Vicky Yorke Designs

One of the more unusual projects I have undertaken in recent months was designing a set of moulds for chocolate making for 'Sweetly Does It'. Although I have designed lots of craft based products in the past this was particularly interesting as I had to think about how the chocolate would be built up in painted layers to create the finished sweet treats. I really love the process of how my illustrations can become a product, especially craft products where they then help other people to make things. I'm very relieved to see that the moulds work perfectly! Not only is chocolate making a lot of fun to do, but the finished results would also make a lovely homemade gift. Luckily I have also designed some complimentary gift bags, which could be used for presenting the finished chocolates or any sweet treats of your choosing! You can find out more about the moulds and gift bags   here. Images copyright Kitchen Craft 2012.

I am delighted to tell you that the first of the homeware / kitchenware items that I have designed for Kitchen Craft   have been launched at Exclusively Housewares in London this week. Over the coming weeks I will be telling you all about the many products I have designed for Kitchen Craft, but for now above is a sneaky peak at my colourful 'Mix It' cocktail range and pub style 'Lock In' bar range. And above is 'Partridge & Pear', one of two Christmas ranges I have designed - all styled beautifully at the show! Images are copyright Kitchen Craft 2012.

As we enter the second part of the year many suppliers and retailers are getting ready to launch new product ranges. I'm delighted to tell you that I have lots of new products that will be launched in the coming weeks and months, but before that happens I thought that I would share with you some of my favourite designs that didn't make the final cut. The above designs were proposed girl's stationery designs for high street supplier Helix. I especially enjoyed working on the Rawsharc design, which has a lovely 1950's feel - so on trend at the moment! I also had great fun with the folkloric style tree print - It's very simple, but really 'pops' in the neon colourway! And above are my favourite proposed boy's designs, which aren't to be! :)

I was recently browsing online on Amazon when I came across some laptop sleeve designs I created for the Rawsharc brand. I had so much fun with these designs as the brief was for a real lifestyle / surfy feel. They are available in a variety of sizes and the  Rawsharc Floral and Rawsharc Camo designs are also available in co-ordinating pencil cases from Helix. After this discovery I Googled another product that I worked on around the same time called the 'Skoodle' pencil case set. I particularly enjoyed working on this project as I came up with the concept for sketching and doodling on your pencil case following attending focus groups with children where they told me this was something that they really wanted to do. I then came up with packaging and branding - and the really nifty thing about this product is that when the child is bored with their doodle they can pop the case in the washing machine and all the ink is removed ready for them to start a new design. This was a

It's been quite a while now since I last published a post on this blog. That's because last September I was lucky enough to be offered my dream job in-house with an amazing kitchenware and tabletop company called Kitchen Craft . I was asked to design exclusively for the company, so therefore I had to sadly leave my agent and have been concentrating on designing lots of lovely new products for the kitchen and home. The amount of different products I have designed has been so exciting and rewarding. However, unfortunately I was diagnosed with a form of leukaemia around 18 months ago and although I loved working in-house, the daily commute was really taking it's toll on my health, so I have recently had to make the decision to leave the role. Luckily, Kitchen Craft will remain a major client for me in my business as a freelancer, so I will still get to work on their lovely products, while hopefully managing to get some much needed rest! Of course the other change is that I h

I am thrilled that 'Pattern People' have chosen my peacock feathers pattern (above) to feature in their new Ebook, Repeat After Me . It's a great resource for pattern designers with loads of hints and tips for creating repeats and features some of the industry's best pattern designers, so I am truly honoured to be included!

On 12th August I got married and have changed my surname from Croydon to Yorke ( - there have been lots of jokes about switching from the South to the North!) We had a wonderful day with friends and family - and I think we scrubbed up quite well!