Gee's Storees - July '25 🌻✨
books, dough and more books
Hello! It’s currently mid-June, and it’s raining and thundering outside. I’ve made some focaccia dough for the evening, prepared some tea, and thought I’d start planning what I would like to write to you about this quarter. I love feeling comfortable and at ease while I write to you, and today’s cosy weather sparked some inspiration to get a head start on my writing.
Admittedly, this last quarter’s been less about the amount of work I create and more about the quality and type of illustration I’m putting out into the world. There’s been a lot of changes going on in my personal life, a lot of lessons learnt too! It’s been quite exciting, and exhausting at times, so needless to say, I’ve had to prioritise some things more than others, which meant that my work had to take a bit of a back seat these last few months however, I’ve had loads of ideas for potential new work so I’ll hopefully get cracking on those soon!
So, what have I been up to?
At the moment, there’s a few digital products in the works for my online shop. It feels as though with shipping and postal costs on the rise, and far too much paperwork and added stress related to actually shipping outside the UK, I wanted to find a way for my work to reach more of you, and what better way than to create a selection of printable products? Currently, I have some mushroom-themed planners, and I’ll be releasing some colouring pages too! And I’m hoping to grow this collection slowly.
While we’re on the topic of products - for those of you who are in Edinburgh and would like to own a print or a card or even a jar tot, I’ve got some exciting new work stocked at Planet A. Boutique over on Easter Road. It’s a gorgeous, environmentally-focused shop run by a fantastic couple, so be sure to check out all the work by local artists stocked at their store if you can!
This quarter, I’ve also had some fun with an illustrated doll giveaway. This was back in April or May, when the illustrated AI doll trend was overtaking socials, and I thought I’d choose one person to illustrate as a doll. This was fun because it’s always great to be able to create an illustration for someone, and it was also lovely to see our small community coming together and to see all the interest!
Even though I feel I haven’t been as productive as in other quarters, I’ve spent time working on some new portfolio pieces, which are mostly available to view on my website if you’d like to check those out. I’ve got so many ideas cooking in my head and sitting in my sketchbook, so I really hope I’ll be able to get to those soon - but there’s exciting times ahead so I’m trying my best to take things as they come and live in the moment while I can.
Baking bread and focaccia has slowly become one of my favourite ways to destress. I love everything about it. The smell of the flour and the yeast, watching the dough rise, the scent of the olive oil - yum! I’ve been experimenting with some dough-rising methods and love the results! The only downside to all of it..? Why is olive oil so esspensive?!
If you’re subscribed to the email list, you may have noticed a new section of emails pop up in your inbox. These past months, I’ve had, to a certain extent, some more time on my hands. This wasn’t physical time, because there’s been so much going on, but my mind and creative cup needed some stimulation, and I’ve rediscovered the joy of reading again. Considering my main area of work is in publishing, you’d think I read all the time, but the thing is, I spend so much time creating work and researching for books, that I found that I barely had time to actually enjoy them.
I’ve joined book clubs on Fable, gathered all the books I had been collecting from my charity shop hauls, and I’ve read a whopping 3 books last month .. ?! What? Who? Me? Indeed. Part of me is kicking myself for having lost so much time not reading. I’ve had books sit at my bedside table for at least a year, but I’m changing all that and making the time every day if possible, even if it is just 5 minutes, because the truth is, there are days where it feels next to impossible to squeeze a good session of reading in but the ideas and inspiration are just flowing right now, so it almost feels like a necessity to keep my brain occupied.
This month I’ve read Tom’s Midnight Garden, The House with Chicken Legs and The Girl of Ink and Stars - they’ve all been some of the most magical reads! Now I was getting at something with this … in addition to these books, I’m also, as some of you may know, an avid picture book collector and have had some wonderful titles sent my way recently. So I’ve decided to put all the knowledge I’ve gained on picture books and my collection to good use, and I’ve started the Book Nook. This will be a monthly (I feel like this is a good place to start) round-up of picture books, reviews, thoughts and general banter about a selection of picture books from my collection. I love them, I love books, I love illustration and sharing this with you gives me so much joy! If you have any titles you’d like me to write about, drop them in a message below.
As always, before I leave, here’s some quick housekeeping: personal illustration commissions are open, as is the shop (and this will be updated with new products soon too!). I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, have a lovely break, enjoy the sunshine (even though I tend to avoid it myself during these months, hah) and I will be popping in to your inbox again for another update in Fall 🍂
