FREE p&p on your tee

little bird by post, from the red sketchbook

I said I'd post some more seaside prints but then I remembered that I had to tell you this...

Bag yourself a bargain, there's free p&p on all our beautiful Little Bird tees at the moment. And if you get the Green Parent magazine you'll find an extra 10% discount offer, go on you know you want to!

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the great british summertime

"Mermaid", limited edition print

"Lickety Split", limited edition print

"Miss Yum Yum", limited edition print

The sun was shining hot enough today for my thoughts to turn to summer. And I thought it was about time to get these prints up on Etsy. More seaside prints tomorrow!
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bottoming

Freddie and the Fairy, double page spread idea, gouache and ink

Bessie Belle, character sketch, gouache and ink

My friend Jay was over last week, we were sharing Battenburg and listening to Womans Hour when Jenni Murray announced that her mother used to refer to spring cleaning as "bottoming". Jay has a wry sense of humour and had a few words to say in response which (sadly) I can't repeat here. Anyway, it struck me as such a wonderful description that I have been going about the housework today smiling to myself! Our house is such a state that even my boy noticed that the dining room carpet looked bad, that is to say you could identify what meals we have had over the last week just by looking at the floor. I'm not usually so slovenly, in fact I am boderline OCD, but I've had a busy week working on these illustrations.

Waterstones have held a competition to find a new, unpublished illustrator for Julia Donaldson's new book.

The book is all about a boy (Freddie) who rescues a fairy (Bessie Belle) who grants his wishes to have some pets... Unfortunately Bessie Belle is a little hard of hearing and Freddie doesn't quite always get what he wishes for.

The winner of this competition will have their illustrations used in the new book to be published next Christmas - how amazing would that be? It's being judged by an illustrious panel including Julia Donaldson, Lauren Childs and the editor of children's books at Macmillans publishers, just to have the opportunity to have some illustrations seen by these people was enough to get me working all night for a week, I'm so shattered now though!

The competition is fierce, view the pool on Flickr here. Wish me luck!

sense-sational

I have this great friend Sarah Benton, we met at art college. I have to tell you she has impeccable taste, her house is a treasure trove of gorgeous paintings, beautiful pieces of ceramics and shelves full of interesting books and curious objects. She has a great eye for the unusual and the beautiful, you can see it in her photography and all around her home. At birthdays and christmases Sarah's parcels are the ones we have to open first because they are always so special, but the really great thing about my friend is that every so often for no special reason she sends us a parcel of goodies in the post.

We had one today, a pink cashmere scarf for me and the book pictured above for Olivia. "Here Comes Frankie" by Tim Hopgood. It's a story about a quiet little boy, living in a quiet street with his quiet parents and quiet cat and dog... one day he has enough and brings home a trumpet, the sounds translate into colours and smells. The illustrations are gorgeous full of rich colours and patterns with spot varnishes used on all the loud music pages. Frankie turns out to be a synesthete - as does his mum and dad and the rest of the street apparantly!

By some psychic connection we also had our latest issue of Okido magazine through the post and it was all about the senses. Okido is an art and science magazine for children between 2 and 7 years old. It is fantastic, I urge you to check out their website and subscribe immediately. We go through our fair share of magazines, Peppa Pig, CBeebies, Spongebob Squarepants and every so often a picture gets coloured in. But our Okido magazines are another matter all together, every page is devoured over and over, there are games to play, pictures to draw and things to make. The stories are well written and beautifully illustrated. We have made the crafts from each and every issue, Olivia's favourite was the home-made playdough poos from the issue about digestion, ok it was also my favourite. We have played all the games and we come back to our old issues regularly to play and read over. And there is loads to learn and chat to each other about.

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PS: Check out Sarah's photography on Flickr, here, and see what I mean about her amazing home...

Also we share a blog, here, where we post about lovely and exciting things we have discovered, it's a cheaper way of sharing loveliness than buying it and posting it to each other!

PPS: Alfie did his first smiles this week, he has one dimple!

Alfie Jim

Eleven days late, but worth waiting for... Alfie Jim arrived on 19 March at quarter past nine, weighing in at 8lbs. He is utterly gorgeous and as you can see even his big sister has fallen for his charms.

Here's hoping for a good sleep tonight x

another happy customer!

You look gorgeous, thanks for the photo x

waiting...

Our bags are packed, our friends are on standby, the cot is ready, the house is sparklingly clean, every time I call someone I get an excited "Yeeees?", every morning at school I'm greeted with "still here then?".

But I know that as soon as he/she does arrive I'll probably be wishing them back inside again for a bit of peace and quiet and easy transportation!

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