Freedom at last ♥

so i'm sorry i didn't post last night, i truly meant to but i didn't get home until about 6:30pm and i was shattered!

i finished my first year of the HND yesterday at college and after a business meeting at the college concerning some logos i walked into town to meet my mum, my Godmother Kath, her daughter Zoe, Zoe's son Isaac, my mum's friend Beth and my cousin Mandy for lunch (phew)

it was a lovely afternoon and while we were having lunch at the Alpine i got a phonecall from my Art History tutor telling me that i'd been graded full Distinctions for my Picture Book essay (yaaaaaaaay) 

while i was in the Alpine i also sorted out the tattoo commission for the lovely Melanie and got paid for it (another yaaay) THEN i bumped into two of my best friends Mike and Quinn who attacked me in the street with a double hug... so all in all it was a really great day and a great way to end the term! 

i'm now free until September!!!!!! 

then as if all that wasn't awesome enough already i head into Ramsey to drop off some snazzy new business cards at the Sweet Ginger Emporium

pretty nifty right! Ciara asked me to use the photoshoot by Phil Kneen + add the shops logo and info, it was nice to design cards for someone else for a change!!!

anyway, it was a nice afternoon so myself + my lovely mother went for a little wander around the shops in Ramsey and since i couldn't find a book to treat myself to, i ended up buying this gorgeous vintage china teacup and saucer set from 'the Tide' 

i honestly haven't a clue what i'll use it for, maybe i'll keep my earrings in it! it's so pretty though! look at those gorgeous red patterns all over it!

+ i also got a lovely laser cute felt and wooden Butterfly, to replace a glass one i had hanging in my room, one i also accidentally broke a few weeks ago!

also, because i truly am a big kid that will NEVER grow up, i bought 3 more little lalaloopsy dolls to add to my collection!

i know i knooooow... i'm so uncool! but they're so cute and they look so pretty dotted about my room!

these new additions now bring my collection up to a total of eight lovely little lalaloopsy girls

look at them though! they're soooooooo super duper cute!

 i really will never truly grow up, you all know that... 

anyway... then as if the day hadn't already been amazing, i got home to find that my Godmother had given me a brand new black leather Gucci Indy handbag!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it is sooooo gorgeous! i just love it! thanks to her my handbag collection has become home to 2 divine Chloé Paddingtons and now a Gucci Indy! she really is the best Godmother in the world! 

i actually LOVE this bag!

* * *

that's it really, this afternoon i 'test drove' the bag around Tesco while food shopping and then i came home and wrote this post!

short but sweet...

i have a new princess illustration design thing to share with you all tomorrow so stay tuned for that, oh and if any of you are on Google + search for me and add me because i'm on there now :)

right, off to make some tea now, ciao my lovelies!

that's all folks... ★ ◕‿◕ xX

♥ ★ Merry Christmas ★ ♥

i'll keep this short but sweet

i said i'd post so... here i am doing just that!

i hope you've had a wonderful Christmas Day

i certainly have

it's been quiet, just me + my parents but that's fine with me

yes i may have woken up at around 4am then spent the next 4 hours watching movies (equilibrium and treasure planet) on my macbook while waiting OH SO patiently for my parents to wake up...

then came the fun part

PRESENTS!!!!

i hope you all got lots of super duper gifts and that Santa brought you everything you wanted

sadly i didn't wake up to find a pair of Louboutin's in my stocking... 

i did however get loads of gorgeous gifts off my family and friends

so i am verrrrrry grateful for all the presents i received

i hope everyone else had a fabulously festive day x

* * *

it's Sunday tomorrow so watch out for a 'Super Sunday' post

and... yep, that's it really

i have to go because the Doctor Who Christmas special has JUST finished so myself + Mike are discussing it avidly on skype... as we always do after one of the specials!

hey... it's a Christmas tradition!!!

oh, one final thing... 

this is for my mum to say thanks for the Xmas dinner + for being a star

in case you didn't get it... her name is 'Joy'

* * *

♥ ★ Merry Christmas ★ ♥

◕‿◕ xX

★ Christmas Eve ★

only one more sleep until the big day!

Christmas has almost arrived at last and it is soooooo exciting!

the gifts are all wrapped...

the decorations have all been put up...

oooooh it's so close i can almost taste the candy canes!

is there anything more exciting than that magical feeling you get on Christmas Eve! 

the thought of all those presents waiting underneath the tree to be opened on Xmas Day

i KNOW it's not all about the presents but come on... it's CHRISTMAS 

so to me that means it's time to get giving and getting...

my older sister Simone has been baking all day (from what i can gather) which means she's been cooking up a batch of undoubtedly delicious and yummy muffins + a big chocolate cake! sadly i won't be getting any because she's in Coventry but wow, jealous much...

and my other older sister Nikki is currently in New Zealand where i'm told it's already Christmas Day and has been for a while! she'll no doubt be lounging in the lovely sunshine and having a great time i'm sure

so a big Merry Christmas to both of my wonderful big sisters, we can't all be together this year but i know they both will have (had have) great days with their families and friends xX

i know that my nieces Madison and Daisy (and my nephew Josh, even if he is the same age as me) will ALL be verrrrry excited about it being Christmas tomorrow!

and i'm sure that my God-daughter Bonnie, her little sister Hanna and their older brother Robson will also all be beside themselves with Christmas excitement! 

there is literally a massive heap of presents beneath their tree so they should be beyond excited...

my little cousin Sienna is in Manchester for Christmas with her Daddy + his family and i know that she will be having a fabulously festive time, so lots of love to her as well x

i'd also like to wish a very merry xmas eve to all of my closest friends here on the island + the ones that are away for Xmas.

i shan't name them all individually but i'm sure they know who they are...

now all that's left for me to do is make some Festive cocoa/hot chocolate

and curl up in front of an appropriately Christmassy movie with a cake... 

or two

i would like to wish a Merry Christmas to ALL of my family and friends, although i can't mention you all on here, that doesn't mean i've forgotten about you x

same to all of my blog followers and readers, have fun whatever you're up to today and tomorrow

oh and don't forget to leave some treats out for Santa and his Reindeer...

i WILL be posting tomorrow (at some point) but until then i would like to wish every single one of you a VERY 

Merry Christmas

wherever you are in the world and whatever you're doing to celebrate, whether it's already Christmas where you are or whether you still have to wait for it (like me) i hope you have a lovely Christmas Day

lots of festive luuuuurve from Jade ◕‿◕ ★ xX

ps - ALL of the beautiful images included in todays post were collected from various sources on tumblr, i've spotted all of these ding the xmas rounds on there over the past few days and thought it would be nice to post them on here for you all to enjoy! Happy Holidays x 

rainy days and gloomy nights

Well the days grown colder and the imminent return to College becomes more annoying, yes the Summer is over at last (at least it is on the Isle of Man) at least it's cold and gloomy enough for me to prance around in my lovely winter coat! oh and I'm still struggling to do any (much needed) logbook work, i have however been drawing away like a trooper here are four of my latest 'Girls'

 

as per usual, i've been watching a lot of movies, Kill Bill has obviously inspired me (see Beatrix Kiddo and Gogo Yubari in the top pic) that and my regular doses of 'True Blood' (oh i just can't get enough!) the girl on the far right of the bottom pic is my 'Fangtasia Girl' (inspired by the Vampire club in True Blood and the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris). i'm a little bit low at the moment though, almost all of my friends are shooting off to University over the next few weeks, i feel ridiculously left out and very alone right now. i've hardly anything else to do but wander around the house drawing and watching movies, or visiting the local museum... and wandering round there as well. hhhmmm i really need to get out more!

lots o' luv dudes and dudettes :-D x

ps-how super excited am i for the new Mika album??? you guessed it... absoflippinglutelycompletelyandutterlyridiculouslyexcitipated!!! :-)

Summer Holidays

So... it's the summer, hurrah and all that! ok so Summer isn't my fave season (Winter, if you were wondering) but i'm still having a pretty fabulous time. There's been sunshine and rain, good days and bad. I spend basically all of my time indoors, drawing, reading, watching old movies or... watching my new obsessions... 'True Blood' and 'Moonlight' yes, i've become a little (tiny bit) obsessed with them! they are my two new favourite shows, and yes they both involve Vampires. it's also true that i do spend an indecent amount of time sat watching episodes on my laptop when i could be drawing, but i have actually been drawing lots as well thank you very much! here's a screenshot from my album on www.ministryofburlesque.com, 

just a few of my more recent pix :-) 

Then again i have also been very, very bad! in the sense that i have failed to do any work this summer for College! and trust me, i was given a whole heap to be getting on with. But every time i sit down to do some logbook work, there are just so many other things that seem more important for me to be doing... like watching True Blood! lots o' luv :-D x

Hola, Bonjour, Hello...

after a blissfully secluded week in Andorra (attempting to speak Spanish) I spent two days travelling back through France (attempting to speak French), a few hours in Belgium (not attempting to speak Flemish). Then after another day's travel over the Channel tunnel and up the motorways I'm now back in Coventry in the UK (happy to speak English!) for a few days then home to the Isle of Man. I've had a lovely trip, and can't deny that I do love my annual visit to Andorra, I only wish I could come here more often. The house we stay in is situated in an extremely isolated place, but it's always most enjoyable all the same. It seems that being stuck halfway up a mountain without a television, telephone or any internet access is surprisingly gratifying, and with little else to do all day but read, watch movies on my laptop and draw things, my creative energies have also been gratuitously rewarded. I've got about eighteen new illustrations (I will try to upload them as soon as I return to the I.O.M depending on what time I get back) and a notebook full of other ideas for drawings, to pursue at my leisure. I'll probably update my blog when I get home but for now I will bid my hearty farewell, leaving you with this. A snap of my new favourite toy! An utterly adorable and amazing little purchase from my favourite Andorran shop (La Bauhaus: sells anything and everything to do with art, design, illustration, graphics, architecture and all the random things you could ever desire)

it is a wind up robot (hence the plastic to wind it with) but the best part is that it is also a pencil sharpener and sharpening a pencil also winds up the robot! A piece of utter genius design I think you'll agree! Au revoir, a bientot :-D x

ps for a few more shots of my trip to Andorra, add me on Facebook and check out my album here

well, well, well...

It hardly seems possible but it's true, i've finished my first year of the National Diploma in Art and Design at College. It has literally flown by and now I find myself faced with a seemingly endless summer (good times). On Monday i'll start my (lengthy) journey driving down through England and France to Andorra. So this means that sadly I won't be able to make any updates due to the total lack of internet access at the house in Andorra, but it also means that I will have lots of time to draw, so should come back with loads of new pictures! We were also given our College Summer projects, we can do the on basically whatever we want, so thus far, mine pretty much consistes of Fashion illustration and Graphic design. Anyway, i'd best go, lots to pack etc. lots o' luv :-D x

ps: please check out my Facebook Fan Page here (now finally up and running) and why not take a look at my latest attempt at a website here, it isn't anywhere near finished, but it's a start! my friend Kyren has kindly set up my own wordpress site, but I haven't really had time to work out how to use it yet! when i do, i'll post a link :-D x

well it's the Easter hols and I am spending a week in St Helier in Jersey. i only arrived yesterday and within about 1 hour i wanted to leave town to rush back to my hotel and draw!!! everywhere i look i get inspiration for dozens of drawings!!! it's brilliant! especially yesterday afternoon, i walked into 'de Gruchy's' (one of Jersey's fabulous unique department stores) and was practically squealing at the sight of some of the DELICIOUS shoes they had on display! i very nearly bought the whole lot of them just so i could draw them!!! i have been quite busy with other stuff so thus far i've only managed to draw this pair! 

they weren't my absolute favourites but i remembered them very clearly for some reason! anyway i'm sure i'll be posting a few more new pix soon :-D l2a xxx