I had a lovely time at my first event of the year, I even managed to bring some new products, which I haven't properly launched yet. It's a great privilege to see the show without the crowds early in the morning, so if you'd like to see a little behind the scenes snapshot of RHS Malvern, click the picture for my quick scamper round early one morning.

I'm planning on lots more in person events this year - I realised after 2020 just how much I'd missed seeing customers in real life, making new stallholder friends and bouncing ideas off real people. Here is the list so far of where I'll be showing up, please do come and say hello if you're visiting any! It's also worth keeping an eye on my social media incase I get any free tickets to give away.

11th - 14th May RHS Malvern Spring Festival
Three Counties Showground, Malvern, WR13 6NW
9am – 6pm each day

8th July Edgebaston Artisan Market
Edgbaston Village, Greenfield Crescent, B15 3AU
10am- 3pm

29th July Moseley Arts Market
Alcester Road, Moseley, B13 8JP
9am - 3pm

5th August Malvern Arts and Food
Grounds of Malvern Priory, Abbey Road, WR14 2AY
10am to 5pm

13th August The Nest Artisan Market
SwallowsNest, Little Verzons Farm, Ledbury, HR8 2PZ
10am to 3.30pm

18th-20th August Art in Penallt
Humble by Nature, Upper Meend Farm, NP25 4RP
10am - 4pm each day

17th September Wye Valley Makers
The Shack, Bastion Mews, Hereford HR1 2BT
11am to 3pm

22nd-24th September Malvern Autumn Show 
Three Counties Showground, Malvern, WR13 6NW
9am - 6pm each day

7th October Malvern Arts and Food
Grounds of Malvern Priory, Abbey Road, WR14 2AY
10am - 5pm

28th-29th October Nature in Art’s Gift and Craft Fair
Nature in Art, Main A38 Twigworth, GL2 9PA
10am to 5pm each day

2nd November Herefordshire Festive Gift Fair
The Pavilion Rooms, Ledbury Rugby Club, HR8 2LP
4pm - 8.30pm

18th November Christmas at the Castle
Hatherop Castle, Cirencester, GL7 3NB
10am - 4pm

19th November FestiveNest
SwallowsNest, Little Verzons Farm, Ledbury, HR8 2PZ
10am to 4pm

2nd-3rd December Gloucester Quays Christmas Market
Gloucester Quays St Ann Way, Gloucester GL1 5SH
10am - 6pm (Saturday) and 10am - 5pm (Sunday)

There aren't many environments where you won't spot a feathered friend. Thriving in the unlikeliest of situations, birdlife brings hope that even the most wilderness-starved corners can host a little of the natural world. In our rushing around, bird song can be something we tune out, or if we do register it, it may not go further than thinking "Oh that's nice." But learning just a few simples tunes and who makes them can suddenly unlock a whole orchestra of understanding, create connection with the more than human world* and bring a little wild just a little closer. The best part is that it doesn't have to be hard!

I use an amazing tool called Birdnet which is an app for iPhone or Android that records the sound and tells you the most likely singer along with links to more facts. Not an ad, I just really love it and use it most weeks!  So you get the joy of tuning your ears to songs, whether they're starting to sound familiar or not, and the instant gratification of an answer.

During lockdown, I watched this 1 minute video BTO series on birdsong, focusing on different birds in an easy and accessible way and would really recommend it. Being blessed with a garden, that window into a bigger world during that difficult time when all our horizons shrank gave so much joy and peace. Just like that first lockdown, early Spring is an excellent time to start to open your ears - birds are tuning up in earnest as they start to lay their claim to breeding territories, and the aptly named Song Thrush can be heard from dawn until dusk (and sometimes at night too!)

Remember that it’s not a test, but becoming familiar with just a couple of feathered friends will open up a whole new world of understanding and connection. So instead of hearing bird song and just thinking "oh that's nice," you can think, "I can hear a surprisingly loud wren even though they're so tiny and camouflaged I can't spot them."

“A sky filled with tiny, twinkling lights is one thing, but a sky filled with other worlds is quite another. Deeper understanding confers that most precious thing - wonder.”
- Professor Brian Cox

Oh and I’m working on a garden bird collection at the moment, hopefully coming soon!

* This phrase is often used by We Are Stardust - a small business hero of mine who also blends science and beauty.

Just to let you know that I'll be out of the studio from 10-28 March on another creative break, so any orders placed in this window will be sent when I return. This might be useful to know if you were hoping to buy something for (UK) Mother's Day, which is 19th March this year - smack in the middle of my break! So if you've had an eye on something for the Mumma figure in your life, please order before 10th March so that it will arrive in time!

I hope 2023 is treating you all kindly so far! It's starting to feel a bit more Spring-like here in Herefordshire - we've even enjoyed lunch outside in the sunshine!

Thank you so much for all your orders this year. I have done everything I can to get them to you in time for Christmas, including upgrading postage to send first class or via courier at no extra charge to you. Unfortunately, sometimes things still take longer than they should for reasons outside of my control, and I'm very sorry if that means that your order hasn't arrived in time for the big day. In anticipation of this, I have put together a free printable voucher for you to prepare in plenty of time, just incase. Just take a screenshot of the inky loveliness that you've chosen for someone special to cut out, click the voucher below to open a high quality version to download, and still have something thoughtful to give on the big day. Hopefully your order will be with you very soon, but please don't hesitate to get in touch if there are any issues in the new year. Merry Christmas!

Shop good, do good, feel good
As usual, I'm avoiding the usual Black Friday price-slashing in favour of something kinder and more sustainable. For every single item ordered on katemoby.com, I'll buy one item for the Hereford Food Bank, which feels like a positive thing to do on a weekend that can be a little overwhelming. But that's not all!

Hopefully together we'll be able to buy loads of food, but the treats don't stop there. As a thank you for you too, for every order over £10 I'll pop in an Inky Animal A4 unframed print worth £15 - my most generous freebie yet! You can add a note at checkout if you have a favourite animal (click here for a reminder of designs, no alphabets I'm afraid), otherwise I'll add one at random. I don't want anyone to be left out though, so orders under £10 will have a bundle of postcards worth £5 instead. No code needed, free UK shipping as usual, offer runs from now until 11:59pm Monday 28th November. Let's add some colour to Black Friday together.

This months book list! Some books that I have loved about the optimistic power of the natural world to mend itself and us, how to connect with it more, and why we need the wild to not only survive, but to thrive.

Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm by Isabella Tree
Inspirational, accessible, but above all optimistic. I think it will be one of those books that I read again and again.

Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild by Lucy Jones
Both meticulously researched and deeply personal, this book explores our long lived, but often lost connection to our natural environment. The fruit of that research are methods, data and real solutions for improving mental health, physical wellbeing and happier societies. A powerful book.

Philip's Stargazing 2023 Month-by-Month Guide to the Night Sky by Nigel Henbest
I buy a copy of this every year - this is 2023's ready and waiting. What's that extra bright star? Oh it's Jupiter. If we go outside on Wednesday night we should see the Perseid meteor shower. A true demonstration of the more you know about something, the more wonderful it can be. As Professor Brian Cox says, “A sky filled with tiny, twinkling lights is one thing, but a sky filled with other worlds is quite another. Deeper understanding confers that most precious thing - wonder.”

The Long Spring: Tracking the Arrival of Spring Through Europe by Laurence Rose
I read this at the beginning of the pandemic, and choosing to be aware of Spring emerging and the hopefulness of new life was definitely a calming influence. A beautifully poetic, bird focused pilgrimage.

Rewild Yourself: 23 Spellbinding Ways to Make Nature More Visible - Simon Barnes
A playful look at easy ways to reconnect to our wild side in our original surroundings - the natural world. Now I always carry a plastic bag in my backpack so I can sit and dwell in nature no matter the conditions.

Fingers in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir by Chris Packham
This book is beautiful, challenging, at times disturbing, but always vibrantly alive. Chris Packham allows us inside his mind and experience of growing up with Asperger's and you won't leave unmoved.

Clicking on each book cover or title above will take you to an ethical online bookshop supporting independent UK bookshops, where you can read more details about each book and buy if you feel inspired - for full disclosure I may receive a commission if you do buy them, but all reviews are my own honest opinions.

Approximately 3 years and 100 illustrations in the process, I have finally finished my Inky Wildflower alphabet! Celebrating British wildflowers with my usual bamboo dip pen and ink, each print features calm typography with dainty floral hand-drawn illustrations matched to the letter and the option to add botanical information so you can tell your Hawthorns from your Hellebores.

Now that the whole alphabet is complete, I can also offer my personalised name prints in this design, perfect for a new baby, to thank a flower girl or for anyone who loves botanical beauty. I'd love to hear what you think and if there's any products that you'd like your floral name or initials to adorn!