Last Christmas.......

Hello
Yorik Haverbreaks-Hornpipe here. I haven't been sewing much this year but
last year I sewed my socks off for the Green Christmas Fair and the Storys Xmas Vintage and Craft Fair.
I made tea cosies and coffee cosies, bags and alien toys.

We spent quite a lot of cash on getting some greetings cards printed which did/do NOT sell well!

My sewn things sold though,  and a big  'Cheers Mrs!!'  and credit  to Sarah C. who suggested we sell the pictures from the book, which worked out brilliantly!
High on sales and pound signs flashing in our eyes, we opened an Etsy shop,
and nothing sold.

MY ANALYSIS:  Our stuff is not modern enough and the pictures need to fit in A4 frames. Everything is too brightly coloured!   I passed this complex and  indepth analysis over to Boris.






Hello this is me - Boris Beardy Snodgrass - accounts and research

After many nights of mulling this info over I totted up some figures and  researched a bit of design and prints from the 1950's,  because that's what everyone is into at the moment, post war austerity measures and the Festival of Britain and all that.


I found the work of the lovely John Piper -


http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=john+piper+prints&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=ivnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=lhQzTuzVFMmJhQfb1rHpCg&ved=0CFsQsAQ&biw=1316&bih=883 

and the fantastic Charley Harper !

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=charley+harper+prints&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=ivnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=fhUzTsN3hIqFB6fjzO8K&ved=0CFkQsAQ&biw=1316&bih=883

And the marvelous and  very now - Orla Kiely

http://www.orlakiely.com/

Then we bought some linen fabric and some iron-on transfer paper, and  drew and doodled and faffed about.

One Aardvark On My Knee

 When the Strange Bird muse was born I had a certain amount of time on my hands in between feeds, nappies and sleeping. I was also desperate for another project to relieve me from the baby boredom!  I decided to write and illustrate a book.
   So for 3 years I drew  pictures while my baby slept. It's a counting book for babies and toddlers - I sent copies off to  agents but it was completely rejected, fair enough I thought, I am a nobody after all.  Plan B - I thought, try to become a somebody with an amazingly, interesting life, modern and glamourous, with just one huge eye and an arty business.   Strange Bird Designs was born.

Anyway who needs things published when you can buy my illustrations on Etsy and Folksy! Only ten quid a pop, and the rhyme - you can just have, to lull your little lovelies to sleep.

This is the book:

meet the Strange Bird team

The Strange Bird series

So I drew these birds in 2001. 

But then I went off and opened a cafe! The Fat Olive Cafe in the Assembly Rooms of Lancaster town.

Which was great!

But then,  I went off and had a baby in 2007, and now he is great. 

His school life starts here on Earth very soon, so then Strange Bird Designs can really get cracking as we have lots of exciting plans for the future. 

Hooray!!

These, and more illustrations can be seen and purchased in our Etsy and Folksy shops.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/charlottedone?ref=pr_shop_more

http://www.folksy.com/shops/charlottedone

the history of Strange Bird Designs:

The very first Strange Bird 1993

I drew my first strange bird way back in 1993! I was at Falmouth school of art where i was supposed to be studying ceramics, but instead I was making my christmas cards.
Despite being a beautiful place to live, I got bored of the seaside and moved to Bristol and learnt about digital imaging and had a brilliant time selling olives here- http://www.therealolivecompany.co.uk/

 and took a creative writing course at Bristol uni.

Eventually, Love and Lancaster called and it was only then that the strange birds hatched in my brain, so I drew them.

To be excitingly revealed in the next post!

Welcome to the Strange Bird Design Blog space

Hello everyone! 

This is me, Charlotte (Moosehead) Done the owner and director of  Strange Bird Designs. I live on Planet Strange Bird which is many moons from here but bizarrely I am able to commute to Lancaster everyday to work,  and to take Vince ( the small company muse ) to school, as an Earthly education is one of the best.

Me and the team, ( who shall be introduced later ) feel it is time for our business to step up to the Blog-plate and embrace modern life - by spreading the words and ideas of The Strange Bird Design Company, to the many faceted corners of cyberspace!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Strange-Bird-Designs/121572601237032

Our facebook page is in one of those corners.