2018 was very much a whirlwind for me as it was a year of new experiences & definitely one for pushing myself out of my comfort zone. It was also a great year for allocating myself quality time to really explore the direction of my business & creative career & now I'm feeling really clear with what I want to achieve in the future.

There are many things that I would like to celebrate but here are my top 16 highlights (from left to right & in no particular favoured order):

1. Taking a design trip to the beautiful area of Cinque Terre, Italy & having a much needed sketching adventure.
2. Being selected as the Runner Up for the Female Design Champion Award 2018 by The Design Council & Anti-Copying in Design.
3. Seeing new design collections come to life through my licensed ranges (this bedding is from my range with DENY Designs).
4. Being selected to film & present a design segment for ITV's Good Morning Britain.
5. Unexpectedly being selected as the cover girl for the super popular US publication Where Women Create (which also included a 10 page article).
6. Experiencing two fun media based photo-shoots with the renowned Alex Cameron & being signed by Lime Management for all my media and speaking related work.
7. Seeing the launch of my Creative Coaching venture, which I had been working on for quite some time & feeling overwhelmed by the lovely response & global client sign up.
8. Improving my own botanical knowledge skills & practicing self-care by committing to volunteer work at Arley Hall Gardens once a week (you can follow my adventures on @plantgirliris). I've always loved nature and the plant world has really worked wonders for my new design work, along with giving me that all-important headspace & a sense of calm that nature brings.
9. Visiting amazing Havana in Cuba, which is now deemed as my ultimate go-to happy place. It was a real feast for the eyes & I was in designer heaven. Since my return it has sparked many new design creations & motivated me to finalise my book title & put the project in motion.
10. Overseeing the launch of our brand new amazing members' club #thecolourgang via my sister company Make it in Design.
11. I introduced more physical, in-person workshops over at the gorgeous Reloved Works.
12. Pushing myself outside my comfort zone further whilst being trained by top TV producer Gareth Campbell at The Presenter Studio.
13. Seeing two bespoke projects I designed air on Channel 4.
14. Collaborating with the talented Simion Hawtin-Smith of Reloved Upholstery on numerous projects, a personal favourite was presenting together at the Manchester Live Halloween event & at Grand Designs.
15. Being selected as a finalist in the workshop category for Shed of The Year 2018, followed by a high volume of press features around it all.
16. Last but not least... gifting myself time for that all-important creative freedom to design for the love of designing!

My career has been one exciting rollercoaster however I had come to a crossroads & I was in desperate need of a new direction & some new challenges & 2018 definitely gave me that! It was tough & challenging at times but equally amazing & I'm so proud of myself for trying new things (despite feeling scared). I have big goals that I want to go for this year but I like to have the mind-set that you can achieve anything if you really put your mind to it.

I'm so ready for you 2019!