gingerbred

TDAC - submissions

2011-12-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I submitted two recipes for the latest 'They Draw and Cook' competition 'Eat Pretty' - here they are! You can check them out on the TDAC website here... fingers crossed now! :)

Sainsbury's Christmas 2011

2011-11-18T09:09:00.001-08:00

This time last year I was approached by Sainsbury's to work on some characters for Christmas 2011... it was a great brief and so much fun to work on. Today I popped into our local Sainsbury's and what a lovely surprise to see my characters on their products!! I've taken some quick snaps to share them with you - I spotted two rolls of wrap designs, a pack of money wallets, a box of cards, a pack of die cut cards, children's crackers and a couple of baubles! How exciting!! Let me know if anyone spots any other products in Sainsbury's with these characters on... :)

Happy Movember!

2011-11-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

So one week of Movember has gone... how's everyone's moustache coming along?? :)
One of my best friends is taking part... if you want to follow his progress and help support this great cause please click here

R.I.P Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T02:43:00.000-07:00

Today is a sad day and I just wanted to say R.I.P Steve Jobs. He is a man that truly changed the world, there's not many people you can make that statement about.

Looking at my desk now with my collection of apple items it makes you realise what Steve Jobs was a part of... My iPod; enabling me to listen to my huge music collection 'on the go', without carrying around suitcases full of CD's or cassette tapes. My iPhone; I really do use this for everything, it's so much more than a mobile phone and I don't know how I managed before! But my biggest saviour has to be my iMac; my work buddy, my digital side-kick and my helping hand. I couldn't do what I do without it... Ok, well I could still draw but I would be painstakingly sat painting for weeks on end!!

So thank you Steve, you've changed my world for the better... and you told me what I needed before I even knew myself! :)

Gingerbred on Oprah.com!

2011-08-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've had an awesome surprise today... my recipe 'Monster Bangers & Mash' has been featured on an article for the oprah.com website!!! Click here to see the full article and the other selected recipes. Today is a very happy day! :)

TDAT - Sheffield

2011-08-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! Didn't realise how long it it has been since my last update! Time flies when you're having fun! Sorry for being a bad blogger everyone!!

Here's a map I've illustrated for 'They Draw and Travel'. There's so much to do in my home city of Sheffield that it was hard to decide what to do, so the map just includes a few of my favourite things. You can view a larger version on the TDAT website here...

And the winner is...

2011-06-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

I used a random number generator to pick the winner... so the winner is Kelly Medina!! Congratulations Kelly! Email me your postal details and I will get a stash of goodies in the post for you... info@gingerbred.co.uk

Thanks so much for taking part everyone!! It was fun... must do more of these eh!? :)

Freebie Giveaway!

2011-05-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

To celebrate that I now have over 200 followers (wow! How did that happen!?) I thought it was about time that I had a freebie giveaway of some Gingerbred goodies! I will leave the contents of the giveaway as a surprise... so you will have to wait and see. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this blog post... on Wednesday 1st June I will pick out a name at random and announce the winner (the lucky winner will then have to email me their postal address).

Good luck lovely peeps and thank you so much for your continued support! :)

A sunny break at the coast

2011-05-19T03:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Sorry I've not posted anything for a while... we went away for a lovely break to the coast with our dog Alfie - and now I'm playing catch up with work loads... so I promise to post some more bits and bobs soon! In the meantime I thought I would share with you some of the holiday snaps! You may feel inspired for some lovely colour combinations from these... I'm liking all the muted beige colours with a hint of blue and orange.

Tigerprint Competition

2011-04-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great week? Just thought I would share with you my submissions for the Tigerprint hand drawn competition - hope you like them! Fingers crossed now while we wait for the results next week...

Happy Easter!

2011-04-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to wish you all a happy Easter!! Hope you have a fun filled extra long weekend and here's a little flower for you all from me and Bailey the bunny (as you'll hopefully get tonnes of chocolate!!)...

Mermaid Invitation

2011-04-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Thought I would show you a new invitation that is for sale in my etsy shop - hope you all like it! I had so much fun illustrating this one!

My alphabet print is also now available to buy in my etsy shop too!

A print for a great cause!

2011-04-01T03:43:00.000-07:00

Whilst taking part at one of my craft fairs I met the lovely Strawberry Kitten and her husband Simon. After chatting with them both on twitter I had an email from Simon telling me all about the challenge he is setting for himself... he is planning to run a 100 mile ultra race later this year and trying to raise money for Sight Savers. To me this is a huge challenge in itself but I then learned that Simon is registered as blind due to a degenerative eye disorder (Retinitis Pigmentosa). To me this guy is an inspiration!!

To help raise more money for Sight Savers, Simon is asking artists for artwork to sell as prints - every print sold will raise enough money to restore someone's eyesight! So here is my contribution that Simon will be selling as prints pretty soon (as soon as they are available online I will let you all know). So treat yourself to a print and help save someones eyesight too...

To find out more about Simon's challenge pop by and visit his blog. You can also donate to his fundraising by clicking here and help him reach his £5000 target.

TDAC - Strawberry Fig Jam

2011-03-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is my recipe for the TDAC Fig competition.
Hope you like it! :)

Sock It To Me Competition

2011-03-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited... I submitted 3 designs to the 'Sock It To Me' competition and one of them has been picked for the final 25! The design that was picked was my 'licky lollipops'... and now I need lots of lovely votes to make in into the final 10 - so if you like my design then pleeeeeease send me some love and a little vote. To vote click here... go to my design and then click 'like', this will get me one lovely vote.

If I'm lucky enough to win I get some samples of my socks... so I will definitely be giving away some pairs on here too.

Ooo I have all my fingers and toes crossed now! :) Thanks to all you lovely people who take the time to vote for me, I reeeeeeeally appreciate it!!

A hug for Japan

2011-03-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

I am still in shock at the awful news of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan and have found myself glued to the news channels all weekend, seeing all the shocking images and scenes makes you feel so helpless - I can't begin to imagine how horrific it must have been. My heart and thoughts are with Japan right now and I'm sending them all lots of love and a huge gingerbred sized hug...

Pancake Day!

2011-03-08T13:38:00.001-08:00

Happy Pancake Day everyone!

Hope you have all been cooking up a pancake storm in your kitchen today... Bailey the bunny was quite surprised when he came across a juicy pile of leftover pancakes earlier! Yummmmm :)

Animal Alphabet

2011-03-02T15:01:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share with you my new limited addition print, the Gingerbred Animal Alphabet!! It's printed onto beautiful matt 230gsm quality paper, and looks delicious in 'real life'. I'm so pleased with the final outcome, the printers have done a fantastic job... the photograph doesn't do it justice really! This print will be launched at the SOUK Fashion & Lifestyle Bazaar this Saturday (visit here for details) - if you're nearby then pop in and say hello!! I will then be releasing it for sale on my etsy shop too.

Here's a close up of some of the favourite characters... which one is yours?

Beaver Fever!

2011-02-22T14:36:00.001-08:00

My lovely friend Sarah runs the local beaver group so asked me to design her a poster to advertise their recruitment... here it is! :)

IF - sweater

2011-02-15T15:24:00.000-08:00

A sweater can come in all shapes and sizes...

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful day... :)

cupcakes!

2011-02-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! Not long until the craft fair now... I've just about got everything ready, a few more badges to make and then I'm done. In the meantime I thought I'd share one of the card designs I've created for the show...

Craft Fair

2011-02-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

I have a stall at another craft fair in Sheffield on Saturday 12th Feb... so I'm busy getting my things ready and adding a few finishing touches to products. If anyone is in the area it would be so great to see you!! It's going to be such a great day with lots of talented crafters, visit the website for further details.

Here's a sneak peak of one of my new designs...

Love you lots... like jelly tots!

2011-02-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

Happy February Everyone!!

gingerbred QR code

2011-01-27T13:49:00.000-08:00

Ok... so I've got my little 'technical hat' on today and I'm getting to grips with technology! I've now got a QR code for gingerbred - so for all you peeps who have an iphone or other smart phone you may have an app that scans barcodes or QR codes (I've got a free one on my phone called red laser). So... if you scan in this image below then it takes you directly to my gingerbred website! Just a little something that highly amused me today, not sure how useful it will be right now but I'm thinking it might be a nice little thing to print on my business cards and mailers I send out. Oooo isn't technology great!! I know it's not my usual posting (it doesn't have a cute smiley face right!?)... but it still makes quite a nice graphic image I think?

The early bird catches the worm!

2011-01-13T14:29:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone! I know it's a bit late but I would like to wish you all a happy new year!! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all my lovely followers and fellow bloggers for all your support and kind comments over the past year... I can't tell you how much it means to me. It's been a busy but extremely exciting year for me so let's hope 2011 brings more of the good stuff! I sincerely hope 2011 brings you all everything you wish for... and then some!!

And always remember... the early bird catches the worm! (here's a little 'iphone' freebie to remind you too!)

They draw and cook - holiday competition

2010-12-22T15:45:00.001-08:00

Ooooo I'm so so excited... my submission for the 'They draw and cook' holiday competition has been listed on the website today, and it has also been picked as today's favourite recipe! (yippeeee!) so it is also featured on the food network blog - the FN Dish

A huge thanks to Nate and Salli again for letting me be a part of this fab project!!!

Christmas Sprout!

2010-12-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

So... it's this time of year again when my mum tries to make me eat a sprout at Christmas dinner (sometimes she even attempts to hide one underneath my potatoes!). I really don't like them, but I do appreciate the cuteness of a little sprout... so here's something for all you sprout lovers out there!

Little doggy reindeer

2010-12-19T06:25:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone! We got our little dog a Christmas outfit for his annual photoshoot - so I make Christmas cards for our family and friends! It think he felt a bit silly dressed as a reindeer this year but he sat quietly whilst I took some photos of him... think he knew he would be getting a big treat afterwards! :)

Julefest Success

2010-12-05T08:42:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone! I can't believe it's December already, how did that happen!? Yesterday I had a really fun day at the craft fair 'Julefest', it was so festive! There was yummy treats, mulled wine, dancing around the Christmas tree and a visit from Santa... as well as some lovely stalls with a bunch of talented people. It was great to see so many excited children getting ready for Christmas too! I thought I would share with you some photo's of my stall. Hope you are all having a happy December too!? :)

Craft Show!

2010-11-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! Just in case anyone is in the area on Saturday 4th December pop in and say hi! (I know most of my followers won't be though as many of you live far far away... but you never know who people know!!) he hee! :)

Christmas goodies

2010-11-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! I'm a busy bee at the minute making Christmas goodies... I have a stall at a craft fair on 4th December... so not much time for blogging inbetween this and some freelance work. Thought I would give you a sneak peak at one of my Christmas cards though, as you can see I've been enjoying doing some hand lettering again! :)

IF - Afterwards

2010-11-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

Teeth always feel so much better afterwards!

They draw and cook - number 2!

2010-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! Here is my latest submission for the fantastic website they draw and cook! I had so much fun creating this illustration... and this is my hubby's favourite winter meal too, so I'll dedicate this one to him. Thanks so much to the extremely talented Nate and Salli for letting me be part of this great project again!!

Baby Frame

2010-09-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! I wanted to share with you some work I've been doing with fab photographer Philip Kay a.k.a Adapting Light Photography. Philip has launched a great product called 'Baby Frame' and 'Baby Frame Stages' and I had the wonderful opportunity to work on the logo for it - so thought I would share with you the finished result. To find out more about the launch of the Baby Frames products click here - if you're quick you could also be in with a chance to win a free photo shoot for your baby at Philip's studio! Philip was great to work with so I would highly recommend him for all your photographic needs!!

Photo Update

2010-09-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! Sorry I've been missing for a while - I'm still here and working hard I promise! I've been working on lots of exciting projects that I will be able to share with you soon, but in the meantime I thought I would share with you some of the photographs I've been taking whilst out and about with my camera... I'm slowly getting the hang of working with a DSLR now!

New Shop Items

2010-09-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I've been busy designing and making a few new bits for my etsy shop... and I know it's a little early but I'm getting into the Halloween spirit! I've got a few more Halloween ideas I want to try so watch this space. Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

a gingerbred magnet in action!

2010-09-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

I've just been emailed this photo from a friend to show me his latest gingerbred purchase in use! he hee! It made me giggle... and I'm glad it's working hard on the fridge to hold up those reminders... now get writing those songs Mr!! :)

The Sketchbook Project

2010-08-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

Yippeee! My sketchbook has arrived for the Sketchbook Project! I can't wait to get started on it now... ooo where to start and what to draw!? :) I will keep posting updates on here so you can see how I'm getting along. Now, where's my pencil...

Lobsters

2010-08-30T13:56:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone! Just thought I would share with you a card I've been asked to do - I'm just putting the finished result together with some added 'sparkly bits'. This also ties in with my friend Lee, as it's her birthday today too - Happy Birthday Lee!!!

Little freebie!

2010-08-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been a little neglectful this past week or so... as a little apology from me I thought it was time for another freebie for your iphone/ipod! And as it seems to be a rainy August for us Brits I thought you could cheer up your phones with a summer lollipop! As before click on the image to enlarge and then you should be able to save it from there.
I actually don't have an ipod touch or an iphone so if anyone wants to try this on their phone then email me a piccie and I'll add it on here... info@gingerbred.co.uk

Runner Up

2010-08-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Yippeeee! Charles the Croc was runner-up in the Tigerprint competition!

Tigerprint Competition

2010-07-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Hope you are all having a great week? Just thought I would show you the designs I've entered in the Tigerprint 'male character' competition - the deadline is in about 45 minutes! Eeek! Fingers crossed now!! :)

Here's a bit of info for you about Chester the cheeky monkey...

"A cheeky monkey named Chester who enjoys playing football and hanging around with his friends. His favourite food is banana pancakes with dollops of syrup and he likes to spend his spare time dancing on his dance mat"

And Charles the charming croc...

"A loveable Croc who loves nothing more than cleaning and counting his teeth, he's always late for everything so it's lucky he is quick at pedalling on his bike - he really needs to invest in a watch!"

IF - Breakfast

2010-07-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there's not enough time for breakfast - so a 'coffee to go' will have to do!

Gingerbred magnets for sale!

2010-07-13T14:15:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! Well, this weekend I was busy making magnets! I had so much fun doing these, and had such a funny brain storming session with my hubby thinking of what to do on them. So here are the finished results, let me know what you think (or which is your favourite!) They are all available for sale in my Etsy shop - you will be able to see more photo's of them on here too (I will be adding them to my Folksy store in the next few days). Hope everyone is having a good week too!?

IF - Giant

2010-07-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

There's only one style of sunglasses to wear this summer - giant ones!

They draw and cook

2010-06-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

I've been following the fantastic website 'they draw and cook' for a while now... and keep meaning to do some work so I could be a part of it. I created a piece for 'Yorkshire Pudding' and I'm extremely excited that's it's made it's way onto the site - if you've never tried Yorkshire Pudding then you really must!!! They are legendary over here in the UK... especially where I live in Yorkshire!
Check out the rest of the recipes on the site... there is some yummy food to try and some yummier artwork by a variety of hugely talented artists and designers.
Thanks so much to Nate and Salli for letting me be a part of this - I'm now off to work on some more!

a little chat on the street

2010-06-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

it's always nice to bump into an old friend when you least expect it!

Beaver Tails!

2010-06-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Well I'm now back from Canada after having a fantastic week with Lee and Rich. We managed to cram in lots of things in just a week... a few highlights were Peggy's Cove, Halifax town centre, Shubenacadie Wildlife Park and Pier 21... not to mention the BBQ's, Coors Light and Beaver Tails! Ok... so if you are thinking the same as I was "Beaver Tails?!?", they truly are amazing! (no Beaver's are harmed in the making of this yumminess! - I don't think Bramwell is convinced yet though)... I won't spoil the surprise, just check out the Beaver Tail website here!
If you like 'Bramwell the Beaver' above then watch this space... some more Canadian inspired characters to follow soon!

Canada smile!

2010-05-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

Want to know why there's a big grin on my face? I'm sooo excited... as me and my hubby are off to Canada on Thursday to visit my best friend Lee (yep the one I chat to for forever!) and her hubby. I've not seen her since August and it will be so lovely to see them both and to see where they have settled... and they can show us the beautiful sights of Canada. It's only a short but sweet visit for a week but I'm sure I'll have lots to tell you when I get back, and no doubt a million photo's too!

Free ipod/iphone wallpaper

2010-05-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Inspired by my piece for Illustration Friday (perspective), my friend Lee (the one I'm chatting to!) has used it as her wallpaper for her ipod touch! I thought I would share a little freebie with you all in case anyone would also like it for their phone/ipod too... click on the image to enlarge and then you should be able to save it from there. I'm feeling really inspired by this format so I'll be doing a regular ipod wallpaper freebie... watch this space!

Grunge girl

2010-05-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest addition to my online shop - I'm really enjoying creating these invitations, there's just not enough hours in the day to get done all the ones that are rolling around in my head! A huge thanks to everyone for their kind words of support and comments for my shop opening - at my moments of doubt in what I'm doing, these things really do keep me going!! And I'm pleased to report I've had my first sale too :)

Shop now open!!

2010-05-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! I'm really pleased to announce my Etsy store is now open for business (yippeeeee!). There's just a few things on there at the moment to get me started whilst I get the hang of it... but lots more will be added as I go along. I also opened a store on Folksy too! Here's a sneak peek of one of the cards I've listed (as you can see I've been really enjoying doing some hand lettering!)

IF - Detective

2010-04-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's great who you can meet when you are a detective!

photography

2010-04-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been distracted with the photography again... here's a quick post to show you what I've been upto! I'm also working on things to put in my eshop - hopefully this will be ready very soon! Watch this space!

Black Cherry

2010-04-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

On the spur of the moment I decided to dye my hair... and I couldn't resist the sound of the colour 'Black Cherry' which sat staring at me from the shelf in the shop! Lucky for me it's as yummy as it sounds... bye old hair, hello new hair!

Sunshine Award...

2010-04-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

A huge thank you to Kelly who very kindly gave me a sunshine award! How exciting!! It was very very sweet of you Kelly... thanks so much!!!

bunny time!

2010-03-31T12:26:00.000-07:00

Some bunnies to help you bounce into the Easter weekend!

IF - Expired

2010-03-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

The date on the milk had expired - it was almost cheese!!

distracted...

2010-03-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I'm still here I promise! I've been extremely distracted the last few weeks, mainly due to my new toy... I've finally invested in a DSLR camera (I've wanted one for soooo long!). I'm still getting to grips with how to use it but I love it already! I've also joined a photography group so I can improve and have some sort of focus - they run themes and competitions etc. So I will be posting some of my photos once I get going! There's just not enough hours in the day at the minute... I need to get organised now and get back on track! :)

IF - Perspective

2010-03-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Having a good natter with my best friend Lee always helps me put things into perspective!

IF - Adrift

2010-02-16T09:29:00.000-08:00

Here is my piece for Illustration Friday this week - my little ladybug was happily floating adrift on his paper boat.

Valentines Bears...

2010-02-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

Here is some artwork I've created for my friend Tom for a card for his girlfriend... love is in the air! :)

It's arrived!

2010-02-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

The booklet for the 'One Tree' competition I won arrived through the post yesterday. I was so excited to see it!! Yippeeee! :)

IF - Muddy

2010-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

Walking Alfie at this time of year is guaranteed to be muddy!

IF - Clumsy

2010-01-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

Colin's middle name was clumsy!

birthday wishes

2010-01-21T16:06:00.001-08:00

Today is a very special day - it's my Dad's birthday! So here's a little birthday candle for you to blow out and make a wish...

I would also like to say hello to all my new followers and a huge thank you to everyone who has commented on my IF post and given me a warm welcome and lots of support! It really means such a lot to me to receive all these lovely comments! And yippeee... it's a new topic tomorrow and I can't wait!!

IF - Wilderness

2010-01-15T13:15:00.000-08:00

After putting on my 15 layers I was finally ready to go out into the wilderness!

(Eeek! I'm so excited to have completed my first 'Illustration Friday'!)

Big Freeze

2010-01-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

Well all this cold weather and snow we've been having now has a name on TV and in the newspapers... Big Freeze. So I went out to look for him and took him to the police station - for crimes against getting to work and staying on two feet. He was also reunited with Little Freeze.

Snow Day!

2010-01-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

It's snowing like crazy here at the moment so we all got sent home from work early! When I got home I wrapped up warm and took Alfie for a long walk in the snow... look who we met on the way!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T14:38:00.001-08:00

Just want to wish you all a very happy new year! Hope 2010 brings you everything your heart desires... and then some! :)

Twas the night before Christmas...

2009-12-24T05:20:00.001-08:00

...and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse!

Yippeee it's Christmas Eve! Hope you all have a fab Christmas - relax and have fun with friends and family and eat lots of turkey! :) Thank you for all my comments about my trip too - we had an amazing time and I will post some photos and more about it after Christmas.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!! :)

Off to Belgium...

2009-12-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

Eeeeek! I'm so excited, in just under 10 hours I will be off to Brussels for a long weekend with my hubby! I'm so looking forward to browsing around the huge christmas market, seeing the sights of Brussels and sipping on some mulled wine! It's forecast snow too so it should be so beautiful! I will have plenty of photos to show you all when I get back... as I'm extremely 'snap happy' with my camera :) So I'll see you all next week - when I may have stories to tell of Belgian waffles and Brussel sprouts! Have a fab weekend everyone!

Bauble-tastic!

2009-12-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas is nearly here!! Eeeek! So our Christmas tree is now up and ready for Santa to leave some lovely presents under it for us (I have been a good girl this year!)...so there is a bit of a bauble theme going on this week. Hope everyone is well - and are more organised than me for Christmas (I need to do some serious shopping!)

And the winner is...

2009-12-04T16:14:00.001-08:00

Well done Jac... it's you!! I put all the names into a santa hat (yep I really did!) and over the watchful eye of my hubby I drew out the name Jac. So if you could email me your postal address I will get your surprise on it's way to you, all the way over in lovely New Zealand! email: info@gingerbred.co.uk. A huge thanks to everyone for joining in and leaving such lovely comments! I will have to do another giveaway very soon I think! Hope you are all having a fab December... not long until Christmas now! Eeek! How exciting!

Freebie Giveaway!

2009-11-30T14:34:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! As it's almost the start of December (and I'm really excited for Christmas already!) I thought I would get in the festive spirit and giveaway some Gingerbred goodies... but I'm going to keep it a surprise as to what you'll get! Leave a comment on this post and then on Friday I will pick a name at random (out of a santa hat of course!) and the lucky winner will get some Gingerbred goodies through the post - the winner will need to email me with their postal address. Good luck and happy December! :)

little lovely lollipops

2009-11-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

When I got home today I had a lovely surprise parcel waiting for me... and you can imagine my delight when I opened it up and saw these beautiful smiling faces looking up at me! It's a gift from my best friend Lee - I don't think I was supposed to open it yet as she's sent it for my birthday in a few weeks - ooops! I'm glad I did though as it means I can wear it now! Yippeee!
They are handmade by the extremely talented Mary at 'Mary Mary Handmade' - check out her etsy shop and her blog for more of her kawaii goodness! I think I will be putting a lot of these on my Christmas wish list!!
Thank you so much Lee for this amazing gift and thank you to Mary for making such fab and extremely cute things!

Sweet little trojan horse

2009-11-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been missing for a while... I've had the joys of a sweet little trojan horse invading my computer! (well, not so little and not so sweet!), but hey it's all sorted now so it's time to get back on track!

Trick or Treat!?

2009-10-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone!! The sun is starting to set over here in sunny Sheffield... so I'm just waiting for the 'trick or treaters' to start knocking on our door now! I've got my chocolate and sweets at the ready! I love to see what fancy dress they all wear... I wonder if I will get one dressed as a pumpkin?

gingerbred website

2009-10-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

After all the excitement of last week I've been busy getting my website up and running, and I'm pleased to say it is now online! There is still more work I need to add and my eshop is still in the process of being completed but the initial bit is done - yippee! So take a peek and I'll let you know when the eshop is open... www.gingerbred.co.uk
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all again for the lovely comments and congratulations about the last post! :)

I won!

2009-10-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited!! A few weeks ago I heard about a competition being run by London design agency Bostock & Pollitt. and the world's leading manufacturer of creative and technical papers Arjowiggins. The competition was called 'My One Tree' and you had to think of a tree which meant something to you and illustrate it. There was a template to use - you couldn't change the size or position of the number 1. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I decided to enter and today I found out that I am one of the winners and my artwork will be published in the finished book! Yippeeeeee! I can't express to you all how happy I am!!! So here is my one tree...

If found, please return!

2009-10-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Oh dear...I've lost my voice!! Not due to lots of shouting or gossiping but through having a cold! So if you find it anywhere can you please return it to me!! mmm... maybe I should create a poster and stick it on the street lamps?

The month of witching!

2009-10-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

I've been getting into the 'spirit' of October and have been working on some designs ready for Halloween... here is a sneaky peak of one of them!

Pants!

2009-09-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've had another card request today... and some of you might find it strange! A friend of mine has forgotten someones birthday so wanted to send a card to say sorry for being rubbish and forgetting... and some of us Yorkshire folk in this situation would say 'sorry for being pants!' So here's the pants card!

A big smile!

2009-09-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks I've had lots of new followers and lots of lovely comments too... I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you for your sweetness - these comments really keep me going and I appreciate every single one of them! And also to send you all a big gingerbred sized smile and hello!! :)

Soap Bar

2009-09-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

I had a request today from my friend Lucy - she wanted me to do her an anniversary card for her fella... his nickname is Soap Bar (mmm... don't ask!). So here it is!

Redhead Day!

2009-09-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

I found out today that on Sunday 6th September it was Redhead Day! As a redhead myself I found this quite exciting! Activities were planned in the city of Breda in the Netherlands and it sounded great! Check out the website Roodharigen for more details. So here's a belated happy redhead day to all you fellow redheads out there!! :)

Christmas in September?

2009-09-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

Is it me or does Christmas appear earlier every year?? I went in some shops at the weekend and they had started to display and sell Christmas decorations and cards already! It's only just September! So I'm thinking maybe I should start illustrating santa now!

3 sleeps...

2009-08-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

My best friend Lee (or you may recognise her as 'stylish Lee' from a previous post!) is coming home for a visit on Friday... I'm soooo excited to see her! We are both counting the sleeps now... only 3 more to go!

sweet pea...

2009-08-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Just something which popped into my head!

Time for a cuppa...

2009-08-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

I went to an aqua aerobics class tonight but when I got there it had been cancelled... so off I went back home, put on the kettle and settled down with some tea instead!

The sock thief...

2009-07-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

I would like you all to meet the new addition to the gingerbred family... Alfie the Border Terrier! Don't be deceived by his sweet puppy looks though - he's the best sock thief in town!

Crete in a few pictures...

2009-07-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share with you some of my photos I took whilst I was in Crete. There were too many to put up so here's just a select few...

Meet Mr G...

2009-07-12T10:06:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm back! I had a great holiday but in the second week I met Mr G... G stands for Gastroenteritis!! He made me really ill and totally wiped me out - thanks Mr G! Don't be deceived by his looks on this picture - he is really nasty!

I'm off...

2009-06-16T02:47:00.000-07:00

I'm off now for a two week holiday to sunny Crete! Yippeeee! I'm ready for the break... so I'll see you all in two weeks!

I'm still here!

2009-06-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've not been on here for a while! I'm still here! You just might need to use a spy glass to find me and to track me down! :-)

cherries!

2009-05-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

Whilst visiting my nan I spotted the dish of freshly washed cherries she had gleaming in the sunlight. I couldn't resist taking a photograph and using the colour palette to create my own cherries!

Blue Rectangle Cat

2009-05-21T15:14:00.001-07:00

I was watching something on TV with words written on a chalkboard in the background... and three seperate words stood out to me - blue, rectangle and cat! So I decided to create a blue rectangle cat, but he needed a friend... grey triangle mouse!

Hot chocolate

2009-05-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Mmm... I've not had my usual hot chocolate for months now! So I've finally been out to get some more and I've had my first cup! Yum! Ok... it wasn't topped off with cream and marshmellows, that's my next aim!

buckets of rain!

2009-05-14T12:36:00.001-07:00

This afternoon it really started to rain bad...and I got soaked running to my car!! I think I will remember my umberella tomorrow!