apple on toast

This is actually a new drawing of an old character I created some time ago. Searching around in the bedroom cupboard the other day whilst looking for unused items to take to the charity shop (I'm going through a clear-out phase at the moment), I came across the old sketchbook that I first drew this little apple character in. Written above him is the line 'dress up as an apple - like me!' - and that is what I always remember him being called. He must be about 8 years old now. Wow, doesn't time fly.

Oh, and Toast is a favourite shop of mine. I only recently discovered they have a store in Oxford, much to my delight.

a long weekend in cheshire

This weekend Paul and I went to stay with his parents who live in beautiful rural Cheshire. Though it was quite a contrast to the days that followed, we actaully kicked-off our mini-break by going to see England v Andorra at Wembley on Wednesday evening.

We were a little concerned about our travel plans because of the London Tube Strike that took place last week - yet amazingly, travelling by car, our journey was smooth both ways. The game wasn't the most exciting (final score 6-0), but it was great to see the squad in action.

After travelling 'up north' on Thursday morning, we spent the weekend doing a lot relaxing, catching up with family and friends, as well as exploring the countryside (which looks wonderful in the sunshine). On Saturday night we went to see The Doves at Delamere Forest. The event was organised by The Forestry Commission to raise awareness of the work they do for Britain's rural areas, with all profits going back into forest and woodland restoration. This is the second Forestry Commission event we have been to (we went to see Massive Attack at Westonbirt Arboretum two summers ago), and I highly recommend it - it is just a fantastic feeling to be out in the open air, surrounded by nature and getting to see some amazing live music from big name artists who are from the local area.

More photos of the gig (and the football) are up on my Flickr.

eco friendly business cards

I received another new batch of Moo cards in the post last week - but these ones are a little different to my usual Minicards.

I usually go for the Minicards as I think that they suit my illustration style being small and compact, but on discovering these new Eco Friendly Business Cards (after reading both the April fools post and then the real post on the Moo blog) I decided to order myself a batch.

They are a bit more expensive than the Minicards (costing £10.99 for a pack of 50 or £34.99 for a pack of 200), but I am always for more environmentally-friendly alternatives - plus, I think that they work well with the message I am trying to portray with my happy packaging characters.

without fixed pieces

I'm trying my best to get myself organised at the moment. I am aiming to get some prints done in the next month or so to sell in my Etsy shop. It's been empty for the best part of six months whilst I've been getting myself up-to-date with other projects. I think this design (which I dreamt up about two weeks ago) would work quite well on a small notecard.

Hehe, aren't people nosey? Yesterday lunchtime I was browsing my Flickr groups, when I re-discovered the what's in your bag? group. I decided to add a photo of my bag contents to it. The photograph has been online for less than 24 hours and has already had 322 views! I'm just as bad though, spending far too much time in Flickr groups like this, looking at other people's personal possessions!

Well, I'm off to sunny Dorset this evening. We have our second wedding of the year tomorrow and I'm very excited about it! Have a great weekend everyone!

the first signs of summer

The weather has been beautiful today and I was lucky enough to be able to have my lunch down by the canal. I wrote a small entry in my new 2009 Journal, then just sat back and enjoyed the sunshine and the fresh air.

April has been a pretty busy month for me; with a trip to London last weekend, Cornwall the weekend just gone and this weekend Paul and I are heading up to Cheshire for our first wedding of the summer!

On Friday I travelled down to St Anthony in Cornwall for a Hen Party. 11 of us spent the weekend in a cottage up on the hill with amazing views of the bay. Highlights were taking a couple of motor boats out to sea and having a Champagne picnic on a secluded beach, Pimms rounders dressed up as nuns and tarts (with our Butler in the Buff!) and Saturday night out in Falmouth. I think I'll be remembering that trip for a while! Excellent fun!

I now also have all my photos up on Flickr from our London trip.

goldie, brick lane and ether 09

On Saturday Paul and I went on a day trip to London. Just the thought of visiting our capital never fails to excite me. There is always a long list of sites and sounds to take in and even though we only live 60 miles away (an hour and a half coach ride), I am always filled with a sense of the unknown and discovering something new.

As always I had everything planned - from a visit to see the Goldie The Kids Are All Riot Exhibition at the Maverik Showroon in Shoreditch; a visit to the new Rarekind Graffiti Art Gallery on Bethnal Green road; a trip to Brick Lane to see the London Police Exhibition at Stolenspace, aswell as a peep around the market; a few hours in Covent Garden; then finally onto the Southbank Centre for the third day of the Ether 09 Festival.

I booked us tickets to see Röyksopp at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Ether festival back in January - it felt like a long wait, but the gig was fantastic! Fever Ray (aka Karin Dreijer, one half of The Knife) was the supporting act and they preformed a number of their collaborations - just amazing. We even managed a spot of dancing at the Clore Ballroom afterwards before we had to hurry to catch the last tube train back to Victoria.

I shall be posting about the individual exhibitions shortly...

of bricks and walls

Those of you who know me will know that I am a collector. I will collect anything, from pretty pebbles and pretty ribbons to souvenir pencils and beer mats. It's something I have always done and have no plans so stop doing.

Around the same time that I started drawing my Happy Packaging characters on used envelopes, I started to take more notice of the patterns on the inside of them. I started a collection of carefully cut and flattened envelope paper, putting them aside and using them in future projects. About a month ago, a particular design caught my eye: tiny brickwork. I was inspired to put the paper to a different kind of use and make this little house.

A couple of pictures of it are on my Flickr to give you more of an idea of how small it actually is. It exists for no other reason than that I just saw the tiny brickwork and thought of a tiny house...

I know I've mentioned it before, but used envelopes really are a fantastic free art resource.

are you ok little rabbit?

This is a piece of artwork I did the other evening to try to get myself into a more 'inspired' mood. You may have noticed my lack of activity on here of late. I wouldn't necessarily say I have a 'creativity-block', just rather I seem to be leading a bit of a hectic life at the moment and my mind is usually elsewhere.

Both Paul and I have agreed that we need to make a few adjustments to our lives to balance things out a little. Since the start of the year, we seem to have fallen into a routine of doing our daily activities at different times. Too much more of this and the cracks will start to show.

As from this week, things are going to change. It's about time we both started to do more of the things we enjoy, more often.

another year older...

Ok, so it has been over three weeks since my Birthday, but I turned 28 on the 18th February. After a long and ridiculously busy day at work, I came home to find myself to be the proud new owner of a sewing machine! I've been after one for about 6 months - since it became apparent that my crafting was limited without one. The funny thing was that as I unwrapped it, I thought Paul had bought me some sort of accessory for my car! The make is a Toyota. I had no idea that Toyota even made sewing machines, but Paul really had done his research (with the help of his mum), and I'm thrilled to bits with it!

The following Saturday we went to Marwell Zoological Conservation Park. I've been eager to visit the park since Alice of Peapods posted about Lola the baby Pygmy Hippo at the end of last year.

The weather that weekend was fantastic, bright blue skies and lots of sunshine. We had a thoroughly enjoyable day out - not only did I see Lola have a little run, but we also got to see her and her mum at feeding time. Photos from the visit can be seen on my Flickr.

keyhole flats

I don't usually post about every single purchase I make on Etsy (there simply wouldn't be enough space, or time!), but I am so in love with my new Keyhole Flats from Hydraheart that I just had to tell you all about them! They arrived at my local Post Office last Monday, just in time for my Birthday. Aren't they gorgeous!? And completely vegan too!

(My bag was also purchased on Etsy from Sparrow Originals)

blanket issue 14

After submitting my work at the end of last year, I was thrilled to discover that I am featured in the current issue of Blanket magazine.

For those of you unfamiliar with Blanket, it is a bi-monthly online publication dedicated to uncovering creative talent. It really is a fantastic source of inspiration; showcasing a broad range of art and design work from across the globe.

The Blue Issue (Issue 14) is available to download for free as a pdf. You'll find a selection of my illustration work on pages 15 and 16.

google homepage graphics

I noticed again today that the google.co.uk homepage has another fun and relevant-to-the-date logo design. This time it represents the Chinese New Year, 2009: the year of the Ox.

Above are four of my favourite Google logo graphics from the past year. Infact, I took the screen-shot of the Lego one on 28th January 2008, nearly a whole year ago. The George and Dragon one made me giggle (which dates back to St George's Day last April 23rd). I think it's nice how Google has it's little quirks - unessential, but fun!