Pretty in pink

 Last weekend I went to Kew Gardens and was so inspired by the tropical plants I saw in the Princess of Wales Conservatory that I designed some prints for my Spoonflower shop.

The spikey plant is called an Australian Bottlebrush. The colour drew me to it but once you look up close you can see that each spike has a tiny white bobble on the end.

My version of the Australian Bottlebrush has been very simplified and I chose to draw it from above, to create a geometric pattern. I've added a few green leaves and there's a loose stripe in the background.

Tightly-packed chrysanthemums create a sea of vibrant pink.

Bright pink hibiscus flowers sit on a bed of bright green foliage.

Gorgeous green clutch bags

 I have a few green clutch bags in my Etsy store and these two are my favourites. It's amazing how different two greens can look. One is made from a mint green Chinese satin and the other is made from a vibrant chartreuse satin.

This Chinese satin clutch has a pretty blossom motif. I chose a matching taffeta lining and added a vibrant green tassel to the zipper pull.

This chartreuse clutch bag is made from my wild grasses print, available to buy by the yard in my Spoonflower shop. I matched the taffeta lining to the green of the grasses design and the tassel is rather pleasingly the same colour as the lining.

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Self-Care Awareness Month

 September is Self-Care Awareness Month, a time to look after ourselves and reconnect with the things that make us happy. One of the things that makes me happy is to surround myself with plants.

I love the freshness that plants give to a room and the colour of their leaves lifts my spirits.

This inspired me to design a pot plant print for my Spoonflower shop. I created a design using a variety of shapes and styles of plants in coloured pots. This print can be bought by the metre on a variety of different fabrics and used to create your own projects.

Alternatively, ready-made items can be bought. I love the cushion cover that gives an instant lift to the living room. Mix it with solid green cushions in varying textures and tones.

Go bold in the bedroom with a refreshing pot plant duvet cover.

For something more subtle, this pretty wall hanging is perfect. The print co-ordinates nicely with the bamboo slats.

Indigo blue

 I love Japanese indigo fabrics and collected a lot when I lived in Japan. I love the way that the dye soaks into the fabric and I love the bold, stylised designs that are often used in indigo textiles.

I have a selection of traditional and modern indigo fabrics and decided to use both of them in one design, combining a geometric print with a traditional floral motif.

These fabrics are so dark, they almost look black and were perfect for making into clutch bags.

The clutch bag is lined and lightly padded, with a zipper closure to keep everything safe.

For the lining, I decided to use a modern geometric cotton Japanese fabric in shades of cream and navy, using the reverse of the colours on the outer bag.

The bag also has a lovely silky black tassel attached to the zipper pull.

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Calathea Sanderiana

 Meet Marcel! He's my niece's plant and I was taken by his dark shiny leaves that have a delicate thin pink vein running through them. Marcel's technical name is calathea sanderiana but it is also known as a pinstripe calathea. These plants like moderate, dappled shade and are happiest in the bathroom where there is moisture in the air.

I liked Marcel's leaves so much that I decided to design a print for my Spoonflower shop.

It would look great as a wallpaper print in an entrance hall. Match the colour of the front door to the colour of the light pink veins.

This print would make a great backdrop for one of my pot plant artworks.

Cactus love

I'm loving this cute little cactus print! It makes the perfect print for this lovely little cotton pouch.

This pouch is lightly padded and has a zipper closure to keep everything safe.

Use it as a roomy pencil case for storing all your stationery items in.

It's also the perfect size for a travel bag or handbag organiser. I love the soft pink polka dot lining that matches the flower pots on the cactus print.

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Slate blue scarf

 Slate blue is a lovely subtle colour and perfect for accessorising with a wide variety of colours, from crisp summery whites to rich winter berry tones. This pretty slate blue scarf makes a great gift for someone special.

It looks great loosely draped around the neck.

It's made from a combination of vintage Japanese kimono fabrics that have been pieced together.

One of the kimono pieces is made from a stylised floral design.

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Nautical naughtiness

There's some nautical naughtiness going on at Cheeky Leopard today! These two fabulous seaside-inspired cosmetic bags are perfect for storing small items in and each has a kiss-clasp closure to keep your items safe. Use them as a gadget pouch, pencil case or makeup bag.

The multi coloured anchor print is a fun way to carry chargers and gadgets.

The lining to this anchor print is a fabulous over-sized red and white polka dot fabric.

Beach huts are a classic British seaside image and I love the fresh colouring of this one. Use it to store sunglasses and phone when on the beach.

This pouch also has a red and white polka dot lining.

Lucky black cats

Now you can mix and match kitty items with this fabulous black cat cosmetic bag and black cat artwork! The perfect gift combo for a feline-loving friend.

The bag is fully lined with a contrasting black and white polka dot cotton fabric and has a beige zipper closure to keep everything safe.

This is the perfect pouch to store valuables such as phone, keys, makeup and sunglasses.

It makes a great pencil case/stationery pouch.

Playful cats sit amongst pot plants in this fun artwork.

Perfect for the bedroom or living room.

The artwork is printed onto a thick watercolour paper and comes gift wrapped in a hard-backed envelope.

Back to school

 It's that time of year where kids around the world are preparing for a return to school. Celebrate the back-to-school blues with these fun fabrics that are great for using as crafty project for making pencil cases, lunch bags or gym bags.

Japanese kimono scarf

 The purple kimono I bought recently has now been made up into a stunning silk scarf with a matching clutch bag. I'm loving the vibrant purple colour as an accessory and love the pop of red in the design.

The kimono has a lovely modern painterly hash design printed onto it.

I picked out the red from the design and used it as the colour for the tassel detail.

Purple is a stunning colour for a scarf and enhances any outfit.

The lining of the clutch bag is also a red colour, for a flash of vibrancy when the bag is opened.

The scarf is long enough to wrap around the neck or could be tied in a jaunty loose knot.

This clutch is big enough to fit sunnies, phone, makeup and keys.

The scarf can also be loosely draped around the neck.