Oh, hello! Have you got your suncream and your cagoule? Oh, and some loose change for the arcades? Perfect. Welcome to my blog about my brand new collection Seaside Town!
From the moment I packed Brian the Rainbow and Polly the Banana off on their hols to Little Bit in Margate, my head started swimming with ideas of what they might get up to. How would they spend their days? Who would they make friends with? What mischief would they get up to? I just loved the idea of them being on their jollies!
So, over the last couple of months, I have been busy planning, drawing and designing a brand new collection - featuring Brian and Polly, of course - called Seaside Town. I wanted to create something that celebrates the fun (and farcical) nature of a traditional British seaside holiday. With a heap of charm, silliness and new characters to boot!
Inspiration - Part One
I bloody love the British seaside. Give me a cagoule, a flask and my wellies - or my sunhat, sunny Gs, and flip flops - and I’ll drink in that sea air all day long. Yes please.
I have plenty of glorious memories of sheltering and/or burning on the beach in Cornwall but, aside from a terrifying ride on the Caterpillar at Skegness, I’d not been to many seaside towns as a child. So it has been as a grown up that I have fallen in love with them. And I'm obsessed.
There is something just so charming about a strip of shops selling buckets and spades, sticks of rock and gifts to give your cat-sitter - amongst the places to get your chips and ice-creams. Oh, and I’m sorry, but who knew amusement arcades were so much fun?
How often do we get to play as grown ups? Quite. We all need a bit of escapism from time to time and the great British seaside holiday serves that up by the bucket full. And because we don't expect to be lying on a beach for a week - although obvs we persevere in all weathers - there are loads of things to do and see.
A busy seaside town is a party for the senses! The crashing waves, shouting seagulls and screams from the funfair (no thanks). That particular amusement arcade soundscape! The smell of chips, sea and candy floss! Oh, and my personal favourite, the look of a fancy big wheel or roller coaster sitting proudly by the sea. It's all very pleasing.
Oh, splendid - here's Polly and me outside Little Bit!
We had a fun trip to Margate recently to visit Little Bit and to drop off loads of Brian and Polly cushions. It was an absolute dream to meet Polly the Human in real life and to see where Brian and Polly were staying! As I knew it would be, Little Bit is an absolute dream of a gift shop nestled in the old town and is stuffed full of colourful and joyous things!
And it turns out the Margate is the most brilliant seaside town I've ever been to! We even got a sneak peak inside Dreamland, although the rides were closed due to the pandemic - but it was great to see them all looking so glorious and colourful! We are planning to head back in the Summer Holidays to drink it all in. While I'm here, did you know you can stay in Big Bit? One day...
You may notice that a couple of Margate's landmarks have made it into my zine Welcome to Seaside Town! I couldn't resist!
So what is coming?
Yes. There’s a zine called Welcome to Seaside Town - a bit like Polly and Brian’s guide to a splendid day out! A set of matching stickers to stick wherever you fancy… Oh, and I’ve only gone and had made a very snazzy pin badge of Brian himself holding a pair of mega ice-creams. Ace! There’s a secret cushion in the making too - but that’s under wraps for now.
Inspiration - Part Two
I have written about my very niche childhood holidays to Cornwall in a separate blog. Expect goats, night drives and trips to National Trust shops! You can read it here!