#20

Stanley Style has been away too long I think. This special no20 edition is brought to you with the amazing 'Project Jelly' shoes as the main event. A lovely lady called Natalie contacted me and wanted to know if Stanley would like a pair. Very much I thought, and then I heard the story behind them, and I really want to share that with you and spread the word about these amazing shoes and the reason behind it as best I can. So today the style, tomorrow the story behind it.....

WHAT I WORE//DRAW

I've been meaning to jump on the 'what I wore' bandwagon for ages now. But as much as I love looking at everyone else's, I just couldn't face getting in front of the camera. I'm not a particularly a shy person - but you stick a lens in my face and I become awkward unless I'm drunk and then I become a crazy lady.

I am great value at a wedding though....

Now doing 'what I wore' posts drunk in the day with Stanley in tow does not seem like the most ideal way to get something done. Although it would make for a much more interesting slant on the whole thing. Then I thought of a much more *sober* solution and a way to bring this all back round to illustration. Nothing original here I know, I'm sure you are all very familiar with Gemma Corrells great 'What I wore today' blog, but it is good practice for me to draw more people, (mainly myself of course...) as I normally stick to animals and monsters in my children's books, as well as test out ideas and new ways of working. I am drawing on cheap recycled photocopy paper or bits or paper I find lying about my studio. I don't want this to become precious, or take time away from my real *paid* work! As you can see I look a bit like my 12 year old self in the drawing, but that is the joy of artistic license! I'm not drawing in any of my four thousand and fifty nine grey hairs. Although you may get drawings of me in my pjs when I haven't left the house in days, now that is something you really wouldn't want a photo of. I feel this going down my 'Honest' route. Honest Fashion anyone?!

DIY // A MONSTER OF AN IDEA...

So after my ok success with the first round of t-shirt painting I decided to give it another go. Mainly becasue a) I enjoy it, b) this time Stan could join in, and c) I'm desperately trying to stop myself buying all the kiddo clothes I'd really like which is far too expensive for a girl on a freelance budget.

So here is what I did. I bought a very cheap (but organic, oh yes, a girl still gotta have some principles!) t-shirt I liked from H&M for approx a fiver. I already had the paint left over form my last attempt and so the project was definitely a winner in the budget area. While Stan napped I started the main bit of the design. I am such a control freak there was no way I was going to let him totally freestyle. I didn't plan it out, which maybe was a mistake but I had a rough idea in my head of what it might look like, and hey I just rolled with it.

I washed and ironed the t-shirt to get any residue of the manufacturing process off it and to make sure it wasn't going to shrink. I cut an old piece of cardboard the shape of the t-shirt and popped it inside so any paint wouldn't seep through onto the back. Then I painted on eyes and legs of the monster. I then waited for these to dry and then ironed them to 'set' them. I didn't want Stan to paint over the eyes so I cut out masking tape to protect them as well as a simple template for him to go crazy within. (I used newsprint, but any paper would do the trick.) Then I let him loose. Well, in the sense he's a control freak like his mother, so loose isn't that loose at all. In fact it was joyful controlled jabbing of paint brush in the selected area. That's my boy!

He did pretty well filling in the shape. I helped out on a few bits to tidy up any missed bits at the end, but really he did most of it. I waited for the paint to fully dry, which did take an hour or so and then ironed again over newsprint to set the paint. The good thing is if you were to get any paint elsewhere you just don't iron that bit and it should come out in the wash. I peeled off the eyes and template and was fairly happy with the result except I thought he looked odd without any facial features, or arms. Hmmmm, maybe planning my design would have been better! I decided to add some arms, and a nose in the green paint I already had and felt much better about it. In hindsight now I think I would have cut out a template in the masking tape for a simple nose and mouth, I reckon that would be great. The simple strong black and white works well for me, It would be easy to do lots of these and just use different coloured t-shirts, or baby bodies etc.

It washed up pretty well as you can see from the pic above and below. Although it is supposed to be a cheap option it is REALLY addictive! I already want to do another to see if I can improve on it as a character, which would totally defeat the idea of me saving money!
Oh well....

UPDATE: a chance to win one of five copies of 'The Girl with the Bird's Nest Hair' here.....go on, enter! You never know your luck!

#19

jumper - H&M // top {gift} - JOJO MAMAN BEBE // trousers - NEXT // tights - c/o LITTLE TITANS // teatowel - vintage

These posts on Stanley's clothes are set to turn a little different. From now on I hope to show a more thrifty style of fashion following on from my cutting back on toddler related crap for the year inspired by Hattie. I am a nightmare when it comes to buying things for Stanley. The bottom line is, I love buying him clothes, he looks good in it, there is some amazing stuff out there, it's expensive.
So from now on I"m going to be cutting back. In. A. Major. Way. In fact I noticed when dressing him up this morning (hello mumsnet, it's ok I know he's not a doll, it's just a turn of phrase) in a million layers to keep him warm in our freezing house, how much old stuff still fits him. He's not particularly small for his age, I'd say average really. Yet this morning I managed to get on the jumper and the jeans both saying age 9-12 months over a reusable nappy, tights, a vest and a long sleeved top. Plus he looks ok in the whole ensemble! So really I can eek out a lot more wear in the things he already has or look for bargains in charity shops and freecycle. I was very tempted yesterday to buy a few tops I've seen that I love, but seeing the price tag of about £20 a t-shirt I feel maybe that is too much for me. Being bombarded by all this cool stuff on blogs and IG makes me feel I need to own it. I don't. I am going to make more of my own designs though. The last project was an ok end result, and I have another idea up my sleeve to share with you soon...

#18

Jumper, H&M (for Unicef) // tights, c/o Little Titans // white long sleeved t-shirt, M&S // corduroy trousers, Mini Boden

Seriously LOVE these tights. Without a doubt good enough to show off!

BOYS IN TIGHTS!

Did that get your attention? Who doesn't like tights though? I am also thinking why should the girls have all the fun (and warmth?!) I had already bought a couple of pairs from Slugs and Snails and was very happy when the lovely people at Little Titans sent me a pair for Stanley to test out. First up cut and fit are perfect. Stanley is wearing the size 1-2 years and they fit him great, with I'd say plenty of room for growth. They are made of gorgeous non itchy material and have excellent non slippy feet. As Stanley likes to say when pointing at the soles of his tights "Stanley no fall over", so they have his seal of approval.... And as if to prove it he's a running shot of him on our wooden floors!

They come in a cute box too so they'd made a lovely Christmas gift. Please go check out their website, it's beautifully designed and as you know I like to support these small companies making a mark competing against all the big guns out there. We have the Stripe Grey, but I'm thinking the Superhero tights are pretty spectacular!

There will be a Stanley Style post tomorrow to show off the Little Titans tights in all their glory!

tights from slugs and snails

I would highly recommend checking out both companies for your little boys that need to be kept warm and snug as well as still look as manly as is possible in tights. Plus you know me and my quest for all things unisex, I reckon that girls would be more than happy in any of these beauties too.

Robin hood, robin hood, riding through his glen...

#17

This Stanley Style has a Summer and Autumn section to it. I want to get as much wear as possible out of these amazing dungerees. I always get lovely compliments whenever Stanley is in them and it makes me so happy to say they are sent by a friend all the way from the States!

AUTUMN: white body, M&S // Vintage Dungarees, Frecklewonder // socks, H&M // wellies, hand me downs from Jojo Maman Bebe

SUMMER: T-Shirt, from H&M // Vintage Dungarees, as before  // socks, H&M // Shoes, by Clarks

I HEAR SLEIGH BELLS...

Ok, well I don't really I'm not completely bonkers. Nor have I bought any/made any Christmas cards yet or played my Christmas CD... But what I have done is bought Stanley two excellent Christmassy knitwear numbers. Oh yes. Not at all pricey, and a little fun for this time of year. Unisex too, wouldn't you say for the potential of hand-me-downs and the like. IF those trousers came any bigger I would want a pair. Bring on snow, the Gruffalo's child on tv and hot chocolate by the fire whilst snuggled up to Stan in those beauts. (But maybe not worn together - too much?) See, I've got you feeling all Christmassy now too...

the jumper is from m&s and the trousers are next.

find a traditional delft birth plate here or here and the marc boutavant wall stickers here. 

the chair was found dumped on the road outside my old flat in london and loving restored...

GARDNER AND THE GANG

So, on my quest to find fun unisex clothes for Stanley I have come across this brand on many blogs and websites. I love it! Particularly the bits they have with skulls on, seriously cute...I am thinking Stanley would love a pair of skull wellies they look so great and will go with everything. Bring on the rain! Check out Gardner and the Gang's website and facebook page for more info.

footnote: I realise that Stanley is not my doll. I am not a crazy lady.

T SHIRT PAINTING {part two}

Ok so I finally got round to posting up round two of my t-shirt painting. Part one is here. This time I used the black fabric paint and just some paint brushes. I had washed and then ironed the t-shirt to give a smooth surface to paint on, and also so it would not shrink any further and distort the final image. The paint went on pretty well and I wanted to be able to see the brush marks a bit so I was happy enough with the mark making it produced. I opted for a fairly simple image to begin with - I think the more graphic black and white images stand out and look less 'home made'!

I just drew it on freehand rather than try and trace anything. I learned from my previous mistake with the green paint and made sure there were more layers of newsprint underneath so the ink did not seep through. All in all I was quite happy with the end result. This one washed up much better and Stanley seemed happy to wear it, declaring "Meeow!" when he saw it!

If you do any t-shirt printing I'd love to see the end result. Please link back in the comments section so we can all see. Fun things to do on rainy and cold afternoons!

T-SHIRT PAINTING {part one}

Ok so really I would love to buy pretty much everything from Bobo choses, Mini Rodini, Gardener and the Gang and Nununu to name but a few!! But, I simply do not have the funds to do so at the moment. So instead, I thought I'd use my creative skills and make Stanley some more interesting t-shirts myself...

First up is the grey t-shirt and some bright green ink. I followed the very good instructions on my clever friends youtube channel here to create a Rorschach type image. (If you have time, watch his other clips, they are brilliant, inspiring and funny!)

Step one, iron the t-shirt with a firm crease down the middle and cut the newsprint to fit inside snuggly with a crease that matches up with the one on the t-shirt.

Then pour on the green fabric paint on one side only.

Fold the t-shirt in half and press down firmly.

Peel back to reveal your design!

It's quite addictive as you never know what exactly you are going to get. If I hadn't got other plans for the white one then I'd have ended up doing that one too! I think in trying to take pictures at the same time the ink seeped a bit too much into the paper and made taking it out tricky. I got some ink in a few places I didn't want, however nothing that I'm too worried about for a first attempt!

Then iron over the top of more newsprint to set the ink and then wash. Voila!

I'm a leeeeeeeeeetle bit disappointed that the ink has faded from the wash. Perhaps I didn't set it properly with the iron. I still like the effect, but I did love it more when it was super bright. Still it was a good experiment and one I intend on repeating. All together it cost me about £5 which is a bargain for a one off design! I think it looks like a set of lungs now, at first I thought butterfly, but now I look at it on him I'm thinking lungs....what do you see?!

I think this would be a really fun thing to do with kids a bit older as they would be able to pour the paint on themselves. Maybe next year with Stanley....

{part two with the white t-shirt and a different design is later this week...}

#16

ARCHIE'S

Hello there lovely readers. Today I wanted to introduce you to the first of my posts about my friends on the left side of my blog. I wanted to have some banners on my blog in support of the people I know and the things they do and make. It is sometimes tricky out there to survive amongst so many other people doing similar things, especially in the creative industry, and so I'm proud to support my friends doing what they love.

First up is the lovely Sarah (I know right, great name?!) and her new on line shop 'Archies'. This venture is very new - so I hope you will pop on over there to take a little look at the things she is stocking, and hey, maybe even buy something if the impulse takes you! At the moment I love this brand and would love to see Stanley in these! If you are looking for a gift for a new baby these are pretty perfect. We got given one when Stanley was born and I used it as a cover up for breast feeding, a swaddle blanket, a burb cloth, a blanket to lay down at other peoples houses, to cover when he was cold and to keep the sun off him when he was warm. We still use it now and they really do get better the more you wash them! She also stocks vintage bits & bobs, prints (a few of mine!), toys, shoes ohhhh the list goes on!

Sarah is a lovely lady, a new(ish) mama too to the gorgeous Jonah who has just turned one. Can you imagine opening up a shop and juggling a one year old?! Us mama's are pretty amazing sometimes. She has taken a few moments to answer a few questions to tell you a tiny bit more about herself...

WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU BECAME A MOTHER?
I am a Graphic Designer by training doing my degree at Kingston University. I worked for several years in design agencies before moving to an in-house creative marketing position at Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers. I had a team of 15 designers and 6 magazines to publish each month so it was a high pressure, long-hours job, but I loved it - it was creative, varied, challenging, I got to travel the world and I found the group of print and digital designers that I managed really inspiring.

WHAT MADE YOU START UP YOUR SHOP 'ARCHIE'S'?
I had always planned to return to work after a one year maternity leave period, but when Jonah was actually born I realised that I couldn’t go back to a job that would take me away from him 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. So, I didn’t go back, but about 4 months in I was getting itchy feet to do something creative and knew that I wanted to work in some capacity, but doing something new where I could be my own boss, set my own hours and work around Jonah’s needs. I spent many a midnight hour dreaming up vague plans (Jonah didn’t sleep very well at all until he was 10 months old), and then I stumbled across a shop to let in Crystal Palace where I live. Due to my personal circumstances and a definite baby boom in the area, I decided I wanted to open a shop, selling stylish, design-led products for babies. I did a LOT of research, sourced my stock, developed my brand, wrote my business plan... and then days before I was due to get the keys, the property fell through. I was heartbroken. But, after a few weeks of Bridget Jones style depression, I picked myself up, re-wrote my business plan and decided to put all my hard work to use and open online. I had such a strong vision for what my shop should be. I wanted to combine style and design with craftmanship and quality whilst supporting independent artists and makers - and Archie’s is my interpretation of that.

HOW HAS BECOMING A MOTHER MADE YOU A BETTER PERSON?
I am not naturally a very patient person, but the patience and selflessness that being a mother demands from you has really chilled me out. If you had told me that I wouldn’t mind that it takes me an hour to get out of the house because I have to put the same pair of shoes back on Jonah’s feet 6 times because he keeps taking them off, or read the same story at every single nap time and bedtime, or listen to the same tinny tune on some VTech gadget without going insane; I’d never have believed you! It totally amazes me that one tiny little human being can have that effect.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A FIRST TIME MUM?
Relax a bit. Nobody is perfect, we are all learning as we go along. Don’t underestimate how much you can communicate with your child, even when they are very young. Guidelines are not rules. Do not spend time feeling guilty about your parenting skills - because a stressed-out, guilt-ridden mother doesn’t make for a fun childhood! Oh, and treasure every, single moment.

ASIDE FROM COFFEE WHAT CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?!
My family and friends (soppy but true) and liquid eyeliner.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SECRETS OR TIPS TO MAKING MOTHERHOOD A TEENY BIT EASIER?
Have some time away, even for a couple of hours a week. I sing in a gospel choir and I returned to rehearsals when Jonah was 8 weeks old. It wasn’t easy to start with, I would spend all day expressing enough milk to leave behind for my husband to feed him with, but I had 2 hours every week where I could completely escape, keep my own identity and relax. Although I was hugely sleep-deprived, a change was as good as a rest. I’m so grateful to my husband for giving me that time - it has been invaluable... and still is!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WANTING TO START UP THEIR OWN BUSINESS
Take a chance if you have it. As long as you have a good business plan, researched it a LOT and calculated your risk - go for it. No regrets. 

Oh, and you should pop on over to her blog too. Lots of good tips, shop updates and handy food recipes. And you all know how obsessed I am about feeding!!

PS They've re-set the top baby blog counter, so if you could take a second to vote for me, then that'd be just lovely, thank you xxx

TOOTSA MACGINTY

Hopefully already drawn you in with the amazing blog post title! This is not a sponsored post but I just wanted to tell you about a fantastic clothing range I discovered only recently thanks to a friends reccomendation. Tootsa MacGinty was recommended to me one night and it wasn't long before I had poured a glass of wine and started shopping! Whoohooo! I bought 3 things from the website. Two pairs of dungarees (the red pair in the next size up for Stanley) and a cute jumper. The clothes are really well made and have thoughtful details. For me the dungarees are by far and away the best I've bought. They are slim fitting (even with Stanley's re-usable nappies they fit perfectly) and they are adjustable in leg length, round the waist as well as the shoulder straps.

I use to buy osh kosh second hand but was never happy about the fit on them on Stanley. He always ended up looking a bit like a 90's rapper?! These are lovely though and definitely my favourite thing he has. You can still get the few items I bought and they are on sale here, here and here. I really like the ethos behind the company too. I'm so fed up with some boys clothes (and I suppose girls too but I don't buy those) with horrid slogans on that they can't read never mind understand. Lots of things feel heavily branded with characters from films and animations that Stanley has never even seen and shows no desire to watch. I want to buy things for Stanley because he is a child and loves things he should love as a child, not dress him up to be a boy or an adult. All the clothes on the website (except the few dresses) are unisex and I love that idea. Kate Pietrasik the designer who set up the company says this about it:

“I believe our world is filled with colour, and everything is a possibility,” she says, “children like colour, they have big imaginations, they enjoy pretending, they love to dream and for them the world is full of possibilities. I don’t intend to limit their imaginations or make their world smaller by putting them in a sea of pinks and blues, or clothes that look like they were meant for adults.”

Right now I'm saving up for the new Winter collection. Yes it is not the cheapest stuff, but in this case I think you get what you pay for and I think a few well placed items in the wardrobe are a good thing. Wish list items for Stanley (well me!) are below. Think he may receive something from Father Christmas if he's very, very good! Go check it out, lovely website to navigate.

*Please note this is not a sponsored post. Everything is my own opinion and I just wanted to share my good finds with you all! If you have any great brands you love please feel free to share in the comments section. Thanks :)