Driftwood Designs’ calendar goes viral after celestial event sparks 65,000 shares
The first full moon of 2023 has seen calendar sales go astronomical at Driftwood Designs thanks to social media.
Co-owner and artist Lizzie Spikes shared a shot of her annual Full Moons 2023 calendar to mark the celestial event which soon went viral, notching up more than 65,000 shares and sending customers to the website.
“We’re absolutely amazed and have been caught somewhat unawares by what’s happened,” said co-owner Becky Barrett, who looks after the business side of the publisher and its three retail shops in Aberystwyth, Aberaeron and Cardiff, while Lizzie concentrates on creativity and design.
Becky added: “Lizzie’s Full Moons calendar has always been a customer favourite that’s highly anticipated each year but it seems as though the full moon really did exert some kind of external influence that captured everyone’s imagination this time around!
“We – and the Post Office – are going to be busy for a while as we process and ship all the orders!”
Every year Lizzie produces a new set of 13 original illustrations showing the beauty of the full moons, inspired by the beautiful local countryside, flora and fauna around her home in west Wales.
Initially posted on Lizzie’s Facebook page, the 2023 design was first shared in the UK, then went across the Atlantic shooting sales sky high, leaping from the usual 200 mark to more than 750 in Britain and over 2,500 already from the USA and Canada with the designer offering a specific version for them.
There are 13 full moons each year – following the Wolf Moon on 6 January, for which the Celtic name is the Stay Home Moon, 2023 will see the Snow Moon on 5 February, Worm Moon (Storm Moon) 7 March, Pink Moon (Budding Moon) 6 April, Flower Moon (Hare Moon) with a total lunar eclipse on 5 May, Strawberry Moon (Flower Moon) that’s a supermoon on 4 June, Buck Moon (Hay Moon) 3 July, Sturgeon Moon (Grain Moon) 1 August, Blue Moon (Fruit Moon) 31 August, Corn Moon (Harvest Moon) on 29 September, Hunter’s Moon on 28 October, Beaver Moon (Darkest Depths Moon) on 27 November, and Cold Moon (Oak Moon) on 27 December.
Driftwood Designs has had to renew and increase production of the calendar, which are all printed in Wales, and the small team is working to ensure all orders are fulfilled.
Having started back in 2012 when the old school friends put their heads together to produce greeting cards and prints of Lizzie’s artwork, the company has grown from picking and packing on Becky’s kitchen table into a thriving Welsh publisher, design house and retailer.
It now offers a Card Club where a pack is picked by the team and posted to customers once a month, along with a carefully-curated gift selection which can be giftwrapped and posted to the recipient along with a card that’s handwritten with a personal message.
Top: Calendar sales have rocketed for Driftwood Designs’ Lizzie and Becky
