Anyone for Tea?

The wedding stationary is just about done and I have to say I’m very pleased with it, and so is the Bride and Groom. I’m looking forward to seeing the wedding breakfast room dressed in all its glory. I’ll be sure to post a few photos after the big day.

Now, my thoughts turn to my friends, especially those whom I haven’t seen since before Christmas. We love nothing more than a good cup of tea and a catch-up natter, oh, and a generous slice of cake is always welcome!

With this in mind I doodled a teacup, similar to one of the ones my Nan used to use.

It’s a china one, with a pretty pattern – tea always tastes better in a pretty china cup!

I, originally, decided to set it in a simple, squared shaped, background using different shades of the coral colour, used in the teacup pattern.

I wasn’t too sure about the square format, so I tried a rectangle in landscape orientation, and a different style  of text.

Also, a change of background colour.

 Much more preferable! Just a couple of things missing now…

 a good friend and a generous slice of cake!

Postcard Post - Squeeze Me

Love is definitely in the air, as well as the wedding stationary that I'm working on, thoughts have turned to Valentines Day. My Sister-in-law bakes wonderful cakes. She does some of the most amazing occasion cakes I've ever seen, as well as scrumptious fairy cakes. Around Valentines Day she bakes and sells some fairy cakes and decorates them with all things love.
This year she has asked me if I would like to make some cards to sell alongside the cakes, and could I especially come up with something that is a bit more appealing for a man to receive.

This is what I came up with

I thought a more clean, graphic content would be more appealing than something cute and lovable. I kept with the red theme as this is always associated with love, but then, the men I know will also associate red with certain football teams! Not to be out done, I thought, I can always do the blue alternative as well!

Postcard Post - Hello Sunshine!

All this rain we've been having is making me long for some sunny days and brighter colours!

Well, if its not going to happen naturally outside, then I can at least make it happen inside by way of a sunny postcard.

I suppose on the plus side, all this rain is making me crack on with my doodle room make-over. It's coming together nicely, the hard work is done. Walls are painted, shelves are painted and even an old cabinet is painted.

As well as this, I've been busy making home-makes for the room, a couple of pin boards and a cushion for my chair. Next is to sort all the stuff that came out of the room and only put back what I want or need. That is going to be a job in itself!

Shed Some Light on the Matter

I've been thinking about my projects for 2014. My first undertaking is to re-vamp the smallest bedroom in the house, from a study come store room for craft items, into a more functional 'doodle room'. I've been busy working out the details of what I want to achieve and what I need to do to get there. This had a strange effect of inspiring a new print. Otherwise known as going off on a tangent!

I've noticed a growing trend for illustrations using individual words shown in a variety of fonts and styles to display a well known phrase, quote or rhyme etc.

I did a simple doodle of one of my light fittings quite a while ago, one of those things you draw because you're not sure what to draw.

I thought, I could use this...as well as tell myself that I should be working out the details of my room make-over! Here's the quick sketch that I made on my pad, that should have contained a list of things to do.

Anyway, the tangent seemed a more exciting thing to do, so I took my initial idea and added some graphics and type, to create my own take on this typographical trend.

Tangent over, and its back to the to do list for me. I shall keep you posted on the room make-over as it progresses.

Happy New Year

I hope you have all enjoyed a great festive season with family and friends, as I have. Santa was very kind to me and brought me some lovely presents, including some good inspiration books and a children's badge maker! Which, I'm sure, you have not heard the last about!

As 2014 is welcomed in, thoughts turn to the new year and what it may bring. I was never big on setting resolutions, however....getting fit, eating healthier, losing weight and saving some money are always on my list once the festive holiday is over and we all fall back into a usual routine. This year is no different, in that respect!

But, what I do like to do, at the start of a brand new year, is to dream. Nothing big. Just some little goals or projects that I would like to achieve by the end of the year. These usually start off as little dreamy ideas floating around in my head until I've figured out some of the details. I'm sure you will get to hear about some of them in time.

What about you? Do you set yourself resolutions? Or goals? Maybe you thrive on a list of achievements to be ticked off? Or maybe you're just happy to go with the flow and dream a little now and again?

From me, I would like to wish you all the very best for the New Year, hip hip hooray!

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas day! Merry Christmas to you all.

I will be spending mine with my family and my other half's family.
Enjoying good company and plenty of laughter, not to mention a lovely Christmas dinner.

I hope you all get to enjoy a wonderful day too.

Postcard Post - A Christmas Bauble

I've finally got around to sending out my seasonal greetings. This year it had to be in the form of a Christmas postcard - what else! I had my Christmas Lights postcard from earlier, but couldn't resist doodling another.
Christmas baubles come in all shapes and sizes as well as colours and patterns. I've doodled a few little baubles for a Christmas card before, so this time I decided to doodle one large bauble. Here it is...

With the doodle done, the fun bit is to colour it in and see it develop.

Add a background colour, some Christmas text and a bit of shadow detail, to bring it to life...

It also needs a back design...

Oh, and then I can't resist a little play around with the colours to produce another version.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Another Advent Calender Update

Here's another quick post to show you the doodling progress on my advent calender. I've reached the tops of the trees now, and slowly moving into the enchanted forest of Christmas trees...

Only 9 more sleeps!

Advent Calender Update

Hi there, this is just a quick post to show you the latest doodles, on my advent calender. The days seem to be going by very fast....only 20 more sleeps to Christmas Day!

Further updates will follow later in the month, showing my doodling progress. Thank you for stopping by at this busy time.

Its the 1st of December

Have you opened the first window, or emptied the first pocket on your advent calender? Who got the chocolate or the treat? This year I've decided to make my own advent calender, with no chocolates or treats involved. I eat too many as it is!

My idea was inspired partly from a mood board that I had seen, using a lot of luggage labels and the beautiful patchworks, made with pockets for each day of advent.

Using a punch and some printed numbers I designed a label for each of the days, which would then be hung from a pin to form an overall design on a pin board.

Each label has some space where snowflakes or Christmas trees can be doodled each day, gradually building into a snowy forest scene.

That's my theory, anyway...

The pin board consists simply of a few layers of corrugated cardboard stuck together, a layer of patchwork wadding and some linen material, wrapped over and stapled onto the back of the board.

 Trying to achieve neat corners as I go.

The numbers are printed on to sheets of card, leaving plenty of room for the label punch.

Each label needs a small hole punched out, in order for them to hang from individual pins.

Next, the technical bit, the pins need to be positioned in just the right place on the board for the overall design to be achieved.

All the labels are hung from their pins in the correct order to form the overall size and shape of the original idea.

Now, the fun begins...I get to doodle the label of the day, starting with today's.

My tools of choice are silver pens and glitter. It wouldn't be Christmas without some sparkly glitter!

With doodles complete for today, I can put my number one label back on it's pin and wait for tomorrow.

Now...where did I put those chocolates!

Postcard Post - Christmas Lights

Why is it, when you see some song lyrics written down, you try your best to just read them but you inevitably end up singing them. These lyrics then get stuck in your head, on an endless loop, and you sing the same bit over and over again, driving you (and anyone who can hear you) a little bit madder each time you do it.

For once, this worked to my advantage and sparked an idea for a Christmas postcard.

What I needed was some Christmas lights.

Switched on.....

And then those all important song lyrics, to get us into the spirit of things.

Are you singing it yet? Enjoy.

Postcard Post - Ace Brill Fab!

I love postcards!

I have quite a few pin boards and wire rack thingy-ma-jigs full of postcards and art cards that I've collected from all sorts of places. They act as constant inspiration to me whilst I potter about my house.

I pick them out, initially, because of the image on the front, but in the case of postcards, especially old, used postcards, it is also the design of the 'blank' back, the stamp and the handwritten message. Here is one from my collection. A photograph of a very windy Newquay, with a bit of a cryptic message for a Miss Hill.

As well as the fun of collecting them, I like to design my own. This too, is a collection that keeps on growing! I hope to bring you a series of 'Postcard Posts' showing you my designs. This first one is simply called Ace Brill Fab!

I think I must have been feeling pretty good at the time. There is also the 'blank' side.

In this day and age of texts and social media, it is easy for us to keep in touch with friends and family. But I don't think you can beat the joy of sending or receiving a hand written postcard 'the old fashioned way'.