Monday 18 July 2011

So long Harry...


We may have just watched the final Harry Potter film - but I'll be Gryffindor forever! 

Thursday 14 July 2011

Other cake ideas

After the last post, I thought I'd share a few others I've made over the years. Not amazing but I do love making them! They seem to taste ok and everyone is still alive so I guess it's worth it...


Caroline's birthday 2009


Hannah's birthday 2009



Louise's birthday 2010


Sam's birthday 2010




Caroline's birthday 2010 (Farm theme begins...)



A rotting head cake I made with my sister in law, Heather in LA 2009


My wedding cake 2011 - 120 red velvet cupcakes made with love by me and my team of super duper cake makers. Top tier made by Heather

Happy Birthday Caroline

My friend Caroline celebrated her birthday on Monday. In true Usborne tradition we decorated her desk and chipped in for a present. I should let you know that Caroline dreams of running a little farm when she grows up (she turned 28 on Monday but we are informed she still has a lot of growing up to do but we hope to see the farm one day). One of the things she would like to keep on her farm is bees so we bought her a taster course in beekeeping! How awesome are we!? Because we are a bit slow in ordering presents, the voucher for the course didn't turn up in time. But funnily enough we are super fab designers and creative people so we pulled it out of our arse -*cough*- I mean we got together and created something a little bit more special anyway! Sam and I made our own voucher that hung inside of a special jar of honey. And to go with the present - and quite frankly because everyone loves cake - I made some bumble bee cakes to tie in with the theme. Take a look!







Sunday 3 July 2011

New Usborne title with my doodles in

Thought I'd share a new title that I worked on earlier this year. It's called The Usborne Big Colouring Book. 96 pages of stylish illustrations to colour. Available to buy in most big bookshops, 
These are some of my spreads...









Vintage finds

My friend Elisabetta and I took a trip to the markets at London Fields yesterday. We stopped by the Designers Makers market to check it out and to see if my screen printed stuff would fit in there. 
Was quite quiet but had some lovely pieces there so I think I'm going to give it a go in a few weeks if they will have me.
Anyways, Elisabetta having a good eye for all things vintage spotted these cute shoes on a stall and to my surprise they are my size (I am a UK size 2 and can NEVER find high heeled shoes to fit - hence the wearing of converse, Vans or brogues all day, everyday!). I needed a pair of black suede shoes with a hint of red on for a wedding in September in which I am a bridesmaid, so couldn't believe my luck when I saw these. Our dresses are black 50's style halterneck circle dresses so I think they will be sweet.
Perfect fit and only £15. Ace.



Then I may have spotted some cases from the 50's and 60's and before you know it I own two of them... Red one I will use for carry on luggage or for mini trips back up north - tan one I will use for display. Very cool and so much cheaper than Spittalfields or Portabello markets. Elisabetta didn't go home empty handed either - she bought a very pretty handbag and a Colombian wooden cigar box. 
Very happy shopping trip!


Saturday 2 July 2011

Super pretty recycled Ikea furniture

I came across this really pretty idea on the Decor8 blog. Spanish designer Meisi turned her old boring brown Ikea cabinet into this really pretty piece of furniture. I now keep eyeing up my Ikea shelving units in my living room/studio and picturing them in aqua. Not sure how pleased Gaz would be having to look at these daily...too girly perhaps? So pretty though and such an easy way to personalise something to boring and mass produced. Always nice to add your own stamp to something.

To read more about it check out the lovely Decor8 blog






Did I mention that I really do heart NY?


How awesome is this? The Empire State building in full, glorious rainbow colours for Pride week in NYC. This picture went viral on Twitter within hours after the passing of the gay marriage bill in the city last week. Congratulations New York - it's about time! 

Surprise wedding gift

So I was asked by my little buddy Sam, to do some artwork for her brother and his fiance as a wedding gift. She had the idea of creating a picture book for them to keep, telling the lovely story of how their relationship began and blossomed over 10 years. It just so happened that the theme of the wedding turned out to be along the same lines so everything tied in perfectly! After meeting by chance while travelling in Australia, they found that they had quite a lot in common and were also due to attend the same university in the following September...and as they say, the rest is history! 10 years later and after some amazing trips around the world, they are finally making a trip up the aisle. The book was written by Sam and her boyfriend Paul and we decided to put it all together by hand to make it really personal and a complete one-off, unique gift. Hope they like it as much as we enjoyed making it. Congratulations James and Kate! Here's a few line drawings and some of the final spreads. Take a peek!










                                                  



New ink (not me unfortunately)

Just thought I would show you my friend Amy's new ink she had done this week by David Corden of Ritual art tattoo studio in Kent. His work is truly talented and he is constantly pushing the boundaries of tattooing. Hopefully I can book in for my next one with him soon - fingers crossed for a cheeky cancellation! Sunflower is her favourite flower and it's holds great meaning and memories so a perfect subject for a tattoo. She tells me it was painful but it really is a beautiful piece of art. All the guys at the studio are amazing artists and very friendly chaps so if you plan on getting something done - go check them out. www.ritual-art-tattoo.com

Thanks Gemma!

Quite exciting news to tell that refers back to my last blog post about Gemma Correll and her 'What I wore Today' blog.Turns out that she did move my illustration to her photostream on Flickr and more importantly and excitingly I found out 2 weeks ago that she actually chose it for the book! Squee! I was one of the first 16 to be picked. Currently waiting to see the other 16 and to hear any more news.



It's amazing to see the response she has had to this project over the past few years - people far and wide contributing fine doodles in all shapes and mediums. Some very stylish outfits and people on there. It's amazing and I'm totally chuffed to have been selected to be a part of it. Thanks very much Gemma! 
To see the other contributions that have made it in to the book so far click here (mine is second for the left on the top row). Will post more info when I know it!