belong to Abimaro and the Free**

desktop wallpapers....

The lovely flower people at Bunches have converted the calendar

I created for their customers

(see here for my previous post from earlier in the year)

into desktop downloads....

For each month I have illustrated a quote from one of their customers about

how they plan to create happiness throughout 2012.

Click here to download for your very own desktop.

Hello mischief....

This week has flown by in a blur of work and sunny skys!

I'm enjoying having my lunch outside this week!

Here's some snaps of some garments that I worked on for George@Asda that I ordered online.

I loved working on these and am really pleased with how they've turned out,

the gold foil print looks just lovely.

Available to purchase here, here, here and here!

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

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

a lovely new etsy shop....

Rachel over at RahRahRepeats has been busy creating some super designs

for her brand new Etsy shop which has opened just this week...

Here's a couple of her beautiful prints, click here to see more over on Etsy.

There's more designs to come and you can keep updated on her blog here!

**PLEASE NOTE THE COPYRIGHT OF ALL ARTWORK SHOWN IN

THIS POST BELONGS TO RACHEL HARPER**

Wacom Inkling....second attempt

Well this is more like it! I should have watched this video before.

I'm not very good with instructions when I'm excited about something...I just want to get on with it!

From watching the video I realised I was holding the pen too far down therefore

blocking the sensors. This quick little doodle is far better and more like

what I was thinking I would be achieving from the Inkling!

Despite my initial disappoint I must say the inkling is very well packaged, it all fits

into a small rectangular box making it very transportable and it is easy to

set up and use with your Mac

(I can't comment on PC usage due to lack of PC experience).

It is literally just a matter of plugging in the sensor once unclipped from your page,

opening your sketch, click a button and it's in illustrator! Amazing!!

Wacom Inkling

Well it's arrived...after ordering 3 months ago!

All thanks to Jigsaw24.

Very exciting!

It's the Wacom Inkling....

When I first heard about the Inkling it felt like it was everything

I'd been waiting for, I was so looking forward to getting one!

I love sketching and to be able to sketch with a proper pen then upload the image

onto my Mac and edit away was beyond all my daydreams!

Now I've started to experiment I can't help but feel a little disappointed,

I knew it wouldn't be 100% accurate but my first attempts are not useable at all.

But I still have hope...I have watched this video and

I think I may be holding the pen in the wrong position.

I am planning on keeping you all up dated with my progress with the new Inkling.

Hopefully in time and with practise it will become the tool of dreams!

Chocolate.....

I've designed another chocolate box! Here's my design for the Bunches

Thank you Mum gift....which is available to buy here.

The gift includes a lovely bouquet as well as some tasty chocolates

all delivered to your super Mum!

There's a matching candle available too!

Here's some links to chocolate boxes for months gone by, here and here

International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day!

A day to think about women all over the world and remember that women

are of huge huge value to each and everyone of us!

Last friday I had the pleasure of exhibiting at an Abimaro and the Free gig

(which was brilliant, they are hugely talented. Look out for their Ginger Tea tour in East London soon!)

that served the purpose of raising awareness for International Women's Day.

I exhibited this print along with wonderful artwork from Lakwena Maciver, Alia Ahmad,

Antonia Parker, Lucinda Metcalfe and Holly Dinsdale.

Here's the print I created....

This was quite a challenge for me as I haven't worked towards an exhibition for about 8 years!

But it gave me a chance to give a piece of artwork more personal

thought rather than thinking solely of a customer.

I took inspiration from an old proverb and hopefully this piece acts as a reminder that women are precious!

Precious for so many reasons which can be easily forgotten in society today when so

often the main emphasis is on the way women look.

Women are full of love, compassion, loyalty, kindness as well as being industrious with many skills...creative and otherwise, that can be taken for granted and overlooked by others.

To me it's not about girl power and being better than man....

it's about valuing ourselves and hopefully others will follow!

I stupidly didn't take any picture of it frames so my brother took this phone pic.

I added some little extras to the print...

daydreaming....

I've got a good day ahead of me today but this hasn't stopped me

daydreaming this morning...daydreaming and remembering

our wonderful time in Langkawi, Malaysia in December.

Here's some pics....

I'm dreaming of chocolate pancakes for breakfast and a sea view...

dreaming of a morning dip in the quiet pool...

dreaming of being collected from the beach in a little boat

and then taken on a sunny tuesday to a beautiful island with my love....

watching eagles swoop through the sky...

and sipping ice cold drinks on a floating restaurant,

exploring temples and eating tasty (and cheap!) malaysian food!

Ahhhhhh....take me back.....one day!

have a lovely day everyone!