last post of the year...

this stimpson family christmas was as good as sponsered by the apple ipod. what with me and my mum getting a nano each, and jo and natalie both getting an ipod touch, alongside countless accessories... (i-trips and in-car holders and chargers and whatnot..!) so yes, with all these new ipods in the house, naturally, we all require something to keep them all warm and safe. so yesterday was spent making nano covers. a whole rainbow of them infact...!


as you can see, i have tons spare. i made 14 and only actually require 2, so if anyone has a nano thats getting a little chilly, and is crying out for a slightly padded, warm, pretty sack, i will be making them available to purchase soon, and will notify anyone who is interested as soon as i've got it all sorted.


my mum chose a green one, and this lovely little red number is for me! hoorah!
aaaand... over the next week or so i will be making a selection of covers for the touch... :o)

so yes, this will therefore be my last post of 2007! how very exciting.
i hope everyone has a fabulous time seeing in 2008

x.

mistletoe and wine

so now christmas is over, there seems little to be excited about... apart from new years eve... which can usually go either of two ways... but yes, now all the excitement has subsided, and im back from the north, ive finally had chance to have a good look through all my lovely gifts.


books books books. (and a magazine - my craft subscription has been renewed! hoorah!)


and it wouldnt be christmas without a lindt reindeer! hell no!
i also got a smashing cath kidston umber-ella, aaaand a fabulous ipod nano. lucky meee!


and this little beaut is from my sister. i came across a couple of months ago on paraphernalia and fell in love with it, not that jo knew this... what a happy coincidence!

i hope that everyone had a splendid christmas, and i wish you all the best for the new year.
ill be posting again soon, promise!

x.

headshots...

so, i've been doing a lot of doodling....! i drew tons of blank heads on flash cards, and then proceeded to give each and everyone one of them their very own special hair-do. much fun! (see if you can spot the amy winehouse of the bunch..!)
but yes. now i just need to figure out what to do with them all...!




x.

jingle all the way!

christmas is so excitingly close now! less than a week to go! i feel sickeningly organised for the festivities this year in comparison to my previous attempts..! so organised infact, that i have had the time to make up a second batch of mini stockings for my family. :o)


as i was hanging them on the the fire place, i informed my sister that they would indeed be filled up with goodies. she looked rather excited and replied: "every day??" ...!
goodness me! sadly, just the once will have to do seeing as i am not made of money!
but yes, it will be nice for mum and dad to have stockings this year, and my grandma's too! even if they are mini..! and jo and natalie won't mind having two, im sure!


x.

backwards

"...she always got the crossword puzzles right every day and she could do the alphabet backwards, without making any mistakes..."

mariella by kate nash

this week's I.F. theme is backwards.
hoorah!

x.

little things

hoorah-hoorah-hoorah! i have finally got around to doing another illustration friday submission. its been a while... too long, but yes and nevermind, here is my entry for this week's theme: little things.
this topic made me think of all the little things that make me happy... in a sound of music, whiskers on kittens and bright copper kettles kinda way. i simply love watching ollie and cleo (my cats) messing about. i could watch them forever when theyre having their mad half hours... hmmm... maybe i'm just easily pleased..!

in other news, here is some proof that it most definitely pays off to always check the children's books and magazines sections when shopping. in borders t'other day i found this: anorak magazine: the happy mag for kids.


and very cool kids at that i'd say. it has really lovely illustrations inside, some by the fabulous adrian johnson and even some by the one and only mister rob ryan. plus it comes with a super cool embroidered patch!


the fashion pages are possibly the most fun i've ever seen with the combination of photography and illustration. lovely lovely lovely!
...oh, to be little again!



x.

s t o c k i n g s

yesterday, we had christmas drinks at hélène and rich's flat. t'was a super evening with plenty of mulled wine and mince pies for everyone. and seeing as since we've left uni we dont get to see so much of each other, it was extra-nice to get everyone back together in one room again.

what with it being christmas an' all, i decided to make a stocking for everyone. i made up a basic pattern and filled them up with christmassy treats: a tree decoration, a candy cane, a chocolate santa lolly, and of course some chocolate money! i made up some gift tags and braided some brown string to finish them off, and tadaaa! job done! i think theyre pretty cool and rustic looking. i can imagine them hanging from a fire place in a nice cosy log cabin in the snow somewhere... :o)





x.

deck the halls...

i have spent the last couple of days working on the christmas cards for my parents, and so, with that in mind, here are a few more designs.
the one above is my absolute favourite, there are 3, each with different borders. the wooden ones evolved from the plain coloured ones below, but yes, i much prefer them with the wood grain.


however, my parents decided that they liked the family portrait design best, and that it wasn't too cheesey to send out, and so chose that one. so i gave us each a santa hat and now, here they are, all done and dusted :o) all 50 of them!


goodness! what with all these christmas cards, and the other christmas projects i have been working on, (and the continuous supply of christmas music...!) my study has become rather akin to santa's workshop...! i don't think i could feel more christmassy if i tried! but still there begs the issue of christmas shopping...! i do belive a serious list is in order!

x.

a work in progress...!

so my mum and dad have gotten cross with shopping for christmas cards, so, they have asked me to make them a set to send out a.s.a.p.
this is my first attempt...! i'm not too sure they'll go for it though... i think its probably a little too cheesey. maybe its ok to send to family... but not to everyone...!
(its a picture of my dad, mum, 2 sisters and our 2 cats...!) nevermind...! it makes me smile at least!


and this is my christmas '07 gift tag. tadaaa! now all i need is the presents to put them on...! yikes! christmas shopping here i come...

x.

goodie bag...

yes.yes.yes. i went shopping yesterday. well, i say shopping but i actually just went to buy fabric for a few christmassy projects im planning, and hobby craft sorted me out a treat! so i got myself some flowery fabric, some with hearts on, and then these lovely checked patterns by John Louden. super.


I also went shopping yesterday for magazines and chocolates to help louise on the road to recovery now she's home from her operation. i forgot how fun magazine freebies could be! this month, marie claire have hooked up with we are what we do (the people who made the books "how to change the world for a fiver/ 9 to 5") and are giving away their "plastic aint my bag" bag in a choice of three colours: pink, blue and green. fabulous!



well.x

ding dong!

today i found myself finally submitting to christmas cheer. so here i sit listening to the b-e-a-utiful sufjan stevens' "songs for christmas" (which, by-the-way, comes in a lovely lovely box set and comprises of 5 induvidual e.p's, a christmas song book, lyrics, chord charts and an essay by rick moody, stories by sufjan stevens, a christmas family portrait, an animated music video, a christmas comic strip and some fun christmas stickers. phew! what a bundle!)
so yes, as i was saying, i came over all christmassy, and finally i have completed a full set of christmas cards ready to be written and posted out to some lovely people. :o)
heck, im feeling so christmassy right now that i may even have to dig out home alone 2....!



weapon.x