Older and Wiser ❤

hello dearhearts, here I am, back at last from my travels! I actually got back late Thursday night but i've been so busy with appointments and stuff i've only just found time to sit down and work on a little blog post to share with you all.

in case you don't keep up with me on social media, let me tell you that yesterday was my 24th Birthday!

Shoot by Laura Stolfi

I spent all day yesterday out with my closest friends in the South of the Island (which made a nice change seeing as I live in the North and rarely get to visit the South any more). I don't really have any photos of the evening out in Port Erin but it was lots of fun, even though it was cold and raining! I'm lucky that they were all kind enough to come out for a few drinks and some food on my Birthday-Eve.

one of my birthday cards, since i'll never really grow up!

I know that to most people Birthdays can be quite a big deal but I come from a family where it's usually 'just another day', we don't really go out for Birthday celebrations or throw parties (I had parties when I was a child but as i've gotten older, Birthday's have become less of a big deal). I don't mind this though, as long as I get a cake, i'll spend the day doing whatever!

this year's delicious Birthday Cake + glitter crown!

I'm sure i'm not the only one that feels this way, but I can often find Birthday days to be a little overwhelming, when family and friends call or demand I make 'proper' plans and expect me to spend the day doing things. I have been known to lock myself in my room on May 31st and refuse to answer any phonecalls or open any presents until later in the day or the evening. I'm not sure why but the stress or expectations of the day can get to me and spark off some anxiety or panic.

a lovely colouring book gift from my friend Simon

 But this year I didn't have any of that! Which was brilliant. In fact NO-ONE called me all day (it was so great!) and I only got one text message. I woke up and had chocolate for breakfast (as is tradition on both Birthday and Christmas) and opened some really lovely gifts, then I spent the entire day in my room reading my new books + listening to music and editing a new illustration. Just another day...

the beautiful book my sister Nicky gave me

Seeing as it was my Birthday and i'm now a 24-year-old (which is scary) I thought i'd take a moment to look back on the past year and some of it's ups and downs! As per usual it's been a mixed year, sad times and happy times and some times in between.

lots of goodies from my friend Lorna including 30 rainbow bouncy balls!

 Since I lost my wonderful job last June, I've been in a constant state of flux, darting from one thing to the other, coming up with and discarding new ideas on a daily basis. I still miss the Family Library more than anything but I try to keep myself busy and relatively structured; spending my time at home trying to build up my online profile and promote my etsy shop via social media every day. As you know I also started painting again and i'm always working on new products for my shop. I'm not making a 'living' per se but i'm trundling along, doing my best.

one of my more unusual Birthday cards!

 It's not where I saw myself being in 2015 when I celebrated my Birthday this time last year, I figured i'd still be employed for one thing, hopefully in my own Flat at long last, maybe learning to drive, who knows. But in the immortal words of the Rolling Stones, 'you can't always get what you want'! So here I am, back where I was a few years ago only now I don't have the excuse of being a college student. It's frustrating of course, I know where I 'want' to be, but like most people, don't necessarily know how to get there. But I intend to figure it out, eventually.

Star Wars Birthday gifts from others and from me!

It's been difficult coming to terms with some of the changes this past year has brought, i've lost a lot of my already ramshackle independence (no steady income means no apartment in town) but by letting myself be cared for by family and friends i've realised that it's not a bad thing to ask for help, there's no shame in needing someone to lend a helping hand or to just sit and listen for a little while.

the lovely Danish watch Mama Boylan gave me.

It doesn't do well to dwell on the negatives, I know that only too well, so let's look at the positives!

Some Highlights of the past year include:

• Reading and devouring book after book from my 'to be read' pile (currently on number 46 of my Goodreads reading challenge).
• Lovely holidays away in Cyprus, Andorra, France, Spain and trips to see family in the UK.
• The helpful support and treatment for my ongoing Depression and Personality Disorder.
• Lots of evening trips to the Movies with my best friends.
• Fun days out with my little cousin Sienna.
• Heaps of unnecessary cheap retail therapy via Ebay (no-one needs inflatable flamingo cup holders from China, but that did not stop me).
• Creating brand new rainbow haired ladies for the Candy Doll Club.
• Some nice new products for my shop and an increase in UK sales.
• Watching my two beautiful nieces continue to grow into incredible young women.
• Working on some new paintings for no reason other than that I want to paint.
• Adding to my ever growing 'desk collection' of random bits n' bobs.
• Making new friends on the island + lots of new internet friends as well.
• Getting new international sales to countries I haven't sent stuff to before.
• Treating myself to Ghostbusters Lego (not even kidding, one of the best parts of 2014!)
• Gaining new followers online and reaching 14.7k followers on Pinterest.
• Finally getting back in touch with long lost friends, because life really is too short not to!

an entire set of beautiful Nausicaa Manga from my friend Danny

May 2014-15 has been a mixed bag but i'm another year older (definitely) and wiser (possibly) so all I can do is continue to take life one day at a time and hope for the best. As always, i'm eternally grateful to my family and friends for being so nice and supportive and brilliant and for always putting up with me no matter how much of a pain I am! I wouldn't be able to make it through some days without them, whether it's a warm hug and an assurance that things will be ok or a sarcastic message telling me to stop being a prat, they're always there for me and if you'll pardon the pun, they keep me sane.

a little graphic I whipped up for my birthday

So that's that, another year done and dusted, and only 364 days left until I turn 25, I'd better start thinking of things to fill the time! 

thanks for stopping by, i'll try to make the next post a little less serious (aka boring).

so until next time, toodle-ooh! I hope to see you again soon xX

 

Post Birthday Blog!

Well... it certainly has been a while since I last posted anything on here! Lets see, it's been just under seven months since I last published a blog. Yikes!

Never mind, i'm here now anyway, that's what counts. In fact you may or may not have noticed that the blog has a brand new look. That's right, here it is resplendent in all of its eye achingly colourful glory. Yay!

So what's THIS post all about I hear you cry? Simple really, on Saturday I celebrated my 23^rd Birthday and I thought what better time to re-commence my blogging habit than on my birthday. Or a few days after it as is actually the case.

Anyway, I thought i'd share a few snaps of Birthday related bits n' bobs with you all. I don't really have anything else to talk about at the moment. so it's going to be a mostly picture laden post. And there will definitely be a significant number of exclamation marks used throughout. Enjoy.

For starters, feast your eyes on this terrifically tasty treat of a Birthday cake! (i can verify that it is indeed delicious)

i was also surprised with a lovely bunch of flowers from my Aunt and Uncle. i hardly ever get flowers so these really were a lovely gift + Gerbera daisies are my absolute favourite flowers.

i got ever so many cards this year, by the end of the day on my Birthday i was beginning to run out of room for them all!

I was very VERY excited to find a little parcel of Birthday cards from my fellow Librarians waiting for me on my Birthday. I was even more excited when i opened the parcel to find presents as well! Even more so when i realised just how brilliant the presents were.

It's no secret at the Library that i'm a bit of a Sherlock fangirl (understatement!) so imagine my delight when i opened up the parcel and find this BRILLIANT Benedict Cumberbatch colouring book 

If i'm not busy fangirling over Benedict and his glorious cheekbones, i'm bound to be rambling on about my other fangirl crush Tom Hiddleston. I'm not sure if i could ever choose between Benny and Hiddles and decide which one is my absolute favourite, so these pencils really are the best thing ever because now i don't HAVE to choose! It's printed on the pencils so it MUST be official.

And as if all of that wasn't fabulous enough, there was even some of my favourite sweeties in the bag! what a lucky duck i am. Yum!

After spending the day at home (in my pyjamas) I made my way into Douglas to meet my friends for Birthday drinks.

My super duper pal Lorna gave me this luuurrrrvely Mary Poppins necklace (which i immediately put on and wore ALL evening). Mary Poppins is one of my favourite characters (i think i secretly want to be her) so i couldn't NOT love the necklace. + it's a locket, so Lorna says i have to put pictures of Benny and Hiddles in it. Obviously!

My flatmate Matt got me a Ghostbusters mug (and a Lady Raincorn wristband) which i was v chuffed with. Ghostbusters is my favourite movie, i can't believe i didn't already have a mug. Well, now i do!

For my actual Birthday outing, i celebrated the same way i did last year, by heading out on the Promenade with my friends to enjoy the atmosphere of the Funfair and the TT beer tent + music stage. Luckily it was a sunny day and a balmy evening so it was all good. As has become Birthday tradition, i slathered on some red lipstick and got vaguely dressed up, i debuted my latest purchase, a lovely vintage circle skirt. 

Here's the obligatory Birthday selfie...

All in all it was a good Birthday. i got to celebrate it with my family and friends which is exactly who i'd want to share a day/evening with. So i'm another year older now, definitely not any wiser and undoubtedly still a big kid at heart (the highlight of the evening for me was getting a big bag of pink Candy Floss on my way home from the beer tent!)

So here's the being 23, completely immature and as ever, utterly oblivious to what the future might bring! Fingers crossed it's a good year...


And on that typically peculiar note i'll say goodbye, i can't think of anything else to write so this will have to do for now!

farewell folks xX

May Drawing Challenge - Day 16

the theme for today was 'a cupcake with red icing' so obviously this one was a treat to do since i spend a lot of time doodling cupcakes as it is! however, i was at college all day then had to dash to Ramsey to drop some stuff on and i was just realllllly busy so i've only just gotten chance to do my doodle for the day!

anyway here it is...

simple but still delicious i think :)

as i mentioned above, i dashed up to Ramsey after college today because it's the Sweet Ginger Emporium's 1st Birthday! here's a little card i whipped up for the shop earlier...

but wow, i can't actually believe it's been a whole year since the shop first opened!

if you haven't a clue what 'Sweet Ginger' is, basically it's a glorious crafty emporium here in the Isle of Man stocked with all manner of gorgeous bits and bobs as well as some of my handmade stuff + postcards and cards!

 you can read a post all about the Shop right here - ★Sweet Ginger★

anyway until tomorrow, that's all folks... xX

Last Chance Giveaway

 

hello dearhearts, unless you've been living under a rock for the past week or so, you might be aware that i'm currently running a little Giveaway on here to celebrate the blogs 3rd Blogiversary

as you can see there's a whole heap of lovely goodies up for grabs and all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning some of them is... 

leave a little comment here on the blog 

LIKE a giveaway post on Facebook 

RETWEET a giveaway post on Twitter 

or REBLOG a giveaway post on Tumblr

or... you can do all of the above and get yourself even more chances of winning!

however, the Giveaway is due to close tonight at Midnight (UK time) so you only have a few more hours left to get your entries in!!!

i'll be drawing the winners tomorrow morning and i am happy to post the prizes anywhere in the world so it really is open to everyone!

so no excuses... get those entries in because this year i'll be picking not 1 but 3 winners!

* * *

there is some other news bt i'll save it for another day

so until then, that's all folks...

◕‿◕ ★ xX

Elephants and Everything Else ★

greetings dear readers from a rather chilly and wintery Isle of Man.

yesterday i spent the afternoon with my friend Jenny and i remembered that i completely forgot to show you all what i made her for her 20th Birthday last week!

i couldn't think of anything to get Jenny but i know she really likes elephants so i had a go at stitching up a little plushie elephant for her

so i'd like you all to meet Ethel the Elephant! isn't she a cutie! it was so much fun to make her, it's been ages since i've made any plushies and i think this is one of the biggest things i've ever made (she's about 30x18cm)

Jenny seemed to like her anyway, which is what counts i guess!

* * *

so yesterday was my last day at college before half-term and in the afternoon Jenny came to collect me and we whizzed off to Tynwald for a little mooch around the shops and the gallery

as a sort of end of term treat i got this little cutie to add to my mini Momiji collection

she's from the 2010 'book lovers' collection by illustrator Luli Bunny, and i just couldn't resist!

she fits in perfectly with the momiji girls i have already

* * *

it seems that yesterday was a day of treats because when i got home i found a lovely little parcel waiting for me from the Isle of Man Soap Company

firstly... i couldn't get over how adorable the packaging was! so sooo cute! i'd ordered a cherry lipbalm and an apple martini soap and they arrived all wrapped up in pretty tissue paper inside a funky metallic green jiffy mailer

i haven't opened the soap yet but i can't stop using the cherry lipbalm! it's so moisturizing i just love it

the Isle of Man Soap Company is a fabulous local business run by the equally as fabulous Irene, she hand-makes the most glorious goodies using the finest ingredients and her own individual fragrance collections unique to the IOM Soap Co

some of the goodies available include: soaps, candles, soft soap body polish, bubble dust, bath salts, cold process soap, lipbalms, bath bon-bons 

and my personal favourites... the cupcake bathbombs!

they truly do look good enough to eat, but are a treat for your skin, not for your tastebuds!

for more info + to check out the full ranges on offer, you can check out the website and online shop right here - Isle of Man Soap Company

* * *

yesterday i also had to mail out a postcard ordered from my Etsy shop. i realised that i don't really explain my packaging very well and that unless you've ordered something from me in the past you don't really know what to expect

very simply, i post all postcards out in special 'do not bend' print mailers + every postcard comes in a protective cello sleeve along with a complimentary 'JADE' postcard and a Sugar Skull sticker, all bundled in a sweetie bag before being popped in the envelope and posted off to wherever

anyway, just thought i'd share that little snippet of info with you all. you can see all of my postcard designs available in my shop here - Jade's Etsy Shop

* * *

nothing more to report on for now, i've a week off from college full of research and drawing ahead of me 

you still have just over 4 days left to enter the 'Blog Birthday Giveaway'

in case you missed the last post, i'm giving away a stack of super duper cute goodies to celebrate my blogs 3rd Birthday/Anniversay...... Blogiversary this month!

to find out how YOU can enter to win some prizes head on over to the Giveaway post here - Blog Birthday Giveaway 2012

i'm picking 3 winners this year as well so you never know... you might just be one of them!!!

so get entering! and until next time, that's all folks...  

◕‿◕ ★ xX

★ Blog Birthday Giveaway ★

hello there dear readers, big massive apologies for my total absence over the past couple of weeks, needless to say i have been swamped with college and commission work and just haven't been able to find the time to post any blogs!

anyway, more important things are afoot, this month marks the 3rd birthday/anniversary of my blog and that can mean only one thing...

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

last years Birthday Giveaway was a HUGE success and i had a great bundle of prizes to giveaway

well this year i have some even lovelier stuff! 

feast your eyes on all the super duper goodies...

so what do we have?! well...

there's a cute little Poodle necklace from fab local shop Funny Love (this will be the 3rd Poodle necklace i'll be giving away, seems to have become a bit of a tradition for me to give them away on the blog!) 

a very pretty owl patterned passport cover from Paperchase, a pack of funky jelly stickers from Accessorize and a sheet of nautical sailor themed stickers from local shop Sweet Ginger

a stack of 'Jade' merch including some postcards, lots of stickers and some badges

and last but not least, this truly scrumptious and rather adorable Cupcake luggage tag from Fluff

isn't that all gorrrrgeous! one lucky winner will get there hands on all of it!

however...

as if that wasn't groovy enough, since it's the Blogs 3rd Birthday, two runners up will win a set of fabulously glittery 'razzle dazzle' decoupage stickers + some postcards, stickers and a badge!

* * *

HOW TO ENTER

first of all, you have precisely 10 days to enter since the Blogs Birthday is the 22nd of February, all entries must be in by midnight (UK time) on the 22nd

simple as ever, ALL you have to do is follow the blog (if you aren't doing so already) then scroll down and leave a comment on this blog post (saying hello or sharing an opinion on any of the prizes, that sort of thing)

for extra entries you can also...

retweet this on Twitter - ★ @jadeboylan ★ Blog Birthday Giveaway ★ RT for the chance to win some lovely goodies! ★ - http://bit.ly/zfTfS5

you can also 'Like' one of the giveaway posts on the Facebook fan page (and maybe even share it if you feel so inclined) - Jade's Facebook Page

i'll be setting up a post for it on Tumblr as well so if you use tumblr and don't follow me on there already, be sure to give me a follow and look out for a post to reblog (last years winner won via Tumblr... just saying!) - Jade's Tumblr

if you're feeling particularly lovely you can also mention the giveaway on your own blog, if you do that be sure to link me to it so i can count it as an entry

* * *

so what are you waiting for, 10 days to enter and yes... i will be mentioning the giveaway every day leading up to the 22nd so you can't say i won't be reminding you :)

go on then, comment, retweet, like, reblog, share, go, go, GO!!!

* * *

i really am sorry for having abandoned the blog for a bit, i promise to try harder this week, i even have a Creative Café post for you all, so keep a look out for that.

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

Happy Birthday Mum ♥

so today is my mum's Birthday . . .

for those of you that don't know, her name is Joy and she is totally awesome! (fact)

here is a charming photo of my mum + me taken in Leamington (last year) by my darling niece Madison

so i'd like to take a moment to wish a big ol' Happy Birthday to mama Boylan . . . Happy Birthday mum! x

also, here is the deliciously yummy big toffee cake i got made especially for her Birthday

the letters are kind of ruined now but it will undoubtedly taste wonderful! 

big thanks to the lovely Liesl at 'The Alpine' cafe, for making it for me

* * *

in other news . . .

in a strange twist of fate and utter madness i decided to wear trousers today (shock horror!!!)

i'm really REALLY not a jeans kind of gal but today i didn't feel like putting on a dress (which is odd for me) so i grabbed some jeans + a pair of wedges + the lovely yet hideously bright coat i got in Cork, Ireland last August

and look . . . i also wore one of my new ribbon flower corsage anywhere clip thingymabob type things

and last but not least . . . i also now have slightly darker hair!

i always feel somewhat left out since pretty much all of the women in my family have really dark brown hair and i just . . . don't!

well, now i do!

* * *

wasn't that a thrilling post!

geez louise i really need to stop writing such boring blithering posts, it's a wonder i have any readers at all! 

we're supposed to be going out to dinner tonight for the Birthday celebrations but i am literally falling asleep here so i might have to be bad and stay at home like the boring person that i am!!!

thinking i might have a nap then get to work on the new plushies i have to make + pop some tunes on, maybe Sliimy or Mika or something, i need something bright and happy

and now i'll stop rambling on and on and on and on and on and on

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

◕‿◕ ★ xX