Cards and Charms ★

oh me oh my . . .

so it's been a quiet week blog wise hasn't it! i genuinely intended to post yesterday evening but blogspot was still down and by the time it came back online i was busy making stuff again!

so what have i been so busy doing? well on Tuesday night i went to my friends exhibition at the Erin Art Centre in Port Erin (it's a fab exhibition by the way so if you live local, go and have a skeet)

but the truth is i've just been cooped up in my sewing cave (bedroom) making things for the past couple of days!!!

for example . . .

yup that's right, at long LONG last i've finally gotten round to sorting some greetings cards with my designs on!!!

there are loads of different designs since i just went a bit trigger happy with the printers AND each card is finished with a little 'JADE' logo sticker

oh, there are A5 ones as well

and each card comes with an envelope + the cards are left blank inside for a personal message

some of the cards will be available on the etsy shop within the next week or so, so for those of you in far off places that think 'oh i'd quite like one of those' do not fear because soon you'll be able to get yourself (or someone else) one

oh and one of these last two designs below holds a special clue to why i've been so busy making things so if you follow my work on Facebook you might be able to figure it all out . . .

because the truth is i HAVE been uber busy making things

i mean we've had the little toadstool necklace charms

the strawberries

and remember Beatrice and Bernadette the Bears??? well meet the rest of the family . . .

and NO they're not all individually named

they are however deliciously adorable and i'll be sad when they're no longer brightening up my room!

so 'what's with all the stuff Jade???' i hear you cry

well i can't really tell you . . . yet

but tomorrow i will be able to so you know. . . be sure to tune in then!

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in other news

look at the gorrrrrrgeous pairs of sunglasses my friend Ciara gave me on Wednesday!!!

aren't they brilliant! ah so retro and funky i LOVE them! currently rocking the black pair every time i leave the house

also . . .

guess who's going to see Imelda May perform live!!!!

MEEEEEEE

my lovely big sister Nicola got us tickets to see Imelda when she comes to the island during the TT, i can't wait! i love her stuff sooooo much, she has this great rockabilly/blues/pop vibe + her sense of style is totally awesome

i've been a big fan of her songs since last summer when i spent 3 weeks in Ireland (Imelda is from Dublin) but if you're unfamiliar with her music, you can check out her website here - Imelda May

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and that's it for today cherubs

tomorrow i shall reveal the super duper secret to you all, although i should imagine that the clever clogs out there will have already worked out what's going on . . . 

enjoy the rest of your weekend!

that's all folks . . .  ◕‿◕ ★

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 ◕‿◕ ★