My first blog post

When Jai asked, would you like a blog on the website, I answered “YES!” with basically no thought on what I would write about, or what writing a blog would entail. Now, as I begin writing, I still have basically no idea what I’m doing, so I thought I would write about my new range, as it has filled every second of my waking day for weeks now and left me little room to think about anything else!

I’m so proud of the cards we’ve put out in January 2021 and I want to celebrate a few of them in particular with some fun trivia for each animal featured… as the only thing better than normal trivia, is animal trivia.

Greeting card featuring a painted raccoon with a small heart flag and text saying Happy Valentines Day

The first raccoon I ever came across was Meeko, Pocahontas’s sly but adorable sidekick, and I have loved them ever since.

Did you know.. Raccoons have great memories and high IQs. They are also excellent learners. Research has shown that not only are they able to solve problems but they can also remember the solution and use it again years later.  Urban raccoons can break through locks and latches into rubbish bins and even houses in search of food (onekindplanet.org).

Also, I have a friend, Holly, who has always distinctly reminded me of a raccoon. Whilst we are talking about her, I should definitely mention her fabulous calligraphy business, Ink and Wash.

Greeting card featuring a painted sloth holding a sign saying I love you and a red heart background

Sloths are my favourite animals and I predict that there will be at least one in every collection I ever produce. This sloth is a happy chappy who wants to wish everyone in his path lots of love.

Did you know.. on average, sloths travel 41 yards per day - less than half of the length of a football field - and they sleep for about 15 hours per day (worldwildlife.org).

What a life!

Here is my favourite video of sloths. It is likely that I am responsible for a high percentage of it's 3.6m views

Greeting card with painted baby bat wrapped in yellow blanket and words A little bundle of joy

I think bats are so cool. They are the only mammal that can fly and they are also super cute. This baby bat card is one of my three New Baby cards. I think it's important to keep all new baby cards gender neutral, but I also love the traditional colours - blue, pink and yellow - so I tried to use all three in different places across all the cards!

Did you know.. In Bracken Cave, Texas, it's estimated that the 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats that live there eat about 200 tons of insects… each night (animals.howstuffworks.com)!

That's twice the amount of people that live in London...

Greeting card featuring a painted llama with pink bubblegum bubble and pink star background

I’ve never met a llama but I have met an alpaca and he was a glorious creature (see below). His name is Wiggy and he lives on a beautiful farm in the Peak District! This llama card is left blank for you to write long and lovely messages to your friends for any and every occasion.

Did you know... Llamas communicate with each other by ear position, body language, spitting and humming. The habit of spitting is a defence mechanism. However, usually a llama would prefer to run away than to confront their assumed aggressor, and is not always a frequent occurrence. That is believed to be due in part to their shy disposition (animalcorner.org).

4 comments

  • So pleased to have met you in Skiathos. We hope to see you there next year..
    Just been admiring your beautiful designs, you deserve massive success with the range.
    Good luck with the wedding plans. Stay safe, stay sane. 👩‍🦳🤗xx

    Pam & Steve Allsop
  • Absolutely amazing, not only great art, but wonderfully fun and wise words. I treasure each one I already have, and I will be sure to order more xxxxx

    So happy to have a such a beautifully written blog to read and to learn more about your inspirations!

    Dibs
  • Loving the blog!!

    Zenya Simmons
  • Great first blog. xxx

    Kay Whitehouse

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