Blog Award: A Ribbon of Affection

I'm sure you are all very familiar with the various 'blog awards' that get passed around these days, such as the Liebster for example. I'm all for these types of awards, but I'm starting to think they are getting a little generic and thoughtless - I'm not very keen on the strict rules and having to pass them on to so many bloggers as I don't think that's particularly personal or friendly. 

With all of this in mind, I decided it might be a fun idea to start a blog award of my own. The idea came to me when I was thinking about some of the sweet and lovely friends I've made through blogging and how I could let them know how much I appreciate them and their support! I don't expect this to become a huge deal, I don't even know what you guys will think of it, but I hope you will like the idea behind it at the very least! 

So, this is basically my award! I decided to call it 'A Ribbon of Affection' because it pretty much sums up what I want the award to be about. I don't want to make too many 'rules' and I want people to be able to adapt them to suit themselves. 

Loose Guidelines

I was hoping that instead of awarding a new blog, or a blog with under 200 followers or any of that hooplah, you award a blogger you really admire. I like the idea of awarding your 'blogger pals' and the people who inspire you. It's just a little way of letting them know how awesome you think they are! 

If you decide to pass this award on, I was thinking you could maybe list five or so reasons why you love that blogger and how you became friends in the first place. This doesn't have to be in the typical list format, it can just be one big paragraph - whatever you prefer! Why does their blog inspire you so much and why should everyone else check out their blog too? Again, this is just a general idea! You can really chat about anything you want.

You can also nominate whoever you would like! If you have 5 very close friends, then you can pass the award on to all of them. 

So to start things off, here are the special blogger's I would like to award. 

Tara of The Style Rawr

I only discovered The Style Rawr this year and it's quickly become one of my favourite blogs to read! Tara in particular has been amazingly sweet to me, she always supports my artwork and she's just given me a real boost! I think she's probably one of the most genuine blogger's around, she always makes time for her readers which can be such a rare thing these days. I also adore Tara's style - she has a serious love of maxi dresses and Wildfox, and she always looks flippin' immaculate (even in insanely hot weather conditions - kudos!). She's just a bit of a cutie really and I can't tell you how much her sweet comments mean to me!

Jennie of Sailboat 

I think lots of you will agree with this choice, as Jennie is surely one of the loveliest blogger's around! I actually think Sailboat is one of the first ever blogs I followed, and I've never stopped reading. Jennie has been so unbelievably kind to me, I was actually a little shy to speak to her to start with because I really look up to her as a blogger, but I needn't have been! She's been so supportive of me and my illustrations, and always makes the time to comment on my blog posts which is so appreciated. The one thing I really love about Jennie is that she is so honest and relatable, her lifestyle posts are my absolute favourites and I never tire of reading her thoughts and insight. 

I also love how caring she is and how much she clearly loves her pets! I'm very envious of her little bunny Ralphie - I wish I could have one of my own. 

Marta of Glitter Detector

Marta is amazing really. I've been friends with her for such a long time now and we're always emailing each other about how things are going etc. Marta inspires me because she is never afraid of trying new things and experimenting with her blog. I really adore the vlogs that she makes, I think she comes across so so well and you can see how genuine she really is. She's honestly one of the most thoughtful people I have ever come across, she quite often sends me sweet gifts all the way from Portugal and I treasure each and every one! Marta has supported me right from the start really, and that means so much so I'll be forever grateful for that. I especially love her lifestyle posts/vlogs about what she's been up to lately, oh and not to mention her cute cat Lily who oftens appears in her videos! I really hope that a lot of you will pop over to her blog because she's honestly a blogger who is very deserving of your time, she's a genuinely lovely girl and I hope she continues to be successful and happy!

I really hope you've enjoyed this post, I really loved writing about my blog pals - but I also just wanted to say that I appreciate all of my followers! I never take it for granted that you've taken the time to have a look at my little blog and leave me such amazing comments!

Let me know what you think of this blog award idea. 

C xxx

P.S. Please feel free to use this award if you would like to 'gift' it to any of your own blog friends! Please let me know if you decide to do a post so I can have a peek. 

Three Cliffs

This illustration is based on Three Cliffs Bay in Gower which I think is just stunning. I struggled with this one as I didn't really know if the illustration was 'finished' or not, but oh well! I also decided to make it into a gif just for fun. I actually lost the first version because my pc started freaking out completely but I think this one is a little better anyway. I'll keep practising with these aha! 

C xxx

Inspiration: Julia Bereciartu

I have to apologise for doing so much random and sporadic posting lately, I've just been so busy! I promise I will have some new illustrations up soon. Anyway, I came across these pieces recently and really wanted to share them with you as I think they are all beautiful. Julia Bereciartu is a Spanish illustrator who currently lives and works in Madrid, and I love everything about her style. She works both digitally and with watercolours, and I think it's great to have that diversity. 

I know many of you are Game of Thrones fans so I thought you might appreciate seeing the illustrations of Cersei and Daenerys - how awesome are they! I love the details on each of the little dragons, it actually makes me wish I could have a miniature dragon as a pet! 

Are there any particular artists/illustrators you are currently inspired by?

C xxx 

Inspiration: Melissa Chaib

Melissa Chaib is an illustrator I discovered a little while ago either on Tumblr or Pinterest (can't remember which now!) and I immediately fell in love with her illustrative style. I'm sure you will have seen some of these amazing pieces repinned as she is very deservedly becoming extremely well known. I love her focus on bright and colourful female characters, as well as her beautiful backgrounds. 

I'm definitely very inspired by Melissa's work, it's made me want to work on improving the intricacy of my backgrounds and focus on creating interesting little details. I'm already happy with the way my female characters look, but I think I'm going to try and incorporate bolder colours from now on rather than always sticking with pastel hues. 

In other news, I've been working on a really lovely commission for Aesthetic magazine. It's been a lot of work but I'm super happy with what I have produced so far so I can't wait to see how it will all come together in Michelle's capable hands. Michelle is absolutely delightful to work with, and I love the theme she has come up with for the new issue so I hope you guys will check that out!

C xxx

A Liebster from Marta

I hope you are all having a good week so far and surviving the so-called 'heatwave'. A couple of days ago my blogging pal Marta was kind enough to award me with a Liebster! I have had this award a little while ago, but I think it is a nice way to find out a little more about blogger's, especially if they are fairly new or perhaps people like me who don't usually post much personal content. 

The rules are:

- Link back to the person who nominated you.
- Answer the 11 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you.
- Pick 11 bloggers with under 200 followers to be nominated.
- Come up with 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
- Notify your nominees.

I often think the rules are a little too rigid which is why I am going to be breaking them slightly with the people I nominate! I going to nominate the blogger's that I would like to find out more about (please don't feel pressured to produce a blog post though - it's only if you would like to!). 

Anyway, onto the questions that lovely Marta set for me. 

1. What do you enjoy the most about the blogging community?

There's honestly so many things I like about the blogging community! Primarily how supportive everyone is - so far I haven't encountered a shred of nastiness (I know this isn't always the case) but everyone has honestly been so sweet to me. 

2. Do you like to cook? If so, what is your favourite recipe?

I love to cook! I really enjoy trying new recipes, Marta has actually sent me quite a few to try out so far. Lately I've been baking lots of cookies, and today I tried making some banana and oat cookies and they turned out fairly well!

3. Who inspires you the most?

This is a tough one as I'm inspired by so many people. There's a lot of illustrators I really look up to, including people such as Danny Roberts and Wishcandy so I suppose they inspire me the most! 

4. What's your favourite song?

Ah, I don't even think I can narrow it down enough to answer the question! I love so many bands such as Radiohead, Alice in Chains, Garbage and lately I've been listening to a lot of soundtracks. My current favourite is the Dear Esther soundtrack (amazing game) and you can have a listen here if you would like. 

5. If you could wear just one nail polish for the rest of your life, which would it be?

This may come as a surprise, but I rarely wear nail polish! I hardly ever buy it and I'm shockingly bad at applying it - I find that it chips off really quickly and I just don't have the patience for it! 

6. Where would you most like to travel to?

As you may know, I'm extremely scared of flying so realistically I would like to explore more places in the UK. However, I would love to go to Florence or Australia if I ever pluck up the courage!

7. What's your favourite comfort food for those tiring and bad days?

I have a total sweet tooth, and I love sweets and chocolate - so cakes, cookies, pretty much anything with sugar! 

8. Describe your perfect Friday night?

I'm not really into going out much these days, I much prefer to chill out at home with some tasty food and maybe a film. I also like to play on video games if the mood strikes! 

9. Are you a cat or dog person, or neither of those?

I'm a total cat person as you may be able to tell from my background. Oh, and rabbits too! I love bunnies. 

10. Best book you've ever read?

I'm going to say The Secret History by Donna Tartt, it's certainly a book that's left a lasting impression on me. 

11. What's your favourite hair product?

This is an easy one to answer, thanks to Marta my favourite hair product is coconut oil! It's so quick and easy to use and it makes my hair really shiny and soft. My coconut oil has actually melted inside the tub due to the insane heat!

The blogger's I would like to nominate are:

Emily Jane from The Glitter Vixen
Mollie from Mollie Muses
Emma from Fab Head to Toe
Elle
Kate from Violet Daffodils

Here are my questions!

1. Where do you see your blog in one years time?
2. What is your dream job/career?
3. Which achievement are you most proud of so far? (in absolutely anything).
4. What is your favourite Summer makeup product?
5. Do you have a particular hobby which your readers might not know about?
6. Favourite high street/online store?
7. Favourite Summertime activity?
8. Which blogger/s inspire you the most? 
9. What is the most thoughtful gift you have ever received?
10. Do you have any Summer book recommendations?
11. Have you learnt any new skills from blogging that you feel are useful in other areas of your life?

So, that's it! I hope you've enjoyed reading my answers. Like I said before, there's no pressure to answer these questions and if you would like to adapt them a little, then that's fine too!

C xxx

Garlands of Ellfi

Do you remember the little alpaca illustration I posted awhile ago? Well, that was actually for Elle to use on her garland store! I really wanted to draw it because I also love alpaca's, but when Elle offered to send me a floral garland in return as a sweet gift I was really thrilled. Elle let me choose any headband I wanted, so I opted for this pretty purple and pink one. 

 I thought it was especially lovely when I opened the box to see that Elle had actually added some dainty butterflies to my crown! It looks like they have just landed on the roses which I think is really sweet. 

I couldn't be happier with my new crown, I think it is such a lovely summer accessory. If you wanted to view the rest of the range, you can do so by clicking here. Prices range from £5 to £10 at the moment which is ever so reasonable for a handmade garland. I hope you guys decide to check out Elle's shop! 

C xxx

My Giveaway Winner: Madame Gourmand!

A very quick post to announce that the winner of my Summer illustration giveaway is Daniella aka Madame Gourmand! Daniella is a lovely lady, and I've actually illustrated for her before, so I'm thrilled that she has won. As you can see, I'm fairly old fashioned and went about selecting the winner the old school way. 

I'm going to tweet/email Daniella in a moment, I'm really eager to hear her illustration ideas. I just wanted to say a massive thankyou to every single person who entered, I'll definitely run something similar in the future so you'll get another chance without a doubt!

C xxx

Budget Bucket List

A couple of days ago, the lovely Elle got in touch with me and told me she had nominated me to take part in Money Supermarket's 'Budget Bucket List' competition. The aim is to include one extravagant bucket list item, along with another more humble purchase. The competition is open until August 2nd so you all have plenty of time to enter, and you can find out a little more by clicking here! 

by Sarah Klassen

1. Have my own studio space.

This would be one of my more extravagant choices! I would love to have my own studio to work from, because at the moment everything you see me produce comes from a small sketchbook, laptop, and mouse. Don't get me wrong, I love working digitally but sometimes I miss working on massive landscape pieces and that definitely isn't possible in my small flat! If I never get the chance to work from a studio, a cute little art room would also be amazing. Tying in with this, I think it would be brilliant to invest in some better storage solutions just to try and keep my apartment a little tidier and more organised - I really hate having art materials all over the place. 

2. Conquer my fear of flying so I can travel abroad again!

Again, this is an expensive choice. I am genuinely terrified of flying, airports, and just the general stress of travelling abroad. I used to quite enjoy it when I was little, so I don't really know how I've become so scared! Anyway, my boyfriend has lots of family members who live in Australia, and his Mum is currently living in Adelaide so it would be really great if we could ever go and visit. Obviously, this isn't going to happen unless I can pluck up the courage (and money of course!). Does anyone have any tips on how to get over a fear of flying? I think I would rather be sedated throughout the whole thing aha. 

by Coco Rose Diaries

3. Invest in some more baking supplies. 

Okay, so this one is definitely a lot more mundane, but it's still something I would love to do. Baking is quite a recent fascination of mine, and it's nice that I can finally see myself improving! I've actually managed to make some edible cakes! I would really like to invest in a couple of new supplies so I can fuel my sugar addiction even more. 

So, that's it! I would like to nominated Jennie, Marta & Mollie to take part (only if you fancy it) as I would love to know what you guys would include on your lists. 

C xxx

Sugar & Spice Mountains

I started this on a whim yesterday and ended up quite liking it! Now I want to do a whole series based around the idea of 'Imaginary Landscapes' so if you have any ideas for an illustration which would fit into this theme, I'd love it if you could drop me a comment below! I've already started my next one, which is going to be a colourful lake. 

Happy 4th July to all my American readers too! 

C xxx

Elle's Alpaca

A couple of days ago, Elle was talking about her love of alpaca's on Twitter - and I mentioned that I thought they were adorable too! So basically, I said I would get around to drawing some cute alpaca illustrations, and Elle suggested that one of them should be wearing a floral crown. Elle actually has her own little online store which sells beautiful floral headbands (hence the alpaca with a crown!) and they are all so reasonably priced. Alpaca's seem to be super popular lately, I keep seeing a lot of plush toy versions around and this illustration is loosely based on them. 

I hope you guys like this and if you would like to check out Elle's shop you can click here! 

C xxx

Design for LimoLand

So, a little while ago I spied this contest on Talenthouse, to design an illustration based on one of the zodiac signs. My star sign is Cancer, so of course I decided to design for that one. I really wanted to do something a little different, rather than just the standard crab! My idea for this piece, is that the crab is a living necklace/companion for a mermaid - so I've definitely got all of the water elements in there! If you guys wanted to support my entry, I'd appreciate it so much. All you have to do is click here, and I believe you can vote via Twitter too so it's nice and simple. 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway too! 

C xxx