Drawing.

Drawing,  Illustration, Letting your hand free on a crisp white sheet of paper.

For the last couple of days I have been illustrating a number of designs/motifs for the two projects I am working on at the moment. Sadly these are private (for now) so I am restricting what I can write, say or upload.

I have not changed my style, I quite like my style
I have not gone far from my favourite subject matter, my subject matter is what makes my designs 
I have loved the research and was very happy that when going through the trends I totally felt I could fit in perfectly with the idea's I came up with, perfect

One project is happily underway
Other one is more slowly coming along(as it is winter based, and I want to feel summery not wintery)

Friday

It is Friday where has the week gone?

My days go so FAST!!

Looking after a crazy puppy,

Yes Bonnie has found her voice.

She has found her teeth.

She is now full of energy..

Mad half hour, every hour

In between looking after Bonnie

I am working rather hard.

Lots of work.

Two big projects..

I need Bernard's watch

I have to juggle 

life and work

and I am proud to say

I am not struggling

Everything is going good

Everything is going right.

Ideas are flowing and Bonnie is blossoming

Inspiration for this week..

Pictures from Pinterest

Check out my scrapbook

Bonnie fits into my colour palette. 

It is a sunny day today..

Every few minutes another narrow boat goes by

It is nice to see the colours, paintings on the boats and the happy families on the water.

Not to mention the ones covered in flowers - I love to see them.

It is busy on the water

today.

The sun is shining down on the rippling canal water.

The air is warm and the sky is blue

People are enjoying their breakfast, lunch and some dinner

Bonnie and I sat out in the garden

Even though she is still too young

I hold on tight and let her sniff the air

She loves the fresh air, a little like me

She loves watching people passing by on their boats, a little like me

She is happy outside, a little like me

But..right now she is happily playing with her dust pan and brush and I am researching/illustrating at my desk.

We are both still looking out the window though

I am starting on a new big project today, I have two projects on in the same month starting today

As the Private wall-covering commission I have been working on for the last few months, has finally been sent off to the printers.

It is going to be a busy month

No complaining though.

Bonnie is going to stay well behaved (I hope)

D is happy

(but very tired from Bonnie- he takes over when he gets in which tends to be when she is lively) 

I am happy.

At the end of my star sign today it said

'Your only job right now is to trust that everything is falling into place exactly as it should'

I think it is right.

Colour

An exciting new wallpaper project about to take place;

A British inspired project

A big project

Opportunities could come after

Possibly BIG opportunities

This is exciting.

First stop COLOUR

It is all about the colour in a pattern.

Customers are drawn to colour

Pattern and Illustration too

Colour attracts the eye

This is what my eye was attracted to.

Screen shot Colour trend boards

Bonnie by my side.

Puppy under my desk.

It is quite nice having a little bundle of joy under my desk while working;

a fluffy, warm belly, pup.

While I am working on my designs the room is silent apart from the sound of Smooth FM

this is great, Bonnie sleeps

in fact Bonnie sleeps most the time I am sat working.

she wants to be close to me

and with me working on a digital file at the moment

I am sat at my desk

Bonnie sits too.

she only really has her mad hours when D comes home

I think she associates him with play.

She is playful now though at 7.30 but it is morning

and little Bonnie slept all night

she is enjoying the paper on my envelope

I may be running up and down the hall before work day starts.

Bonnie little thing

 D  BOUGHT A PUPPY!!!!!

A wirehair fox terrier.

Saturday night D was on the phone to a family in Wales who had one little puppy left; BONNIE

(we named her that) 

Next minute we are packing the car up and heading right down to the bottom of Wales  (near enough a four hour drive) at 7.20 Sunday morning.

I still haven't quite come round to the idea of D buying a puppy because as we know, dogs are a handful. 

And with me liking to go back to my parents a lot I worry who will look after her

Louis my dog at home, is not doggy friendly

all my friends live in Yorkshire and Liverpool

I don't really want to be tied here by a dog.

But..

her beautiful little face, and her love for me already, sitting by my feet now under my desk,

 her happy little run and jump when I call her

and the cutest is having this little bonnie girl following me everywhere in the day,

She sits next to my feet when doing things in the kitchen

and she falls asleep in my arms.

She looks at me in the face and chases me down the hall

she rolls over

she gives you kisses 

she loves Smooth FM

She is very placid(but of course has her puppy moments and mad half hours), 

her mother was so calm when we went to the house, she never barked, 

she just sat next to you and watched the television(quite funny really) 

She was the calmest dog I have ever come across.

I wonder if Bonnie is going to be like her mother,

 I hope so, I think so. 

(not like my Louis at home, he is a crazy dog - but he is my first puppy love and I love him to bits)

If we can get Bonnie to be really well behaved(we are off to puppy classes) she could be with me while I do my designs, she could come with us when we go to craft fairs, and she can come on lots of walks.

She could be part of our everyday lives.

Bonnie was however born with no claws, and she has a missing toe.

The vet says she should be okay, and if she did ever come to hurting her paw, 

we should just treat it like a human cut on finger.

A bonnie little thing she is.

I have been writing more about life this week than I have pattern and creativity.

I think this is the case because, I have been working on the same MASSIVE project for the last couple of months, but now it has reached it's final stages, it is getting ready to be sent off to the printers. Once this is under my belt then I will start focusing my blog posts towards more surface design related subjects.

(but also carry on with the odd day to day life posts)

I think it will be good to juggle both areas because my work is a large part of my life, my day to day life is what inspires me, the things I do, see and read and think.

I am really enjoying blogging again...I had quite a large break from it, and now I am really happy I got back into it.

Things to blog about

My life being a Freelance Surface Designer

Living in West London with D

(A northerner in the south)

The struggle to cope with living away from family and friends

My inspiration

My dream home

My favourite days out - our days out

The books I read

Upcoming and exciting projects 

My work

My life

me.

It is a lovely day again in my garden, the plants and flowers and doing great, they brighten up the garden so much.
I just love gardens full of pots, D did a wonderful job doing the garden up last month, just in time for Spring to finally arrive. He said he did it for me so I could sit out and spend lots of time outside.

He is so very lovely.

The sun is not shinning as much today but it is still lovely and warm(make the most of it, i don't think it is here for the weekend)

The narrowboats are coming past all the time, now the weather is much warmer and like I said in another post it is lovely to watch, wave and see the people who live on the water. I was entertained by the family on the water yesterday with their scruffy dog, watching them pottering around on their boat, having their breakfast sat outside this morning...who needs TV and Books!

It is so lovely to watch in real life. I somewhat imagined my life on a boat.

I have started to settle in here a little more, I do still very much miss the North though and living by the sea.
Having the sand in between my toes, I have realised how lucky I was to be brought up by the beach and spending my summers on the sand listening to the ripple of water.

D mentioned about going to Brighton beach maybe this weekend or next(depending on the weather)
And I am also in the process of booking some tickets home, I love my family to bits and miss them hugely when I am not with them. I never found it this hard during university but being down South, I am finding everything I do, I ring my mum to tell her..She is great and I don't go a day without thinking I wish my mum was here doing these things with me.

 We are like two peas in a pod.

Cath Kidston

Cath Kidston patterns; I am not quite a big customer for her floral designs, I think if I had a little girl though, I would be more of a customer and buy all the little cute bags and pjs. However.. I do really like her spotty bags.

Little Vintage PJS.

I just love the colours on this bag, they go wonderfully with the tan leather

I do love looking through her website and online images of her products and designs because they are very current and everyone(well mostly) loves them. They also somewhat brighten your day when you see them and they make you want to pick up a paint brush and paint.

The reason behind this post, is because I came across this picture....

D has been talking and reading, and googling and researching, this dog for the past few weeks, 

A wirehair fox terrier 

He really wants one!!!

I can quite understand the want for one, they are really cute little chaps

And i just love their soft tone of colours on their coat.

Their temper is meant to be quite nice(however needs lots of exercise)

But puppies are a hand full, so are dogs I guess.

But D really really wants one!

As i work from home, having a dog sounds fine..someone to talk to and little breaks walking down the canal would be great. The negative side though is HOME!!! I love home and I go home as much as I can, normally every 3 weeks or so... and at home is my LOUIS, my cheeky, naughty, nosey, noisy, Cocker Spaniel

He is my baby and I miss him EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!

He is nearly 8 but is no different to the days of him being a puppy, he is mad, he is very naughty, he doesn't like house guests, he can get a little grumpy but I would not change him!

(Something my mum told me the other day; I phoned home and my brother answered, he shouted ''mum, Emma'' and that was it, Louis heard ''EMMA'' and was up at the window barking like crazy, running to the front door, back door, windows, He thought Emma was home :(

Apparently this went on for 20mins.

He thought I was Home and he was looking form me.) 

I worry that if D wants a dog what will we do with it when we go to my home, Louis doesn't really like other dogs at all, especially in his home (he is very protective of his family and the house)

And then times when I go home on my own, who will look after the dog? with D being in work, sometimes in central London.

The other thing I think about is...if we think about starting a family at some point, is it wise to have a dog?

Lots to think about, but also despite all that, I quite like the idea of having two dogs to love.

Coffee and Toast time :)

Enjoy your day.

Em.

Love your home.

As you can quite imagine designing for home interiors, I spend a lot of time looking at peoples home decor, it is great for inspiration and colour, it becomes somewhat of a daily routine for me.

I tend to buy (or be given) Country Living magazines, Homes and Gardens, Period Living... which are wonderful, and there is nothing better than sitting with a coffee flicking through a magazine, either in the sun, on the beach or curled up on the sofa. But recently I have been using Pinterest to browse and be inspired by. 

I have found some of the most beautiful imagery on Pinterest and today..while waiting for D to arrive home from work(he is working later today and I am starving for my dinner) I am going to share with you some of my favourite pictures.

...And pass on me link...please have a look :)

http://pinterest.com/emmajanesowerby/love-your-home/

Who loves Pinterest? I DO :)

fast days

Today has gone so fast..my day started around 6.30 -7am which is normal for me (an early bird most definitely) but today has been a full and fast day - surviving on coffee, and olives as snacks

I have had to juggle my private commission wallpaper this morning, my greetings card orders, food shopping, tidying up, phone call to the mum(which tends to last well over half an hour) emails, washing, eating, drawing, kettle on, feed the swans on the canal the left over bread, jacket potatoes in the oven then back to a little social networking (design related) and here I am now at 20 to 4...blogging.

 I always wondered what I would be like working from home, would I be hard working and routine driven like I used to be in the university studio, and in the John Lewis head office, or would I become too relaxed and not professional enough?

Normally on a 'working day' I will tend to leave all domestic duties till after 4 when D arrives home from work. He tends to come home pretty early compared to most men, but with him working in a trade he winds down early and heads back.

I wake up around 6.30am, make D his lunch for work - I like doing this because it also gets me up early to start my day.
When he leaves I tend to have a cup of tea or coffee either back in bed or in the garden while catching up on some blogs, news articles or I do a little trend researching. This is the start of my morning, most mornings.

Breakfast tends to be straight after when I have then moved into my little space, Mac  and Roberts radio on and either a little bit more researching or planning what is next, make lists and check my emails. I sometimes start tackling work if it has been an on going project.

I break around late morning to get dressed and showered, then my attention is focused mainly on my work right through ( with coffee/tea, snacks and the odd twitter tweet :P )

Sat at my Mac, drawing, singing and enjoying my days.

Sometimes I like to draw outside, which will be more frequent now it is warming up, watching the narrow boats passing...all the time now

If it is a day where I need to pop the printers then I tend to pick up some shopping on my way back and of course another coffee, I always like days when I need to go to the printers, I also love days when the post man brings me my deliveries.

I work right through till D comes home, we then normally have evening plans, or we go for a walk, out for dinner, we head into central London or just enjoy each others company at home with food, films or television. I love when 4pm arrives because I know it is nearly time for D to be home, he brings a smile to my face everyday and he loves to see what I have been up to..he is my biggest fan :) always shows great interest in what I do.

Ruislip

Yesterday I went exploring around the local areas; I tend to get the U1 bus to the sports center for my swim, something I love doing regularly. This bus route carries on to a village/town called Ruislip, my boyfriend has mentioned a number of times I should go and have a look around, he thought I would really like the area, he was most certainly correct. I started off wondering around the charity shops and bought some wonderful little trinkets..a wooden elephant for our home, my mum has a few wooden elephants at home, she believes they bring luck. I also found a great piece of chunky wood, which is something I have been looking for, for my table at the craft fairs I will be doing this summer. 

After I headed to do a little food shopping in the butchers and then went to Manor Farm.

Manor Farm is BEAUTIFUL, coffee shops, art studios, art gallery, renovated barn, duck ponds...and the sun was shinning, it was lovely.

I sat and had a drink and then came to realise that this was the place where the Duck Pond market is held. I had a smile on my face and an urge to get more supplies ordered and register with their market sales list. It is my time to start selling locally and I think I have found the right place to do it.

April 2013

It is now April and I have not been blogging AGAIN...I read people blogs everyday; I find out new things going on in the world, I am inspired by other designers, or home decor bloggers and I just generally love reading about peoples lives(I guess that it is a little nosey, but if they wrote it, then they want it read) I have recently found myself even reading mummy and baby blogs - never too early to learn, they also make  me laugh and smile.

So... my mind is set, I am now going to treat this blog more like my diary. I do prefer writing things down with a good old fashioned pen and paper..so I guess that is why I have always been a little sluggish with blogging.

My diary is for my eyes and my eyes only(not even my boyfriend is allowed to read my diary) but, I have realised in the last few days that I want people to read about my adventure(life), and of course about my design/career adventure(life).......and my ideas, interests and inspiration.

The last time I think I wrote on here, I was talking a little about living in London...I am living West London, by Uxbridge Town(for my boyfriends job). After a few months I am starting (finally) to find my feet, I am such a home girl that I new this was going to be a big step. When I was working for John Lewis I was smack bang in the middle of London, so I was always part of the 'rush' of London and the city life I most certainly lived. Now I am living a much quieter life, no rush hour tube journeys...I work from home, In a flat over looking the canal...with lots of narrowboats passing by regularly. I spend my days with the birds, swans, geese, and ducks these days.

'Living down south is nice'
My boyfriend has taken me to some of the most beautiful places, we could write a book on our days out, it is lovely, we tend to have many, so I have been able to explore the surrounding areas, we have even been right down to Bournemouth and I went to Brighton not so long ago.
However, I am a 'Northerner' and I do at times miss good old Yorkshire(where I lived for three years during my studies) and my home town, Crosby.
My star sign said not long ago that sometimes you have to move forward, go and explore, start a life and a new chapter. My sign was telling me that there was something exciting waiting for me, I just had to find it...and I think I did. I think back to this star sign reading when I am having my 'homesick' days and remind myself that everything happens for the right reason.

Lovely images/wish list.

Dine matt.

John Lewis bedding.

It has been a while.

I have been very busy during the last week; Working on a private commission for a children's nursery and also designing some greetings cards and other wallpapers...its been a none stop week.

It was also my birthday last week and I received some lovely cards from my family, I will upload my three favourites.

Today I was looking through John Lewis website on the home section to see if there are any nice things to buy for my new home. I found some lovely items, whether or not I buy them though..we shall see. I find myself going crazy in John Lewis when I go, especially the Oxford Street one in London.. I could spend a large sum of money in that shop. ( I already have my copy of John Lewis interiors to sit and flick through.)