Happy New Year

A New Year's resolution for 2014. But not really. Because I don't make resolutions. Although who doesn't like the idea of a fresh start? And really? This "resolution"? No chance of happening.

Happy New Year everyone!

p.s. this ditty can be found over on Spoonflower.

Merry Christmas to you & yours

Christmas Critters: Printable Gift Tags

Whoa, so it's December. And Christmas is only weeks away! At the risk of sounding like a total cliche, I love this time of year. The sparkle, the excitement, the cookies, the presents, the feelings of hope and anticipation for Christmas. I also love giving gifts. Even if my entire family decided to not exchange gifts anymore I'd still get gifts for everyone. Surprise, surprise, I have a fondness for making gifts too. My only handicap is that I always run out of time for all the things I have planned: sewing projects, baking projects, my list is always far longer than could possibly be accomplished in the month of December. If only I were one of those people who started Christmas projects in October. Alas.

This year I did have one project in mind: I wanted to make ornaments for my kids. We give them a new Christmas ornament every year and I've always bought them before: Hallmark ornaments, Land of Nod, etc. I came up with these wintery animals and had them personalized and printed through zazzle.com. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. I also turned this same design into a fabric and gift wrap pattern available on Spoonflower. Then I made a little gift for you this year too! Feel free to download these Christmas Critters printable gift tags and use them on your packages tied up with string. Happy Holidays!

Download available here. 

Print on cardstock, cut out, punch a hole & tie with string or ribbon.

Spoonflower Tea Towel Top Ten!

Today was a pretty great day everybody. My 2014 tea towel calendar that I entered in the Spoonflower contest came in third! Whaa-at?! Woo-hoo! I'm pretty excited . . . and more than a little shocked . . . and a wee bit terrified. This is only the second Spoonflower contest I've entered and I could count my "fabric designs" on one hand, so I feel a little bit like I've been thrown in the deep end. "You mean people might actually buy it?" I haven't even received my test swatch yet! Very weird. But also very fun. There were so many wonderful designs, I can't even tell you. By people with far more experience than I. Frankly, I'm honored that people liked mine enough to vote for it. SO my little tea towel will be bundled together as a fat quarter with the rest of the top ten and available for purchase at a reduced price for one week only. Of course you can also purchase mine individually now and forever more, or until Spoonflower or the internet disappear. Many thanks to you if you voted for me & thanks as well for all the supportive encouragement as I try on this new hat. 



Photo courtesy of Spoonflower.

November desktop wallpaper

We all need a little extra love in November . . . the month with a bad reputation for being dreary and cloudy. Apologies to people like my sister who will be celebrating a birthday this month. I don't mean to insult your month. And hey, there's always Thanksgiving to look forward to. Pie, turkey, and pie. Here's some love for your desktop too.

Download (2560x1440) here. 

2014 Tea Towel Calendar

I've always loved those vintage tea towel calendars. I generally love kitchen towels, which is probably an odd thing to love, and I've been wanting to design my own calendar tea towel. Then I found out Spoonflower has an annual tea towel design contest so that gave me the motivation I needed to finish one before 2014 is actually here. I wish I'd had a little bit more time to work on it (speaking of procrastination) because Halloween and costume making got in the way of this project. In the end I'm still happy with how it turned out. I've entered it in Spoonflower's contest and you'll be able to vote starting on Thursday I think. There are some really beautiful designs out there. I'll also be ordering a sample swatch and then putting it in my Spoonflower shop so you can purchase your own. It's designed to print on a fat-quarter (18x27 inches) of their linen-cotton canvas fabric and you can view it here! I'm in the process of trying to get my act together to open an etsy shop as well and when that happens (fingers crossed) you'll be able to purchase a towel there as well. I just have to get through Halloween first . . . 

Another slice of fabric design

You remember how I designed my first fabric through Spoonflower and had it test printed? Well, Spoonflower has weekly contests based around different themes and I decided to take my new fabric designing "skills" (I don't think we can call them that yet, but for the purpose of this sentence just go with it) to enter a design in an upcoming contest called: Pies. Because really, pie? Pie and I go way back. We have a close and personal relationship that always ends with me practically licking the crumbs out of the pie plate. For my birthday, forget cake, bring me a pie and I'll be yours forever. Needless to say, it was a fun theme for me. But still a challenge. It was hard to not get too "all-American, red, white, and blue up in there. The pattern I came up with is below and you can find it on Spoonflower here. I think you can even vote for it next week if you have a Spoonflower account (I think you need one of those), and that way maybe more than just me and my mom will vote for it. That would make me feel all warm as an apple pie inside.

On a side note, the previous pattern I designed is available for purchase here if you feel so inclined. 

October desktop wallpaper

Holy cow, it's October. Time's a flyin'. October means Halloween is coming up and around here we're in our first round of costume proposals. This is when Ben, the four-year-old, says he wants to be a gila monster (a kind of lizard if you don't watch Wild Kratts religiously like Ben does) and I say no. I like Halloween, I like it better now that I have kids. We even have a big Halloween open house/party for trick-or-treaters, friends, and family. But I don't want my house to look like a Halloween party for 30 more days than it has to. By extension, this wallpaper is for the more fall focused desktop because what I love, is fall. Fall weather, fall colors, it's my favorite season, and October is the best fall has to offer. I hope you enjoy this view almost as much as you enjoy the view out your window.

You can download the full size (2560x1440px) here

Coming soon to Spoonflower

I'm sure most of you have heard of Spoonflower, the online design your own fabric (and more) place. I've been lurking there for a number of years, I've ordered fabric from other designers, and the whole time I've really been wanting to design something myself. I'm finally getting there, thanks to a Skillshare class done in collaboration with Spoonflower. I actually worked on a different fabric design but decided it wasn't something I actually wanted to print. So I came up with the design below for my trial run. It might look totally hideous, it might not work, the colors might be wonky, or the blips in my design will be totally obvious, but whatever (!) the test swatch is on its way to my house. I can't wait to see it. Once I do I might put it out there for other people to purchase if they so desire. Then I hope to make myself some kitchen towels out of this stuff. 

Have you ever really needed to just get something done? That's how I felt about this. Waiting, waiting, maybe someday, once I know more, once I have the right tools, the right skills, etc. Sometimes I need to get past the second-guessing myself stage & just complete something to feel free to move forward, make some mistakes, and hopefully get better. I hope to see some more stuff like this around here in the future!

Find my fabric on Spoonflower here.

Friday Grab Bag

A random collection of bits from my week.

While my kids went back to school so did I, in a manner of speaking. I started perusing the online classes available at Skillshare and within a couple of days had signed up for two! So far I'm really liking both. One is for making patterns in Illustrator & one is about digital illustration.

For when those aforementioned kids came home from school I tried a new recipe found in Woman's Day magazine: Chocolate Cream-Filled Sandwich Cookies and, I have to say, they were as good as they looked. In a word: YUM.

This is not a new movie, but I had a recommendation to watch the documentary Helvetica. Actually very interesting, for a movie that's about what I would consider a rather boring typeface. I have a newfound respect for it.

I picked up these vintage patterns, which I loved for the design on the cover but I also think I might try to sew them. The dress especially looks really cute - it's called the "Jiffy Dress", how hard can it be?

I also added this Foldover Tote (from The Sewing Rabbit) to my never ending list of things I want to sew. Found the link, along with other bags I'd like to try, via How About Orange.

Finally, I did this little sketch above in honor of the Back to School theme of this week. Whew, we made it.

September desktop wallpaper

I honestly don't think it's almost September. Can't possibly be since we've been marinating in humidity and baking in the hot sun for over a week. But someone told me it's Labor Day weekend, so whatever, I guess it's true. 

I'm working on creating more patterns around here because it's something I'd really like to get better at. A good friend gave me a Spoonflower gift certificate and I can't WAIT to try making my own fabric. Ooh-la-la! So this month's desktop wallpaper/calendar utilizes a pattern I was fiddling with. I used the glasses from my back to school illustrations and added some apples. It might be a tad busy for a monitor but I still like it, so feel free to use it yourself if you like things a tad busy.

Download the original size image (2560x1440) here

Back to School printable sticker labels!

Summer . . . summer is . . . busy. And I've been busy too. With summer. BUT. Summer is soon ending! Around these parts school doesn't start until after Labor Day, so we still have one more week to squeeze in everything we meant to do over the last three months. In reality, my kids are actually pretty excited to go back to school. And I'll let you in on a secret, as much as I love hanging out with them, I'm pretty excited for them to go back to school too.

This week we'll be bringing all those new school supplies in to their classrooms (another secret: I love school supplies), so we're busy sorting and labeling. I also kind of love labeling. Is that weird? It seems weird. Anyway, I'm mildly obsessed with free printables and this year I tried my hand at making my own "back to school" printable sticker labels for my kids and the whole wide world (if you want them). You can use them for all those shiny new notebooks and folders. I hope you enjoy them and your kids enjoy them too. Happy Back to School!

 

Download the stickers here.

* Simply print on sticker paper (like this) and cut out! You might want to adjust your printer to print at a higher setting and/or on premium paper to get the best results.

Happy belated Father's Day

While we're on the topic of me finishing things in a timely manner . . . here's an illustration I started shortly before Father's Day and am just getting around to finishing. Ahem. Maybe I'll print it as a card next year! Still playing around with different techniques in digital illustration - it's still all so new to me. This is a combination of an illustration started in Illustrator and finished in Photoshop.

July 2013 desktop wallpaper

I've been wanting to try my hand at making some desktop wallpapers. I'm constantly changing mine, usually monthly, because I have visual ADD like that. Lately I've been into calendar wallpapers. I like the "seasonality" to it. Below you'll find my first stab at a wallpaper for this July (which is already half over, I know, but sometimes my projects get stalled). I'm still working on all the technicalities like sizing, formats for mobile devices, etc. I'm slow on the uptake there. But if you'd like to use this first attempt yourself, click on the image below. Maybe I'll start working on August now.

Fun with Illustrator

I've been taking some more online classes with Nicole's Classes, this time in Adobe Illustrator, which has been super fun. Below you'll find a few of the things I've worked on as I continue to learn how to use the program. It's not my typical style but I'm really enjoying myself! More to come I hope.

The new kids

Here are a couple pieces I did awhile back based on sketches and/or drawings with ink, then finished in Photoshop. These both became gifts for some new babies in the family. Thanks for being my guinea pigs! You have now joined the long list of people who get all the stuff I make and then need somebody to give it to! 

For the mamas

A day late . . . boy, was it crazy town around here yesterday between Mother's Day and Olivia's 7th birthday! I wanted to share a little image I put together from one of my watercolor paintings and some chalkboardy-like text that I used as a Mother's Day card. Here's hoping all the mamas had a great day.

Austen on my mind

Every so often I get in a Jane Austen kind of mood. Sometimes I re-read her novels, often I just overdose on BBC Jane Austen movies. I really love them. In another life I spend my afternoons in empire-waisted dresses, picking flowers from the sunny gardens of my home in the English countryside. Don't you?

Again, I've been playing around with different textures and brushes in Photoshop, using a pencil sketch as the starting point.

Pep Talk

It's going to snow . . . again. Who needs a PEP TALK? I do.

Boston

As I was watching the coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing on Monday, they kept playing the footage they had of the first explosion over and over and over. At some point I noticed that a small bouquet of yellow balloons rises into the air seconds after the smoke erupts - did you see that? It was an image that stayed with me, so I did a watercolor painting of it. 

Such a senseless act. I've only ever been a spectator at marathons but they are such a warm and, for lack of a better word, triumphant place. Hundreds or thousands of people run past you, mostly strangers, and you cheer and you cheer and you cheer. It's such an obvious testament to the human spirit, pushing through pain and distance to finish your race. Maybe that's what the balloons make me think of.

Ready for Adventure

One of the things I love about kids is their ability to turn just about anything into an adventure. We walk around a little lake in our neighborhood all the time and the kids love to collect sticks and rocks, and hunt for monarch caterpillars. They catch bugs and frogs in the backyard all summer long. So today I sketched up some of the things we use to "go adventuring" around here and played with it on this chalkboard background in Photoshop. Now if only the snow would melt so we could get started!

In progress

The Garden

I'm finally starting to gear up for the garden this year. I'm always rather done with my garden come September, which is why it's good I live in one of those 4 season kind of climates. But by this time of year I've had a nice long break over the winter and I start to daydream about tomatoes and snacking on fresh sugar snap peas. Every year I make a little "map" of our kitchen garden so I can plan out where everything goes, hopefully make room for everything, and remember to rotate the things that prefer to be rotated. Usually these plans are just a quick outline of the garden with names of vegetables and flowers scribbled in, but sometimes my daughters and I come up with a more creative version. This year I did an ink and watercolor painting of some of the usual suspects in our garden. This is it below with some added texture from Photoshop.

And just because right now it's so gross outside here, it's nice for me to remember that this is coming:

Dabbling in watercolor

I'll admit, I used to think of watercolor as kind of a "wimpy" medium. All ho-hum, take a nap, landscapes and vases of flowers. Lately though I've started noticing (I say this with full knowledge I'm - like with most things- behind the curve on this) some really interesting work being done with watercolor. Stuff that doesn't at all feel like something an old lady does in her spare time - apologies to the old lady watercolorists. There are some beautiful paintings and multi-medium pieces out there (I'm loving EvaJuliet Atelier, Amy Borrell, and Geninne Zlatkis) but watercolor isn't just showing up on paper, it's on throw pillows, scarves, dresses, shoes, everywhere! Here are a few things I've found while scouting the web:

1. Amy Borell print.

2. Placemat found on target.com

3. Dress from Modcloth.

4. Palette pillow from CB2 (no longer available).

5. Dinnerware from Target.

6. Shawl by artist Virginia Johnson.

So while I've been re-discovering my "art habit," I started giving watercolor the eye. I never paid much attention to it before but I find myself drawn to it now for a lot of reasons: the loose, translucent quality you can achieve and let's face it, it's less messy than other methods of painting and I can move it to and from my kitchen table (a.k.a. art studio) rather easily. I'm really liking adding a little watercolor to my drawings. I recently took an online watercolor class with Nicole's Classes, which was great because it "forced" me to spend some time with watercolor and actually complete some paintings. I need a little motivation most of the time. Below you'll see a few of the paintings I did. I'm liking it, I think I'll keep the ol' watercolors around.

I know you're out there!

March is the month I start remembering what I planted last fall. I put spring on layaway and it's a pleasant surprise to know they'll soon be here. This year I should have new white tulips and some allium.

I'm also taking a new watercolor class so I'm experimenting with this new (to me) medium.

Making a mess in Madison

We spent the weekend visiting my sister's family in Madison, Wisconsin. On Saturday morning we explored the Madison Children's Museum. It's a really fabulous children's museum with all the hands on fun you'd expect at a children's museum, but one highlight for our three kid was the art studio space. A bright sunny room was packed with crayons, a weaving station, natural materials, glass windows to paint on, collage supplies, and a whole corner of recycled materials for art projects. It was what my house would look like if the kids were given free reign: scraps of paper all over the floor, things hanging from the ceiling, paint on the windows, and all the TAPE you could ever hope for. Now that we've dedicated some space in our unfinished basement for a kids' play area I'm also trying to carve out some room for art making. Surprisingly, the older they get the messier more creative they get. I saw this post on a DIY Recycling Center for Kids on Handmade Charlotte which my kids would also love. I do try to hang on to things I think they'd like to make something with (a friend of mine even "gifts" old boxes and cardboard scraps to my daughter Olivia), but I get frustrated with the space needed to keep all this stuff. One of my continuing struggles as a parent: balancing their creative spirit and the mess it sometimes creates. They're already asking if they can paint on the windows at home.

New spring patterns

It's wishful thinking time around here. Where we pretend that spring is right around the corner and not, in actuality, more like 2 months away. So I have spring on the brain and doodled out some patterns with rain boots and tulips. I'm going to try to mess around with them some more and combine them into one pattern. We'll see how that goes.

Flying collage

Today I spent some time working on a collage piece. Made with cardboard, pen, watercolor, and gouache. Not sure I'm done with it yet, but a fun experiment.

Weekly Sketches

This week's sketches inspired by the mini Boden catalog. I'm not sure why I get this catalog, but it's full of cute clothes and cute kids!

Arctic snowball fight

Here's an illustration I've been working on. Still finding my way around Photoshop. It's really fun, but I keep getting hand cramps from using a stylus!

Valentine's Day Bookmark Printable

I wanted to design a Valentine for my kids to use at school this year. After seeing this post by illustrator Abigail Halpin (I love her work), I thought this bookmark would be a fun way to go. I've put them together here so you can print both bookmarks at the same time. Simply cut along the black lines (including the line on the inside of the arms) and the bookmarks will slide over the top of a page, peeking out over the top. If you'd like a fun project to do with your kids, follow Abigail's tutorial and make your own!

Note: This is sized as a half sheet of paper (if you fiddle with your printer settings you can print 2 at once). Best results when printed on cardstock. For personal use only, please. 

Download here.