ABSPD Alumni / / Mel Smith

So many of our ABSPD Alumni have been up to great & exciting things & we love sharing their fantastic news! In the run up to the next series of M2 of the e-course we will be sharing some of our alumni successes! Which you can also see more of in our Success Stories Facebook album!

Mel Smith is another of our very successful alumni! Having spent a few years freelancing & working in  a small greetings card company, Mel is now working on her own projects. Her designs have been sold in John Lewis & several other stores nationwide. She is currently running a Kickstarter project to raise money to create an eco-friendly, patterned notebook collection. She is also attending Top Drawer/Home 2014 where she plans to fully launch her brand 'Mel Smith Designs' with a selection of lampshades, cushions, kitchen textiles as well as her notebooks.

She has also recently launched a licensed collection with Keka Cases & has designed cute wedding stationery for a friend.

We wish Mel good luck with launching at Top Drawer/Home 2014! You can visit her on her website, blog, Facebook or Twitter.

If you are interested in ‘The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (the e-course)’ we are thrilled to announce we are running a new series (starting on August 19th 2013) Register here. Also, don’t miss out on our next run of Module 2 ‘Creating Your Professional identity’ which is running 19th August 2013! Brought to you by Rachael Taylor and Beth Kempton.

Rachael on Twitter: @rachtdesign Beth on Twitter: @DoWhatYouLoveXx

You can also read some magic words from some our past students who have gone on to achieve some amazing things!

ABSPD Alumni / / Wendy Kendall

So many of our ABSPD Alumni have been up to great & exciting things & we love sharing their fantastic news! In the run up to the next series of M2 of the e-course we will be sharing some of our alumni successes! Which you can also see more of in our Success Stories Facebook album!

Wendy Kendall is a freelance surface pattern designer based in the UK. Since graduating with degree in print design she has gone on to work as a bedding/nursery designer for UK manfacturers. Her 10 years of experience within the interiors industry has given her trend & design knowledge that has been invaluable to her surface pattern designs. "I have a simplistic, graphic, clean design approach that mixes playful patterns/textures with quirky handrawn outlines. I love the use of bold colours against bright whites and I particularly enjoy creating designs for children".

Wendy (as well as Phyllida) has produced a wonderful fabric collection with Dashwood Studio. A UK based textile company, Dashwood studio are an up & coming company who "specialise in producing beautiful, design-led fabric collections for today's quilt and home-sewing communtities". They are "passionate about what we do" & love "collaborating with the best design talent the UK has to offer". Wendy's 'Petite Street' collection has all around appeal & mixes illustrative hand-drawn styles with a graphic approach, with use of 'strikingly modern colour palettes'. We love how her collection comes together & her use of colour is perfect for crafting with!

Wendy also has fabulous licensed collections with Wallpapered.com, S-Blinds & DENY Designs!

You can find more about Wendy & her work on her website. Read more about her collection with Dashwood Studio on their website. Also connect with Dashwood Studio on their blog.

If you are interested in ‘The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (the e-course)’ we are thrilled to announce we are running a new series (starting on August 19th 2013) Register here. Also, don’t miss out on our next run of Module 2 ‘Creating Your Professional identity’ which is running 19th August 2013! Brought to you by Rachael Taylor and Beth Kempton.

Rachael on Twitter: @rachtdesign Beth on Twitter: @DoWhatYouLoveXx

You can also read some magic words from some our past students who have gone on to achieve some amazing things!

ABSPD Alumni / / Phyllida Coroneo

So many of our ABSPD Alumni have been up to great & exciting things & we love sharing their fantastic news! In the run up to the next series of M2 of the e-course we will be sharing some of our alumni successes! Which you can also see more of in our Success Stories Facebook album!

Phyllida Coroneo is a UK based surface pattern designer with a background in high fashion. She is well experienced in trend & colour research. She also worked 15 years within the interiors industry for both residential & corporate clients. Her knowledge of colour, trends & markets has led a natural progression towards surface pattern design. "My design reflect my love of colour, nature, fashion and culture. I love to create fashion inspired colour palettes and mix bohemian and vintage style florals with contemporary and ethnic patterns".

Phyllida has gone on to create some amazing design work including her 'Enchanted Forest' Collection with Dashwood Studio. A UK based textile company, Dashwood studio are an up & coming company who "specialise in producing beautiful, design-led fabric collections for today's quilt and home-sewing communtities". They are "passionate about what we do" & love "collaborating with the best design talent the UK has to offer". Collaborating closely with creative director David Sweet, Phyllida has created a beautiful fabric collection. Her 'Enchanted Forest' collection was inspired by childhood memories of Somerset countryside & the children's book series 'The Faraway Tree' by Enid Blyton. Her colours stem from her love of interiors & fashion styling, as well as cultural influences. We absolutely love her use of colour & the magical qualities of her collection.

Phyllida also has a beautiful licensed collection with Keka Cases!

You can find more about Pyllida & her work on her website, Twitter & Facebook. Read more about her collection with Dashwood Studio on their website. Connect with Dashwood Studio on their blog.

 If you are interested in ‘The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (the e-course)’ we are thrilled to announce we are running a new series (starting on August 19th 2013) Register here. Also, don’t miss out on our next run of Module 2 ‘Creating Your Professional identity’ which is running 19th August 2013! Brought to you by Rachael Taylor and Beth Kempton.

Rachael on Twitter: @rachtdesign Beth on Twitter: @DoWhatYouLoveXx

You can also read some magic words from some our past students who have gone on to achieve some amazing things!

Designers Guild

Happy Friday! Finishing a lovely week, I would like to introduce Designers Guild. It is a wonderful brand that features, furnishings, fabrics, wall coverings, upholstery, gifts and loads more. Created by Tricia Guild in 1970's, with a number of stores and available online, its a homeware paradise.
Visit their website or even better go to their shops in London, you will love it! Have a wonderful weekend! Love Moni!

Betsy Jarvis

Hello!  Today I would like to introduce to you, Betsy Jarvis.  This designer from Lincolnshire creates the most charming and lovely items for you and your home using completely natural fabrics.
All of her products are vintage inspired with a bit of industrial charm in them.  I really like the way they look and feel from a certain era yet they are perfectly made and flawless.
Her line of products includes cushion covers, labels and lavender filled sachets.
If you like what you see, visit her website.  Enjoy! see you next week, love Moni!

Sretsis

Hello Everyone!  How about a little bit of fashion today?  Last week, I was introduced to this label which completely blew me away and I just had to share it with all of you.
When it comes to fashion it is very hard to come across things that are a little bit different.  Not that they're not out there, but we all know the big brands dominate the high street and boutiques are not plenty. So here is a little tip if you like feminine, chic and a little bit quirky.
Sretsis a label created by designer Pim Sukhahuta and her sisters from Thailand. Pim started the label while studying at Parsons school of Design about 3 years ago and now it has grown to be a well known fashion brand in NYC, Hong Kong and L.A.
These clothes are absolutely stunning, they use prints in unusual fabrics and have a gorgeous charm about them.  You have to check out their new collection, every piece will wow you with the beautiful prints and the playful styling.
They do have stockists in the Uk, so visit their website, get inspired and enjoy yourselves! Love Moni