Xmas Wish List 2016 ★

It's that time of year again, so i'm carrying on the tradition of the annual extravagant Xmas wish list post! I know what you're thinking, "what ridiculous list of materialistic tripe has Jade put together this year?!" well all I can say is read on dear reader, read on.

I actually ended up getting 3 of the items off last year's wish list, but I bought them all for myself so I'm not sure if they count. Despite the mega hints I drop, I never seem to get any of the things off my wish lists. I mean, it's not like I ask for anything unreasonable or anything *laughs nervously*. So now I just buy stuff like that for myself. You gotta treat yo self right? Of course you do.

As per usual, this year's wish list includes a mix of reasonable (aka more affordable) gifts along with some more unattainable (aka super expensive) ones because it's Christmas and I'm allowed to dream! Although I'll be honest, some of the things here are definitely NOT that affordable, but I can't help it if all the things I really like are expensive! I clearly have good taste ^_^

Anyway, on with the 2016 wish list. So Santa if you're reading this grab a pen and write these down because this year I would like...

1. A Dionysus top handle bag in blue stripe from Gucci - £2,020

Go BIG or go home right? Well, what better way to kick off this year's wish list than with something I'll definitely NEVER get! I've been a Gucci fan for years but this year they really blew me away with their 2016 collections. I've lost count of the winter clothes/bags/shoes I've seen on the high street that were clearly inspired by Gucci. If you've bought anything on the high street with ruffles on this Autumn/Winter, then you have Gucci to thank for it.

I make it no secret that I love luxury fashion, unfortunately my bank balance doesn't agree, otherwise I'd have a Gucci bag for every day of the week. Anyway, this year I've been lusting after this one in particular. I'm not even sure why, I just really, really love it okay?! Maybe it's the bamboo handle or the military inspired star and stripes or even the fact that it's named after Dionysus from Greek Mythology. Whatever it is, I adore this bag.

Available to buy HERE (please Santa, pleeeeeeaaaaasssssseeeee!!!! I mean, obviously i'll settle for ANY Gucci bag, but i'd really like this one. please)

2. A 'Don't Panic' necklace from Snikt and Bamf - £35

I love acrylic jewellery and I love The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, so it makes sense that I'd also love this brilliant necklace from British brand Snikt and Bamf. But then what's not to love? It's red and sparkly and shows off my love for Douglas Adams iconic books. I'm not afraid to declare my geekiness to the world (see THIS post for proof. Yes, it's the one where I'm dressed as a Ghostbuster, in public.) and apart from this being a super cute necklace, I also think it would match my red lipstick really well. Just saying.

Do I even need to justify it? No, not really. This is a wish list and I wish for this necklace. That's really all that matters.

Available to all hoopy froods HERE

3. A Harry Potter themed Book Print Skirt from Pick n Mix on Etsy - £35

Do I even need to explain this one?! Come on people, if you're here reading this then you probably already know about my lifelong book addiction. Why wouldn't I want a twirly skirt covered in spell books? Trick question because obviously I NEED a magical book print skirt ASAP.

I might not be a librarian anymore but that doesn't mean I still couldn't rock a book themed skirt. Plus, just think how well it would go with my book themed necklace and brooch.

Ooh and I could wear my time turner necklace with it as well! And my Ravenclaw badge. And my wand.

Wait, what do you mean why do I have a wand?! I don't have to explain myself to muggles.

Available to order HERE, Owl delivery not guaranteed


4. A Frida brooch from Baccurelli - £41

I did say I love acrylic jewellery didn't I! Well i've been a fan of Baccurelli designs for a few years now and while I'd be happy with any of her lovely brooches or accessories, I particularly like the Frida brooch. Maybe it's the artist in me, or the mix of red and black (my favourite colours), but this would go with soooo many outfits. I can see it already!

Plus it goes without saying that Frida Kahlo (who the brooch is based on) was a total badass and a truly amazing woman. So who wouldn't want to wear a little brooch of her likeness!

Available HERE along with dozens of other gorgeous brooches and accessories

5. A pair of 'Marvel' lace-up leather boots from Ted & Muffy - £225

October to March you will find me pretty much living in winter boots. Boots are the BEST. But every year I usually end up buying a cheap high street pair of knee boots from somewhere like Asda or New Look but unsurprisingly a year later they look wrecked. I'd love to invest (or be gifted...) a high quality pair of leather boots that will last for years.

Until last year I still wore a lovely pair of brown leather lace-up pirate boots that I'd had since I was 16, so I know that good quality boots can last for ages. But unfortunately they finally gave up the ghost, so now I'd like a new pair of lace-up boots to live in each winter. Why lace-up ones? Well for starters I have quite chunky calves but very narrow ankles so I usually struggle to find high street boots that will fit me properly. Lace-up boots make it easy to customize the fit AND they look really nice. I think so anyway.

These are really rather lovely though and I would very much like a pair. Available HERE

6. A colour changing Unicorn mug from Firebox - £12.99

That's right people. Not only is it a mug shaped like a Unicorn, IT CHANGES COLOUR!!!

This would make my afternoon cup of green tea soooo much better. I don't even have words for this, It's amazing and I need it. That's all.

I'm not even kidding, if I don't wake up to this mug on Christmas morning I'm gonna flip. Or go online and order one myself. Whatever.

Available for all magical unicorn lovers HERE

7. A Fatale black embroidered dress from The Pretty Dress Company - £315

I know, I know... why can't I just pick a dress that's affordable. Mainly because most affordable dresses aren't as heavenly as this one! LOOK AT IT.

all those embroidered roses! It's too much perfection. 

Since this dress was launched, I must have visited the site 3 dozen times, just to look at it and imagine twirling in it. Not only was in designed in collaboration with burlesque goddess Immodesty Blaize, it looks so damn good on everyone! It's a veryflattering dress and I've yet to see a photo of it being worn where it doesn't look gorgeous, no matter the body type.

also LOOK HOW PRETTY!

Available to buy HERE

8. A Rouge Louboutin Lipstick from Christian Louboutin - £65

If you just projectile spat tea across the room and screeched "£65 for a LIPSTICK" please allow me to explain/justify myself. Also, look at it, this ain't your standard lipstick!

Ok so I LOVE shoes, especially those designed by Christian Louboutin. Unfortunately I inherited my dad's rubbish feet so I am the reluctant owner of a pair of bunions and generally quite wide feet. This means that buying shoes is a miserable experience for me, because 'wide fit' shoes usually do NOT look like the kinds of things available in the Louboutin shoe room at Brown Thomas.

So probably the only way I'm ever going to get some Louboutin red on myself, is as a nail varnish (which I already own) or this lipstick (that looks like a piece of art).

plus I think we can all agree that while unnecessarily hedonistic, £65 for a lipstick is a lot more affordable than £650 for a pair of shoes.

Get it HERE


9. A Bathurst 'all over stickers' handbag from Anya Hindmarch - £1,395

It seemed only fair that I begin and end this year's wish list with a handbag. If you thought I was gushing about the Gucci one, you ain't seen nothing yet. This bag... how to describe it. It's as if I had a dream where I designed my PERFECT handbag and then I woke up and it existed for real!

Luxury polished leather CHECK, a top handle + optional shoulder strap CHECK, absolutely covered in wacky sticker designs CHECK CHECK CHECK

This bag is what dreams are made of. My dreams anyway. I'm all about statement pieces and this bag certainly makes a statement. It says, nay... it screams "THIS BAG IS PERFECT FOR JADE, SEE HOW WELL IT MATCHES HER LIPSTICK AND COAT!"


Available HERE (come on Santa, this one, I really deserve it!)


And that's it for this year. See, I don't ask for much do I?

No, that's a lie. I ask for a LOT. But somehow I don't think I'll be waking up to fancy lipstick and designer handbags this year. I'm sure whatever I get will be brilliant though, I'm already excited about a gift my mum got me (spoiler: it's a RED record player!!!)

So it's gonna be a great day no matter what :)

What's at the top of your Christmas wish list this year? Leave me a comment below or let me know on one of my social media profiles.

And whatever you're up to this holiday season, I hope that you have a lovely time with your friends and family or by yourself if that's how you roll.

Merry Christmas to you all!

see you on the other side (of Christmas)

Marvellous Mail ❤

hello again! Today I want to talk a bit about that most marvellous and magnificent of doodahs that is... POST! 

I man Post is amazing isn't it! You can send stuff ALL over the world and get nice stuff back no bother, it's like magic. You're probably thinking, 'but Jade, the internet lets us do that instantly' and yes, it does, but it's not quite the same as getting a letter in the post is it. To sum it up better, i'm going to need to use a Terry Pratchett quote from his brilliant book Going Postal. In this particular case let's pretend the 'clacks' is an email and you'll get the point!

"I dare say the clacks is wonderful if you wish to know the prawn market figures from Genua. But can you write S.W.A.L.K. on a clacks? Can you seal it with a loving kiss? Can you cry tears on to a clacks, can you smell it, can you enclose a pressed flower? A letter is more than just a message." 

Now let's be honest, we ALL love getting stuff in the mail don't we! No i'm not talking about bills and boring nonsense like that, i'm talking about birthday cards, letters, invitations, postcards and... PRESENTS!

Not quite as magical as surprise gifts in the post but still WAY up there with general mail excitement is ordering things! You know how it is, it's 2am on a Sunday, you can't sleep, so you inevitably end up on Ebay and buy a bunch of random stuff then forget about it...
no, is that just me then?!

anyway, you order something nice for yourself then forget (like me) or wait excitedly for it to arrive and when it does, doesn't it make a WORLD of difference when what you've ordered turns up in pretty packaging?!

now some of you might be thinking, 'meh, I don't really care how it's packaged as long as it arrives!' but that probably means you've never received something parceled up so beautifully that you couldn't quite bring yourself to open it straightaway until you'd fully appreciated how MAGICAL it looked!

This happens to me occasionally, usually when I've ordered something from another artist or maker, they'll send my order in a pretty box or envelope, peppered with cute stickers, bakers twine or doodles.

One of the best things I have ever received in the post was a parcel sent all the way from Portland, WA in America. It arrived wrapped like a parcel you might see in a period film or show, with thick brown parcel paper and carefully tied twine. Inside was a handmade book bound in vintage silk tied with a length of white lace trim, along with a beautifully handwritten letter artfully folded and sealed with a stamp of dark blue sealing wax...

It was so beautiful that it took me THREE WHOLE DAYS to bring myself to open it!!! Why? because I literally couldn't bear to spoil the wax seal, even though I knew there was a lovely letter waiting inside, I just couldn't do it straightaway.

No photo could do the thing justice because to me, right at that second, the experience was like being pulled back in time, and just for a moment I felt like a girl in a Jane Austen novel being handed a parcel from afar, all that was missing were the pretty regency gowns and handsome guys wandering around in fancy tail coats.

The parcel inspired me to get my hands on my own stamp and sealing wax (in green to match the ink in my fountain pen) so that I could send out some beautifully presented letters of my own to two friends in Maine.

Because even after i'd finally opened the parcel, unwrapped the book and broken the wax seal to read the letter, I kept thinking about how beautifully packaged it had all arrived and it got me thinking that surely ALL post should be as magical and heartwarming an experience.

Because you see, my dears... if there's one thing I love more than receiving pretty envelopes in the post, it's sending them out!

There's nothing more fun that packaging up an order and making it looks as cute and fun as possible! A lot of my customers are quite far away and sometimes have to wait weeks to receive their postcards or stickers, so I try to make it even more worth the wait by packaging up their order as prettily as I can.

This of course means rainbow hued envelopes, cute stickers and candy stripe bags to keep everything safe and sound as it flies across the world! And I don't just mean that I do this for international orders, EVERY order from my shop gets the same treatment, whether you live in Norfolk or New Zealand.



Every time someone orders something from me, I get a fizzy thrill knowing that they liked my stuff enough to want to buy it! I mostly sell stickers and postcards so I don't get many opportunities to crack out the bakers twine and parcel boxes unless someone orders a tote bag or a Mystery Bundle Box.

Extra special handmade treats going into the Mystery Bundle Boxes

I'm constantly working on new ways to update my packaging, making everything as pretty as possible, while still making sure orders arrive in perfect condition regardless of their destination. I spend an inordinate amount of time on Instagram and Pinterest gathering inspiration. One of my packaging idols (as it were) is Laura at I Love Crafty, she puts a lot of time and effort into her packaging and it really pays off so that every order looks completely gorgeous!

gorgeous packaging details for a Valentine's Order

 If you're lucky enough to have ever received something like this in the post then you know what a pleasure it is to open something so pretty! I mean sure it's great if you order a gift for someone and it arrives looking nice but why shouldn't it look as good if it's something you've ordered for yourself! After all, what's online shopping if not a way of gifting yourself glorious things every now and again, you know you gotta treat yo self!

Laura at I Love Crafty - packaging orders

I've followed Laura and her brilliant business online for a few years now and she's always inspired me to put in that extra bit of effort with my work, especially with the packaging. And if it means that one day my designs and products can be even half as lovely as hers, then it will be completely worth it!

pretty iridescent packaging for Unicorn brooches!

You see what at difference it makes to a plain white envelope or bubble mailer, isn't it heaps more FUN when things arrive wrapped in candy colours and cuteness?! You bet it is. And regardless of whether you spend £1 or £100 in my shop, I will wrap up your goodies in the sweetest way I can manage, and I have a whole side of my desk dedicated to cute packaging and sticker application (I take this very seriously).

Mystery Bundle Boxes, packed full of lovely stuff!

I could (and do) spend hours arranging my rainbow envelopes and preparing the mystery bundle boxes. I stick on spotify and crack out the stickers and it's so much fun I don't even notice the time flying. In fact, the only thing better than packaging up and sending out pastel pretty orders, is when a customer sends me a snap of their goodies letting me know that everything turned up safe and sound and that they LOVE it!

a few snaps posted on instagram from some of my lovely customers

if YOU have ever received something in the mail from me, whether it was an order or just some random thing I sent you, chances are it arrived looking like it had been parceled up by a rainbow unicorn! Which was of course my exact intention.

and if you've NEVER gotten anything in the post from me, then isn't it time you did! Treat yourself (or someone else) to something sweet, you'll find various candy coloured bits n' bobs in my Etsy Shop, my Depop Store and now also on Storenvy

go on then, go pick something nice and then I can pop it in a pretty envelope and COVER it with cute stickers before I post it to you!

and on that note, i'll say goodbye for now, thanks for visiting, see you again soon dearhearts...

Time for a Selfie?!

Hello my dears, i've spent the last few days pondering what to write about on here and I wasn't really planning on posting anything this week but yesterday and today I worked on a new Candy Doll illustration, so I figured I might as well post that.

So, meet the latest Candy Doll...

Yes she's a candy coloured girl with pastel pretty hair and a princess dress but you may also notice that her pose is that of someone taking a 'selfie'. (in fact, it's based on THIS selfie by the very gorgeous Missi Mouse)

Now i'm going to assume that when I say 'selfie' you all know what I mean. In today's world it's difficult not to pick up on trends flying around the internet and selfies are a phenomenon that i'm guessing you'll have heard of or seen on many occasions, or at least once or twice.

For example, here is a 'selfie' from my own instagram profile, note the camera phone clutched in my hand. (I should warn you, you're going to see a lot of my face throughout this post so if you are personally offended by my face, then bugger off. Leave now if you want, either way it's happening)

In simple terms a 'selfie' is a picture someone takes of themselves, usually reflected in a mirror or by dangling their phone/tablet in front of their face. You don't have to be alone in a selfie, you could snap a photo with your pet, spouse, family or whichever random celeb you've managed to corner, but i'm pretty sure for it to qualify as a selfie YOU have to be in the picture as well.

Now i'm not a big selfie poster but I do occasionally partake in the odd one when i'm feeling happy. I recently spoke to some people i'd never met who had heard of my work (it's a small island) they commented on the content of my instagram and one of them said 'I went to follow you but it's all pictures of you!'. This got me thinking because A) it is so NOT all pictures of me and B) so what if it was?!

Like many artists and creative types, I use social media to promote and sell my work but sometimes it can be good to remind people of the person behind the drawings, I follow so many incredible artists on Instagram and you can guarantee that every so often they'll post a snap of themselves. I also follow dozens of people who work in so many other areas and they ALL post regular photos of themselves, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends and family. In an age where people can share photos of anything and everything, whose to say it's wrong for them to share a photo of themselves.

There are mixed opinions about the torrents of selfies now populating the pages of virtually all the social media sites but personally I think they're a great idea! Hardly new or novel in existence, people have been taking selfies since cameras were invented (see for yourself HERE), so why should they come under fire now for snapping the odd shot of themselves.

As someone who really dislikes having her photo taken, I seem to have no trouble snapping ten pictures of myself posing and pouting in my bathroom mirror. Which is what makes selfies such an appealing form of expression, you are in complete control of the outcome, so it's a very personal thing to stand there and scrutinize yourself and snap a photo of what you see.

Instagram is a great platform for sharing things with the world, i regularly share snaps of my products and creations, books i'm reading, lovely scenery or my friends and family. but I don't think there should be any shame in posting pictures of myself.

For me selfies are a way of sharing my face with the world, or inflicting it upon it, either way sometimes it can be nice to post a shot of the face behind the online profile. If i'm having a particularly bad day, i'm more likely to shun social media but if it's been a lovely day and i've had a smile on my face then sometimes I like to share that smile.

I have low enough self esteem as it is so I think in some ways posting the occasional photo of myself on my instagram or twitter gives me a little boost in the confidence department, which is something I think most of us could do with from time to time. Even if nobody even sees it, just knowing that i've had the courage to share a photo of myself with the world is enough of a boost. Obviously it's even nicer when friends or family (or strangers!) post positive comments or hit the 'like' button.

I don't have many days where I feel truly good about myself, so you can guarantee that I must be having a brilliant day if it warrants a spontaneous selfie!

I first joined instagram in late October 2012 (when I got my iPhone). The very first picture I ever posted was related to Ghostbusters (obviously) but the third photo I shared was a selfie. My first ever proper phone selfie to tell the truth. I took it the Saturday before Halloween, standing in a toilet cubicle at Tesco, because as you know I live a very glamourous and exotic life.

Now I can't remember exactly how I felt or what I was thinking at the time but i'd just been to the cinema with my best friends to watch Ghostbusters so I was probably fizzing over with happiness. I'd dressed up in a big red polka dot swing dress with red lipstick to match + sparkly devil horns (because I fail spectacularly at all Halloween costumes) since that weekend lost of people were dressing up to walk around Douglas, so that was my contribution. And obviously, I felt that I needed to share that with the world, hence the selfie.

I remember getting teased a bit by some friends online, nothing bad but people seemed amused that i'd taken the time to post a picture of myself. So now (all this time later, I know...) it got me wondering why we make such a big deal of it?! It's not a crime, feeling good enough to post a picture of yourself smiling like a dork.

There shouldn't be anything negative about trying to boost your own self esteem from time to time so i'm not sure why so many people feel bad about posting a snap of themselves. You should just do it! Feeling bored? Go ahead and pull a daft pose in the mirror. Do you love your new outfit? Share a pic. Are you having a good day? Share your smile. Did your hair look amazing today? Share a photo so everyone can see how strong your hair game is! Don't be ashamed of yourself, show the world how awesome you are.

This is the most recent 'selfie' from my instagram. I'd had a really nice day out with my family, i'd worn my favourite red lipstick all day and when I got home I was trying to find a new home for my Betty Boop figurines. My lipstick was still neat so I decided to have a go at imitating Betty's famous pout. It's a silly picture, it was frivolous and totally unnecessary but it was FUN. So I posted it.

Now I know what you're probably thinking, crikey Jade you're posting a LOT of photos of your face, you must really love yourself and i'll stop you right there because NO. As i've mentioned, I have a lot of issues with self confidence and self esteem, I tend to have a very low opinion of myself but I am occasionally granted days when I don't feel so self depreciating, these days are few and far between so when they do appear I have to grasp hold of them and ride the wave of confidence. If that results in my shamelessly posting a photo of my own face then so be it, it's better than hating myself constantly, which I usually seem to do.

Anyway you'll be glad to know that that is the last snap i'll share today (hallelujah!) I seem to have forgotten the point I was trying to make but I think essentially what i wanted to say was don't be ashamed of sharing photos of yourself, if you feel good about yourself then let the world know.


I can't help but wonder though, do YOU post a lot of selfies or are you utterly camera shy? If you have access to a camera phone or tablet with a camera, I think you should go and post a selfie. Maybe not right now, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. DO IT! No regrets.

and on that sickeningly positive and upbeat note, i'll bid you all adieu.

If any of you do feel brave enough to post a selfie, please do link me to it in the comments below, I would literally LOVE to see your faces. It would fill my tiny shriveled heart with eternal joy.

So until next time, that's all folks. Thanks for making it to the end of the post, that means you managed to wade through my garrulous ramblings. WELL DONE!

Candy Pop and the Candy Dolls

Hello darlings! It's been a while since my last post, but if you follow me via facebook or twitter you may have noticed that for the past few weeks i've been working furiously to sort everything for my end of year exhibition at college

if you've followed the blog for a while you also might have noticed a serious decline in the amount of personal work posts since last year. The truth is that i've had plenty of work to share with you all, I just haven't chosen to post it on here like i usually do.

for example, in regard to my most recent project, i wanted to keep everything TOP SECRET and hidden until my actual exhibition :)

anyway, the exhibition opened on Thursday night so now i see no reason to keep the stuff under wraps, so on that note, i'd like you all to meet... the Candy Dolls

Love Is The Drug

Pretty In Pink

You Should Be Dancing

Just Can't Get Enough

In The Summertime

Sweeter Than Candy

Go Chasing Rabbits

I Put A Spell On You

Where Is My Mind

there are nine of them altogether and in case you couldn't guess from the cryptic titles, they're all based on various song lyrics.

the new term at college required me to set a new project brief for myself. i knew that i wanted to do something bright and colourful but very girly and maybe a little edgier than my usual work.

i'd been toying with the idea of producing a set of kawaii inspired figurative illustrations for a while, then a few months ago Ballad Of magazine set their new issue theme which just happened to be 'Candy Pop'. i'd long since begun sketching out a few girls so the timing seemed perfect. working towards the submissions brief gave me the chance to create a set of work for my college portfolio as well as a possible opportunity to get the work published.

anyway, i submitted 5 very basic girls, the early stages of the 'dolls' i guess and kept my fingers crossed bit unfortunately none of my illustrations made the final cut due to being deemed too sweet. i only found that out about a week and a half ago so in the time since i sent the early versions the 'dolls' have changed and developed quite a bit.

for starters, most of them now sport a serious amount of ink! tattoo art has always fascinated me but i have a massive phobia of needles so since covering myself with tattoos was out of the question, i covered my illustrations with them instead.

and inspired by the candy pop culture, i ended up fusing a bit of Kawaii with a bit of Rockabilly to create a bunch of pastel haired, pin-up style lovelies :)

 there's a lot more to them than initially meets the eye but i'll save all that rambling for the next post.

tomorrow night i'll be posting pics of the actual exhibition + the little paintings i did to accompany the digital designs, but in the meantime you can check out prints, postcards and booklets featuring the Candy Dolls, currently on sale in my BigCartel Store and my Etsy Shop

so until tomorrow (hopefully!), that's all folks... xX

All images featured in this post belong to Jade Boylan © do not claim, use, distribute, reproduce or copy ANY of my work without my express written consent (or else i will find you!!!) . All Rights Reserved.

May Drawing Challenge - Day 13

the theme for today was 'a flower' since apparently it's mother's day in some countries around the world today. it's not here though, the UK celebrates mothers day in late March. but anyway the theme was set so i doodled this...

my favourite flowers are actually red gerbera daisies but i decided to do a sunflower for today because i was reminiscing about travelling down through southern France on the way to Andorra.

you see, every summer we drive down there and pass hundreds of massive fields full of beautiful sunflowers as we go through the Catalan area that stretches from southern France, through Andorra and into northern Spain.

and well, today was the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Circuit de Cataluñya just outside Barcelona (regular readers will be well aware of my eternal and inexplicable love of Formula 1 racing!) so i thought a bright sunflower doodle seemed quite appt :)

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