My name is Helen Shadforth, and I’m the surface pattern designer behind Minty Baxter. I live on the Sunshine Coast in Australia.

I am inspired by luxurious textures, the subtle beauty in nature, and distinctively modern patterns. I enjoy the freedom of being able to conceptualise my ideas into tangible works of art.

Minty Baxter features original hand drawn graphically enhanced designs that capture a true sense of fun, soulful play and unique imagery injecting my personal signature into each individual piece. Vibrant and colourful Minty Baxter designs can be exclusively tailored to the home interior, personal stationery effects, accessories and individual clothing collections.

I opened my Etsy shop in February 2013. I wanted to create a design range with freedom that also reflected my personality as an artist. This is also when I came up with the Minty Baxter name, which now feels somewhat more of a stage name than a label.

The handmade items in my Etsy shop include cushions, clutches, scarves, journals, prints, cards and stationery. All textiles are made from my own fabric designs, digitally printed onto various fabric types and are handmade locally in very limited runs. All journals, prints and stationery items are made from my own designs which are printed by me using the giclée process. I personally cover the journals by hand. All of my pieces are subject to a careful quality control process before they are sold.

Etsy has been a great way to share my passion with the world and an avenue for discovery. It amazes me the amount of exposure an Etsy shop brings. Because of Etsy I have been approached for many opportunities including a feature on the Frankie Magazine blog and a collaboration with Melbourne fashion designer, A Part Of Me.