As I've mentioned a few times, I started an illustration business back in August of last year.
I've been kept incredibly busy and occupied with it, creating new pieces, running my shop, taking on commissions etc etc. and have felt increasingly guilty about not having any time to run this blog.
I have a lot of big plans for myself and Miss Magpie Designsand I don't want to feel I am stretching myself too thin and producing half-hearted work. This sounds very selfish but I have found something I really truly love that could potentially become something special for me, and I feel that it's important to focus on it.
Because of this, I have decided to retire Design and Nonsense. I will not be deleting the blog as I have put a lot of my time and effort into writing it, as have my lovely guest posters, so it will remain live. I just won't be posting any new content unfortunately.
I really hope my loyal readers understand my reasons. I have come across some very talented people and am proud to have featured some of them here :-)
For those of you who wish to follow my journey, you can join me on my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter or even drop me a line through email, missmagpiedesigns@hotmail.co.uk.
I have loved posting for this blog, coming up with tutorials and fun things to try. I hope you all continue to make use of past posts and will always be inspired.
Take care all and please don't be strangers. I'd love to have you all over at Miss Magpie's place :-D
Hugs,
Emily
xxx
Monday, 21 January 2013
Friday, 14 December 2012
I'm officially published!
Rather exciting news! I (think) I mentioned in my last post that I was writing a how-to article for www.sheknows.com
Click on this link to read the tutorial and let me know what you lovely readers think :-)
I hope it puts you in the festive holiday mood!
Emily
xxx
Well! The article is officially live and I'm so excited for you to see it!
Click on this link to read the tutorial and let me know what you lovely readers think :-)
I hope it puts you in the festive holiday mood!
Emily
xxx
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
The Wanderer Returns!
What is this place? Where am I?? I have no memory of this place!
I'm officially ashamed of myself. My poor blog and lovely readers have been so terribly neglected by me and my only excuse is lack of time!!
In the run up to Christmas, I have been getting lots of orders through my new business Miss Magpie Designs and I just haven't had any time to myself! I know, it's a pretty pitiful excuse but that's the truth of it! I haven't been able to do any crafting just for fun-it's all been for the business! Sigh.
One day, I will find the balance. If anyone has any tips on how to balance, be my guest and share away!
I thought I'd share a few of my handmade items with you :-) Particularly good now that Christmas is just around the corner!
Handmade Festive Gift Tags
I'm officially ashamed of myself. My poor blog and lovely readers have been so terribly neglected by me and my only excuse is lack of time!!
In the run up to Christmas, I have been getting lots of orders through my new business Miss Magpie Designs and I just haven't had any time to myself! I know, it's a pretty pitiful excuse but that's the truth of it! I haven't been able to do any crafting just for fun-it's all been for the business! Sigh.
One day, I will find the balance. If anyone has any tips on how to balance, be my guest and share away!
I thought I'd share a few of my handmade items with you :-) Particularly good now that Christmas is just around the corner!
Handmade Festive Gift Tags
First up, I have my festive gift tags. These feature my three Christmas birds; the Robin , Partridge and Pheasant. They are about 3" across and are blank on the back for your message :-) A unique way of sprucing up your wrapped gifts! Find them here.
Festive Greetings Cards
Using the same lovely festive birds, I have 3 different greetings card designs available, featuring lyrics from popular Christmas songs. These are A6, printed on 300gsm card and come with a cream envelope. I have left them blank inside for your Christmas message. Have a look here!
Handmade Bird Envelopes
Finally, to match nicely with the greetings cards, I have my range of envelopes, featuring beautiful snowflake detailing around the edge. These will certainly make posting Christmas mail more exciting! See the full range here.
This is only a small sample of what I have been working on, but I just wanted to prove to you all I haven't been neglecting you for nothing!
Exciting news on the envelope front-you may remember my Handmade Envelope Tutorial? Well I have been asked to write a festive how-to article for SheKnows.com! I am so excited about it and will be sharing the link with you all as soon as it's out!
In the mean time, why not pop over to my FB page www.facebook.com/designandnonsense or even visit my business page www.facebook.com/littlemissmagpie and I PROMISE to be a better blogger!
I have a fun Christmas tutorial coming up soon, so come and see me again :-D
Emily
xxx
Friday, 12 October 2012
Guest Post-Karen Orson
Good morning lovely readers! I bet you've forgotten who I am again! I'm shameful and feel incredibly guilty that I haven't blogged properly in ages :-( With, dare I say, Christmas just around the corner, I have lots of exciting festive crafts to share with you so I PROMISE I will be a better blogger; I Brownie-guide promise at that! That's a big promise since I was a Brownie team leader ;-)
I have something fun for you today. A wonderfully witty guest post from the lovely Karen, who is going to share with you her experiences with thrifty upcycling :-)
Enjoy!
********************************************************************************
Upcycling and Guest Houses
Gabby, a friend of mine, is greener than the grass on her lawn. Everything she does has to be sustainable, eco-friendly and if it doesn’t use recycled materials; it doesn’t get used! Needless to say, when the opportunity came up for her to help out with some decorating, you can guess the colour that she chose…
There are a lot ofguest houses in Devon, it being such a quaint British tourist trap; and a lot of home owners choose to rent out bedrooms or garages to find an extra income. Lindsay, a friend of both mine and Gabby’s, was embarking upon just such a venture when she enlisted our help.
"I want it to feel like the outdoors, like your bedroom is on the beach!"
As soon as Lindsay had spoken I could hear the cogs spinning in Gabby’s head, as she ran around the empty garage-soon-to-be-bedroom and made pencil marks on the walls and floor. I’d love to tell you some of her ideas but she spouted them much faster than my brain could comprehend! Within fifteen minutes, she’d disappeared down the path and we hadn’t a clue what she was up to.
We only managed to get through a cup of tea and half a sandwich before we heard the flip-flop of sandals coming back up the garden. Obscured behind several bags, boxes and piles of items, Gabby’s smile beamed out and we stared at her in amazement. How could such a small woman carry so much stuff?
In the garage, she unloaded her treasure onto the floor. Lindsay and I were puzzled; bin lids, driftwood, jars, pots, and a broken crate, what was going on? It was at this point that I had to leave to book some guests into my B&B, and I had to be bodily dragged away by my husband; what was Gabby up to?!
I was busy for the rest of the week, but I was constantly distracted at work by Gabby’s manic gathering of what I thought was washed up rubbish. By the time I’d found time to get back over to Lindsay’s place, it was the following weekend. But boy, was it worth the wait.
Gabby had taken off on another of her impromptu road trips which inevitably brought her to the corners of Europe, so it was Lindsay who showed me the results. The garage was no longer a garage; it was a fantastically beautiful guest room that anybody would die to stay in! Lindsay had been infected by our mutual friend’s eco-centricities and she’d developed the same speedy dialogue that I struggled to keep up with.
"And this bed, this bed here! Look Karen, the bed! Can you see what it’s made of? Can you? Can you? PALLETTS! Cargo pallets from the beach!"
It was true, you could see a printed stamp on one of the legs; "KARUR INDIA STOCKS."
"KAREN, THE LAMP! Look at this lamp!"
Lindsay zipped across the bedroom and excitedly gestured at a bedside lamp.
"Do you recognise it? It’s a Nescafe jar! A coffee jar! A coffee jar lamp!"
For all of Lindsay’s frightening energy, she had a great point. Gabby had gone to town on this up-cycled project, and then disappeared before we had chance to compliment her. As I had chance to look around, I noticed the finer details. The station clock on the wall was made from a metallic dust-bin lid, the doorstop was a thick ball of rope, the shelves driftwood from the beach.
The drapes were clearly old bed sheets given a new lease of life, and the desk was a collection of stacked transport crates.
The walls were each painted a different colour, but I’m sure you can guess.
Eco Green.
Sustainable Green.
Garden Green.
Recycling Green!
Needless to say, I’ll be implementing some of these ideas next time my husband and I do a refurb, but perhaps I’ll leave the two maniacs out of it!
Author Bio:Karen Orson has been in the travel and tourism industry for almost ten years now, and loves travelling around the UK.
She currently works for Highcliffe House, a Guest House in Devon, England.
*************************************************************************
I really laughed when I read this! Gabby sounds insanely eager, much like me when I get exciting ideas!
Hope you are all well :-)
Emily
xxx
I have something fun for you today. A wonderfully witty guest post from the lovely Karen, who is going to share with you her experiences with thrifty upcycling :-)
Enjoy!
********************************************************************************
Upcycling and Guest Houses
Gabby, a friend of mine, is greener than the grass on her lawn. Everything she does has to be sustainable, eco-friendly and if it doesn’t use recycled materials; it doesn’t get used! Needless to say, when the opportunity came up for her to help out with some decorating, you can guess the colour that she chose…
There are a lot ofguest houses in Devon, it being such a quaint British tourist trap; and a lot of home owners choose to rent out bedrooms or garages to find an extra income. Lindsay, a friend of both mine and Gabby’s, was embarking upon just such a venture when she enlisted our help.
"I want it to feel like the outdoors, like your bedroom is on the beach!"
As soon as Lindsay had spoken I could hear the cogs spinning in Gabby’s head, as she ran around the empty garage-soon-to-be-bedroom and made pencil marks on the walls and floor. I’d love to tell you some of her ideas but she spouted them much faster than my brain could comprehend! Within fifteen minutes, she’d disappeared down the path and we hadn’t a clue what she was up to.
We only managed to get through a cup of tea and half a sandwich before we heard the flip-flop of sandals coming back up the garden. Obscured behind several bags, boxes and piles of items, Gabby’s smile beamed out and we stared at her in amazement. How could such a small woman carry so much stuff?
In the garage, she unloaded her treasure onto the floor. Lindsay and I were puzzled; bin lids, driftwood, jars, pots, and a broken crate, what was going on? It was at this point that I had to leave to book some guests into my B&B, and I had to be bodily dragged away by my husband; what was Gabby up to?!
I was busy for the rest of the week, but I was constantly distracted at work by Gabby’s manic gathering of what I thought was washed up rubbish. By the time I’d found time to get back over to Lindsay’s place, it was the following weekend. But boy, was it worth the wait.
Gabby had taken off on another of her impromptu road trips which inevitably brought her to the corners of Europe, so it was Lindsay who showed me the results. The garage was no longer a garage; it was a fantastically beautiful guest room that anybody would die to stay in! Lindsay had been infected by our mutual friend’s eco-centricities and she’d developed the same speedy dialogue that I struggled to keep up with.
"And this bed, this bed here! Look Karen, the bed! Can you see what it’s made of? Can you? Can you? PALLETTS! Cargo pallets from the beach!"
(This photo demonstrates the pallet-bed concept, but is not our own)
It was true, you could see a printed stamp on one of the legs; "KARUR INDIA STOCKS."
"KAREN, THE LAMP! Look at this lamp!"
Lindsay zipped across the bedroom and excitedly gestured at a bedside lamp.
"Do you recognise it? It’s a Nescafe jar! A coffee jar! A coffee jar lamp!"
For all of Lindsay’s frightening energy, she had a great point. Gabby had gone to town on this up-cycled project, and then disappeared before we had chance to compliment her. As I had chance to look around, I noticed the finer details. The station clock on the wall was made from a metallic dust-bin lid, the doorstop was a thick ball of rope, the shelves driftwood from the beach.
The walls were each painted a different colour, but I’m sure you can guess.
Eco Green.
Sustainable Green.
Garden Green.
Recycling Green!
Needless to say, I’ll be implementing some of these ideas next time my husband and I do a refurb, but perhaps I’ll leave the two maniacs out of it!
Author Bio:Karen Orson has been in the travel and tourism industry for almost ten years now, and loves travelling around the UK.
She currently works for Highcliffe House, a Guest House in Devon, England.
*************************************************************************
I really laughed when I read this! Gabby sounds insanely eager, much like me when I get exciting ideas!
Hope you are all well :-)
Emily
xxx
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Miss Magpie Giveaway and Commissions!
What a horrible day!! It's bucketing down with rain in SE England :-(
To brighten everyone's day, I'm sharing the giveaway that's going on over at Miss Magpie Designs...
The prize is these "Indian Summer" handmde envelope, crafted by me of course :-)
All you have to do is pop over to my FB page Miss Magpie Designs, share the photo and then comment on the photo saying you've done so :-) Easy peasy!
Entries are open until Tuesday at 9pm and I will be posting the results on Wednesday morning!
Good luck!
While I'm on the subject of Miss Magpie Designs, I thought I'd tell you a little about my commission work:
"Do you have a beloved pet/animal family member or even a favourite animal? Would you like to see them immortalised in a beautiful, highly-detailed portrait?
If you're thinking "yes please", then I'm your girl!
I am currently taking on commissions for anyone interested in having a pet portrait done. I have had several enquiries into this, so have provided details below :-)
I work from photographs, so ask for a decent-quality image of your pet/animal friend to use as reference, although I do work my own style into the image :-)
Generally, I will decide on the orientation of the piece-whether landscape or portrait-depending o the composition of your photo and what I think will look best. That said, if you have a specific preference, I'm all ears!
Your portrait will be created using high-quality coloured pencil and finished with acrylic inks. I generally work on natural-coloured cards, in shades of grey and brown. If you would like a better idea of these colours, please have a look at my album "A Little Birdie Told Me" on my FB page.
Of course, if there is a colour you would specifically like me to work on, I'm happy to oblige-as long as it isn't white! I work on nearly everything but white :-)
Your portrait will come mounted or unmounted depending on your preference, but mounted is sometimes nicer if you plan to frame the piece in the future. It will be wrapped in acid-free tissue paper to protect it.
Pricing: I am offering introductory prices at the below rates.
A5 -£25 +p&p
A4 -£35 +p&p
A3 -£45 +p&p
I ask for full payment before I start work on your portrait :-)
Timing would depend on my work load at the time but I would try to get your portrait done and sent out within 4 weeks.
If you are interested, please feel free to PM me or send me an email at missmagpiedesigns@hotmail.co.uk
Miss Magpie
I have taken on several pieces already, so if you're after something for Christmas, then shoot me an email soon before I get all booked up!
Emily
xxx
Don't forget, you can sign up for my monthly newsletter by emailing me at DesignAndNonsense@hotmail.co.uk!
To brighten everyone's day, I'm sharing the giveaway that's going on over at Miss Magpie Designs...
The prize is these "Indian Summer" handmde envelope, crafted by me of course :-)
All you have to do is pop over to my FB page Miss Magpie Designs, share the photo and then comment on the photo saying you've done so :-) Easy peasy!
Entries are open until Tuesday at 9pm and I will be posting the results on Wednesday morning!
Good luck!
While I'm on the subject of Miss Magpie Designs, I thought I'd tell you a little about my commission work:
"Do you have a beloved pet/animal family member or even a favourite animal? Would you like to see them immortalised in a beautiful, highly-detailed portrait?
I am currently taking on commissions for anyone interested in having a pet portrait done. I have had several enquiries into this, so have provided details below :-)
I work from photographs, so ask for a decent-quality image of your pet/animal friend to use as reference, although I do work my own style into the image :-)
Your portrait will be created using high-quality coloured pencil and finished with acrylic inks. I generally work on natural-coloured cards, in shades of grey and brown. If you would like a better idea of these colours, please have a look at my album "A Little Birdie Told Me" on my FB page.
Your portrait will come mounted or unmounted depending on your preference, but mounted is sometimes nicer if you plan to frame the piece in the future. It will be wrapped in acid-free tissue paper to protect it.
Pricing: I am offering introductory prices at the below rates.
A5 -£25 +p&p
A4 -£35 +p&p
A3 -£45 +p&p
I ask for full payment before I start work on your portrait :-)
Timing would depend on my work load at the time but I would try to get your portrait done and sent out within 4 weeks.
If you are interested, please feel free to PM me or send me an email at missmagpiedesigns@hotmail.co.uk
Miss Magpie
I have taken on several pieces already, so if you're after something for Christmas, then shoot me an email soon before I get all booked up!
Emily
xxx
Don't forget, you can sign up for my monthly newsletter by emailing me at DesignAndNonsense@hotmail.co.uk!
Saturday, 22 September 2012
DIY Saturday-Upcycled Clocks
Found here.
I dream of the day when I have a house large enough to decorate the walls with enormous wall clocks like these. I think they make fantastic focal points in a room and especially dream of having one in my kitchen...one day! :-)
Found here.
So I decided the next best thing was to share some of my favourite upcycled clocks with my lovely readers! I'm so good to you ;-)
Found here.
I shared this a while back but had to include it again; it's just THAT good! The ultimate in upcycling!
I shared this a while back but had to include it again; it's just THAT good! The ultimate in upcycling!
Found here.
Weirdly, another manly clock. This isn't like me at all! Bring on the girly clocks!
Found here.
This is the female epitomised in a clock-do I hear multi-tasking?! Magnetic spice rack/clock-super clever!
Found here.
Another kitchen-themed time-piece. Funky and fun, perfect for a modern kitchen and those pieces of old cutlery you were hoarding for no reason-now you have one!
Found here.
Adorable! You'll never forget the time OR that special moment in your life :-)
Found here.
Want to get the kids inspired to learn AND make sure they're never late for school? This is the answer!
Found here.
A classic that I've seen a lot during my browsing but it never gets tired. You might find you lose track of time while reminiscing over your old photos :-)
Found here.
For some reason, I found this absolutely hilarious! You've certainly got no excuse for being late with this many clocks telling you the time!
I don't know why I do this to myself...now I just want to make clocks! We're supposed to be moving soon so it's not exactly the best time to be starting any major projects!
Maybe I can get away with the book clock...
Emily
xxx
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Personalised Wedding Gift-Painted Wooden Sign
Oh my goodness, I have a blog?! I totally forgot!
I'm kidding of course, but I have to admit I have been absolutely shameful in my blog neglect recently! I can't tell you how busy I've been with my new business; it's taking over my life!
To make up for my absence, I have a tutorial for you that I have been meaning to post since August...yes, yes we've already established I'm behind :-)
So today's tutorial is going to show you how to make a hand-painted plaque that makes a beautiful wedding gift. I made this one for my Dad's wedding and it's proudly hanging in his newly-built conservatory. Unfortunately for him, it means he has no excuse for forgetting his anniversary!
I chose similar colours to those I used when I designed their wedding invitations, as you can see below.
Front
Back
My wooden plaque came from Craftshapes in a pack of three. They have some fantastic-value products on there, so it's well worth a look. I can't remember where I got my printable vinyl from but it's a fairly common material so shouldn't be tricky to get hold of :-)
Here's your how-to!
I really enjoyed making this plaque, possibly because it was for someone so close to me :-) Since I have two wooden plaques left from the pack, I 'm planning on doing a festive sign next!
If you haven't already, why not pop over to my Etsy shop "Miss Magpie Designs" and have a browse of my latest products. I have been a busy bee working to get my artwork turned into greetings cards and envelopes :-)
I hope you're all well and still crafting away!
Emily
xxx
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