Wish list

I finally succumbed to my Amazon wishlist this week and got some books for me and the kids. I got this Papertoy Monsters book after making some from my mum's copy of the book with the kids.

 Squidbeak: coincidentally, my nickname

this is a joke: do not call me squidbeak

It's brilliant, probably suitable for kids 7 or 8 years + due to all the sticking required.

You press the monsters out from the page and then follow the very well laid out instructions to stick the monsters together. You need double sided tape.

 This takes me back to the Walking Dead, 

or maybe earlier this morning just after I woke up

In truth, the kids chose them and I made them, but I enjoyed it, and they liked playing with them after.

Anyway, I bought a copy as I thought it would make a great boy's birthday present (or girl's). I find boys particularly hard to buy for when my daughter gets invited to the occasional boy party. As far as I can tell they mostly like fighting and running around and what can you buy for that?

Me at meal time

I eat with a trowel

Next up, with my daughter's 7th birthday looming, I read a review of this book in the paper and it looked brilliant, so here it is.

I loved bubble-writing when I was little and so this really appealed - How to be the best bubble writer ever.

cup cake bubble writing

shooting stars bubble writing

ribbon bubble writing - could this book be any more girly?

next up kitten writing and cuddly toy bubble writing

grrr monster writing, that's better

and robot bubble writing

And finally for me, I bought the book with the worst title ever - Hand Job. Basically it's the adult version of the bubble writing book, with hand drawn fonts and other very cool illustrations. It's full of so much inspiration of things to draw and design, a feast for your eyes.

Last photo is my studio*

Ideally I'd like to have the young' un doing some bubble writing while I flick through this book, but no. It's half term, it's a glorious day and the although the wind has droppped considerably since I made the promise earlier, we are off to fly a kite. Or drag it along the grass for half an hour, i'll see how things pan out.



*This is a lie.

Charley Harper - an Illusatrated Life

I absolutely love Charley Harper and have been dreaming about owning 'An Illustrated Life' for a couple of years now, but at around £100 it was way too expensive. Good news though for me is that they have brought out a smaller version that is only £30 so I snapped it up straight away.

It's beautiful, full of his amazing artwork for 'Ford Times' magazine;

mosaics;

posters;

 

 and many other beautiful prints;

 

 

 

The artwork spans the 1940's through to his most recent commission completed in 2006. They cover such a wide range of subjects, not just the birds and wildlife that are most commonly reproduced, but illustrations for Betty Crocker's cook book and photos of his mosaics. It hard not to chop the book up and frame all the pictures for my walls! but one day I will own a Charley Harper print all of my own.