Wednesday 29 October 2014

Etsy shop find...a chat with Genine Delahaye!

It seems like ages since my last etsy shop post but it was only last month!
I've got another lovely interview for you all today and this time its the turn of Genine Delahaye.

Genine is a freelance graphic designer specialising in childresnwear, home and stationery design, and in her etsy shop, creates beautiful, happy artwork for kids and has recently added some super yummy pieces, so what better time to have a little gander over there..
Ooh and with Christmas looming, they could make lovely pressies for your little ones bedrooms.

Here we go, get that cuppa and a cheeky little biscuit, or muffin, or fruit cake, ooh anything that takes your fancy really, and lets get to know Genine.


 1. Can you tell us a bit about you and your background... 

I have always been creative from a very young age, I loved drawing and painting as a child and art was always a subject I excelled in at school, unlike maths! 
My journey to becoming a designer has been a long and hard one. 
I did not follow my heart, after school I listened to my head and decided it was best for me to get a 'proper' job. 
I kind of fell into an administration position and before I knew it I was working as a PA for my local council.  
I was very unhappy in my job, as I knew something was missing and it wasn't until a holiday to Jamaica in 2008 that I realised what it was. 
I missed that thrill I got from producing pretty pictures! 
I wanted a job that felt natural to me. 
I decided that life was too short to be stuck doing something I didn't love. 
I set my mind on working my way into the industry, which was hard considering I had no qualifications in design, only my own self-belief that I could do the job. 
I started by taking a position as a studio manager at a childrenswear design studio in London. 
Over the years I tried to absorb everything I saw like a sponge until a few years ago when I decided to put it all into practice and start designing myself. 
I haven't looked back since! :-)




2. Who are your design heroes and how do you stay inspired? 

Ohhh so many its hard to choose!
I would say the big ones that stand out for me are Orla Kiely, Helen Dardik and Jillian Phillips.
All have a strong, individual style which I very much admire.


3.What books/ magazines are currently on your coffee table? 

I have a few reference books, print and pattern, lilla rogers - I just like to make things etc...but I find most of my inspiration online to be honest.
I love pintrest and its the first place I visit before starting a new print.


4. What are your top three blogs? 

1. http://pop-i-cok.blogspot.co.uk by Dawn Machell an amazing designer and a lovely lady who I use to work with back in the day in London. 
2. http://www.printpattern.blogspot.com just for the vast amount of gorgeous eye candy 
3. http://orangeyoulucky.blogspot.co.uk by one of my design favourites Helen Dardik.



5. Away from etsy, youre a freelance designer/illustrator specialising in childrenswear, stationery and homeware, working with an array of clients. What do you enjoy designing for the most and what’s the most rewarding/favourite thing about being a designer? 

What a fab question :-) I love all areas! working with the children's markets allows me to create fun, bright, happy prints across the board.
I love creating cheerful prints that help to put a smile on people's face's.
One of my favourite things about being a designer is seeing the finished product on a shelf in a store.
It feels me with such a sense of achievement to think "I drew that'.


6. Tell us about a typical day for you...

Every day is different depending on the project, which is one of the things I love about my job!
One day I could be working on illustrations for children's clothes and the next I could be designing anything from wall art to bolt fabric. 


7. Can you give us an insight into your creative process? 

I start by having a little clear up of my work area, which helps me to focus on the task at hand.
Secondly TEA! Couldn't start my day without it :-)
then I give myself about 20 minutes or so to look at material online and gather my own ideas about what I want to do, which direction I want to take the print in.
Once I decide on a idea, I start sketching things out ready to be scanned.
When I have a digital draft on my computer I can start playing around with the icons, re-drawing them if needed and neatening them up.
I would then play around with the finished icons and try different arrangements until I'm happy with the print.


8. What art do you have on your wall? 

I have some of my own artwork, as well as illustrations/prints from Etsy and lovely vintage bootfair finds! 


9. What makes you laugh? 

My husband and daughter :-) also adventure time with Finn and Jake :-)



10. How has 2014 been for you so far? Any exciting projects? Any big plans coming up that you can share with us, etc..? 

After a rocky start and having to take some time off at the beginning of the year for health reasons, I can honestly say its been really really good! things have been getting better and better for me, iv worked with lots of new clients and made some bonds for future work. I've also seen lots of the work I did last year hit the shops which has been amazing. I can also reveal an exclusive and share for the first time that I am currently working on my own fabric collection with Dashwood Studio's. Such an exciting time for me and I am enjoying every second of it!


Thanks to Genine for taking the time to be part of the etsy interviews.

You can follow her here;

x x x

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Monday 27 October 2014

Colour crush...

I'm really loving any tones of blue with peachy colours at the moment, so, simply put, 
here's a colour crush...


 (clockwise from top left)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 

x x x

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Friday 24 October 2014

Take Four...

I've got a little 'Take Four' of a halloween persuasion today.
It's coming up next week, and I'm sure any trick or treater would be pretty delighted to have this to tuck into when they got back from trawling the streets.
Top of my list would have to be that salted caramel, toffee apple cake, oh my!



x x x

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Wednesday 22 October 2014

Best granola, ever!

 I recently found a lovely granola recipe and have since made it quite a few times.
It's quickly become my 'go to' recipe, and is seriously delicious!
Click here for a link to the original recipe over on 'The 10 cent diet'.
(There are a few small differences between mine and the original; the addition of chia seeds, different nuts and seeds, dried fruits, etc... so see which you fancy giving a go, both super yum and good for you!)

Below are a few pics, ingredients and directions to make a nice storage jars worth, 
that should keep you going for a couple of weeks.



Ingredients

2.5 cups of gluten free rolled oats

1/2 cup of almonds

1/4 cup of walnuts (broken into small pieces)

1/4 cup of pecans (broken into small pieces)

1/2 cup of sesame seeds

1 cup of shredded coconut

1/4 cup of sunflower seeds 
(or could use pumpkin seeds, or a mix of the two)

Tablespoon of chia seeds

1/2 cup of coconut oil

1/2 cup of honey

1 cup of dried fruit 
(I used a mix of raisins, dried apricots, dates and dried cranberries)


Directions

Preheat the oven to gas mark 3

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, walnuts, pecans, sesame seeds, shredded coconut,  sunflower seeds and chia seeds

Melt together the coconut oil and honey in a saucepan over a low heat

Pour the melted oil and honey into the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring until everything is mixed together well

Spread the mixture evenly onto a large baking sheet and bake for around 20 minutes

When it's nicely golden and toasted, leave to cool, and then empty into a large bowl, breaking up any large clumps as you go

Add all the dried fruit into the bowl and give it a good stir so every thing's nicely mixed up.

Transfer your granola into an airtight storage jar and enjoy for days to come, topped with your favourite yoghurt, fresh fruit or just plain old naked granola for a snack,mmm.
My all time favourite topping of choice has to be greek yoghurt with kiwi and strawberries.

Enjoy!


(all images above are copyright of louise/loveprintstudio)

x x x

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Monday 20 October 2014

Moodboard Monday...

Well, after a lovely couple of weeks away from it all, I'm back!
And I thought what better way to start than with a moody kind of mood board.

On our time off, the weather seemed to literally change overnight,
 and we went from having quite warmish days (for October anyway) right into proper autumnal days and colder nights.
Lots of leaves on the ground, homemade soup and the chunky scarves came out for our walks with the fluffy one.
This board pretty much sums up that kinda feeling..and the clocks go back soon too!
I do love the cozy evenings...



x x x


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Saturday 4 October 2014

Colour Crush...

I'm taking a little blogging break for a couple of weeks so I thought I'd leave you with a lovely colour crush post to enjoy...
This kinda suits how I feel the weather is at the moment, here in the UK...getting a bit cooler and feeling pretty fresh!


(clockwise from top left)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 

x x x

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Friday 3 October 2014

Mini Victoria Sponges...

I've got the sweetest of recipes for you today.
Teeny tiny mini Victoria sponges..and they're super good!
I've made these a couple of times now, once using raspberry jam and the other with lemon curd,
you can use whatever you fancy really, and the buttercream in these is to die for, yum!

Here are a few pics.
Jump down for the recipe and directions.




(all images above copyright of louise/loveprintstudio)

Ingredients for 12 Mini Victoria Sponges

(Sponge mix)
- 250g unsalted butter softened
- 250g caaster sugar
- 250g self raising flour
- 4 eggs

(Buttercream)
- 75g butter softened
- 175g icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

(To assemble)
- Jam; strawberry, raspberry, lemon curd, apricot...


Directions

- Preheat oven to gas mark 4 and spray/grease a 12 cup mini sandwich tin with butter or olive oil spray
- Cream together the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk
- Add the eggs and mix till combined
- Sift in the flour and fold till combined
- Pour batter into the baking tin making sure they're all even
- Bake in the oven until lightly golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean, usually around 20/30 minutes
- Place cakes on a cooling rack whilst you make the buttercream
- Mix together the butter, vanilla, icing sugar and a splash of water until creamy
- Once the cakes are cooled, use a knife to cut each one in half
- Spread a spoonful of jam on the bottom and a spoonful of buttercream on the cut side of the top
(Do the jam and buttercream step to all of the mini sponges before assembling as you may find you have more buttercream left and can add more to some/all of the cakes)
- Place the tops with the butter cream on top of the jam bottoms and lightly push down
- Dust with icing sugar

-Enjoy!

(The original recipe can be found here)

x x x

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Wednesday 1 October 2014

Hello October...

Hello to you October!
Bring on the cozy nights, fluffy socks and chunky knitwear.
Hope you all have a good one.


(image above copyright of louise/loveprintstudio)

x x x

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