Halloween Spot the Difference - How many can you find?

Halloween Spot the Diffence - first published in the 1st edition of Boo Magazine (Autumn 2009), Leeds and Sheffield.

Cupcakes, Glam Grans and 'sew' much nonsense!

Oh I am so rubbish these days! Its been ages since I posted anything... is it too late to start a new year resolution to be more organised?! Since my last post there have been a flurry of birthdays, weddings and new arrivals so I've been keeping busy so should have plenty to share...

Firstly a birthday card - cakes and sweet things are always lovely at birthdays - even if you can't eat them! This card was made by creating a cupcake template and a limited palette of coloured card. Some sparkle was added and the cupcakes were stuck using sticky foam so they stood proud of the card. Hopefully the end result looked good enough to eat!

I was recently asked to produce a card for a friend's mother-in-law. Apparently the lady in question is a keen knitter so knitting was an obvious theme.

The colouring pencils got to see the light of day for this one and again, a bit of sparkle was added at the end. I doubt the receiver of this card usually knits in heels with a cocktail to her side but I believe she was delighted to be portrayed as such a glamorous gran!

Since my last post I've also decided I'd like to finally work out how to use the sewing machine I was kindly given some time ago. I was told bunting is a great first project to get me started so I've been cutting out triangles ever since!

Armed with my new found enthusiasm for all things home-made and sewn, I headed for the 'craft' section in my local library. I left some time later with several books to educate and inspire! Wow! I never realised some people went to so much trouble to make the daftest of items...I mean who has ever sewn a mouse mat? A doily scarf? An eye pillow? Or even (and this is the best one) sanitary pads??!! I still intend to give sewing a go (though I won't be trying any of the aforementioned!!) and hopefully I'll showing you the results of my hardwork some time soon. (If anyone can recommend a beginners level sewing book in the meantime I would be very grateful!)

Summer Themed spot the difference

Can you spot 8 differences? Its for kids so should be easy!

This children's puzzle has just been published in the Summer 2010 edition of Boo magazine (Leeds and Sheffield).

http://www.boomag.co.uk/

The Owl and the Pussy Cat...

A colourful drawing of the owl and the pussy cat in their 'beautiful pea green boat' made a cute birthday card for a toddler. The end product was finished with a touch of glitter to create a glistening sea.

Unexpected Gifts!

Isn't it nice to receive an unexpected gift? We were lucky enough to do just that earlier this week when the lovely people at http://hellobabydirect.co.uk/ kindly sent us a 'Brio Little Forest Train Starter Set'.

I would never have bought my daughter a trainset (I seem to have accidently slipped into buying stereotypical gender-specific toys without even realising it!) so it is lovely for her to have something different to play with. If this was a cheap-looking, garish plastic product I might think that the RRP of £11.17 was perhaps a little steep (hellobabydirect's sell this product for £9.99) but this is a beautiful little wooden train set of excellent quality and therefore I think this is actually good value for money.

Brio also produce a wide range of other products e.g. more track, extra engines, bridges etc. that can link to this set so I'm sure our little train set will get lots of use. The box suggests that this starter set is suitable for age 3+, but I think it is suitable for younger children (maybe 2+). I am definately impressed with this product which I think would make a great little gift for a toddler - male or female!

Anyway, loads of bits and pieces to do in the next few weeks (including wedding cards, birthdays and a photographer's logo design) so I'll be back with lots more work soon!

Meet my mate...

I have recently been in touch with an old university friend of mine, who told me about her blog site. Like me, Elisavet is an architect and she loves to be creative. Her blog shows beautiful examples of the kind of things that a lot of us would love to make or have in our homes - if only we had the time!! As a mother of a toddler a lot of the projects are child-related too which I love! If you're interested in sewing, knitting or just looking for motivation or inspiration to get on with your next project, do take a look at her site. You can also subscribe for a email newsletter to keep you up to date. http://womensmaypole.wordpress.com/



Its been a while since I got out my pencils - which is shameful as my husband bought me some fabulous Derwent pencils in a beautiful, elegant timber box some time ago. (If I'm honest, I'm a little afraid of using them - they simply won't look the same once I start to wear them down and sharpen them!) Anyway, I have put some of the pinks to use in this little girly card which is suitable for either a newborn or first birthday.

Dusting off the paint brushes

This week I rediscovered my watercolours. Its been a long time since I did any painting and so I'm a bit out of practice. My brushes are a bit worse for wear, but I've had a lovely time going back to this 'old school' media. My first project was the Christening card shown which was created especially for a double Christening - little baby Sophie and her 'big' brother Oliver. Hope they both have a lovely day!

Invites and Adverts!

Its been a hectic few months recently so apologies for the long delays between posts. I was recently made redundant but fortunately managed to get a new job that started the same day that I left the old job! With hindsight, it might have been a good idea to give myself a few hours off (if not days)at least! Anyway, you don't want to hear sob stories...

So, what have I been up to? Firstly, a 60th surprise birthday invite. (I haven't been able to post this before now in case it let the cat out of the bag!) I used a cheery yellow retro style background and kept the text clear and simple using a simple font in a strong blue to contrast against the background. A black and white childhood pic of the birthday girl was added. Originally, a retro style image of a woman was shown but subsequently removed as I thought this overcomplicated the design.

Also this month I have been working on an advertising flyer for a local company called Ruby and GINGER who produce fantastic accessories that no self-respecting mother would be seen without. This was great fun to work on as I even got involved in the photography - the teddy pic is mine!


If you'd like anything similar or have an idea you'd like to discuss please get in touch.

First Holy Communion

Short and sweet - This time an invite to a First Holy Communion. (Details have been changed).
This has been designed to fit on a 6 x 4 " postcard so it is easy to print (in this case on glossy paper like a photograph). It is not a standard envelope size as the idea is that the invites would just be distributed by hand - saving paper and costs of envelopes too!

Catching Up!

March has been a pretty hectic month so apologies for the long delays between posts. I'm back now and full of new stuff to share!

I'll begin with a boy's 1st birthday card. I first made this a few months back for a baby boutique in Leeds. When making this for a child I know I personalise it by adding the child's name underneath the image or putting their initials on the building blocks.

If you live in Leeds or Sheffield you may have spotted that the Spring edition of Boo magazine is now available. To have a look follow the link below. (See page 31 for my springtime 'colour it in' drawing). I have to admit that my swans do look a little odd (you should have seen my first attempt when my husband thought I was actually trying to draw a dinosaur!) I will take a bit more notice of the swans next time I'm on the canal!

http://issuu.com/boomagazine/docs/boo_leeds_spring10



At the top of my list of things to do this week is an advertising flyer for a company called RubyandGINGER. Hopefully I will have something ready to show you this week.

Blog soon x

Babies! Babies! Babies!

Babies! Babies! Babies!

There was obviously something in the water nine months ago as I seem to hear of a new arrival almost every week - and they're nearly all girls! Where are all the boys!!? The images above show my 'babies washing line' card - and as you'd expect there is a girly pink one and blue one for the boys. A lot of people seem to like this design, which is made complete with the addition of a freshly washed cuddly toy drip drying on the line!

I almost always use a 'hammer' texture blank card (personally I think these look better quality than a smooth finish) and a silver 'mesh' layer between the card and the picture. I bought a pack of this years ago from a craft fair and its nearly all gone so if anyone knows where I can get some more please let me know!

Eliza is sweet 16!

This card was commissioned by a friend of mine for her daughter's 16th birthday. The lucky birthday girl, Eliza, had a trip to New York coming up so this seemed a great idea to use as a theme - and what girl doesn't love shopping! Eliza has fabulous red hair which I think looks lovely against the purple sky in the background.

Since this card for Eliza, I've done similar cards for other people using images of other places that mean something to them and amending the girl to look like the receiver. Everyone always love to recieve a card that has been made especially with them in mind!

Carmel and Brian Get Married!

A while ago I was asked by my sister-in-law, Amanda, to produce an original wedding card for a couple called Carmel and Brian. Amanda wanted the card to tell the story how the couple met and highlights of their lives together.

I produced a cartoon style card illustrating key points in the couple's history such as how they met (office Christmas party!), the birth of their two sons and Brian's proposal. Amanda was particularly pleased with how even Brian's golf addiction got a mention! The happy couple were thrilled with their very unique and personalised wedding card.

Still on the dining table are sketches for a 60th birthday invite... Hopefully images will be ready to upload shortly!

Surfer Dude's birthday

This one is for you Derm - Happy Birthday Dude! (of course this isn't quite an accurate portrait of the birthday boy himself, the real Derm isn't quite so weedy looking and has a little more hair!)

Witch and Wizard Name holders

I was recently asked to design some name holders for a children's nursery. The brief was to do a witch and a wizard each holding a sign large enough to display the child's name. The finished product is shown below.

Next on my list of things to do is my brother-in-law's birthday card. I used to struggle thinking of ideas for men's cards but most men like some kind of sport - even if its only watching and not actually participating. Failing that a scantily clad lady is usually a winner (yes, even a drawn one!)

Spot the Difference - Fun on the slopes

My first post! Where do I start? How about a little puzzle? There are 7 differences to spot between the two images. Can you find them all? This Puzzle was created for the 2nd edition of Boo Magazine, a lovely little magazine aimed at parents / carers of children aged 0-12. http://issuu.com/boomagazine/docs/boo_leeds_winter09

I currently have several projects on the drawing board (if the truth be told I had to get rid of the drawing board a long time ago as it was far too big, and I mostly now work at the dining table!) including a 60th birthday invite, a First Communion invite and, as always, several birthday cards to do.

I am also designing name labels for above the coat hooks in a nursery in Merseyside. The nursery has asked for a witch and a wizzard but with nice smiley faces rather than anything scary which may put the children off hanging up the coats for life!

Back to the dining table...