blue skies...

Just been playing around with background colour...

Houses in a row...

Was playing around with this a while ago...would really love to see this on plates and mugs - like a matching set - tea towels, teapots...you name it! Will continue to play around with this design. I love the 'New England' style house and anything 'New England'...

Paris...I'm so glad I came back to see you!

Well, today is my sister-in-law's 30th Birthday! Happy Birthday Anna! As part of her gift, I wanted to name one of my 'ladies', as I like to call them, after her. So, I have offered her a choice of 5 illustrations (these are similar fashion illustrations as seen on the posts already), from which she will choose the one to be named 'Anna'! I will reveal all once she has a decided...

I have just come back from spending 3 lovely days in Paris. I have been once before on an art trip, frightingly 12 years ago - TWELVE YEARS!? Is that really possible? Anyway, the ART trip didn't really leave me with a fondness of Paris as I had hoped 12 years ago, and felt I needed to go back to give it another go...well, I am SOOO pleased that I did. Paris was everything & more I had wanted it to be some 12 years ago. I'm just sad that I hadn't been back sooner, but I guess it made the wait worth while. Whether its an age thing that led me to discover what Paris really offers this time around - the charm, chic, elegance, and pace of life - or that I went with less expectation and more appreciation, perhaps so - could also be the company too. But I can certainly say, its a  city so worth visiting, and a must do is to hire a bike and peddle around the city, what fun and so French (I just lacked the onions and bread)! Oh, how the French do everything so well and with such care; the architecture, the shop displays, the cafes, the museums...need I say more. I came back feeling inspired, perhaps having also regained a little of the passion I have lost over the last 2/3 years.  Its great to come away from where you are and appreciate another culture, to be inspired, to look at things with new eyes. A change really is as good as a rest.

The image above is just a doodle, but as I was working on it without realisation I had created a Dove. Felt it meant something. Peace.

a change of colours...

Just an idea. Imagining how and on what these designs would work well with. Think these, especially 'apples galore', would look great on recycled card/paper or unbleached/organic cotton - tea towels, aprons, thick wrapping paper. How great would it be, to use the dis-used core of an apple amongst the pulp of handmade recycled paper. A nice idea to re-cycle, re-use...well, it works with http://www.creativepaperwales.co.uk...!

Been playing around with my Ditsy Floral design today, changing the background colours. Its great to experiment and play around with colours, its just knowing when to stop!

An apple a day...

An experiment...hmmm!? It needs to be tweeked a bit...apples are slightly larger on the bottom in comparison to the rest.

So, who and what is Cinnamon Toast?

Well, Cinnamon Toast is the new name my (Elizabeth Kate Ryman) designs will come under - a new company name. I started out under the name of 'Lizzie Bee & Co' in December 2000 making hand made Christmas cards for friends and family, and then to taking orders from them to give to their friends and family. It soon developed into a lovely little side line business, further developing into Weddings and Birthday stationery.

Over the last few years, my desires have been made more apparent. I have grown in confidence with my ability and creativity. As the change and development continues, and my aspirations are being revealed more and more, so too are my designs and what I actually want to be. I want to be a surface pattern designer. I would love to see my work on fabrics, stationery and textiles. And so, I felt it was time for a fresh start and a new beginning. And so, here you have it...Cinnamon Toast was born.

Cinnamon Toast has been set up as a company offering fresh & unique illustrations and photography that can be used as surface patterns for stationery, textiles, homeware, etc... - my ideal would be to follow in the footsteps of designers such as Amy Butler, Cath Kidston, Emma Bridgewater, Caroline Gardener and Louise Cunningham...plus, many more great designers!

I am inspired by all things vintage, chabby chic, cupcakey, beachy, floral, colourful, retro, simplistic and I just love fashion illustration (especially the 1920/30/40s). Bit of a mixture there!

The beginning...

...and so it begins. A blog, never in my wildest dreams did I ever consider writing a blog, but here it is...my blog. I have set this up to show the world (or those who are interested) what I love doing most, what I would love to be successful at, and the hope that one day I will be able to look around my (one day) art studio and sit amongst designs I have created; designs that started out sketchy and filled with a sense of nervousness, will on this day be designs filled with confidence, inspiration and pride. A journey that will bring a day filled with self-belief and faith. Well, I'll try to anyway.

I have long desired to work in a world of creativity, a job (should I even call it a job, when its about what makes me come alive?) which allows ME to be free. A freedom that will allow no boundaries, no office politics, no can't do this, sorry, can't do that because of...a freedom that allows me to dig deep within me and realise my capabilities of who I am as a person, as a designer, as an artist, as a creative individual, to exceed my expectations beyond belief and to know that, yes, I CAN DO IT. And finally, to actually realise dreams are within us in order so we can make them real, for we are never given a dream without the power to make it come true.