The Silly Badger is 2 Today!

And to celebrate there's a 10% off discount on the entire shop! You don't need to use a coupon as the discount is automatic so if you're after a bargain, been wanting something for a while or are after that perfect fun valentines card go check out the shop now and see what you can get your paws on!

Silly Badger Designs Shop

January?

So, January was a bit of a wash out. 2018 has started in the weirdest way for me and I'm going to admit I'm struggling to keep up!
Apparently all of my organisational skills from last year have vanished and instead I'm left running around in a panic.
Don't get me wrong, the work still gets done and it gets done good! I just don't feel as good as I did before. I'm more frazzled and struggling to get a better life balance.

I had originally planned to blog weekly, post to instagram daily, add a new redbubble design weekly, get my site looking better and up to date, get Etsy a bit more up to date, get valentines day cards designed and up, mothers day, easter, new products...
And I guess that's why I failed because on top of that manic insane list I also had lots of orders coming through including a rush of pet portraits so I have been spending every day working from the moment the Mr leaves for work at 7:30 until 6:00 working my butt off.... and I wonder why I'm so frazzled and tired...

Not that I'm complaining! I've had some wonderful orders this month and I've loved working on all the pet portraits, it's been a lovely start of the year.

My main thing is the fact that apparently I've reverted to my teenage self and instead of being super organised am now giving myself insane to do lists that just aren't possible! I'm being the WORST boss I can possibly be!

So Hopefully February can see that change a bit and I can get a better balance with everything and not just become a working machine that stops occasionally to eat and to sleep.

On the fun side, I have lots of new art work to share soon once it's reached its recipients! And I have some new designs in the works in general. I'm hoping to start working on some different things that I enjoy to open up some new opportunities and adventures!

But for now, I have a day of admin and desk work along with a post run and remembering to eat and drink... seriously when you're self employed that kinda thing really goes out the door!

A quick reminder that valnetines day designs are up on Etsy and ready to be dispatched! If you're interested in any of the designs grab them now! The day is looming!

Also! One last thing! Silly Badger Designs turns 2 on Sunday!! Yes I am very excited!

It's Nearly That Time Of Year Again!

Yes, the love hearts are out!

I'm currently in the middle of making a few new designs but for now here's a peek at some of the lovely gifts I have available that would make a great valentines card or gift!

1. Bentley the Bear Heart Brooch! £4.50

2. Lovebirds Art Print from £5.00 - £12.00

3. Wolfy Love Greeting Card £2.50 (Art prints also available)

4. You Make Me Boggle Greeting Card £2.50 A great inside joke for the rat lover in your life!

5. I Labr-Adore You Greeting Card £2.50 (available in Yellow, Chocolate and Black)

There's something for everyone over at Silly Badger Designs and it's not only about the love although that is important, there's nothing wrong with a good dose of love hearts and romance, every one needs a bit of that every now and then!

So go check out some fun products whilst I get back to working on some new ones that will be available from next week! There will be an update to announce their arrival!

In the meantime I'm also planning a month blog post focussing on my experiences as an Etsy shop owner/small business owner/freelance illustrator. It's a work in progress, what can I say! I think I'm just looking to do something light hearted and fun and to give a bit of an insight in to my life and my job which seems to cover three things at least!

I can promise you most of the experiences I have in mind to write about are rather amusing and very silly and they're those things that just happen.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year as I don't believe I have said that yet!

Goodbye 2017

I'm gonna admit, 2017 has been both super amazing and the worst year of my life... I don't really know how that can happen apart from there have been two sides.

Silly Badger Designs has gone above and beyond my wildest dreams! At the beginning of this year I made some business goals that I was really unsure about... I had little hope that I would actually achieve them.

These goals included:-
- Reach 100 sales
- Reach 100 orders
- Attend a craft fair

Well... I not only reached 100 sales overall, I made over 100 sales alone this year! The moment I hit 100 sales during the summer months I had no idea that I would also be hitting 200 sales in the same year! There are so many other sellers out there who achieve this much quicker than myself etc but to me this goal has just been so incredible. 200 sales had me in tears of shock and joy because it felt like someone was telling me I was getting things right.

Reaching 100 orders was one of those awkward ones... sales are items that are bought so these go up a lot quicker than individual orders from each person. So I was desperately hopeful to hit 100 orders this year... again... I hit that and then went on to make nearly 150 orders alone this year! Now that one had me staring in shock at the screen for a long moment.
I'm not an overly confident person so I tend to go in to things with a slightly negative attitude to myself so hitting these things were like my positive side giving my negative side a good slap in the face!

And lastly, attending a craft fair. Something I was terrified of and when I looked in to them I got very nervous. "We only accept THE BEST." was plastered everywhere and for someone who had never attended one before this was insanely daunting and left me feeling like I would be laughed at or shouted at. How dare I even apply for such a thing that I am not good enough for!
But I was lucky to be approached by a lovely lady who was starting a new craft fair and was looking for local sellers. I ended up attending 2 craft fairs here and although they may not have been the most successful fairs ever they were such good experiences and I was left feeling proud that I'd managed to get through everything and even sell a few items.
A kid spending her pocket money on one of my colouring pages was probably the highlight.

So, yes. 2017 has been filled with happy and success and I am just so completely overjoyed with my little business.

Aquarium visits, pet portraits, beach and wood adventures, good food, new friends, fun family moments, love, getting gerbils are a few other highlights of this year.

Okay so there were bad parts too, this year has been full of stress and ended up with me falling back in to my anxiety and depression pretty badly but at the same time there was good and that's a good reminder that even in the darkest of times there is light.

We can't control every aspect of our lives and shit does happen. But it's how we deal with it that counts.

I'm looking forward to 2018 however as Silly Badger Designs has got a lot of new adventures happening!
I'm actually getting these ideas down on paper and in the new year I'm looking forward to exploring new options! Lots of new products are involved ;)

Thank you for a fantastic 2017 and I'll see you in the new year!
Have a great one!

Christmas Opening Info

Sorry I've been so quiet on here! Life has been so hectic I've barely had time to sleep let alone write.

I'm here to say that tomorrow is my last posting date for Christmas orders (UK only) so if you're super last minute you need to order from me TODAY. I will still be sending out any later orders until Friday 22nd December which will be my last working day of the year!

Orders posted after tomorrow will not arrive for Christmas, not to mention the postal service has been... interesting as usual in how long it takes for things to arrive!

So after the important stuff I just want to say a great big thank you to everyone who has kept me so busy this festive season. I know I may grumble at times and it may seem like I'm flustered but like any job at this time of year, it happens.

But I am definitely not grumbling about people ordering from Silly Badger Designs! Every single order has left me filled with joy and has been such a great help during a time of year where I struggle. 

So a great big thank you to you all! To everyone who has supported me and my little business this year. Thank you for letting me realise and live my dream job.

So, from me and all the helpers at Silly Badger Designs I wish you a very merry Christmas and a super fantastic new year!

Etsy Sale and Last Posting Dates for Christmas!

Etsy Sale

There's a sale going on over in our Etsy Shop with 10% off all items excluding pet portraits! No need for a coupon as all discounts have already been made so if you're looking for something fun and quirky with a good dose of animals then go check out the shop and all the offers!

Christmas 2017

Below I have posted the latest recommended posting dates for Christmas delivery this year. If you're wanting any goods from me for Christmas please place your order BEFORE these dates to have the best chance at Christmas delivery.
Please also note that this time of year can be busy and I cannot dispatch larger or international orders over the weekends.

LATEST RECOMMENDED CHRISTMAS POSTING DATES 2017

DECEMBER
Sat 2 ~ Africa, Middle East
Wed 6 ~ Asia, Far East, Cyprus, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia)
Thurs 7 ~ Caribbean, Central and South America
Sat 9 ~ Australia, Greece, New Zealand
Wed 13 ~ Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland
Thurs 14 ~ Canada, Finland, Sweden, USA
Fri 15 ~ Austria, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland
Sat 16 ~ France, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg
Wed 20 ~ UK

Please note that custom orders need to be made by Saturday 25th November if you're wanting a guaranteed Christmas pet portrait! Pet portraits take time so this needs to be taken in to consideration along with final posting dates.

Orders can still be made after these dates but I can no longer guarantee Christmas delivery.

Thanks for your patience around this time and thank you for keeping me busy!

Gerbil Portrait

So you're partner is turning 30... you want to make him something special but have no idea what to do... so you draw your gerbils!

Yes, I even do pet portraits for people I know, it's good I know so many animal lovers!

Our gerbies are named after Guardians of the Galaxy characters so I decided to draw them in character! It was a complete challenge and took a lot longer than it should have!
Apparently I work a lot better and quicker when I'm working on pets other than my own.

This portrait went through three sketches before finally becoming the painting it is today.
I had fun with getting the sizing wrong to start with making them much too big for the frame they were going in, so then I decided to make another sketch but this time keeping to the correct sizes.
This went well, I even got to the inking stage and then I was stupid... I normally use very light, hard pencils to work on sketches so that they are almost invisible.
I was so tired the day I worked on these guys that I used a very dark, soft pencil that would not erase from the paper!
Sometimes you really shouldn't be working if you're that tired, trust me, tiredness can lead to some very silly mistakes! Like drinking paint water, putting a paint brush in your tea, knocking over paint water on to the painting, dropping a dirty brush on to the painting... the list goes on and I've done all of them!

My worst has been falling asleep face down on a painting, I was in my teens and going through exams which is my excuse but waking up stuck to the paper is never a fun experience!

So back to the gerbils, I then made another sketch using the lightest pencil I own and finally got it how I wanted.
The painting was also fun as I just couldn't decide on the colours to use so of course that took longer than normal and then the words... oh the hand lettering that I absolutely hate!

Hand lettering is something I admire and something that I truly cannot do! I tend to try to hard and mess things up, hopefully this is a skill I can gain soon but for now with the gerbils... it's a little bit lacking but it's mainly all about the gerbils in character!

So here they are, after all the insanity of the past two weeks getting them done!



And of course the gerbils had to get in on the photos too, Drax in the bottom right posed perfectly!

So now I just get to give it to the boyfriend and hope he's amused by it.

Remember pet portraits are still available from me. I will be posting last Christmas order dates on Monday so keep an eye out if you're planning on making any orders from me for the festive period!

Have a wonderful weekend!