’Tis the season to be jolly, and what better way to celebrate than by diving into some fantastic free or very low-cost activities? After all, if Christmas involves spending, then why not make sure it’s about ‘spending’ time together with loved ones and not just spending in the shops. Here are some fun activities you…
Happydesigner Piggy Post: News & Features from November 2023
STOP PRESS: HAPPYDESIGNER HAVE MOVED! As announced in our September blog, we are pleased (and VERY relieved) to announce that we are now settled into our new home, and the studio is back to full operation. The move proved to be far more problematic than we ever anticipated, but, in hindsight, we should have expected…
Need to unwind? How about reading or writing a book!
November is National Novel Writing Month and what a great way to encourage people to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and start writing a story. The challenge for this annual event, which started in 1999, is for people to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month. At Happydesigner, we live…
Autumn is here with a bang – and we love it!
Oh boy, do we love autumn – and here it is, in all its colourful glory. This year, more than ever, there seems to be a rich abundance of autumn colours and autumn produce. Wherever we walk, we are bombarded by conkers, acorns, and spectacular hues on the trees. We’re always looking for inspiration for…
Happydesigner Piggy Post: News & Features from September 2023
STOP PRESS: HAPPYDESIGNER ARE ON THE MOVE! Apologies for the slightly shorter blog this month, as much of our time is being spent on getting organised for our impending move to new premises. Happydesigner’s new home will soon be in a 17th Century Grade 2 listed building full of quirky-shaped rooms and lots of old,…
Trees: they’re green, they’re brown, they’re leafy and we love them!
Do you love trees? We do! In fact, we love trees so much that our superstar children’s book designer and author, Sarah-Leigh, has made a tree the hero of her latest book. ‘Sally Sapling’ features the eponymous character who witnesses the changing decades as she goes from a young tree to a mature copper beech….
Happydesigner Piggy Post: News & Features from August 2023
August Overview The hectic year continues apace, with no signs of letting up, but we love what we do here at Happydesigner, so it’s all good! Perhaps the sun may not have been shining as much as we would have liked throughout August, but the studio has remained as bright and as colourful as ever,…
Why children’s books are essential in schools…
Of the hundreds of appeals that schools make for additional support, have you noticed how many of them are asking for help with buying books? This isn’t just a whim. It’s because books are an absolutely essential ingredient in school life. So often, schools fundraise for books because they don’t have enough to go around,…
Happydesigner Piggy Post: News & features of July 2023
Welcome to the first edition of the Happydesigner Piggy Post! It’s been a pretty hectic year so far at Happydesigner HQ, and July has been no exception; with lots of beautifully illustrated children’s books having been completed, new ones beginning, old doors closing, and exciting new ones opening wide, it has most certainly been a…