Where has this obsessive inspiration come from?

I have mentioned before I am a book junkie, & even more now that I can download them to my trusty ipad. I have been feeling a little flat lately, & looking for some new inspiration. It's an awful rut to be in :( I love the search for something new to spark that feeling, it's the best feeling every, when you find something your connect with & it literally makes you jump.

I have found it & I have had such a surge of inspiration the last few days. I want to draw like crazy, I am literally thinking about patterns & colours all the time. It's been a private & fun build up of obsessive inspiration, chattering away to myself, it's all happening in my brain, & no one knew about, until I told you today, haha!!

This is all due to another admired artist of mine is Jessica Swift, I have been following her for a while now, & have always been so inspired with the achievements she has told us via cyber space, like her work & licensing deals (a dream of mine).  I loved her rain boot campaign, it was so cool. Her own patterns on rain boots, how awesome!! You can see them here. When winter hits here again I think I will need to splurge, they even have secret messages in them!

I just read her e-book.....

Its a great read of inspiration & honesty. She literally takes you on a journey from where she started, yep from the sale of her first painting, all the way through her career & awesome licensing deals. She has exhibited at trade shows I dream about like Printsource & Surtex, all because she had the courage to have a go. The hard work, & it's been a lot from what I have read, was so inspiring. I just loved it. There were also lots of other information that was golden for someone like me. 

I could chat about it forever, but I won't as if you need the buzz that I got, you will have to buy it here.

If you read it let me know what you think.

Dream Bedroom Décor for Hudson

Cars 2 is out today & I have one little boy who is bursting at the seams to see it. His dad is taking him on Saturday. He is so hooked on this movie, as lovely as I think it is, it drives me a little batty. It's pretty sad when your are starting to remember the dialogue.

Everything he does is "Fast like McQueen".

There is a positive about that saying, if he is dawdling along I can usually tell him that McQueen would do that much faster he is. That usually turns on his engine & off he goes.

I wont buy all of the merchandise, as I couldn't bear it. He own a long sleeve t-shirt, some pyjamas, slippers, several of the cars, and that's it. I was curious to see what was actually available out there for the bedroom & I was flabbergasted.

Check out this furniture, & this is a small selection.

All products were found at Wallmart.

Oh man, what Hudson would do to sleep in that bed.

Look at this, a dream chair to watch the movie for the millionth time. Don't even bring up how many times I am sure he'll watch the 2nd movie when it's released on DVD.

Wow what a novel idea, something to keep your toys stored. That wouldn't work in my house as everything is dumped on the floor. Tidying up seems to be a foreign word.

After looking around, I found this bedroom suite which although extremely over the top is just awesome. I think my husband would actually enjoy as much as Hudson. I could see him sitting & watching the Grand Prix in that bed!!

Brand new cushion & door stop - Lady bird style

After a week of pink parties, and an explosion of lady birds fluttering around, I thought I would finish this obsession with two new products to the Tiges and Weince collection.

Lady Bird style of course!!

A brand new doorstop, which also doubles as a fabulous bookend.

And of course a matching cushion too.

Both items are now available in my shop.

I am off to a 40th birthday party today, I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday wherever you're headed or whatever you're doing xx

A Ladybird 1st Birthday Party - Part 2

Apologies in advance for my lady bird obsession this week, just in case you're over it, but it has created a fun & fulfilling creative spark. With such inspiration I have also started 2 new products for my shop which is in the pipe line, and I will show off later.

After suffering a bad stomach bug for the last two days, of all damn weeks, it's time to share some more of my party selections for Charlotte's first birthday. If you haven't read part one of this post you can do so here.

I used the lady bird & toad stools on her birthday invite, and printed it on 100% cotton for her to make a party bunting. I am sure it will look great around the table.

I am loving it as it will finish up in her bedroom after Saturday.

Next I am going to attempt to make some toad stool cookies. The cookie cutter I wanted to buy was sold out so I have had to improvise, making my own toad stool cutter from card. Will work out just as well, however may take a little longer as I will have to cut out each one individually. Wasn't sure what cookie recipe to use, so I have opted for the popular smartie biscuit recipe, but I obviously won't be using the smarties. I found these cute designs from the good fairy.

Lastly I am borrowing this sweet drink idea that I found on taste, Apple, bannana and Cranberry punch. Looks so yummy, think I will have some myself.

Next thing for me to work on are some gifts for pass the parcel, pin the nose on the lady bird, and of course what to pop in those party loot bags.

I am getting excited.

A Ladybird 1st Birthday Party - Part 1

Charlotte turns 1 on Saturday, I can't believe it, so I thought I would throw her a little party.

I have decided to create a Ladybird theme, I have always loved these little insects. They are so cute, pretty, and have such a friendly persona about them. It also gives me opportunity to use lots of red and pink together, and get my creative cap on.

Birthday parties are so full on now, the themes, the candy buffet's, I felt extremely overwhelmed, until the lovely Amy fromGiggleberry Creations steered me in the right direction of party supplies, and a load of ideas to help my theme come to life. She is a party planning enthusiast. Thanks Amy xx

I have lots to share about what I am doing, but it's all to much for one blog post, so I thought I share the first stages with you. Another reason is, I am a bit 'last minute Lucy', and still have quite a bit to do.

First...The invite, I created that myself, that was the easy part.

The party decor, from Complete Party Boxes. Lots of red and pink in spots and stripes.

Pink spotted lanterns, to be hung over the party table.

Plates, serviettes and cups, all coordinating perfectly.

Cupcake cases, I won't necessarily be putting cupcakes in those. Still yet to be decided.

A party bag for the special guests to take home.

Loving these little party straws (from Spotlight), they don't match my lady bird, I can live with that. They were too cute to not include.

Gorgeous little toad stools which will be used for the cake. I am making the cake, a lady bird of course, and a friend is helping me decorate it as she is pretty damn good at that stuff. So I am thinking the toad stools with have to be on the grass around the cake?? Still to be decided.

I love these party bags and didn't want to fold them shut after they have been filled. So I used the lady bird on my invite and created a circle design and added it to a wooden peg.

It's very exciting, and I need to write a list today of things to compete & mark them off. Some of those include;

Lady bird party bunting

table cloth

gifts for party games

helium balloons

food of course - shopping list - choc crackles for sure mmm my favourite

A little something for each of the take home party bags

I will admit this is a tad exciting, so stay tuned for more.

NEW DOOR STOPS - Vikings

New "Viking" doorstops have been added to my shop.

Two new designs I think they work really well for the boys. I like the Vikings, this one in particular, he is strong, handsome and maybe a little cooky, with a full curly beard. I think he will succeed standing tall and strong, stopping doors slamming, or holding up as book ends.

Black Viking

Blue Viking

I had no idea the door stops would sell so well and I am just loving it. My goal is to do a small range more for mums & not the kids, as I know I don't particularly want the kiddie drawings everywhere in my home. For myself, I like designs a little older. Maybe I think that way because I look at my work 24/7? Who knows.

Look what I have :0)

I got home from Soccer this morning to find a cardboard box under my door mat. I knew exactly what it was & raced to open it.

I am pretty happy to say the least.

I have looked, scanned, flicked, and said a few oohs & ahhs.

Now I just dream for the quite time to read and savour every bit of it.

I will be sure to tell you about my favourite pages and how they have inspired me.

Not everything has to be personalised

I had no idea what I was entering in to when I did my first personalised cushions. Putting your name on something is so incredibly popular. My initial idea when I started designing the collection was just to do a regular kids cushion collection. Pretty straight forward, nice and simple. Then the couple of personalised ones I did continued to sell, then I thought I'd do two more, and they sold, then two more and so on. So I guess it's you guys, the customers, that have unexpectantly altered my initial business plan slightly. But that's OK, I love doing it.

I do get a lot of queries, can I "unpersonalised' a particular design. Some can easily be altered, some not so, like the dedicated name designs.

Today's post is to let everyone know that if you like something, but don't want a name on it, that's fine just let me know. The last couple of weeks I have had several of these requests from customers and stockists.

The following have been "depersonalised".

I haven't listed them in my shop, but if you would like any of them feel free to ask me, or if you would like the name on something else removed. I will add them to my gallery & facebook decorative cushion page.

A depersonalised "Apple Pop"

A depersonalised "Monster Mash"

A depersonalised "Lady bird"

Some eggs for Charlotte

I didn't buy chocolate for Charlotte this year, instead bought some lovely hand painted eggs from Brusselsprout kids. They were so dainty, each with a little ribbon there so they could be hung. That wasn't my intention, it was to pop them in a glass jar. This is what I have come up with.

The eggs, a glass jar, some paper twine in pink which I just love & a pink & white stripe ribbon.

I wanted the looked to be subtle, pretty, & not too over done. Really simple actually. I loosely placed in the twine at the base of the jar, then arranged each egg carefully on top of it, making sure the same design wasn't next to each other. I then placed more twine on top of the eggs, and screwed the lid on.

Done...easy hey?

I decided not to include the pink & white stripe ribbon as it made the whole thing look overdone. Overall I am happy with the simplicity.

I am just surprised that I actually finished something for a change hehehe!

Colour Me Raspberry

Today I wanted to show my favourite colour, it's what I call,

Raspberry

I am a huge fan of the colours pink and red, and I feel that raspberry sits somewhere in between.

Not really red, not really pink.

It's a rich, strong and vibrant colour that can make you feel warm and cosy. At the other end of the spectrum, I think it's such a fresh and clean colour in the summer months, especially when teamed with white or aqua.

It's a favourite fruit, so useful all year round, fresh is best, but so handy for cooking when frozen.

What shade of raspberry do you love most? I have determined three different types.

A more pink version, a red version, or berry version?

To me they are all delicious.

Some gorgeous raspberry inspired finds on Esty.

1. linkeldesigns

2. cherrycreek

3. GabrielleKai

4. TheWhistlingCowgirl

5. heartsandbows494

Colour Me Green

Green, generally considered the earth colour, the colour we think of when wanting to get back to nature. Green trees, green grass, being green. It's also one of the secondary colours on the colour wheel, made from blue and yellow.

I love green also for a few quirky little saying...It's not easy being green.

Also....Blue & green should never be seen unless there is something in between. What a load of rubbish, but it still makes me giggle.

My favourite shade of green are definitely apple green & lime green, they both in my eyes are bright and cheerful.

With different shades of green available, I have created my "Colour Me Green" colour chart, of my interpretations of the green wheel.

Here are some gorgeous green décor pieces to brighten your happy place!!

1 Hooo loves you baby

2 Organizer Basket

3 Pom Love

4 Freshline

5 Dinosaur bank

Wardrobe Inspiration

When we decide to redecorate our kids bedrooms I think besides the bed another important element is definitely the wardrobe. It's a that must be considered style wise as well as practical. Will the design last a long time, not just for when they are a baby. I think the first wardrobe we buy should at least take them to their first 8-10 years, before the tween element kicks in. Of course another consideration is space for clothes, shoes, accessories like belts, headbands, hats, and of course some special toys. One last important element I think would be that the design be suitable for you to had your favourite pictures or photos.

all images from home decor arcade

Kids Interior Inspiration - Lots of Colour

I am always looking for interior inspiration and came across this really colourful and fun bedroom. I love it because it has a summery palette, making it really bright and cheerful.

It also has colours I am drawn too, aqua, pink, and apple green.

Although there is lots of colour, I think it has a really good balance. The white furniture and white wall is really making all the colour pop nicely, and stops it feeling overwhelming.

A great solution really for decorating as it definitely has that anything goes feeling.

kids bedroom image from-sergi_2

Children's Dressers

I came across these very unique pieces of children's furniture today and was so impressed I had to share them. I don't need to say many words, I think they speak for themselves.

Brian Dresser

Joined at the hips dresser

Raymond Dresser

Accordion Dresser - My favourite.

All images from 'this next'

Madeit finds - Dinosaurs

My son LOVES dinosaurs at the moment.

I am sure it has a lot to do with the Nick Jnr cartoon Dinosaur Train.

So I thought I would check out what gorgeous dinosaurs are happening on the madeit scene.

1. Dinosaur wall decal set

2. Dinosaur on the loose - card

3. MINI Dinosaurs - reusable fabric stickers for laptops, notebooks...

4. Dinosaurs mobile

Wheels treasury

Lovely Wheels inspired treasury by Elizabeth Horton Designs featured my

Tricycle magnetic bookmarks (bottom right corner).

Elizabeth has an a wonderful shop that sells nostalgic inspired graphic printed tee's for boys and girls.

H is for....

The letter

can be the beginning of many words and names.

But today it represents my favourite boy in the world, Hudson xxx

1. christinakober 2.KnitKnoodler
3.exlibrishandmade 4.natbears
5.ilovehearts 6.exlibrishandmade