deck the halls?!

Hello chums, thanks for stopping by, don't be put off by the title of today's post but I have to warn you, if you're a bit of a Grinch or total Ebenezer Scrooge then you're probably not going to enjoy the rest of the blog...

Unless you've been living under a rock (or staunchly ignoring any and all traces of the festive cheer quietly brewing in virtually every shop) then you might have noticed that Christmas is on the way again at last! Now it's no secret on this blog that I am a HUGE fan of all things festive and Christmassy, I've blogged about my love of Xmas in the past many times (see here if you're interested).

Love it or loathe it, I don't think you can really ignore it! It might still be a bit early for me to get away with putting up my Christmas tree or breaking out the light up earrings but I figured it was as good a time as any for a festive themed blog post!

Now I know most people don't like seeing Christmas stuff this time of year (only 45 days to go...) but I get so excited when places start filling up with festive goods and playing Christmas songs! And well... I DON'T THINK IT'S TOO EARLY!!! Why?! because I LOVE Christmas of course!

Do you know who else loves Christmas? Well i'll give you a clue, their names begin with 'A' and 'I' and they love to dress up!

That's right, little Aalish and Illiam also can't wait for Christmas!

 So today they tried on all of their new festive costumes while I warbled along to Santa Baby and cleared away all the scraps of card from the Christmas clothes sheet.

Although technically it's actually a Nollick Ghennal sheet! In case you couldn't guess, 'Nollick Ghennal' means Merry Christmas in Manx Gaelic, so once again this sheet will be sold exclusively in Sweet Ginger Emporium in Ramsey here on the Isle of Man. 

the A3 sheet has a set of nice Christmas outfits for both Aalish and Illiam to try on, including a jolly snowman + a festively decorated tree

there's even a Rudolph the Reindeer mask to go with any of the costumes

 + the sheet also has a bunch of fun accessories to go with the outfits

and just like the Hop-Tu-Naa/Halloween sheet all of the clothes are interchangeable to fit both paper dolls meaning each of them can have a go at being Santa or one of his Elf helpers

are you feeling Christmassy yet? If you are then that's BRILLIANT! There's no shame in getting into the spirit of things because Christmas is such a fun time of year isn't it!

It is without a doubt my favourite time of the year, and not for the reason you might be thinking (namely PRESENTS!) but because I just LOVE all of the cheer everywhere, the decorations, the lights, all the glitter, the music, the carols, beautifully wrapped gifts, advent calendars and all of that special Christmas magic and joy that fills the air.

that's my mum Joy holding a lovely festive pillow with her name on it! You see I'm not from a very religious family so for me Christmas is more a time that heralds the arrival of my favourite season and an opportunity to buy or make lovely things to give to my friends and family. I just adore giving presents!
 
Although this year will probably be my most frugal Christmas since reaching adulthood (arguable really considering what a big kid I am!) but what with my no longer having a job + being unable to work at the moment this lack of income means I won't be able to spoil my loved ones quite as much this year.

Despite this, I've still been excitedly gathering gifts for them all (albeit on a much tighter budget than previous years). For a while I worried that this might put a damper on things for me this year, there have been times in the past when i've been in such a low mood come December that I haven't even bothered to put up any decorations (meaning my parents never bothered decorating the house either) but this year i'm determined to make the most of the situation and conjure up as much festive cheer as I can. If that means oodles of lopsided homemade gifts then so be it!

I visited the Christmas Shop at Tynwald earlier this week with my mum and my nephew Josh (over for a few days visiting from Coventry) and I think seeing all of the decorations and gifts and lovely tress really started to get me into the spirit of things! 

 don't worry, I'm not about to tinsel bomb the house or pull on my Christmas jumper (not just yet anyway) but i'm beginning to feel the warm fuzzy glow of the approaching holidays, hence why I wanted to share Aalish and Illiam's new clothes with you all today. 

So I'm going to make Christmas 2014 a fun one, even if I don't have the funds for all the fabulous frivolities I usually get at this time of year. Homemade cupcakes and gingerbread for EVERYONE!

and on that note, i'll sign off for this evening. I'm popping out the Cinema to see 'Interstellar' because i'm a big sci-fi geek and I love movies!

so until next time, a very merry toodle-ooh to you and you and you...

Paper People

Hello chums! Back again. As per usual I can't think of anything terribly clever or witty to start off today's post with, so i'm just going prattle on for a few lines then crack on with posting some photos instead.

So I haven't done much art lately. That sounds like the best way to sum up my total lack of creativity since the tail end of last year. I barely draw, I barely edit stuff on my macbook, other than the occasional bit of graphic design, I don't really do anything remotely creative.

But over the past few weeks i've been trying to shuffle-clamber out of my creativity-less malaise so i've been working on something new. It's been a bit of an agonisingly slow process but bit by minsucle bit the designs have begun to grow and develop into something actually printable.

So I thought, why don't I actually get some printed?!

And well, I did, and this is the result.

So without any further ado please allow me to introduce you to my newest creations, Aalish and Illiam...

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Aalish and Illiam are 'paper dolls' or to be more neutral 'paper people' (since Illiam has nothing against playing with dolls, he just isn't sure that he wants to be one. Aalish doesn't really mind either way, as long as there's chocolate cake available afterwards. There is cake isn't there?).

Those of you that have kept up with my work for a while might remember the Pinup Paper Doll I designed 2 years ago for local craft heaven and haberdashery treasure trove Sweet Ginger Emporium.

Well in many ways Aalish and Illiam are a small continuation of where 'Sweet Ginger' left off (who knows, maybe they're her children?!) and unsurprisingly they've been designed and created with the Sweet Ginger shop in mind.

They're a nice size for little hands, each 'doll' (sorry Illiam!) comes printed on a neat A4 sheet with a teeny tiny little matching button badge with their face on!

And they already have lots of nice clothes to choose from + some fun dressing up costumes! At the moment there are 2 sheets available for each doll (but I have so many more outfit sheets planned and in development!)

First up there's a Dressing Up sheet for Aalish + a Fancy Dress sheet for Illiam

And also a more casual Summer sheet for Aalish and a general Everyday sheet for Illiam, with LOTS of nice outfits to pick from each sheet.

I've wanted to design a paper doll aimed at both girls and boys, and although all of Aalish's clothes might be a tad too girly for Illiam (he doesn't much like it when I make him try on a dress, but Aalish thinks it's hilarious) ALL of Illiam's clothes will fit Aalish perfectly, they're completely swappable, so that she can have a go at being an astronaut or a dinosaur as well, should she want to (which she definitely does) but sometimes Aalish just borrows some of Illiam's normal clothes.

That's why there's a Pirate costume on each dress-up sheet. Most of Aalish's costumes are on the girly side, (because who wouldn't want to dress up as a mermaid or a princess?!) but that certainly doesn't mean that she doesn't like to dress up as a swashbuckling Pirate captain and run around with a sword every once in a while. Or all the time. Sometimes they both dress up as Pirates and go off in search of buried treasure! But so far all they've succeeded in doing is making a mess of my desk...

Sometimes when Illiam puts on the Dino costume, he pretends he's a fire-breathing dragon instead, but Aalish doesn't mind, she just acts like a fearsome Princess ready to defend her kingdom from any and all perils!

Other times they just put on their Superhero costumes and fly off to save the world, you know, just a typical day really. But they're always home in time for tea, especially if there are fizzy sweets for pudding (those are Illiam's favourites!)

 Ahem. You can probably tell that I had a LOT of fun designing the clothes and costumes! Aalish's were kind of a doddle but Illiam's were particularly challenging since I never ever really seem to draw anything for boys, so coming up with nifty little outfits for him was tonnes of fun.

Probably one of the most fun parts of the entire process was coming up with all the colours and fiddly little details for each outfit, like the pirate medallion on Illiam's costume + the treasure map. I got a bit carried away sometimes but it was worth it when I opened the box of prints and saw how fun they looked!

Although they're maybe a bit fiddly for very little hands to snip out (looks like mummy and daddy are the lucky ones to get to wield the scissors) once they've been freed from their paper confines, Aalish and Illiam are a perfect treat for little kids and big kids alike. (I for one am most definitely a big kid and i've had heaps of fun dressing them up on my desk!)

And at the end of the day they can peg up their lovely clothes and pick something new to wear on their next big adventure! 

So there you have it, Aalish and Illiam, two brilliant little people, i've no doubt that you'll be seeing an awful lot of them in the future (keep an eye out around Halloween and Christmas in particular!) since they're definitely the coolest kids around!

Hopefully the Doll and Clothing sheets will soon be available from Sweet Ginger in Ramsey here in the Isle of Man. I don't have any immediate plans to try and sell the sheets via my Etsy shop (although it's full of lots of other nice things you CAN buy) but if anyone was particularly interested in getting their hands on a set I could probably be persuaded.

And on that note i'll draw this post to a close. I'll no doubt be back at some point next week to tell you about the other little creative things i've been working on (spoiler alert: I may or may not have attempted a small painting) and whatever else, if anything, happens between now and then.


So it's goodbye from me, and goodbye from Aalish and Illiam!

Until next time, cheerio folks!

May Drawing Challenge - Day 18

the theme for today was 'street sign' however, as i might have mentioned before, i live quite literally in the middle of nowhere so i'm not exactly near any street signs or even many road signs! so i decided to doodle a rather famous road sign from here in the Isle of Man, the Fairy Bridge sign...

i'm afraid it's a very wonky messy doodle only because i've had ever such a hectic day and i've been out and about for most of it so i didn't get home until tonight but i wanted to make sure i still posted a doodle for the day :)

here's what the Manx crest on the sign should look like...

and until tomorrow, i guess that's all folks... xX

Creative Café #17 ★

so it's time for another Creative Café post! as promised...

you know the drill, go and get a cup of tea or something, grab a cake/biscuit/chocolate bar etc

settled and comfy? good stuff, let's get on with it then!

today it's all about a smashing Manx artist, someone whose work i've admired for many years, this person is very talented and produces some really incredible artwork! this feature is also coincidentally the first one to feature a guy so without any further ado, today it's all about... Adam Berry!!!

like i said, Adam is a Manx artist/designer/animator who is super duper talented!!! he's not the first guy to be featured on the blog but he is the first guy artist to get a creative café feature! i know this is traditionally a verrry girly blog but you'll see from his work... his unique style of design appeals to both guys and girls.

i've followed Adam's work for a few years now, he was the artist in residence for a year at the local Sayle Art gallery in 2008 and i remember visiting the gallery one day while he was painting this amazing piece featuring a girl in sort of pop art colours. it was during my first year at college and was the first time i think i'd ever seen his work! (i was kind of closeted from the Manx Art world when i was studying for the IB at my old school!) 

sadly i never got to see his residency final exhibition but i remember going back to the gallery at some point in 2009 and seeing postcards of his work, so naturally i had to get some!!! (they're on my desk board at college) then seeing canvases of his work on sale in Zooma in Castletown. i could never afford a canvas but the style of his work has stuck with me since the first time i saw one of his paintings so i guess you could say that his work has inspired me over the years what with the bold outlines and bright colours of his style!

his work is so beautifully detailled and kind of timeless in a way, mainly because his pieces often contain varying styles of illustration. often his work conjures up images of the 60's with rounded melting text and multitudes of colour. but then some remind me of Victorian style art nouveau illustrations, full of flowing lines and tendrils of text, then others make me think of 1950's Pop Art with their collaged layers and spray painted features! then some pieces are just purely modern in style and medium. it's this flux-like style of creation that i really admire!

there's also a great sort of psychedelic vibe to Adam's work and obviously i love the way he  incorporates lots of sassy pinup type girls into his pieces. all of his artwork is beautifully executed in a bold but brilliant style, bursting with so much intricate detail that my brain boggles just looking at it!

anyway i've rambled on for long enough, have a little skeet at some more of Adam's work. (ps - this time we have multi-picture collages due to the size of the originals + it means you won't get hand cramp scrolling for half an hour like usual...)

so there you have it! really stunning stuff for sure! each piece is absolutely sublime!

links time now...

to see more of Adam's art and design work be sure to check out his official website here - Adam Berry

you can also buy prints (and originals!!!) of his work from his online shop here - Print Shop

be sure to 'Like' his work via facebook too - Adam Berry Artwork

you can even follow him on twitter to keep up to date with all his arty goings on - @adamcrapola

oh and don't forget, Adam also takes commissions for designs and stuff so you can also email him about all that here - adzberry@gmail.com

all that's left for me to do now is say a big ol' THANK YOU to Adam for saying yes about the feature! he was also kind enough to place a little link to my site on HIS newly re-launched site so thanks again for that as well!!!

All images featured in this post belong to Adam Berry © do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or trace ANY of his work without his express written consent. All Rights Reserved.

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so that's that! not much else to tell really, i've been working my arrrrrse off on some new commissions which i'm trying to get done asap so i can finally get on with some college work!!!

i won't be back in college until Wednesday but i'll try to find something to post about before then!

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

Creative Café #5 ★

hey folks, hope you've had a nice Saturday so far, i spent the day cooped up inside watching old movies and relaxing, it's been utterly blissful!

i decided it was about time for another Creative Café post so get you tea/coffee/cocoa ready, grab some biscuits or some cake and settle down for some creative loveliness

today's post is all about a wonderful local artist here in the Isle of Man, it's all about Karen Tomlinson aka Purplecatscorner

i first discovered Karen's work in about February or April last year, her whimsical, girly style of painting just appealed to me straightaway and then last August i won a little giveaway on her blog

her work is always very sweet, pretty and wonderfully coloured, her delicately painted girls and fairies are just so lovely you can't help but like them! 

here's a bunch of some of her gorgeous paintings which are all available as prints via her etsy shop

Karen also creates pretty little bottle top necklaces featuring her work, i have one and it's the perfect accessory to brighten up an otherwise gloomy day

she also makes lovely printed tote bags, pretty bookmarks, greetings cards and fridge magnets

and recently she also started making these lovely fabric hearts

ah everything she creates is so pretty, i just love it all!

here's a photo of all of the lovely Purplecatscorner stuff that i personally own. . .

i won most of this in the giveaway last summer, in fact. . . 

Karen is currently holding another Summer giveaway on her blog!!! it's running until the July 4th

so for your chance to win some lovely Purplecatscorner goodies, head over and find out how to enter - Giveaway

if you fancy treating yourself or someone else to a pretty little something then head over to Karen's etsy shop - purplecatscorner

you can also check out her blog - Purplecats Corner

'Like' her work on Facebook - Purplecatscorner

and Follow her on Twitter - @purplecatcorner

big thanks to the lovely Karen for letting me feature her work here

all images and pieces featured in this post belong to Karen Tomlinson © do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or trace ANY of her work without her written consent. All Rights Reserved

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not much else for today dudes and dudettes, i have some more stuff to share but i'm afraid it will just have to wait until tomorrow!

in the meantime why not head over to my new candy coloured tumblr blog, it's full of stuff i like (only without all the boring rambling written bits!) - jadeboylan

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