Robert M Ball

I very much like these illustrations by Robert M Ball. They're 'edgy' in a slightly cubist way, and in his London set many scenes are inspired by life in my neighbourhood.
If you're curious about Robert's work, you might want to check out his take on the Game Of Thrones characters, look at his Pop Fifty, or visit his blog and shop for more illustration, pop culture and comic strips.

Bus Girl

Walthamstow Market

At The Pub

Victoria Line

Pie & Mash

© Illustrations - Robert M Ball

Misfit Isle

Today I would like to tell you about Misfit Isle, which is Alli's blog. She and her husband live way up in the very North of Canada, and are planning to expand their little family (which currently includes an adorable hedgehog, no kidding) by starting to adopt children in the very near future. You can read all about the adoption process and Alli's and Max' hopes and worries here.
These two lovely people also run an online shop going by the same name as the blog, Misfit Isle. They sell fun, inspirational prints, cards and other artsy things designed by the two of them. All the proceeds of any sales will go towards helping them become parents and cover the cost of adoption. Their prints are really cute and would look good on any wall. I have my eyes on the Bruce Springsteen record myself.
Have a look:

Misfit Isle is offering free worldwide shipping at the moment, so if you fancy some new art and want to help somebody realize their dreams, go and check them out!

© Text - Annika - All The Live Long Day © Prints - Misfit Isle

Changed.

Hey, look! I've got a new header and post dividers! Hope you like. I designed the header in PicMonkey and just uploaded it through the Blogger layout interface, and you can find the easy-peasy tutorial for the divider here.

© Text & Photos - Annika - All The Live Long Day (unless otherwise stated).

Giveaway Countdown

Make sure to enter the giveaway for a free blog design! 

You have till Wednesday!

Pimp Your Blog Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Hi Guys. I am very excited about today's post! Because it's a GIVEAWAY! Vaida from Don't Tell Anyone wrote to me a few days ago to ask if I wanted to co-host one with her and Kotryna from Girl With A Movie Camera, and not only was I flattered that they had thought of me as the third musketeer, but I am also pretty stoked about what y'all can win.

Each one of us feels happy with every new follower, every new comment and every tweet we receive from our readers! So in order to celebrate you being amazing, I teamed up with Vaida and Kotryna for this fabulous giveaway!

So, the prize. 3 lucky people will be in for a chance to be treated to a brand new look for their blog! A lovely new layout can help to take your blog to a new level, and this is why Vaida and Kotryna are giving away 3 of their pre-made blog templates. Yep, three of our followers will be able to pick their favourite templates from either Vaida's shop or Kotryna's store on Etsy! They will then help you to install the templates and provide full post-design support! Is that fab or what?

All you have to do to enter is follow at least one of us gals, but the more love you show us, the more entries you gain. And you have until Wednesday, 24 April 2013 to get lovin'. Simple. If you're entering, leave me a comment that links to your blog, so I can come and check you out, too. Okay? Ace. Thank you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

                     We will announce the winner next Wednesday! Good luck and thank you all for entering!

And just in case you cannot wait until a winner is announced, or you just simply need a new blog design RIGHT NOW, check here or here for all the creative, affordable designs that are available.

Illustrating with Michelle from Creature Type

Please all give a warm welcome to Michelle, who usually blogs at Creature Type about illustration, fashion and the things she gets up to in her life. I am honored to have Michelle here while I am away, especially because this is her first ever guest post, and she is writing it for my blog! High Five! 
Michelle is a graphic designer and showcases her cute illustrations on her blog and in her shop. For today, she is letting us have a peek at her creative process. You will see the end result is gorgeous!
So without further ado, over to this gal:

Hello, All The Live Long Day readers! My name is Michelle and I blog at Creature Type. I’m an illustrator, graphic designer, fashion enthusiast, and part time painting instructor from St. Louis, Missouri!

Annika has always been super sweet to me and when she asked if I’d like to guest post while she was away, I happily agreed! I thought I’d share a little making-of sneak peek for one of my illustrations.

My workspace set up is pretty modest right now and I’m always all about using modest tools. I love to sketch and do lineart with pens and ink and then digitally manipulate, so simple tools are perfectly fine to get the job done. The only thing I’m picky about is my beloved Japanese brush pens. I think they’re intended for watercolor use because you can fill them with water and use them to quickly work without constantly dipping--I love using them for ink!

I've been trying to make some cute, simple, winter and Christmas themed drawings lately for a holiday craft show next month, so that’s what this sketch is for! I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to draw, so I just made a straight forward pencil sketch in a sketchbook that has thick paper--perfect for inking in.

I draw my final lines in ink over my pencil sketch and erase them later. My style is usually to work quickly on pieces and hammer out my ideas. If they turn out badly, I prefer to just make a new version rather than toil away on a single image for too long.

I either scan or take a high resolution photo of my lineart, depending on how important it is to maintain the quality of the original image. Lately I've just been taking photos of my work because I mess with it digitally enough that I don’t need the super clarity of a scanned image initially.

I use my Wacom tablet and Adobe Photoshop to modify lineart, play with colors, etc. I complete images from sketch to final piece on Photoshop, too, but I find that I have an easier time sketching and have a steadier hand inking with pen and paper.

And here’s my final piece! :)

You can check out more of my work and follow my weekly/monthly illustration projects on Creature Type! Thanks for reading, everyone!

xo Michelle

Stitchy Buys

I guess cross stitching is well on its way to becoming fashionable with a wider crowd, judging by these products that I saw and liked recently...

Shoulder Bag from Fossil

Chest of Drawers from Bakery Design via Design Milk

Dress by Mother via Poppytalk

Pyjama Pants from Marks & Spencer

Royal Albert Petit Point Teacup via Classy Option

Tea Towel Set from IKEA

Rug by Charlotte Lancelot via Design Milk

© Text & Photos - Annika - All The Live Long Day (unless otherwise stated).

Holiday Fonts

I would like to share these cool holiday font finds with you. 
Use them for Christmas cards.
Use them for writing letters to Santa.
Use them to make your blog posts look a bit more festive. 

All these and others are available as free downloads for personal use from Dafont.

To use any font after downloading, open Control Panel from the Start Menu, find the folder called 'Fonts' and drag and drop the font there. The next time you open Word, your new font will have been added to the drop-down as a choice. 
Ding-dong!

© Text & Photos - Annika - All The Live Long Day (unless otherwise stated).

Winter Warmer Recipe Swap - Recipe Cards

Today starts the countdown towards posting day for everybody's Winter Warmer Recipe Swap choices, which is on Friday. I must admit that I have been thinking a lot about recipes this last week, but have not yet made a decision on what to actually send. I just want the recipe to be something that my partner will hopefully enjoy! What about you other swappers? You all set?
Like I have mentioned before, I personally collect my recipes on whatever scraps of paper they come on and just paste them into my recipe book. But I know that a lot of you have proper recipe boxes with cards and indices and all. I did have a mosey around the internet to look at examples of recipes cards and came across a whole lot of lovely design-type people who are offering card templates for absolutely free. And seeing some of the designs kinda made me want to start my own box...
Here are my favourite finds. You can click on any image to be taken to the source. Make sure to leave a thank you in the designer's comments if you decide to print yourself a set!
I Heart Food from Scissors.Paper.Wok:

Bunting Cards from Heartmade:

Cross Stitch Design from Chez Sucre Chez:

Patterned Cards from Love Vs. Design (via How About Orange):

 Cute Owls from My Owl Barn:

Vintage Baking from My Girl Thursday:

For more inspiration, you can go look at Fiona's and my Recipe Cards Pinterest board if you like. You could also upload photos of your own collection to the Winter Warmers flickr group if you feel like sharing with the other swappers! Or, if you have a link to another cool recipe card printable, leave it in the comments below!

© Text & Photos - Annika - All The Live Long Day (unless otherwise stated).

A Video...

 ... featuring 3 cities that are dear to me.  

© All The Live Long Day (unless otherwise stated)  

Stationary For The iPhone

I do not have an iPhone, but if I did I'd definitely get this app from Cartolina Cards! It lets you send very pretty messages chosen out of 18 gorgeous designs. You can customize your message and email or text a little note to all your favourite peeps.

© Annika - All The Live Long Day (unless otherwise stated)