Business Boom Collective

This lovely post has been up a couple of weeks now on http://businessboomcollective.com but I've been manically busy and feel like I've only just come up for air! Phew!

The Business Boom Collective is an amazing place to find a whole array of designers and artists and creatives. There is some phenomenal photography on there too.

I was over the moon to receive an email from these guys asking me to participate and am very happy to be featured alongside these fantastic creatives on such an awesome website.

So go check out my feature at http://businessboomcollective.com/1025/nicola-ellen/

 

Vivienne Westwood - New Fashion Illustration.

Hello, hello - how are you all?

It's been a while but here's some new work to share with you.

I was having a mooch around Gem Fatale's blog for a bit of fashion inspiration and came across her London Fashion Week adventures. Nothing gets me excited like a gorgeous red dress, so when I came across Gem's account of the Vivienne Westwood show, I couldn't NOT draw this beauty!!!

Image courtesy of Style.com

I absolutely LOVED illustrating this - plenty of colour, a splash of Andy Warhol in the make up and only a hint of black.... RIGHT up my drawing street!

Take a look at the rest of the bast stage shenanigans right here.


Til the next time! XX

Handmade Monday: Time for a catch up?

So it's been a few weeks since I made my internet come back and I've struggled to blog anything creative as life has been bloomin' hectic!

Well.... where do I begin?

I've been starting to set my own business up, working on a book commission, making a special picture for a friend who's leaving for uni this week, packing my entire room into boxes so it can be redecorated, visiting zoos, abbey's and cliffs.... OH and my sister returned from two years in the States this week too!! Phew!

On top of that I got back into baking this week and I have a very handy assistant in my sister! We baked some chocolate goodies for our family who came over to see my sister at the weekend and they went down a treat. Sadly I couldn't eat the Oreo Truffles though because they are made with cream cheese and I can't eat lactose!

After all the struggles this year it's really good to have so much to do! Aaaaand good news to for those of you that have been following my blog and have been supporting me this year - I have FINALLY managed to start putting on weight! I am back to the weight that I was at the start of the year and if I can crack seven stone by the end of the year, I will be back to the weight I was when I started uni SIX years ago. Things really are starting to look up! :)

Oooookay.... enough rambling - you just want to see some pretty pictures don't you? The last couple are what I entered into our local gallery exhibition but sadly they weren't picked :(

Flamingos at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

I'd go and check out the great blogs over on Handmade Monday for some fantastic inspiration and great lunchtime reading!

XX

Dreamcast Worlds: A Design History.

It's not often you'll see me post about gaming as I usually have my head stuck in a sketchbook but when I started to read about a old school friend's latest venture - I couldn't not tell you about this!

As you'll know if you've ever tried to write, illustrate or publish a book on any subject, it is a costly and time consuming task. What Zoya has cleverly done is made up several packs at varies different price ranges for interested readers to fund the book for her. So not only does she get the money to back her book, these potential readers are gaining all kinds of great things from a PDF chapter of the book at $5 to a sponsorship deal for $2,500 and there are plenty more packs for a wide range of prices.

A very good deal indeed for everyone involved!


So, what is the book about?

In Zoya's own words..

'Dreamcast Worlds will tell the poignant story of Sega's last games console. It will expand my 30,000-word MA thesis written at the Royal College of Art into a book covering three different Dreamcast games. I take an innovative and unique approach to history, stepping inside the game worlds to tell the story of the Dreamcast through buildings, artefacts and spaces.'

With high interest from enthusiastic backers, from games industry veterans to dedicated retro games collectors over the past seven weeks, the funds raised so have reached over half way, but with only four days left to go there is still a big push needed!

I whole heartedly suggest you get yourself over to http://www.indiegogo.com/dreamcast to find out more and get yourself to the links where you can buy your own slice of this book. Let's make this book happen!

Good luck Zoya!


UPDATE!!
31 August 2012 - Zoya's target of $5000 has now been reached after a nail biting few hours! This means the book will most definitely be going ahead! Here is what Zoya had to say this morning http://www.indiegogo.com/dreamcast?c=activity
Make sure you keep checking the above page as you'll be able to see how the book is progressing and where you may be able to help!! 

DIY Rotating Goal List.

Just a quick one this morning!

I'm sure I'm not the only who struggles with completing massive to-do lists. Seeing this fantastic blog post courtesy of Cornflower Blue made me realise I need to try something new!

Sooo this is my version:

It does have another row of post-its but they have top secret information on them!! :) 


What do you think? What tricks do you have to get through those pesky ever growing lists?

Off for a nosey at everyone elses Handmade Monday offerings :) XX

American Birds.

I've been back from the States a couple of months now, so this is a well over due post!!

I absolutely LOVE birds so I could wait to get bird hunting while over in New Jersey, New York and Washington DC!

I don't know all the names of these birds so if you do or know anyone that does, please let me know as I'm very curious to find out more about them!! :)

Blue Jay.

Blue Jay.

Rusty Blackbird.

Rusty Blackbird.

House Sparrows.

Starling.

Swans.

Northern Mockingbird.

Northern Mockingbird.

Red-Winged Blackbird.

Laughing Gull.

Turkey Vulture.

Turkey Vulture.

American Robin.

Gray Catbird.

Northern Mockingbird.

House Sparrow.

House Sparrow.

Purple Martins.

Purple Martin.

Great Egret.

Great Egret.

A Family of Ducks and Ducklings in the War Memorials in Washington DC.

:) XX

These Better Days Are Shining Through.

HELLO HELLO HELLOO!

Well, if you saw my last post a couple of months ago, you will know I was really struggling with work, food and life in general. I took some time out of creating and networking and spent time focusing on my diet, finding a job and I went across the World to visit my sister.

I have to take this opportunity to thank everyone that left me comments and messages of support. It really helped to know that I am not the only person going through what I have been. Sometimes when you get into a rut and feel so low, you start to think if that is how it will always be, that you're weird because everyone else just gets on with things, that it's a mind over matter problem that you can't seem to shake. It's reassuring that it's not just me!

So ....  THE GOOD NEWS!

I finally acquired full time work! I literally went from working between 4 and 12 hours a week to working almost 40 hours a week over night. I was incredibly low and didn't feel like I had a lot to be happy about. I went from no routine that caused me a lot of problems to a fixed routine around my full time work that has solved so many of the problems that I had food wise, mentally and socially.

I went to America for the third time in June! I went out to see my sister and we visited New York (again!), Washington DC and indulged in some very relaxing days down in Cape May. We even got to spend some time with the gorgeous twins she looks after - I never realised two year olds could be full of so much character! It is was an amazing trip and when I came back, I felt so relaxed and ready to start the new chapter in my life.

I've been busy over the last couple of weeks painting a canvas for my friends wedding gift and also made them a lovely card. It was so nice to crack out the paints and get creative again! On top of that I'm starting to work on my business again and hope to have it up and running in a months time .... WATCH THIS SPACE!! :)

I have had an amazing few weekends with my best friends hen do in Manchester, meeting a rather nice man and celebrating at my friends wedding this weekend. I feel like things are going in the right direction for the first time in a very long time.

I won't bore you with anymore rambling, instead I'll show you what I've been making ...

I'm off to catch up on what's going on over at Handmade Monday before a day of drawing fairies and birds :)

Happy Tuesday! XX

Good Days / Bad Days.

(I have attached this post for the Handmade Monday crew to see too, so you guys don't think I've vanished off the face of the Earth! :) - I will be back!)


So ... me and life are struggling to get on at the moment.

Don't panic! I'm not about to jump off a bridge or do anything silly like that. It is a mind-over-matter issue that I cannot seem to shake off right now. I have good days where I can get up, get loads done and feel fine and then there are the days I want to stay in bed, where I have such little energy that I cannot do anything at all. It isn't a new thing, it's been a problem for the last few years, it is just more prominent at the moment. Adding to that, I am classed as 'severely underweight' and struggling with being lactose intolerant - I just generally feel down most of the time. 

It is even a struggle writing about it now, but the first step is to admit there is a problem, right?

I also have a serious issue with the amount of liquid I drink a day. I hardly drink anything, which is no doubt one of the reasons why I lack energy. I just cannot seem to get in to the habit of drinking more.

On top of my health struggles, I am now only working between 4 and 12 hours a week and as the kind man at the jobcentre told me - 'It's about being in the right place at the right time...' This means I am on my own for the most part of the week; more time to over think things, more time to worry.
I have started volunteering one day a week at our local RSPB reserve and I try to visit for an afternoon every other week too, so it does help that I can met new people and that I don't feel like I'm going completely crazy. 

Soooo, for the next eight weeks I am going to lay low and focus on getting well again. I will pop up here and there on twitter every now and again no doubt, but generally won't be tweeting, blogging or be internet busy until July-ish. 

Thanks in advance for your support and I will see you all back here in a couple of months time! :) XX

Handmade Monday.

Arggh! As if it is Monday again today! This is my third week on Handmade Monday already - how time flies when you are very busy! There are a lot of great crafty blogs up already, so go get looking at what everybody has been up to - or even contribute yourself! :)

Last week I mentioned my plans for the week ahead. I was feeling a bit under the weather this week so I am behind on what I had planned, but there were some unforeseen extras that made up for it.  

Where to start! Where to start!

So... I didn't get any baking done and I didn't start my new illustration, BUT I did get my hair chopped and I did get my entry form from our local Art Gallery for their annual Open Art Exhibition in Rotherham. Due to moving to new premises, the competition is a little later than last year so I already have my artworks planned out. I cannot give away much yet but I love bird watching and I love F1, so there is a hint of what is to come.

Despite not feeling on top of my game, I did manage to visit our local RSPB reserve, not only once but three times. I am still a newbie bird watcher and when my neighbor told me about how good Old Moor was, I went along to find out for myself. There are so many different birds living in a fantastic and protected area and it is the kind of place you can go to and always see something new! I think I fluked it on Tuesday with the weather, NOT A DROP OF RAIN ALL DAY! I saw lots of birds I had never seen before, yet when someone pointed out to me five Black Tailed Godwits, I could not spot them at all! Here are a few of the birds I did see though...

A couple of weeks ago I applied for a volunteer role at Old Moor and on Thursday (a dry day until I stepped off the bus and the heavens opened!)  I went for an interview aaaaand I finally got to see the Black Tailed Godwits, not just five - we saw 28!!! Yesterday I went for a little taster to see how I would get on. As it was pouncing down with rain all day, plans changed slightly and along with another volunteer, I went on a walk to find some Yellow Wagtails and Little-Ringed Plovers. We didn't see any but it was a great little wander despite the cold and wet. Typically, there had been sightings of both birds and a few others that I am yet to see but they were obviously hiding when we were out!!! I cannot wait for next Sunday to start properly- hopefully a little bit drier too!

Are any of you RSPB members? Which reserves do you visit?


I made a little RSVP card for my best friends wedding - I love classic and simple designs and that is what I went for. I am so excited for the wedding it is unreal!

I received an awesome parcel this week too. I say awesome - it was 5 metres of toy wadding. Toy wadding I will be using to stuff some gorgeous red material that I own. I have some new templates - so think along the lines of my little bunny (and owls) and little duck, but in the style of some beautiful red birdies :)


What shapes would you like to see from me?

Aaaaand finally - here be my knitting update!

This week I learned stocking stitch. My Mum always says that it is really hard to get right but somehow I managed to grasp it really well. I am so happy with this length of knitting this week :)

 I then started to learn to rib and it looked good - although the tension wasn't great - until I learned the Moss stitch and it all went wrong!

Well, that is me done for another Monday! This week will be filled with bird making, bird watching, a catch up over coffee tomorrow, a new illustration and some baking (yes really! I will! I promise!)


Have a great week guys and gals X 

Handmade Monday - A Revamp and Some More Knitting.

So this is my second Handmade Monday and after the feedback on my first blog, I feel very welcomed :) Thank you to everyone who left such lovely comments - I have replied to you all where I can. I cannot wait to see what everyone else has been up this week.

If you are reading this and have no idea what I am talking about, get yourselves over to the utterly brilliant Handmade Monday blog and see what 'artist/designer – and general dogsbody' Wendy has put together so that like-minded artists, designers and crafty peoples can share their wares.

This is what I have been up this week.

I decided to take the bunny I made last week as a belated Easter and get well soon present to a different friend. My friend absolutely loved it and it made me so happy to see his reaction over something that I had made.

Sooo I had a new gift to make for my friends birthday and came up with something a little similar but different fabric (I also forgot to spritz the padding with perfume!)
  

Last night I was tidying up my wardrobe and found these little beauties. They are between 6 and 8 years old now. I still have a tonne of felt left from school but just not the time to do anything with it.

Every time I see Jan's feltings at http://www.lovemakethink.com/, I wish I did have more time to felt.

Aaaand here is my knitting update. Thank you for everyone who left an encouraging comment about it last week. This week I have been attempting stocking stitch. It is not looking too great at the moment but I am sure I will crack it with a bit more practice. At one point I got so confused that I managed to invert the pattern (cue my Mum coming to the rescue!)

 
This week I have a new illustration on the go, a hair chop appointment, a bit of much needed baking to do and a couple of trips planned to Old Moor. I hope you all have a fab week planned too :)

Let me know what you think! X