Monday 26 June 2017

Portfolio Update - I Heart Planners




I'm super excited to share these with you guys! I've been working with Laura from I Heart Planners on her new set of planners and printable goodies and I couldn't wait to show you the result :)

Laura wanted some new seasonal illustrations and letterings to include in her planners and we settled on some fun and colourful elements that would add a really nice feel to her handy planners and various organising sheets. We were really pleased with the result and not long after, she asked me to create some more for her products until December. For now though, here's a selection of the summery ones!

If you'd like to see more, head over on my website ;)


Tuesday 20 June 2017

Carnac, 3000 stones & the sea






I'd never been to Carnac before and I have to say, I love the fact that I'm discovering Brittany the same way that Jason is most of the time. It's so refreshing to wake up on a Saturday morning and think 'Which part of Brittany should we explore this weekend?'. My parents have been there quite a few times so it was definitely on our list. And although that weekend was supposed to be super hot and humid, we had just the right weather to be walking around all afternoon. Hot but not so much that you sweat after walking 10 metres.

The first thing we did after eating our picnic was the Carnac Alignments. It was such an impressive sight! The megaliths are all ordered by size and we loved the fact that even if they've been put there 6000 years ago, you can still see the lines that they form distinctly.

The main site is called Le Ménec, but there are 3000 stones in total along the same road. Intriguing isn't it? I was quite disappointed when I discovered that specialists still don't know exactly why they've been placed there (Yes, I like to know everything). But we will definitely go the Prehistoric Museum another time to discover more about the history of this place.





After having a quick look at the map displayed on the site, we realised that there was the Saint-Michel tumulus not far away and we walked through the forest paths to get to it. The sun was hiding unfortunately but came back shortly after (you can see how much happier I was! Haha).

From what I understood, a tumulus was a very old manmade burial chamber that forms a small hill on the outside. We couldn't explore the chamber as it was closed to tourists in the 90s. However, we could climb at the top of the tumulus where a Chapel was built more recently. It makes a great view point from the top of it!





We then went on to explore the Kermario alignments as well as the Moulin de Kermaux where we had a great view of the standing stones. We even spotted a dolmen (photo above) which was a collective tomb in the Neolithic age.

My parents told me that before I was born, they could roam around the stones freely and things were a little more relaxed. It's quite a shame now to see them all fenced off, but I understand that with the amount of tourists that come every year, the site wouldn't have been preserved well and it would have been a disaster for such an iconic and ancient site.









After a cheeky drink and delicious cakes that we had at the town centre (If you're following me on Instagram, you would have seen how tempting they were!), we headed towards the coast, only 15 mins away by foot.

The beaches were absolutely crammed, and we weren't surprised about that after having a look at the colour of the sea, but we found a little quiet patch where I was freely looking for beautiful shells. I used to collect washed up glass pieces and shells when I was a little girl and I find myself still doing it at almost 28 years old. I just find them so precious! And I found some perfect shells that day ;)


By the end of the day, when the light was changing, Jason pointed out how the sea looked almost black when seen at a certain angle. I just love how the texture of the sea looks different.

When we finally decided to head back to the car, we walked on the coastal path. Exactly at the same place as the photo above, Jason got absolutely drenched by a big wave that crashed on the wall and landed on him like a bucket of water! I'm so annoyed I didn't film it as I could have sent it to You've Been Framed haha. When I looked at him, I couldn't stop laughing as he just looked like he had a shower with his clothes on. Poor Jason! A girl was sitting on a bench nearby and she was trying so hard not to laugh.

Carnac, we'll be back!



Tuesday 13 June 2017

Giveaway - Abstract Paintings Wallpapers





See?! I told you I wasn't going to forget you! As soon as I decided to create wallpaper giveaways whenever the heck I wanted, I felt straight away inspired to create something completely different and abstract. And it felt good to think that I didn't need to rush it so that it's ready for the 1st of the next month... It's the little things right?!

I just wanted to experiment with my brushes and my black paint, and I started to draw different basic shapes on a big sheet of paper. I then went on to scan it, 'cleaned' it in Photoshop and isolated each shape to add a colour overlay on them. And tadaaa! It was quite fun to try and arrange them all together to create a dynamic layout that would work. Plus, I'm really into pink and turquoise hues lately.

I really liked them and thought you might too, so here they are, totally for free as usual!

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



Tuesday 6 June 2017

Domaine de Kerguéhennec

One Sunday, after savouring a delicious brunch made out of waffles (Yum!), we realised that the weather was going to be too nice to stay inside and had a look for things to do around our area. I checked all my little leaflets and brochures that I've accumulated since we've been in Brittany, and found this gem, which is only 30 minutes away.

First, we couldn't believe how beautiful the Domaine de Kerguéhennec (try to say that three times fast!) was, and secondly, the fact that it was all free. Nothing is free these days, so we actually felt a bit weird wandering around without having to pay for any tickets! Needless to say, we would definitely recommend it for an afternoon out if you're in the area.

More photos below!


















There were quite a lot of contemporary sculptures by various artists dotted around the gardens as part of a permanent exhibition, but inside the château and the renovated stables, the current exhibition is celebrating the art of Anna-Eva Bergman.

We particularly liked the minimal and abstract paintings that she created to represent mountains and landscapes. Some of the techniques that she used were really interesting and we couldn't help but be drawn in by all the gold foil and deep blue tints.








The only thing we paid for was our drinks from the food truck just behind the Orangerie (they were also serving galettes but we were still full from our brunch!). We definitely needed it after walking for a while under the sun!

Before leaving, we walked along the path close to the forest to see the old chapel. Unfortunately they were doing some renovations inside it so we weren't able to enter the building, but it made us realise that there are plenty of walks that you can do around the domaine.

We promised ourselves that we would come back in the Summer with a picnic and blanket in hand to sit around the lake. There's a really long walk to do along the lake too so that will be for next time!