Etsy Pick: Cheryl Sorg

I tend to have issues with personalised artwork. It tends to fall into the Moonpig category, doesn't it? There's nothing particularly special and personal about a template that's used over and over again with a simple name change.

And then there's Cheryl Sorg.

Sorg's personalisation is twofold. First she takes an image of your thumbprint (no one else has your thumbprint, after all) and then she uses little bits of everything you love to create your own individual artwork.

Her book and word designs are my favourite. Tiny pieces of text, snippets of poetry, quotations from your favourite novel characters. You could go all out and have a gorgeous Austen design, or choose your favourite Shakespeare plays.

Each piece of work takes around 2 weeks to produce, and they're about three foot high - this is a huge undertaking, but one with fantastic results.

Of course something like this doesn't come cheap - the book designs are around £400 and about £20 to get shipped from the US. I honestly think it's worth every penny. I'd buy this for a really special birthday (hey everyone I know, it's my 30th soon). The creation and collaboration is part of the fun so if you do buy the artwork for someone else they get a gift set with an ink pad so they can start planning their design. And you get to make finger paintings while you wait for your artwork to be ready.

Design Porn: Natalie Nicklin

If you like your prints to say a little bit more to you than a blithe "Keep Calm and Carry On", I can highly recommend the work of my latest artistic obsession, Natalie Nicklin. The collage and colours of her work reminds me a little of Bryony Lloyd's, but as though those beautiful ladies and landscapes have been transported to some strange and fascinating other world.

Take for example Waiting For.... A retro swimsuit clad belle is stood in a barren and eerie environment looking dreamily into space. It's up to you to speculate on exactly what she is waiting for (I'm no expert, but I'm guessing it's not the number 39). Part of an edition of 30, this screen-print costs £70.

Other pieces are cheaper, and still as atmospheric, such as this Far Off Place print which costs £40.

Finally, here's Of Dust. I'm not exactly sure what the piece means or is trying to say, but there's definitely something quite captivating about it. For £35 there's plenty more hours of intrigue to be had from looking at it.

Design Porn: Bryony Lloyd's Colourful Collages

Art's a funny old thing. One day I was covering my walls in Blu-Tack and ripped-edge posters of Suede and Elastica, then the next I was having to buy £40 frames for £40 screenprints. Just as well that I've discovered Bryony Lloyd, who is the art world's version of Blair's Third Way.

Her bright retro prints will perk up any wall, and Lloyd's pictures range from a nudey Josephine Baker looky-likey in fine footwear to a glossy advert for LA and this psychedelically pretty Sixties lady with what looks like the English countryside on acid for a hairdo.

You can buy online or contact Bryony directly for a customised print; nothing's going to cheer me up more when it's a sleety dog day outside than imagining myself with cornfields/acid hair.

Mirror, Mirror: Lapeng Crafts Stamp Collage

The £100 price tag on this stamp collage mirror seems a little steep to me, but the design is so effective I'd be tempted to try my hand at recreating it at home. There's something old-fashioned and romantic about stamps, maybe because they make me think of love letters and postcards from exotic destinations. But if the idea of breaking out the scissors, scrapbook and PVA glue isn't so appealing to you, you can buy this ready-made version from Lapeng Crafts on Bouf.