So, this is Christmas

I've been finishing off my wrapping today as more last-minute online purchases have been arriving through the post. I've also taken to wrapping up all mum's presents for her old-lady friends, which has been such a pleasure, because they're the sort of gifts that I wouldn't necessarily buy for my own pals, but they have such a steadfast, traditional loveliness about them (think tins of shortbread, packets of mint chocolate thins, floral notebooks and rose-perfumed toiletries). 

On in the background has been the last few episodes of Jamie's Family Christmas, which has fueled me with some festive food inspiration. I'm determined to have a go at his Mulled Cider idea, adding a vanilla pod to the mix, as well as his buttery roast potatoes and clementine-infused roast carrots. I also really want to make the Hairy Biker's Christmas Panna Cotta so I'll be jotting down some ingredients this afternoon. 

I've had several ideas for new directions I want to take my work in come the new year, because I've really not been happy with how some of my stuff's been turning out of late. Like, it's okay but it's not really indicative of what I feel I'm all about. And I think to make this happen, a lot of change is on the horizon. Time wasting is out (do I delete facebook and MySpace?) and good routines are in. With that in mind, I'm off to finish some designs I've been working on!

Christmas Card Discount

I've discounted my Christmas cards to £1 each as the time grows nearer. I was sad to not be able to get to any craft fairs today, so it's just Folksy all the way now. FREE Father Christmas badge with every order over £5, too. 'Cause, you know, I'm kind like that.

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

Just spent a very satisfying hour making paper chains. Well, more one, really really long paper chain actually. It's helped me start to not panic re. Christmas preparations, which are a little non-existent in our house so far. BUT! We're going to pick out our Christmas tree tomorrow. Christmas tree + two excitable kittens is going to be mayhem, but it has to be done - Christmas without a tree would just not be, well, Christmas.

As my friends know, if I'm stressed about ANYTHING at any time of the year, I have a nightmare about not being prepared for Christmas. It's usually a combination of having not bought presents, decorations not being put up in time, it getting to Christmas eve and the tree still not up etc etc. A dream I had a few months ago was that Christmas day came and went and I hadn't had a mince pie. And at the rate things are going, this nightmare might be turning into a reality...

All I Want For Christmas

It's been a while since I've featured any fellow-Folksy-ers crafts in a blog, so I thought with Christmas on the horizon, now would be a good time to compile a list of some of my favourite things I've seen for sale of late...

1) This gorgeous 'Little Robin Redbreast Copper Pendant' which can be purchased here from Ali Bali Jewellery.

2) These yummy looking gingerbread men soaps from LilyWhites-Handmade. I would sooo be tempted to take a bite out of one of those! (Not recommended though, I'm sure.) I only wish she had some left for sale! I also rather want some of the knitted baby shoes (Mary Janes!) despite not having a baby. But I'm sure I could make use of this teapot jumper. Keeping teapots warm seems more in-keeping with my life than clothing small infants.

3) Bauble made out of sequins and shaped to look like a Christmas pudding!? Hello! This and other delightfully sparkly baubles to be found at Rosy Posies.

4) A beauuuutiful Christmas card from Design Rocks! - a winner with me for several reasons - obviously it features a cup and saucer, contains my absolute favourite colour combinations, hand-drawn style AND some glorious pattern work going on. Good job!

5) Tweet tweet! I am a huge birdie fan, so it's of no surprise that these dear little Christmas tags appeal to me. How cute! Found at Adrianne Illustration who I'm a real admirer of.

Badges!

I am the badge lady, and rightly proud. Christmas badges are up on my Folksy shop now:

Cute 25mm robin badges perfect for Christmas stockings up later!

Ho ho ho! Christmas stock galore!

Hello folks!

I've been so busy making and attending craft fairs recently that I'm a little behind with updating my Folksy shop with my Christmas wares, but today I've had a few spare hours, so please go and feast your eyes!

Here's some of the delights on offer:

A crafty affair...

A few pics from my wee small table at a local craft fair held on Saturday!

Tut tut tut...

It's been a while! And I feel I really need to update my bloggy blog with crafty things, as that's meant to be its purpose first and foremost, instead of my cat obsession. Meow. So what do I have to tell you. Well, I'm designing some postcards at the moment to send to publishers in the vain hope of getting some illustration work. That'd be nice. Will post them up when they're done.

At the beginning of the week (Monday) I designed some invites for my friend's sister's birthday:

And on Tuesday it was my birthday:

Twennyfreeeeeee. Cryyyy, I can't believe it. That's so old. So in rebellion I saw Up at the cinema! Bloomin' marvelous! 3D! Funny specs! On top of specs! Crunchy M&Ms! Couldn't have got much better.

Wednesday I went to Cambridge and got bought some chocolate fudge:

(Excuse the camera phone picture quality.)

Yesterday was "Desperate Research Day". You know one of those days when you just think "What on earth am I doing? Why are there so many illustrators out there who are better than me? Why am I not producing things that I like? How can I get paid for drawing?" etc etc etc. So I made an extensive list of people to contact and things I want to do and now, today, I am GOING TO DO THEM! Also made some curried butternut squash soup:

Shall report back with my progress. 

Kate Walsh Gig

Last night I travelled up to Norwich to see Kate Walsh play at the Norwich Arts Centre. Beautiful gig, the sound was just fantastic. Only minor black spot was some tall prat in front of me who wouldn't shut up criticizing her. Thankfully he left after about ten minutes, leaving the rest of us to enjoy the music. Why do people like that exist!? Grr. Anyway, here's a very small photo that I managed to get. It looks like I was ages away, but was really quite close.

I got the chance to briefly meet her afterwards, too, and she signed my copy of Tim's House. Now a prized possession! Ohh, if I could morph into that lady, I happily would. 

A nice Welsh chappy called Al Lewis was her support act, with another beautiful Welsh lady, Sarah Howells, who has one of the best voices I've ever heard. I think if she could have conveyed any more feeling into that voice of hers, tears would have been trickling from her microphone. Goosebump worthy. My favourite song from them was called Skin & Bones and was on repeat for most of my journey home!

Today has been a big dark void on my recent burst of crafting activity. I just don't have any motivation. I'm considering just buying another guitar and becoming a singer instead.

How Grand

Choir last night was brillianto! Couldn't believe that rehearsal was held here:

Trinity College Chapel!

Really amazing! Felt so humbling to be in such a grand place. Also felt a bit like an extra in a Harry Potter movie...

Grey Monday

What a horrible grey day. So chilly! I cracked out the woolly tights today, had to be done. I'm off to choir in a bit, tra la laa! Looking forward to a bit of a singsong to lift the spirits. On the subject of lifting the spirits, here are a few recent photographs:

Graphic potato! Raised a chuckle yesterday!

Fifi, Queen of Slumber (and my hand).

Silly, but had to be done!

Pearl and Fifi! Almost looking like friends... think it's going to take a while longer... 

(Look at Fifi's little squishy face!!)

In other news, I really really really really would like a screen printing kit or, ideally, a Gocco Print. Swoon. Literally have no funds though. It's a dire time. 

Fifi!

Hello all - today we got a new kitten! The newest member of the Peajeux household is young Fifi. She's ten weeks old and small and cute, as kittens ought to be. We thought she and Pearl could be companions for one another, lookin' out for each other, huntin' flies together, sleepin' sound together etc. 

Anyhow, here's Fifi (one of four - her siblings are called Mimi, Kiki and Pipi):

And yes, that is her litter tray. She seemed to want to sleep in it!

Today I Made...

Fiveeeee teacup caaaards. 

Ate four Cadbury's Roses, drank three cups of tea, had two slices of cheese on toast and made a special brooooooch.

These cards are now available from my Folksy Shop. And they'll be available as prints from next week. 

On to the brooch! It took far longer than I expected it to take. It comprises of blue, teal and silver tiny beads stitched on to pale blue felt, with a turquoise blanket-stitched edge. I've also got a nice shiny turquoise box to put it in. Observe:

Now, when Pearl heard my camera clicking away, she just couldn't pass by the opportunity to get in a few shots. Anything for attention. Seriously, I didn't put her here - she arranged herself. I might have put the brooch on her head, but she said she didn't mind. She agreed that it also made a fetching head decoration.

Felty Friday: A Day For Crafting Rediscoveries

I've got some ideas for making brooches today, so am going to head off to the craft shop (literally down the road - lucky me!) to buy some felt to make them with. Then I need to rediscover how a needle and thread work. I'm also very very tempted to learn how to properly knit, since reading so many lovely blogs from knitters and seeing the wonderful variety of homely autumn knits now available on Etsy and Folksy and the like. I'm thinking a scarf may be a good place to start? Surely not much can go wrong there?

Having said that, I'm not starting from a particularly strong knitting background. The first thing I ever knitted when I was about 6 was rather unique. I had some lime green plastic needles and a ball of red wool, and armed with mother's knitting song of "In through the bunny hole, round by the trees, over the mountain and off to sea", I managed to knit a small, knotty square, no bigger than 2 inches in width or height. Somewhat pleased with my efforts, and a little impatient to continue whilst there were other more exciting things to be doing (like pouring glitter into the carpet to make it sparkly), I decided to tie a length of elastic to my creation and wore it over my nose. This was my 'nose warmer'. I'm surprised it hasn't caught on! Maybe I should patent it...

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.