Desk Life ♥

hello chums, just thought i'd throw together a quick blog post before I head off on my annual travels through the UK to France and on to Andorra and Spain. I don't leave until Thursday but i'll be super busy tomorrow packing and stuff (or more likely reading all night and then packing at the last minute!) so I'll do a blog tonight instead.

i've mentioned it before on here a few times but last year I FINALLY bought myself a proper desk so that I have a place to work and also to display some of the random colourful junk i've collected over the years. You might be thinking 'who cares about a stupid desk' but it's my blog and I really like my desk so I'm gonna talk about it a bit and post some photos so if you're dead inside and hate anything fun, then you don't have to stay here...

 

So back to the desk. As an artist i'm quite a visual person (wow there's a surprise!) and I like to have lots of inspiring things near or around me when I work to help give me ideas or just to brighten things up a bit. I'm fortunate enough to have a retired painter and decorator for a dad which means the wallpaper in my room is utterly hideous and won't be replaced any time soon. So I long ago resolved to cover every available inch of it with as much random crap as I can muster. Hence the walls full of stuff!

 

I tend to keep a mix of items around my desk, you'll notice quite a bit of my own work pinned up along with designs from other artists I admire or just general bits n' bobs people have sent me or i've collected on my travels. Although I have a separate space to paint in (which sadly has walls i'm NOT allowed to decorate with cool stuff!) my desk is where I come up with most of my ideas for designs and products. It is for all intents and purposes, precisely where the magic happens.



I know i'm not the only artist that works this way, in fact most of my arty/illustrator/designer friends have similar desks or studio spaces chock full of items they've acquired over the years. I'm not sure about them but I know that I find it really helpful to have a heap of cool stuff in front of me while i'm working on a design or making something.



I'm lucky enough to have some very generous creative friends who've sent me all sorts of nice stuff like fun prints, postcards and groovy stickers! I stick most of this stuff up next to my desk to help with colour palettes and you know, because it looks pretty! And if YOU had hideous skin disease wallpaper then you'd probably slather pictures all over your walls as well.

I'm a big kid at heart and i'll probably never really grow up, so you'll also spot plenty of daft toys on my desk, like my trio of Monster High girls and my mini popobe bear collection. There's quite a lot of Geeky stuff as well, like fanart and other homages to various fandoms. I also keep my 'thinking crown' handy for those times when creative block strikes, I pop on the glitter crown and issues usually resolve themselves. And if they don't, who cares, i'm wearing a crown, nothing matters.

The desk is also home to my beloved Pullip doll and a whole host of other critters including Catbug, Puppycat, Paddy the gnome, my Lego Ghostbusters set, Moomin family, Sailor Moon, Toothless the dragon, Maurice the monkey, Arale, Jack the giant Popobe bear, Tofu Dolls, Dunny figures, oh and a Tardis because why not?!

it might look like a cluttered nightmare but it's surprisingly well organized (for me!) and I have quick access to all of the bits I need to create stuff and if I can't find something then I just shuffle through it all and swear profusely until I can. It's a very successful if entirely inelegant system of organization, typical to most artists. 



you might also spot Tom Hiddleston's face lurking on the desk as well, this was a recent gift from my friend Lorna as sadly the real Tom Hiddleston wasn't available, apparently. You might ask 'but Jade, why so much stuff everywhere?' and all I can say is that as far as i'm concerned, if it's not teeming with stacks of random stuff then it's not a real desk!

you might also think that i'm not left with much space after all that junk, and i'd like to take a moment to ask why on earth you're so judgmental but instead I will tell you that despite the clutter I manage just fine...

Now onto the other reason I wanted to do a post tonight, yes that's right, I lured you here under false pretences only to ambush you with something else entirely! As I mentioned at the start, i'm off on my holibobs this week which means i'll be closing the shop for a bit. However, i'm going to the post office in the morning so if you've been hankering for a treat or need to buy a present for someone, this is your last chance until the end of the month!

And as a special sweetener, i'm throwing in a FREE Girl Gang sticker with every order + EVERY purchase gets a 20% off voucher for their next order!So i'm not sure what you're waiting for, go buy something cute! SHOP NOW

and on that happy and colourful note i'll say goodbye, I won't have proper internet access while i'm away but i'll do my best to post stuff over on my Instagram page so if you want to see what I get up to on my holiday, then maybe you should follow me on there!

so until next time, that's all folks! speak to you all again soon...

Spring & Summer Fashion times

it's become a bit of a tradition here on my blog over the past couple of years that every new season i run a post featuring shots from the latest collection by one of my favourite fashion designers, the very fabulous and super duper Austrian designer Lena Hoschek




i see no reason to break the tradition now so today i thought i'd share some of the gorgeousness that is her S/S 2012 collection!

this is the 4th time i'll have blogged about her designs, to read the previous posts and see the lovely past collections follow the links. A/W 2010 Hats and Happy Times, S/S 2011 50's Fashion for Spring and A/W 2011 Autumn Fashion

anyway on with the new designs! i say this every season but i think the lovely Lena might have outdone herself (once again!) this year

the new collection is divine! super girly and feminine with flirty colours and cuts + pretty nautical stripes, polka dots, florals and funky patterns

Lena's collection shoots are always absolutely fabulous, i'm loving the Italian location for this year's collection, clearly shot on and around the beautiful lake Valvestino in Gargnano in Northern Italy

so far i think my favourite pieces from the collection might just be the peppermint candy striped blouse and skirt (although maybe not together...)

since they remind me of Mary Poppins' when they all go on the carousel, Mary's dress is white and red + Bert has a candy stripe jacket on. (yes so i'm a sad geek, move on, embrace it...) i just love these pieces! i especially love the skirt and i might just really REALLY need it in my life (i wish!)

anyway we all know i'm a big Lena Hoschek fan, so without any further rambling and nonsensical gushing from me, have a little look at some of the glorious new designs for S/S 2012

isn't it all gorrrrgeous! 

once again, the amazing photographs are by the Austrian photography team - Lupi Spuma 

and to see the rest of the collection + to find out a bit more about the lovely Lena, check out her official website here - Lena Hoschek

and to see past collections + to buy your very own piece of Lena Hoschek loveliness,  (+ the A/W 2011 collection is currently on sale... ) you can head over to the shop here - Lena Hoschek Shop

oh and be sure to 'Like' the Facebook page - Lena Hoschek

All images featured in this post are from Lena Hoschek©

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so there you have it, more ridiculously pretty and gorgeous clothes that i can daydream about owning

oh and i know i said the blog was going on mini hiatus but i couldn't resist sharing the new collection with you all 

so until next time, bearing in mind that i genuinely have no idea when that'll be, that's all folks... xX

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)

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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