Where did October go?

I’ve been meaning to write my first blog post for a while and I’m currently lying on the sofa nursing a torn hamstring from playing hockey at the weekend so now seems to be the perfect time!


Out and About – Living North Christmas Fair

So, what’s been happening with Herbert and Rose? As you may already know, my day job is teaching and so I fit my artwork into evenings and weekends. I also have to juggle this with family life, like many people running their small creative businesses. I honestly feel like I don’t sit still sometimes and when I do, I worry that I should be doing something. Is anyone else like that? I’m sure it’s not good practice! Anyway, this month I’ve mainly been preparing for the Living North Christmas Fair, which takes place from 14th-17th  November at York Racecourse. I’ve been painting new illustrations, designing Christmas cards and restocking any artwork that I’ve sold. This has kept me so busy and I find it quite hard to tell myself to stop. It’s also a challenge working out how much stock to take for four days. This is a really big event for me but I have no idea how well my work will sell. I still have a few things to do for the event (mainly packing and labelling, for which I’m relying on help from my two teenage boys)! Although I am SO EXCITED about the event, I’m also quite nervous about how it will go. I just don’t want to stand there like a lemon for four days if I make no sales. I suppose it’s good to take that risk sometimes (that’s what I’m telling myself). If you are planning on going to the fair, PLEASE come and say ‘HELLO!’ I love to meet my followers and talk to customers. Plus, the event itself will be fantastic and there will be plenty of stalls to do some CHRISTMAS SHOPPING (including mine obviously)!


New products – Notebooks now available in the online shop

You can now buy A5 notebooks with exclusive Herbert and Rose designs. These A5 notebooks contain 44 plain writing pages and have a thick card cover on the back and front. They are made using FSC certified paper and board and make great gifts or stocking fillers.

They are currently available in five designs:
  • Flamingo
  • Flowers on blue
  • Flowers on pink
  • Ostrich
  • Otter

Each notebook is £4, inclusive of postage and packaging.


New Collaboration – Mrs Reed Warbler

I’ve also been working on illustrations for @mrsreedwarbler, who writes a very insightful and honest blog into her experience of adoption and how she and the missus are managing transitioning from a family of two to a family of three. I love creating the illustrations as the themes are often very different from those I usually work on. Some of these illustrations have been turned into digital prints, which can be downloaded from my website. Moving forwards, @mrsreedwarbler and I are hoping to collaborate on artwork considering adoption, though our ideas are still in the very early stages. Still, I’m really excited about future collaborations!!!


Anyway, I think that’s enough for my first blog. Thank you for reading this far. I’m going to go back to feeling sorry for myself (and my poor leg). I don’t want to admit it but I think my body is telling me that my hockey days are well and truly over!

Special offer as I relaunch my website

Thank you for your patience as I updated and improved my website. Now that my online shop is up and running, I would like to offer you all a special relaunch discount. Entering the code relaunch10 at checkout will give you 10% off your entire basket. There is no limit to how many times you can use the code and please share it with your friends. Just make sure to use it before it expires on 30th September 2019. Happy shopping!

Ali