June was a super busy month here at the Studios & Creative Sparks Club HQ with lots of changes going on.

H officially finished high school, so now we're waiting on exam results then they'll be off to Sixth Form College in September. Honestly cannot believe how quickly high school whizzed by, I'm guessing that as sixth form is only 2 years that'll be over in a flash as well. I can't even think about university yet! but I've also got a load of free time too now that I'm no longer needed for school runs, so that's a bonus.

I was absolutely thrilled to discover that I'd won the "Most Innovative Print & Pattern Designer 2022" award from the UK Enterprise Awards by SME News.

It's my first ever award & I still have no idea who nominated me, but if it was you, thank you very much, it means the world!

I've been working on revamping the website behind the scenes for a couple of months, it took longer than expected but it was so worth it! I absolutely love it!

Now that I've completed it I can get started on creating some new products that I've been planning for a while too, including some printables for my Etsy shop too. I'm really really excited to get started on these. I've also got some new things to add to The Creator's Collection too. I just need to sort out a photoshoot with H - my in-house photographer. I've got so many ideas I want to bring to life right now, it's awesome.

I've also been putting together a 5 day challenge, it's all about having time & making room in your busy life to be creative. I'll be sharing more details very soon. If you'd like to be kept in the loop you can join our mailing list here & as a bonus you'll receive my printable Project Planner to help you plan out all of those creative projects you want to do.

What craft/creative projects would you like to do if you had the time? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Crafting

I'm bringing back my blog! I've always loved blogging right back to when I started my first blog in 2007 to share my crafty creations. I just struggled to fit it in to my schedule over the last couple of years so I let it go. However there have been some big changes around here since I last published a blog post & now that I've finished revamping the website it feels like the right time to start blogging again.

As it's been so long it's probably a good idea to start with an introduction post.

So, hi, I'm Claire & I'm a Surface Pattern Designer & the owner of Claire Salisbury Studios where I create colourful prints & patterns for all kinds of products like clothing, stationery, greetings cards & wrapping paper, fabric, the list is pretty much endless. I absolutely love Surface Pattern Design, it's so much fun & never fails to put a smile on my face. I try & work that sense of fun & happiness into all the patterns & prints I create. You can check out my portfolio here

I'm also the founder of the Creative Sparks Club which is a community for everyone who is creative or those who want to be creative but don't know where to start. I've created a selection of craft tutorials & more will be added very soon. You can find the tutorials here. 

We also have a Facebook group where we can share our creative projects, find inspiration & get to know other creative & crafty people. I'll also be hosting challenges in there from time to time starting with the Make Time To Create Challenge, so keep an eye out for details coming very soon. You can join our friendly little Facebook group here.

I've always loved making things & have been doing so since I was 4 or 5 years old. I've picked up lots of creative skills over the years, scrapbooking, crochet, sewing, drawing & lots more. I want to share that knowledge with you all & show you how easy it is to make things too. I love that sense of satisfaction & the 'I made this' feeling you get when you finish a project & I love planning out the next project I want to  work on. I'm also planning on doing some live online Crafternoon craft sessions so that we can chat & make stuff together.

You can join my mailing list so that you can be amongst the first to know when I add new tutorials and you'll also get access to my printable Project Planner when you sign up too which will help you to get your creative project wishlist organised.

I'm really looking forward to putting all my plans into action & making the Creative Sparks Club the best online creative community!

So that's me, what about you? What's your favourite craft? What's your favourite cake or biscuit? Do you have a pet? Sahre something about you in the comments so we can get to know each other.

Happy crafting