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

Christmas Cards ★

so it appears to have been over a week since i last did a blog post... i probably should have announced my mini hiatus but i forgot to so, sorry for that! i haven't posted for a couple of reasons...

1. i've not been very well over the past fortnight, i went to college for the first time yesterday in over a week so THAT is why i haven't posted anything

2. i've been finishing off some commissions, trying to get stuff done before Xmas

3. i've been working on new character designs for college

4. i forgot... ok well i didn't forget about the blog i just kept forgetting to get off my bum and write a blog post! but i'm here now so that's all that matters right?!

i'll stop rambling and try to get on with the post!

first up, you may have noticed the Festive new banner at the top of the blog

well, there's also a stack of Xmas Cards to match it! 

the cards are appropriately festive with their little poinsettia patterned plates full of Xmas biscuits

each one comes with a red envelope + has 'Merry Christmas' printed inside

now available in my Etsy Shop

+ if you fancy getting one to send to someone, now's the time since i'm still offering 15% off ALL orders in my shop when you use discount code FESTIVEFUN

but it's only valid until the 15th of December so don't leave it too late!!!

(international customers only really have until the 8th or 9th to get their orders in for delivery in time for Xmas)

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as well as the Xmas cards, some more stuff arrived today including some funky new candy coloured business cards!

i may have mentioned before... several times, that i am a bit of a business cards addict! but then again they ALWAYS come in handy and i'm always running out of them so it's ok for me to get more, that's how i always justify it to myself anyway!

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so i've been working on some new commissions stuff lately as well as stuff for college! 

i had a new Vintage Home Show flyer to whip up for Keeley 

then Jared over at Design Juices asked me to have a go at a festive e-card design for the blog, this was the result...

it was great fun to draw! i especially liked doing the xmas lights!!! i also designed a Facebook banner + Twitter icon/background to match!

oh and remember the Irish pin-up girl tattoo?!

well this is how she's looking so far as Emma's actual tattoo! (+ loving the tattoo artists tweaks to the shamrock + the tiny triskelion/3 legs of Mann on the pinup's  thigh! the perfect mash up of Manx and Irish)

i'll keep you posted on it's progress!

also, if you're local and stuck for something to do this weekend, head to Groudle Glen Railway on Sunday for the first day of their fab annual Santa Trains! 

(i wish i could go but i'll be in Birmingham instead!) 

oh and you can book your discounted tickets online now via the railway's official website - GGR

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that's it for today

over the next few days i'm hoping to make it over to Coventry, Birmingham and Manchester to visit family, drop xmas presents off + do some shopping! 

however, the weather here is so dire at the moment all of the boats keep getting cancelled! fingers crossed i don't get completely trapped here...

i'll also be posting some of the new character designs i'm working on so keep an eye out for those!

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

Sweet Ginger Strips ★

so yesterday was quite possibly one of the nicest, warmest and sunniest days i've experienced in a long time! i was supposed to spend the day in college essay writing but when i stepped outside i knew i couldn't stay cooped up indoors all day so i spent the day wandering around Douglas town centre instead!

you should know that the weather here in the Isle of Man is almost typically windy/rainy/kind of gloomy, true some years we get lucky and are blessed with smashing summers and lots of sunshine, some years. . . we're not so lucky!

but yesterday. . . it was just sublime!

but unfortunately i left my camera in the car so i couldn't take any pictures of how pretty it was!!!!!!

anyway, do you remember this lil' lady???

well yesterday afternoon i popped up to Sweet Ginger to say hi to Julie and Ciara and i was delighted to see that they'd put up the 'Sweet Ginger Strips' posters 

there's a big ol' poster behind the shop counter and another one in the shop window!!!

but that's not all because they'd also set out all of the 'Sweet Ginger Strips' bags as well!

these are little bags chock full of gorgeous fabric strips that you can use to make whatever the hell you want! 

for example. . . you could plait them together and make cute bracelets or a hair tie, you could stitch them together and make a funky rag purse or scarf, you could sew them into ruffles or roses for handmade rosettes or charms in fact. . . you could use them to make all manner of super duper things!

anyway these bags are super duper awesome and super duper cheap (if you ask me!) so if you live local and fancy a little TT race week project or just fancy some little strips of fabric, head up to the shop and get yourself a bag or two! and just think. . . you'll get your very own 'Sweet Ginger Strips' tag featuring my artwork as well!

oh there are also 'Sweet Ginger Strips' and 'Polka Dots' greetings cards as well :)

i gotta tell you though, it's crazy seeing my drawings printed up on tags and posters in a shop! there are actually 3 posters in all though seeing as the lovely Julie and Ciara also got me a poster of my very own!!!

she's already pinned up in my room (helping to cover up some more of the hideous 'skin disease' wallpaper!!!)

* * *

oh i snapped this pic of Pepe and Sophie as well, they're now happily cooped up in one of the shelves on display in the shop

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while i was in 'Sweet Ginger' i also decided to treat myself to a set of Moomin badges!

i've wanted these badges since i first visited the shop back when Ciara and Julie were still unpacking all the lovely stock, i figured it was about time i got a set, the only thing i have to do now is figure out where i'm going to pin them!

does anyone else remember the Moomins from their childhood?! i know that myself + my friend Courtney have spent countless afternoons attempting to draw them and reminiscing about how cute and slightly scary they were!

most of the people i know that remember the show only seem to remember being freaked out by some of it's characters but i used to love watching the Moomins animation when i was little!

i remember there was a Tove Jansson Moomin comic/story book in the library when i was at primary school and i used to read it over and over again

i know that they recently made a new Moomins film but i've yet to see it, if any of you have seen it let me know what it's like!

and now i'm going to stop going on about the Moomins and go and make some tea!!!

* * *

that's it for today i think, tomorrow i plan to blog about some awesome new artists i've just been told about by an old college student, i think you might like their stuff as much as i do!

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

Cards and Charms ★

oh me oh my . . .

so it's been a quiet week blog wise hasn't it! i genuinely intended to post yesterday evening but blogspot was still down and by the time it came back online i was busy making stuff again!

so what have i been so busy doing? well on Tuesday night i went to my friends exhibition at the Erin Art Centre in Port Erin (it's a fab exhibition by the way so if you live local, go and have a skeet)

but the truth is i've just been cooped up in my sewing cave (bedroom) making things for the past couple of days!!!

for example . . .

yup that's right, at long LONG last i've finally gotten round to sorting some greetings cards with my designs on!!!

there are loads of different designs since i just went a bit trigger happy with the printers AND each card is finished with a little 'JADE' logo sticker

oh, there are A5 ones as well

and each card comes with an envelope + the cards are left blank inside for a personal message

some of the cards will be available on the etsy shop within the next week or so, so for those of you in far off places that think 'oh i'd quite like one of those' do not fear because soon you'll be able to get yourself (or someone else) one

oh and one of these last two designs below holds a special clue to why i've been so busy making things so if you follow my work on Facebook you might be able to figure it all out . . .

because the truth is i HAVE been uber busy making things

i mean we've had the little toadstool necklace charms

the strawberries

and remember Beatrice and Bernadette the Bears??? well meet the rest of the family . . .

and NO they're not all individually named

they are however deliciously adorable and i'll be sad when they're no longer brightening up my room!

so 'what's with all the stuff Jade???' i hear you cry

well i can't really tell you . . . yet

but tomorrow i will be able to so you know. . . be sure to tune in then!

* * *

in other news

look at the gorrrrrrgeous pairs of sunglasses my friend Ciara gave me on Wednesday!!!

aren't they brilliant! ah so retro and funky i LOVE them! currently rocking the black pair every time i leave the house

also . . .

guess who's going to see Imelda May perform live!!!!

MEEEEEEE

my lovely big sister Nicola got us tickets to see Imelda when she comes to the island during the TT, i can't wait! i love her stuff sooooo much, she has this great rockabilly/blues/pop vibe + her sense of style is totally awesome

i've been a big fan of her songs since last summer when i spent 3 weeks in Ireland (Imelda is from Dublin) but if you're unfamiliar with her music, you can check out her website here - Imelda May

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and that's it for today cherubs

tomorrow i shall reveal the super duper secret to you all, although i should imagine that the clever clogs out there will have already worked out what's going on . . . 

enjoy the rest of your weekend!

that's all folks . . .  ◕‿◕ ★