Brilliant or Crafty?

Hello there dearhearts, it's taken me a bit longer to wrangle a post together this time but here I am, better later than never right?! It's been a bit of a funny old week, a few ups and downs, good times and bad.

Anyway enough nonsensical allusions to the current state of my life, let's go ahead and crack on with the post shall we!

Once again my online shopping addiction has struck with, I have to admit, frankly astounding force this week actually! I seem to have been ordering piles of things lately: stacks of printed things (more about those soon hopefully) lots of nice new books to read + various other bits and bobs.

Including these rather wonderful little brooches...

I know what you're thinking, Jade you don't need them, and it's (probably) true, but look at how lovely they are! How could I not get them! I simply had to have them.

They're from an absolutely marvellously talented duo known collectively as 'Vivid Please', also known as Vicky and David. Based in Edinburgh, the super duper pair produce all manner of lovely things, lots of pretty cards, pocket mirrors, phone cases, tote bags, notebooks, prints, brooches and various bunches of other nice things that you definitely need in your life!

Everything in their online shop is cute and sweet, things that will make you smile, really ideal as gifts for friends and family, fresh designs infused with twinkles of light humour and fun.

I've followed Vivid Please on Pinterest for quite a while now and I always enjoy seeing the colourful and quirky stuff they post.

 I actually ordered one of their adorable Pug pocket mirrors for my niece last Christmas (she's Pug mad!) and was delighted by the quality and design of it, plus my niece definitely liked it. So I think maybe i've been hankering for a little something for myself from their treasure trove of tantalising treats.

So when I found out they were having a little Summer Sale, selling some of their brooch designs with almost 50% off, I couldn't resist treating myself! Not that I really tried to resist come to think of it, not that I ever seem to. Oh well.

Anyway, they arrived a few days later and were wrapped so nicely that I almost didn't want to spoil the tissue paper! Almost...

Beneath the cute stickers, paper and washi tape, the brooches were nestled in pretty little matchboxes, kept snug and safe for their trip from Scotland to the Isle of Man.

The brooches themselves are absolutely lovely, really sturdy quality with neat little brooch backs glued firmly in place, a nice handpainted finish and just the right size for pinning comfortably to a shirt or jacket.

I'm really impressed with the brooches. I Haven't had chance to wear them yet so for the time being they're perched on my desk with the solar flower + Arale

They're super lovely, in fact only problem was deciding on which one to pick when I ordered them! I mean i'm definitely crafty but i'm not sure if I'm at all brilliant?
So eventually after much umming and ahing I decided, why not be both!

Craftily Brilliant or Brilliantly Crafty?! You decide...


To order your own sweet treat from Vivid Please, or to see more snaps of the lovely stuff they create, click one of the links below!

Etsy Shop  -  NOTH Shop

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In other news, I found my tin of Posca markers the other night so i've been considering having a go at some new little painting type things.

This Zombie Pinup piece is about 2 years old now so I touched her up with the Posca pens (that sounds wrong but you know what I mean. I hope) and thought it could be nice to do some other designs, maybe my Matryoshka or one of the Candy Dolls. I'm not really sure yet.

I think i've been a bit inspired by my other recent purchase. I know, I know, I have a problem. But look at how PRETTY it is!!!

I've been a big fan of Moschino for years, particularly their colourfully funky diffusion line Love Moschino, every year when i visit Brown Thomas in Cork and Dublin I drool over the pretty patterned bags decorated with cute illustrations, so I kind of sort of maybe couldn't resist a little spending splurge when I spotted this beauty in the Harrod's Summer Sale.

ugh there is something definitely wrong with me but it's SO PRETTY!

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Okay i'll shut up now, and hopefully won't order too many frivolous items online between now and the next time I post a blog. I mean i'm not making any promises, but you know, I can at least fool myself into thinking that I might just be able to summon up some semblance of self control one day soon.

I mean I could try to fill the post a bit more you know, sit here and start rambling on about some of the books i've read lately (the current count for 2014 stands at 48 books) but we could be here some time so it's probably best if I just draw this post to a close.


So until next time, cheerio folks!

Shoes for all Seasons

i love shoes, i really do!

i know most women say that but i genuinely do bloody well adore shoes, especially high heels. there's something so beautiful about them i don't know what they just look fabulous, on or off, it's weird. but then some of them are so exquisite they could literally be works of art in a gallery. (Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Mai Lamore i'm looking at you here...)

oh and if you don't believe me about a shoe being a work of art, just check out Mai Lamore's website, if i owned a pair of those rose shoes they would sit in a glass case under a spotlight on a plinth in my room. oh and listen out for Habanera as well, being played throughout the site. genius!

Mai Lamore site

but if someone made shoes a proper art form i'd go to a shoe gallery, hell i'd practically LIVE there!

it reminds me of last November, seeing all the shoe and clothing displays at the V&A in London was an awesome experience but i pretty much had to be dragged away in the end, i may have also begun to drool slightly.

a similar thing happens when i go to a designer shoe boutique, the worst culprits of all being Selfridges/Harrods/Harvey Nichols/Brown Thomas/Neiman Marcus/Bloomingdales/Bergdorf Goodman etc etc

take me to the shoe department of ANY of those stores and that's an easy way for me to while away an entire day, just wandering around looking at gorgeous shoes.

anyway i've digressed, despite the loveliness of shoes in general, the point of this post was, as the title suggest, Shoes for all Seasons.

this morning i was on some random home ware site (don't ask, i actually can't explain why i was on there, even i don't know how that happened) and i was looking at plastic bowls (once again... don't ask) and saw this photo of a set of ice cream bowls.

i had to screencap the image because something about the lovely pastel colours of the bowls got me thinking and then sketching and the next thing i knew i'd come up with a little series of Shoe illustrations

the individual shoe designs are by me but the red soles = homage to the Shoe God himself, Monsieur Christian Louboutin.

here's the finished piece, each pair were inspired by the colours of the bowls. it may not look that way but it's the truth, promise.

Spring Summer Autumn Winter

for a slightly bigger version of the picture, click on the link HERE

i'm not sure what i'll do with the picture, might have a go at painting some shoes seeing as it's yonks since i actually painted anything!

i'm not sure why i put them in circles either, i suppose they could be badge designs couldn't they? i'd love to get some badges made but i don't think anyone would actually buy them!

anyway, that's all i wanted to share for today.

and yes... i made it home safe and sound at last, thank gooooodness the boat sailed this time!

my cousins Mandy and Emma are coming to stay tonight so i'd better go and tidy up a bit for their arrival.

there... a nice boring ending for you!

◕‿◕ xX

ps - I ♥ shoes