Please introduce yourself and your brand…..
Hello! I’m Anna Vartiainen from Anna’s Drawing Room.
I design birdy cards, bright colourful prints, printed textiles and totally handmade notebooks. My love of nature, especially our feathered friends, inspires my work every day. My shop is at etsy.com/shop/annasdrawingroom
Tell us a bit about your creations and how you make them….
With my trusty pen I draw my illustrations, some of which I reproduce as prints and cards with a little pop of colour. I also love making handmade prints by carving designs into lino and hand printing on paper and fabric. My notebooks are all made with recycled paper and card, lovingly hand stitched and finished.
How long have you been making your creations?
I’ve drawn since forever, but got into lino cutting last year. The notebooks were more recent – I made my first one earlier this year.
Do you have a best seller or most popular item?
My best seller is my What a Dodo! tea towel. I suppose it’s thanks to it being good fun, affordable, useful and an easy gift!
What do you enjoy most about your craft/ work?
Apart from the excitement of new ideas, I enjoy finding out the little details, like how different materials lend themselves to different uses. I can happily obsess about a type of paper for weeks! The humble kraft paper is my current favourite.
Will you be selling some festive themed creations at The Fairy Tale Fair?
Yes, I have made pine cone wrapping paper and gift tags, and birdy Christmas cards and tags.
What are your plans or ambitions for the future, or have you already achieved them?
I have many ambitions for the future, one of them creating a homeware design collection. I am also a massive stationery fan, so to combine these would be perfect. And find the time to do some enormous paintings…
Describe what Christmas means to you in 5 words or less!:
Lights, mulled wine, friends, family
How can we find out more about you?
You can find me at annasdrawingroom.co.uk, facebook.com/annasdrawingroom, twitter.com/annasdrawing,instagram.com/annasdrawingroom
