Tarquin and Troops Etsy shop prints * REVIEW *

I find the best way to make over a room with little cost and effort is art work, These prints from Tarquin and Troops are for our hallway and landing i love the range of animals in different outfits i had so many to pick from it was hard work picking five ! i went for these ones are they are the ones that made me smile the most. 

Alligator B-Ball player 

Bert the Beaver Cowboy

Kari the Koala outback policeman

Reginald the Rhino Solider at Buckingham Palace.

Clancy the Emu Australian Solider 

we love how the animals has a recognisable occupation and its own personality i feel this adds an educational dimension to the images.

they can be found via etsy shop Tarquin and Troops you can download them and print at home A4 in size i find this perfect for framing ( the frame in the photo below was from pound land of all places and yes it was a £1 ) 

Each animal comes with a back story this is Clancy the Emu 

Clancy the Emu Australian Solider poster art for your child's bedroom, playroom or nursery wall. A digital poster printable that will enthrall your child's imagination.  

Clancy never wanted to work in an office, wearing a suit. He wanted to see the world. Be in the great Australian outdoors. So what better way to see the great Oz outback and beyond other than becoming a solider in the Australian army. He is a funny bird. Making everyone laugh with his jokes and is a real team player. That's why he quickly rose up the ranks and now is a Lieutenant colonel. 

They also have a range of animals without clothes on , these would be perfect for a new borns nursery. These prints over all would look amazing in a childrens waiting area or in a class room. 

Art work like this is fun and that little bit different , don't get me wrong i love ikea and b & m but its nice to have something that is uqnice to your on personal tastes. 

Thank you to Tarquin and Troops for sending us these prints to review, We love them and they have brighten up our hallway. 

lulu our pet cat Art work By Princessa A S Paradiso

If you have a pet yourself you will know that they are much more then just a pet they are a member of the family, Our cat Lulu is very much the heart of our house hold so when Princessa A S Paradiso was looking for bloggers to review her amazing art work i knew i wanted a drawing of Lulu ! 

Princessa works from photos so these need to be clear and well light and also to be a true likeness of the person / animal getting a photo of the cat was harder then you might think ( As 99% of the time she is asleep!! ) but at last i got a photo we was both happy with. She is very friendly and helpful and gave good advice on the photos. 

Above is the photo she worked from, Lulu is getting on in age now and i know she won't be around forever, the idea of having a custom drawing of her to keep for ever was a great idea. The portraits can be in A4 or A5 in size A4 start from £35 and from £45 for a A4 additional people / animals can be added into the drawing for £10-£15 extra depending on the size of the paper P&P is then added on top.

Generally each portrait can take from 3+ hours. Would usually take between 1-2 weeks for completion of work, busier periods longer. Once completed the original art work will be posted to you unframed. The artwork itself is copyright and i own any right to it.

The drawing didn't take long at all and it was exciting when my inbox showed i had a new message to view, Below was the 1st update i was sent i was so pleased with how the drawing was looking and couldn't wait to see the finished product.

I didn't have to wait much longer to see the finished drawing, I was blown away with the detailing in the colouring and line work, She really has drawn our Lulu it must be hard drawing from photos of a person or pet you have never met,

Lulu was also very pleased with her finished drawing and i am now looking for the perfect frame so i can hang it for all to see, Really is the perfect gift idea for those with pets / families please check out her Facebook page to see more of her wonderful art work.

Thank you to Princessa A S Paradiso for drawing us our Lulu we will always have it now to remember her in years to come. 

DeeDee & Boo : Home print review :

Mile stone moments in life such as moving out, Marriage , Babies , Buying family home. What better thing to remember these moments then with a personalised Print by Dee Dee & Boo. I came across Helen via chance blogger out reach. She was very friendly and helpful with ideas of what i could have made.

In the end i chose to have a home print with our family name and myself , Chris Bodhi and also our family pets ( well they are part of our family arnt they ?! ) Helen is very processional and friendly and kept me up to date with my print, She even added " once a house now a home " onto the print, As i really do feel our little house is becoming our family home.

When my A4 print arrived i couldn't stop looking at it , It really is a work of art and i LOVE it ! its so cleaver how it all fits within the heart shape, Each time i look at it i see more and more details. The colours make it feel warm and inviting ( just how a home should feel right? ) 

The details of our names is also a lovely touch and you can have more or less boxes added as needed to suit your family. The Home prints are just part of the wonderful range that Helen makes over at her website You can pick from births/wedding/family/love and much more my print is priced at £20 for the A4 side ( £30 for A3 ) i think this is a really fair print for a custom print. You can also commission Helen so a one of a kind image these are from £120 again a really fair price for what it is you are getting. 

I love the fact it has a little names in the boxes, no more babies means i have 

no worries of having to add another name at a later date! 

I have asked Father Christmas ( hubby ) for a frame for my lovely print so it can go up in our hallway and i can see it every day and smile. Thank you Helen at Dee Dee & Boo for my lovely lovely home print as you can tell i really do love it. 

: Print was gifted to me in return for my feedback & review : 

The very lovely brains and talent behind Dee Dee & Boo let me do a little Q&A with her

1) who is Dee Dee Boo ?

Dee Dee & Boo is the home of heartfelt personalised prints and custom illustrations created by myself.

Dee Dee & Boo is all about celebrating the important things in life: family, births & birthdays, anniversaries, milestones, marriages and Christmas.

2 ) what inspires you ?

I live in a very beautiful part of England where I am always inspired by my environment, beautiful skies, flowers and nature. I'm lucky enough to have the countryside and seaside on my doorstep, both such amazing places to get inspired and clear my mind. I also love quirky packaging, retro fabric and bright colours.

3 ) where do you create your artwork ?

I am based from home and have my own creative space, it's calm, quiet and light. I have a tendency to claim more sections of the house when I get really busy...good thing its all pretty :)

4 ) where do you see yourself in five years time ?

Exciting times are already ahead for Dee Dee & Boo. It's what I love to do, its my passion and I hope people see that through the work I produce.

My daughter bought me a beautiful pebble with 'Do what you love' painted on it and I have that displayed on my desk. I truly believe that if you do what you love, there really are no limits to what you can achieve.

5 ) what is your favourite thing to draw ?

My all time favourite is drawing and paint is flowers, I find it really therapeutic.

6 ) Who is your favourite artist ? 

Georgia O'Keeffe, I discovered her while I was still at school and then again whilst studying for my Ba(hons) in Fashion textiles, I fell in love with her work.

7 ) reason behind the brand name ?

Well, my two beautiful children. When my son Beau was very tiny he used to struggle a little with saying his big sister's name 'Evie' so he decided on the name 'Dee Dee' and we have always nicknamed Beau...Boo. So... Dee Dee & Boo was born :)

Diy photo frames, Bedroom facelift

Is your bedroom in need of a little face lift? mine was! after we painted and wallpapered one wall back in January but i felt like the painted walls needed something more.. after putting up a few frames with photos in i remembered i had x2 old canvas frames , I popped to B&M and headed for the wall paper section , Our bedroom is in a woodland theme with browns and greens, when i spotted the sliver birch printed paper i knew it was what i wanted. I took a few small samples for my project and soon got to work

Laying the paper print side down simply over the lay the wooden frame ( these can be picked up in pound land and other shops for low cost ) you don't need to take the canvas off i had already done this on my as i no longer liked that i had panted on them. 

Once in place you will need a stapler to hold the wallpaper in place into the wooden frame, Don't go mad with staples tho as its only paper and will hold with just a few, make sure you pull the sides tight to not get a flappy finish.

When finish you can hang your new works of art on your walls, I am so pleased with the out come of these frames and i now feel that our bedroom is 100% finished I have had lots of compliments on the frames and i will definitely be making some for Bodhis bedroom in the summer.