It's strange to think that it has been ten years since I was nervously knocking on the doors of our very first stockists with a few cards in hand. The overwhelming positive response inspired me to create The Country Set Collection, which has not only become one of our most popular ranges, but is award-winning too. Over the years the range has expanded to include beautifully designed, high-quality stationery, homeware and giftware. As we celebrate 10 remarkable years, I am delighted to share with you my favourite products so far...
Autumn
The character collection is one of my favourite ranges that we've ever produced. Years of development went into it and it was so important to me that each character represented the artwork as faithfully as possible and we went to extreme lengths to select the best fabrics and add little details to make them really special. We always write a little biography for each one and I just love how this brings them to life even more. Autumn was one of the first four characters we produced and I think she is just beautiful.
'the Country Set' - jigsaw puzzle
We launched our collection of jigsaw puzzles two years ago now and for me this is a really special product - it showcases so much of the artwork that I have done over the past ten years and it is something that I'm really proud of. I enjoyed the challenge of writing the little poems that run around the outside of the puzzle edge as well!
'CONTENTMENT' - Watch
I really love the watch collection - the attention to detail on any product is really important to me and I love the silver wren stud detail on the strap and the illustrated face feels really unique. Of course, my favourite is the fox design, 'Contentment' - this is a painting that I'm particularly fond of, and the navy blue colour works so well with most of my outfits!
Dinner plates
I had wanted to add dinnerware to our Royal Worcester ceramics collection for some time and a lot of discussion was had about how it would look and how to design it so that it was both functional and beautiful at the same time. We wanted the plates to feature the artwork without having it obscured completely when the plate was in use, so we came up with this format and I created some new pieces as well to add variety to the range. I am so proud of the results!
'Hopeful' - Winter Scarf
I really love our winter scarves - they are so soft and cosy and I think that they are quite unique in the way they feature the full artwork rather than a pattern. I love how stylish the contrast colour looks on the reverse. Anyone who knows me will know that I'm permanently cold and always like to wrap up warm so this is the perfect product for me - I picked Hopeful because one of my favourite things is to walk the dog out in the countryside whatever the weather, and I never leave the house without my cosy scarf!
'THE hare AND THE BEE' - BULLET JOURNAL
The bullet journals are absolutely beautiful - they are bound so that the pages are completely flat when they are opened, making them lovely to write in and every page features a different full colour illustration. I love the gold foil finish on the front and the coordinating ribbon book mark. For me this product encapsulates everything that we strive for in our products - gorgeous quality, thoughtful design, attention to detail and lovely to use.
'Head Clover Heels' - Paint by Numbers
I have really enjoyed seeing the results of the paint by numbers kits and get a lot of pleasure from the thought of people enjoying recreating my designs. So many hours went into this product behind the scenes to get this kit just right and I love the results. 'Head Clover Heels' is one of my favourite recent designs so I really love this product.
'TRICK OR TREAT' - Halloween mug
This design is one of my favourites - I think it's so fun and this mug is a particular favourite of mine - I always have my morning coffee out of it! We weren't sure how this would be received when it was first launched, but we needn't have worried too much - we sold out the first Halloween that it was available and it's always popular at that time of year.
wildflower meMORIES - CROSS STITCH KIT
I absolutely love our collaboration with Bothy Threads - they are a wonderful company to work with and prioritise quality and excellent customer service just like we do, so it's a perfect relationship. This is a painting that I created for St Barnabas Hospice in Lincoln who support thousands of people with life limiting illnesses. Bothy kindly offered to donate a portion of the sales of this kit to St Barnabas so it's a very special kit.
'Awakening' - COUNTRY SET CARD
Greeting cards were the first products that we ever produced and still remain at the heart of Wrendale - all of my artwork features on a greeting card first and only the very best sellers then move onto other products. For our very first print run I selected a beautiful heavy weight board with a textured, un-coated finish that replicates the watercolour paper the artwork was originally painted on. I wanted it to feel as though the artwork had been directly painted onto the card itself. Ten years on and that particular board is produced exclusively for us and is used across our card and stationery collections. I picked 'Awakening' as it was an early design (number 28 in The Country Set collection!) and it is still one of our most well loved designs.
WANT TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CARD RANGE WHERE IT ALL BEGAN?
The Country Set collection is an award-winning card range inspired by the unique wildlife we see in the beautiful British countryside. We often make new and beautiful additions to the range, so make sure to keep an eye out for the latest designs. Click here to explore the collection.