We hope you have been enjoying our series of designer interviews from the winners of our Christmas cushion competition.
Our next interview comes from the artist who received the most number of votes for his design, Jonathan Boat.
Bags of Love: Hi Jonathan, congrats on creating our most voted for design! Can you tell us a little bit about your design?
Jonathan Boat: Thank you. I wanted to create something with a traditional feel. I have a box of vintage tree decorations, that were hung on the tree when I was a child, and these are what inspired my design. There is something special about the decorations, which you hang on your tree year after year. Each one of them holds so many different memories. 
Bags of Love: What is the inspiration behind it? Is there a story, which accompanies it?
Jonathan Boat: I have a young nephew and niece living in Australia. I wanted to create something that would recall the sort of traditional imagery around me and my siblings, when we were children in Wales – very different from an Australian Christmas! I wanted the personalised cushion to be something they could have in their home in Australia, which would connect them with those times. I am visiting Australia in March, so will be taking the cushion with me so that they can use it this year.
Bags of Love: How would you describe your style of design?
Jonathan Boat: I have a background in illustration. My work tends to be figurative. I like creating characters. I do a lot of freehand work in a variety of media. I also use Photoshop and Illustrator. The Christmas cushion design was largely created using Illustrator from sketches of the vintage decorations that I had. I like to use bright colours and hopefully create something with a bit of humour, that will make people smile.
Bags of Love: Do you have a website or blog, which we can share with our readers? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?
Jonathan Boat: I don’t have a blog, but being a prize winner with Bags of Love has inspired me to put my work out there more. I do have work available on Society6 under the name Jonny Bateau – (my French teacher would be proud!)
Bags of Love: What do you plan to do with your prizes?
Jonathan Boat: The personalised cushion prize is fantastic. I am sure that I will use it to make some presents for family and friends over the coming year. It is a really good way to give somebody something that is individual and personalised. 
Bags of Love: If you could design any product on the Bags of Love website, what would it be and how would you design it?
Jonathan Boat: I really like all the personalised tins that Bags of Love do. I have some ideas for those, which would make great gifts for people. You can use a tin for anything, so the possibilities are endless!
Bags of Love: What product would you like to see on the Bags of Love website (if it doesn’t already exist)?
Jonathan Boat: The one that really excites me at the moment is the personalised deckchair. I haven’t seen that anywhere else. I am looking forward to creating something to put on one of those over the summer.
Thank you so much Jonathan for taking the time to talk us through your winning design!
Make sure you check back again soon for more designer interviews.