Bits and bobs for baby...

Time's whizzing by, and I can't quite believe I'm already seven months pregnant! Suddenly my bump feels huuuge, the reality of it all's kicked in, and I'm feeling the need to get organised now.

I've had lots of fun in recent weeks starting my collection of bits and bobs for baby.

Finally I have an excuse to buy Sophie La Girafe - I've wanted one for such a long time!

I was most impressed when I realised this lovely giraffe serves a purpose as well as being a little beauty to look at... William Morris would've approved! Might have to buy another, though, once little one gets his/her milk teeth into it...

Thought this rabbit nightlight would be nice and calming in those sleepless nights that await us...

A little library is growing nicely... a kind cousin gave us a lovely hardback version of this classic to start it off...

And then there's all my old picture books Mammy-dearest patiently kept, boxed up in the garage, for years and years...

I'm hoping to put them all in this wonderful bookshop-style bookcase by The Great Little Trading Co.

or maybe this one, if little'n turns out to be a girl...

I haven't purchased anything from Moulin Roty yet, but I find their little world very enchanting indeed...

Frenchie and I are both very lucky in having kind and thoughtful families. Lovely sister-in-law sent us over boxes full of gorgeous clothes and a Moses basket that's been passed down in his family for years and years.

And I hadn't realised I had such creative aunties until now... we've been inundated with beautiful handmade knitted cardigans, blankets, booties and even a little beret for le petit bebe! 

There's something very special about a little baby wearing clothes that were made with love. They'll be very treasured, just like him/her.

My Phoenix favourites: part one

I've been working with Phoenix Trading for a couple of years now and I really love freelancing for such a smashing company. One of the best things is the way they keep their catalogue fresh by introducing new designs every couple of months. 

While browsing the new March catalogue I found myself compiling a list of my favourite Phoenix artists. Here are a few of them; I'll be featuring more in a future blog.

Sarah Summers: Sarah has such a lovely delicate, feminine style and paints birds beautifully... just look at this delightful blue tit!

Louise Rawlings: I love Louise's use of colour, and she always sets a scene so perfectly.

Claire Henley: As well as being a Phoenix artist, Claire's also a very talented children's book illustrator, and I've been a fan of hers since discovering the wonderful Zippity Zebra and the Windy Day.

Amanda Loverseed - Amanda is a prolific Phoenix artist, with a whopping 81 designs in the current catalogue! And it's quite clear why...

Kate Gunn - I love Kate's bright colours and adorable characters, just such fun! I can see her style working wonderfully in children's books...                                

                       

At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, I can't resist including one of my own designs! Like most artists, I find my favourite piece is usually my latest, so that would be this little lady who is very proud to be featured in the new catalogue.

You can see all of my current designs for Phoenix Trading here.

Wonderful workspaces

Well, it's back to work we go this week, after the Christmas break. I'm on the lookout for ways to make my Love Lucy Illustration workspace more inspiring and lovely in 2013, and while browsing the web I came across these beauties...

I love the cheeriness of this studio

Every artist or crafter will know the importance of good lighting... so this workspace is just perfect, ahhhh, one can dream!

Beautiful colours in this studio:

I spy Ikea drawers!

Wow - a dedicated space for everything, now that I like...

Hugely practical - think Frenchie would appreciate this:

Practically perfect...

Such a clever idea to brighten up cupboards and add a creative touch...

I'm going to attempt to re-create some of these ideas. Nothing too fancy, just pretty and practical is all I'm after. 

The best workspace I've ever used was this cute and quirky caravan, in my mother-in-law's garden, which I used for several weeks last summer .

If you have any inspirational photos or ideas on creative workspaces, I'd love you to share them over on my Facebook page 

Love Lucy x

I know it's still a little early, but...

... I've put together some of my Christmas offerings from my online shop.
I hope you'll like!

These papier mache angel decorations stand up alone and are ideal for mantelpieces and bedside tables, and of course they're not just for Christmas! They come in three colours - pink, red and blue. And you can find them here.

Personalised Christmas cards! But hurry, there really aren't very many left... They're selling quickly and limited time won't allow another print run before Christmas.

How about a personalised painting? We have pirates, dinosaurs, fairies and princesses!

Not everything's just for the little ones! These personalised pocket mirrors make lovely gifts for little girls and ladies too...

And then there's floral initial paintings...

And personalised notebooks:

These cutie canvases are proving to be very popular as stocking fillers. You don't even need to find a frame - ready to hang just as they are!

Personally I've always loved good gift wrapping just as much as what's to be found inside. These personalised wooden gift tags make that special present stand out. And they can be used as Christmas tree or bedroom decorations too, wahooo!

All paintings are personalised with the name AND hair colour of the little man/little lady in question!

Everything is made to order, and the closer we get to Christmas, the heavier my order book becomes! 

So if you're thinking of ordering something in time for Christmas, please don't delay or you may be disappointed, and we don't want that!

If you have any questions whatsoever, please contact me and I'll get right back to you.

Love Lucy x

A few Facebook favourites...

Here are a few Facebook pages of fellow creatives whose work I adore and whose updates often brighten my day...

First off there's Cupcakes for Clara, an incredibly cool and quirky character created by the lovely Laura Clempson, who recently interviewed me on her blog. This little lady is going places...

Then there's Dastardly Daphne, a super dooper talented artist whose work reminds me a little of one of my favourite artists, Alphonse Mucha.  I've just ordered a brooch from Dastardly Daphne's Folksy shop, very excited...

Kirsty Elson Designs creates beautiful seaside-inspired decorations made from driftwood found in Cornwall. As a lover of dolls houses and miniatures, I've had my eye on this key-rack for quite some time now...isn't it wonderful?

Speaking of miniatures, Gretel Creations are super cute...I'm just waiting for someone close to me to have a baby girl so I can buy one of these absolutely delightful little fairies...

Dots and Spots designs are enough to brighten anyone's day, with their cheery colour palettes and fun patterns.

                                     

And last but definitely not least is the fantastic Chloe Remiat, whose work I'm constantly in awe of...Chloe creates magical boxed scenes with the cutest characters ever, like this little Princess and the Pea. I would've loved this in my bedroom as a little girl. In fact I still would (not too sure the Frenchie would, though...).

                                    

Why not pop on over to the Facebook pages of these talented creators? I promise you will not be disappointed! 

Cupcakes for Clara and Dots and Spots can both be found on  notonthehighstreet.com

Love Lucy x

A little catch-up...

Phew! 

What a busy few weeks for Love Lucy, both work- and play-wise... we've had my best friend's wedding... as you can see, the bride was a beauty. AND we saw a shooting star over the sea as we left the wedding party. Magical!

We've also had birthdays, both for me and the Frenchie. With the best lemon drizzle cake made by Mummy dearest, yumyum...

A super new Samsung Galaxy Ace smartphone for my birthday which enables me to take photos as if I were in the 1970s. Delighted!

Yesterday the Frenchie and I made the most of the September sunshine and picknicked on the river.

Workwise, it's been good too. The holidays are most certainly over and it seems people are already on the lookout for Christmas (eeeek!) gifts. These personalised mirrors were my best sellers last week...you can find them here in my shop...

Also last week I ran my first little Facebook competition, offering as a prize a personalised painting. It was a great success. Thanks to everyone who entered. 

And the winner was... drum roll please...

Congratulations to Liz's Cards, who will be receiving her personalised painting in the next few days.

Love Lucy x

A seaside wedding

I'm returning to my hometown at the seaside next week for my best friend's wedding.
I've known Louise since I was three years old. Here's a picture I painted of us a long time ago...that's Louise on the right.

Louise is a twin. As children, we were often referred to as 'the triplets'. We were pretty much inseparable... 

Here we are...spot the scruffy 'shabby chic' one! C'est moi!

These days, however, many many miles separate us (549! I've counted).

We're lucky if we get to see each other once a year, but when we do it's as if nothing's changed...the best kind of friendship, I think...

Louise kindly asked me to design some of her wedding stationery. Here's to the bride and groom! May you enjoy many years of love and friendship of your own x