This week has whizzed by at super speed and the weekend is here – hells yeah!
Do you have any special plans for next two days? Maybe a braai or a trip to the winelands?
Lets hope the weather plays along and we all get to enjoy some sunshine, outdoors with friends and family.
Have a smashing weekend, whatever you plan to do!
Check out more fabulous “Friday” posters here
On my bucket list – to visit New York, especially during Spring – how spectacular!
There are an amazing amount of cherry trees throughout the city and in springtime the streets are filled with pastel blossom clouds. Darcy Roger is a New York based photographer and her recent exhibition “Spring in New York City” captured this magical transformation so beautifully.
Darcy is a fantastically talented photographer, check out the rest of her portfolio here.
All photos by Darcy Roger.
It’s that time of the year again, the seasons have changed and everything around us is starting to brighten up and look more cheerful. Heavy boots and winter woolies are being banished to the back of the wardrobe and sandals and summer frocks are bravely being donned (in spite of very pale skins and the threat of a chilly snap) – Isn’t spring just so inspiring?
Well don’t let your renewed enthusiasm for life go wasted. Have you thought about extending this inspiration to another aspect of your everyday life, you much loved blog or portfolio?
Why not give this often neglected aspect of your digital life a little spring time love? This could mean a complete colour overhaul, maybe some new buttons and icons, a fresh new blog header – or possibly a refreshed logo? Or you could go all out and redesign your entire look and feel – even refreshing your FaceBook and Twitter accounts? What ever it is you wont regret it. Keeping your online presence fresh and up to date is an important aspect in maintaining a smart and professional digital presence.
“But it’s so tricky and I don’t know what to do or where to start…” I hear you protest.
“I don’t know anything about code and technical bits and pieces” and ” I kinda know what I want but simply don’t have time to do it…” are definitely all very valid excuses, but these should not be stumbling blocks that make your presence online suffer.
What you need is to find a strong designer who can listen and understand what it is that you need out of your blog/portfolio or website – after all, this tool needs to work for you.
After that your designer must take the time to find out a bit about you and your style – your online presence must reflect your unique style perfectly.
Ideally reworking your website (blog/portfolio) should be an exciting adventure for you and once you are done, you should feel super proud with a renewed sense of enthusiasm to keep blogging and posting updates.
Picking the right designer is critical to getting this right – you must feel confident that the time and effort you have put into building up your business, blog or portfolio is being handled with the respect it deserves – a good designer will get this right.
Spend that little bit of extra time looking for them and you won’t be disappointed, after all investing in a bespoke piece is always far better that buying a mass produced item out of a box.
As a incentive to get you to re-look your online presence I am offering an exclusive 20% Spring Discount – this means that if you book and secure your Blog MakeOver & Design before Friday 10th October 2014, you will get a 20% discount – what a deal!
Now there is simply NO reason for neglecting your blog. You too can start the new season with the freshest of designs – simply contact me now.
Go on, do it! You will be so pleased you did, check out some of my previous clients who did just that: www.joannereidy.co.za. Or you can see them highlighted on the blog here
If you are interested in giving your Blog a new lease on life then please give me shout here I would love to hear about it. Dont forget that you have till Friday to secure your booking and get a whopping 20% discount on a MakeOver.
Monday heralds the beginning of a new week and the opportunity for amazing things.
Here is an appropriate reminder to keep your week on track – hope yours is epic!
Designed by Drew Ellis – found here
As you may already know, I have just designed and made a little collection of soft toy Kitties. They are super soft and really very huggable (getting my two and a half year old niece and nephew’s stamp of approval) but sadly you cant carry them around all day and taking one to work or a coffee shop may seem a little odd (unless you are two and a half years old). So to solve this problem I thought I would design a cute reminder of these furry critters which you can print out and use everyday in your favourite novel or notebook.
Feeling very girly and inspired by the luminous pink spray paint staring at my on my desk – I thought I would try my hand at making a feather pen. Not a traditional old fashioned feather pen (you know, the kind you dip into an inkwell) but instead a thoroughly modern one with sporty go-faster stripes and all!
Here is what you need to do to make this crazy cool feather pen:
What you will need:
A super long white feather.
Spray paint (in the colour of your choice)
Tape, I used washi tape as it’s not so sticky and wouldn’t ruin my feather when I pulled it off
A roller ball pen ink tube
Craft knife.
Step 1 & 2: Get all your goodies together.
Step 3: (Not pictured) Cut some tape to the thickness and lightly stick it on your feather. Lightly spray your feather – rather do a number of light coats to cover the feather completely than soak it in spray paint as it will go drippy and look horrid.
Step 4: Leave your feather to dry completely.
Step 5: Gently remove the tape.
Step 6: Cut off the tip of your feather then carefully cut your ink tube to fit inside the feather cavity – but be careful here as the ink might splash.
Step 7: Push your ink tube inside the feather – you may need to pop a drop of glue on the ink tube to secure it in place.
Voila – there you have it – a totally unique and very pretty feather pen, perfect for note taking and letter writing.
(Inspiration for this DIY came from Monster Circus – where they make a fab metallic version)
Never Give Up – I need this in lights on the wall in my study. At times freelancing can be tricky and can push you to the edge. Don’t get me wrong – I still love being my own boss and I would not give it up for just anything, but at times the isolation of working on my own and the scariness of “quiet periods” can take it’s toll. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who believes in me and always gives me that little push to get me back on track again. Make no mistake – he is a tough critic and being a creative director at an ad agency means he is a very hard task master, but I know he sees something in me that I often can’t see. I am so blessed – if it wasn’t for his encouragement and perseverance I would be nowhere. Thanks Alexis – you are the bomb!
So on a more constructive note – I have decided that possibly I should look into renting a desk for a couple of days a week. Somewhere close by, in a creative space, with like minded people.
Working entirely on my own is great – I get lots done and I am very focused, but at times it is very isolating. There is no-one to bounce an idea off, no one to have a quick look at something you are working on, no one to offer an alternate opinion – at this point in my Freelance career I think I really need this.
I have looked into a couple thus far, but I think I need to try them out to see if the vibe is right.
Here are a few of the spaces I have found (and liked) thus far:
The Bureaux
Daddy.O
Twenty Fifty
So this is where I need your help – Do you know of any really cool spaces that are available within the Cape Town CBD? I am looking for a desk for one maybe two days of the week, access to the interwebs (& good coffee) and a fabulous vibe. Please let me know, I really would appreciate any and all suggestions.
Our little garden is in full bloom, I counted over 21 different types of plants that are showing off pretty flowers at the moment. This is fairly nifty as our garden is teeny tiny (only around 3×4 meters).
At this time of the year my favourite place to work is outside on our balcony overlooking this mini floral paradise – it smells so intoxicating and magical.
So, continuing in the theme of spring I have made a downloadable October Wallpaper Calendar that is fresh and bright – sure to brighten up your desktop. Enjoy!
Select and download the option that works best for you:
Laptop – 1440 x 900px
HD Desktop – 1980 x 1080px
iPad/tablet – 1024 x 768px
I recently created an illustration for the 140 Series for Lyle & Scott. Here is the promo blurb from them:
“2014 marks 140 years of Lyle & Scott.
To commemorate our heritage, our timeless quality and craftsmanship of the finest apparel, we commissioned 140 artists to create 140 original masterpieces. Each of these works of art represented a year in our 140 successful years.
Lyle & Scott are pleased to introduce to you, Lyle & Scott 140 Series.
We invite you to become the exclusive owner of one of these once-off masterpieces.”
I must admit this commission was quite challenging as illustration is not something I get to practice often. None the less I had tons of fun doing it and I am quite happy with the end result.
The year I selected to work on was 1952, the year King George VI died and Elizabeth II become Queen. In relation to the 140 years of Lyle & Scott this meant my given number was “78” and so I had to create an illustration depicting this story and including the number 78.
This is the copy that will appear on my final print:
“In 1952 Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 25. It was February 1952 and Princess Elizabeth was enjoying a short break in Kenya with Prince Philip. The pair was relaxing at a game-viewing lodge, the Treetops Hotel ,just over 165km from Nairobi. It was here on 6 February, that the princess became Queen, after George VI passed away in his sleep.”
Sadly this snippet of vital info is barely legible on the bidding website (an oversight on Lyle & Scotts side perhaps?)
Please do go and check out all the illustrations, there are some pretty good ones waiting to be snapped up.
As I mentioned, mine is number 78 (year 1952) – if you like it, you can always bid for it!
Let me know what you think – thanks folks.
Recently we have had a bunch of prints framed – prints we have been collecting forever as well as some new ones we bought on our recent trip to Europe. So in order to display these gems at their best we have had to rethink the current arrangement on our walls – this means taking all the old frames down, dusting them, regrouping them, rejigging them again, more reshuffling and then going mental with the Hilty tool – all in all an exciting project.
So – being the magpie that I am, I have started seeing all kinds of fabulous prints that I must add to my new collection – the latest of which I spotted on the Superbalist website. These prints are by American artist Jason Ratliff.
Simple, clean and quirky – I love them!
See more of Jason Ratliff’s work here
If you have been following along on Instagram you may have seen a couple of photos of my growing family of Kitties – No, not the furry kind, instead the handmade felt kind. The kind you can squidge and smoosh your face into without the threat of sharp nails and flying fur (although I still try this with Stripes)
Well, much to my delight I am happy to announce these little cuddly babies are now available for adoption. Yes you could be the proud owner of a Pretty Pretty Kitty. Just pop over to my Pretty Pretty store on Hello Pretty and snap one up before they all find their forever homes.
I am hoping to expand the colours of the Kitties, so if you have a preference or perhaps you would like a Kitty that looks like your fur baby, then drop me a mail – I will see what I can do.
Be sure to visit Hello Pretty to see all of the Kitty gang.
All Photos are taken by moi (Joanne Reidy)
September is nearly here, can you believe it? Spring is round the corner and I love it. Seeing the seasons turn is so encouraging. Lots of plants in our little garden are only just starting to grow flower buds, while the jasmine is wildly in bloom, filling the evening air with a reminder that winter is nearly over.
To mark the beginning of this exciting month I have made a special September 2014 downloadable wallpaper calendar just for you. I hope it fills your desktop with a fresh and crisp excitement – reminding you that spring is just around the corner. Enjoy!
Select and download the option that works best for you:
Laptop – 1440 x 900px
HD Desktop – 1980 x 1080px
iPad/tablet – 1024 x 768px
