Xmas Wish List 2016 ★

It's that time of year again, so i'm carrying on the tradition of the annual extravagant Xmas wish list post! I know what you're thinking, "what ridiculous list of materialistic tripe has Jade put together this year?!" well all I can say is read on dear reader, read on.

I actually ended up getting 3 of the items off last year's wish list, but I bought them all for myself so I'm not sure if they count. Despite the mega hints I drop, I never seem to get any of the things off my wish lists. I mean, it's not like I ask for anything unreasonable or anything *laughs nervously*. So now I just buy stuff like that for myself. You gotta treat yo self right? Of course you do.

As per usual, this year's wish list includes a mix of reasonable (aka more affordable) gifts along with some more unattainable (aka super expensive) ones because it's Christmas and I'm allowed to dream! Although I'll be honest, some of the things here are definitely NOT that affordable, but I can't help it if all the things I really like are expensive! I clearly have good taste ^_^

Anyway, on with the 2016 wish list. So Santa if you're reading this grab a pen and write these down because this year I would like...

1. A Dionysus top handle bag in blue stripe from Gucci - £2,020

Go BIG or go home right? Well, what better way to kick off this year's wish list than with something I'll definitely NEVER get! I've been a Gucci fan for years but this year they really blew me away with their 2016 collections. I've lost count of the winter clothes/bags/shoes I've seen on the high street that were clearly inspired by Gucci. If you've bought anything on the high street with ruffles on this Autumn/Winter, then you have Gucci to thank for it.

I make it no secret that I love luxury fashion, unfortunately my bank balance doesn't agree, otherwise I'd have a Gucci bag for every day of the week. Anyway, this year I've been lusting after this one in particular. I'm not even sure why, I just really, really love it okay?! Maybe it's the bamboo handle or the military inspired star and stripes or even the fact that it's named after Dionysus from Greek Mythology. Whatever it is, I adore this bag.

Available to buy HERE (please Santa, pleeeeeeaaaaasssssseeeee!!!! I mean, obviously i'll settle for ANY Gucci bag, but i'd really like this one. please)

2. A 'Don't Panic' necklace from Snikt and Bamf - £35

I love acrylic jewellery and I love The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, so it makes sense that I'd also love this brilliant necklace from British brand Snikt and Bamf. But then what's not to love? It's red and sparkly and shows off my love for Douglas Adams iconic books. I'm not afraid to declare my geekiness to the world (see THIS post for proof. Yes, it's the one where I'm dressed as a Ghostbuster, in public.) and apart from this being a super cute necklace, I also think it would match my red lipstick really well. Just saying.

Do I even need to justify it? No, not really. This is a wish list and I wish for this necklace. That's really all that matters.

Available to all hoopy froods HERE

3. A Harry Potter themed Book Print Skirt from Pick n Mix on Etsy - £35

Do I even need to explain this one?! Come on people, if you're here reading this then you probably already know about my lifelong book addiction. Why wouldn't I want a twirly skirt covered in spell books? Trick question because obviously I NEED a magical book print skirt ASAP.

I might not be a librarian anymore but that doesn't mean I still couldn't rock a book themed skirt. Plus, just think how well it would go with my book themed necklace and brooch.

Ooh and I could wear my time turner necklace with it as well! And my Ravenclaw badge. And my wand.

Wait, what do you mean why do I have a wand?! I don't have to explain myself to muggles.

Available to order HERE, Owl delivery not guaranteed


4. A Frida brooch from Baccurelli - £41

I did say I love acrylic jewellery didn't I! Well i've been a fan of Baccurelli designs for a few years now and while I'd be happy with any of her lovely brooches or accessories, I particularly like the Frida brooch. Maybe it's the artist in me, or the mix of red and black (my favourite colours), but this would go with soooo many outfits. I can see it already!

Plus it goes without saying that Frida Kahlo (who the brooch is based on) was a total badass and a truly amazing woman. So who wouldn't want to wear a little brooch of her likeness!

Available HERE along with dozens of other gorgeous brooches and accessories

5. A pair of 'Marvel' lace-up leather boots from Ted & Muffy - £225

October to March you will find me pretty much living in winter boots. Boots are the BEST. But every year I usually end up buying a cheap high street pair of knee boots from somewhere like Asda or New Look but unsurprisingly a year later they look wrecked. I'd love to invest (or be gifted...) a high quality pair of leather boots that will last for years.

Until last year I still wore a lovely pair of brown leather lace-up pirate boots that I'd had since I was 16, so I know that good quality boots can last for ages. But unfortunately they finally gave up the ghost, so now I'd like a new pair of lace-up boots to live in each winter. Why lace-up ones? Well for starters I have quite chunky calves but very narrow ankles so I usually struggle to find high street boots that will fit me properly. Lace-up boots make it easy to customize the fit AND they look really nice. I think so anyway.

These are really rather lovely though and I would very much like a pair. Available HERE

6. A colour changing Unicorn mug from Firebox - £12.99

That's right people. Not only is it a mug shaped like a Unicorn, IT CHANGES COLOUR!!!

This would make my afternoon cup of green tea soooo much better. I don't even have words for this, It's amazing and I need it. That's all.

I'm not even kidding, if I don't wake up to this mug on Christmas morning I'm gonna flip. Or go online and order one myself. Whatever.

Available for all magical unicorn lovers HERE

7. A Fatale black embroidered dress from The Pretty Dress Company - £315

I know, I know... why can't I just pick a dress that's affordable. Mainly because most affordable dresses aren't as heavenly as this one! LOOK AT IT.

all those embroidered roses! It's too much perfection. 

Since this dress was launched, I must have visited the site 3 dozen times, just to look at it and imagine twirling in it. Not only was in designed in collaboration with burlesque goddess Immodesty Blaize, it looks so damn good on everyone! It's a veryflattering dress and I've yet to see a photo of it being worn where it doesn't look gorgeous, no matter the body type.

also LOOK HOW PRETTY!

Available to buy HERE

8. A Rouge Louboutin Lipstick from Christian Louboutin - £65

If you just projectile spat tea across the room and screeched "£65 for a LIPSTICK" please allow me to explain/justify myself. Also, look at it, this ain't your standard lipstick!

Ok so I LOVE shoes, especially those designed by Christian Louboutin. Unfortunately I inherited my dad's rubbish feet so I am the reluctant owner of a pair of bunions and generally quite wide feet. This means that buying shoes is a miserable experience for me, because 'wide fit' shoes usually do NOT look like the kinds of things available in the Louboutin shoe room at Brown Thomas.

So probably the only way I'm ever going to get some Louboutin red on myself, is as a nail varnish (which I already own) or this lipstick (that looks like a piece of art).

plus I think we can all agree that while unnecessarily hedonistic, £65 for a lipstick is a lot more affordable than £650 for a pair of shoes.

Get it HERE


9. A Bathurst 'all over stickers' handbag from Anya Hindmarch - £1,395

It seemed only fair that I begin and end this year's wish list with a handbag. If you thought I was gushing about the Gucci one, you ain't seen nothing yet. This bag... how to describe it. It's as if I had a dream where I designed my PERFECT handbag and then I woke up and it existed for real!

Luxury polished leather CHECK, a top handle + optional shoulder strap CHECK, absolutely covered in wacky sticker designs CHECK CHECK CHECK

This bag is what dreams are made of. My dreams anyway. I'm all about statement pieces and this bag certainly makes a statement. It says, nay... it screams "THIS BAG IS PERFECT FOR JADE, SEE HOW WELL IT MATCHES HER LIPSTICK AND COAT!"


Available HERE (come on Santa, this one, I really deserve it!)


And that's it for this year. See, I don't ask for much do I?

No, that's a lie. I ask for a LOT. But somehow I don't think I'll be waking up to fancy lipstick and designer handbags this year. I'm sure whatever I get will be brilliant though, I'm already excited about a gift my mum got me (spoiler: it's a RED record player!!!)

So it's gonna be a great day no matter what :)

What's at the top of your Christmas wish list this year? Leave me a comment below or let me know on one of my social media profiles.

And whatever you're up to this holiday season, I hope that you have a lovely time with your friends and family or by yourself if that's how you roll.

Merry Christmas to you all!

see you on the other side (of Christmas)

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

 

Books Glorious Books ♥

Hello chums! In case you didn't already know, it's World Book Day today! This has long been a favourite event of mine, ever since I first learned to read aged four, I always looked forward to World Book Day each year when the precious £1 book tokens were handed out to the class and we were all shepherded off to the school library to buy our books! I used to save up my pocket money specifically for World Book Day, often buying as many of the special release £1 books as I could afford!

Alas, I am far too old for freebie book tokens anymore (oh the sorrow...) but I still enjoy celebrating World Book Day in whatever small way I can. Regular followers might recall that for last year's World Book Day I spent the day dressed up as Mary Poppins, but this year I had appointments in town so I had to dress it down and wear normal clothes (boring!) but I did manage to flaunt my bookishness with my fab custom necklace and brooch from Sugar & Vice (more about that here).

Anyway, to celebrate my eternal love of all things book related, I thought I might take the opportunity to put together a fun little post featuring ten of my own personal literary heroes and heroines along with a bunch of neat stuff I found on Etsy relating to each author. If any of the items featured take your fancy, just click on the image to go and have a looksee at prices etc.

alrighty then, let's get started... 

William Shakespeare – English poet, playwright and actor – notable works: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Tempest, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream - “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”

Brooch - FragileEliteDesign

Jane Austen – English novelist – notable works: Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility - “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”

Bookmarks - CastleOnTheHill

Mary Shelley - English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer notable works: Frankenstein, Mathilda, The Last Man, Valperga - “Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.” 

Scarf - ThornfieldHall

Edgar Allan Poe - American author, poet, editor, and literary critic – notable works: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Pit and the Pendulum - “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”

Poe sweatshirt - LittleLiterary

Oscar Wilde – Irish writer, poet, playwright and novelist – notable works: The Portrait of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband - “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”

Oscar necklace - ShopSpaceTrash

Daphne Du Maurier – English novelist and playwright – notable works: Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, My Cousin Rachel, The Scapegoat - “But luxury has never appealed to me, I like simple things, books, being alone, or with somebody who understands.”

Framed book page print - BookishlyUK

Sylvia Plath – American poet, novelist and short story writer – notable works: Ariel, The Bell Jar, The Colossus And Other Poems - “If the moon smiled, she would resemble you. You leave the same impression, of something beautiful, but annihilating.”

Book Earrings - DesignsByAnnette

Douglas Adams – English writer, humorist, novelist and dramatist - notable works: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy series, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency series -“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

Dont Panic hand towels - Orientina

Neil Gaiman – English novelist, author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films - notable works: Sandman, American Gods, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Neverwhere, Good Omens - “I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.”

Print - MaximusType

J. K. Rowling – English novelist - notable works: the entire Harry Potter series - “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” 

Marauders Map - Lilliannamarie

And There you go, just a bit of fun! It's always nice to discover lovely book themed art and accessories to add to your collection (or if you don't have a collection, perhaps it's time to START one).

Anyway my dears, Happy World Book Day to you! I hope you found time to enjoy your favourite book today or maybe you picked up something new, who knows. Either way may your days be filled with books, because everyone knows that books = happiness. 

Are any of the writer on this list amongst your favourite literary geniuses? 

Most of the writers on my list are classic authors, perhaps you prefer more modern literature, are there any books you're particularly excited about reading this year?

And on that note, i'll say goodbye for today, i'm going to make something for dinner and get back to the book i'm currently reading (The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon, in case you were wondering).

Farewell folks, see you again next time!

So Long 2014 ❤

Hello dearhearts, Christmas has been and gone for another year and now we turn our selves towards the imminent New Year ready to see what 2015 will bring to us all (hoverboards hopefully).

I for one am fairly happy to say goodbye to 2014, it's been a bumpy year for me, lots of tears along with times of laughter, some ups and even more downs. So I thought I might take some time to look back over the year and share a bit of it with you all.

To kick off the post, here's a recent illustration I did...

 In case you can't tell, it's supposed to be me, only as a member of the Candy Doll Club. I've never been very good at making my girls actually look like real people but I tried to make this one resemble me (although i'll admit I was very forgiving at times with the design!) so there you go, something vagulely resembling what it's supposed to look like, just like all of my work.


So what else have I been up to this year? Well do please allow me to tell you via the magic of bullet points!

 in 2014 I...

• started the year with an amazing job as an assistant Librarian at a really lovely Library
• slowly but surely continued to unravel mentally (as i'd been doing for the last ten years) resulting in the inevitable need for actual treatment and medication
• carried on working and socialising with real people
• dressed up as Mary Poppins and got to hold a real live Owl
• got to spend some time with my amazing nieces
• kept taking the many prescribed pills
• tried to keep calm and carry on
• failed miserably and got signed off from work indefinitely
• cried 
• read some books
• bought a lot of crap I really didn't need
• began to enjoy creating again, painted, produced new work, started to feel a lot better
• found out my contract had been terminated and suddenly lost aforementioned amazing job
• spiralled lower and lower and lower and lower and lower and lower
• moved out of my flatshare in town
• moved back home with my very generous and nice and understanding parents
• read some more books
• spent over two weeks indoors without leaving the house once (i'm not proud, but it happened)
• cried
• watched more than my money's worth of netflix
• ate my way through more pizza and popcorn than is ever necessary
• started writing a book
• gave up on that and started writing another book instead
• realised how ruddy difficult it is to write a book
• read a LOT more books
• spent way too much money on Ghostbuster Lego (so worth it though!)
• only left the house for appointments and trips to the cinema
• tried to get old job back
• failed to get old job back
• continued trying to keep calm and carry on
• failed miserably once again
• cried
• went for long rambling walks alone (*sad violin music*) 
• went for long rambling walks with friends and had stick and conker fights
• lost touch with new friends while reconnecting with old ones
• truly learned who my real friends are (dramatic pause)
• visited my fabulous nieces again and again
• read even more books
• ate too much chocolate
• cried
• dressed up as a Ghostbuster
• painted and drew and designed and sewed and created
• cried
• ate more pizza
• read all the books
• wrote this blog post

so yeah, that's pretty much it. 2014 in a slightly unstable nutshell. If You know me in real life then you might have already heard about some of the ups and downs i've had this year, but if you don't know me 'irl' then I guess now you know a bit more about me than you did before!

so THANKS for listening/reading new found friend! (oh look it's my face!)

but hey let's not dwell on those silly negatives, oh no, for there have been many positives this year, none more fulfilling than my ongoing attempts at illustrating ladies with colourful hair and painting them onto bits of wood, but other than that one of the main things that has kept me going this year has been my ever growing 'to read' pile of books.

as I often mention on here, i'm rather fond of reading (understatement!) and for the past few years i've tried to challenge myself to read as many books as I can in the space of a year.

Well last year I set a challenge of 50 books... but by NYE i'd only managed 42 (boo!)

so this year I thought i'd better up the ante and on January 1st I set myself the challenge of reading 100 books before 2015, keeping track of them all via Goodreads.

I'm happy to report that this year i've read 116 books (yay!) and i'm currently on the 117th which I will no doubt finish at some point tonight or tomorrow (I actually surpassed the challenge about a month ago, only when I hit 100 books I decided to try and push to 111 instead).

Right about now i'm thinking I should probably have pushed to 120 but i've run out of time and although I do love to read if I overdo it I tend to give myself vile headaches and that's not really how I want to see in the New Year tomorrow night thank you very much!
no i'll no doubt be seeing it alone wrapped in several blankets surrounded by chocolates and toffees and of course, books.

I've ready some really teriffic books this year and I thought it might be nice to share a few of them with you all.

Now i've never been any good at writing reviews for books as often once i've read a novel it grows to exist tightly inside my mind and I struggle to explain it to people without rambling or giving away the plot. So these 5 books rated particularly highly for me this year, they kept me gripped and continue to stick out in my mind and so I can only recommend them to you purely on that basis along with a sentence or two!

The Martian – Andy Weir – 2011 – if you like Space, science and sarcasm then read this book. Very funny, very clever and very gripping! That's all i have to say, it's really good, read it.

Ready Player One – Ernest Cline – 2011 – Packed with more 80's Pop Culture references than you can even begin to comprehend, perfect for anyone who likes movies, music, tv shows, video games or the 80's (So basically everyone!).

The Girl With All The Gifts – M. R. Carey – 2014 – A clever twist on the Zombie genre this one's a Zombie story like no other, really heartbreaking stuff. Dark, chilling and undeniably haunting. Will probably stay on your mind long after the last page.

Red Rising – Pierce Brown – 2014 – Dystopian civilization, a cruel ruling upper class, the planet Mars, rebel uprisings and rebellion along with lashings of greek mythology and heaps of fierce combat and savage brutality. It's hard to describe this book but it's brilliant! It's like Dune meets the Hunger Games with parts of Brave New World and Ender's Game sprinkled in for good measure. Cannot wait for the next book in the series!

Good Omens – Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett – 1990 – The end of the world is nigh and now it's down to angel turned book seller Aziraphale and too-cool-for-his-own-good demon Crowley along with a host of other brilliant (and hilarious) characters to find and stop the antichrist before he tries to destroy the world! Also, let me say that I am appalled it took me this long to actually get myself a copy and read it, i mean i was born in 1991 the year after this came out but still, that's 23 years i've neglected to read it! But take it from me that this book is great and that it will make you laugh your socks off!

if you're particularly nosy and you would like to see the full list of all 116 books i've read so far, click HERE, some of the books on the list are actually dreadful but some are utterly marvellous!

ironically enough the book i'm currently reading (and subsequently the last book i'll read this year) is Then We Came To The End - Joshua Ferris which was honestly a total coincidence but seems like the perfectly titled book to see the year out with!
 
next year i'm wondering if i should set the goal at 150 and see what happens! I already have a teetering pile of books to read and i'm eager to get cracking so roll on 2015, let's read ALL THE BOOKS!!!

and on that note, i'm going to sign off for today. This is the point where i should probably make a lot of promises I won't keep about how i intent to blog more next year and post better content etc blah blah blah. But i'm not going to do that.

I will try to blog more frequently but that's about as much as I can offer, so until next time, or in this case next year, so long and thanks for reading

and I would also like to wish you the Happiest of New Years tomorrow evening, however you do or do not decide to spend it!

Buzz Buzz

Hello dearhearts, back again. It seems like I might be able to churn out a post every fortnight, so for now i'll try and stick to that. As per usual not much has happened over the past few weeks, I really don't do much or go anywhere anymore.

So instead it's another post debuting my latest illustration. And yes you guessed it, it's another Candy Doll, so without any further ado, here she is...

Oh honey honey! She sure was fun to work on, i've spent the past few evenings (and some of the days) finalising the colours and I think i'm about as content with it all as i'll ever be. I'm also fairly sure that her hair turned out this way because it's how i secretly want my hair to look! Pink fading into Blue = BEST!

And only one tattoo! Initially the plan was to cover her arms in inked sleeves but by the time all the colours and patterns were down it was looking a bit busy so I thought this girl didn't need the tattoos creeping up and down her wrists, so she just has the one, a quote by Victor Hugo - "Life is the flower for which love is the honey.”

She's also a lot brighter than most of the recent girls, the first colour draft had her in pastel rainbow shades with frosted pink lipstick. But once I altered the hair colour I knew she was going to have to be decked out in bolder hues than candy pastels.

recently people have asked me why my Candy Doll girls always have the same or really similar expression on their faces and the answer is kind of simple, A) artist laziness, it's easier to duplicate the same face over and over again than to keep coming up with new ones, B) it keeps them looking similar and part of a series, which is the whole point really.

The idea is that they're this bunch of anonymous girls, different but with similar intimidating stares regardless of their hair, skin or outfit colours. They stare out at whoever is looking at them, so sometimes the easiest way to get that across is to keep the face the same (or barely different) for each girl. 

It's also because my method of working has changed a lot since I first started drawing the Candy Dolls (in 2012) back then I would draw the entire lineart on paper then scan it in and alter it in Photoshop and Illustrator, now I still start with a pencil sketch but it's usually just spaced out bits and pieces on a sheet of A4 and I often don't know what i'll use it for until I actually start working on it. At which point i'll add in all the necessary elements until I have a finished piece.

For example, (sorry if you're not interested because I'm going to explain it anyway!) the latest illustration was almost entirely drawn in photoshop using the trackpad on my macbook, the only part I drew on paper was the hands and wrists, the scan of which sat on my desktop for over a month before I randomly starting adding to it last Friday evening.

Here is the image I spotted on pinterest that originally inspired the piece + the lineart I drew and scanned in next to it on the left.

So as you can see I didn't really have much to work with to begin with, I just knew that I wanted to draw a girl holding up a frame, peering through the gap. So when I finally started adding in a body shape, a face and a cascade of hair, I didn't know what the theme would be. It wasn't until I drew in stripes for the skirt (to make a rainbow) that I thought about bumblebees. Ironic for someone who has a massive fear of bees and wasps and doesn't like the taste of honey!

Regardless, I added in some flowers to mask the frame and it seemed to work so I tried out the honeycomb pattern and this is how she ended up. I also spend an inordinate amount of my time in the early hours of the morning reading stuff on Buzzfeed so who knows, maybe it subliminally left the word 'buzz' flying around my mind.

As you can see the end lineart is dramatically different to the original sketch/scan. I like seeing what i can accomplish on a computer though, it makes me feel slightly less troubled by my crappy real-life drawing skills! I mean i'm still drawing the illustration, just not with an actual physical pen or pencil.

But that's just how I work now, i've always been a clumsy drawer and I find it easier to get a neater line on my macbook than on paper with pencil and pen. I've tried using drawing tablets but I can't get as good an effect with those as I can with my trackpad. It's probably just my stubbornness to change, hopefully one day i'll find it easier to draw looser and messier, i'd love to have a go at a comic but it would take me even longer in my usual drawing style.

Anyway she's now available in my Society6 shop on tees and bags and cases and stuff + there's currently Free Worldwide Shipping on all the cool stuff in my Society6 shop for the rest of the day!

So what else has been happening, well like I said at the start, not much. Oh but I was nominated for the Ice Bucket Challenge by Mama Boylan, which I dutifully did, here's proof of my drenching! i can confirm that there was half a bag of ice in the water which came from the garden hose, brrrrr!

I also took the opportunity to donate to ALS and the MND Association (for the UK). I know it's a gimmicky thing to do the challenge but it's for a really good cause that's increasing awareness of the disease and it's amazing how much money has been raised so far to help with research and people living with the disease.

the only other thing of any note was that I got 8 new books last week, and new books are always cause for excitement in my world! I've already read 4 of them so I should probably save the other 4 for my trip to Coventry this week. I can't wait to see my family over there. It will be nice to get away for a bit, if only for a few days.

Here's a snap of the bookstack on my desk.

Speaking of my desk, it's getting a bit out of hand! I keep rearranging it but the 'things' are beginning to stack up into dizzying towers of clutter, I think i'll have to invest in a new (and much bigger) desk soon!

Although I still managed to find room for this little fella, Norman the novelty Cactus, such a dapper chap!Seriously i cannot begin to convey how excited i was when i spotted this freaking cactus while shopping in town. It's a cactus wearing sunglasses. it has a moustache and a party parasol. it is BRILLIANT!

Ok well y'all can probably expect a post during my stay in Coventry or one once I get back to the island, either way I will hopefully find something to post about over the next couple of weeks. I'll no doubt be posting a heap of pictures to my Instagram feed while i'm away, it's probably where I post stuff the most, so if you want to keep up with me on my trip then I suggest you go click 'Follow'.


Alrighty then, time for me to shut up.

So until next time, thanks for stopping by!