The first CottonPost Calendar

As I was taking part in the Renegade Craft fair this year I felt that having something to sell at a higher price point would be a great way to help cover the costs as well as trial a new product. I decided on a calendar, not really thinking about the fact that this involved 12 new designs, only slightly less than I had done in the 18 months since I started CottonPost.

I personally prefer calendars that are day/date specific but knew that if I produced approximately 150 of them, as I would a new card design that I'd struggle to sell them all in the 2 months prior to Christmas. The solution to this was to design and digitally print the dates and design just the month names with the intention of using the Gocco to print these. I had to consider how many screens I could use and how I could digitally print easily before deciding on splitting A4 card lengthways and therefore getting 2 designs from each screen. I had difficultly finding a nice recycled card so instead sourced an off-white (as they do not use bleach) Bamboo card (as it's sustainable) and printed a total of 40 to trial the product and price, and I saved the screens so I could use them again for 2015. Starting as always in the sketchbook and moving on to the computer, it gradually starting coming together. It was a labour of love and production, as usual took over my room but the reaction I got at Renegade was great and I sold quite a few there. So the last few are going online... Snap them up quick.

I also designed (with some help from my sister) a folding screen from garden trellis to display the calendar on and to give my stand height. I needed something light and that I could carry around easily. A success all round!