Coventry Times ★

phew! it's been a busy few days, trying to get everything sorted for going away + finishing off some commissions and stuff

i haven't slept properly since yesterday morning when i woke up... i always seem to stay awake 24hrs when i'm about to catch a boat anywhere... so i'm a little highly strung at the moment, to say the least

anyway, we (myself + my dear mama) finally made it to Coventry late this afternoon, it's been miserable weather lately but there was a colourful welcome waiting for us as we reached our destination

the picture really doesn't do it justice, it was such an incredible rainbow! a double one, and the arcs reached right back into 2 full rainbows, brilliant stuff!

i also have 2 new drawing things to share with you

i got bored in the small hours of this morning while a big thunder/lightning storm raged outside and so i drew some little Kokeshi dolls...

i also wanted to do something with my Matryoshka dolls but i'm not too sure of the result...

i think i prefer them by themselves!

other than that there's also the first in a series of 'possible' xmas card designs

i started the drawings for them all back in August just after i got back from my trip to Ireland, but despite listening to my 'Christmas Music' playlist on repeat all day, i just couldn't really get into the festive spirit so i abandoned them!

i'm attempting to take them up again now but i may end up leaving it, not sure yet!

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oh oh AND when i arrived in Coventry i found an email waiting for me directing me to a nice little feature of my work from 'The Young Creatives'

Meet 20-year-old freelancerJADE BOYLAN.

When she’s not illsustrating/blogging/writing/designing, Jade can be found reading/baking/collecting/watching Formula 1. ‘I kind of suck at proper hobbies,’ she says although we could not disagree more.

Jade spends most of her money buying books. ‘When I’m not buying or reading books, I’ll probably be drawing, watching movies, or writing books of my own! Books, books, books!’

Oh, and one last thing: she just can’t STAND celery...

these are just the images from it, the actual interview bit was v fun to do, you can see the full feature + read it all here - TYC

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right and i think that's it for now, tonight i plan to sit in my hotel room and sleep... lots! 

tomorrow i think i'm off to see my big sister + my nieces and nephew so that should be suuuuper!

so until next time, 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

T-shirt Feature + other stuff ★

so... i'm all alone at Chateau Boylan keeping myself occupied by watching near endless 80's/90's movie marathons, reading stacks of magazines and books + drinking a hell of a lot of tea

my parents have gone away for 2 weeks so i'm looking after the house/plants/birds/fish

i've also spent most of the past few days on 'Google +' sorting out my links and circles, if you have a G+ account be sure to add me on there - Jade on Google +

oh and if you DO have a G+ account don't forget to hit the +1 button at the bottom of the post

anyway, i remember last Saturday or Sunday or whenever it was that i said i'd show you my new Princess design

well as you can see, she's based on the big sister of the little Cupcake Princess and is as girly and as pink as ever!!!

but i also did a variation, this one is a little on the dark side though! 

who knows, maybe they're sisters and one's Kawaii and girly while the other is all Gothic lolita!

I have been listening to the 'Wicked' soundtrack a lot lately though so i'm guessing that i've maybe been a little inspired by Glinda and Elphaba!!!

but today i spent most of the afternoon on Society 6 putting things in my shop on there, but the groovy thing about it is that as well as prints and stretched canvases, you can also upload your designs to be sold on iPhone and iPod cases/skins, macbook/laptop/iPad skins and t-shirts/hoodies

check out my stuff on some of these bits and bobs... 

funky stuff right! hhhm, kind of makes me wish i had an iPhone JUST so i could get one of my designs on a case/skin (sad but true!)

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in other news, today my work was featured on the super duper Tee Gazette site!!!

the lovely Jared over at Tee Gazette and Design Juices asked me last week if i'd be up for a feature on the site for my tee designs from red bubble and all tropical

so of course i said YES!!!

it's a nice feature and i was very chuffed to be asked to take part in it :)

you can see my red bubble shop here - Red Bubble

anyway to read the full feature + see all the tee designs you can check it out here - Artist Spotlight: Jade Boylan

oh and if by chance you have an 'All Tropical' account, could you be a star and vote for my pinwheels design on there??? - RATE RATE RATE

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not much else to report for today, i'm hoping to actually leave the house tomorrow, providing my friend Jenny can come and pick me up!

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