Fathima's Studio Sunday Times Feature

This past weekend there was a cool little feature on my business in the local Sunday Times "My Business Neighbourhood". It was focussed around the area where my studio is based, the new "design precinct" in Durban on Station Drive.

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Happiness is... now at a new URL! We've moved.

Happiness is... has moved over to join my new website at www.fathimasstudio.com. Very similar look, same content, just a new address with more than a blog to look at. There's even an online store! 

Go over and have a look.

Some of my social media handles have been updated to match the site name - if you don't already follow me, add me below:

twitter   •   facebook   •   instagram   •   pinterest   •   behance

I look forward to seeing you there! Don't forget to sign up to the Lucky Packet to stay updated AND get exclusive free printables. Drop me a comment on the new site and let me know what you think of it :)

April 2016 Free Printable Calendar + Brand New Website (+ possibly the last post here)

Hey there! It's calendar time again... And it's also finally brand new website, shop and blog time! Yup, that's right, my new website has finally launched with a bit of a rebrand, and so the blog will be moving over there from now on. I've decided to still keep this blog live instead of shutting it down, because it's been through so much with me and I feel like it's kind of a thing of its own in a way... so it'll stay here for any roaming passers-by, but will from now on continue over here.  All the old stuff as been moved over, and the blog is still Happiness is... so it's not really changing much - except for more frequent posting and more focussed content. The monthly calendars, including this month's calendar, will still be happening, same as always :)

I've chosen Fathima's Studio as the name to pull together all the different elements of what I do. For now this covers my design and illustration work, my online store and products which will be both printed and downloadable stationery, and the blog. The store has a few recent products in it and will continue to be updated regularly. Keep an eye out on the new blog for a launch giveaway coming soon! Some of my social media handles have also adjusted to suit the new name, so don't forget to update those from the new site.

Thank you for visiting my blog and for following, commenting and supporting me here over the years! I hope you'll join me on the other side :)

DOWNLOAD THE APRIL FREE PRINTABLE CALENDAR

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New logo, new look, new site!

If you're subscribed to the Happiness is... Lucky Packet or have been following elsewhere, you may have seen me mention that I've got a new website brewing. After many months of planning and careful tweaking, it's almost ready to be launched! I cannot wait to share it with you :)

The past year has been full of change for my business, and so I felt it was time to relook at things, see what was working and what wasn't and make some adjustments.
So what's new?

Behind the scenes
With change and growth comes the need to update systems and processes, so that's exactly what I've done. I've updated how I handle projects and clients, and fixed problem areas to make things run smoothly and professionally to give my clients the best possible experience when they work with me.

Website
The new website was carefully structured and designed to create the feeling I want people to have when they work with me. The look is an extension of the blog feel, so no drastic change there. One of the most exciting things about the site is the new online store! There'll be printed and digital download stationery products available for sale.

Logo & Branding
Since I started my own business I've been torn between using my own name, a brand name, or going with "Happiness is..." since that was already a somewhat established name. I've finally reached a decision on this and will be launching a consolidated new logo and name that will cover all my work, services and products, while "Happiness is..." will stay as the blog name only.

Stay tuned to my social media channels for updates, sneak peeks and giveaways, and get excited, coz I am! :)

I'm also going to be sharing some of my latest client projects over the next few days, so keep an eye out for those.

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March 2016 Free Printable Calendar

It's almost March! This month's calendar illustration has a somewhat vintage botanical feel to it, and as usual is completely hand drawn.

You asked and I listened! This month's calendar week starts on a Monday, following several requests and subsequent surveys that I carried out. I've also made the calendar area slightly larger to give you more room for your notes. Enjoy!

Get your copy now and share this post with your friends!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped out by sending their preference on the Monday/Sunday saga!  

Get your calendars first PLUS extra exclusive printable freebies by subscribing to the Happiness is... Lucky Packet!

I love when people share pics of their calendars in use! Share yours via twitter, facebook, instagram or pinterest using the hashtag #happinessis_calendars. 

Happy March! :) 

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Design Indaba 2016 - Durban Simulcast

If you haven't heard of it before, the Design Indaba Conference is a yearly three day event held in Cape Town, South Africa. It features creative thinkers and doers from all over the world and from all areas of design, making it rich and diverse in content. The Cape Town event has many smaller events that happen as part of the overall Design Indaba Festival, and the conference is also available live via simulcast to other areas in SA.

This year will be the fourth simulcast event I attend, and I'm really looking forward to it. Instead of looking at pretty pictures and portfolios within specific fields, you get to hear the thinking, process and experiences behind some amazing creations in varied fields. It's always interesting and exposes you to creations and ways of thinking you may otherwise not come across. This year's Durban simulcast is being held at our magnificent City Hall, at the Durban Art Gallery - a big favourite for me!

Some of the speakers I'm looking forward to:
How Far From Home - a South African couple who quit their jobs and travelled 86 000 kilometres across the world - check them out on Instagram

Imogen Heap - yes guys, THE Imogen Heap from Frou Frou. She'll be talking about the future of the music industry

Twins Cartoon - a twin brother duo who are leading the comic scene in Cairo

Snask - a Swedish creative agency who moonlight as a rock band

Margaret Calvert - a British typographer and graphic designer known famously for her design of many of the road signs used throughout the United Kingdom

Jaime Hayón - a Madrid-based artist-designer known for the bold-yet-whimsical look and feel he brings to his work

Fred Gelli - the designer behind the Rio 2016 logo

Elena Arzak - a world-renowned chef and pioneer in the food world who creates new and inspiring dishes in a laboratory rather than a kitchen

The conference runs from the 17th to the 19th February. Check out the program and the rest of the speakers here, book here and let me know if I'll see you there! ;)
Check out this post from the 2013 event for more of a taste of what you can expect.

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February 2016 Free Printable Calendar

Welcome to February! This month's calendar illustration has a nice loose feel to it, in the hand lettering as well as the botanical illustration bits... do you like?

With last year getting very busy towards the end, the calendars have been going up later and posts have been few and far between... but that's all about to change! The calendar will go back to being posted at it's original intended time, on the last Monday of the month, and I've got some posts lined up that I hope you'll enjoy. If there's anything in particular that you'd like to see more of from me, do let me know. Stay tuned ;)

Get your copy now and share this post with your friends!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped out by sending their preference on the Monday/Sunday saga!  

There had been some requests for the calendar week to start on a Monday instead of a Sunday as it currently does, so I asked you for feedback on my last calendar post, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and the Lucky Packet. The feedback was overwhelming in favour of Monday, so from March the calendar week will start on Monday! Yay :)

Get your calendars first PLUS extra exclusive printable freebies by subscribing to the Happiness is... Lucky Packet!

I love when people share pics of their calendars in use! Share yours via twitter, facebook, instagram or pinterest using the hashtag #happinessis_calendars. 

Happy February! :) 

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Fluffë Flavoured Cotton Candy

I came across this site the other day and it made me so happy I just had to share it! Fluffë is an Australian product conceptualised and created by a guy called Nathan. From what I gather, it's pretty much a one man show, which makes it all the more exciting to me - entrepreneurship FTW!

So what is Fluffë? Beautiful flavoured candy floss! Or "fairy floss" as they cal it in Australia, or "cotton candy" as they say in the US. Fluffë says "pink is not a flavour" and create their own flavoured sugars by hand... they'll even create a custom flavour for you! Just close your eyes and imagine the magic of candy floss in flavours like cereal, birthday cake, rosetachio, cookies and cream, unicorn poop, mojito and more. Amazing! I have always harboured a guilty love for candy floss, so I find this concept terribly exciting, even though it's so far away.
If you're in Australia, get your hands on some of that fluffy goodness and tell me what it's like :)

Check out their website and cool Instagram feed for more drool-worthy temptation.

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Happy 2016 + January 2016 Free Printable Calendar

Happy 2016! 

Hope you've all had a wonderful and restful holiday and are refreshed for the new year. I've broken my holiday up into two phases: 01 rest and chill, 02 work catchup and prep. I've spent a loooot of time asleep these holz and it's been amazing. I'm generally chronically sleep deprived most of the year due to bad sleep habits, so it's been so great to just relax and get ALL the sleep without stressing that I'm not getting work done. This week it's onto phase two, where I'll be cleaning up my systems and processes to improve areas where I found problems last year and to make everything run  more smoothly this year. I'm also going to be finalising my new site and online store! Can't wait for that, keep an eye out for giveaways and new products coming with that later this month. Then it's officially back to work from next week Monday.

In case you missed it last year, you can still order a 2016 calendar in printable or printed form.

Here's your January calendar, created using hand lettering with ink and brush pen, by me. Hope you like it, and here's wishing you an amazing start to the year and a great day today if it's your first day back at work :)

Get your copy now and share this post with your friends!

Please take a second to comment with your answer 

to one little question for me:

Do you prefer the week starting on a Sunday or Monday on the calendars? 

(i.e. it currently starts on a Sunday)

Please comment with either Sunday or Monday. 

You can also let me know if you have a favourite calendar design from the past calendars, 

or which ones you liked best so I can create more like those for you ;)

Thank you, your feedback is hugely appreciated!

Get your calendars first PLUS extra exclusive printable freebies by subscribing to the Happiness is... Lucky Packet!

I love when people share pics of their calendars in use! Share yours via twitter, facebook, instagram or pinterest using the hashtag #happinessis_calendars. 

Have a fantastic start to 2016! 

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December 2015 Free Printable Calendar

We're on our way out of 2015! The December calendar's got a party vibe going on. What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments below! 

The January calendar will be out in mid-late December, keep an eye out for it :)

Get your copy now and share this post with your friends!

And don't forget to get yourself the 2016 Calendar!

Get your calendars PLUS extra exclusive freebies 

by subscribing to the Happiness is... Lucky Packet!

The Happiness is... 2016 Calendar is now on sale! Available in two printed sizes or as a printable download. 

If you've been enjoying the free calendars all year, I'm sure you'll enjoy these 

(and it's also a great way to show your support! ;)

Click here to find out more and place your order!

I love when people share pics of their calendars in use! Share yours via twitter, facebook, instagram or pinterest using the hashtag #happinessis_calendars. 

Have a wonderful festive season! 

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Artsnacks, a Subscription Box for Art Lovers

If you follow me on Snapchat (@happinessisblog), this is the unboxing blog post I mentioned last week! Artsnacks is a really cool subscription box that I've posted about before but only signed up for earlier this year. If you're an arty type and into stationery tools and trying new things, you'll love this! I'm going to share two of the most recent boxes with you today.

So if you aren't familiar with the subscription box model, it involves you signing up to receive a monthly box of mixed goodies. Like a little surprise gift to yourself every month! I love surprises, so I really look forward to it. The subscription box has become a pretty popular model and these days you can get one for pretty much anything (specific types of food, jewellery, beauty products, etc). 

Box #1

Each box comes with a little sweet (a different one each month), an Artsnacks goodie (sticker, temporary tattoo, etc) and a varying quantity of full sized, high quality art materials from all over the world. You also get a little card with an explanation of each product, its features and its retail value. In the case of this particular box, there was even a brand new product from Winsor & Newton that isn't even in stores yet! How cool is that? So here's what was in the September box: 

• Winsor & Newton Pigment Marker and White Blender (exclusive brand new product)

• Caran d'Ache Swiss Wood 348 Pencil

• MOO Eraser by Weber Co.

You can read the detailed descriptions on the image below...

Quick review of these markers: I wasn't terribly impressed, unfortunately. It might be a great tool for people who work specifically with markers, but I found that they didn't blend very well, as you can see above, and I couldn't see how I'd use it myself. Checking out Youtube videos from other users didn't shed much light either. Still glad I got to try them out though, I get such fomo for new art materials so I know I'd be lusting after it If I hadn't had the opportunity to try them here.

Box #2

This was a Halloween themed box for October aptly dubbed "The Midnight Snack", hence the black paper and brain sweets. In this box there was:

• Higgins Black Magic Ink (right on theme, love that!)

• Caran d'Ache Black Wood Pencil

• 2 x Cretacolor Artist Studio Line Colored Pencils

• Pigma Professional Brush Pen by Sakura

• Connoisseur Bamboo Watercolor Brush

Read the detailed descriptions on the image below...

All great products in this box! The bamboo brush is very soft, very different to the brushes I usually use or have tried before, am looking forward to playing around with it more. The brush pen is great, always love experimenting with those. The pencils and ink are great, too. Yay!

Even with the exchange rate and shipping for us in SA (they're based in the US), it works out to a reasonable price if you consider the normal retail price of these materials, many of which aren't readily available in SA, or at least not in any store in Durban, so would have to be imported anyway. Quality art materials are pricey!

Another great point is that they have excellent customer service. I had an issue once or twice with shipping and it was handled so promptly and efficiently that it was no problem at all. You can also cancel whenever you want, so you're not locked into anything.

If you're an art lover, or know one, this would make a great gift for the holiday season! Visit Artsnacks and see what it's all about for yourself :)

** Please note, this is not a sponsored post, I'm just that excited about the product ;) **

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The Happiness is... 2016 Calendar

The Happiness is... 2016 Calendar is here! Just in time for holiday gifting and to get prepared early for next year. It's full of hand lettered goodness and watercolour botanical illustrations, all handmade by me. Click here to find out more, sign up for product updates and place your order! :)

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