A GREETINGS card artist from Hawkshead spent a week demonstrating her work in a leading department store in Japan.

Sally Anne Lambert, who designs and sells Moongazer Cards, was invited to exhibit at the Hankyu British Fair in Osaka because the Japanese love her work.

Hankyu is a department store described as the Japanese equivalent of Harrods.

The trade fair, supported by the British Embassy, is now in its 51st year. Customers in the store watched her painting new designs.

A former children’s book illustrator who has been running her business for five years, Sally Anne was showing her range of cards and prints inspired by her love of animals and nature, and the landscape of her home in the Lake District where she moved four years ago.

Sally Anne has been illustrating books for children since 1984 when, in her final year at university, she was asked to illustrate The Gingerbread Man for Pavilion Books in Covent Garden. She has illustrated for a wide range of publishers in the UK and America. Titles include The Story of the Easter Bunny which was rated number three in the New York Times Best Selling Children’s Books list in 2005, and became a children’s classic.

"Japan was a fantastic experience," said Sally Anne. "Within this fast-moving, vibrant, noisy city are thousands of temples and shrines – havens of tranquillity and beauty. I loved it.

“The Japanese customers particularly loved the faerie and fantasy cards and I was made to feel most welcome and valued. I hope I may return one day to explore further.”