Books and more Books ★

wow, so i've not been on here for a while... again! and this time i don't even have the excuse of being stuck in a hotel room without internet access!

the truth is... i have been verrry very busy! busy with college work, busy with commissions, busy getting more merch sorted, busy busy busy!

every morning i wake up and think "ooh i'll do a blog today" and then by the time i get home i just want to crawl into bed, or i have commission stuff to work on so i've no time to post on here!

anyway, no matter, i'm here now!

i thought i'd share some shots of what i've been flicking through lately, you all know what a sucker i am for books, well while i was away last week i got hold of 3 gorrrrgeous new Arty books!

first up, i treated myself to this gloriously illustrated copy of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'

AIW has always been one of my favourite books and i just couldn't resist this copy illustrated by the incredibly talented Camille Rose Garcia

i've been friends with Camille on Facebook since i was about 16 so i've really grown to adore her intricately beautiful artwork for the past 4 years, i absolutely LOVE the way she's illustrated AIW, it's incredible!

so gothic and very dark for a story that is full of strange goings on and impossible worlds, it's great to see an illustrator really pick up on the often scary and utterly psychedelic themes in the book for once, instead of just sugar coating them

there's something so delicously creepy about the way Camille has illustrated the story, from Alice's spider-leg eyelashes and pointed fingers to the delicate gothic details that swirl around the pages

it's just gorgeous! 

to see more of Camille's work click here - Camille Rose Garcia

and to get your hands on a copy of this truly divine book, click here - Book Shop

then, while i was in Birmingham last week meeting my Aunt, she treated me to 2 fabulous new books as an early Xmas present (seeing as i won't see her again until after xmas, she's let me have them early!!!)

there's the very awesome 'Pens are my Friends' by one of my favourite British artists, the supreme doodle overlord, Jon Burgerman

i have wanted this book for so long it's unreal!!! i absolutely LOVE it though, it's total genius

it also comes with a little mini doodle booklet + a DVD/CD rom chock full of awesome animations and a whole heap of groovy wallpapers and icons!

and would you believe, the book cover itself actually folds out into a big poster! modelled here by Mr Jon Burgerman himself, what a clever doodler he is!

to get your own copy of this marvellously colourful compendium of doodling magic, click here - Burgerplex 

and then the very lovely Auntie M also got me this fabby dabby book of Burlesque Poster Design 'The Art of Tease'

it's another book that i've been after for a while, and it doesn't disappoint! i flicked through it from cover to cover on the train ride home from Birmingham, not sure if the people sat across from me thought it was appropriate train reading material... but oh well!!!

i for one really loved it! interesting to see so many old posters as well as some gorgeous new ones!

to get a copy of the book, go ahead and click here - Korero

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not much else to report on that i can think of, hopefully in a few days i'll be able to share some of the commission stuff i've been working on, i can think of 2 things in particular that i'm sure you'd all enjoy!

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

Creative Café #13 ★

hi-de-hi lovely readers! apologies for how quiet i've been over the past few days, i've been rindonkulously busy working on comissions + helping out in the grand spring (summer... autumn?!) clean of Casa Boylan!

the house is particularly spic-and-span now though so i figured it was about time i posted a lovely new Creative Café feature!

it's a super duper one today so go on, go and get your tea/coffee/juice box

grab a biscuit (or two, or the tin...) maybe get some cake or if you're feeling healthy, grab some fruit!

settle down and prepare to be delighted by the very fabulous and very darling 'Dupenny'

now for some inexplicable reason, i only discovered the sheer brilliance that is 'Dupenny' last week when i received an email from a lovely lady named Emma who suggested that i take a look at 'Dupenny' since she thought i might appreciate it...

and boy was she right!!! i'd barely spent five minutes on the site before i'd emailed Emma, who works for 'Dupenny' back and BEGGED her to let me do a full feature on the brand here on my blog.

luckily... she said yes! and i'm glad that she did because i just know that you are all going to LOVE the Dupenny stuff!!!

so what is it all about?! i hear you cry...

well, Dupenny was founded in 2009 by Emily Dupen-Hopkins, and is based by the sea in Brighton, UK.

apparently, the super duper people that work there "spend days thinking up curious themes, doodling pretty pictures and above all loving what they do"

well i don't know about you, but sounds like the most perfect job in the world to me!!!

all i know is that i am in LOVE with everything on the Dupenny website and am now pretty adamant that i need their wallpaper in just about EVERY room in my house!!!

their designs are just incredible! the most gorgeously illustrated pinup and burlesque type girls, housewives and fashionistas covering cushions, plates and the walls! i love it all!!!

"Dupenny’s products continue to be delivered to the highest of standards. Their luxurious wallpaper is digitally printed onto top grade paper, which benefits from a double-coated finish, resulting in the highest quality and providing protection against general wear and tear. With a light wipe down, any marks caused by grubby little hands can be effortlessly removed. And it gets better - Dupenny wallpaper is a paste-the-wall product so there’s no need to get messy. This simple application process beats the old fashioned method of pasting the paper without a doubt"

"With recent requests for their exquisite wallpaper and cushions from two of London’s most prestigious department stores, Liberty and Fortnum & Mason, Dupenny’s designs are now sitting comfortably amongst some of the world’s most celebrated designers and are almost certain to stand out on the shelves"

well we all know i like to badger on and on in these posts so i'll hush up now while you look through some of the fabulous items Dupenny have to offer...

isn't it all so fabulous!!! and oh my golly gosh do i want it all! YESYESYES!

Dupenny is the kind of brand that i can only dream of one day having and i hope that someday my illustrations and designs will be available on wacky wallpapers, comfy cushions and awesome aprons too! 

so it's safe to say that the geniuses behind Dupenny officially just became my new idols!!!

to see the full range of gorgeous homewares and wallpapers, or to treat yourself to a little something, head on over to the super Dupenny website here - Dupenny

you can also follow them on Twitter - @Dupenny

+ 'Like' them on Facebook - Dupenny

there's also a fab blog to keep up to date with new designs and products - Dupenny Blog

Dupenny will also be at Goodwood Revival,  from the 16th-18th of September

massive MASSIVE thanks to the lovely Emma for emailing me in the first place + for saying yes about the feature and big thanks to the fabulous Emily for setting up such a wonderful brand in the first place! :) x

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

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in other news... well i haven't left the house in well over a week so actually there IS no other news!!!

come on... what did you expect from a boring recluse like me!

hopefully i'll find something to do this week and then i can tell you all about it!!!

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

Creative Café #1 ★

ok so i know i was supposed to post yesterday but it actually wasn't my fault that i couldn't because i was waiting on a reply from the artist i was going going to talk about

the good news is that she replied so i'll post about her today instead!

i've decided to start a new regular feature, since 'super sundays' have been on hiatus since. . . well i can't even remember when, i thought it was about time we had a new one!

i'm calling it 'Creative Café' since the idea is that you make a cup of coffee or tea settle down and get to see some lovely work by an artist/illustrator/photographer/graphic designer that you otherwise might not have heard of

i'm fortunate enough to know and network with so many talented creative types so i thought this would be a nice way of featuring some of them

i don't know if it will be a weekly thing, a fortnightly thing or an 'every-couple-of-days' thing yet but you can be sure there'll be several 'Creative Café' posts popping up over the next few weeks

so without any further ado i shall get on with the post. . .

today i want to share a super duper artist with her, you all know how much i love all things Burlesque and Pinup so when you see her work you'll understand the appeal straightaway

today it's all about the fabulous Charlotte Thomson 

Charlotte is a fine artist, illustrator and event organiser working out of Nottinghamshire, UK. 

she creates the most stunning sketches, paintings and digital designs of Burlesque and Pinup girls + her work is so pretty and fun, her girls are so amazing and each one has their own unique character and style

i only discovered her work recently when an old IOM College student sent me an email with a couple of artists to look up (yes you will find out about the others soon enough) and i just adored her work straight away

it isn't hard to see why either. . .

her work just has this quirky, fun vibe. the Burlesque and Pinup girls are a little bit naughty, dangerously curvy and undeniably sexy

her designs are so cute and girly, and you just know that they'd ALL look amazing as tattoos! i have a terrible phobia of needles but if i were ever brave enough to get a tattoo i'd love it to be one of Charlotte's Burlesque or Pinup gals

Charlotte uses lots of different mediums to create her artwork. these include: pen and ink, graphite pencil, acrylic, watercolour and diluted ink as well as digital techniques

she designs for websites and publications as well as exclusive commissions for Burlesque dancers, models, Brides and just about anyone else that fancies a funky bespoke portrait or character

some of her work also has this beautifully delicate quality to it as well, i just really really love the way she draws people. . .

some of her Bridal portraits are so divine though! what a lovely way to commemorate your day, with a one off Bridal portrait of you looking a million dollars!

ok you know what, i always ramble on in these posts so i'm just going to let you look through Charlotte's beautiful artwork by yourself. . . enjoy!

pretty darn gorgeous right!!!

anyway for more info on Charlotte + to keep up to date with all her amazing artwork (or to commission yourself a little something) head on over to her website here - Charlotte Thomson

you can also 'Like' her Facebook page here - Charlotte Thomson Art and Illustration

or follow her on twitter to keep up to date with all her arty news - @charlotteart

massive thanks to Charlotte for letting me feature her.

ALL images featured here belong to Charlotte Thomson © All Rights Reserved. Do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or trace any of her work without her written consent.

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so there you go, the blogs first EVER 'Creative Café' post

look out for the next one, i already have a list of people i'm just dying to feature so stay tuned for more 'CC' posts

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in other news. . .

take a look at this new Rockalily artwork

does it look familiar. . . well it should do, because I designed it!!!

late last night the lovely ReeRee over at Rockalily (more about her here - hairclips and lipsticks) sent me an email asking if i'd have a go at a lipstick logo design, 

i drew it out last night around midnight and spent this morning working on it, et voila!!!

it's now on the @rockalilylondon Twitter page and the Rockalily Facebook page

pretty groovy right!

i still can't believe she asked me to do it!!!!

it was so much fun to work on a design for a brand i actually really like and use

get your hands on a Rockalily lipstick of your very own right here - Buy Rockalily

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not much else to report today dearies, i'm heading out to the Imelda May gig tomorrow night so i shall no doubt be telling you all about that on Wednesday

but for now, that's all folks . . . ◕‿◕ ★ xX