Interiors Roundup / / Handmade by Calonogi

I am so excited to be sharing gorgeous interiors with you. As Rachael Taylor’s Interiors Roundup editor, I will be posting every Thursday afternoon with my weekly update of all things Interiors. This week, I would like to share with you something a little closer to home! 

I always love to see local, extremely talented people creating beautiful accessories for our homes. Here we have the fabulous work of the oh so talented Angharad from Calonogi. Her work is simply beautiful and would add a perfect little hand-made touch to our homes, I'm sure you will agree! Be sure to stop by her Facebook page here to show some support, and enjoy a selection of my favourites below.

Enjoy the rest of your day! Emily x

P.S. Is it too early to show a Christmas design??

Gift Guide / / Tea Lovers

What do you buy for the person who already has everything? Well, I can think of a thing or two...

Welcome to the weekly gift-guide: I am delighted to be sharing with you unique, inspiring & significant gift ideas on Rachael's blog. This week I bring you ideas for a lover of tea. I hope these gift ideas inspire you. Enjoy, Hannah.

From iced tea to traditional leaf tea, great tips on making the perfect tea by BHS.

Tea for me by Emma Bridgewater.

Artful tea sampler with 10 individual tea bags by Artfultea via Etsy.

Art print (available in many colours) by PosterPop via Etsy.

Hand-knitted flower basket tea cosy by Chi Chi Moi via Notonthehighstreet.

Retro polka dot tea, sugar & coffee tins by The Little Picture Company via Notonthehighstreet.

Creative Review / / Louise Gardiner

I am thrilled to be able to share some inspirational art and design with you every Tuesday morning as Rachael's 'Art and Creative Writer'. This week, we're featuring the contemporary embroidery of Louise Gardiner.

Louise is a British illustrator and artist based in Styal, Cheshire.  She grew up on her family's dairy farm and is well known for the quirky characters and creatures that she embroiders, appliqués and paints on to fabric. She has an impressive client list including Liberty of London and Selvedge magazine and taught Kirstie Allsopp free motion embroidery on her show, 'Kirstie's Homemade Home'.

She has recently developed her intricate work into digitally printed silk scarves, luxurious cushions and beaded quilts which she will be exhibiting at this weeks Tent London exhibition running from Thursday to Sunday. If you pop along, Lou promises there will be a welcome tipple of sherry to greet you! More inspiration next Tuesday, Justine x

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MOYO Directory / / Giveaway!

It's giveaway time! We are loving seeing all the new designer profiles going up on the new MOYO Directory, and want to encourage you to make the most of all the features the site offers by beautifying your profile even further. To do this, we are offering a giveaway of these delicious prizes: 

* A gorgeous tote bag from the Rachael Taylor collection (see below)

* Two fat quarter bundles of Phyllida Coroneo's gorgeous Enchanted Forest fabric collection, courtesy of Dashwood Studios (see above)

* A copy of Marie Perkins' new book 'Print & Pattern Kids'

* Some patterned washi tape from Japan

The prize will go to the person whose MOYO Directory profile we love the most, in terms of the effort that has gone into making it beautiful, and the variety of images shared to really make the portfolio stand out. The winner will be chosen on Friday 27 September 2013 so be sure to get working on your profile between now and then! (And if you haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for? Click here to join and start sharing your work with the world!)

   

A bit more about the MOYO Directory:
The MOYO Directory is a visually striking, easy to navigate, highly customisable directory, which allows you to create your own profile, upload unlimited portfolio images and receive direct enquiries from potential clients etc. Ultimately it will be a fantastic place to showcase your designs, attract work and get noticed even more. It will be a fantastic complement to your existing website, and we aim to make it the most popular designer directory available. Access it anywhere – on your PC, tablet or phone – to find designers on the go.

It is a one-stop-shop for companies looking to hire talent or find freelancers so you need to part of it! Showcase your work, share your social media links and network with other designers – all for less than the cost of a single advert on any leading design blog. Let it complement your existing website, or if your website isn’t ready yet, your personal profile and portfolio area will be the perfect substitute.

We aim for the MOYO Directory to become the go-to resource for companies seeking designers to work with, either freelance or for licensing/selling designs.

Features include:
* Quickly and easily customise your own MOYO profile
* Upload unlimited portfolio albums
* Get great value marketing for your business
* Complement or replace your existing website
* Find other designers near you Find out more here 

DEADLINE: This giveaway will close at 12 noon GMT on Friday 27 September 2013. We will only consider MOYO Directory profiles posted at that point.

THE SMALL PRINT: There will be one winner who will be announced on this blog shortly after the deadline. The competition is open to anyone over 18 anywhere in the world. There is no cash alternative. Our decision on the winners is final and no correspondence will be entered into. By entering you agree for your email address to be added to the mailing lists of Do What You Love and Rachael Taylor Designs but you can unsubscribe at any time.

Launching the brand new MOYO Directory!

It is hard to believe that it is two years since Beth Kempton & I released The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design into the world! Since then, we have helped thousands of budding designers develop their pattern designs skills, build their brand & monetise their designs. They have had some incredible successes - winning national design contests, landing multiple clients, launching their own labels, being featured in industry books & magazines & so on. But then we realised there was something missing... a go-to place for potential clients to find surface pattern designers just like them. So we created the MOYO Directory - the online home of surface pattern designers. Over the coming months we will be heavily promoting this to the key players in industry - buyers, studios, trade show organisers etc - to help bring even more attention to the work of the featured designers.

(Image shows Rachael's MOYO Directory profile)

And we would love to have YOU join our directory! Are you a surface pattern designer, illustrator, graphic designer, mixed media artist or other kind of artist or designer? Then this is for you! The MOYO Directory is a visually striking, easy to navigate, highly customisable directory, which allows you to create your own profile, upload unlimited portfolio images & receive direct enquiries from potential clients etc. Ultimately it will be a fantastic place to showcase your designs, attract work & get noticed even more. It will be a fantastic complement to your existing website, and we aim to make it the most popular designer directory available. Access it anywhere – on your PC, tablet or phone – to find designers on the go.

The MOYO Directory is a one-stop-shop for companies looking to hire talent or find freelancers so you need to part of it! Showcase your work, share your social media links & network with other designers – all for less than the cost of a single advert on any leading design blog. Let it complement your existing website, or if your website isn’t ready yet, your personal profile & portfolio area will be the perfect substitute. We aim for the MOYO Directory to become the go-to resource for companies seeking designers to work with, either freelance or for licensing/selling designs. Features of the MOYO Directory:

• Quickly and easily customise your own MOYO profile
• Upload unlimited portfolio albums
• Get great value marketing for your business
• Complement or replace your existing website
• Find other designers near you

It’s very easy to get going in just a few simple steps:

(1) Visit www.moyodirectory.com

(2) Watch the short introductory video

(3) Sign up

(4) Create your profile

(Image shows Suzanne Washington’s MOYO Directory profile)

(5) Upload your portfolio images – you can have as many albums and upload as many images as you like

(Image shows Jessica Swift’s MOYO profile)

(6) Share your unique URL on social media, on your blog and in your newsletter mailings etc (Hint: There is an option to search by ‘Most Loved’ so be sure to get all your followers to your profile!)

And it’s not just for surface pattern designers – you can be listed as a illustrator, mixed media artist, graphic designer etc, and really stand out from others in your field.

What are you waiting for? Check it out and sign up now!

Gift Guide / / Umbrella

What do you buy for the person who already has everything? Well, I can think of a thing or two...

Welcome to the weekly gift-guide: I am delighted to be sharing with you unique, inspiring & significant gift ideas on Rachael's blog. This week I bring you a very handy gift idea; an umbrella. I hope these gift ideas inspire you. Enjoy, Hannah.

Two-tone geometric pattern by Paperchase.

Beautifully hand-drawn bird design by Cath Kidston via John Lewis.

New York City inspired photograph design by JenHanlonAshPhoto via Etsy.

Simple bird design with ruffles by Oliver Bonas.

Dreamy cloud design by The Brolly Shop via Notonthehighstreet.

Oriental floral print by Accessorize.

Dream Large!

Happy Monday!

We hope you are dreaming large today & feeling motivated!

Rachael & Kelly :)

Wedding Feature / / MOYO Magazine

I recently shared a little sneak peek of our special day! I'm pleased to announce that I shared another glimpse of our wedding details over in MOYO magazine (pages 48 to 55).

Stay tuned as I plan to write several detailed posts and show your our beautiful day through the gorgeous photography that we received from navyblur.

There are so many people to thank & so many images to show you. I can't wait to showcase them on the blog. In the mean time I hope you enjoy reading our magazine article & seeing our sneak peek.

(I also shared some snapshots from our honeymoon heaven).

A huge thank you goes to our amazing suppliers:

Print services - Century Studios 

Chair covers - Wedding and Dreams
Flowers - Ello Flower 

Cakes - Swirly Sweet
Make up - Airess

Hair - Ben Hodgson
Venue & catering - Sandburn Hall  

Lanterns & parasols - The Hanging Lantern Company 

Lighting hire - Wedding Venue Lighting
Wedding dress - Scarlet Poppy

Shoes - Upper Street
Entertainment - Vibetwown & Hannah Rockcliffe

Photography - navyblur

I'm pleased to announce that I recently launched a wedding collection.

Design & styling - rachaeltaylordesigns.co.uk/shop 

Beauty Breakdown / / Korres

Good morning creative people! 

Welcome to a Beauty morning with me, MaJo :) Every Thursday I'll delight you with gorgeously packed beauty products (and every now and then, I'll even throw you a beauty secret). 

Today it's going to be about Korres Natural Products. It was created by a greek pharmacist after he learnt all about 'natural ingredients and their application in over 3,000 herbal remedies' while working in a homeopathic pharmacy. They produce 'safe, clinically effective, and affordable natural skincare products of interesting design.'  They have a very varied and complete product range, but for this post I chose their fragrance line for its delicious and elegant packaging. It is a mixed between botanical or historical illustrations and abstract textures that really make them design objects of desire. Enjoy!

all images courtesy of Korres

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read. See you next week with more inspiring designs. Have a great day, MaJo.