Shrewsbury, Shropshire

I’m Emily, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to have a look at my business. I started Glorious Grouse in October 2021, however, it has been my plan/dream for more than a decade to sell beautiful country homewares and gifts to like-minded individuals. 

I am a Rural Chartered Surveyor working in Sales and Marketing but currently on maternity leave looking after my delightful 10 month old daughter. My husband is a farmer who is an agricultural contractor along with farming arable, beef, sheep and my pig Pricilla! Country life is in our bones and it is all we know. I hope that the products I offer for sale emulate the rural life we love. 

The post Glorious Grouse first appeared on Making A Country Living.

Sherborne, Dorset

My name is Bridget Fox and I live near Sherborne in Dorset.  I was brought up in Somerset very nearby, and crossed the border and have lived in Dorset for over 33 years now.  I joined Phoenix Trading in 2011 when I saw the beautiful cards on a stall at a craft fair in Sherborne.  My children had all left home and I was looking for something to do that was flexible and that I could fit in to my life, being my own boss.  I had never done anything like this before – selling to the public.

Phoenix Trading closed and Flamingo Paperie rose from its ashes with the same great ethos in February 2018. The company supports artists and printers in the UK, with 100% of our current products being produced in the UK using UK-sourced environmentally accredited materials.  I sell everyday greetings cards, gift wrap, tags, notecards, fabulous paper craft kits, colour-in tablecloths/posters, and from August, I have charity Christmas cards and Advent calendar cards, amazing Advent Calendars, bunting, Christmas thank you note cards, bunting, etc.  

I hold a lot of stock at home and you can order directly from me and I will deliver locally, or you can collect,  or I can send orders to you, or, alternatively, you can order online from my website, orders will be sent directly from Head Office.

The post Bridget Fox Cards first appeared on Making A Country Living.

New Milton, Hampshire

I am a self-taught watercolour artist and illustrator based on the south coast of England on the Dorset/Hampshire border next to the beautiful New Forest. I love the British countryside and my work is bright, colourful, and created to make people smile. The sun always shines in my paintings and there are lots of quirky little details to look at.

I enjoy painting well-known scenes in my local area and giving them a little twist – literally! The streets and buildings all have a slightly organic feel and bend and twist around to face the sun or look at the people passing. 

I have always loved and been influenced by traditional children’s book illustrations. As a result, I have produced a range of gifts printed with my own “Meadow Valley” illustrations – a collection of sweet, colourful paintings featuring little country animals and with a slightly vintage 1930’s feel. 

All my work is professionally scanned and printed to a very high standard using top quality inks, watercolour papers and other gift items. My prints are produced using the giclée printing process. This produces exceptionally high-resolution results capturing the sharp definition, tone and characteristics of the original painting.

I work from home with my very mischievous rescue terrier Scrappy, who promoted himself on arrival to become my CEO. We both love drinking tea and eating cake so most days HAVE to include a little bit of that in-between painting!

The post Wendy Brown Art first appeared on Making A Country Living.