BAKE OFF!

Who's excited??? I freakin' am! I live for the Great British Bake Off. Honestly! Ask anybody who knows me well and they'll tell you how crazy I am about this program. And poor Jason has no choice but to put up with it. To be honest, I think there's a reason why this show is so massive in the UK. I don't know if it's the cakes, Mary and Paul who are perfect for the job, the challenges... Anyway, it's starting again tonight and I absolutely can't wait!

Also, I've just realised something and you're all going to hate me for saying this (apart from you Naomi, obviously), but we are exactly 4 months away from Christmas Eve. What the what?

On that note, have a lovely day! And if you need me tonight, I'll be thoroughly enjoying a piece of cake on my comfy couch, watching the Bake Off!

Miroir d'Eau

During our holiday with my family back in Nantes, we took the time to wander around the city, eat tasty pâtisseries (obvs), and enjoy the sight of new sculptures and installations. My mum kept going on about this massive Miroir d'Eau, built right in front of the castle, so we had to go and see it. I have to say, it's not really the beautiful reflections that it creates that makes it interesting, but more the fact that during summer, loads of kids are loving it and playing with the water until they're too tired to even walk. It creates such a nice atmosphere! I didn't manage to get that many pics, but this one above was one of the best.

It got a bit windy after a little while, so it was a good excuse to go and grab a coffee at the Lieu Unique. I've always loved this place, and it reminds me of my years at my design school as we would always be there, either because there was an exhibition to see, some architectural drawings to do, or just because we felt like having a drink. The place is great for gigs too! I think it was a hipster bar before the word hipster existed ;).

It was a relaxing afternoon with my parents and it was nice to really take it easy during these holidays. When we go away, just Jason and I, we always cram as much as we can in a day, but this time, we really wanted to chill a bit and just enjoy the company of my family. No more holidays for us until Christmas though, so we better get those working pants on!!

August Sales!

Happy Wednesday! Today, and until the 24th of August, you can get 20% off your order with the code AUGUST20 on all the cards in my Etsy Shop. So what are you waiting for?!

Click RIGHT HERE to access the shop. Thanks for your support!

Portfolio Update - St David's Hospice Animation

Morning guys! Here is another project that I absolutely LOVED working on at View Creative. It was a first as well and such a great experience.

I had the pleasure to work on all the characters and scenes needed for this short video promoting St David's Hospice in North Wales, and the talented Hollie did all the animation side of it.

It was hard work as I wasn't used to it. Just the fact that I had to think about how the character would be moving and its facial expressions was so different from the process I'm used to. But let me tell you that when you see the result and your illustrations are actually moving, it's the best feeling ever. I'm so pleased with it! And Hollie did such a great job with a tight deadline.

To see the full video and more of my process, click RIGHT HERE!

Piriac-sur-Mer

After a relaxing weekend at my parents' house (we arrived on Saturday evening to a great apéro with some close family), we thought it would be good to move away from the chaise longue and explore a bit. The beach was calling us so we went to this beautiful little coastal town called Piriac-sur-Mer, straight after our picnic at a nearby beach.

You know what? We actually swam! I mean, the water wasn't really warm, but it felt good to be able to dive in the water for once (the sea in North Wales is WAY too cold for me).

It was such a great day, and we took so many photos! It was hard to narrow them down, trust me. I love all the little streets and odd looking buildings which you can tell are very old and have been renovated over the years with bits and bobs added on. It's great to have coastal towns with loads of charm not too far from Nantes.

We enjoyed ice cream with rows of boats in the background, a stroll around the coast to reach the Pointe du Castelli, and most of all, some quality time with my family that I hadn't seen since Christmas. Well, apart from my brother who visited us earlier this year, but I miss him so much that it felt like a very long time since I saw him too. The only person missing was my sister, but I don't blame her, she's having the time of her life in the South of France, and for all we know, she might end up settling there!

Family is so important to me, and it's definitely one of the reasons why Jason and I decided to move to France by the end of the year. After five years in North Wales, I felt that it was time for me to be closer to my family for the next few years, and I've been lucky enough to have a boyfriend that is all excited about it!

Stay tuned for the second part of our holiday :)

Our big plan + a Giveaway!

Happy first of August! We're currently enjoying a week off in France, visiting my family and spending some quality time with my parents and brother that we haven't seen in ages. Follow me on Instagram or Twitter to get some updates of our adventures!

Now then, after so much pink and orange in my artwork lately, I decided to go against the grain and use some cold colours for this month's wallpaper set. I know, it's not like me right? But when painting foliage, I just can't use any other colours than green and blue hues. And you have to admit that it's quite pretty like that!

The message came to me quite easily as I was thinking about some of the big decisions that Jason and I had to make recently. You know by now that I quit my full-time job in June to pursue a freelance career, well, the good news is Jason is going to leave is job too this month to do exactly the same thing! Whoop whoop! But that's not all. These big changes have a purpose that we've been talking about for more than a year now. We were just waiting to see how going freelance was working out for me before taking the plunge, and we've now realised that it's the right time TO MOVE TO FRANCE!

Yes, you've read right, after 5 years in beautiful North Wales, it's time for me to go back to France, and Jason didn't have to think twice to agree and decide to move with me (well, to be honest, I would have never left North Wales if Jason decided to stay here as I just can't see my life without him!). So there you go, that's our big plan for the year, and we are planning to move just before Christmas.

It will be a massive change, and I'm sure the whole process will have its share of stressful and insecure moments, but these wallpapers are here to remind us that sometimes, the best choice you can make in your life is not the easy choice.

Download:
WHOLE SET // PHONE 1 // PHONE 2