The Smudge Box

09/12/2023

In the grand tapestry of human existence, there's a subtle arrogance in assuming the luxury of tomorrow. It's a sentiment that echoes through the corridors of human history, yet within it lies one of our greatest failings. The habit of deferring our aspirations until some nebulous future—a new year, a more opportune moment-serves as a stark distraction from the ever-present truth: the fragility of life, the uncertainty that shrouds every passing second. Read the rest on the blog!
Ko-fi.com/thesmudgebox

18/11/2023

Hey hey!
Soooo, it’s been a while! The Smudge Box has been going strong over on Etsy - lots of prints and cards available, but I have to admit that I’ve not really been pushing it.
I’ll explain more at a later date, but I’m working to shift the perspective of The Smudge Box to something more akin to its founding premise - and with it, a bit more positivity and a more philosophical outlook.
Stay tuned for more, and in the meantime take a look at my new Ko-Fi page where you’ll find prints for £1 (!) and updates - you can even buy me a coffee if you felt so inclined! 😂
Talk soon,
Toby

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03/10/2023

New kid’s room prints, available at thesmudgebox.etsy.com

06/12/2022

Sending out a whole bunch of these lovely trivets today!
So simple, but SO beautiful - I genuinely use mine every single day!

26/11/2022

Today, we’re designing custom birthday cards.
When is your birthday?

14/10/2022

Have you ever thought to yourself “what this house is missing, is a totally impractical - but aesthetically pleasing - triangular shelf.”?
I have. Then I made these. I like them: they look nice, they’re well made, and they’re GREAT for, um, well, er - they’re really nice.

I’ve relocated them in my etsy store because I just know that what everyone needs is an utterly impractical - but aesthetically beautiful - triangular shelf. 🔺📐🔼

12/10/2022

DON’T BURN YOUR TABLE! You never really notice a trivet until you need it.
I just made a fresh batch of these, which have always been popular - it expands to accommodate more than one pot, but is easy to store. It’s also beautiful!
Re added to my etsy shop - link in bio.

06/10/2022

When I started The Smudge Box almost two years ago, it was supposed to be an upcycling business of sorts. Taking forgotten, or discarded items and materials, and giving them a new lease of life as a refurbished unit, a new piece of bespoke furniture, or something entirely different.

And then it snowed, and I don’t have a heater in the workshop 🤦🏼‍♂️😩

So, I went inside and started designing wall art, typography posters and anything that would justify me staying indoors. And that sort of took over. I never did get back out to the workshop. I never did get a heater - and the workshop became a dumping ground.

UNTIL NOW!

I have rediscovered my tools, my workshop and my stack of forgotten materials. I want to get back to making bespoke homeware, creating something from nothing, and doing my bit to keep things out of the landfill.

The graphic design will continue, but wall art and prints will mainly be available via my new business - - and this account will start to feature more and more furniture, homewares and trinkets from my rediscovered workshop.
I hope you’ll stick around, and I also hope you’ll follow my other account - I appreciate your support so much, and value each like, comment and share more than is perhaps healthy.

18/05/2022

The t-shirts are here!
Well, not all of them - but the ones with Nice Bum and C**k are…
Fathers day’s coming… 🤔

18/05/2022

It’s my godson’s birthday tomorrow. He’s going to be 7.
I’ve made him his own special card.
I really hope he likes it, it took me a long time to design, and contains a very special, heartfelt message just for him.

What? Oh no, it’s not this one - that would be utterly inappropriate.
Who is the special person in you life?

***ff

17/05/2022

Ooh, someone’s very organised for ! Or, they just really like the man in their life… 🤔🤷🏼‍♂️💖

15/05/2022

Our first foray into the t-shirt world.
It’s brash, and puerile and we LOVE it.
Perfect - now available in our 🔥🤷🏼‍♂️