A window on the world of greeting card publishing, entrepreneurship and design

1. Gypsy Chic
magazine
Issue 9 - 2016
the magazine dedicated to greeting card publishing and entrepreneurship
GREETING
CARD
ETIQUETTE
SELLING FOR
START UPS
Inside!!! Interviews with Megan Purdie of
Megan Claire, Julia Eves and Sarah Borg of
Toffee Nose Designs
BOOK
NOOK
HelloAutumn
1ST
ANNIVERSARY
ISSUE!

2. 2
CONTENTS
3
4
6
9
10
12
14
17
18
19
20
P.19
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
INTERVIEW WITH... JULIA EVES
SELLING FOR START UPS
SHARPIE STYLE / THE BOOK NOOK
INTERVIEW WITH... MEGAN CLAIRE
WOODLAND WONDERS
INTERVIEW WITH... SARAH BORG
GREETING CARD ETIQUETTE
NARCISSISM / ASK THE SEEKER
COMPETITION
THE DESIGNER’S CATCH 22
P.14
P.4
P.6
P.10

3. from the Editor
LETTER
S
o it is officially Autumn.
I watched squirrels
nervously climbing the
giant trees in my garden
this week. I’m falling in love with
my new city flat. It gives me a
mix of urban and country living
as it is on a quiet street but only a
20 minute walk to the liveliest shops, restaurants
and designer boutiques (Benetton, Oliver Bonas,
French Village to name a few). With the shorter
evenings drawing in, crafting projects appeal
more and more as it is often cold and wet outside.
(Hard to believe that less than a month ago we
were positively melting in London’s heatwave).
Gypsy Chic is exactly one year old this month.
Where has the time flown? It’s a nice feeling
celebrating the anniversary of this creative,
collaborative project. Without the valuable
contributions from other artists, this ezine would
be a whole lot slimmer - so thanks to everyone
who has featured thus far.To mark the occasion
there is a competition to win some of my gypsy
chic notebooks so do enter that!
I’ve created the tiniest of offices in a broom
cupboard and have an electrician calling this
week to install an electric light
and socket so I can power my
laptop in there. The ingenious
things we do to escape noisy
teenagers in small spaces.The
engineer from Sky Broadband
will connect me to the outside
world the same day so hopefully that will
keep the kids occupied too. I’m able to
throw dog treats from my window to Roxy
(pictured left) – she’s the gentlest canine
I know, and loves to be made a fuss of.
As we welcome Autumn,I’ve
managed to keep Issue 9 on track as
well. I’m really grateful to my brilliant
contributors Megan Purdie of Megan Claire,
Julia Eves – An American naïve artist,and Sarah
Borg of Toffee Nose Designs,who share their
experiences as card publishers and Etsy sellers.
Thanks also to Christine Hammond,a sales
coach who mentors many businesses on the art of
selling,and closing deals.
I see lots of greeting card publishers have
managed to fit in exotic holidays now that the
manic summer tradeshows are over….but work
never stops. As we prepare for Christmas
madness, and Spring shows, remember to fit in
some “me” time. Whether you are reading this
on your mobile, or Macbook, grab a cup of Lady
Grey and enjoy the read.
Lorraine
www.lorrainestylianou.com
3

4. Interview with .....
Julia Eves

5. 1. YOUR GORGEOUS FOLK ART FULL
OF HORSES, FLOWERS, PRINCESSES,
CHICKENS, AND OTHERANIMALS ARE A
RHAPSODY OF COLOUR – SO NAÏVE, AND
JOYFUL. WHEN DID YOU STARTTO PAINT?
lll My first painting was at age 5. I
painted galloping horses on my bottom
sheet. My Mom was pretty surprised to
find it. I’ve been painting ever since.
2. YOU PAINT ON SCRAPS OF
WOOD, AND TIN TRAYS – DID YOU
CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE TO KEEP TO
PRIMITIVE CANVASES LIKE THESE –
OR DO YOU ALSO PAINT ON GALLERY
CANVAS FOR EXHIBITIONS?
lll I like to use the resources around me.
I think it makes my art more interesting
and I love giving new life to old things.
I am working on a large canvas for an
exhibit coming up soon in Hattiesburg Ms.
3. I FOLLOWA NUMBER OF US ARTISTS
BASED IN THE SOUTH WHO HAVE
SIMILAR FOLK-INSPIRED STYLES WHERE
THERE ARE FEWARTISTIC LIMITATIONS
IN THEIR SUBJECT MATTER. BASED IN
NEW ORLEANS DO YOU SEE A LOT OF
CREATIVITY IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD?
WHERE DO YOU GETYOUR INSPIRATION?
lll I live in rural area outside New
Orleans. Most of my inspiration comes
from my many animals. Horses are my
greatest inspiration. ( I have 5) I am also
very inspired by Mexican folk art.
4. YOU ARE A
PROLIFIC PAINTER
PRODUCING LOTS
OF NEW WORK
ALL THE TIME.
HOW DO YOU
STRUCTURE
YOUR DAY TO ACHIEVE
SO MUCH, AND CAN YOU LIVE OFF YOUR
CURRENT ART SALES?
lll I am very disciplined. My best work is
created in the morning so I wake up and
get busy. I put a lot of hours in painting,
shipping, and promoting myself. I sell
only original pieces of art in my etsy shop
so, I have to create new pieces weekly
to keep my shop fresh. I do live off my
current art sales.
5. DO YOU ACTIVELY MARKET YOUR
ART, OR SIMPLY USE FACEBOOK AND
OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA? WHAT TIPS
WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE TO GAIN
MORE EXPOSURE?
lll I use social media to market my art.
Etsy has opened a whole new world to
me. I think the most important thing
with social media is to be consistent and
keep trying.
6. I LOVE SEEING YOUR LATEST
CREATIONS. SHARE SOME OF YOUR
FUTURE PLANS FOR JULIA EVES, INC -
PERHAPS PRODUCISING OR LICENSING
YOUR IMAGES?
lll I would love to license my images.
I’m working on larger canvases in hope
of getting in a nice gallery. I do have my
work in a local gallery.
JULIA EVES
Etsy: www.etsy.com/people/evesjulia12
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/julia.eves.7#!/
julia.eves.7
Pictaram: @evesjulia12

6. 6
SELLING
FOR START-UPS
BY CHRISTINE HAMMOND CJH TRAINING
I
am constantly energised and inspired in the
work I do mentoring and running workshops
for start-ups and new entrepreneurs.This
is because of the eclectic mix of people I
meet,from all walks of life,career histories,
personal/family circumstances - bringing with them
an amazing range of business concepts and ideas!
The one thing they all have in common is vision
and passion, often giving up a full-time salaried
position or surviving redundancy in pursuit
of taking their beloved product or personal
specialism to the market on their own terms.
Choosing the self-employed route also includes
“Freelancing” i.e. supplying your services to others
on a contractual basis, thereby travelling light with
regard to setting up an entire business.
Unfortunately drive and determination alone are
no guarantee of success.This could be particularly
relevant for anyone who has started with no
formal training or experience in areas such as
sales & marketing,business protocols,designing
propositions,articulating price and value etc.
Perhaps you have come from an academic/tech/
artisan/craft/public sector background with little or
no customer-facing or negotiation experience? Or
maybe you have been operating for some time but
find yourself experiencing repeated issues and are
hungry for better,faster results.
Irrespective of your business model,or whatever
you are offering in exchange for money,you will
benefit from having a structured sales strategy.This
will enable you to meet your revenue or income
goals through having a steady flow of “Prospects”
(potential customers) that need to be managed
effectively through a journey known as the“Sales
Cycle”.This is the bedrock of your strategy and your

7. 7
future growth.
The cycle will vary according to your business
type.There may be some compression in stages
e.g.Presenting and Closing while others may only
apply if you are involved in consultation-type work
e.g.Designing a Solution.Similarly, the associated
timeframes will vary enormously according to your
model and what your proposition is. For Freelancers,
the “Sale” will represent the final stage when they
have secured work after say,pitching or compiling a
proposal,or both.
We can represent the cycle as a “Sales Funnel”
which becomes your “Pipeline” as you manage
Prospects through to completion.Doing this makes
it easier to see that there’s a constant need to keep
filling the funnel from the top due to an attrition rate
on the way down – not always due to seller failure
but because of numerous other external influences
on the buyer such as incompatible time-frames,
deferred decisions,changing landscapes etc.
At each stage you will need to have not only a
process including systems, calendar, documentation
etc. but a skillset that is both effective and
competent enough to keep everything moving in
the right direction.
To conclude, I’ve illustrated the stages in the table
on the next page and given a brief description
together with a relevant (but not exhaustive) list of
skills and behaviours for you to think about.
Very best wishes for your business!
Christine Hammond
PROSPECTING
FACT-FINDING/DISCOVERY
DESIGNING SOLUTIONS
PRESENTING
CLOSING
SALE
u

8. 8
SALES CYCLE STAGE SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS
PROSPECTING
This is the first stage in the cycle where you are identify-
ing and recording names and contact details of people
you’ve identified as potential customers. They could
be either “warm” leads or just “cold names”, in which
case you may want to qualify them at a later stage. A
significant contributor to your list should come from
your social media strategy and the community you are
building there. This is also the time where you hope to
stimulate enough interest in your product or service to
move people to the next stage by arranging to contact
them or speak to them to explore things further.
• Rapport-building
• Understanding of questioning techniques
• Well- developed listening skills
• Able to sell the opportunity enough to move customer to the
next stage
• Limiting what information is provided at this stage
• Taking control, making appointment/date for next stage
• Ability to establish credibility
• Able to portray a serious, business mindset
• Ability to qualify potential prospects and spot time-wasters
• Resistance to trying close a complete sale at this stage
FACT-FINDING/DISCOVERY
This is the second stage and involves getting to know
your potential customer in more detail. The complexity
and length of this will depend on the complexity of
your product or service and whether or not you are
regulated. You may need to record the information you
are gathering in order to refer to it at a later date in
order to make your product more relevant and to fully
understand your customer’s present challenges and
set-up and how you can provide a solution. This might
include an aspect of tailoring, in which case these
details will be crucial.
• Understanding of questioning techniques
• Well- developed listening skills
• Empathy
• Interested in people
• Painting pictures of how you could provide a solution without
over-selling at this stage
• Gaining commitment from customer
• Taking control, making appointment for next stage
• Ability to record and take on board facts on which the next
stages are based
• Good preparation and planning skills
• Ability to sign post the journey to your customer i.e. what will
happen next etc.
DESIGNING A SOLUTION/SELECTING A PRODUCT/
TAILORING
This might only apply if your product or service is capable
of being altered to suit individual need, or if you are
working on a professional/consultancy basis. You can also
think of it as product selection, where you are using your
expert knowledge and what you found out during the
discovery process in order to ensure a great fit for your
customer. Often this will include making decisions on
your pricing/costs (according to budget).
• Work with customer information and objectives
• Desire for a win-win outcome
• Being able to identify incompatibilities
• Ability to analyse and evaluate
• Ability to sell to budget where applicable
• Able to come up with creative solutions
PRESENTING
This is the stage where you show, demo or explain
to your customer what you are recommending and
why. Sometimes this will involve a written analysis or
proposal and may be presented either in person or
sent for consideration remotely. Either way, this is a
crucial stage in the sales cycle where you can expect to
deal with objections.
• Good organisational skills
• Focussed, able to work to an agenda
• Excellent product/ service knowledge
• Ability to bring forward work from previous meetings
• Able to create relevant multi-modal, attractive presentations
• Able to hold attention and encourage engagement
• Able to control meetings
• Ability to manage expectations
• Negotiation skills
CLOSING
This is the final stage where you should expect to be
able to make the sale, get the deal done by asking for
the business. Success here will be highly dependent on
how well you have managed the preceding stages and
dealt with all objections throughout and demonstrated
behaviours such as credibility, product knowledge,
rapport building and empathy.
• Confident, assertive enough to ask for the business
• Understanding of questioning techniques
• Well -developed listening skills
• Ability to retain control
• Influencing Skills
• Objection handling Skills
• Negotiation Skills
• Seeking a win-win
• Able to explain next stages
Christine Hammond is the founder of CJH Training and Consultancy,specialists
in business growth through excellence in Sales and Customer Service.
Website:www.cjhtraining.co.uk Email:cjhtraining@outlook.com
©CJH TRAINING 2016

9. 2
l Like a big kid in a sweetie shop I
couldn’t resist buying one of those
“back to school” sharpie sets every
store seemed to stock as children
returned to school a few weeks ago.
The set is a good alternative to
paints when you neither have the
time nor inclination to prepare an
art table of water pots, canvas and
palettes. Although you can’t achieve the variations of
colour you get by mixing paints, felt pens allow you
a little flutter with colour when you get those artistic
cravings to do something creative.
Prices vary drastically between stores but Tesco’s
seem to offer the best deal (£8). Happy Colouring.
THE BOOK NOOK
9
l In the positive world of Greeting cards, you don’t often
see outright expressions of hatred – because negative
sentiments are deemed self-defeating, and could get you
into a lot of trouble. But there are times when we feel
righteous anger towards someone and need to express
those emotions. In the genre of offensive angry greeting
cards and colouring books, Cynthia van Edwards is in a
league of her own. Her language is “positively blue”!
In her Angry Greeting card book, Cynthia uses X-rated
language that is provocative and full of F’s. With loads of
sweary references to genitalia you’ll either be laughing out
loud or chuckling silently inside. This is the ideal book for
ex-girlfriends or boyfriends you loath with a vengeance.
Perfect for the kind of emotion one of my former work
colleagues went through when she found out her partner
was unfaithful. Had she had one of these cards, she would
not have had to dash off to Argos to buy a toilet seat,
and post it to her errant boyfriend with a message inside
“Here’s something else you can sh** on.
Purchase on kindle for around £2!
SHARPIE
STYLE

10. 10
Interview with .....
Megan Claire
FEATURED CARDS:
Right: ´Dancing Unicorns´ from the
Pink Champagne range. Rose Gold Foil
on luxury thick cream stock
Top: ´Eat Cake´ from the Gold Dust
range. Blonde Gold foil with gold
striped lined envelopes.
Opposite page: ´XO´ from the Good
Morning Sunshine range. Yellow and
Black trend led range.

11. 1. HAVING FOLLOWED YOU ON SOCIAL
MEDIA THESE PAST MONTHS, I THINK
I’M RIGHT IN SAYING 2016 HAS BEEN A
MOMENTUS YEAR FOR YOU – SETTLING
IN TO NEW PREMISES, SEVERAL
TRADESHOWS, AND A NEW PUPPY. HOW DO
YOU MANAGE TO GET EVERYTHING DONE
AND HOW MUCH TIME IS LEFT TO DESIGN?
lll 2016 has certainly been a busy year for
us so far. When it comes round to New Year
we seem to be moving into a bigger studio
and I’m pleased to say I think we’ll be in this
one for a while now! Then doing many trade
shows throughout the year and getting a
cockapoo puppy too has certainly kept us
on our toes. I honestly have no idea how we
get everything done!! There’s only two of us
working for Megan Claire in the studio and
we do everything ourselves. We work very
hard and dedicate ourselves to the business
ensuring we deliver the best quality, fresh
designs and good service too. There’s
usually very little time left to design, which
is the best bit of course, but we seem to work
well under pressure and often launch many
new designs throughout the year.
2. PERSONALISED CARDS ARE VERY
POPULAR. WHAT METHOD DO YOU USE
TO PERSONALISE YOUR CARDS – A LOCAL
PRINTERWITH QUICK TURNAROUND OR
HOME PRINTING?
lll We have always had the facility to
produce personalised cards in house
since the beginning of our journey 4-5
years ago when we started to sell on Not
On The High Street.
3. HOW DO YOU FIND OUT WHAT YOUR
CUSTOMER REALLY WANTS TO BUY? IS
THERE ONE RANGE OVER AND ABOVE ALL
OTHERS THAT SELLS BEST, AND WHY
DO YOU THINK IT IS POPULAR?
lll We speak to our customers and
find out what sells well and what
their customer is looking for and
ask for feedback on our ranges. We have
certain ranges that sell better than others.
We make sure to bring out new and fresh
designs throughout the year in order to
offer something different to our customers.
4. FOLLOWING TRENDS IN A FASHION
LED INDUSTRY LIKE GREETING CARDS IS
REALLY IMPORTANT TO BE COMMERCIALLY
SUCCESSFUL. WHAT ARE YOU 3 TOP SITES
FOR TRENDSPOTTING, AND WHAT PROCESS
DO YOU FOLLOW TO TRANSLATE THESE
INTO CARD DESIGNS?
lll We don’t really look at specific sites for
trendspotting. We do look to see what is on
the catwalk but mainly we look around us
in every day life for inspiration. Usually I
have an idea in my head for a new range
before looking at any trends. Sometimes
I will look around to see what colours and
patterns are popular.
5. WHAT ARE YOUR TWO TOP TIPS FOR
KEEPING YOURSELF IN THE BUYER’S MIND
–ANY CLEVER WAYS OF GETTING YOUR
CARDS IN FRONT OF THEM?
lll 1) Keep in touch with your customers.
2) Send customers snail mail
6. TELL US WHERE YOU SEE YOURSELF
IN 3 YEARS TIME – GIVE US SOME DETAIL
IN TERMS OF PRODUCT LINES, DREAM
STOCKISTS, OR EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES.
lll We hope to still be exhibiting at the
shows and producing more ranges as
we go ahead. We would like to find more
work in licensing and broaden our export
customers. We always have lots of ideas
for launching new product lines so it
would be good to put those plans into
fruition in a few years time.
MEGAN CLAIRE
W: www.meganclaire.co.uk
E: megan@meganclaire.co.uk
T: twitter.com/meganclaireuk
F: facebook.co.uk/meganclaireuk

12. 12
W
oodland animals have trended in design
for decades. They give the designer
so much scope in terms of colour (those
gorgeous earthy hues). In terms of composition
delicate bird species can co-exist with much
heftier mammals such as big hairy bears or
mischievous polecats.
Woods are places we escape to for restorative
walks, to kick leaves, and snap twigs. We recharge
our batteries and connect with nature. If you can’t
manage to get to the woods just now, why not post
a wildlife themed card to another tree hugger.
You’ll never imagine what autumnal cheer you will
create by doing so. Spread the love.
Woodland
Wonders
ORDER FORM
WOODLAND WONDERS CARD RANGE £6 for 6 cards
CODE AMOUNT TOTAL
WOW1 Stag
WOW2 Squirrel
WOW3 Raccoon
WOW4 Hedgehog
WOW5 Bear
WOW6 Pheasant
WOW7 Fox
WOW8 Owl
WOW9 Rabbit
WOW10 Blackbird
WOW11 Baby Deer
WOW12 Hare
WOW13 New Forest Pony
WOW14 Badger
WOW15 Polecat
WOW16 Field Mouse

13. 13

14. Interview with .....
...Sarah Borg
of Toffee Nose Designs

15. 1. THE MOMENT I SAW YOUR DOG
PAINTINGS I KNEW YOU WERE ON TO
SOMETHING! SO DELIGHTFUL TO PLACE
THEM IN RATHER POSH SITUATIONS,
AND CHARACTERS WE ALL KNOW FROM
OUR OWN LIVES, OR IN LITERATURE.
WHEN DID YOU START PAINTING DOGS
IN COSTUMES?
lll I’ve always loved historical costume
with sumptious fabrics and have done
fabric designs. I’ve been a portrait artist
for 35 years. Putting many of my “doggie
sitters” into frocks came about from a
conversation with a friend not that long
ago talking about painting costumes
and she suddenly said “dogs in dresses”
and “Dashing dogs” was born! It’s such
fun creating a “Peter the Great Woof”
heirloom style portrait that tries to mimic
the fine art portraits in stately homes!
2. YOU LIVE IN SCANDINAVIA BUT
ARE ABLE TO HAVE ALL YOUR ORDERS
FULFILLED VIA THE IMAGING CENTRE.
HOW DOES THAT WORK IN PRACTICE
(A LOT OF OUR READERS WILL BE
INTERESTED TO KNOW)?
lll As a Brit living abroad, when I saw
the Imaging Centre had a “one stop shop”
meaning they could print, pack and send
orders direct to stockists, it made it
possible for me to sell in
the UK. No extra postage
or warehousing costs....
brilliant, I can compete. In
practice, any order I send
through to the imaging
centre takes 8 working
days to complete then is
sent by overnight courier
(£10) to my customer.
3. CAN YOU TELL AT THIS STAGE WHAT
YOUR BEST SELLER IS – AND IF SO, WHY
DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
lll Having just launched Cards at PG Live
it is too early to say which is the best selling
“Dashing Dog” however in the orders so far
Virginia Woof, Angelina Jolly and Gussie
Blink-Nottle have featured equally! Henny
Penny and Lucy Lockett have been my best
seller “County Set” in Sweden for the past
two years.
4.WHEREWOULDYOU LIKE TO TAKE
YOUR DESIGNS IN THE FUTURE? I SEE
YOUR CANINE CHARACTERS PERFECT FOR
CHILDREN’S BOOKSAND ANIMATION.
lll I feel very energised
by all the many
possibilities in the
greetings card market
and prints and am yet
to achieve 100 designs,
but ultimately to turn
some of my posh dogs
in frocks into a book
of some kind or other
would be enormous fun.F

16. 5. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR LIFE
IN SWEDEN AND WHAT INSPIRES
YOU THERE.
lll I married a Swede and moved here
in 1989, we have a small farm on the
beautiful Baltic coast. I immediately loved
the old Swedish design, the soft subtle
colours, Gustavian greys, soft pinks etc.
The light is wonderful for any painter
and when you see Carl Larsson, Anders
Zorn’s beautiful paintings and many of the
Scandinavian painters you can’t help but
be inspired.
6. ARE THE DOGS YOU PAINT
INFLUENCED BY YOUR LIFE IN
ENGLAND OR IS THE “COUNTY
SET” A PARTICULARLY SWEDISH
PHENOMENON?
lll Having lived here for 27 years
with one side of me latterly very much
influenced by old Scandinavian art and
design, being British and living abroad
one does hanker after the life I knew
in England. Having grown up with
and brought to Sweden, introduced
and bred our beautiful British Riding
Pony Breed, I had already painted
portraits of dogs favoured by horsey
friends who were part of the “County
Set” in Devon, which is a very British
“social group” of people who are part
of the Hunting/shooting/fishing green
wellie brigade, so a perfect name for
their dogs I’d painted and turned
into cards. Toffee Nose Designs
is a tongue in cheek name because
certainly many of the Dashing Dogs
are human characters I’ve known
from the past!
TOFFEE NOSE DESIGNS
Web: www.toffeenosedesigns.com
Tel: 0046 490 73022
Email: sarah@toffeenosedesigns.com
16

17. IN MY NEW ROLE AS ETIQUETTE
EXPERT (WHO KNEW!) I LIST A FEW
TIPS AND TRICKS TO BEAR IN MIND
WHEN SENDING A GREETING CARD u
l Purchase, and send your card in good
time. “Belated” greeting cards of any sort
just don’t have the same kudos and tend to
show that the recipient’s celebration was
not your top priority.
l Send a good quality card stock – cheap,
flimsy cards suggest you are scrimping (heard
of Scrooge in a Christmas Carol?)
l Buy a medium to large card – mini sizes for
big occasions scream “stingy”.
l Try and sign each card yourself with a
personalised sentiment appropriate to the
recipient. No sloppy handwriting please.
l Avoid printed address labels too – they cry
“perfunctory mass mailing”.
l Avoid drinking coffee and tea when you
are writing. Coffee stains screech
“clumsy, lacking skill or grace”.
l Prevent stray hairs, and bleeding
fingers from contaminating the
greeting card.
l Start your envelope addressing well
before your dispatch date so there is
no missed postal deadlines.
l Check postal deadlines –
particularly for international post.
l Don’t forget to mention the
person’s significant other if you
have met them. People can
get offended if their partner
isn’t mentioned. (Nothing as
strange as folk!)
l Only sign off the card in a
way that you are comfortable
doing. If you don’t know someone
that well “love and kisses” is
probably a tad too familiar!
l Pick a stamp appropriate to the recipient.
Nothing too fancy if relationship you have with
the recipient is more formal than friendly.
l Don’t forget to put a return address
on the back of the envelope. If
the recipient has moved house,
it is nice to have that £20 note you
slipped inside returned (fat chance!)
l Don’t send cash through the post.
CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHERS?
Please email me!
Lorraine@lorrainestylianou.com
GREETING CARD
ETIQUETTE

18. 2
l l l Let your inner narcissist run wild with
PRISMA, a free downloadable app on your iphone.
Distinguishable by its black triangle, this creative
app is fab, and can save you lots of graphic design
costs by providing you with approximately 38
different templates. No need to pay vector artists
for a new facelift. I really liked “Dallas” for its
gentler artistic appearance.
Simply give the app access to your photoroll,
pick a photo you would like artistically enhanced,
and bingo - you can apply a variety of filters to suit
your taste. Simply save to your photos, and forward
to your desktop to illustrate articles, blog posts, or
for use on social media. The filters vary between
sharp urban outline to soft Impressionist style
graphics. All free of charge.
18
l l l To understand your industry, it is helpful
to know the kind of questions people are
asking about it.
The jpeg below gives you a good insight
into the type of things people want to know
about greeting cards in general. Gained from
AnswerthePublic , this information can help you
formulate blog posts, features, and infograms
on social media. Using open question
techniques – how, why, when, what, which,
where, who, are, you can delve even deeper
into the industry with more specific keywords
such as sympathy cards, or New Year cards for
example. This is a great free keyword research
tool and the sage who appears behind the
search box is waiting for your question!
NARCISSISMNARCISSISM
ASK THE SEEKER!

19. 19
COMPETITIONCOMPETITION
To celebrate the 1st anniversary
of Gypsy Chic magazine, I have a
competition to win one of my Gypsy
Chic notebooks.
For everyone who 1) follows me, and
2) messages me on Instagram, with
their top 3 trend ideas for 2017 I will
post out a free sample.
With blank, unlined paper, each one
features my folk art designs on the
cover – art transferred directly from
my hand painted vintage suitcases.
There’s nothing like a notebook to
get down our original thoughts in
some sort of organised order.
So contact me on my favourite social
media platform and a notebook will
wing it’s way to you very soon.
Covers may vary.
WHO DOESN’T
LOVE NEW
NOTEBOOKS?...
COMPETITION
CLOSING DATE
NOVEMBER
15TH 2016
www.instagram.com/
lorrainestylianou/
#LorraineStylianou
lorraine@lorrainestylianou.com

20. 20
THE
DESIGNER’S
CATCH 22
D
amned if you do, and
damned if you don’t
share and upload your
art online. That’s the
dilemma all artists face when
trying to make a small passive
income from art sites like
Redbubble, Artwanted etc.
Their mantra is empowering
artists – which they do, but the
downside, as we all know too
well, is that your designs can
be instantly copied. There
is hardly a mobile phone or
laptop around that doesn’t
offer a screenshot facility. It
they don’t then get out your
camera and photograph
the laptop or phone screen
if you want that image badly
enough. Possessing the image isn’t a
crime. It’s only when you plagiarize it,
or reproduce it widely
enough in a format that
very recognisably bears
someone else’s signature
that you are in trouble.
We need 1) inspiration
from the world around us
2) to earn a living.
This week several of my
designs have been chosen
to feature in Society6’s shop.
I got a couple of cheery
emails from the nice people
who monitor the website
congratulating me that my
artworks have been nominated
to appear in their print gallery.
This is great news. It raises my
chances of making some profit, and puts my
designs in front of the buying public as well

21. 21
as confirming that staff actually monitor what
is uploaded to the site.
https://society6.com/product/hare-fdv_print
https://society6.com/product/deer-gx1_print
And you are not limited to prints. You can
have your designs on canvases, metal prints,
cards, mobile cases, totebags, hoodies,
pillows, shower curtains, mugs, towels, wall
clocks, duvets, and leggings to be precise.
The great thing for us is that we have
entered the world of production, fulfilment,
and drop shipping all at once, and we are
informed of which designs sold too. If we
don’t participate, we don’t earn.
The art and design world is cut throat –
there are thousands of new artists clipping
at your heels every hour on an international
stage. So for now, I’m glad to have joined
an international community that makes an
impact on other’s lives by sharing my work
and for which I earn a percentage.
Isn’t that what our big vision as artists should
be? To light up the world with our art?
The cease and desist letters may have to
be drafted, but if we hide our light under a
bushel, we’ll never know whether we were
commercially attractive at all.

22. Gypsy Chic magazine
A window on the world of a greeting card publisher