Beautiful, personalised illustrations for Weddings or Life Events from Alfie Winn Designs

May 15, 2014 Supplier Spotlight/Getting to Know

Today I am delighted to feature the beautiful, personalised illustrations of Maria of Alfie Winn Designs.

Ever since Maria Ingram was a little girl she loved to draw. To make. To paint.

Her mum used to laugh and sigh every time she gave her yet another picture to send off to Tony Hart.

She knew however that whatever else Maria did, one day she would be able to colour in for a job…

I hand you over to Maria to introduce herself….

Who are you, and what do you do?

“Hello, my name is Maria and I’m the person behind Alfie Winn Designs.”

“I think there is something special about giving somebody you love an item that has been created just for them.”

“Which is why I think that creating beautiful, personalised illustrations has to be one of the best jobs in the world.”

“As well as drawing all of my designs by hand, I love to incorporate other elements, such as collage, into them as much as possible.”

“It adds depth and interest, and also helps to ensure that each one is truly unique.”

When, and why did you start Alfie Winn Designs?

“I started out just drawing as a hobby.”

“Working as a freelance copywriter by day, I created things for my own children, and then started creating them as gifts for others.”

“People seemed to like them, and after a lot of cajoling I was convinced that other people might like to buy them… So as they say, here we are…”

What inspires you?

“When I think about what influences my work, I’d have to say nature features highly.”

“I’m very interested in the environment as a whole, and I’m lucky enough to have my desk sat at the window overlooking my garden.”

“So no matter what time of year it is, there’s always something going on to catch my interest.”

“My family like to describe me as ‘alternative’, I’ve never really followed the herd, always preferring to find my own way, and ever since college my artwork has always had a quirky, twist to it.”

“Now that ‘vintage’ has become a real trend, you could say that I’ve fallen into fashion, but it’s more a happy accident than anything else.”

“I’ll still be rocking the ‘vintage’ vibe, long after it’s no longer fashionable!”

What is your greatest achievement ?

“I feel truly blessed that I get to be a part of people’s Weddings and special occasions with the personalised drawings that I do for them.”

“It’s such a happy time in their lives. You can’t beat bringing a smile to someone’s face with something you’ve created!”

“But my biggest achievement in life has to be my two beautiful children.”

“It’s not easy juggling a home-based, handmade business with a small family.”

“Most of the time you’ll find us all sat around the table, ‘sharing’ paper and crayons, they love to ‘help’ Mummy when she works… but I wouldn’t swap it for the world.”

What is the future for Alfie Winn Designs?

“The future of Alfie Winn is looking great.”

“My Etsy shop is really starting to take off, and I’m getting lots of enquiries through for bespoke commissions.”

“I’ve also started designing my own wedding stationery range, which I hope to launch along with my own website later in the summer.”

“It’s all good, and I can’t wait to see what else the future holds!”