Storm In A Teacup

Just finished a pen and ink drawing yesterday and have been adding colour on Photoshop, trying out various colour schemes. I think I'll go with the top one, but thought I'd post a few for you to look at. This will be available as a print and as cards on my shop soon. 

Where I'd Like To Work

Having finished university quite some months ago, the small remains of my student loan have been eaten up buying badge machines and card supplies and tickets to see My Fair Lady (this might need a blog of its own!). Obviously my dream is to make enough money being a full time illustrator. The reality, however, is proving somewhat different. 

Anyway, this is a long-winded way of saying that my ideal place to work at the moment would have to be somewhere like Ark, a gorgeous vintage gift shop in Cambridge. It's full of inspirational, beautiful things, and I could fit part-time shifts there around my drawing and craft making. And as it's such a gorgeous shop, I thought I should post a few photos up here too! 

Outside their Norfolk Street shop. (Photo found on their website.)

And outside their St Mary's Passage shop, off the market square. 

(Again, photo found on their website.)

I'd rather like one of these travel rugs to take on an Autumn picnic. 

© Ark Home & Garden Ltd 2008

If you'd like to see more of their splendid things, visit their website.

And try not to drool over your computer screen like I did! They've got a brilliant vintage clothing section on the top floors of each shop too, which is always good for a rummage - some wonderful glasses and umbrellas! Oh, and they play 1940s music, which I always want to dance to with the nearest available HYM (handsome young man). Which also reminds me - Polka Dots and Moonbeams, my favourite song of the moment, which is ironic  considering how old it is!

Omelette Diary

Following from yesterday's "I made a Spanish-Omelette" blog, which I actually posted today, I've just gone right ahead (insert American accent here) and made a little photo slide-show so you can see all those yummy photos a bit better. Soundtrack by Acid House Kings - that song makes me happy, like making tasty omelettes. 

Cannot... go... day... without... blogging...

Herro!

I actually wrote a really long-winded blog for today about omelettes, but I got distracted by Wife Swap and haven't uploaded the accompanying pictures! So I'll have to update that tomorrow morning. In the mean time, have a look at a birdie:

This has mysteriously changed colours... how odd.

Anyhow, new blog tomorrow morning. Night night my crafty lovelies - extra hellos to my two *new* followers. I likes you.

Unusual Sightings

Today I did a spot of drawing in my 'studio'. I put those quotation marks around it because it's really a very dire excuse for a studio. It is in fact the spare 'oom, (land of wardrobe, although no wardrobe, just gazillions of books). Anyway, my desk sits under the window, giving me a lovely view across the fenland fields. The field directly in front has a herd of bulls in it; four black, three tan and one brown. And not an udder between them! (You'd be right in thinking I spend a lot of time looking at those bulls.) 

So, as I was gazing out of the window and drawing, a strange sight caught my eye - that of an old gypsy caravan, one made of wood, with flaky red paint, being towed down the road. It was very pretty, in a quaint, unusual kind of way. I often think I would like to have my illustration studio in a converted gypsy caravan, that'd be quite amazing. And I could wear hooped earrings and a headscarf and eat sugar-cube sandwiches. I don't know how accurate gypsies eating sugar-cube sandwiches is, but my mum always used to tell me that when she was a little girl, she used to go and play with the gypsies and have them for tea (the sandwiches, not the gypsies) and ride around on their ponies bareback.

I digress.

A while later, perhaps an hour or so, I saw the second odd sight. A trailer packed sky-high with parsnips, trundling down the road too. My, I thought, it's all go out here. 

Perhaps the highlight of today was making a really delicious lunch - Spanish Omelette, which I have not had since I was at uni months ago with my dear friends Sophie and Katie. Those girls did make a mean Spanish Omelette. So in honour of them and the delight of omelette tea-times, I took a bunch of photos documenting the making process. Yummers. Enjoy!  

Makes and Bits

It's a Sunday and I have a cold, which has given me plenty of time to update my online Folksy shop with some new things, and also look at lots of other beautiful things by other people!

Here's a list of my own updates:

And here's some of my favourite things by other people:

This chocolate cupcake tea cosy by Truly Scruptious

These darling little Christmas Robins on cinnamon sticks by Kirsty Elson Designs. 

This GORGEOUS vintage flower charm bracelet by Chiyo.

This very cute egg cosy by Sara Carr.

(Her lambswool robot cushions are also pretty amazing!)

Beautiful, vintage fabric, pom-pom trimmed, handmade lampshade by The Old Lamp Shed.

Oh-so-cute colourful little robot cards by The Juzzard.

I'd best start making some money soon, because I feel some purchases coming on! Although having said that, I couldn't resist buying these little knitted things:

Toasty warm slipper socks by the brilliantly named Flirty Gertie.

Online Shop

Up and running now, please take a look and spread the word:

http://www.folksy.com/shops/loupeajeux