Tuesday 21 August 2012

Andorra, Solsona and a little promise

hello dearhearts. once again i've broken my promises haven't i?! i 'promised' to run a post after i got back from my trip to Andorra and France and Spain and Belgium, and i haven't posted a thing...

i also promised to run a small giveaway featuring goodies from my trip. i haven't done that either and actually didn't even buy any goodies while i was away! i mostly just stayed in my room reading and watching films!

i failed miserably didn't i. *big sigh* the truth is that i just don't have the get up and go for blogging any more. in fact i haven't had it for a while which is worrying.

however, i want to try and make amends because i know that many of you still follow this blog and i frequently get NEW followers and readers as well so it's not fair of me to just stop posting things!!!

now then, those that have followed the blog for a while might know about my other annual trip away to Ireland. i visit Ireland every summer and run loooots of lovely blog posts chock full of photos and stories and generally fun Irish stuff. (you can see ALL of my Irish themed posts right here - Ireland Times)

next week i'm heading off for a trip to Cork and Dublin (i visit both every year) as well as a trip to Limerick. i'm particularly excited about the latter since i've never been there before and i can't wait to explore the city and look for some groovy cute sights and shops to share with you all on here.

another tradition of the annual trip to Ireland has been the Summer Giveaway that always follows it. this year will be no exception! i'll gather up a bundle of sweet Irish goodies while i'm away and then run the giveaway once i get home. THIS. WILL. HAPPEN.

i won't just promise it... i swear it will happen! i've done it for the past two years so i can manage it again this year for sure!

so yaaay!!! a trip to Ireland AND a giveaway to follow!

i'll shut up now. Here are some photos of my trip to Andorra as well as some snaps from my brief foray into the beautiful medieval town of Solsona, in northern Spain. scroll, scroll, scroll and enjoy...















so there you go. beeeeautiful. and guess what, i have TWO new creative café features to run soon so i might even post  one of them over the next few days. maybe. perhaps. probably.

so until next time, that's all folks... xX

Thursday 9 August 2012

Creative Cafe #31

hello lovely readers! you'll be utterly delighted to know that it's time for yet another wonderful Creative Café post...

so stop what you're doing (i.e. reading this) and scamper off to grab a drink + a yummy snack then run back and settle down to feast your eyes on some pretty pictures.

in case you haven't the slightest clue what i'm wittering on on about, it's a Creative Café post tradition that is referred to only as 'the drill'. in fact, it's all explained much better here - The Drill

 so without any further ado (or more useless rambling from me), let's get on with the post!

today it's all about very fabulous British illustrator, artist, graphic designer and doodler extraordinaire, Stina Jones


 Stina is a creative based in the West Midlands (though she's originally from Lancashire) who works freelance for organizations and companies all over the place, as well as several local businesses in Birmingham. i first discovered Stina's work via Twitter. i immediately adored her funky style of drawing, i knew i'd have to share it on here with you all


i love her the way she draws, Stina creates lots of fun little characters and scenes both digitally and traditionally. her work is always cute and quirky + often filled with sweet colours and clever little details that make you smile


i'm a sucker for any illustrators that use bold lines in their work so it'll come as no surprise that i'm a big fan of Stina's designs! her linework is gorgeous, making sure that her pictures really pop with or without colour.

Stina also runs a very groovy West Midlands based design agency called Creative Elements, where she works with a few other freelance designers and creatives. all really super duper stuff!


right i'll shut up now and let you have a nice scroll through some more of Stina's sublime artwork and illustration, enjoy...



















gorgeous stuff right?! of course it is, i told you it would be :D

right, tis time for some lovely links...

to see more of Stina's work + to find out more about her or to commission her you can visit her website here - Stina Jones

she also has some prints and doodles for sale online - Shop

you can also see many of her projects on her Behance Portfolio - Stina Jones Behance

if you're a tweeter you can keep up to date with her via Twitter - @Stina_Jones

or you could even 'Like' her work via Facebook - Stina Jones Design

All images featured in this post belong to Stina Jones © do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or copy ANY of her work without her express written consent. All Rights Reserved.


i just want to say THANKS again to Stina for letting me run the feature :) x

* * *

so there you go! a new Creative Café post at long last! i hope you enjoyed it (i bet you did!!!)

right well i have to dash off now because my little cousin Sienna has come to stay and we have A LOT of colouring in to do + A LOT of Hello Kitty stickers to stick to stuff!

so until next time, that's all folks... xX