this year there seems to have been a lot of focus on independent shops, online ones in particular, and the owners of said shops have been coming together via twitter, instagram, blogs etc. to help to promote one another's products on the lead up to christmas. i follow a wide array of various illustrators, artists and makers who frequently update their followings on the gorgeous items they've been creating, so i thought i'd nip by today to share with you a few items that have caught my eye and the shops belonging to the wonderful creatives behind them.
i've been following harriet now for almost three years, and in that time her business has gone from strength to strength. when i first started following her, her shop consisted mainly of handmade purses and ipad cases and has gradually expanded over time, and recently she released a batch of gorgeous handmade dresses, created with fabric printed with her original illustrations on. now, all of us here know that i'm definitely a dog person, but how lovely is the kitty dress above?! at £90 the dress is a little (a lot, sigh) out of my price range, but i think it'd make a really special gift for someone if you were wanting to splash out a bit for something that is handmade and completely unique.
sophie is one of my favourite illustrators at the moment, and i'm forever recommending her social media accounts to people who want someone new to follow. sophie's doing incredibly well for herself since becoming a full time freelance illustrator, and has her work available for purchase on different items (such as t-shirts, cushions and phone cases) on ohh deer and society6, however i want to draw your attention today to her etsy shop. she's offering bespoke pet portraits within her etsy shop, and i think they'd make such a fantastic gift for anyone with a very special furry friend in their life.
emma is one of my more recent follows on social media, but she very quickly became one of my favourites. she's a children's book illustrator, but recently she's been working very hard on illustrated products such as brooches, necklaces and ceramic pots, and everything she creates is just so heartbreakingly adorable and as charming as the flat illustrations she creates. my favourite item emma has produced to date – and i know i may be biased – has to be the poodle brooch above, however she has a range of different animal brooches such as cats, birds and dinosaurs, so i'd put my money on there being something for everyone within her shop.
lorna is another children's book illustrator, but unlike emma's shop, lorna's shop features print based goods such as cards, screenprints and digital prints that you can adorn your walls with. my favourite print of lorna's has to be the dogs print above (but, once again, i am biased!) however all of the prints she offers are so playful, vibrant and full of energy, and would be a welcome addition to most homes that are looking for a bit of life to be injected into them. i recently won one of lorna's prints myself, and i can vouch that my bedroom's aesthetic was improved 100% after framing and hanging it.
admittedly, i don't follow very many online jewellery shops because a lot of them feel very samey, but when i stumbled upon auberginefox's lovely etsy shop i was taken in straight away. they create some wonderful one off pieces of jewellery that use delicate quartz and amethyst stones, and i find it extremely difficult when browsing their shop to choose just one item that i think could be my favourite because everything they create is just so beautiful.
last but not least, my list wouldn't be a fully formed one if i didn't have a gemma correll item on here somewhere. gemma correll is probably my all time favourite illustrator, simply because everything she creates oozes sophisticated simplicity, and i feel as though although we haven't met, gemma understands and connects with me on a deep level (the illustration used on the above cushion is proof enough of that.) i own a couple of gemma's illustrated bits and bobs, namely a phone case and note books, and i have people constantly asking where they're from, which can only ever be a good thing. i've linked above to gemma's society6 account where you can buy various items such as cushions, phone cases and tshirts, but she also sells illustrated goods through ohh deer, too.
