Hello Monkey

2012-01-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Aaarrgghh don't panic, don't panic!

What? What do you mean you're not panicking? Oh right... because we're back! Hello Monkey is back after Christmas baby! I bet that's a relief eh? Besides, even if you were panicking, the above wouldn't have done you much good (unless you managed to wire it to something chocolatey).

Anyway, we are back. And I'm sorry for the extended absence. It turns out things do get really chuffing busy around xmas and I've only just slowed down enough to realise we've gone and left you peeps in the dark with nary a panic button to press, so here you go.

We have a lot of new things to announce. Some we can't reveal until they're ready and some we can. We have some brand new prints for sale (more on those later), new tasty stuff on the way and me of course! I'll be doing my upmost to bring you much more timely blog postings. We'll have pictures and stories and all sorts of things. Mostly design related, but also a lot of silly belly button fluff that I'll be passing off as some sort of discerning critique of modern design... woop.

Spring into Spooky

2011-10-31T02:52:00.000-07:00

I guess when it comes to today it should really be something Halloween themed, but all the ones I've seen recently were just a little too freaky. I saw this one today on a site called 'Creep Machine' which I check out once in while and thought, lets go for autumnal instead. I know that's supposed to be blossom, but I am using a little creative license and deciding that you get pink and purples in October. Maybe that's a little scary in itself yes? The seasons have gone doolally, run for your lives! Have a great Halloween everyone.

Bigger, Better and Beautiful

2011-09-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

As you all know, Hello Monkey are busy as busy bees, and if we're not making and selling all sorts of wondrous and amazing things then we're designing new wondrous and amazing things! But we don't just make any old thing, no. We put on our thinking caps; in my case a very fashionable black beret (oh yes), and we craft and sculpt and put our fingers on our chins while we look up into middle distance at nothing in particular until we have something that is, just, perfect.

And now we've done it, the above print is now on sale on A3 satin finish paper at Notonthehighstreet.com! So have a look and let us know what you think.

Toodles.

My Kingdom for this throne!

2011-09-09T03:29:00.000-07:00

Just look at this! I mean, just look at it! Isn't it the most hoobly groobly thing you have ever seen? If I were king... nay, Emperor, this would be my throne! Except I would make it taller by Royal decree so I could swing my legs and I'd have to really pull myself up to get onto it, properly stomach scrabble and swing my leg over to get purchase. So, of course, no one would be allowed in the throne room until I was sitting comfortably. And all would bow before my awesome taste in furniture and design, and if you wanted to talk to me you would have to sit next to me on the throne which would be really hard as you wouldn't have as much room to stomach scrabble up, so eventually all my subjects would have to hire they're very own acrobat to speak to me and be a Royal go-between as no-one can get up there themselves.

And yes, I would pay more attention to those whose acrobat could do the best backflip onto the space next to me, of course!

Turning Design Up To 11

2011-09-05T03:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to talk about the above today, a little thing I saw while doing my usual internet morning hunter gathering. And while it's usually titbits, morsels and the occasional metaphorical flapjack of delightfulness, today I was presented with what must be the design equivalent of a chocolate bar with seeds in it. Yes, you read that right, seeds! Sure chocolate is awesome and seeds are healthy snacks in their own right but together? Come on, that would be like putting raisins in popcorn; it's not El Bulli or Blumenthal crazy, but it's definitely up there.

I must've looked at this picture for 15 minutes in a stupefied drool before I was finally able to lie back and pretend that I had this mug with drink in my hand; though my philosophical meandering had left me confused. Just how do you drink from this thing without pouring lovely hot sugary tea all over your unsuspecting lap?

The answer is a simple one, you don't. Or rather, you start thinking differently about something you never thought differently about before and in doing so take a step to the side and start thinking creatively (and twist your hand slightly so you don't spill your drink).

It occurs to me that this 'Lap Mug' is what creativity and good design is all about. Sure, it may not be the most efficient or well engineered thing in the world (in fact this mug may work better as a 'chest mug' for easy sipping in bed), but you will have a lot of fun with it, you will move forward in the world and can show everyone that 'good design' should be as unexpected as it is expected and is like drinking a pint with a straw; it's sometimes unconventional and awkward, but it's fun and new, and if just one other person does it you're a winner!

Gor' blimey Guv'ner, it's Frarday it is!

2011-08-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

'Ello All,

It's party time! Well it's always party time at Hello Monkey but this time is especially partyful as I have found some amazing looking things during my travels on' tinterwebs. Here is one artful number which seems to appeal to me 'Happy Hydrogen'. Something about bombs, made me almost squeal when I saw it!

Ooh also, we've been thinking about making Fridays or Mondays (or any day of the week really) special for all our followers and fans so do send your ideas to our facebook or twitter page and lets have a thinkle thonkle. We could do a competition, or people could send in design ideas or anything at all, we'd love to hear from you!

Barnes Fair!

2011-07-11T01:01:00.000-07:00

Hello Peeps,

Just wanted to tell you all what a groovy Saturday Hello Monkey had at Barnes Fair this year. For everyone who made it and saw us at our stall we're so glad you could come and have a chat, and if you couldn't be there this time, it'll be back next year so don't worry.

If you couldn't come you missed so much. There were Rides, great food and stalls selling everything under the sun. We even started an impromptu Celebrity watch half-way through when what looked like Brian May and even the late, great Keith Floyd (though of course not actually him) appeared, and then Ant from Ant and Dec fame passed by (though we only found out which one afterwards)!

We all got to look around at the stalls and bought some very nice things (thanks for the nut, Kerry) and generally had a wonderful time despite a tiny bit of wind and rain half way through. We hope everyone who could make it had as much fun as we did and again if you couldn't make it and still want to chat we're always available. Just whip an email off to Kerry or Alex @hellomonkey.co.uk or visit us at notonthehighstreet.com.

Anyway, it's Monday now and we're back in our offices and the weather is just as great as it was on Saturday. Have a good one guys,

Alex

Hello Monkey gets a brand new Monkey?

2011-05-16T01:44:00.000-07:00

A brand new shiny monkey called Alex! Hello everyone, I will be managing Business Development for the team and bring some awesome designs straight to you, show off some really cool designs or whatever takes my eye on our little blog spot here and maybe even partaking in some witty banter if you're lucky. Looking forward to being part of a great team and sharing it all with you. Here's to the future.

Alex

I do... in Aubergine

2010-08-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

Tis the wedding season and it's always fun to be asked to do wedding stationery. We love to go to town on the whole caboodle - call it wedding branding! Inspired by some shiny aubergines sitting in a beautiful Morroccan bowl... Flowers by Floral Revolution, stationery by Hello Monkey

Branded Snaps

2010-08-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

I saw a fab mug today - it said on it "she wanted to change the world but couldn't find a babysitter". I can certainly relate to that! Well our childminder is on holiday this week and I'm the busiest I've been in a very long time so it's a bit of a struggle but we're finally there. I decided to enlist the help of my daughters: Thalia has been entertaining us with her cooing while Anna has been sticking labels and sealing envelopes, so what I thought was going to be a hard couple of days turned out very positive!
Along with the orders for prints we at Monkey Towers have created 4 four brands over the last few weeks. And they are: an interiors shop, a faux-flowers business, a recruitment consultancy and a French playgroup. Quite a variety! And here's the snap

Enough about me... Four (feathered friends) For Thursday

2010-07-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

I think it's about time I stopped wittering on about what I can do and start posting some real talent! Well I'm going to feature things I like. Starting now!And I'm going to make it a regular slot and calling it 'Four for Thursday'. I know it's the norm to do these things on Fridays but I try to keep fridays for my two favourite little monkies (Anna and Thalia).

Nmero uno are these chairs I found on Etsy. Aren't they fab. I'm saving...

number 2 is this little lampshade. By little birdy

number 3 is this clever design - an origami card...by little crane

And last be no way least Jemima Lumley's beautiful bird necklace

Origami Flowers? It's a Swap!

2010-05-09T03:20:00.000-07:00

Ever hit the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button on the Google homepage? Sometimes it's a hit...sometimes not. There are days when I do a bit of that with my work. Every so often someone asks for logo design and instead of paying me in money, we swap. Recently I was approached by a lovely lady from Devon called Kat who spends a great deal of her time folding flowers, birds and butterflies out of beautiful (and sometimes recycled) paper. She wanted a logo for her origami flowers so I suggested we do a trade. This is something I do every now and again and have had some, dare I say it, 'interesting' things in return! Still, it's a sure way to create better harmony during this credit crunch! So I now have pretty flowers and birds about my house. And no feeding necessary! This time I got lucky.

Prints Charming

2010-01-11T03:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I'm not sure about you but I have serious cabin fever being stuck indoors due to the snow... will it please melt now! I am being extra careful as I'm expecting baby 2 and with such precious cargo on board I need to take it steady... just 4 weeks to go...

So whilst I'm taking things slowly I thought I'd have a look at some of my favourite pieces available on Folksy. I'll try and stick to a theme, so for the first installment I'm showcasing some lovely prints. Let's hope my Prince Charming will take note and purchase! 1). Show me the Lemons by Madebyjulene , 2). Instant Beauty by Lola's Room, 3). 'Avery' lovely print by Lydia Meiying and 4). Wake up and see the coffee by Mengsel

We're Going Ape! Hello Monkey and Wild Futures Form Partnership

2009-11-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

What a thoroughly exciting week it's been. The highlight of it was the forming of a very special partnership with our most favourite animal charity - Wild Futures! What better way to show our appreciation to these tireless champions of monkey welfare than to donate funds from every sale of our products. That's 5p for each card and 50p for each print sold. This money will go towards caring for the 21 monkeys that are currently resident at the Wild Futures’ Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall, as well as the charity’s ongoing work in environmental education, campaigning and supporting overseas conservation and rehabilitation projects

Wild Futures (reg. number 1102532) is an educational and environmental charity; promoting the welfare and conservation of primates, and conserving natural habitats through education and sustainable living. Says Wild Futures spokesperson, Liz Tyson:

“We are very proud to be associated with Hello Monkey; not just because we are sure that their fantastic designs will sell like hotcakes, thus generating support for or work, but because they have a genuine commitment to sustainable practice, which they ensure is reflected in all areas of their work. Our green credentials are extremely important to us and this is a wonderful opportunity to work with a like-minded team. We hope this will be the beginning of a long-lasting and mutually beneficial working relationship”.

LIMITED EDITION GINKGO PRINT AVAILABLE HERE!

Cushioning The B(e)low

2009-11-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

Had a hard day? Perhaps it's time to whisk yourself away from the boss from hell or give up with the accounts for today and get cosy on the sofa with some Horlicks and a good book. But imagine if you'd adorned your seat with a beautiful cushion from Showpony, its fabric is hand printed with water-based inks, is organic and has been handmade in a fair-trade co-operative in India. Then neatly pleated at Emma Henderson's studio in Scotland. Need it? probably!

Letters of Interest

2009-09-24T02:29:00.000-07:00

Alphabet spaghetti, eye-spy, fridge magnets... they all help encourage our little ones to remember the 26 letters that make up our alphabet. How about this poster for an added help? You can choose any combination of colours and if you prefer other icons that's also fine. You can see plenty more examples of my posters here

live laugh love learn listen

2009-06-02T00:07:00.000-07:00

A new addition to my series of greetings cards and prints is this little ditty to remind us all the rules in life! live. laugh. love. learn. listen and this now takes pride of place in our sitting room and everything's rosy. This and other prints can be found on Etsy and Folksy should you feel you just gotta haveit!

Good Tidings

2009-04-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

I think I've bored a lot of people I know by griping about the quantity of plumbers' logos I end up doing. Don't get me wrong, plumbers are my mates and I thank them heartily for their work but taps aren't always that pretty! So I did get very excited to be asked to design a pretty logo. With Birds. And flora. Yes!

So if you're about in Cirencester or Monmouth in the next few months you'll see this logo up in lights gracing the prettiest gift shops this side of the UK.

Treasured

2009-04-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

By now most of you will have heard of the wonderful Etsy, the site where you can buy the most original one-off items from makers all over the world. There are millions of sellers and many more buyers so imagine my delight when I received a little note in my inbox to say I was picked for someone's Treasury? My little goodbye bicycle card up in lights! So nice to be wanted!

Card Games

2009-03-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

At last the other day I was offered one of those beautiful pastel French Macaroons - they cost an arm and a leg so I knew not to scoff it too fast! (and you know it's spring the shops are filled with pastel coloured fancies).
I'm not one to be ungrateful but I thought they looked better than they tasted... but all was not lost as I came back to my desk feeling totally ispired by the colours and started on some new stationery...
I sat remembering sunny afternoons as a child playing in the garden in tents made from sticks and looking at Dad's huge wellies by the back door... Alas, my bottom wouldn't get through the door of that wigwam these days.

Hello Monkey now has an Etsy shop so you can buy these cute cards!

Just My Type

2009-03-14T13:07:00.001-07:00

I know there are others out there who, like me, are a wee bit bonkers about fonts. And if you find your pupils shrinking at the sight of Comic Sans or Mistral, I'm talking about you. But there are those who feel it's perfectly fine to use said typefaces..."oh it'll do". NO it won't do, and to prove it there are even organisations out there who want to ban comic sans altogether.

So if there's anyone reading this in need of inspiration do us all a favour and have a play with WORDLE. Ahh, that's better.

Tangible Assets

2009-02-26T07:41:00.000-08:00

When it comes to advertising, I seem to spend most of my energy producing graphics that are for web which means I never actually get to touch them. Every so often however, someone comes along who would like to advertise the old fashioned route - on paper. Information printed on to nice glossy paper which you can sit back and read to your leisure (or on the loo if that's your cuppa). And it's quite exciting to collect the printing - there's something about the smell of stationery that's very comforting.

So because I get so excited about it I thought I should add Brochure Design to Hello Monkey's list of services. Oo oo oo.

Very Tasteful

2009-02-23T01:37:00.000-08:00

This blog entry comes with a warning: if you're hungry don't read on.

If you happen to be in Southampton you may be wondering where those delicious cooking aromas are coming from. It's quite likely that the master chefs at Add Zing are responsible for getting tummies rumbling with their latest culinary creations.

Hello Monkey were asked to create a colourful, bright and modern website that captured the essence of the menu whilst showing off their wonderful food. Keeping their original logo it made sense to play with the strong pink and yellow which resulted in a surprisingly good colour combination. It was a pretty hard job to keep focused but eventually the website was complete and I only managed to eat one of my fingers in the process.

and here's for something completely different...for Valentine's Day

2009-02-09T06:12:00.000-08:00

Apparently I'm unique. That's what my husband tells me. So I'm guessing that 'ers and 'ims indoors all over the land are being told this so naturally this Saturday we'll all being patiently awaiting that 'unique' magic envelope from our unique other half. However I'm aware that it's all a bit of anti-climax when you open said envelope and there's a Hallmark card, pinkly adorned and quite honestly something you'll not be putting in your keepsake box. Imagine all those delighted squeals if we had a beautiful Mr Robert Ryan Valentine masterpiece to treasure. He's a clever monkey that Mr Rob - he painstaking cuts intricate shapes into paper to create wonderful and whimsical works of art. You can read all about him here:

Sadly even the Valentine Screenprint a bit pricey to substitute for a card but we can dream.

Still, it's the thought that counts and I'm crossing my fingers that my husband actually remembers let alone thinks!

It's wonderful, to be Frank

2009-02-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

Whilst it's cold outside and I'm still nursing my bruised bottom from slipping on the ice, I am parked firmly indoors where no damage can be done. So naturally with the Parental Control fully set to 'No Dodgy Sites' I can safely cruise the Inter Super Highway in search for some inspiration. And not a remedy for penile malfunction to clog the pop-up blocker.

Today's crusade was to find something individual for two upcoming birthdays. Bored of the usual foodie gift or perfumed wotnots, imagine my delight when I chanced upon Frank! Totally unique handmade items, very quirky indeed. Oh somebody please buy me that croched leaf necklace. To be Frank, I NEED it.

It's the year of the...Monkey!

2009-01-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

Here we are, at the start of the Chinese New Year and what better way to start 2009 with a totally revamped image - out with the old, in with the new and all that. However we decided to pay homage to the monkey - we felt the ox would be getting enough limelight for a while.

So, yes, it's Hello Monkey and goodbye Dotty. He had one too many sausages and we felt it was time for a different, more athletic little friend to grace our webpages. So apart from our dear Dotty departing for a life of the couch potato and the new funky monkey settling in, everything else remains the same. Except better.

Bloomin' great

2008-11-23T03:58:00.000-08:00

Highly talentled Rebecca Frere does wonders with flowers. We're not just talking arranging fine blooms into pretty pots and wrapping elegant stems into floral masterpieces (she does that effortlessly) but what Rebecca does that separates her from the rest is that she also cultivates and grows the flowers too. Of course it's not always possible with our unpredicatble British weather so Rebecca ensures she only uses fairly traded flowers or flowers that haven't had to travel too far to her Kent base.

So when Rebecca decided it was time for a new website she opted for Dotty Dog to design it as we too are proud to be an ec0-friendly company and even have an carbon neutral website all of our own!

We set about creating a new brand for Rebecca to reflect her unique style keeping it modern and fresh. You can the initial concepts here. Now her shiny new website is up and running and Rebecca couldn't be happier - she now has her own blog and can keep her long list of fans up to date with all her latest news and ramblings... watch this space!

Just Peachy

2008-11-14T00:29:00.000-08:00

{click on image to enlarge}

There's no working outdoors for us now we're heading into winter (and it hasn't ceased raining for at least a week) so we've packed away our solar batteries and are putting on an extra layer rather than cranking up the heating to keep warm. But just because it's no longer sunny it doesn't mean we have to 'think' in grey!

Londoners Chloe and Stephen are planning their wedding for next September and have called on us to design some stationery for their sunny* day (*Guaranteed, apparently!). Their chosen theme is 'peaches and cream' after Chloe fell in love with a stunning peach coloured Rodarte dress worn at a premier by keira Knightly. Chloe chose our existing bird design with which we altered a few elements to suit the couple exactly.

One of the momentoes the couple plan have in mind as a wedding favour is a bag of chocolate seashells - as their wedding ceremony will be held on the beach in Cornwall close to Trevone, a place close to their hearts. They asked for a simple, rustic closure for the bags encorporating the bird design and you can see the result in the picture.

Inside their canvas Yurt there'll be pretty birds and soft peach hydrangeas adorning the tables. And with peach bellini cocktails being on offer on the day, even the drinks are in harmony!

So with all this talk of sunny days and beaches, I hope you're feeling warmer now.

What a wedding!

2008-11-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

{click image to enlarge}

I was very honoured recently to be asked by our good friends Aidan and Bhavna to design their wedding stationery. (Even labels for their wedding favours - a jar of chutney- were to be done!). Of course I couldn't wait to get started!

Being an Anglo-Indian wedding, the couple wanted simple stationery with an Indian theme but it also needed to reflect the groom's English heritage. The font needed to be in red to adhere to the Indian tradition and Ganesha and Om needed to be present too. After consultations with the bride and her mum, I set to work to incorporate the ideas. It was great to see the stationery arrive on the doormat, addressed to me, for the first time!

The wedding was delightful, many a smiley face to be seen! The venue was perfect and tastefully decorated with the peacock theme running throughout. Bhavna worked wonders on finding a cake maker who even reproduced the peacock and hearts for the top. She worked endlessly on arranging the beautiful flowers which were red, velvet-like and encrusted with sparkly diamonds. The tables were scattered with rose petals and even the chutney looked regal in sparkly sari fabric.

And the bride herself truly looked a billion rupees!

Highly Inviting

2008-07-04T22:46:00.000-07:00

You finally found a venue for the wedding rehearsal dinner and you're hoping no one will realise that you'd completely forgotten about that bit of the wedding planning. A little more Fawlty Towers than you would have liked, but hey. So how can you regain a few brownie points from the mother-in-law-to-be? Send a swanky invitation that dupes the bridal party into thinking they're getting more Gordon Ramsay nosh than Manuel service and all will be rosy.

This style is perfect for rehearsal dinners and evening invitations.

So even if the dinner's not quite up to scratch at least your stationery is. I know nothing!

New Inspiration

2008-05-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest addition to our Children's Stationery. The look we are going for is Modern Asian - we wonder if it will be popular? Take a look at our other new designs - there's always something new

Dressed up like a dog's dinner

2008-05-17T03:32:00.000-07:00

That Super Dot gets around speedier than a sausage on rocket-fuelled roller-skates! Now he can be found on all sorts of smart clobber and kitchenware. So if you like the Dog Almighty you can get yourself some merchandise. Here he is! Yes, he now has his very own shop. Top dog! And there are some of Dotty's other designs too!

From the big book with lots of pages and even more words

2008-05-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

dot·ty
play_w2("D0351600")
(dt)
adj. dot·ti·er, dot·ti·est
1.
a. Mentally unbalanced; crazy.
b. Amusingly eccentric or unconventional.
c. Ridiculous or absurd: a dotty scheme.
2. Having a feeble or unsteady gait; shaky.
3. Obsessively infatuated or enamored.

Doggone!

2008-05-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

Sadly old Doggie had to go. I know he was cute but let's face it, he was a bit of a whimp. So Super Dot is now newly installed in his kennel and gracing the Dotty Dog website. So, time to bid farewell to Doggie and wish him well and bountiful pig's ears. Bye bye.