Russian Fashion ★

si i've had rather a quiet day today, i've spent the day drawing and reading so it's been verrrrrrrry relaxing! 

anyway i have some groovy stuff to share with you all today, in a way, carrying on from my Russian Doll/Matryoshka post the other day, i've another taste of Russia to show you

so today it's all about Russian fashion designer Ulyana Sergeenko

her debut ready-to-wear collection, which she describes as “illustration of Soviet Vogue 1950s” is chock full of gorgeously feminine pieces full of delicate details. i only discovered her stuff recently but one look at an Ulyana Sergeenko dress and i knew i'd have to see more! 

the clothes themselves are to die for but it's the styling of the photographs that also appeals i think, all that retro hair and make-up combined with the bare floors and vintage wallpaper, the overall effect is absolutely stunning and the entire collection definitely makes Ulyana Sergeenko a designer to keep an eye on!

everything from the accessories and materials to the muted colours and patterns just gives the whole collection this dainty softness that i just love. the outfits look so classic and girly yet warm enough to withstand a day out shopping in December/January . not that you'd expect anything less of a perfectly functional yet gorgeous winter collection from a Russian Designer, but so many A/W collections nowadays are full of things i wouldn't dare wear in the summer let alone the depths of coldest winter!

the clothes and models all look exquisite in the photos so i hope you enjoy looking through them as much as i did. it's not just beautiful flowy dresses though, keep scrolling to check out some of my favourite outfits from the collection...

see... i told you it was all divine! every outfit is absolutely gorgeous making up a fantastic A/W collection! i can't wait to see what she comes up with for S/S 2012

i am so in love with her designs! i wish i could dress like that for Winter...

anyway, to see the full lookbook, head on over to Vogue.ru for a peek - Sergeenko Lookbook

and for more info about Ulyana and her designs, head over to her official website here - Ulyana Sergeenko

(pictures via - etoday)

* * *

in other news, i've been drawing some Halloween themed things today! i know, i know it's still more than a month away... but i like to get things done and out of the way! believe it or not but i also made a start on some Christmas illustrations as well!

yes... really!

anyway i'm back off to College tomorrow so there probably won't be too much to report about that!

but who knows, something might happen!

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

Creative Café #3 ★

hey folks, time for another Creative Café post, today it's all about a truly awesome photographer so go get your cup of tea/coffee/whatever ready and settle down for some fabulous photos

her name is Elly Lucas. . . and she is awesome!!!

Elly is one of the people recommended to me in the email i told you about the other week, i own an abysmal digital camera but i am a huge fan of fashion and portrait photography and her work is particularly lovely so i knew i just HAD to feature her!

she captures scenes with this delicate, pretty vibe to absolutely everything,

everything from the models she shoots, the make-up she does herself to the wonderful locations is all so earthy and natural letting the individuality of the photographs subjects shine through perfectly

"Elly Lucas is a busy young freelance photographer from Derby, England. When she's not taking photos, she's playing music"

oh and she's only 20!!! so soooo talented and so young! super duper stuff

as per usual i will begin to ramble on and on so i'll let you look through some of her amazing photograhy by yourselves (get the tea/coffee/cake ready) and enjoy . . .

pretty amazing right! i knooooow! it's all so pretty and the colours are just divine and the models all look so natural and gorgeous yet each one is still so unique and individual! 

aaah i just adore her work

but she doesn't just shoot amazing fashion shots and portraits, she also snaps awesome musicians and bands

as well as the most adorable and sweetest little family portrait scenes

AND as if all that wasn't enough, her wedding photography is to die for! the way she's captured these couples special days is just so sublime! + i love the delicate little shots of the reception decorations and the flowers, just beautiful!

kind of makes me wish i was getting married soon just so i could get her to take the photos!!! 

i love love LOVE her work and am very grateful to Heather for introducing me to it + to Elly for letting me feature her

anyway, for more of her gorgeous GORRRRRGEOUS work check out the links bellow. . .

you can pop on over to her website and check out the rest of her galleries - Elly Lucas

here you can 'Like' her Facebook Fan Page - Elly Lucas

or follow her on Twitter - @ellylucas

follow her on tumblr (fyi i've been reblogging the hell out of her photos all evening!!!) - ellylucas

check out her deviantART profile - ellylucas.deviantart

or her flickr account - ellylucas

big BIG thanks to the lovely Elly for letting me feature her photography here, 

all images in this post belong to Elly Lucas © do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or trace any of the images without her written consent. All Rights Reserved.

* * *

so what else! well today i popped into college for the afternoon to hand in my essay + clear my desk before we start clearing the whole block in time for the exhibition next week! scary times!!!

also. . . what's going on with my website?! 

- Jade Boylan

well as you can see it's currently down for a bit of remodeling, stay tuned for updates on how it's doing! 

oooh exciting stuff!

apart from that, not much else to report!

tomorrow i plan to stay in and crack on with some new paintings (yes. . . you did read that right, i'm actually going to paint for once!!!)

so pictures will no doubt follow

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

the 107 year old book ★

today i'm going to share a couple of awesome old photographs with you all

my lovely friend Liz, who is a fellow HNDer at college, kindly let me borrow this amazing old (really old) book since she knows what a sucker i am for books in general (seriously, all the awesome HNDers lend me books all the time, i'm so lucky!)

it's a book called 'Women at Home' and it was printed/published in 1904 (i told you it was old!)

once i'd gotten over the fact i was holding something more than 100 years old in my hands i set about carefully flicking through the pages to see what i could find

at Liz's request i didn't scan any of the pages since opening the book fully would undoubtedly crack the spine, (which would be disastrous in a book this old) but she said i was welcome to snap as many photos of it as i wanted

so . . . that's exactly what i did! and when you see the photos i'm hoping that you'll understand why

in short, this book is chock full of the most gorgeous photographs and paintings and illustrations!!!

most of the photos are of European aristocracy but the book is also full of stories, wonderful illustrations and the most amazing fashion pages depicting the current Parisian fashion trends at the time of publication

i actually LOVE this book! (ok Jade time to shut up and let them see the pictures!)

 

pretty divine right! though obviously i have my top favourites! these are among them . . .

and now i'll stop!

the book itself is a little time worn and looks completely at odds with the grace, elegance and splendour it hides within its pages

anyway, i loved it! massive MASSIVE thanks to Liz for giving me the opportunity to look through such an amazing book + the chance to share this little bit of historic beauty with you all . . .

* * *

in other news, i recently completed a logo design commission for a local Cupcake company and have permission to share a sneak peek of it with you all

the lovely Sarah from Cupcake Creations asked me to design a little logo for her

now i've tried one of these cupcake creations myself and not only did it taste truly scrumptious, it also looked divine!

those of you that are regular readers of this blog might remember the name 'Cupcake Creations' from this post a while back - Things that begin with 'S' head over to that post to see some photos i snapped of the uber yummy little cupcakes that day

anyway i came up with about 6 different designs for Sarah and she picked this one to be the new logo

for more cupcakey goodness get yourself over to Cupcake Creations and have a skeet at their delectable cupcake galleries

or follow them on twitter @CCIOM to keep up with all the delicious cupcake news

* * *

and what else i hear you cry?! well feast your eyes on this . . .

yes folks that there is a logo stamp . . . with MY logo!!!

not going to pretend that i didn't squeal and jump about when the box arrived this afternoon

and as you can see, i've been stamping away to my hearts content!

made this as well, using the new 'JADE' stamp + some lovely art stamps my mum bought me a few days ago

* * *

not much else to say today dearies

i finally went back to college yesterday to find that my desk had been ransacked of all it's girly, pinup loveliness!

nah, they just had to take my board down so that the younger students can have it for FMP (charming!!!) but it gave me the chance to do a little redecorating, even if it's not quite right . . . yet!

i've not been too well today hence the day at home spent getting print quotes and sewing stuff

hoping to go in tomorrow though . . . i need to tackle the art dept printer!

whether i do or i don't though, here is the state of my 'home' desk today, any guesses as to what it is i've been making?!

ok well while you work it out i'm going to head off and sit at my desk for a bit staring blankly out of the window at the rainy garden and have some daydreams . . .

that's all folks ◕‿◕ ★