Spending this Sunday morning going through our wedding photos. Brings back such happy memories… It was such an amazing day. Here’s a little sneak peek!
A flood of photos coming soon – hen do, wedding and honeymoon, with all the details – can’t wait to relive it all
Beth x
[All images: NavyBlur]
A huge thank you to the 600+ people who entered our birthday giveaways (and for your lovely birthday wishes)! It was so moving to hear why the Make Art That Sells and Creative Spark giveaways could be so good for you. We are only sorry that not everyone can win! Here are the lucky winners…
The free place on Part A of Make Art That Sells with Lilla Rogers goes to:
*Christine Lehto
Congratulations Christine! We will be in touch with more course info.
If you didn’t win but realise that this course is right up your street, you can still register here before class begins on June 3.
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The free copy of Tara Leaver’s new book goes to:
Shelley aka FussyPrincess
Congratulations – we will be in touch to get your postal address details!
If you didn’t win but really want a copy of the book, Tara is offering a special 15% discount if you purchase it via this link by Saturday 18 May using the discount code ‘CREATIVESPARK”.
**UPDATE: THIS DISCOUNT NO LONGER APPLIES**
Are you the next big thing? Are you ready to have your work shared with the world? Do you want to take your art career to the next level? If so, listen up. This is for you.
Lilla Rogers Studio is on the lookout for new talent and has launched a Global Talent Search to find it! Do What You Love is proud to be collaborating with Lilla Rogers Studio to bring you this incredible opportunity to showcase your work to the world.
The winner will be represented by Lilla Rogers Studio for two years internationally, and win a host of licensing contracts. This would be a turning point in your career.
Somebody has to win, and it might just be you!
How would you like to be represented by one of the top artist agents in the world, and see your work on products made for cool clients and distributed internationally? How would you like to be in demand, with hot new gig after hot new gig? How would you like to thrive as a full time artist or designer?
For everyone who enters this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your work. If you make the shortlist you will be featured in our online gallery. Your work will get in front of our incredible judging panel of top art directors and other industry experts including Anthropologie, Chronicle Books, Paperchase, Design*Sponge, Quarry Books and more. The process also features a public vote to pick a ‘People’s choice’ finalist.
Along the way you will have the chance to respond to professional level creative assignments, which in themselves will be valuable portfolio pieces.
And if you know anyone who is ready for this exciting opportunity, please be sure to tell them about this!
Here at Do What You Love we are proud to be working with Lilla Rogers Studio to bring you this amazing opportunity. For further information and full Terms & Conditions please see www.lillarogers.com/global-talent-search
Time for some more Monday morning ponderings… we are bringing back our ‘Thought for the week’ series after a little break. And we are going to kick off with this!
Baby, you’re a firework. You’d better believe it. Go out and light up that sky…
Me and my BFF Heather heading off on my hen do a few weeks back (more on that coming soon!)
Hello 36! It’s my birthday today, and I am celebrating with my bestest buddy and our two fellas. We were born on the same day (honestly!) and used to always celebrate together, but this will be the first time in several years we have got together on our joint birthday and I cannot wait.
The weather forecast is for glorious sunshine, and the sea is calling. I am hoping today will be full of laughter and fun as we enter into our ‘late thirties’.
A year ago today my man proposed, and ever since this last year has been such a huge one in my life (sabbatical on the other side of the world, wedding, honeymoon and all sorts of other adventures). But as so much of that is coming up on the blog in the next few weeks instead, today I am just going to say this:
(1) I feel happier in my life right now at 36 than I ever have
(2) I am grateful for so much – family, friends, shiny new husband, adventures, business, YOU and more
(3) I want you to celebrate with me, so all this week I am doing some crazy giveaways here on the blog. Here’s what’s coming up:
WEDNESDAY: Giving away a free place on Part A of Make Art That Sells with Lilla Rogers! (plus a fab interview with Lilla that you don’t want to miss!)
THURSDAY: Giving away a free copy of Tara Leaver’s new book ‘Creative Spark: (re)igniting your creativity with everyday wisdom’ (and I share a great interview with Tara too)
These giveaways will be open from the time they are posted until 12 noon GMT on Saturday 11 May 2013, so be sure to check in every day and enter! You can enter as many of them as you like. GOOD LUCK and happy birthday me!
You know when you have been away from something for a while, and things have piled up, and somehow you need to attack the mountain but just can’t bring yourself to do it? That’s what it feels like with blogging right now. I have SO much to share with you after an incredible few weeks off for my wedding and honeymoon – we were showered with love and I don’t know enough ways to say thank you to so many different people. But somehow it is hard to know where to begin!
So I am going to ease myself in gently with this little musing about gardening, and tell myself that I’m not really procrastinating about sharing everything else…
Last summer brought so much rain to the North of England that our garden became an explosion of green. The black bamboo has gone wild and shoots way up into the sky. The wisteria has climbed thick across the canopy which hangs over our little sunken table. And there are lots of (pretty) weeds around. So we decided to do some gardening – starting with getting rid of the old water feature put in by the previous owners of the house, and replacing it by a sawn-off beer barrel filled with pink and white pansies.
Doing physical work in the garden felt so good – I loved picking away at the earthy compost with radio tunes wafting through the air. I felt like I had earned my achy back, and the cups of tea tasted even better outside.
I think the thing I liked the best was the fact that my head pretty much emptied of anything while I was working with the soil. My head is normally a very busy place, so it was a kind of meditation to me.
I have to confess I know very little about gardening, but I would love to learn more. Our neighbours are fantastic, dedicated gardeners who spend hours and hours plucking and trimming, sweeping and nurturing, and their garden looks gorgeous as a result. Maybe this can be a new hobby for me in the years ahead? Anything that wears the body but relaxes the brain sounds like a good tonic to me.
Are you green fingered? What is it you love about gardening? Any top tips for a novice like me?
Wow, what an incredible few weeks it has been. First the wedding (amazing, so much fun!) and then the honeymoon (dreamy, wonderful) and now my new husband has quit his job to work for Do What You Love!!!
I have so much to tell you, and so much exciting news to share, but I am going to do it bit by bit.
Firstly – my new name! I am now called Mrs Beth Kempton! I think it will take me a couple of years to get used to it…
I hope you will excuse me if I am a little self-indulgent over the next few weeks, sharing lots of pictures from our honeymoon in Italy and then of the big day itself (those pictures are due in the next couple of weeks – can’t wait!).
It was such a treat to take 5 weeks off to focus on this precious time, and I look forward to reflecting on all the details of it on this blog over the coming weeks.
We have a brand new website and lots more exciting news coming in June, but until then, forgive me for making this place wedding central!
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For any of you looking to spring into Spring with a creative course, Module 1 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design ‘Designing your way’ starts on Monday. Find out more and register here!
And if you are more advanced in your designs and want to start making money from your work, Module 3 ‘Monetising your designs’ could be right up your street. Find out more and register here!
There are some times in life that are so precious they just have to be savoured, for as long as possible. Getting married is one of them, which is why I have decided to take five weeks off work to enjoy every moment of my upcoming wedding and honeymoon.
“What will she be wearing?” they all asked
I am so grateful that Do What You Love gives me the flexibility to do this. Please know that the team is still here to support everyone involved in our courses, and we will still be blogging over the next few weeks (if a little less regularly) – and then I will be back with photos of hand made loveliness, tales of romantic adventures and a brand new name! (Along with a LOT of exciting changes and new things to share with you…)
Sometimes pop songs have hidden depths and wisdom…
This lyric from Robbie Williams’ “Candy” says it all…
As I am sure you know, today is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate what women bring to the world, and highlight the challenges faced by women in all walks of life.
When I worked at UNICEF this was a day to bring attention to the important role of women in society, and to highlight the fact that women all over the world are still abused, denied education and other human rights, and held back from their true potential.
Young girls I met on a UNICEF field visit to Azerbaijan back in 2007. By now they may be mothers themselves, or have left school to work. I wonder what their lives are like these days?
It is often said in the developing world that “If you educate a man you educate a man. If you educate a woman, you educate a family.” I love men, but women definitely do have a very special way to form bonds with others, nurture those around them and to tap into their intuition and use it as a tool for good. At UNICEF, and in many other organisations and communities all over the world, women are helping women build (or rebuild) lives, families and societies. And that is something to celebrate.
Today I also want to take a moment to celebrate YOU – each one of you…
… who plays so many roles in so many people’s lives
… who loves and nutures those around you
…who offers a shoulder to cry on, or a warm hug just when it is needed
…who encourages others to dream by chasing your own dreams
…who digs deep and shows courage, bravely carving new paths
…who recognises that IT IS UP TO EACH OF US
…who shows your daughters, granddaughters, mothers, sisters, friends that it is OK to create the life you want
…who chooses, every day, how to be in this world, with kindness, laughter and light
Why not reach out to a special woman in your life and tell her what she means to you today?