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

Terrific Tuesday ★

so i vanished for a few days again didn't I . . .

I'm really sorry I've just been pretty busy with sewing stuff + i got a new logo commission the other day that I've been working on + yesterday my big sister and her boyfriend came round to show us their holiday snaps from their 9 week 'around the world adventure' (of which i am insanely jealous!)

but that's no excuse for me to abandon you all i know so . . . "I'm sorry"

moving on

today is a Tuesday hence today's blog title . . . just in case you were wondering!

maybe i should theme all the days of the week?!

we could have 'Marvellous Monday', 'Terrific Tuesday', 'Wonderful Wednesday', 'Tremendous Thursday', 'Fabulous Friday', 'Splendid Saturday' and 'Super Sunday'

ok maybe not! (maybe i should shut up and write this post huh!)

anyway I've been hiding in my room for a few days sewing and THIS is what I've been making

here we have a little toadstool charm, a sprinkles covered ice cream charm + a bright little Bauhaus coloured Owl charm (you can take the girl out of the library but she'll always be an Art History nerd I'm afraid!!!)

these are part of the little handmade felt charm series i seem to be working on aaaaaall the time!

 here they all are hanging on my mirror (just ignore the psychedelic mess of stuff on my walls in the reflection)

so what else?! well this afternoon i popped into Ramsey for a 'sort of but not quite' business meeting (it's for the hush hush thing that i can't tell you about yet) 

anyway the 'meeting' was great, i think i'm meeting the super duper girly behind it all again tomorrow for another meeting type thing in the Alpine where we will probably end up eating cakes and talking about buttons such is our shared love for all things haberdashery related . . .

speaking of haberdashery, look at the gorrrrgeous ribbons i got today in Ramsey

aren't they divine! i just loved the colours, couldn't resist

i also got a little pack of felt sheets since you know . . . you can never have too much felt!

this is to add to the ever growing stack of felt i have on my desk

ah . . . felt glorious felt!

oh while i was in Ramsey i bumped into my old friend Jeni from College as well, she's studying for a BA in design at University in Liverpool, check out her arty blog here - Jeni Grose

* * *

in other news . . .

i just HAD to share this with you!

look at the view outside my bedroom window at the moment

so looking past my garland of handmade origami cranes, my Manx Fairy charm + my bamboo wind chime and can you see that gorgeous cherry blossom tree!!!

most of the cherry blossom i've seen out around the island is beginning to flutter to the ground now leaving swirls of pink confetti-like petals on the pavements and roads but our tree is just coming into its blossom

isn't it pretty! every morning i open my curtains and it makes me smile to see those pretty pink petals brightening up the garden

* * *

right so nothing else to report on . . . i think!

tonight i need to draw stuff for this new commission + whip up a new polka dot pinup girl illustration for aforementioned super secret business type thing

so I'll bid you adieu my dears, until next time

that's all folks ◕‿◕ ★ xX 

Wedesday Weather ★

so i don't know WHAT is going on with the weather here at the moment! it's really sunny outside then ten minutes later there's cloud and rain! it's super windy yet if i look out the window i can still see blue sky and sunshine!

WEIRD

anyway today's post is going to feature some of the gorrrrrrgeous little bits i got at 'The Tide' in Ramsey on Monday afternoon/evening

now 'The Tide' is without a doubt my absolute favourite shop on the Island!!! 

i L-O-V-E it

now sadly i'm not allowed to take any photos of the inside of the shop due to copyright and such but all i can do is urge you to go and see it for yourself if you ever get the chance to visit the Isle of Man

it is the most super duper place ever! (fact)

it really the most delicious little treasure trove of a store, just bursting with sublime goodies! 

they sell everything from handmade one off jewellery pieces, vintage teacups, saucers and teapots, hand sewn dolls, bunting and aprons, the most amazing ornaments and decorations, delicate little crocheted toys and amazing fairytale snow globes, sparkly chandeliers, big ornate mirrors, hand sewn patchwork bags, ribbons, cards and wrapping paper in every pattern you could ever want + big luscious floral quilts, ruffled cushions and polka dot bedding!

it is heaven in shop form as far as i'm concerned and i could literally spend all day in there!

anyway let's get on with what i bought during this visit...

here we have little 'Peanut Big Top' kindly modeling in my new purchase

is it not the most fabulous little hot air balloon ever!!!

they had two hanging from the ceiling and i just had to have this lovely little blue one

should explain, the delightful cloudy sky behind is in fact a sheet of fabric i bought for an embroidery project, i ironed it out nice and neat to take these photos though. not sure what i'm going to make with it yet but i'll keep you posted!

but that's not all i got

i also chose this adorable little handmade doll

every time i visit the store i see these dolls hanging about the place or tucked away on shelves and i always want to get one but have to leave or can't afford one

so this time i thought what the hell, and got one for my room

i also got this teeny tiny little wooden charm...

why?! well because it's says' sweet like candy 'on it of course!!!

anyway the shop is magical, go and visit it or if you can't make it to the island, pop by their websites

the Tide.net     or    the Tide.co.uk

or you can follow them on twitter - @thetide_friends

* * *

so what else have i been up to?!

well i got some new books out of the library on Monday and i was flicking through one of them today

it's a big old 50's scrapbook full of old advertisements, book covers and movie posters

there are some awesome pages in it full of all manner of fabulous 50's things

the fashion pages are particularly super duper

there's even a travel section showing UK holiday destinations, so imagine my surprise when i spotted something else that was on the page...

can you see it there in the middle... maybe this will help

yep there's even an old ad for the Isle of Man! the Island used to be a MASSIVELY popular tourist destination so i wasn't that surprised it was included, it was just nice to see that it wasn't forgotten!

 i also visited the craft shop the other day as well and came out with some candy coloured bundles of fabric

ooooooh i wonder what they're for!!! (wait and see)

and AND my new embroidery hoop arrived in the mail today

it's PINK!!!!!

i've no idea what i'm going to stitch into it but who cares... it's pink!

* * *

that's it for today, i'm off to try and work on these essays now 

that's all folks...

◕‿◕ ♥ xX

PS: only 2 (yes 2) days left to enter the Giveaway!!!

enter now for your chance to win some cute little kawaii prizes including a hello kitty notebook, some cupcake themed goodies from Paperchase + a pink poodle necklace

GO GO GO - ♥ Giveaway ♥

Family and Friends ♥

so today i FINALLY made it out of the house and into Douglas town!

it's been almost a week since i last saw civilization and i was soooo excited to be heading towards it once again!

we were in town by 9:25am which is ridiculously too early if you ask me!

however today was no ordinary day... for today was a 'red lipstick day'

now i adore red lipstick but truth be told i hardly ever wear it outside my own home.

yes i wear it to do the housework and the hoovering but what's so wrong with injecting a little glamour into an otherwise rather un-glamourous task!

but apart from that... the red rarely makes an appearance, unless it' Christmas time!

the lipstick in question today was a base coat of my favourite Shiseido matte pigment

with a top coat of glossy Revlon red and a dash of cherry Carmex

gosh... the glamour!

anyway, the early trip to town + the red lipstick extravaganza was all for a good cause... we had to get the xmas food shopping!

well i say we... myself + my dad abandoned my mum at Tesco and headed off to run some errands

i say errands... i actually mean 'a trip to B&Q' for some paint and DIY bits

oh i also i finally got to see Mike after 3 months of him being away at uni like the fool that he is!!! 

it was a flying visit but at least i managed to hand over his xmas prezzies BEFORE xmas day!

he was wearing a sparkly silver santa hat which only added to the festivity of the occasion

and yes... in case you were wondering, he did look ridiculous in his glitterball santa hat!

* * *

after that, a few more errands, then we collected my mother and made a bee-line for the town centre!

we met up with my cousin Mandy and mooched around the shops for a bit, to escape the frrrreezing weather!

i got a nice chance to catch up with Hayley (my 50th blog follower) and met up with Charlotte and her husband Rob for lunch

Charlotte INSISTED that i opened my present in front of her so you all get to see the gorrrrrrgeous little polka dot apron she got me for Christmas!!!

isn't it divine!

i just love it, so kitschy and cute! now all i have to do is go and bake some cupcakes or cookies or something!

she had to open hers too (of course!), i got her a cute strawberry Hello Kitty beanie + a cupcake luggage tag (from Fluff) and a little cupcake/lipgloss/flannel set

the weird thing was that the Hello Kitty had polka dots as well! just like my little apron!

what can i say... we BOTH love polka dots ♥

* * *

after town we gathered up the bags and bags of presents and popped over to my cousins house to drop off all the xmas goodies

it was so soooo lovely to see my little god-daughter Bonnie, she was wearing a red tartan kilt that matched my tartan headband perfectly!

coincidence... i think not! great minds always think alike even if she is only 5-years-old

she handed me my xmas presents plus an adorable card which she'd written for me herself with lots and lots of kisses (and a small smudge of biscuit, how charming)

cue massive emotional overload from the massively proud godmother!

she got a big red lipstick smooch on her cheek for being so adorabubble!

as it is, i'm already a ridiculously proud godmother anyway, Bonnie is not only a gorgeously sweet and super duper little girl, she was also crowned 'Little Miss English Diamonds' earlier this year

a star and a stunner... a doll and a diva... all at the age of 5!

Brilliant Bonnie xX

* * *

then we dropped Mandy off at home with all of her xmas presents, after that i'm not really sure what happened since i fell asleep in the car!

to be fair though i was listening to my 'oldies' playlist so the darlingly divine hits of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, the Chordettes, the Ink Spots and the Andrews Sisters lulled me off to sleep

luckily by the time i woke up we'd arrived in Ramsey for some fish and chips (YUM)

we also caught the start of the annual Ramsey Lantern parade through the main shopping street of the town

it was so pretty! colourful lights were strung up everywhere and all the children were carrying wonderful home-made willow lanterns in all sorts of shapes.

i spotted a rocket, a yacht, lots of big stars and even the planet Earth!

there was also an amazing old steam powered truck 

+ a steam roller and a big festive float lit up, belting out xmas songs!

it was really festive and despite the cold, there was a great atmosphere and everyone seemed to be having fun = good times!

* * *

i got a nice surprise when i got home as well, not only had my new contact lenses been delivered (early) the book i ordered a few days ago had arrived as well!

i was sooo excited to get this book and it hasn't disappointed me whatsoever!

it's by the embroidery and super sewing dudette, Jenny Hart (whose work i've admired for some time, her work has also recently inspired me to have a go at my own embroidery)

she is beyond legendary as far as i'm concerned and when (and if) i finish my pinup style embroidery i shall dedicate a proper post to her on here, but until then this should give you a taste of her epic sewing skills

the book is just chock full of wonderful sewing ideas + embroidery transfers and fun projects to have a go at

i love love LOVE it! cannot wait to get started on some funky new projects!

her work is so awesome! if you've never seen any of her stuff then i suggest you check out her site, it's super duper FABULOUS! - Jenny Hart

* * *

in other news, i made a weird sort of new illustration thing last night

it's hard to sum up really since it's basically just a set of silhouettes showing some of my favourite 'Girl' illustrations

i'm not entirely sure what to do with it yet, for some weird reason i keep seeing it on a fan or a t-shirt or something...

oh AND i also got a few more bits to add to the Giveaway Goodies pile today!

 here we have a sweet little silky mirror that comes in a matching bag + a set of cute monster badges

if you STILL haven't entered the Giveaway comp then get yourself over to THIS post and read up on how you can enter to win LOADS of cute stuff - Giveaway

get going dudes and dudettes! enter the Giveaway and YOU could win a bundle of funky stuff for the New Year x

* * *

there's not much else for me to add to todays post

it's just been such a lovely magical fun and fabulous day! it's a long time since i've hung out with my family all day and i have to day, i've really enjoyed it

catching up with good friends and family = super duper times indeed

so i'll leave it at that today i think

that's all folks...

◕‿◕ ★

ps - i haven't forgotten about the 'farewell in every language' thing, i've just decided to put it on hold until after Christmas

i'll end this weeks 'Super Sunday' post with another language ok, peace out xX