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This week's post is super short! I've given the shop a bit of a makeover, so shopping at Purple Waffle Designs will be a more streamlined process :) You can:
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There's one dilemma I have in Procreate, the platform I use and love for all my digital artwork!
That's filling in shapes! It's easy to colour drop and fill in your work with a flat airbrush style texture, but trying to add a different texture also is not so easy. In a few of my works recently I have wanted to create a kind of picture-book style pencil finish, and so I have been looking for a shortcut to fill in shapes which gives me a nice clear outline at the same time as giving me that grainy-style look. If you want to try this out yourself, you can watch the youtube video below which I made, which shows my process. As I say in the video notes, there are some other ways to achieve this textured effect, but this is the way I like to fill shapes.  This week's blog post is a free printable! If you have a wedding or a party or any other event coming up, you can download this black and white bloomcore/floral invitation. All you have to do is click the link in the image above, and create a free account on The Purple Waffle Designs website, and you can access all our free printables in the one place. The invitation prints out two copies on a landscape A4 piece of paper, so it's easy for most printers, and when you cut the paper you will end up with two A5 size invitations. I made this invitation using Procreate, and you can see some of the process in my YouTube video below!
Christmas is coming up - we are only a few months away now! There’s going to be a lot of Christmas content here in just a month or two, in the meantime, here is a short list to start the ball rolling on Christmas planning, and it’s all about practical gift ideas. I think most of us are trying to save money these days, and a practical gift is great, as it shows you are caring about someone while delivering a gift which is both thoughtful and useful.
Read on for some ideas about small and practical gifts you can give to people you care about! Please note this article contains affiliate links, which means if you click on the links and purchase an item, I may receive a commission
1. Umbrellas - I go through quite a few umbrellas living in a tropical country. I often use theseinverted umbrellas with C shaped handles - they are actually very practical, as you can hang them on your wrist, and they close inwards, which makes getting in and out of cars is actually a lot less drippy! The size is generally very good also. If you are looking for a more compact umbrella, and one with UV protection, this umbrella may be the right size. For an umbrella which makes a statement, look no further than these beautiful umbrellas by Galleria, with cherry blossoms, Monet’s garden and Van Gough’s Irises. The last of this group - it’s big, it's not quite an umbrella, but more a shade for the beach –a beach tent! Beach tents are great for sun protection for a day on the beach, and make both a generous and very practical gift.
This week we are staying with the theme of tables, however the main focus is napkins! If you are hosting an event, you might be providing napkins or serviettes on your table, and an easy way to elevate the look is to fold your napkins in a certain style. If you would like to learn how to, you have come to the right place! Today’s article features a video where I show some different ways in which you can fold napkins – the six ways I have chosen are not too difficult, but still look elegant and will add to the impact your table setting makes.
History of Napkins
Like tablecloths, napkins have their own interesting history. Spartans had an early version of a napkin, which was actually a ball of dough on which they wiped their hands. Ancient Romans had two different sizes of napkins (this article has a very interesting history around paper napkins, do have a read!) They would also bring their own napkin out with them to dine, and then use it also to take food home.
You have sent me as a present … everything which you have received during the past five days; twelve note-books of three tablets each, seven tooth-picks; together with which came a sponge, a table-cloth, a wine-cup, a half-bushel of beans, a basket of Picenian olives, and a black jar of Laletanian wine.
LIII. TO UMBER
Tablecloths have been around for centuries, or, to be more precise, millennia – the first known reference to tablecloths came from Roman times, when the poet Martial mentioned them. The middle ages saw widespread use of tablecloths across all classes; while fabric varied depending on what the buyer could afford, the value placed on these items was high, and owners took real care with not only how they were cleaned, but also how they were folded and set on the table. Moving forward in time, ‘Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management’ (affiliate link) describes how her rule regarding tablecloths applies ‘equally to mansion and cottage. However simple may be the meal, and however coarse in texture the cloth, it should be clean, free from creases, and arranged smoothly with the centre fold forming a true line the whole length of the table.’
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'Tea Table' from Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (Wikimedia Commons)
What is the use of a tablecloth though, and why this widespread importance? For myself, trying to protect a wooden table from heat and water marks is the main reason I have been researching tablecloths recently, and in this article I will share three tips to help protect your table, including using and measuring the all-important tablecloth!
A short while back I wrote about the floral trend bloomcore and places we can take inspiration from. Today I’m back writing some variations on this same theme: what is bloomcore, and where can you find it? I’ll share some of my own observations on this, and then I have some links you can follow for bloomcore-influenced homewares.
Mixed flowers
Bloomcore: background
In a profusion of petals and leaves, the bloomcore aesthetic is one of a number of ‘cores’ which has spread across the social media scene over the last few years. Some ‘cores’ seem to align themselves more with aesthetics, like cottage core, and clutter core while others appear more related to a way of being, like the environmentally- conscious underconsumption core.
 Floral aesthetics are having a moment! The Guardian writes of how the 'bloomcore' trend is growing - and to be honest, I think I was into floral aesthetics and bloomcore trends before I even knew what they were!
Whether all-over-print floral homewares and busy botanical wallpapers are for you or not, flowers have significance in society in many ways. Author Beverly Seaton in her 2012 book The Language of Flowers: A History (Affiliate link)* of flowers' importance in nineteenth-century society, noting how they had been worn, used as part of celebrations, and given as gifts (9). The question of the significance of flowers leads me to a first source of inspiration for floral aesthetics. 1. Victorian-era books Many books, with titles which form some variation on the theme of the language and meaning of flowers, were produced during this era. The Miniature Language of Flowers in black and white has some sketches, and mainly lists flowers and their associated attributes. The Artistic Language of Flowers has both, in addition to colour illustrations and some poetry. Seaton refers to these as 'sentimental flower books' (16), and a simple search on archive.org gives a hint at how popular this kind of a book was in the nineteenth century. For a more up to date collection of books on flowers and their meanings, follow this link to amazon (Affiliate link)* 2. Photography I have been collecting photos of flowers constantly since I have arrived in Singapore, as there is so much colour and beauty in the landscapes here. I'm always stopping by flowers along the footpath to capture different blooms. Here is a small selection of flowers for today!
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