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 16

the theme for today was 'a cupcake with red icing' so obviously this one was a treat to do since i spend a lot of time doodling cupcakes as it is! however, i was at college all day then had to dash to Ramsey to drop some stuff on and i was just realllllly busy so i've only just gotten chance to do my doodle for the day!

anyway here it is...

simple but still delicious i think :)

as i mentioned above, i dashed up to Ramsey after college today because it's the Sweet Ginger Emporium's 1st Birthday! here's a little card i whipped up for the shop earlier...

but wow, i can't actually believe it's been a whole year since the shop first opened!

if you haven't a clue what 'Sweet Ginger' is, basically it's a glorious crafty emporium here in the Isle of Man stocked with all manner of gorgeous bits and bobs as well as some of my handmade stuff + postcards and cards!

 you can read a post all about the Shop right here - ★Sweet Ginger★

anyway until tomorrow, that's all folks... xX

Topsy-Turvy Day ★

so this morning i woke up ridonkulously early to get ready/packed for college, i got there early and found my tutor Andy in the corridor moving boxes, he said "oh, didn't you get the email?!"

and that was when i knew i'd wasted my time going to college!

so according to the email that i definitely DID NOT receive, the September term officially begins today BUT all HND students don't need to be in until Wednesday at 9:30am

AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

honestly i don't know WHY i even bother sometimes!

it wasn't a total loss though because i got first pick of the desks (heck yes!!!) and after my five minutes in college i skedaddled off down to Douglas town and settled in at the Alpine for some breakfast

it's been miserable weather-wise on the island lately and today's been no different so it really was the perfect time to cit cosy in a nice warm café

i cracked out my macbook to show Melanie (café's owner) the Matryoshka edits, she's off to get her tattoo coloured soon so she's planning on taking a copy of the coloured image to help the tattoo artist colour it all in! exciting stuff

i also spent some time working on a few new 'candy character' sketches as you can see here from this shot of my makeshift desk this morning...

what can i say?! the Alpine really is my café home from home!!! i realised today that i mention the place ALL the time yet i've never snapped any photos of it to show you all, well i fixed that today since Melanie let me  run around with my camera!

this is the pretty spiral staircase leading upstairs...

...where it's all airy and bright! 

and all homely and comfy! you can see why i like it so much here! there's so much red and blue around as well...

+ Melanie picks the most awesome stuff to go on the walls, almost all of the items framed are vintage postcards, book covers, record sleeves and posters. this is my favourite, an old copy of 'Heidi' box framed in a pretty rococo style frame

even the chairs are pretty! there are lots of mismatched vintage chairs but all of them are upholstered with this super funky stars pattern!

 as the café's name suggests, there's a big mountain chalet type vibe going on here, and as well as a few pairs of vintage ski's on the wall there's also a whole bunch of retro Ski-ing posters

and as if the decor wasn't gorgeous enough, you can take my words for it that the food is just as fabulous! the rosy cupcakes are a personal fave of mine, for obvious reasons...

and here we have the lovely Melanie busy writing out today's specials! so big BIG thanks to her for letting me run around cheekily snapping photos!

she also promised me i can take a photo of the tattoo to show you all when it's fully coloured!!! so be sure to keep an eye out for that :)

* * *

i spent the rest of the morning wandering around Douglas where i ended up buying a lovely little Picture book

"Dear Fairy Godmother" by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Nick Sharratt (and yes... i did buy it for the pictures!)

the story is very cute but i'm not gonna lie, it was the adorable illustrations that made me pick it up in the first place...

i really will NEVER get tired of Nick Sharratt's illustrations! i love his work so much

for more info about Nick Sharratt + to see some more of his lovely work, be sure to check out my old 'super sunday' feature on him here - Super Sunday #7

and to get your own copy of the book you can go here - Walker Books

* * *

last but not least, this afternoon i nipped up to Ramsey to visit Sweet Ginger to drop off some new cards and stuff

it's been aaaaaages since i last visited the shop so it was lovely to see Julie and Ciara + to have a skeet at all the pretty new things they have in stock

i ended up treating myself to this adorable little garland, i just couldn't resist it!

apples are my favourite fruit and you all know what a sucker i am for anything polka-dotted so it was pretty inevitable that i was going to get one of these!

* * *

nothing else to report on for now, it's very gloomy outside so i'm planning a nice chilled evening cooped up inside reading picture books and my new issues of Vogue and Elle

enjoy the rest of your Monday wherever you are + whatever you're up to

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

Sweet Ginger Strips ★

so yesterday was quite possibly one of the nicest, warmest and sunniest days i've experienced in a long time! i was supposed to spend the day in college essay writing but when i stepped outside i knew i couldn't stay cooped up indoors all day so i spent the day wandering around Douglas town centre instead!

you should know that the weather here in the Isle of Man is almost typically windy/rainy/kind of gloomy, true some years we get lucky and are blessed with smashing summers and lots of sunshine, some years. . . we're not so lucky!

but yesterday. . . it was just sublime!

but unfortunately i left my camera in the car so i couldn't take any pictures of how pretty it was!!!!!!

anyway, do you remember this lil' lady???

well yesterday afternoon i popped up to Sweet Ginger to say hi to Julie and Ciara and i was delighted to see that they'd put up the 'Sweet Ginger Strips' posters 

there's a big ol' poster behind the shop counter and another one in the shop window!!!

but that's not all because they'd also set out all of the 'Sweet Ginger Strips' bags as well!

these are little bags chock full of gorgeous fabric strips that you can use to make whatever the hell you want! 

for example. . . you could plait them together and make cute bracelets or a hair tie, you could stitch them together and make a funky rag purse or scarf, you could sew them into ruffles or roses for handmade rosettes or charms in fact. . . you could use them to make all manner of super duper things!

anyway these bags are super duper awesome and super duper cheap (if you ask me!) so if you live local and fancy a little TT race week project or just fancy some little strips of fabric, head up to the shop and get yourself a bag or two! and just think. . . you'll get your very own 'Sweet Ginger Strips' tag featuring my artwork as well!

oh there are also 'Sweet Ginger Strips' and 'Polka Dots' greetings cards as well :)

i gotta tell you though, it's crazy seeing my drawings printed up on tags and posters in a shop! there are actually 3 posters in all though seeing as the lovely Julie and Ciara also got me a poster of my very own!!!

she's already pinned up in my room (helping to cover up some more of the hideous 'skin disease' wallpaper!!!)

* * *

oh i snapped this pic of Pepe and Sophie as well, they're now happily cooped up in one of the shelves on display in the shop

* * *

while i was in 'Sweet Ginger' i also decided to treat myself to a set of Moomin badges!

i've wanted these badges since i first visited the shop back when Ciara and Julie were still unpacking all the lovely stock, i figured it was about time i got a set, the only thing i have to do now is figure out where i'm going to pin them!

does anyone else remember the Moomins from their childhood?! i know that myself + my friend Courtney have spent countless afternoons attempting to draw them and reminiscing about how cute and slightly scary they were!

most of the people i know that remember the show only seem to remember being freaked out by some of it's characters but i used to love watching the Moomins animation when i was little!

i remember there was a Tove Jansson Moomin comic/story book in the library when i was at primary school and i used to read it over and over again

i know that they recently made a new Moomins film but i've yet to see it, if any of you have seen it let me know what it's like!

and now i'm going to stop going on about the Moomins and go and make some tea!!!

* * *

that's it for today i think, tomorrow i plan to blog about some awesome new artists i've just been told about by an old college student, i think you might like their stuff as much as i do!

bye for now, that's all folks . . . ◕‿◕ ★ xX 

Sweet Ginger Style ★

so of course. . . it was my Birthday this week at long  last!

Can't believe i'm actually 20 now! absolutely insane!!! i'm still about 8 in my head i think!

I got some really lovely Birthday messages though, I woke up to dozens on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr which was nice, so big thanks to all of you that wished me a Happy Birthday on Tuesday

also apologies for the disappearing act i've pulled over the past few days! Birthday's make me very grumpy and i just couldn't think of anything to blog about!

anyway. . .

today i have some awesome photos to share with you all!

over at the 'Sweet Ginger Emporium' they've been busy whipping up an amazing fashion shoot to showcase some of the shops super duper handmade items!

the clothes and accessories were modeled by Shauna McCallion and Sarah Hendy, 

dresses by the talented Jonee Fisher (+ some funky up-cycled pieces by Ciara Kilgallon and Julie James)

accessories by Danielle Lowell, Janet Withey and Jade Boylan (aka me!)

the photos were snapped by local photography mastermind and renowned genius, Phil Kneen

this was the result. . .

pretty darn AMAZING right!!!

Phil very VERY kindly sent me a set of the photos to put on here but obviously, full copyright belongs to him so do not, under ANY circumstances copy of steal these pictures. . . because he will hunt you down and beat you with a light stand or camera tripod! 

seriously. . . he will! so don't even think about nabbing any of these lovely shots!

also, i suggest you go and check out some more of Phil's amazing photography right now via this link, just keep scrolling down the page for more and more amazingness! - Phil Kneen

* * *

in other news, those of you with beady eyes on facebook/twitter/tumblr may have noticed that i drew the winner of the 'May Giveaway' on Wednesday morning!

in the end after much adding up and many scientific calculations (as if!!!) it turned out that there was a whopping total of 182 entries!!!

just wow guys. . . 

you all Liked, retweeted, blogged, reblogged and commented for it loads and loooads!

it also really blew up on tumblr this time, in fact i think the most entries came from people reblogging it on there!

anyway, massive thanks to all those who entered but the winner was number 33 . . . Kat Rego from Ontario, Canada

i drew the winner using random.org and as you can see, number 33 was the lucky number!

so i'll be posting the giveaway goodies out to Kat first thing tomorrow morning!

don't lose heart though folks, i'll be holding another giveaway this summer when i go back to Ireland in August, i'm hoping to gather lots of goodies from my travels around Waterford, Cork and Dublin to make up a super duper giveaway bundle of prizes!

so stay tuned for that . . .

* * *

speaking of giveaways, do you remember the sheer ruddy marvel that is Rockalily Lipstick???

let me re-jog your memory, have a look at this blog post i wrote at the beginning of April - Hairclips and Lipsticks

well the lovely ReeRee (super genius behind Rockalily Lipsticks) is holding a little giveaway on her website giving some of YOU the chance to win a Rockalily Lipstick of your very own!!!

the competition is all about tattoos and to enter all you have to do is upload a picture of your ink (+ tag yourself in the photo) to the Rockalily Facebook Page saying why YOU think you and your tattoo deserve to win 

she's going to pick three winners who will all win a Rockalily Lipstick!

ReeRee is also going to randomly choose one person who retweets 'Have you entered your tattoo to win a @RockalilyLondon lipstick? http://ow.ly/58y3d RT for an extra chance to win. #rockalily'

for full details on how to enter + terms and conditions, head on over to the site - Rockalily

* * *

not much else to report on today dearies, heading into college tomorrow to hand in my final draft essay then i'm off for a week due to it being TT race week!

i'll try to resume normal blogging from now on!

i don't know why you all put up with me i really don't!

anyway, that's all folks . . . ◕‿◕ ★ xX