FINDING CREATIVE FLOW FOR A NEW COLLECTION

I am SO excited to introduce you to my  ‘Enchanted Garden’ collection, my new mini-collection of cards (and one print/postcard!) launching in the shop tomorrow (Thurs 22nd April). 

These cards almost didn’t happen, because I started drawing them ages ago but just couldn’t make them work. Sometimes I end up looking at artwork I’m creating for so long that it actually brings on a physical reaction, which is usually irritability or plain old grumpiness!

There is nothing better than being in a creative ‘flow’, where most of the things you do just work really well and you can produce a month's worth of work in a day, simply because you are in the optimum create state of wondrous, mythical ‘creative flow’. It feels so good when you are in it, so productive, easy and free and like nothing you do will be the wrong thing. It’s like you are in direct conversation with the universe where it is you and you are it. But then, there is the state of creative stuck-ness (is that a ‘thing’?), where you want to create, but the entire process is hard, It is like walking up a hill wearing led-lined boots… in mud! That is exactly what happened when I very first explored the idea of the designs that come out tomorrow.

I wanted to produce something playful and ‘light’. Something that yelled ‘I’m happy!’ when someone opened it on their birthday or whatever the occasion may be! I started drawing things but just wasn’t finding my vision, so I stepped away.

Every now and then I go into the iPad art archives and check what is unfinished and see if I am ready to tackle it or bin it completely. Thankfully the ‘state of flow’ required to produce these cards appeared the second time around and I found myself sketching like a mad woman! I even produced more cards that I haven’t finished yet, but will bring them out soon enough!

So, with that insight into my, slightly nutty, creative brain, I introduce you to my new cards…

I have three greeting cards and one mini-print or postcard from a collection I have named ‘Enchanted Garden’. The first card is an anniversary card and I am so in love with it! It is so bright and ‘sunny’ and I think all the details on it give the recipient so much to look at and appreciate. I adore the two ‘love birds’ in this one too, aren’t they cute?!

This entire collection was inspired by folk art and all its patterns and marks. I specifically admire the old folk art florals and I felt heavily pulled to recreate my own version of them within these pieces.

Next up is the ‘You’re the best!’ card, which is my favourite! I have used the same colour palette as the anniversary one here and I just love all the colour combinations together don’t you? They make me so happy! This card is a great one to have in your card drawer because it really suits most occasions. 

The last greeting card in the Enchanted Garden collection is the birthday card, which says ‘Hip Hip Hooray, It’s Your Birthday Today’. I love how playful this one is and I think it would suit any age group!

The final part of the collection is a mini-print / postcard.

I call it a mini print because it is on super high quality card stock (350gsm - which is lovely and thick, unlike traditional postcards which are usually more flimsy). It comes with an envelope because I know so many of you buy these to send them to friends and often don’t want to just send it through the post as if it was a postcard, but I see these being framed or displayed like prints in your work-spaces or homes. 

This quote is a favourite of mine, I just love the message of it so much. I think it’s such a lovely thing to have positive words on your wall to remind you to work towards your dreams!

Last of all, and a somewhat random addition to my card collections for Leaf Lane Studio, is a card I designed for all dads out there! It hasn’t got a specific occasion on it, so it would be great for birthdays or Father’s Day, but I just think it is a cute one! My dad loves his shed and so he was the inspiration behind this idea and I thought I would just bring it out anyway, even though it is a little bit different to what I usually release!

So, there you have it, the new things for April! Those of you that have been hanging around on Instagram may have seen that I have (finally) ordered some washi tapes, which will be coming to the shop in May, fingers crossed!

I have ordered two designs to start with just to see how they go and to make sure the quality is okay for future designs too (I cannot tell you how hard it was to find the suppliers for these!). You can expect to see a Wildflower collection tape, with my flowery pattern on a green background and a Cottage Garden collection one too, with the pink background! I can’t wait to bring them out because I am a HUGE fan of washi tape!

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