I’m back. Sorry for taking too much time away. I’ve had a few technical issues to sort out.

I thought I’d come back with a new feature that I want to run on the blog: creative crush. This is going to be a monthly feature of artists, designers and generally creative people that I’m crushing on.

This month it’s Etsy store Candy Shock UK run by Ruth who is an old friend of mine. Her work is so vibrant I thought it would be a great way to brighten up my blog.

Ruth’s creations are inspired by candy sweets and rainbow colours. In fact the colours are so potent it’s almost like her jewelry has been injected with E numbers. Additives or not, I’m hooked.

I recently bought this beautiful crescent moon necklace set because I’ve always been fascinated with the moon and the various shapes it takes over the months. I also love stargazing and anything to do with space.

As part of my creative crush feature, I’m hoping to catch up with the artist. Luckily as I know Ruth, she was able to give me a little information behind her work.

Here’s what I asked Ruth.

What is your inspiration?

A: My work is influenced by candy/candy shops, circuses and fairgrounds, Roald Dahls’ Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, the weird and wonderful, festivals and anything colourful.

Which brands, designers and styles are you a fan of?

I love all things quirky, kitsch and kawaii, I’m a massive fan of Tatty Devine, SkinnyDip London & Lime Crime Make-Up. My favourite fashion icons are Raquel Reed and Audrey Kitching.

Have you got any new lines coming out?

A: I have been experimenting with laser cut acrylic and hope to incorporate it into a future jewelry line. I’m currently in the process of planning the theme

I’m pretty excited to see what Ruth does with acrylic. As she already takes inspiration from Tatty Divine I’m expecting something amazing.

If you want to see what is happening with Candy Shock UK you can can stay updated by following Ruth on Facebook and Instagram.

Have you bought any nice jewelry lately? I’d love to see some pictures in the comments.

Sqweee! This is my second parcel from Kawaii Box; a monthly subscription service that sends you super cute Kawaii treats from Korea and Japan.  It’s like a blind box subscription as you never know what you’re going to get each time.  But this month’s box didn’t disappoint.

Here’s what I got:

What was inside?

1. Kawaii neko plush
2. Tin dinosaur pencil case
3. Macaron ink pen
4. Cloud memory letter set
5. Korean deco tape
6. Polka dot shoe laces
7. Popsicle squishy charm
8. mini animal spray bottle
9. Alpaca tin case
10. Puffy paradise stickers
11. Naru Naru Gumi Nomi DIY candy kit

There are different subscription plans, but I just go with a month on month service which costs $18.90 (that’s just £12.00 in English monies) which I can cancel at any time.

I love what I received, but the only difficulty is finding a use for everything. I’ll definitely use the pencil tin to house my sketching pencils. But as for the shoe laces, I’m not too sure yet – maybe my Doc Martin Style shoes.?

I’ll probably use the envelopes for the handwritten notes I send to people who purchase my bow ties from Etsy as packaging can be very important to customers (something that does let the Kawaii subscription service down as it always arrives dented).

However I’m really pleased with the second box so I’ll certainly be getting next month’s.

Do you get any subscription boxes? What do you recommend?

At art school, upcycling and reappropriating found objects was a key focus of my art practice. I used to trawl the streets to see what goodies people had thrown away and think of ingenious ways that I could incorporate trash and unwanted items into compositions I was working on. The concept was to inject whatever had been discarded with new meaning and attribute value once more. Here are a couple of examples from  my degree show work:

My artwork started to spill into everyday scenarios where I always wanted to find a use for something I was about to throw away, from using an old sauce jar to store bobbins or using a larger pot as a vase.

Now that I’ve shared my upcycling ideas with you, I wanted to set my readers a little challenge.

Upcycling Ideas

I want you to tell me what clever ways you have upcycled old things from jam jars, boxes to clothing? Perhaps you’re already working on a project?

Clever storage specialist Bedroom Storage Maker, who offer wardrobe storage systems, are offering one lucky reader £25 to spend in Hobbycraft!

If you share your ideas with me you could use the voucher to realise an upcycling or craft project.

Here’s how you can enter:

Let me know your tips and tricks for upcycling or revamping around your home.  You can either:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post
2. Tweet me @ZoeLeeSkelton using the hashtag #scavengerupcyclingtips
3. Drop me an email at zoeleeskelton@gmail.com with your tip and your details so that I can contact you should you win

I will alert the lucky winner who submitted the best tip by the 31 August 2015. The prize is courtesy of Bedroom Storage Maker.

Good luck – oh and if you’re stuck for inspiration there are plenty of upcycling ideas on Pinterest.

I’m pleased to share a new range of quirky themed bow ties that I’ve added to my Etsy store, RagnBow, featuring cats, bones, old style typography and popcorn!

Click the image above to visit my online Etsy store.

I’m going to be adding more fun prints and styles to the store very soon and I hope to have my new range of girls hair bows and pet bow ties added shortly so watch this space.

For me, the most exciting part of going back to school was purchasing brand new stationary. At that time, there wasn’t anything more satisfying than adding fresh, sharpened pencils and untouched pens to a shiny new pencil case. Not to mention the thrill of filling up the first page of a notebook with your neatest handwriting.

So when I was given the chance to review Katie Leamon’s brand new stationary range my inner school girl jumped at the chance.

Katie Leamon is a  luxury card & stationery brand based in London. Everything is proudly made is England at a design studio in the heart of London, and a family run production studio in the English countryside.

The brand launched in the summer of 2011 and is a reflection of Katie’s love of typography, stationery and vintage curiosities. In other words, it’s perfect for a grown up who is still obsessed with stationary.

I can see that the utmost care and attention to detail is paid to each item as all of the products are hand-printed with an delicate finish. This is especially true of the notebook and sketchbook that the ladies over at Katie Leamon were kind enough to send me.

As soon as they arrived, I couldn’t wait to start scribbling and note taking. I’ve been using the Kraft Zig Zag Sketchbook to doodle some new designs I’d like to make into prints and I’ve been really impressed with the grain and quality of the paper. Never has doodling looked so good in this sketchbook. The navy zig zag design is crisp on the kraft paper front cover and the paper inside is 120gsm so there’s no chance of lines bleeding through onto the other side.

I’ve also been using the sketchbook to create some new bow tie designs for RagnBow, my online bowtie and accessories Etsy store.

The Kraft Pink Notebook is just a little smaller than A4 sized, expertly bound and contains 32 sheets of 120gsm paper. It’s lightweight but sturdy so there’s no chance of it bending oe creasing if you take it with you in your luggage this summer (which is what I plan to do!)

I’ve been using the notebook to plan RagnBow’s social media strategy and experiment with some new text based prints for an upcoming project. I’ve used a stamp and ink set on the paper which hasn’t shown up on the other side.

As well as the notebooks, team Katie Leamon were also kind enough to send me three sheets of gift wrap which I’ve been using to wrap international shipments of my bow ties.

My favourite by far is the “Hello Deer Wrap” featuring a stag and a robin within a round crest. The design is digitally printed but manages to retain the charm of Katie Leamon’s hand printed style. As it’s my most favourite piece of Katie’s range, I’m almost too sad to use it, but I love sending my bow ties wrapped in a unique outer layer as it makes a great first impression and a memorable experience.

Katie Leamon’s stationary is so refreshing in an industry which has become saturated by consumerism and conventional gift giving. For these reasons I shied away from giving cards or even wrapping presents for birthdays and Christmases for many years. But on seeing Katie’s range and appreciating all of the effort and attention to detail that goes into the manufacture right here in the UK, I’m starting to warm up to the greeting cards industry once more.

I’ve got my eye on the new marbled range, so once I fill up my sketchbook and notebook I know where I’ll get my next set from.

If you’ve fallen in love with Katie’s designs too, you can follow her updates on Tumblr and Instagram.

*Katie Leamon kindly sent me the sketchbook, notebook and three gift wrapping papers to review. All of the views expressed here are my own.