Delicate designs add extra dimension to publisher’s light-hearted offer
Eloise Hall’s handcrafted card ranges have found a new home at Holy Mackerel with a licensing deal adding over 500 designs to the publisher’s collection.
“We’re known for our quirky, fun cards, and a range of really delicate, feminine designs has been a bit of a gap,” co-owner Katie Meeke told PG Buzz, “so Eloise’s stunning artwork hits exactly the right spot for us.
“We’ve also struggled to incorporate Thinking Of You and Sympathy cards into our very light-hearted ranges and now we have some absolutely beautiful ones to offer.
“We’ve long been fans of Eloise’s cards and we know how much people love them, so we’re over the moon to be able to bring them into the Holy Mackerel stable – they’re pretty special.”
Eloise’s creations start with a handcrafted collage using shapes hand-cut from patterned origami paper along with ink drawings, which are then used to create luxury 15.7x11cm cards printed on 300gsm G.F Smith paper.
The latest ranges also feature foiling and, like all cards from the publisher run by Katie and her sister Sarah Hopkins with Sarah’s husband Wyn, they’re printed here in the UK, and Holy Mackerel has promised to honour Eloise’s relationships with existing customers.
“Could there be a lovelier bunch of people to work with?” Eloise commented. “I’m thrilled to be in partnership with Holy Mackerel – It means I get to concentrate on designing, which I love, and leave the rest to the experts! I feel very lucky to have way more time to explore all sorts of creative ideas. Exciting times!”
Now Eloise is on board, alongside Scottish designer Ailsa Black added to the stable earlier this year, Holy Mackerel represents 17 artists as well as its own ranges – Akikio Ida & Pierre Javelle, Alternative Image, Beth Hopkins, Charlie O’Sullivan, Erica Sturla, I-Squared Photographers, Kate Brazier, Lisa Berkshire, Rachel Hopkins, Rosie Brooks, Sarah J Perry, Seapink Designs, Seth Draper, and Vinegar & Brown Paper.
The business is run from its own warehouse in Pembrokeshire and Katie added: “The Eloise move has been remarkably straightforward for us, we were able to handle orders from day one – well maybe day three! – and we worked away on the website to get all the new designs loaded.
“We’ve taken on all of Eloise’s card designs, and we haven’t changed prices, so the move should be pretty seamless for anyone who already is a stockist. And Eloise hasn’t lost the designing bug so look out for new designs in the future!”
