The Strangest Lists of All

Well the extended Christmas break has well and truly gone, thanks snow but i won't miss you!

Due to the terrible weather Gordon and I have been working from home on alternate days - it also means that someone has been on hand to play & feed kittens! Ginger has gone to his forever home and Lady Marmalade has had her lady bits seen too - no more kittens for her! Pretty has been checked over by the nice vet and has been confirmed as a boy! Aaaah Pretty boy!

We've got him for a few more weeks as his new mummy has holes in her kitchen floor at present - probably not ideal for an adventurous kitten! I'm loving this extended time with him he's become more interested in us since his brother isn't around to wrestle with!

As promised, the kittens have been an inspiration for one of the new designs - "Cosmic Kittens of Karma" Most of the designs have been finished, it's just a case of doing all the finishing touches, little extra bits of hand-drawing and re-working the odd thing. What's been quite amusing is the bizarre lists I'm working to every day eg:

* Drawn Phrenology Head

* 2 x Psychedelic Hybred Animals

* Photograph of Kittens

* re-work Psychedelic Orchid > more triangles

* Eyes

* Hearts

* Separate transparencies

* make transfers A4

I love how this new range is coming together. For our wholesale range we've decided to concentrate on t-shirt, sweatshirts and hoodies and do less handmade stuff in the womenswear range - it was just too hard to make all those dresses! I've got more t-shirt dresses planned, 3 or 4 different styles, as well as simple skirts, crop tops and vests. It wil have a fresh, clean feel with pastels and greys and lots of layering - very 80's sportswear!

As the main range is basic, and not out for another few weeks, I'm working on a small range for the shop which will go in ASAP! The "I Heart Molly" is a range based on Molly Ringwald & the 80's Brat Pack films. Having a new theme means I can re-merchandise an area of the shop to make it look fresh and new, bringing in a few new pieces gradually and keeping some best sellers in the shop. It gives me the opportunity to 'use up' some of the fabrics we printed - some we didn't even get to use in the madness of Christmas!

I hit on the idea of using newspaper as a quick fix over some old graphics. As it's quite a feminine range with pastel pinks and florals I decided to use pages of the Financial Times as I love the colour! I'm looking forward to doing a photoshoot on this theme - I've been styling the feminine florals with mens tweed jackets and chunky boots for a grungy feel so it will make a very strong fashion look. It's 80's girly florals meets 90's grunge and it's a nice little cross-over range until we've finished the main colllection. It's a great way to finish off my rolls of printed fabric from "A Day At The Zoo" - presenting it in a way that looks new and fresh. I can add in the newer pieces gradually saving me the stress of trying to 'make an entire shop'!

I'm pleased with the results, and I've had some great vintage finds that compliment the 'look' - hopefully people will come in and buy a complete outfit!