Gifts and Goodies ★

so today i worked on some new stuff at college + managed to decorate most of my desk board (photos tomorrow) 

and then after college i popped to Just Enough in Laxey (you can read more about this amazing shop here - Just Enough) to pick up some haberdashery bits

the very lovely and super duper Justine was there and as we got chatting i noticed that the absolutely gooooorgeous little Betty Boop figurines she stocks, were in the sale!!!!

i am a MASSIVE Betty Boop fan/collector, my room is full of Betty stuff (and i used to wear Betty Boop t-shirts/pyjamas/socks/handbags etc aaaalll the time when i was younger!) so i always have a look at the Betty stuff in Just Enough every time i visit

however... today i couldn't resist treating myself to a lovely little Diner Girl figurine!

isn't she divine! aaaaahhh i love it! not sure where i'll fit it in my room full of stuff but i'm sure i'll find a spot for her! you can see her here with one of her 'sisters' a lovely Betty Boop statuette (that my sister Nicola got me for my thirteenth birthday!!!)

while i was in the shop i also spotted this gorrrgeous polka dot apron (made by Justine herself) and knew i'd have to have it as well! 

it's just so pretty and ruffled and that darling ric-rac trimmed heart pocket... so cute!

we all know what a sucker i am for red and white polka dots!!! i couldn't resist... and i know, i know... i already have two lovely cooking aprons (including the gorgeous polka dot one my friend Charlotte got me for Xmas last year, see below ) but i just HAD to have this one as well!!!

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anyway, once i got home it turned out there was an even bigger treat waiting for me!!!

my darling, wonderful, amazing Godmother Kath had sent me a little surprise...

a brand new Gucci Indy handbag!!! (squueeeeeeeeeeeee)

it is soooo beautiful!!! i love love LOVE it!

golly gosh she spoils me so much... 

those of you that follow the blog may remember the other Gucci Indy handbag she gave me on my last day of Summer term at college (read more here - Freedom at Last)

well i spent the whole summer with that bag on my arm so it looks like i'll be spending the Autumn/Winter using this new one!!!

this now brings my 'super duper bag' count to four! 

two Chloé Paddington's and two Gucci Indy's

oh what a lucky duck i am!

* * *

in other news, i've been sewing stuff lately but i'll tell you all about that tomorrow! promise...

oh and i also set up a BRAND NEW deviantART page so if you're on DA be sure to go ahead and add me, i'll add you back of course! there aren't that many illustrations on there yet what with it being NEW and all but add me anyway you creative types- Jade Boylan on deviantART

right then, back tomorrow! so until then, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX

Just Enough ♥

So apologies for lack of posts, my Sunday post idea was ruined when I woke up to discover that it had been raining overnight meaning that the Glen had been transformed into a marvellously muddy mess!

and yesterday my blogging plan was once again thwarted when my brand new business cards failed to be delivered on time meaning that i had nothing to blog about!!! (monday's are always kind of boring for me though so no surprises there)

anyway on with todays post...

so this morning I actually woke up relatively early (ok so 8:43am is very early for me on one of my days off!!!) saw that the sun was shining, threw on a Spring style dress and tagged along with my mum to Onchan for a bit

I had an ulterior motive for going out though because on the way back home we managed to stop at the 'Just Enough' shop again in Laxey

and this time I had my camera with me...

after a quick natter with the owner + another jolly potter around the shop I whipped out my trusty little camera and got snapping

so let me show you around the store...

well here we have the amazing haberdashery section chock full of haberdashery loveliness

and the most beautiful selection of ribbons...

and fabrics...

and embroidered sashes and cords and sequined things

and more ribbons (+ other awesome crafty bits and bobs)

and through into the next room which is full of the most incredible fabric swatch books for soft furnishings, there's also this gorgeous chandelier hanging in the window

and this truly EPIC big 'J' cushion (which i need and want and neeeeeeed)

back through to the other side where there's another amazing chandelier hanging in the other window...

and these awesome glittery crystal studded skulls...

which are also telephones!!!!!! (may need one of these as well)

and on the display shelf at the bottom there's a whole bunch of Betty Boop's (oh hey Betty)

+ a pretty basket full of multicoloured fluffy chicks, just in time for Easter...

and this cushion covered in the most wonderful array of brooches

next to it is this Betty Boop chair + cushion (yes... i need these as well)

and when i knelt down on the floor to look at the crafty card making bits i spotted these frankly quite magical oversized pencil crayons (and before you ask... i want them ALL)

everywhere you look there's something cute to look at, even behind the counter there's this sweet little shelf full of handmade creations and sewing bits

in fact the counter itself is something to behold, just check out that awesome old fashioned antique till

and last but not least, the massive Betty Boop statuette standing guard next to the counter

what did i tell you...

it's actually ME in shop form!!!

i literally cannot resist the place it's just all so gorgeous!

in fact, here's what I bought during todays visit ...

some more ribbon, red this time

a cute little ice cream brooch + a mini rubber duck keyring (which may or may not be for my next giveaway... haven't decided yet)

a gorgeous pair of little embroidery scissors because i don't actually own a pair of embroidery scissors! despite all my embroidery times... no fancy scissors!

a big swathe of amaing cupcake printed fabric, i haven't a clue what i'll use it for but i had to get it... CUPCAKES!!!

and this selection of adorabubble buttons

and look, even the shopping bag came tied with this lovely 'just enough interiors' ribbon

it's all so, so divine!

massive thanks to the lovely Justine for letting me invade the shop and run around excitedly taking photos

thank you ◕‿◕

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in other news...

the business cards FINALLY arrived today!!!

they are so swishy and snazzy I just love them!!!

yaaaaaay for the new business cards!

* * *

no other news really

the plan is for me to head into Doolish town centre tomorrow for some crafty/arty retail therapy + a quick fringe trim (so thrilling!)

however I feel somewhat under the weather today and i'm not sure if i'll feel better or worse tomorrow morning!

Here's hoping I feel better tomorrow...

that's all folks!

◕‿◕ ♥ xX

Super Sunday #8 ♥

so it's that time once again

it's time for another 'Super Sunday' post!!!

now this weeks dedication is a little different...

mainly because the person it's dedicated to... doesn't actually exist!

it's dedicated instead to a cartoon character...

anyway, it'll be easier if i just get on with the post

so this weeks 'Super Sunday' post goes out to the fabulous, the gorgeous, the fictional...

Betty Boop

if you've never seen Betty Boop before i suggest you just scroll through the images on here

you'll soon become a fan i'm sure...

now i know i'm a huuuuuge fan of animation and there are undoubtedly countless animated characters that have inspired me over the years but in all honesty, no cartoon character has inspired me half as much as Betty Boop has!

i really don't know what it is about her, i just love the way she's drawn, the colours (red is after all my fave colour and Betty primarily dresses in bright red) the pout, the curves, the 20's hair, her big green eyes... she's just so awesome!

we never did quite work out how i found out about Betty Boop in the first place but all i know is that when i was about ten years old i suddenly HAD to have everything Betty Boop related asap

i remember having Betty pajamas, slippers, bubble bath, soap, lipgloss, hair bands, pens, notebooks, pencil cases, alarm clocks, mugs, shot glasses, keyrings, ornaments, headbands, magnets, posters, calendars, mirrors... the list goes on!

to be honest i went through a phase that meant if it didn't have Betty Boop on it... i wasn't interested!

my bedroom was absolutely chock full of Betty stuff! i had a sort of Betty shrine on my bookshelf (it WAS as sad as it sounds i should point that out) full of all the little Betty ornaments i'd collected from all over the world + a stack of stuff i bought during my trip to Universal Studios (Betty is now owned by Universal so i came back with a LOT of Betty merch) and a load of bits i got in Las Vegas.

I was a really weird child... i went through a 'rainbow' phase as well but that isn't important right now!

the weird thing is that when my older sister Simone was younger, her nickname was 'Betty Boop' on account of her curves and dark hair, i never knew about this until i all of a sudden became obsessed with Betty stuff

what's even weirder is the fact that my older cousin Sharon (whom i didn't even meet until well after my betty obsession had begun) is also a massive Betty Boop fan!!!

AND my two little nieces Madison and Daisy are also huge Betty Boop fans!!! 

and even my little tiny god-daughter + her little sister both love Betty, they even have Betty Boop dolls!

super weird...

of course it was the modern Betty that i knew all about though, i'd never even seen any of the original Betty Boop cartoons from Fleischer Studios 

so naturally i ended up going out and buying Betty Boop Cartoons on DVD...

the old cartoons are amazing though! even the black and white ones

the characters, the voices, the grainy animation, they're just all so sublime!

of course Betty ended up in colour eventually just like the rest of the animation world, but she still got up to the same crazy adventures in multicolour as she did in b/w

like in this colour cartoon from 1935 in which Betty and her boyfriend Freddie have to fight off an evil villain...

i have that one on DVD that's why i wanted to share it with you all

for even more Betty Boop cartoons check out this awesome site that has archives of all the old Betty toons - Cartoons

she certainly looked a lot different back then to how she looks now though!

 in fact it's safe to say that Betty's had a lot of work done since Grim Natwick first drew her in August of 1930

i've calmed down a lot since my childhood and although my bedroom is no longer stuffed full of Betty memorabilia, i do still have a few little reminders of her scattered about the place...

 i realize now though that it's probably because of my early Betty obsession that i ended up drawing Pin-ups and why my Girls always have big pouts, curves and big eyes...

it's also probably why my fave colour is red!

the truth is, i think Betty will always be a part of my life, she's inspired me a lot over the years

in fact she still inspires me now... all the time!

you see! 

right that's enough stuff about Betty, i can't even think of anything else to say other than...

"Betty Boop is AWESOME!!!"

end of

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in other news,

i've had to temporarily abandon the lollipop painting since the BRAND NEW permanant marker i bought recently, decided to run out halfway through me drawing the design onto the canvas

not cool stationary shop... not cool!

anyway, college tomorrow, not sure what i'll do yet, maybe some new felt plush stuff

who knows!

that's all folks...

◕‿◕ ★

Ви благодарам и Довидување

(that's thank you and goodbye in Macedonian on behalf of Macedonia, Благодарам ♥)