Branded Snaps

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!