Stuff and more Stuff ★

before i kick off the post properly i should let you all know... the Mini Merch Giveaway ended last night/this morning at midnight

big BIG thanks to all of you that entered via comments here + on facebook, twitter and google plus

there were only 35 entries (a record low for one of my giveaways actually...) and using 'random.org' i got number 4 which was Rachel Clarke aka 'Sweetpea London' from the UK

she seemed pretty excited to have won (which is always nice) and she picked out a macaroons postcard, a sugar skull pocket mirror and a flower cupcake badge

so i'll be posting all of that off to her first thing tomorrow morning!

oh and if you get a spare minute, be sure to check out Rachels' blog, she posts some really cute stuff, i especially love her Chanel wellington boots! - Sweetpea London

thanks again to everyone that entered, i wish i could give you all a prize... but then i'd have no merch left!

don't feel too bad if you didn't win this time though... there are still plenty of badges/mirrors/postcards available to buy via my Etsy Shop

and of course, i'll be launching a fabby dabby mahoosive xmas giveaway around the end of November so be sure to keep an eye out for that!

* * *

oh AND yesterday morning when i checked the post i was super excited to see that some stuff had arrived for me!

first up, there was a cute little print + some sets of stickers from Acrylicana aka Mary (i did a BIG post about her amazing work here - Creative Cafe #14)

and there was also the very VERY awesome copy of Flamingo Magazine that i won from WLD/WLVS last week

i'd been looking forward to this arriving and it definitely hasn't disappointed me! it's an Illustration and Design mag chock full of amazing artwork and interviews from some really talented creatives!

here's some of my favourite pages from it...

 illustration by - Mary Ferfyri

 illustration - Alex Culang and Ray Castro

 illustration - Donya Todd

 illustration - Jo Cheung

 illustration - Emma Carpendale

illustration - Louise Zergaeng Pomeroy

to get your own copy of 'Flamingo Magazine', head on over here - Flamingo Magazine Shop

oh and massive thanks to WLD/WLVS for giving me a copy! :D

* * *

right, so i broke up for half-term on Friday, it was a verrrry busy day! i had to spend all morning finalising a 'professional practice' report to cover one of my units then in the afternoon i had a meeting with a client (which went really well!)

anyway, on Saturday i popped out for a bit and had a nice little mooch around town

i got some groovy stuff, including...

some pretty new fingerless gloves for A/W 2011

i am a fingerless gloves fiend! and i couldn't resist these...

i also treated myself to a lovely big book on Renaissance Art and Architecture!

well... you know what an art/architecture nerd i am! 

and i always find the art and architecture of the Renaissance particularly fascinating (i really am so very, very cool!)

anyway i also got... a very cute little picture book called 'Emily Button goes to a party' written by Elaine Field

it's all about a little rag doll called 'Emily Button' + her little friends 'mousey' the mouse and 'bobble' the cat

the illustrations are absolutely adorable! it was illustrated by Kathy Gemmell (with additional illustrations by Sami Sweeten and Katherine Hartley) and i will definitely be looking up more of her/their stuff after seeing this!

aren't they cute! there are even 'emily button' dolls + 'mousey' and 'bobble' plushies you can get to go with the story!

all just far too adorable!

oh and you just HAVE to visit the 'Emily Button' website! it is soooo lovely - Emily Button

* * *

and that's that i think! nothing else to report on today, i'm heading off to Coventry in a few days to see my family but i've got plenty of commission stuff to be getting on with before then!

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

Creative Café #14 ★

it's been a while since i last posted a feature so today i thought... what the hell! let's have a Creative Café post!!!

ok readers you know the drill, take a moment to dash off and grab a nice cup of tea/cofee/juice, grab a biscuit or if you're feeling particularly sinful get a slice of cake or some chocolate!!!

settle down and prepare to be dazzled by a mass of colourful loveliness!

settled? comfy? got your tea?

smashing, let's get on with it then...

today's feature focuses on the work of an artist, illustrator and designer that i've been a fan of for almost four years.

prepare yourself because i think this is the most colourful and picture laden Creative Café feature i've attempted so far, your Sunday is about to go multicoloured!!!

because today it's all about the wonderful, the incredibly talented, the supremely awesome... Mary Winkler aka Acrylicana

Mary is an American illustrator and designer, her work is a whimsical mix of childlike themes and colourful kawaii pop art style characters and designs. she creates her work using both digital and traditional methods and materials.

 i first discovered Mary's work during my first year at college, back when i coloured everything with felt tip pens and thought that photoshop was just for photographers... 

i remember looking through her deviantART page at all the amazing designs and asking my graphics teacher Rob how Mary had achieved such flawless shapes and lines. he explained vectors to me and told me about the magical software known as 'illustrator'. i was fascinated from the off and so he also offered to teach me the basics for using the software...

almost four years later i work on almost everything do using Illustrator and Photoshop and although i'm still not overly skilled in either i like to think that it's thanks to Mary's work that i ever became interested in digital illustration in the first place!

her work is a tour de force, each piece bursting with a cacophony of colour and vibrancy that you don't always see in contemporary graphics, it's this mix of colour and wonderfully drawn characters that first appealed to me and it's what makes me still love following her current work since she always creates the most fantastical scenes and characters

Mary is extremely multi talented in the sense that not only does she produce incredible digital pieces, she also paints gorgeous canvases, she designs t-shirts, clothing, accessories and shoes, she creates amazing acrylic jewellery pieces and charms, hand paints tiny necklace charms, hand paints shoes turning them into works of art for your feet AND she runs her own business empire stocking all manner of amazing 'Acrylicana' items!!!

i really don't know how she does it but she is a creative force to be reckoned with and a very inspiring lady!!! 

i just love everything she does! her designs are so pretty and i'm so in awe of the wonderful brand she's built up for her work, she's definitely one of my design idols! probably because her work inspired me to ever attempt any digital illustration of my own in the first place!

ok i'm going to let you look through some of her work by yourselves now but i have to warn you... there are a LOT of pictures here, it was an almost impossible task to pick out my favourites so lets just say i couldn't really cut the content of this post down too much... 

seriously there are a LOT of images so you might want to get another cup of tea or something!

but i know you'll enjoy it and at the end of the day that's really all that matters...

i believe the word you're looking for is 'WOW' :)

but like i said, it's not all about prints, paintings and stickers, she also created awesome merchandise featuring her super designs. i actually own a little 'Acrylicana' acrylic necklace that i like to wear on days when i'm feeling a bit down since the bright colours in it ALWAYS cheer me up! here's my 'OoOoOoh Girl' necklace that i got in Summer 2010

here's some of the gorrrgous items she sells via her etsy and Apparel Dynasty© shops online (i'm a particular fan of the platform high heels... so pretty!)

PHEW so much gorgeous in one place, i can hardly take it!!!

i told you it would be colourful though!

this may sound daft to some, but i'm pretty sure that Mary's work has inspired me more over the past few years than any other contemporary illustrators or designers! yes... really! i only hope that one day i can be as successful as her albeit maybe not nearly as talented or skilled :)

ok it's links time now...

for more multicoloured kawaii gorgeousness, head on over to the official website here - Acrylicana

to treat yourself to a pretty pair of shoes, a bag or maybe even some scented shoe laces, be sure to visit the official online store here - Apparel Dynasty

or if you fancy a nice little print or a cute acrylic necklace/bracelet/ring, check out her etsy shop + there's currently a very special '50% off' offer running in the shop! (just use coupon code HALFOFF for 50% off your order!) - etsy

and you can also 'Like' Mary's work via the facebook fan page - Acrylicana

or follow her on twitter for updates about her projects and new shop items - @acrylicana

and if you're on tumblr you can also follow her there - Acrylicana

if you're curious about her work process you can also watch amazing videos of her painting and designing here - livestream

all that's left for me to do now is say a massive MASSIVE thanks to the very VERY lovely Mary for saying yes and letting me run this little feature, i am such a HUGE fan of her work i knew it was only a matter of time until i just HAD to do a post about it here!

thanks Mary :) x

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

* * *

wow what a post! and so much fun to do!

ok i'm heading off for the night now, off to college again tomorrow + keep an eye out for a blog post tomorrow evening since i'll be posting a few new candy characters i've been working on lately

so until then, that's all folks... ◕‿◕ ★ xX