Marvellous Merch ❤️

hello dearhearts! It's been a fortnight since I got back from my holidays in Ireland and I have been SUPER busy since I got home.

I'm having a stall at the local Vintage Fashion Fair this weekend and have been working hard every day to get new products ready + sorting out existing goodies to take to the fair!

so I thought I might give you all a sneak peek at some of the tasty new treats i'll be selling at my stall!

if you follow me on Instagram (and by now, you really should if you don't already!) then you'll probably have seen snaps of my new products but for those of you that haven't, here are some of the candy cute items i'll have of offer on Saturday...

first up we have some luuurrrvely new Candy Doll Club postcards! it's been a good while since I last got any new postcards printed so I thought it was about time I got some of my more recent illustrations made up. There are six new Candy Doll designs to choose from.

As well as three cute fanart designs as well. I picked three of my fave ladies from Japanese Pop Culture and created some fun illustrations inspired by them.

next up we have one of my favourite new products, glitter heart brooches!
All of these funky brooches are handmade (by yours truly) using top quality glitter fabric (that doesn't shed glitter!), laser cut wooden hearts, nickel-free brooch backs and a collection of cute hand-painted resin charms! There are lost of different designs to choose from and i'll have some of each with me on Saturday, so stop by the stall and treat yourself to a sparkly treat!

 if glitter isn't really your thing, I also have some lovely wooden Kokeshi Doll brooches. Each one has been carefully hand decorated using satin ribbon and teeny tiny gems and pearls, a very sweet addition to any outfit i'm sure you will agree!



I will also have BRAND NEW dapper fox brooches + rainbow elephants and a whole host of other random and one-of-a-kind designs!

onto my brilliant new Girl Gang sticker sheets! each sheet contains 12 different stickers in vibrant candy colours, a must have for any wannabe Candy Doll or aspiring Girl Gang leader!

as well as all of this lovely stuff, i'll also be be bringing some Special Offer items including MEGA Mystery Goodie Boxes and Candy Doll Club Membership Packs, sticker packs, greetings cards, prints, zines, cushions, tote bags and even a few original paintings!

so you know what to do, if you're a local then get yourself to Braddan Church Hall on Saturday and snap up some sweet treats!

and don't worry if you can't make it or if you live far away, most of the goodies are available to purchase in my Etsy Shop!

that's all I have for now! i'm working on a new Candy Doll illustration so y'all can expect to see that over the next week or so.

so until next time, thanks for stopping by! hope to see you here again soon...

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

Blog  -  Twitter  -  Facebook  -  Pinterest  -  Instagram

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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!

* * *

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!

What's this? What's this? There's colour everywhere...

What's this? a BLOG post?! surely not.

but yes, it is. it's been a year + one week since i last did a proper post on here and i thought, hhm... why not start again now! surely it's as good a time as any.

so why the sudden desire to inflict my opinions upon the world once more?

well for one, i was a smidge bored.

and for another reason, it's nearly Xmas time so i figured it might be nice to do a post about some of the lovely stuff i sell in my online shop, you know, as Xmas gift ideas for y'all

so here goes!

over the past year i've tried to expand my range of merchandise a little, so now i can offer even more funky stuff featuring my designs. here are a few of the things i think would make rather nice gifts for people you don't despise.

to start with, if you're in need a nifty stocking filler?! why not get them some groovy vinyl stickers to stick on their stuff - £2.50 for 3 

looking for something for the booklover in your life that isn't books?  then why not get them a bag that they can just carry their books in! + each bag comes with a free 38mm badge - tote bag £10

 

know someone with an iPhone 4/4s, then maybe you could get them a quirky cover for their phone + each one comes with a free matching postcard - iPhone case £10

 

if they have a sweet tooth maybe they'd like one of these pastel pretty cupcake necklaces - necklace on chain £8.50

or if cupcakes aren't their thing, maybe try a Macaron pocket mirror instead. each mirror comes in a little organza bag to keep it scratch free - pocket mirror £3.50

if they're particularly health conscious or the environmentally friendly sort then this set of bicycle postcards might be right up their street - His n' Hers Bicycle cards £1.75

if you're really struggling to pick something then a surprise goodie bag is always a fun gift. Each one contains 8 lovely surprises all bundled up in a sealed dotty treat bag! the contents of each bag are worth anywhere between £12 to £20 but i'll be selling these special treat bags at a verrrrry tasty price - Marvellous Mystery goodie bags £10 each

postcards can be nice framed so why not treat someone to a pair of funky folk art inspired designs - postcard pack £1.75

really not sure what to get the person that has everything?! then a piece of original artwork could be the perfect gift! 100% hand painted and hand drawn by me - original painting on heart board £40

 

 + obviously there is heaps more lovely stuff in my Shop, lots of other tote bag designs + pocket mirrors, postcards, badges, necklaces, greetings cards and stickers galore.
go check it out.
but only if you want to!

anyway i think that's it for now, who knows, perhaps i will resume regular blog posts now. better later than never right?! 

we shall see.

until next time, cheerio folks xX

★ Blog Birthday Giveaway ★

hello there dear readers, big massive apologies for my total absence over the past couple of weeks, needless to say i have been swamped with college and commission work and just haven't been able to find the time to post any blogs!

anyway, more important things are afoot, this month marks the 3rd birthday/anniversary of my blog and that can mean only one thing...

TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

last years Birthday Giveaway was a HUGE success and i had a great bundle of prizes to giveaway

well this year i have some even lovelier stuff! 

feast your eyes on all the super duper goodies...

so what do we have?! well...

there's a cute little Poodle necklace from fab local shop Funny Love (this will be the 3rd Poodle necklace i'll be giving away, seems to have become a bit of a tradition for me to give them away on the blog!) 

a very pretty owl patterned passport cover from Paperchase, a pack of funky jelly stickers from Accessorize and a sheet of nautical sailor themed stickers from local shop Sweet Ginger

a stack of 'Jade' merch including some postcards, lots of stickers and some badges

and last but not least, this truly scrumptious and rather adorable Cupcake luggage tag from Fluff

isn't that all gorrrrgeous! one lucky winner will get there hands on all of it!

however...

as if that wasn't groovy enough, since it's the Blogs 3rd Birthday, two runners up will win a set of fabulously glittery 'razzle dazzle' decoupage stickers + some postcards, stickers and a badge!

* * *

HOW TO ENTER

first of all, you have precisely 10 days to enter since the Blogs Birthday is the 22nd of February, all entries must be in by midnight (UK time) on the 22nd

simple as ever, ALL you have to do is follow the blog (if you aren't doing so already) then scroll down and leave a comment on this blog post (saying hello or sharing an opinion on any of the prizes, that sort of thing)

for extra entries you can also...

retweet this on Twitter - ★ @jadeboylan ★ Blog Birthday Giveaway ★ RT for the chance to win some lovely goodies! ★ - http://bit.ly/zfTfS5

you can also 'Like' one of the giveaway posts on the Facebook fan page (and maybe even share it if you feel so inclined) - Jade's Facebook Page

i'll be setting up a post for it on Tumblr as well so if you use tumblr and don't follow me on there already, be sure to give me a follow and look out for a post to reblog (last years winner won via Tumblr... just saying!) - Jade's Tumblr

if you're feeling particularly lovely you can also mention the giveaway on your own blog, if you do that be sure to link me to it so i can count it as an entry

* * *

so what are you waiting for, 10 days to enter and yes... i will be mentioning the giveaway every day leading up to the 22nd so you can't say i won't be reminding you :)

go on then, comment, retweet, like, reblog, share, go, go, GO!!!

* * *

i really am sorry for having abandoned the blog for a bit, i promise to try harder this week, i even have a Creative Café post for you all, so keep a look out for that.

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

Mini Merch Giveaway ★ LAST CHANCE!!!

golly gosh! hardly any entries so far for the mini giveaway!!! ★ 

there's only ONE full day left to enter now to win a cute pocket mirror, 2 badges + a postcard featuring my illustrations! ♥ 

i'll post this out to anywhere so if you fancy getting some free merch then enter regardless of whereabouts in the world you are! ★ 

LIKE this post on facebook HERE 

RETWEET on Twitter HERE

or leave a comment on THIS HERE post that you are reading (or this one HERE ) to enter...

 Giveaway closes at midnight (UK time) tomorrow, Saturday 22nd October

so come on! what are you waiting for...

get those entires in!!!

if you don't want the merch for yourself you can maybe try to win it for a friend or family member

go on... you know you want it!

here are SOME of the things YOU could win...

(check out the original blog post to see the full range - Blog)

of course if you don't want to wait and see if you win... you can always just treat yourself to some badges or mirrors right now! - Jade's Etsy Shop

* * *

in case you can't tell, i've not much else to blog about today! been a busy few days at college getting everything sorted before half-term + finishing reports and what not!

i had a business meeting at college today as well, the client had flown in from the UK so it was lovely to finally meet face to face

soooo sleepy now though! ready for a nice relaxing few days of half-term before i head off to Coventry to see my family next week

phew!

have a lovely weekend wherever you are + whatever you're up to

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

Marvellous Merchandise ★

so a verrrrrrry exciting parcel arrived in the post today! exciting because i've been waiting almost 3 weeks for it and the waiting was beginning to drive me insane (seriously... this morning i was THIS close to firebombing the post office, but they delivered so there's no need for any arson now!!!)

so basically... this exciting parcel was chock full of AWESOMENESS in the form of badges and mirrors featuring designs by ME ME ME

feat your eyes on their loveliness...

obviously i didn't just order 3 things though... this is an example of the stuff i got!

the box was FULL of bits and bobs! (cue me jumping about excitedly and clapping like a seal)

so just what is there i hear you cry!!! well ignoring the truly atrocious quality of the photos (thanks to my godawful camera...) we have... BADGES!!!!!

and we have... POCKET MIRRORS!!!

aaaaggghhhhhh isn't it exciting!!! i can't handle how exciting this all is!!!

oh and as you saw in the first picture,  there are diddy little cupcake badges as well

here you can see how everything measures up...

yaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!!!

right so you know what this means don't you my lovelies... it means that all of these pretty little merch pieces are now available to buy in my etsy shop!!!

badges will be posted out in double envelopes and mirrors will be posted in mini jiffy bags to ensure that they don't arrive broken + of course, i'll post to anywhere in the whole wide world...

the diddy little cupcake badges come in little clear bags and are £0.75 each (badges measure: 25mm)

the bigger badges come on their lovely stripey backing card and are £1.25 each (badges measure: 38mm)

and the pretty little mirrors each come in a cute pouch to keep it safe and scratch free and are £4.00 (mirrors measure 58mm) 

super duper stuff! perfect as a little treat for yourself or someone else!

you can see all of the stuff right here in my etsy shop

Jade's Etsy Shop

* * *

and no... i haven't decorated my pencil case with badges (yet...) or stuck pocket mirrors all over my wall, these bits and bobs are for all of YOU not for me

and so, with that in mind i've decided to hold a little impromptu giveaway

to celebrate all of this lovely merch turning up on my doorstep i'm going to give away ONE mini badge + ONE big badge and ONE pocket mirror (designs = of the winners choice)

all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on THIS HERE post (+ if you follow me on twitter/facebook i'll probably be doing little retweet/like posts as well, so be sure to look out for those)

the giveaway will only run until midnight Saturday 22nd October (yup it's a short giveaway this time, just a mini one...) so you have 5 whole days to enter!

maximum of 2 entries per person, that means ONE comment + ONE retweet or like

i'm sick of counting up dozens of entries for things and it makes my brain melt so it's a whole lot simpler this time for me AND for you!!!

so don't forget, 5 days to enter and to be in with a chance of getting your hands on these little bits for free (yes... FREE) just scroll down and leave a comment

that's it! super simple

i'll announce the winner on Sunday evening

so go on then... leave a comment! :D

oh and i'll probably throw in a nice postcard for the winner as well...

* * *

phew! what a day, busy editing stuff then busy snapping pictures of all the lovely new badges and mirrors!

i'll probably post something tomorrow evening about my new princess pictures 

so until then... that's all folks ◕‿◕ ★ xX