Xmas Wish List 2015 ★

hello darlings, yes it's almost that time of year again, it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. So here's a post featuring some of the delectable treats that i'd love to find under the Christmas tree this year.

As per usual, there's a mix of reasonable (aka affordable) gifts along with some more unattainable (aka super expensive) ones because it's Christmas and I'm allowed to dream! I've also included some of my favourite arty online sellers because Christmas is the perfect time to support small businesses.

You might see something and think 'ooh that's perfect for...' but let me tell you, ALL of the things on the list are perfect for me, I'm just saying!

So Santa Baby if you're reading this, please take note! Because this year I've been an awful good girl...

1. a retro style enamel pin from Hand Over Your Fairy Cakes

I love love LOVE the work of Hand Over Your Fairy Cakes, aka Sally. She always uses lots of fun and bright colours in her work (and we all know how I feel about anything bright and colourful!) and her designs are so cute, I love everything she creates.

I've been lusting after one of her kitschy cute enamel pins for a while now and if you think you'd like one too, you can find them HERE along with all sorts of other cute bits n' bobs!

EDIT: ok so after I started writing this post I actually kind of TREATED myself to the roller skate pin anyway... so I should probably take this one off the list but I'm NOT going to because Sally's work is just so nice. My blog, my rules. On with the list.

2. a Boy Tears cup from Sugar Luxe Shop

if you're a regular reader then you'll know by now that i'm ALL ABOUT the whole Girl Gang and Girl Power thing (you only have to look at my artwork to be able to see it) so this year I would LOVE to add one of these brilliant cups or mugs to my life. I mean, what else am I supposed to drink all the fresh boy tears out of?!

cups and mugs + LOADS of other Girl Gang goodies available HERE

3. A pair of 'my little biker' boots in black from Minna Parikka 

you only need to look at these boots to be able to see why I might want them so badly! Despite using every shade of the rainbow in my work, I rarely dress in any other colour than black or dark blue/red so these boots are PERFECT for me as they combine my love of candy coloured embroidery AND comfortable, functional boots. + you know they'd match my Girl Gang vest perfectly.

They're a little on the pricey side, but you can find them HERE

4. A cute zipper pouch from Danny Brito

I'm a big fan of Danny Brito's work (his instagram feed is always very colourful) and I just love these little handmade zipper pouches! I'd really like one for my handbag, or you know, several... for every handbag.

Anyway, there are loads of different designs to choose from + his shop is filled with other brilliant stuff, available HERE

5. a set of Literary Paper Dolls from Waterstones

yeah, yeah I know... I'm a big geek! But so what. Last year I had a few Poe inspired items on the wish list so it seems only fair that I add something similar this year. This set has 16 different authors including Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare.  I keep seeing these in my local Waterstones and I REALLY want them!

Why? well because I LOVE paper dolls and I LOVE books so obviously I'm going to want these. Available HERE

6. A Bernie Dexter Paris Dress 

I really really really REALLY like this dress. I saw it in the Summer in Cork, Ireland and I really REGRET not getting it when I had the chance, or at least trying it on. It goes against my every instinct to wrap myself up in black from head to toe but It's just so pretty and I wannnnnnnt it!

you can find it HERE along with dozens of other dreamy dresses.

7. A Chameleon necklace from Hello Dodo

This is another one of those things I've been longing to get. I really like Hello Dodo's bright and vibrant designs but I always end up coming back to the 'George the Chameleon' necklace because LOOK AT IT!   

 He would totally match every outfit as well. The ideal accessory, available HERE

8. an Ampersand Colouring Book from Tim Easley

 I'm not really a huge fan of all these 'adult colouring books' floating around at the moment. As someone who basically 'colours in' for a living, they just don't really appeal to me. But if there's two things I love it's typography and a nice bold outline.

Luckily the two are combined to perfection in Tim Easley's magical Ampersand Colouring Book, featuring 32 brilliant original illustrations to colour in! I've been a fan of Tim's work for years and I have several of his stickers and cards dotted about on my 'walls of stuff' but I think he's really done a cracking job on this new colouring book, and I for one would LOVE to colour it in!

if you like colouring stuff in as well, the book is available to order HERE

9. a cute retro style brooch from Luxulite

if you've ever seen any of my outfit post then you'll know that I have a penchant for 50's style flared skirts and vintage tailoring. Well I've been lusting after a Luxulite brooch of my very own for a looooong time now and I recently found out that Katy, the mastermind behind Luxulite, is originally a Manxie as well which has made my love for her pretty brooches grow even more ardent!

red is my favourite colour so one of her classic 'cherry' brooches would make the perfect addition to any outfit! available right HERE

and last but my no means least...

10. a Ghostbusters Firehouse from Lego 

were you honestly expecting anything less? I already have the car so it makes sense that I should have the Firehouse HQ as well. Sure it's going to retail at about £300 but COME ON...
I neeeeeed it, I really, really do!

If I were still a kid (and lets face it, I pretty much am) this would be at the TOP of my wish list to Santa!I don't need to tell you how much I LOVE Ghostbusters! And I definitely LOVE Lego, so I really do genuinely NEED to own this. It takes 4634 pieces of Lego to build one of these, and that is a challenge I'll gladly rise to. As soon as possible really...

so if anyone *cough, mum, cough* wants to be super sweet and generous and buy this for me, it's available for Pre-Order HERE

so there you have it, another year, another list of random stuff I 'probably' won't wake up to on Christmas morning (but who knows?!)

what's at the top of your Xmas Wish List this year???

personally I'm hoping for some new books, pyjamas, maybe some chocolates! You know... if I don't end up with anything off this list ^_^

so until next time, thanks for stopping by, see you again soon (hopefully).

Support your local Girl Gang ♥

that's right folks, i'm back again at long last, after a quiet week spent making things and reading books 84 and 85 of my 2015 reading challenge!But because I love you all, today I took some time out of burying my nose in book number 86 to stop by and put together a quick post for your delectation...

anyway, today I want to share my brand new Girl Gang patches with you all!

that's right, I finally got some PROPER patches made, featuring one of my Candy Doll Club designs. The woven patches were professionally made in the UK and they are so NICE! I really love them, i'm super pleased with how they turned out, the detail is really good!

since my work is ALL about Girl Power, the design features a mix of cosmetics and weapons, perfect for any aspiring Girl Gang leader or member. And naturally it all comes woven in pretty pastel colours!

The design is a slightly tweaked version of the one I designed for circle stickers back in May this year.

As this was my first foray into patch design, I wasn't sure how they would turn out; I had visions of them being illegible or wonky or something. But considering the intricacies of the actual design, it turned out really well as a woven patch! And the patches look PERFECT on my Girl Gang vest (if you're surprised that I own one then you really don't know me at all...)

The Girl Gang vest is a constant work in progress but i've already amassed a pretty sweet collection of patches from some of my fave Girl Gang artists and designers including a bunch of my own designs as well, because if I can't self-promote on my own clothing then where can I?!

I'm really happy with how people have been responding to the patches, so far i've had 100% positive feedback from Candy Dolls all over the world and I sent out the first batch of orders earlier today. If you think you'd like to add one of my patches to your collection, or you know someone who might like them, they're available to buy HERE + I send out cute freebies with every order!

* * *

in other news, it was Hop-Tu-Naa (or Halloween, if you prefer) this past weekend, and of course I got dressed up and walked around town like a prat! BECAUSE IT IS TRADITION!

 Unsurprisingly I dressed up as a Ghostbuster (just like last year) only this year I updated my outfit to include a skirt + some other additions, so I guess I went out as a sort of retro style Ghostbuster, complete with voluminous petticoat, customised converse shoes, epic back patch, personalised name tag + an official Ghosbusters trainee ID badge!

To my surprise (and delight) when I met my friends in town for lunch it turned out that my friend Simon had dressed up for Halloween as well. So he was the Babadook while I was a slightly terrified trainee Ghostbuster! Simon's costume was a hit with shoppers in Strand Street, he scared a few small kids, one boy high-fived him and some women even stopped to have their photo taken with him.

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by how few people had bothered to dress up this year, considering Halloween fell on a Saturday i'd expected to find town full of people in costumes. As it was there were plenty of kids dressed up but very few adults. We did bump into a group of teenagers dressed as a whole host of brilliant characters including the Doctor (from Doctor Who...), the Joker and Harley Quinn AND Supergirl + Ash from Pokemon and a few others that even I'm not geeky enough to know!

here's a close up of my 'uniform'. All I need now is a proton pack, PKE meter and ghost trap and i'll be all set!

here's hoping that next year more people dress up so I don't look like such an eejit wandering around in costume!

and on that note i'll say goodbye for now.
So until next time, cheerio and thanks for reading!

Spooky Babe ♥

hello chums! I'm back again and it's only been just over a week... see I TOLD you I was going to try harder!

anyway I want to share some Halloween goodies with you all. If you're a regular reader then you probably know how much I LOVE Halloween, it's one of my favourite times of year because how can you not love a holiday that celebrates all things creepy and spooky!

every year I usually draw a Candy Doll illustration for Halloween, last year it was THIS and also THIS.

but this year I ended up creating a pattern instead.

Spooky Babe pattern

 As you can see it's perfect for a pastel witch, or the modern girl-gang/coven with lots of cute but creepy symbols so that every day can be Halloween!

so why a pattern you might wonder?! Well It's been a while since I last designed one and I kind of love making patterns, there's something really satisfying about the moment you first test out how seamless it is and then turn it into REALLY COOL stuff!

products from Society6 and RedBubble

 I have a few print-on-demand stores but by far my two favourites are Society6 and RedBubble. They offer a brilliant range of products and unlike a lot of other POD sites, their prices are fairly reasonable considering you're getting something that has been printed and made JUST FOR YOU! Excitingly at the moment, Society6 are also offering FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING until midnight on October 11th, so go treat yo self HERE

products from Society6 and RedBubble

 recently both sites have added even more products and now there's a whole bunch of lovely stuff that you can buy with my illustrations on! In case you're wondering about the quality of the products, I've bought a few of them myself over the years (because i'm a big saddo who loves to see her own work on stuff!). I can personally vouch for the printed tees, the iphone cases, vinyl stickers, cushions, tote bags and prints. And lately i've been hankering after a printed scarf or notebook.

all over print tees - Society6

 but the Halloween fun doesn't end there, oh no... there's also heaps of spoopy (no that's not a typo, click here to learn why) goodies available in my Etsy Shop

 this year we have lots of sparkly Halloween glitter brooches featuring teen tiny ghosties and other spooky critters! There are lots of designs to choose from + some one-of-a-kind brooches in the shop.

OOAK brooches - once they're gone, they're gone!

as if that weren't brilliant enough, as an added sweetener, i'm also throwing in free trick or treat sweeties with every brooch or necklace order this month! Why yes, those ARE Ghostbusters sweeties!!! 

Spooky brooches + sweeties = Happy Halloween

I've already posted a few Halloween brooches off the the UK, USA and Finland, so if you want yours in time for the spookiest of days, then get to the shop and pick out a treat! And if the Halloween brooches aren't your thing, then maybe you'd prefer a candy cute Troll doll pin or necklace instead!

yes I did inadvertently create a troll summoning circle while trying to take a photo of them all! Each tiny gem is hand applied by me to add to the general air of magic and kitschy cuteness that these mini trolls give off!

and now I can't think of anything else to say so i'm going to sign off before I start rambling again.

before I go, do YOU like Halloween or not? Is it called something different where you live like it is here (Hop-Tu-Naa for us Manxies) or do you not celebrate it at all? let me know in the comments below. I always reply because I spend my entire life online.

and on that note, bye for now! Thanks for reading.

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

 

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...