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

Don't Panic ★

so i've got a new desktop wallpaper i wanted to show you all . . .

for those not in the know, it's a quote from my favourite book 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' by Douglas Adams

i saw it while browsing on Louie Mantia's website and knew i had to have it as my new background! it makes me smile every time i open my macbook + i think it's working . . . i haven't panicked about a thing since i picked it!

anyway, i was back at college today and after hanging out with my friends Quinn and Chris at their FMP desks for a bit, i nipped upstairs and rediscovered a bag of paper cranes i made last summer for a girl in the year below me at college

she asked me to make 100 paper cranes as decorations for a party she was having, so i managed to make 70 cranes in my last week of FMP but she ended up not using them, they've sat in the tutors study for a whole year undisturbed so i thought it was about time i claimed them back!

aren't they fun! i've been making cranes since i was about 11 when a teacher at school taught us how to make little origami boxes, most of my friends weren't too fussed but i was fascinated with learning different techniques to turn a plain piece of paper into a wonderful little 3D shape or object so i went out and bought a big book on Origami and i've been making stuff ever since!

i also hang garlands of paper cranes around my room since they are a symbol of peace + i think they brighten up the place

anyway i decided to give the bag of cranes to Ciara and Julie at 'Sweet Ginger' so they can scatter them around the shop in little colourful displays

speaking of Sweet Ginger . . .

check out the extra special felt fawn plushie i made for them on Wednesday/Thursday

isn't she a cutie!

red with white polka dots is 'the shops trademark style so i thought a polka dot fawn was in order + obviously it needed 'Sweet Ginger' on there somewhere as well!

now some people have told me it looks like a giraffe because of the dots but i want to point out that it is in fact just a pretty crazy awesome gorgeous funky dotty little fawn

here she is hanging out with 'Amelia' before i send 'Sweet Ginger' to her namesake shop and post 'Amelia' off to the Birthday girl she was made for

 anyway i actually dropped the new polka dot fawn in at the shop this afternoon and Ciara and Julie absolutely LOVED IT!!!

they danced about excitedly before popping her in the window display for all the world to see . . .

they also handed over a Birthday gift for me, i'm FORBIDDEN to open in before my birthday but i wanted to snap a photo of the gorgeous 'Sweet Ginger Emporium' gift bag it came in

so cute!

yay!

* * *

speaking of Birthday gifts however, check out what i got this afternoon . . .

that's right folks, i now own a sewing machine! at long last!!! it's actually off my dad for my Birthday but because i sew so much he's let me open it early, how grooooovy eh!

here's hoping i can actually work out how to use it. . .

* * *

this afternoon after visiting 'Sweet Ginger' i also popped into 'the Tide' to have a quick skeet, glad i went in because i found these 2 cute little ceramic bucket pots reduced because they're chipped, chips don't bother me though! i'm always in need of more funky pots for my desk so i can stash buttons and pens and be all organized

* * *

also, look what had arrived in the post when i got home this evening!!!

moooooore stickers!

but ultra awesome ones this time because i got 2 sticker books full of nothing but my logo. . .

yaaay sticky stickers ahoy!!!

* * *

in other news, i've come up with a fun new project to work on but i'm a little conflicted because i honestly haven't a clue whether or not i'm supposed to exhibit work this June at the college exhibition or not?!

if not then there's no problem, i cam crack on with my new idea

if yes. . . well that complicates things a bit since my exhibition will end up a big messy mish mash of candy coloured digitally designed girly stuff

oh what to do!

when i figure it out i'll let you know!

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

p.s. - have you entered the May Giveaway yet??? in honour of my Birthday at the end of this month i've decided to hold a little giveaway again, there's a bundle of cute prizes up for grabs and you have until my Birthday, the 31st of May, to get your entries in -

 ENTER THE GIVEAWAY NOW

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 ♥