Ok. I am so excited about these. I have had this in my head for a while now, and I finally got these made while my dear husband took the kids to the dinasaur museum this morning. I love my husband! I know that 3 beds and 3 bowls will follow...lots of ideas for those. Let's just say that Anthropologie is a big place for my inspiration. Love that place. You can find the middle "soft" chair at anthro for only $1124.00 (on sale!) Geesh. I'll take just a drawing, thank you very much. Well, here we have BOY and GIRL. Take your pick! I will be stocking the shop full of stuff tomorrow, so be watching! Back to the drawing room...
newest.
Ok. So I have a problem. My brain is going faster than the clock. I have had a few more hours in the day to really just be creative, and oh! I just can't work fast enough! I had ideas to get some prints out of vintage toys, and so instead of doing a print for each, I decided I need to combine them all together...which really makes for a darling display. I love the colors, and I see a theme coming! Watch for these to be on sale by the end of the week. And stay tuned. Lots more coming!
Happy Site Friday.
Do you have the itching urge to buy more children's books all the time? As you pass the Barnes +Noble? As you surf the good ol' money hogging internet? After a good trip to the library? I do.
Well, I am a sucker for good picture books (no!) and I have always been bugged on Amazon when you can't search inside and see if it is any good!
Well, look no longer. Here is the perfect solution. Looky-Look is a website with the ENTIRE children's book for you to read. Yes. Page by page. You can even buy from their site directly once you have fallen in love with a new read. Brilliant.
Because the entire site is in flash, I have no pictures. (Even better to know the site is protected against the copy-and-steal kinda people).
But because I cannot leave you with a picture, I will leave you with this. An experiment I will let sit here so I can gaze at it every once in a while and decide if I like or not. Hmmm. It may take the weekend to ponder upon this one.
Which reminds me...Happy weekend! Happy reading! Happy Friday!
Little moments. Little memories.
Hello friends,
I love weekends! Especially this weekend. "Conference Weekend" we call it. Twice a year, the Prophet of our church and other church leaders gather together and speak to a world wide congregation of Jesus and his teachings. Families and congregations from Africa to Sweden gather together to listen and watch all day Saturday and Sunday to the teachings from the scriptures as applied to our lives today...like how to find more joy in motherhood, etc. It is like a Mecca really, and I find it really cool that millions of people are listening and watching all at the same time. And, on top of that, our little family has the tradition of cooking lots of yummy food (swiss chard soup, homemade bread, slow cooked ribs, biscuits grilled asparagus, cream asparugus pasta, homemade granola and crepes with strawberries for breakfast) as cooked by my husband and kids a like. Ya. Whew! Well, I did end up making a cardboard stove for the kids when Kenneth started to saute. They didn't mind using "pretend" food, and I sure could have used it instead! But really, I am 'filled' in more ways than one!
And one more little happy note: I have new little pretties to add to the shop! I am really excited about this, and it has been in the works for a while. I was able to have them made here, and they turned out great!
Little mini cards with buttons on them for added cuteness. But these aren't any kind of card. They are meant to make those little moments: a note for a friend left in her purse. Or a note on your daughter's bed for her to see when she comes home from school. Or a note in a lunch for a little hand to open on a hard day at school. My mother was always leaving little notes for me as a child, and let me tell you...it made my day. These notes are for ANYONE. But, I would hope that these would encourage more note-giving between mother and child. Just an idea.
I will be posting these in my shop soon. Don't know if I will post them individually, or as a set yet. I sure love them! Hope you do too!
I really love nap time.
Addie just woke up, and I am letting her draw all over my white board so I can finish up these invites. I am telling you...I love it when my kids have good naps! I get most of my "art" stuff done between 1pm and 3 pm. I really should be doing the dishes or folding laundry, but when inspiration hits, my house comes second.
These will be available soon. I want to get another color variation down, as well as explore a few other paper options.
Here's a sneak peak.
OOOH! I hear Ian now...gotta go tickle babies! I'll be back soon!
Brought to you by the letter B
How do you get:
French+subtle+classic+vintage colors+modern+timeless+innocent ? Feminine?
So many of you have said...I want more BOY prints! Where are they? Oh, I agree! Where are they? I have been struggling to get some good "boy" prints out, and I have asked myself WHY??!! I have the most darling boy who inspires me every day! For some reason, it is just a lot harder for me to come up with something that I actually like. The characters in my art are very "gentle" which isn't often portrayed these days. But I have to be careful that "gentle" doesn't turn into "feminine." You know what I mean?
For instance: as a child, I could never tell if Christopher Robin was a girl or a boy. Thus my challenge.
But I think I may have hit a breakthrough on this one. I might actually be able to really get some "boy" prints out there! I like the orange and blue, the European vintage feel....but it definitely isn't "girly."
Gentle, yes. Girly, no. Horray!!
I won't post this until I have the other two to go with it: Avion (french for Airplane) and Chien (dog) or something like that. Haven't finished those yet...which means they are always subject to change.
In the mean time, little French boy is waiting to hang on someone's wall very soon.
Let's talk: Art for children.
Art for children's rooms. One of my favorite topics of discussion. I have such strong feelings about this (really?) and have come across a GREAT article on the REAL SIMPLE website. Holly (from Decor 8) talks about 1) the love of great nursery decor and 2) the increasing opportunities to buy inexpensive art for your kids. I was FLOORED when I saw one of my images up in her pick of 60 or so prints that she likes. I really had no idea. I was reading my first favorite children's artist blog and she mentioned this article and so I checked it out...and voila!
See that little teaparty action happening on the left there? geesh! About give me a heart attack. Real Simple is a favorite place for me, so that was extra special. Thanks Holly!
But I bring this up, because there is just a lot more out there than there used to be. When I was first pregnant I was trying to figure out what *style* I wanted to incorporate in my children's playroom and nursery. There is so much to consider when deciding! Color, theme, style, gender, baby or big kid, etc. I truly believe that you have to know your child and decorate with their personality in mind. For instance, I spent my entire pregnancy collecting fabric for Addie's crib bedding and after Addie was 6 months old, I abandoned it because it just wasn't "her".
Here are some of my favorite art prints for kids as well as some pointers to consider when purchasing art for your child:
1) Have your child test it. Circumstances won't always allow your children to see the art before you purchase it, but my children are my BEST testers. I print off a copy of all my new prints, and let them hold it. If I find them looking at it for a long time, or carrying it around with them, I know I have a winner. Addie has been known to sleep with a few.
2) Timelessness. You will most likely redo your child's room by the time they are 8. But will the art work for 6-8 years? Will it be too babyish in 3 years? Maybe it doesn't matter to you...but it sure is something to consider.
3) Does it have an easy color scheme? I am not "matchy matchy". I really don't like everything to be just perfect. But I do consider that in the next couple months, Addie will need a new bed and new bedding. Can I easily find bedding that will "go" with the decor she already has?
4) What is it teaching? Not every piece of art will tell a story, or teach something. In fact, most won't. But good art will stay in your child's mind for years to come. Do you remember what was in your room in your early years? I do. I had a picture of Jesus with the children, an embroidered "one, two buckle my shoe" piece and a print of the Goose Girl. I remember falling asleep staring at these images. They are a part of my first memories as a child. I can't say that they "taught" me anything, but there was a feeling of safety and comfort in them. What kind of comfort do you want to offer your child?
You will notice that the art above is different than my own style, but that is what I love about art for kids...why do "Matchy Matchy?" Let your children imagine a reason it all goes together. As an artist and mom, these thoughts are running through my head as I continually adjust my kids' room, but also as I create the art itself.
For more ETSY artists, check out this link: 100 ETSY artists. Some really great finds! Stay tuned for more...I could chat about this subject for hours!
End of March SALES and an early APRIL print
OK....so April is almost here and March is on its way out! And I want to celebrate by offering all of YOU another free print. Yep...another Buy 2 get one FREE! Again, I am only offering this to my blog readers (if you are reading this, that means YOU!). I have really loved hearing from you and getting great feedback, and it is time to return the favor...again!
SO: Buy TWO products and receive a 3rd one (of equal or lesser value) for FREE! All you need to do is purchase TWO items, and at checkout, tell me the third one you want in the "message to seller" box. You will only be charged for shipping on your two items, so you save on shipping as well! But it is just this week, ending on March 31st.
Today is actually a beautiful day. Not a sign of rain at all. But I finished my "APRIL" print, and loved it so much, I wanted to offer it as "non-calendar" print with more standard sizing. For some reason, I am really drawn to this print. I can't say that I really "LOVE" all my art work. It is the artist in me. Never really satisfied...always needing to create something new. But this (to me) really captures that pensive feeling I get sometimes on a rainy day.
Have fun, and enjoy the last week of March. I sure will. Rain or Shine.