Ice Cream Man

On Sunday the lovely twoducksdisco & I shared a stall at the Handmade craft fair which look place at the Brudenell Social Club in sunny Leeds. There was lots of tea, cake, sweets and pretty handmade things on show, which meant I was in a certain sort of heaven...until I ate too many sweets like a small, overexcited child. Thanks to Amy for organising the whole thing.







Sunday was also the debut for Ice Cream Man, a collaboration between myself and Mister twoducksdisco, which can now be purchased from my etsy shop (or will be in about fifteen minutes when I have finished the listing)



xxx

Christmas Badges!

Tapes

A picture I did for the new Tapes podcast, which is out today (find the link to the right)



In other news: I'm helping my friend Tash make some Christmas themed little felt badges for a stall she has booked at Kirkstall Abbey in a couple of weeks, will post pictures of our efforts asap! Christmas trees, Christmas puddings and Santas, all this and a recent drop in temperature are making me feel prematurely festive.

xxx

Clocks, the passing of time.

It was my birthday about three weeks ago and as well as having a lovely day (despite the fact I had to go to work), I also got some lovely things! My boyfriend screenprinted one of my drawings for me and put it in a frame, which is rather exciting as I've never had any of my stuff screenprinted before. Maybe one day I will learn how the process works, until then I will simply admire how good it looks at the end.



I also received this really nice clock from my friend Saz, which inspired the felt clock above it.



Alas, after taking these photos my camera refused to work any longer. Technology, hey.

manynicethings on a journey

The lovely twoducksdisco recently headed off to Flatstock, a yearly poster art/musical festival based in Hamburg. Alas, I remained in the UK slaving away at my 9-5 job (and finding time to attend a beer festival) but luckily some of my felted friends made the trip, all of them finding new homes in the process.



HALLO!

xxx

Gobble you up!

I love this blog

Owl with moustache

I customised my owl brooch design for my old housemate! I forgot to take a picture before I sent it, so here is the picture she posted on her Twitter



xx

Tree People

Hello there! Here is a little one-off illustration I did for Belfast band Not Squares, which will be inside one copy of their debut single, 'Aye Yo Pa'. Exciting times!



In other news, I am currently loving the track "Hands Swollen With Grace" by the Dakota Suite and I am also getting very excited for Fell Foot Sound this coming weekend.

old old fashioned

Apologies for the lack of updates of late...I got a job (albeit a temporary one) and have been generally fairly busy, so unfortunately haven't found much time for making stuff.

I thought I would do a wee update saying hello and the like, but I am a bit behind on sleep and now I am here I can't think of much to say, which is going to make for some interesting reading....or not.

Today I interupted some snacking pigeons, then I filled in an application for a job completely out of my league. The two events are connected somehow, I am quite sure, and when I fail to get the job which is way out of my league it will all be the snacking pigeons fault, obviously.

I can't stop listening to "The Midnight Organ Fight" by Frightened Rabbit. It's one of the best new albums I've heard is absolutely ages. Here they are with some cool-looking dudes:

xxx

Russian Doll with Moustache

I made a couple of these a while back. One I lost somewhere on the streets of Leeds - if you found it, lucky you - the other I have just listed on etsy! He's really tiny but I like him:



xx

Float/Home

There are more things up here now. There are so many pretty things on etsy it makes me dizzy. It's lucky I have no money because if I did I am sure an unhealthy addication would be beginning right now. At least it would be an aesthetically pleasing addiction.

Today in Leeds it is raining like Manchester and I'm listening to the beautiful music that this man makes:



Peter Broderick, I salute you.

Etsy!

I have finally managed to sort out an Etsy account! Find it here. Currently for sale are the owl brooches, but I will be adding more things in the next few days.
xx

Strange Creatures

I really like the artwork of Jennifer Davis

Big Cartel

Hi all, just thought I'd let you know that I have made myself a Big Cartel page, so if you would like to buy any of my stuff, that's the place to do so! I will be adding more stuff soon, hopefully. Currently up are felt russian dolls and owl brooches. If you would like to have a look, find it here.

Also, I can't stop listening to this album at the moment...

Make Your Own Sun

Another month, less updates from myself, and another Tapes podcast. This month the tunes are provided by Yonderboy, This Town Needs Guns, Ora Cogan, Peasman and Fortywatts. I saw Ora Cogan play in a basement the night she recorded this session and was very impressed indeed. I have also provided a piece of artwork this month, for the lovely Fortywatts, which is rather exciting and a little scary...I shall do my best to focus on the former. Anyhow, here is my humble offering, inspired by the song "Make Your Own Sun":



xx

Trinkets

Apologies for the lack of updates of late, I really have no excuse. I got a new computer two weeks ago, so could have taken full advantage of this fact by bombarding you all with updates, but, alas, I did not. This is probably fortunate for you, as I have not been doing all that much aside from frantically filling in job applications. I am also moving house in another two weeks, so I will no doubt be unable to post again for some time due to living in the midst of chaos for at least a week on either side. Anyhow, this update is primarily to say that I finally managed to complete the blog header! It is at the top of this page, as you have probably already noticed.

Also, there was a new Tapes podcast at the beginning of this month, featuring music from Franz Nicolay (of The Hold Steady), Neil Ward, Tubelord, Cameron Steward and Fran Rogers. Artwork this month includes a photograph by my very own sister alongside some other amazing artists. Check it out here.

Another thing worth checking out is my friend Sophie's etsy shop rememberer. She selling some beautiful old postcards and trinkets, very nice indeed.

Finally, here is a picture of a cuckoo clock in my Granny's house which I thought was rather good:

A work in progress

Here is a little something I've been working on.....


It's not finished quite yet, but soon it will be the header for this very blog page! Hooray.

The End of the World.

Last night I went to see a film by Werner Herzog called "Encounters at the End of the World". It was about Antarctica and all the people he met there.


I've had a fascination for a long time with extremely cold places, places so north or south that the sun doesn't set or rise at certain times in the year, so the concept of this film appealed to me. Herzog's narration was warm and funny and the landscape was stunning....there was amazing footage from dives underneath the ice, but the film was mostly about the eccentric people who live and work there... I especially liked the scientist who showed science-fiction films to those he worked alongside and performed guitar concerts to barely anyone on the remote roof of his laboratory. And the idea of living on a thick sheet of ice and being able to hear the sounds of seals swimming underneath it was one I especially liked. Anyway, a very good film, see it if you get the opportunity!

When We Were Very Young

I really like old children's book covers.

Tree Houses

(Stiles Designs)

(Eric Z. Ayers)


(Tom Chudleigh)

(Tree House Guy)

To the Sea

Hello there! Just a couple of things today...

The May edition of the Tapes podcast has been released, featuring lovely music from Tellison, Red Trees, Pilla, My First Tooth and Rebecca Farely. There is also be some equally lovely artwork to accompany said lovely music, so unless you really hate lovely things, I would highly recommend a listen! You can download it here.

In other news, I think this is rather wonderful.

Trampolining!

Nothing Happening

Hello!

Last week I went to Elle Teague's exhibition opening at Clock Cafe/LS6, Hyde Park Corner, Leeds. She does really lovely illustrations (my personal favourite is the "you smell of poo" one) and if you're in the area I would highly recommend a visit. Clock Cafe is really nice and has recently extended to include a new gallery space upstairs, which is really cool. Hopefully there will be lots more good stuff there in future.

Here is the flyer for Elle's show:


While I am recommending things, may I also post a link to my friend Sophie's new blog, which is full of pretty things.

Also, here is a link to a poster by the boy. He took a lovely, innocent picture I drew and made it totally perverse. So be warned! Ha.

On a slightly more irrelevant note, does anyone else remember the early 90s childrens tv programme "Eerie Indiana"?


I've been watching it a lot recently and, unlike other programmes I watched when I was younger, watching it as an adult it doesn't disappoint.

Unfortunately due to computer death, I cannot upload any pictures of my own at the moment. Hopefully I will have stuff to show soon. But as I am currently having another wishing-I-could-travel moment, here is a beautiful picture of Scotland:


And on that note I shall say goodbye!

Oh Very Young

Hello! My computer has totally broken and I went away for a while to see various family members, hence my lack of updates. Luckily I have a very nice housemate and boyfriend, both of whom have computers I can use whilst I am without. Which is good.

I listened to Cat Stevens a lot while I was away, he seems perfect for the current weather and the things I have been thinking a lot about lately.



"You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you know
They will vanish away like your daddy's best jeans
Denim Blue fading up to the sky
And though you want them to last forever
You know they never will
You know they never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still"

More soon...

Tapes

Cameron Steward and Ash Mann have realised their first ever Tapes podcast! This one features recordings from artists such as Sam Isaac & Jose Vanders . It also has accompanying artwork & photography by various talented folk, including Cameron himself & the lovely Alex Curtis. The podcast is available here and there is another one already planned for next month if you enjoy what you hear :)

Hello Photoshop

Hello! I spent this afternoon getting acquainted with the technological wonder that is photoshop....

...with help from Cameron Steward, aka twoducksdisco. Despite my occasional technophobia, it was rather fun indeed.

I apologise for lack of updates on crafty stuff recently, I've been getting a little carried away with the drawing side of things...hopefully I will get some crafty inspiration soon!

I have been enjoying The National a lot of late. I also made a twitter account yesterday. I'm still not quite sure what it's for, but I found lots of fun people to follow. If you are also a twittering sort, mine is located here.

Woman & Bird

Deer

I have been doing more drawing this afternoon....

...as well as listening to the song "Try for the Sun" by Lindsey Buckingham on repeat.

Doodlebug!

I love the drawing style in old girls' magazines and annuals from the 60s and 70s:

I tried a couple of sketches myself:

I'd really like to get back into drawing/painting type art stuff, it's really nice to get lost in something like perfecting the shading on a drawing.

I went through the pictures folder on my computer recently and I've got loads of stuff saved on there from google image search and various websites. I thought I'd post a selection of it here, as nice/interesting pictures are always good food for the eyes.

I saved loads of pictures of russian dolls when I was planning the ones I made.

I loved these knitted houses!

This is by someone called Ida Rentoul, I believe.

Andrea Zuill: