Sticking Together

 Bespoke tea towel design and personalised options.

A lot of couples are now asking for money rather than gifts at their weddings.  Living together before you're married is common practise these days and therefore couples already have everything they need!  But you don't always want to just hand them a cheque do you?  I've been having a few requests recently for tea towels for new couples, and it's also popular for the 2 year 'cotton' anniversary.

This design offers the buyer a personalised design, with the name of the new couple and the date they get married.  If you'd like this design for an unmarried couple, or perhaps the Bride didn't take the Grooms last name?  Then I can put first names instead of 'Mr & Mrs'.

Here is a selection of my tea towels on the front of my market table.

Inspired by the plant seen growing on the sides of footpaths and roads - Stickyweed!  It was always fun at school to stick it to each others backs without the other realising, and I've been reminded of those care free days on my walks into work, seeing all the stickyweed growing taller and taller.

I've printed this tea towel design in a lovely sage green, but other colours are always possible, specially if you'd like something more neutral, a light greet is nice too.

Unfortunately I'm currently not able to take any tea towel requests, but I am in search of a new print studio so do get in touch if you are interested via email at  charlotte_vallance@hotmail.com or comment below.

Berkhamsted Arts and Crafts Market

Just look at my table!  I'm so pleased with it!

For ages I've wanted something to build up my stalls with so that my work is more at eye level for passers-by.  It makes it more appealing if you don't have to bend over to look at everything.  These crates are nice and large, as you can see I've managed to even fit my A3 prints inside them.  I also added a few cute little plants, I wanted to create the feel of where you might display my work if you take home a print, and as I can't display on a wall...this is my next best thing!

Berkhamsted has a lovely market twice a month - on the 1st Saturday and 3rd Sunday of every month - and it is full of amazing sellers, with a great range of handmade and locally sourced goods.  I picked up a birthday present for a friend, enjoyed some cake from the cafe and got a free sample of soap, lovely.

Unfortunately, this was an extremely quiet day.  I've never had this before, I normally cover the cost of my stall + expenses, and have a nice chat with other stall holders and meet some new people.  This time I just had the nice chat and met some lovely people.  Sometimes markets are just like this!  You can't control how the day will pan out, what the weather will be like or how much people will buy.  It was too sunny outside I think, it wasn't just that people weren't spending, it was that there weren't enough people!  

I still took away positives from this market, you can't dwell on the money side of things.  For one, my table did look awesome!  Huzzah!  Secondly, the one postcard I did sell, I sold of the Town Hall that the market is held in, and that customer was really happy!  And thirdly, I met other local traders and saw what is being produced and happening in the area, which really is lovely.

If you're in Berkhamsted and would like to see me at this market, do get in touch!

Bespoke Babygrows

When a client has seen my work, knows what they want and love my style….it a recipe for success!  I was commissioned to screen print a double sided baby grow for a Christmas gift.  Isn't it adorable?!  'MC' are the baby's Dad and Mum, and 'A' stands for 'Alexa' the little girls name, which you can see printed on the reverse as well.

If you'd like me to print you something similar get in touch!  £20 for bespoke baby grow design printed on the front, £30 if you'd like something printed front and back (+P&P).  Short sleeve and long sleeve available.

Cushions, cushions, cushions!

With the success of last years Amsterdam cushions, I've done a second run.  This time I have opted for a thicker material and gone with a dark, navy blue as well as the bright, peacock blue - a nice contrast I think.

You can get them via my Etsy shop at www.charlottevallance.etsy.com

And as a last minute decision I attempted to print a limited edition of 4 in red (slightly larger in size with an added triangle border).  But unfortunately they haven't all worked out so they won't be going in the shop just yet!

A new book - HURRAH!

This has been a long time in the making...sorry for the delay folks!

As always this book is based on my travels.  I haven't been able to get away properly for a while, so short, sweet and perfect city breaks have taken priority.  Back in June I had a lovely long weekend in Paris with my sister and a friend of ours (met in Melbourne Australia, many years ago!).  It was fantastic as we saw a Parisian's Paris rather than a tourist one - makes a nice change seeing a city with a local.

I'm pleased to say that this book has had a great reception at book fairs and craft markets a like!

Book Print

Three colour ways - fluro pink, gold and blue all with a purple outline

This book pattern print came about because I wanted to make some nice bags to give out with purchases at Manchester's Artsists' Book Fair.  Turns out it's actually quite versatile!

 Various colours and sizes of bags

 I stuck to one colour with the tote bags and aside from trying to print it in lime green, am really chuffed with how they've come out.  The more I print the more I learn!

 Drying in the rack and being folded into books

I've printed this amazing folding style book before (back in uni, see the background of the blog, and in this post here) and I've often felt that people buy it a lot for the fun of the fold!  I've been selling them rather cheap for the amount of design work and concentration that goes into them - just £5!  So, as I'm coming to an end of my stock of the current book I've given this fold a re-vamp for those who are interested in the fold, and perhaps print, but weren't too keen on the illustrations.  For £5 you can now grab one of these beauties!  In either 2 or 3 colours, an edition of 30 books with the book print on them are now available - hurrah!

I had a few off cuts and hate to see paper go to waste so I'll be popping these book marks into people's bags when they purchase something at book fairs and craft markets.


Keep an eye out for this pattern popping up on other items as well :)

Personalised stationary

Front and reverse shown with brown envelope.

One of my lovely clients recently asked me for some personalised stationary.  She was moving house and wanted something she could use as a 'new address' card but also for general note cards.  As I'd recently printed my lavender print fabric, and my brief was 'olive tree', I tried my hand at another screen printed pattern of olive branches.  I then digitally printed on her name and address across the top of the reverse of the cards.  (You can see in the example where I have used my own contact details).

Rather than design a single greeting card/postcard I put together a pattern for bigger sheets and then cut the cards down to the required size.  Because of this not each card is the same, there are variations thanks to where the pattern falls within the cut of each card - each card is quite individual, and over the 50 she ordered, there were quite a few different crops on the pattern.

All boxed up and ready to send.  

These boxes are great for postage and for the client to keep the cards in.

Tea towels...Salted Caramel Kisses

I received lots of lovely feedback when I produced this recipe as a screen print.  So much so that I've splashed out and printed it onto tea towels!  So if you've run out of space on the wall, or aren't sure that a friend would want a print, this tea towel offers a nice alternative.  Practical, useful and pretty!

Printed in a dark pinky-red (aka maroon) onto a 48mm x 78mm cotton tea towel, pre washed and ironed, ready for use straight away.  Just £10 plus P&P, and available from my 'Not on the High Street' shop.

This is not an App

Modelled here by the lovely Romilly, she's 6 months and wearing a '6-9 months' size vest.

You may of seen my little range of new baby greeting cards in my 'Etsy' shop here, and they are now proving popular in my brand spanking new 'Not on the High Street' shop as well - hurrah!

I've taken the 'This is not an App' design to a new level and it's now available on baby vests!  Screen printed in one of the set colours, or bespoke - whichever you prefer - onto the size vest to fit the baby.  Whether it's a new born gift or for a baby a few months old, I'm happy to accommodate.

Available in both 'Etsy' and 'Not on the High Street'.  Or get in touch with me directly on here.  Each are £10 + P&P (varies depending on where you live!).