Personalised travel/hiking journals – flash sale!

I’ve just listed a couple of new hiking journals in my Etsy shop – inspired by a friend who is currently hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (trail from Mexico to Canada) at about mile 600 right now. These are small, lightweight Moleskine brand journals that are easily stashed in a backpack or pocket, and are altered to include a name/place/word above the hand-drawn hiker illustration. I always carry my own journal to write anything from travel notes to diary entries, and lots of sketches too! I figured these would make thoughtful gifts for hikers, hill walkers, adventurers and explorers ready for their next journey.

Flash sale! These are 15% off until June 8th 2018.

A heart for the love of hiking:

The journal writer can add to the drawing or colour it in:

I have journals just like these from my 8 month backpacking adventure in Central America and several months spent in Canada. I thoroughly enjoy reminiscing with them and reflecting upon those times. Much of what I wrote was day-to-day life observations but it’s those details that set the scene and atmosphere realistically. The bits you might not remember because they didn’t stand out so much, but they help paint the whole picture, emotions included.

You can also find my regular updates on Instagram @makingstrangers.

Christmas is coming, and so are my illustrated gifts!

New items in my Etsy shop, ideal for Christmas gift giving.

This little elf has been busy in the elf workshop painting on ceramics and personalising journals. My hand-painted porcelain egg cups can also be used as tea light candle holders, tiny succulent pots, or little ring bowls. These are indeed a great size for stocking fillers or token gifts for friends, colleagues, and family.

You can pick an egg cup to adopt from my Etsy shop. They are hand-painted, so no two are the same, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

My shop wouldn’t be complete without ‘little peekers’ aka Finnish tonttu (Christmas elves) sneaking peeks out of Moleskine journal windows! I’m currently working on new journals that people can have personalised with a name or word as well. So keep ’em peeled in my Etsy shop.

See all my latest bits and pieces on my Instagram: MakingStrangers.

Til soon!
Heidi x

Happy Halloween and Autumn Tidings

Some pesky pumpkins are causing mischief, Moleskine style!

This altered Moleskine pocket journal is a one-of-a-kind illustration piece for sale in my Etsy shop. Go get ’em!

Happy Halloweener!

Personalised naiad journal – notebook with water nymph illustration & cut out cover

Fresh in my shop – a personalised Moleskine notebook with cut-out cover and illustrated 1st page.
This journal depicts a naiad/water nymph, a female spirit that presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water.

There is a blank ribbon banner so the journal can be personalised into a thoughtful gift with a name or word of your choice.

New personalised Moleskine journals

New altered/illustrated Moleskine cahier pocket journals now listed in my Etsy shop. As I travel quite a lot and enjoy scribbling and doodling my adventures into these wee journals, I figured others might too. These journals are ideal size and weight-wise as the last thing you need when backpacking is a cumbersome journal. They also have a little pocket-fold inside the back page for keeping bits and bobs such as receipts and tickets… or is that just the hoarder collector in me?

The blank cut-out space at the top is for personalisation of name/country/word, etc.

Followers of my artwork from years back (any of you still out there?) may remember my little “I like people who smile when it’s raining” illustrations. Now they have been buried in Google searches under many other works using my quote (without credit – tsh!!) I’ve resurrected the idea for some new work and my sentiment is still the same, albeit I’m mostly liking the people who smile when it’s raining rather than the actual rain itself these days – too many music festival experiences involving torrential rain and mud have been endured since that positive meteorological outlook of mine!

You can find these journals in my shop!

GIVEAWAY: hand-illustrated Moleskine small business pocket journal!

I’ve launched a giveaway for a chance to win a Moleskine cahier pocket journal that I’ve altered/illustrated! The giveaway is worldwide, and closes on December 5th 2015.

If you’d like to be in with a chance of winning this unique, one-of-a-kind altered Moleskine journal, please enter via this link: Digibloom Small Business Journal Giveaway!

Good luck!

Sweet journal, sombre journal

I’ve been working my socks off illustrating Moleskine journals this past week. Here are two of my very recent additions to my Etsy shop.

I Like People Who Smile When It’s Raining – a cute lilac pocket journal featuring raindrop elves and the words “I like people who smile when it’s raining”, revisiting a sentiment of mine from back in 2008 that I once made illustrated prints of. This is the first time I’ve worked with a pastel coloured journal cover, and have a yellow one, and pink one waiting to join the pastel trio!

The River From Which She Rises – for this grey pocket journal I illustrated the beautiful, sombre poem ‘Lorelei’ by Sylvia Plath. An excerpt:

“Deep in your flux of silver
Those great goddesses of peace.
Stone, stone, ferry me down there.”

I hope you like them! I’d be interested to know which you prefer – my cartoon style journals or the more sombre, detailed pencil style journals?

New altered Moleskine journals

Howdy folks! Long time no post.. I’ve been very busy working on my new business, Digibloom. My work involves helping small businesses to grow – using my experience/expertise in social media, branding, marketing, etc. More on that another time!

I’m back working on my Etsy items until Christmas with a new series of journals, and thought I’d share some pictures with you. It may seem very early to be listing Christmas items even prior to Halloween, but November can be a busy time so it’s good to be prepared! Click on images to view listings with more/larger photos on Etsy.

Custom illustrated Moleskine cahier journal with your name or word:

Christmas journal – Tonttu is Watching. Custom name optional:

Peeking Elves Christmas Journal – original altered Moleskine journal full of Christmas cheer:

I’d love to hear what you think!

New Moleskine journal series – Haiku poem theme

Long time no post. Since two major illnesses this year I’ve left London/work and am recovering in a lovely big house in Suffolk (until later in the year when I’ll be enjoying a much needed trip to Mexico). I’ve been sleeping a lot but also the peace of not living in London/working full time/trying to keep up with the fast pace of a big city has given me time to reflect, and gradually the creativity is re-emerging, after years of creative block.

Last week I started a series of altered Moleskine journals illustrating Haiku poems I wrote over the past few years. I found that despite being unable to get out of bed, my mind still needed exercise, so Haiku writing was a good way of condensing a thought or observation into 5/7/5 syllables. To communicate something with restricted syllables gives you the opportunity to delve into your vocabulary for just the right words to convey your message – like a human thesaurus.

Below are my new journals thus far. These are available in my Etsy shop for one month only (until November 5th).

Migranous Drowning

“Stirring from slumber,
when the migranous drowning
slithered out of me.”

Mind Flotsam

“Witness mind flotsam;
as blind, broken sleep-debris
enter night terror.”

Mis-spent Sleep

“With good intentions
and mis-spent sleep nullified;
thousand eyes on me.”

If you like these, you can follow my work on my Facebook page and Flickr page too!

Moon drawings, journals, and handwritten Haiku

As the nights grow longer and the atmosphere has that familiar autumnal ambience, I notice the moon more.  This is the best season.  Then again, I say that about every season because each has those beautiful changes in nature that one can observe and admire (with a cup of chai tea mmm.)  Do you feel the nostalgia of autumn?

The moon is unhinged
From its pivot. Thoughts hang slack;
With immense longing.

As some are aware I’ve been suffering with creative block for months now, but hooraaah; this change of season, and personal circumstances appear to have me drawing at any given opportunity.  I’m talking dormant volcano of creativity and ideas erupting here!  (Though please don’t run away from the metaphorical lava, it won’t burn ya.)

Anyway, my point .  The moon!  Henceforth some lunar-inspired little artworks from the past week.  These are special to me;  the ravine through the solid ice of creative block. (Yes, love being over-dramatic, thx.)

Check my Etsy shop listings if you’re interested in adopting one 🙂

Each ACEO comes with an original hand-written Haiku poem on paper, folded into an origami paper star.  I enjoy writing these little poems.

The moon surrounded
With blinking little urchins;
Uniformly so.

I altered some Moleskine cahier journals too.  Here’s one of them.  More to show soon once the photos are taken.

Also, on topic, I love this song: ‘The Moon‘ by The Swell Season.  Isn’t it beautiful?