the 107 year old book ★

today i'm going to share a couple of awesome old photographs with you all

my lovely friend Liz, who is a fellow HNDer at college, kindly let me borrow this amazing old (really old) book since she knows what a sucker i am for books in general (seriously, all the awesome HNDers lend me books all the time, i'm so lucky!)

it's a book called 'Women at Home' and it was printed/published in 1904 (i told you it was old!)

once i'd gotten over the fact i was holding something more than 100 years old in my hands i set about carefully flicking through the pages to see what i could find

at Liz's request i didn't scan any of the pages since opening the book fully would undoubtedly crack the spine, (which would be disastrous in a book this old) but she said i was welcome to snap as many photos of it as i wanted

so . . . that's exactly what i did! and when you see the photos i'm hoping that you'll understand why

in short, this book is chock full of the most gorgeous photographs and paintings and illustrations!!!

most of the photos are of European aristocracy but the book is also full of stories, wonderful illustrations and the most amazing fashion pages depicting the current Parisian fashion trends at the time of publication

i actually LOVE this book! (ok Jade time to shut up and let them see the pictures!)

 

pretty divine right! though obviously i have my top favourites! these are among them . . .

and now i'll stop!

the book itself is a little time worn and looks completely at odds with the grace, elegance and splendour it hides within its pages

anyway, i loved it! massive MASSIVE thanks to Liz for giving me the opportunity to look through such an amazing book + the chance to share this little bit of historic beauty with you all . . .

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in other news, i recently completed a logo design commission for a local Cupcake company and have permission to share a sneak peek of it with you all

the lovely Sarah from Cupcake Creations asked me to design a little logo for her

now i've tried one of these cupcake creations myself and not only did it taste truly scrumptious, it also looked divine!

those of you that are regular readers of this blog might remember the name 'Cupcake Creations' from this post a while back - Things that begin with 'S' head over to that post to see some photos i snapped of the uber yummy little cupcakes that day

anyway i came up with about 6 different designs for Sarah and she picked this one to be the new logo

for more cupcakey goodness get yourself over to Cupcake Creations and have a skeet at their delectable cupcake galleries

or follow them on twitter @CCIOM to keep up with all the delicious cupcake news

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and what else i hear you cry?! well feast your eyes on this . . .

yes folks that there is a logo stamp . . . with MY logo!!!

not going to pretend that i didn't squeal and jump about when the box arrived this afternoon

and as you can see, i've been stamping away to my hearts content!

made this as well, using the new 'JADE' stamp + some lovely art stamps my mum bought me a few days ago

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not much else to say today dearies

i finally went back to college yesterday to find that my desk had been ransacked of all it's girly, pinup loveliness!

nah, they just had to take my board down so that the younger students can have it for FMP (charming!!!) but it gave me the chance to do a little redecorating, even if it's not quite right . . . yet!

i've not been too well today hence the day at home spent getting print quotes and sewing stuff

hoping to go in tomorrow though . . . i need to tackle the art dept printer!

whether i do or i don't though, here is the state of my 'home' desk today, any guesses as to what it is i've been making?!

ok well while you work it out i'm going to head off and sit at my desk for a bit staring blankly out of the window at the rainy garden and have some daydreams . . .

that's all folks ◕‿◕ ★

Super Sunday #4 ♥

so... i've been a very BAD blogger again haven't i! to be fair i have been kind of busy these past few days, that and the fact that i haven't been feeling too well (cue sympathetic 'aaaaaahhhs' from you all) anyway, it's Sunday and that means only one thing...

it's time for another 'Super Sunday' dedication!

so without any further ado... i'm delighted to announce that this weeks 'Super Sunday' post is all about the fabulously stylish, incredibly awesome and utterly drop dead gorgeous super duper star... Dita Von Teese

i am a huuuuuge fan of the lovely Dita, i really genuinely do adore her style and think she has such wonderful fashion sense, she is basically one of my top idols! i just adore her

believe it or not but she's the very  first Burlesque/Pinup style gal i EVER attempted to draw THAT is how fabulous she is!

that's right folks... it's the fantabulous fashion and super duper style of la Dita that first inspired me to have a go at drawing Burlesque Girls so i have a lot to thank her for really, even though she doesn't realise it!

so what is it about her that makes her so damn fabulous...

well for a start she's just generally awesome! did i mention that! i mean ok the reason i'm doing this post now instead of years and years ago is because i FINALLY bought myself a copy of her super book 'Burlesque and the art of the Tease' last Wednesday during the xmas shopping spree.

i've flicked through it literally dozens of times at college as my fashion tutor Billee has a copy in her classroom but i've never really had a chance to properly read the book until now

but don't think i'm only a recent fan of her amazingness... i've been a HUGE fan of the lovely Dita for quite a few years now, ever since i first spotted a pic of her out shopping, dressed impeccably and looking as amazing as ever on some American fashion blog!

that's another thing that makes her so super duper... she ALWAYS looks good, no matter what she's doing or where she is, she always looks stylish and perfectly coiffed and made-up, she just exudes this timelessly sexy glamour and charm

she really is one of the most stylish and glamourous women in the world... as far as i'm concerned she is anyway!

she advocates glamour all the time (little quote from her book there... she claims to advocate glamour all the time and i don't think ANYONE can argue with that fact!)  whether she's performing on stage or just out on a shopping trip, she just exudes this total sense of glamour and style!

she's so timeless as well, with her dark hair, dark eyebrows, porcelain skin and ruby red lips, she could have stepped straight out of a silent movie from the 20's

it's a rarity in today's modern society to find a starlet with such an iconic, classic look and so much charisma and sex appeal, but Dita definitely has it... in spades!

she really knows how to dress to impress as well, always dressing in finely tailored outfits designed to show off her curves, teamed with a pair of killer heels + all the proper underpinnings (stockings, suspenders, basques, slips, waspies, corsets etc etc)  and with her beautifully set hair, flawless skin, glossy crimson nails and her signature red lipstick she always looks incredible no matter what!

it's an incredible feat but she pulls it off rather splendidly i'm sure you'll agree, looking that good ALL the time can't be easy but she manages it with apparent ease... and with a truly marvellous wardrobe to boot!

whether she's rocking a svarokski encrusted corset...

or a designer dress and a pair of Louboutins...

she ALWAYS looks good!

so all i can say is...

long live la Dita!

if you j'adore Dita's style as much as i do then i recommend you get yourself a copy of her book, whether or not you're a fan of Burlesque, it's worth a read either way really since it's just so magnifique et merveilleux!

also... pop over to her official website for a skeet at all things Dita related - Dita Von Teese

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in other news...

my little cousin Sienna came to stay again this weekend!

 here she is modeling her brand new cupcake apron (from the delightful shop, 'Pomegranate' in Onchan, Isle of Man) that i bought her a few weeks ago after my trip to the dentist (my dentist is also in Onchan... in case you were wondering how that was relevant)

we had a great fun on Saturday mooching around the shops in Douglas, we also headed over to the fabulous little Christmas market that was set up along North Quay next to the harbour. 

there were some gorgeous things to see, lots of super craft stalls + a verrrrry yummy cupcake stall.

i also got to meet the lovely Karen Tomlinson aka purplecats corner 

she had a great stall filled with fabulous prints of her pretty artwork + lots of magnets and bookmarks. she also had some original pieces there for sale and really i'm sad that i couldn't get one! 

but after my Christmas shopping day on Wednesday i am literally penniless...

it was lovely to meet her anyway 

you can check out Karen's adorable paintings and prints here on her blog - purplecats corner

or head over to her etsy shop and treat yourself to something pretty - Purplecatscorner etsy

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anyway, today we took Sienna back to Groudle Glen Railway for the annual 'Santa Trains'

now you may remember that earlier this year we took Sienna to the 'Teddy Bear's Picnic Trains' which she absolutely L-O-V-E-D! you can read about that here - Super Duper Train Times

since she loved that trip so much i promised she could go to the Santa ones as well! in fact some of you may remember that i actually created the artwork for the Groudle Glen Railway website a few months ago (you can see it here) - GGR 

anyway we took her down there just before lunch, it was quite a hike through the Glen to the station but it was worth it. the station was covered in multi-coloured fairy lights with Christmas songs playing to add to the festive atmosphere. 

all the Railway volunteers were decked out in their smart uniforms with the added fun of some Santa hats! in fact... Santa himself was there with a few elves handing out presents and sweeties to all the little boys and girls... although Sienna wouldn't go and see him so my mum had to go and get the present instead!

it was still a fun trip though, the train was absolutely packed! it was so festive and Christmassy, a super duper day out indeed, 

so if you live on the Isle of Man i highly recommend you get yourself down to the Groudle Glen Railway next Saturday or Sunday for the last of the Santa Trains (a shameless plug i know but... it's so worth it!) you can pre-book your tickets online here - Ticket Office

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and that's pretty much it for today, a busy day but a fun one nonetheless

i'm staying at home tomorrow on account of today's busy day, that and the fact that i want to sleep in tomorrow morning... it's ok, i'm going into to College on Tuesday so it's aaaaall good!

enjoy the rest of your Sunday, wherever in the world you are

that's all folks...

♥ ◕‿◕ ♥

Dank uwel en vaarwel

(that's thank you and goodbye in Flemish on behalf of Belgium, i've visited Belgium several times staying all over the place, it's a gorgeous country and i look forward to visiting it again soon, dank u xX)