this is a public service announcement ...

just to let you know that i'm off on holiday this sunday ... not trying to make you jealous. (it's a working holiday) i'll be away for a week cat-sitting on the isle of wight ^-.-^

i was going to end my sale this weekend, *BUT* i thought i'd be nice and keep it open whilst i'm away. this does mean that if you purchase anything between 29th april and 6th may i'll be unable to post it to you until 7th may.

i'm low in stock, so if there is something you've had your eye on you should pounce quick!
i only have one of my perpetual calendars, and a handful of mirrors and flamingo purses left.
of course there are none sale items available too

* also remember if you're not an etsy member, you are most welcome to email me your order *

any orders placed before i go on my travels will be posted on monday morning

tuesday's treasures

i've decided to start a new little feature on my blog, where every tuesday i'll post a treasury of a few of my favourite things on etsy
so here's my first ... not a great start to say that it's now 00.07am wednesday morning ha! better late than never, as they say

can you tell where i've been daydreaming about today? one day i *will* live there!

if you'd like to add me to your circle on etsy here's a link to my shop :) 

a nose around my studio

the lovely folk over at nook&cranny asked if they could interview me about my work space and i was more than happy to oblige

Where is this work space that you call home? 

I share the ‘spare room’ at my parent’s house with my partner luke. We moved here roughly two years ago (after living in Bournemouth for a good few years) with a mission to save money to move to London!
Our workspace is pretty tiny, squished between big bookcases filled with many, many books and records, and a sofa bed (good luck trying to fold that out)!
Luckily, we have a separate bedroom otherwise we literally wouldn’t be able to move.

What makes this space a perfect working environment for you? 
I actually really like working in a smallish space, it forces me to be tidy and more organized … I HAVE to tidy up when I make a mess, instead of just moving over to a part of the room that is tidy! Ha!
I also love that our studio’s at the front of the house with big windows, making it really bright with natural light. (also means I can easily spy on any passers by)
Another massive bonus is that I share the space; I’d be lonely otherwise!

What object in your workspace could you not live without? Why?
Most definitely pencils and paper … Bristol board, 2H, HB and 2B pencils to be precise. And, of course, my precious imac.
Also, I love having flowers (or, when they inevitably die, a pot plant) on my desk. It’s a nice contrast to staring at a computer screen.

Explain to us a typical day in your work space...
I am a big procrastinator and if I’m not careful I can all too easily waste away a whole day doing absolutely nothing of any significance! So I’m very strict on myself when it comes to structuring the day.
Basically, I schedule in two hour time slots throughout the day where I solely focus on my work. No distractions allowed! After every two hours I break for 1 hour to do anything and everything that is totally non-work related.
I’ve found working like this really encourages me to use my time effectively and allows me to feel content at the end of the day with what I have achieved … it also means that my breaks are totally guilt free!
And now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret …Most days I’m sat at my desk A LOT. Which really doesn’t help my back. So in order to loosen up and get the blood pumping, and generally an excuse to be silly, every half an hour we get up from our chairs and … (I warn you this may sound rather insane) … we run around the house like we’re mad!! Round and round and up and down! If you’re ever experiencing a creative block, this is the way to fix it!
Oh, I forgot to mention my day also revolves around making endless cups of green tea and tending to my cat’s every need, haha!

If there was a fire in the building, what would be the 3 items/objects that you would instantly grab? 

Luckily for me, pretty much all of my sentimental belongings are in storage boxes at my sister’s house! I’d most likely grab my imac. How ferocious are the flames? 
I may only have chance to save my external hard drive!
And my two cats as they’d most likely sleep through it.

Any tips on maintaining a work space and how to ensure a productive day in the studio?
Keep it tidy! Make lists (and stick to them) Take regular breaks, exercise, get out and away from your work regularly to keep your eyes fresh. Have fun.

phew ... that was long! hope you enjoyed reading my interview! head on over to nook&cranny's blog for more features and interviews with their other creatives 

(or visit the shop itself if you're in liverpool!)

i love having a nose around people's places and spaces, what's your work space like? do you have any weird and wonderful tips on keeping focussed and motivated? 

share your links in the comment box, i'd love to take a peep x

...also don't forget i'm having a big sale in my shop at the moment, to make space for some new products! take a look at all the bargains 

secret 7"

the ohh deer crew were invited to take part in the hugely successful secret 7" project, where we each created artwork for vinyls donated by some rather big names ... all put together by universal records to raise money for teenage cancer trust.
... and here's my contribution. i chose to illustrate 'old joy' by noah and the whale.
to find out more about all the artists involved, and to see all the artwork, head on over to the secret 7 website or facebook page
the exhibition (... of around 700 sleeves!) is currently on show at the idea generation gallery, london.
the sleeves will be available to buy this saturday from 10am on a first come first serve basis ... so if there is one you have your eye on, you better be quick!

blogger series ... another WIP

when it comes to drawing from reference photos, it can get a little old drawing from photos of yourself. all day. everyday. seriously. the amount of pictures in my photobooth of me posing. it's ridiculous.

so, for a bit of a change, for my next personal project (to pass the the time between commissions) i thought i'd draw some of my favourite fashion and beauty bloggers ...
usually i am trying to make the face look different to that of the photo, so it's a bit of a challenge this time attempting to get true likenesses!
here's one i've been working on today - i wonder if anyone can guess who she is?

it seems all i post on my blog at the moment is work in progress shots ... sorry about that, i know they're not great quality pics. i haven't decided yet if i'm going to post my blogger drawings one by one as i finish them, or to wait til i've finished them all and post them up all together ...  hmmmmmmm

* spring clean *

in the spirit of spring i'm having a bit of a clear out in my little shop to make space for some new items that will be available very SOON!
you'll find lots of reductions, including a whopping 30% off all prints. happy shopping!

☀ sunshine

the very lovely zoe from ladybird likes has been so sweet to nominate me for a sunshine award ... n'aww! it's such an honour to be chosen by zoe as i love her blog so much. you should probably head over there right now and follow her. you'll find beautiful photography, lovely lists and one of the cutest etsy shop i've seen.
without further ado ... for my sunshine award i have to answer the following questions and then choose five other bloggers to nominate :

☀ colour 
i love pastels. especially minty greens, soft purples and salmony/peachy pinks

☀ animal 
purrr purrr prrrrppp mew mew meeeeoowww ... cat (if you hadn't worked it out from that)

☀ non-alcoholic drink
cream soda. although i *always* forget it exists when i go to the shops and never buy it :(

☀ facebook or twitter 
twitter wins every time!

☀ getting or giving presents 
i do enjoy giving presents, but i have an irrational fear that the person won't like what i'm about the give them, so i don't particularly like being there to watch when they open it!
of course i love receiving presents, who doesn't!

☀ flower
wildflowers are my absolute favourite. big bunches of them all mixed together ♥ especially poppies

☀ pattern
anything remotely tribal/native american/navajo inspired will have me smitten. it appeals to my hippy within

☀ passion
making things, anything and everything!

☀ number
i'm always drawn to odd numbers, 1, 3, 5, 7 ... they just look so much better to me

and now i'd like to nominate :

anna gwenllian for her beautiful colourful cities and for keeping me entertained on twitter with #whereskitty

holly exley because i love her paintings, and her blog posts are always so well thought out, helpful and insightful

stacie swift because her little animal characters always make me smile

victoria whincup because her drawings are so damn sweet

ella masters because her jewellery is just plain lovely and i love the dreamy photography on her blog :)

eggcellent

i had a fun day yesterday at my niece's 4th birthday party, painting little girl's faces, playing pin the tail on the bunny and being the music mystro for musical bumps.
we made her a cake ... the inside looked a little strange, but it was sooo tasty

this week i'll be :
- sorting out and posting some promo packs
- eagerly awaiting the arrival of my fabric order so i can make a start on some new items for my teeny shop ... kittycat purses are on the horizon!
- hopefully squeezing in a bit of time to start a new project of my own

hope you like this sneaky peek of one of my recent projects ... one i'm rather excited about!

* happy chocolate egg weekend ! *

smug easter give away

find the three eggs hidden amongst the products at ifeelsmug.com, and tweet or facebook the item names for your chance to WIN all these goodies 

now, please excuse me whilst i swoon over these delightful knitted bunnies ... awww