I'm taking a break!

 

 

 

After a rather busy few months trying to juggle commissions, keeping up stock of new work, personal projects and exhibition work, I've decided that the best thing to do is to take a short break and close the Etsy shop for a few weeks. This means that I can make all the new work I've been planning for so long, finish those personal projects that are at the back of my mind constantly and concentrate more on refining my current work. The 'home is where them fuckers ain't' embroideries will be getting a new, more permanent look, the mini swear word embroideries will be grouped under a new project, and, after so many requests for cross-stitch/embroidery patterns, I'll be working on an embroidery DIY kit that I've had planned out for so long. There's also a few collaborations in the pipeline with some brilliant artists. We'll be making new products including zines, prints, screen printed hankies and so much more. Intwosandthrees is having a grown up makeover, kinda like Americas Next Top Model but not as emotional. The old favourites will still be available, but better than before. Don't panic though - pet portraits will always be up for grabs and pricings for my work wont change - just the quality of embroidery and the products to be improved.

This is exciting, right?

So that means, Sunday 12th July will be the last day to buy any of the items currently available in my Etsy shop. There's plenty of sale items (see here) and a 'goodbye' discount will be offered during this week over on my instagram - but remember, once they're gone, they're gone! If you're after pet portraits during this break, please contact me now to avoid disappointment and to arrange the portrait. The Intwosandthrees Etsy shop will then re-open Saturday 1st August with loads of shiny new things!

In the mean time, you can follow my instagram @intwosandthrees (see here) for sneak peeks into the new work and for that discount code, PLUS, a little give-away during the re-launch!

roses aren't always red

We all have a favourite cunty pal, someone we can be a top cunt with and not feel judged - and this lil poem is perfect for them! Hand embroidered in a pink silk thread on white cotton and set in a vintage cream and silver frame. The frame has a back stand and metal bar for wall hanging too.

Measures 5.5" by 4"

www.intwosandthrees.etsy.com

try try // again again

More and more recently, I'm finding I'll get half way through a piece and decide to start again or pull out threads and start a section again. At first I thought 'oh god, why is all of my work so terrible recently, I need to pull myself together and work harder' after finding a draw full of half started pet portraits and surrounded by scraps of thread that I've plucked from various projects. Feeling rather grumpy about it all I huffed about it to friends 'urgh, I've got loads of work to do, I've had to re-start that portrait' only for the usual reply of 'no, why? I think it looks good'. I thought, sure, you're supposed to say something kind like that, but really, when I thought about it, why was I getting so grumpy and re-starting nearly everything? When really, it was all ok, or more than ok and actually only one stitch was out of place. So I've realised, actually, I'm just pushing myself, trying to make everything the best it can be, especially if I know I can do better, if I know I can work harder. So unpicking every thread possible or adding another portrait to my draw of half finished pets is ok. It's nothing to get grumpy about and it's nothing to beat myself up over. It's not because it's rubbish, it's because I know I can do better - and that's not being hard on myself - that's just wanting the best for my customers, to make sure I'm the embroidery artist that's different from the last.

when I'm stitching I want to draw / when I'm drawing I want to stitch

Sometimes, I need a little time out from whatever I'm working on. Embroidery can be quite intense at times, especially if I'm stitching a pet portrait and concerned with likeness / colour matching / flow of the embroidery and stitches etc etc so a break to do something different, to take just 5 minutes out and draw something, means I can return to the embroidery with fresh eyes and a new positivity. 'Blind line drawings' are the best for a short pause. Simply find an object / person / animal / whatever, put your pen on your page and draw what you see without looking away from your subject - never look at the page. Sometimes the drawings look childish, sometimes they resemble nothing and sometimes it's just a bunch of lines. But keep practising, keep having fun with it. It totally alters how you look at drawing subjects in the future and just sometimes, you kind of pull it off and create a portrait Picasso would be proud of and an illustration with beautiful marks that Cy Twombly would be jealous of.

Above is a blind line drawing of a rabbit skull and rabbit leg bone. It's half ok / half completely out of sinc and only took me 5 minutes, if that. Drawings like these make me want to embroider illustrations more - I'm never not thinking of my next project, no matter how many breaks I take.

winner winner, chicken dinner

Recently, over on instagram I won this hand coloured print from Gory Bastard (see here and here) and I literally squealed a bit when I unwrapped it. Look at that sad pup, those weird tits, the strange noses and the wobbly lines. I'm pretty sure these people exist and I've seen them around Felixstowe.

Can't wait to get this beauty framed!

Oh, Mog!

 

 

 

One of my favourite parts of the job - being sent the sweetest photos of pets and their portraits.
I want to squish you all.

probably

"I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions"

Augusten Burroughs

This is one of my favourite quotes and one that lends itself so well to be embroidered. I'll often use slightly worn vintage linen or fabric that is in need of some tlc to compliment the quote. Although this piece, pictured, is now sold, I'm always making versions of this embroidery due to popular demand - at some point I'll make myself one too. Probably.

my mind's telling me no

By no means is this an original idea as in the past I've seen other stitchers make the most of these lyrics. However, I've never seen them teamed up with a Crinoline lady before? And why not? She looks great with that big booty and bonnet combo, whistling for some company. It's hard not to have this song forever doing rounds in your head after reading this. Although this piece is now sold, I love the Crinoline lady teamed up with some gangster sass so much that I'll definitely make more of these in the future! Yeah?

recently // shades of pink edition

 

 

The usual stitchin', catchin' up with my besties and enjoying a bit of sunshine that we finally seem to have. My parents garden has about a billion lil baby birds and they've got bees nesting now too! My dad's a very patient photographer and caught a photo of this guy.

Everything's coming up Millhouse.

it's her day

 

 

Why do people still even say 'man up'? Like only men can soldier on, suck it up and get better, faster, stronger? So then when did we get used to seeing single mums making both a happy home and ambitious career work? When did we stop being in awe of a woman that puts on that brave face and best lipstick and gets on with life? When did we stop congratulating strong female role models, our bosses, our mothers and our sisters? Why say 'man up' when women have got it nailed?!

This isn't by any means a new phrase, and this isn't by any means a dig at men - it's just, ya'know, let's be equal in this, because fuck knows girls have got it hard at times too.

Embroidery available here.

oh, hey old pal

 

 

I'm finally in a better place about the 'home is where..' embroideries. After the year anniversary of this piece and the ups and downs I've faced with it (I'm not being that dramatic, you can read more here) over this period of time, I really needed a break, a chance to take a step back ad to re-assess why I'm making them. Sounds a bit daft doesn't it? But I think I lost my way a little and lost my enthusiasm. However, stumbling across this vintage fabric of a traditional Chinese Toile de Jouy theme has got me excited about using the phrase again. Those little house, that lil fence and sweet birds are definitely more appropriate for the quote than a simple floral tray cloth. Like the last embroidery with the English cottage scene (here), it's time to be more literal with this one. It's only taken me a bloody year, but I think I know what I'm doing now? That's exciting isn't it! Watch out for bigger and better embroideries coming soon then!

mission impossible

Watched the latest episode of Game of Thrones and now can't cope with life? Found out Kim Kardashian is preggo again and having bets on the name? Found out that coat you wanted is now in the sale? Super annoyed that you can't find your lucky pants? Life throws a lot at us, just calm your tits and it will be alright. Maybe use this embroidery to help take you back to your happy place.
Available here.

gimme shelter

Hey, remember that time I stitched a portrait of Mick Jagger on a vintage pink hanky?
Yeah, I want to do more portraits now I think.
Can I have an extra day in the week then, please?

Lucky Dip Club

I realised I still hadn't posted about the Lucky Dip Club box I received during the month in which one of my embroidered pet portraits was part of a give away! But, better late then never, hey?

So, if you're unaware of how Lucky Dip works, or are yet to nab a box (they always sell out SO fast!), then here's a little peek at what to expect.

 



 

Each month, Lucky Dip has a different theme. You can expect goods such as handmade jewellery, stationery, home ware, paper goods and DIY kits on themes such as 'birds of paradise', 'vintage village fete' and 'dinosaur disco'. Aprils theme was 'raining cats & dogs'

 

Lucky Dip club now teams up with designers and creators to celebrate hand made and all the wonderful artists in the UK. Aprils collaborator was the illustrator Gemma Correll.

 

Each box generally contains a stationery item, fun postcards and prints and a jewellery item. Gemma Correll designed these enamel sets of collar clips and sweet necklace with her famous lil pug in her recognisable style. My collar clips are on my rain mac, ready to cheer up miserable days!

 

Leona works super hard each month to bring something totally unique and personalised (personalised brooches and necklaces have been amazing in previous boxes!) to this happy mail subscription. Buying a one off box each month is therefore obviously popular, so be sure to set your alarm at 7am on the first of every month to be in with the chance to nab one - they often sell out within an hour! You can follow the Lucky Dip Club journey over on instagram and get a sneak peek behind the scenes and first look at each months upcoming theme.

 

There's also a lil zine in each box with a behind the scenes catch up and more information on the collaborators. Hey look, there's me! 

constant

This past month has been such a blur. I've managed to make what feels like a million pet portraits, somehow found the time to make and plan new work, visited my friend for a fun filled weekend, had brilliant days with other friends, eaten out at the best places, had fun with an instagram take-over, an instagram give away and making new friends via instagram, drawn things, read stuff, made things and bought stuff. I'm pooped! And I realise I've hardly shared any of it with you - this will all be rectified as a resolution for June - BLOG MORE. I never really know what to write about/tell you about/ramble on about, so any suggestions and anything in particular you'd like to see/read, then give me a shout! June is set to be another busy one so far, with exhibition and photo shoot prep, new work to finish and prints to finalise (yes, that's right, I'm going to be making some prints again!). There's also some new products in the pipeline, so definitely watch this space...

oh, Frank!

Look at that cute lil face! I was asked to embroider Frank with his extra little tooth he often has sticking out from his bottom lip (not pictured) and of course the super sweet head tilt and bow tie had to be additions too. Frustratingly, photographing black thread is a little hard. I'm also annoyed that Frank looks kind of annoyed/stoned with the white thread for the eyes. However, this was my 4th go for the eyes and the best of the bunch!
I'm forever learning.
On a high note (no puns intended there), I really bloody love being sent photos of everyone's adorable pets.
I really need to get myself an animal.

recently

Mick, B Boy, Aly and Mog are all now with their owners so I can finally share these portraits - seems a lot of you guys buy the pet portraits as gifts to devoted pet parents, (aren't you guys kind!) so that means being a little secretive on social media about current works in progress, so I don't ruin any surprises.

coming soon

 

 

I know, it's been pets pets pets recently, it's been such a busy month so far. BUT, I managed to sneak in a few hours to make some new embroideries - I didn't realise that all the 'home is where them fuckers ain't' embroideries in the Etsy shop had sold and I didn't really have anything else exciting on offer. So, expect more swear words, more 'home is where' embroideries and maybe even a nicer, more friendly quote or two. I'll announce on instagram (@intwosandthrees) when the listings go live on Etsy. For any custom requests or any ideas for quotes, sayings etc, then get in touch intwosandthrees@outlook.com!

more

more sketches, more pages filled, more questions about what to do with these next

the flamingos have landed

Screen printed card from Charlotte Farmer (find here), wrapping paper by Wrap from LoveOne (find here) and amazing real American plastic outdoor flamingo ornament from LoveOne too (available soon). It was a friends birthday and he loves flamingos, so why not?

'I'm a fucking wild animal'

 

 

Recently, I was a little creep and made this embroidery for Noah from Relax Adult of one his drawings. Sometimes I really can't help but look at drawings/paintings and badly want to stitch them. Luckily, I think this was well received. Go and look at his work, it's bloody good.

oh hello, handsome

The photos of pets with their portraits that you guys are sending me recently, really bloody make my day! I'm pretty worn out with the recent amount of orders, but it's a happy worn out, especially when I see photos like this.

chinny chin chin

I love a little cat chin. I've changed the way I stitch them over the past few months, opting for layers of satin stitch to make the most of those fine hairs.

Tears for Murphy

I'm super excited to be involved in an exhibition as part of an ongoing project by Joel Millerchip. Tears for Murphy explores how young people grieve and how they react to death and memorialise tragedy in different ways (eg tattoos, Facebook pages etc). Joel was inspired by a story about his pet rabbit as a child,

"when Joel was 3 years old he had a black and white rabbit called Murphy. The Rabbit lived in the garden of his grandparents house in a hutch that was made by his Grandfather out of old sections of wood and chicken wire.
Joel and I visited his Grandmother on the way back from shopping one morning. While my mother and I had a cup of coffee Joel went outside to feed Murphy. 
After a while Joel reappeared in the kitchen with his hands cupped in front of his chest asking whats happened to Murphy?!.
Unfortunately the handmade hutch wasn't strong enough to keep out predators. A fox had attacked Murphy in the night and all that was left was several balls of rabbit fur and Murphy's tail, which Joel had cupped in his hands".

Tears for Murphy depicts grieving rabbits - enter me and my sewing skills making 5 giant wearable rabbit heads for a photo shoot. I'll also be making a series of black handkerchiefs, each embroidered with various details - roman numerals, portraits and the hashtag #tearsformurphy which you can follow on instagram. This ongoing project of Joels will then result in a one - night - only exhibition at Doomed Gallery, Dalston, London on the 3rd September, with a big send off for Murphy.

You can follow my work in progress shots and the build up towards the exhibition with the hashtag #tearsformurphy on instagram. For more details on the show, contact Joel here.

double entendre

"inspiration exists, but it has to find you working"
- Pablo Picasso

'copious cats'

I haven't made any prints in SO long. I lost all the files to the prints I had available in my Etsy shop (including this 'copious cats' print) and I just haven't got round to scanning and rejigging the drawings for printing again. I do apologise. I've been drawing a lot again and I've always got notes in sketchbooks on ideas for various series of prints or even mini zines or something. I think I need to do something with all these drawings, it would be a shame for them to just sit in sketchbooks or only exist as images on instagram.
I'll have a think.

creeps

I nearly always leave stitching the eyes until last. I think they're pretty important to get right, and can finally bring the whole portrait together. However, I always end up with little soulless creepy ghost portraits hanging around until I get the right colour thread for the eyes.

Brothers of the Stripe live draw

 Live draws blow my mind. I get awkward when anyone watches me embroider things, so to see a group of guys casually transform a pub garden into 'Vunderland' in a matter of hours, with only a few colours of spray cans, a couple of pots of paint and a lot of beer - was pretty bloody good. I got to hang out with my pals, drink in the sun and get inspired to draw - I really hope more of this happens soon.
You can see more Brothers of the Stripe stuff here, they're a good bunch.