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Jane Foster

  • Hello
  • Shop
  • Illustrations
  • Books
  • About
  • Contact
  • Wholesale
  • Collaborations
  • Clients
  • Self Initiated Work
  • Press
  • Blog
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  • jane@janefoster.co.uk

Making Toys With Jane Foster

April 14, 2015 in My Books

I love making toys with my seven year old daughter Polly. She's full of great ideas and I love helping her sew her designs into actual stuffed toys. A toy making project is one of the many projects I've featured in my new book 'Creative Craft With Kids'  - available

here

 for £10 as a signed copy along with 3 free colouring in postcards!

Tags: Making toys with Jane Foster, Toy making, Creative Craft With Kids
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I’m so happy we’ve got some sunshine here in Devon today! We’re off to the beach for a friend’s Birthday celebration - what are you up to? Are those of you living in and around London attending the march? I’m giving 15% off everything in my shop using the coupon code JUNE18 This includes my children’s books and screen prints! Have a happy weekend! x
I’ve just returned from London as my children’s book publishers @templarpublishing had a 40th Birthday celebration. I felt so proud to be part of such a great event and am so hugely grateful to have had so many books published by Templar over the past few years. Swipe left to see some of them. It was also lovely to meet other illustrators and make new friends. X
Coming soon! My new Frida Kahlo range! It’s been years since I’ve illustrated her - my previous screen print from around ten years ago is still going strong but my style has evolved so here’s my new one. I can’t wait to show you more of my ideas here! Are you a Frida fan? I’ve been a fan for decades and can’t wait to visit the exhibition in London.
Today’s theme for day 3 of the JUST A CARD campaign is all about the community. I love the creative community I’ve found on Instagram and value it enormously. It’s so important that fellow creatives share and support each other. It’s also very important that customers share and support the creatives of this world who produce wonderful products, provide interesting Independent shops / galleries on our high streets and generally make our lives a better place. Please go over to the @justacard site and support this campaign in any way you can and help spread the word. I enjoy following so many folk here on Instagram every day - literally hundreds!!! It’s such a joy to see what others are creating! I’m going to share some of my favourites below - many who have become internet friends! (*I know I’ve left many out so I’m saying sorry in advance!😘) x @lisacongdon @eloiserenouf @janecabrera @lisastickley @joannehawker @jacquelinecolley @wintersmoon @clareyoungs @hellodoodle @anniemorris.co.uk @broniabroniaprints @sarahstrachanart @theprintedpeanut @bertandbuoy @becky_baur @janecabrera @playroominteriors @helenstephensonlion @heartzeena @sewrecycled @linziehunter @susie_hammer @mini_hammill @amychudley @keneardley @modflowers @luciesheridan @lucytiffney @lusummers @miesjechafer @allthuingsletters @atelierstellaceramics @justacard @sarahhamiltonprints @byirisdelatorre @artbylawr @littletoydogs @marnalunt @madebymrsm @alicepotterillustration @alicemelvin @emmablockillustration @samboughton @carly_gledhill @teresagreentextiles @kirstyelson @traceyenglish @gaylemansfielddesigns
Here’s my studio and if you swipe left, you’ll see a snap shot I took in the studio today - it shows some of the products I sell - my little planters, my books and if you look in the bottom right hand corner, my really teeny weeny matchbox books! Taking part in day 2 of the #justacard campaign is all about what the JUST A CARD campaign is all about. For me it’s about supporting Independent shops, artists and makers in a small way - the logic is that if every time we visit an Independent gallery / shop with work in it that we like, it would be easy to buy ‘just a card’ or a different small, affordable product (badge etc...). If we all did this then we’d help the Independents survive. *As a maker who enjoys supporting other makers, I do have a little wee gripe here to add from my observations - not all makers are good at offering small affordable products to buy!! This works both ways here! I sometimes struggle to find something I can buy in a small Independent online shop that’s under £5 (or often under £20 or £30!!). From my experience here in running my own little online shop, if you offer a few affordable products, customers will often buy several and your work will reach a far greater audience! This doesn’t mean you necessarily have to cheapen your work - you can even sell postcards, pin badges and stickers! People do often want to purchase something small and would do so more often if there was a choice! (I do also know however that many people DO offer small products for sale and struggle to sell them). Do pop over to @justacardand @emilyquinton to join in with more from this campaign! I do think it’s worth a look!
Day 1 of the @justacard week - WHO AM I? - I’m Jane Foster - an illustrator / textile designer / author and small business owner. (OK - a creative with a multi - hyphen career!) My background was in music so I came to this career later in life at the age of 38. I’m completely self taught and over the past ten years I’ve managed to create several income streams using my illustrations and designs. I’ve been fortunate to have had twenty books published over the past four years or so (with more on the way) and I’ve managed my own little web - shop single handedly - designing, making and selling my own screen printed products and prints around the world.I’ve also worked with companies who I license my designs to and these go on products. I’ve recently started running a few one off courses and have visited art colleges to talk with illustration students.My partner has enabled me to grow my career over the past years by being incredibly supportive and encouraging behind the scenes. He’s always had such belief in me - (usually more than I’ve had!) Apart from building the studio in the garden for me to work from, he also scans all my illustrations to send to the publishers, shares the school runs and does pretty much most of the house work. We’re here at home together every day - I’m usually working in the studio whilst he’s renovating our quirky 60s home.We’ve chosen to spend the past ten years living / working in this way instead of us both having jobs and having to pay for childcare. We’ve created a life where we can spend as much time with our daughter as possible. It’s not always been easy and there have been many moments in the past where the uncertainty of not knowing what might be around the corner (or not!) was unbearable. I think my drive and tenacity to make a living for my family has been a large factor and has also been the reason that I’ve deliberately chosen to create many different income streams. Life as a self employed creative is full of uncertainty but the longer I keep creating new designs and ‘showing up’ on Instagram and social media, the more confidence I have in being able to continue along this amazing path, doing what makes me happy.

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