The winner is announced!

Congratulations to Miss Angela Griffin the winner of the Flowertasia competition and two signed books for free!

You can still buy Flowertasia books online through the Flowertasia website: www.Flowertasia.com

Thank you to everyone who entered our competition, we hope to do another soon so watch this space!

x

Interview!

Recently, I did an interview for a lovely blogger i'd been admiring for a while, the amazing Molly Swanson at Specs and Wings!

She asked me many questions and put some photos in there too.

Molly is an amazingly talented painter and general D.I.Y superstar!

You can see the interview here! http://specsandwings.blogspot.co.uk/ take a look at her blog too!

Thank you so much Molly!

P.S The COMPETITION is still GOING! See the below post for details, there are 2 FREE BOOKS signed by Author and illustrator to give away! (Would make great christmas presents!)

Jess x

Competition time!

I feel a giveaway is in order! ..A giveaway? Yes a giveaway!! 

To say thank you to all of the followers and viewers of my blog I am giving you the chance to win a free copy of either book 1 or book 2 of the Flowertasia series signed by myself (the illustrator) and Tina (the author) of the Flowertasia stories! Yay! 

Book 1 'Emily moves house'                   Book 2 'Emily can't sleep'

So how do you win? Easy! All you have to do is:

1. Follow this blog, (top right corner of the page!) 

2. Like my page on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JessLouiseHadley) 

3. Share the competition photo on the above page!

So to refresh, Follow this blog, like my illustration page on facebook and share the competition photo. You need all 3 to win!! 

That's it! Competition ends on the 9th october so GET GOING!! 

Also, I have a few book 1's and book 2's that can be signed on request to buy. They will be £10+P&P and I will donate 10% of the book sales to the MS Society (they are pretty amazing and helped me and many others (http://www.mssociety.org.uk/) just get in touch: jessiestokes@btinternet.com for more details

 Jessie xxxxx

Creative birthday celebrations!

Happy birthday mum!

I promised not to tell everyone how old you are.. so i'll say congratulations on turning 30! ..again :)

I love making presents really special and so always make my own papers and gift tags! This time I thought i'd add the addition of a lasercut hummingbird with brown paper and string. I love how vintage and natural this looks and I may be tempted to do all my christmas pressies like this ..when I start buying them (..joy!).

Emily Can't Sleep! Flowertasia book series

Emily Can't Sleep is the follow up to the first Flowertasia book in the series 'Emily moves House'.

When you're little, sleeping in the dark can be a scary ordeal. Teddy bears look massive. Chairs project scary shadows on the walls and that slightly open wardrobe uh-oh. Luckily Emily has the same problem and finds help from the flower fairies of Flowertasia!

Buy now from www.Flowertasia.com

Flowertasia Merchandise also available from http://society6.com/JessieLouiseHadley

Print designs for sale online!

My designs are now available on Society 6! You can choose them for anything from hoody tops, cushions, phone cases, laptop skins, cards, canvases and more!  http://society6.com/JessieLouiseHadley

Take a look at these!






Shop now! http://society6.com/JessieLouiseHadley

Jessie Louise Hadley x

Flowertasia!

my first illustrated book!

The story is one of a series of 40 and are a set of books designed to help problem solving for children. 

Adults may take certain scenarios for granted but to a child life can be pretty scary! For example; moving house, going to the dentist or loosing a pet. 

'Emily moves house' is about Emily, a 7 year old packing up all her things and having to move to a new home. The rooms are big and empty, there are removal men everywhere stacking boxes against the wall. She's so lonely watching all of the children playing in the gardens, she wonder what her best friend would be doing right now?

Luckily for Emily, a surprising friend comes along to help and we discover for the first time, the land of Flowertasia. 

'Emily moves house' written by Tina Gayle and illustrated by Jessie Louise Hadley is available to buy from lulu.com here:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/tina-gayle/emily-moves-house/paperback/product-21065289.html

Orders arrive within 3-5 days

DMU degree show week

The DMU degree show ran from the 14th - 20th June 2013 and thank you to all of you that came to see it!

It was a relief to finally get it all set up and have a proper nights sleep! I'd not slept in weeks,

I ended up having to redo my final pieces a few days before due to my tutors input (thanks)

I also ended up having to suspend the pieces from the ceiling.. 

Promotional material for my new book (see later post)

'Freedom' Greetings cards (Still available, please get in touch if you wish to buy or stock them)

Origami press packs

Stand all ready to go!

off to the preview night

Can't believe it's finally all over!! Very excited to see what life brings now, there are a few projects on the horizon and a few surprises lurking..

Best of luck to the Design Crafts girls 2013 see you all at graduation!

Images copyright Jessie Louise Hadley 2013 and not to be used without prior consent

3 interesting hospitalised days..

The day of my last university deadline I lost feeling in my left side. Completely. Hands and feet.. even my shoulder and down my back. Only on the left side. I thought it was just a mix of the stress of setting up the show/finishing degree and poor circulation. 

A week later it was still there (or not there to be more accurate) and so, worried, I went to see my GP. 

She said it was probably a hemiplegic migraine and that she'll have a chat with the other doctors to see whether it's worth sending me for a scan to make sure it's not more serious. 3 hours later.. "go to the hospital and have a CT scan so we can make sure it isn't a stroke". (A... STROKE?!). 

That decision may have actually saved my life. 

So at 2pm I arrived at A + E with a very worried boyfriend in tow. I had my blood pressure, temperature and heart rate checked. Then a blood test and an ECG. I'd never had an ECG so that was an experience. 

The next hours were spent waiting around to have a CT scan. Every hour I had my blood pressure, temperature and heart rate checked. I had two lots of physio tests while waiting which involved a lot of 'can you feel this? ..This? ...This?' 'how many hands are waving?' 'squeeze my fingers?' 'push you hands against mine' 'pull towards you' 'raise your leg and keep it there'

I could do all that. I answered all the questions that repeated over and over. 'When did it start'. 'What other symptoms are there?'. 'Do you have many headaches?' 'are you allergic to anything?' 'do you have a family history of any illnesses?' No. I just want to go home. 

CT scans are quite strange. Like sticking your head in a huge electronic donut. This scan turned out to be not clear enough and that i'd need an MRI to give a more detailed image of my brain. The first thing I thought of was that the brain scans would make an amazing pillow collection for my sofa. Or maybe some sort of wall piece acrylic with back lighting.. 

So I had to stay over and at about 8pm I was taken to the stroke ward. Everyone on the ward was over 65, I think the nurses appreciated having a patient that was easy to look after. It was a strange feeling being on the ward. I'd never stayed in hospital before. The last time I was even in one was about 10 years ago when my brother broke his arm and needed a metal pin put in. It's a busy, noisy place and I probably got to sleep about midnight. The doctor woke me at half midnight to do physio tests and then the nurse woke me at 2am to do my obs. At 4am they did them again and then again at 6am. At 7am they wanted to change my bed and breakfast at 8am. At 9am the doctors did their rounds and by 2pm I was in an MRI scanner. 

MRI's are strange things. You have to lie on this metal bed whilst having your head kept in place with guards either side and earphones so the radiologists can talk to you (and you can hear the radio). A plastic cage is then put over the face and the whole thing is slid into a cylindrical chamber. It lasts about 20 mins and sounds like you're in an engine. 

Once i'd come out they said i'd need to do another on my neck and injected me with medium so that the contrasts show up better on the scan. 

The next day the consultant came round to deliver the news that it probably wasn't a stroke, but still looked abnormal. He said they'd have to do more tests including a lumberpunch - whatever that was. 

Turns out it hurts.. a lot. The lower back area is cleaned and injected with anesthetic before the 7cm ish needle (as thick as a pencil led) is pushed into the spinal nerve to extract the fluid. At one point he caught the nerve and my right leg flung up nearly hitting my mother-in-law. She was in tears as were the nurses. I just looked ahead smiling. Eyes wide open, a slight tear escaping from one eye. I can't tell you how much it hurt to literally get stabbed in the back, but I wasn't showing any weakness. Not at least in front of my mum/father-in-law. 

I'm still waiting to hear the results from the Neuro man, but they are positive it is MS. It was hard to hear, I spent the first hour in tears but the brave face came out when family came and I was constantly reassuring everyone I will be ok. The hardest part was telling my mum. I didn't want her to see me when I was in hospital because she would get upset and worry. I saw her the day after I came out and the first thing she said was 'so what is it then?' my heart sank, I was dreading this part, I took a deep breath and replied '..they think it's MS mum'. 

She hugged me for hours and hours whilst going through all the 'good points'. 

She then swept and mopped my floor and tidied my kitchen. 

I'm still trying to believe the 'good points' but being the cynical realist that I am, they easily turn to bad points. I realise I might not be able to do simple things or important things like 'walking' down the aisle or chasing after my kids in the park, or popping to the shops. It all might be inhibited by my own body.  

But for now, I feel lucky. Lucky to have the people around me that I do. Beautiful, amazing people that were straight to my side when I needed them. My amazing partner that has assured me he'll be there to look after me if I ever got to the stage where I couldn't do things for myself. I told him to not bother and find another, healthier woman to love. He hit me and told me to stop being stupid. Bless him. My mum/father-in-law for taking me back home and looking after me, sorting out my dishwasher etc. 

I'm lucky to be as active as I am. The 'stroke' could have been much worse, I could have lost feeling in my whole body and lost it completely like another 19 yr old on the ward. 

I can feel my hand now, my leg still feels a bit numb and being the clumsy person I am, I trip over a lot more. 

For now.. i'm ok...That's good enough for me.   

Thanks to everyone for the support and messages of kindness/chocolatey gifts, very much appreciated. 

Jessie x

Images copyright JessieLouiseHadley2013 do not copy/reproduce/distribute these images without prior consent. Thank you.  

Winner of the CEO Enterprise inc. Highly Commended award!

Last week at the Business Venture Competition awards night, there were two awards up for grabs for participants on the Enterprise inc. placement! Out of the 30 people on the placement, 12 were put forward for the awards by their mentors on the scheme (thanks Liz!), 

Ryte UK was awarded Participant of the year (well done Ryte!) and Highly Commended went to me, I really didn't expect to win anything so it is a massive achievement and i'm so pleased! Especially being the youngest on the scheme and the only one to still be studying for a degree! 

Thank you to my lovely mum for coming to support me,

I have so much to thank the CEO team at DMU for, if it wasn't for them I don't know where my business would be..

So all I have to do now is carry on hand printing illustrations onto fabrics and making up the textile pieces for the Degree show,

I'm currently looking at venues in which to teach textile projects/bookmaking/drawing classes, if you are interested in attending a workshop or hosting me please let me know and i'll send you over a workshop list,

Thanks for reading! 

Jessie

www.jessielouisehadley.co.uk 

x

Animal day

Had a lovely trip out today to Abbey park with my lovely other half. I didn't know they actually had animals there too! Even had an ice cream..first of the year! The pictures are mainly of birds, but there are also goats, rabbits and guinea pigs too.. 

Shame the last photo didn't turn out that well.. 

Strange to think this place is in the middle of a city, it was so quiet and picturesque,

Hope you've had a nice weekend in the sun!

Jlh x

Late March news

Hello!

March was mainly for uni work.. so here is my studio space!

I'd like to say it's normally tidier than that but... it's not. You can't be tidy whilst being creative!

So here are some massive origami models and some with print. I don't think i'm going to move the larger models idea forward as it is a MASSIVE hassle each time to laser cut the paper and it engraved too far and tore and ohhhh bother. I'd like to work in a material you wouldn't normally associate with origami so i'm having a go at FABRIC. Oh yes..fabric. What am I letting myself in for..

Here is my space a few days later... i'm now addicted to screen printing!

Paper Marquette (no. a million)

This would be amazing in fabric as an arm piece

Today's challenge - make this paper sample into a fabric sample!

Unraveled it looks like this.

It's got to be this length too.. 

Stitched up and ready to fold...

Voila!

The edges just need to be neatened but how I do that depends what i'm going to do with it. Which is...

I have no idea..

I love this so much.. way more than the 3D wallpaper I was going to do.. 

Now to work on the print and colour scheme!

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

Jessie x

Abi-mail Udale!

I received some gorgeous mail made by the lovely Abigail Udale as part of her final major project 2 in prep for the degree show, received quite a while ago actually.. but here it is at long last!

Beautiful colours and layers

Origami links to my project (how thoughtful!)

Envious of her lovely handwriting!

I even love the way she's wrote my name!

This is going to be proudly framed and displayed in my living room

  (after the degree show in case she needs it back) 

If you'd like to view more work by Abigail Udale you can do on her blog here: http://abigailudale.blogspot.co.uk/

And if you would like Abby to send you mail you can now securely add your details to her private online address book here: https://www.postable.com/abigailudale

Supporting snail mail in the digital age!

Thanks so much Abby! x