The good, the bad and the ......

I made this little pillow as an indicator of my son's mood. I like to embroider but I know only one stitch and have little patience for delicate detail. So I try to think of it more as drawing with pretty colored string, this helps me.

All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl

So.... I'm a little tired. Getting ready for a big show.
Feeling the need for some play time.
Recently made this art about animals playing.
Perhaps I will live vicariously for now.

I was ask by a very talented artist how I got started.
(as a comment on this blog)
Stay tuned that will come soon!

I Love cars

I made this print a few months ago. I like how it turned out I wanted to keep it quirky but I thought there still was a certain childhood like sweetness to it. This got me thinking I’d like to make a new transportation print were I think of each model as more like an animal rather than a car- now that could be fun.... Stay tuned I may be posting that soon. *Did I mention I love cars!!!!

Getting ready for baby

I remember when I had my son my husband & I wondered WOW- how much junk can one little person need! Lots of money later we realized A LOT.... I was inspired to make this illustration around all of a little one needs. I don’t think I’ve completely flushed the idea out so I can envision a 2nd version of this that is really out of control with the baby “must haves”

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

So I woke up this morning and notice it seems the whole neighborhood is a bloom. My studio is a 2 block walk from our home, down a big hill & one turn to the right... Waa laaah your there! Early in the morning with my baby in one arm, my husband with our dog & usually a bag of books or my paint box in the other it’s all kind of a blur. Today was different I couldn’t help but notice & remind myself to take in all the beautiful surprises around me. Pink blossoms, the bright yellow daffodils last salute, tulips, deep purple hyacinths & birds chirping away. This illustration I did a few weeks ago but it pretty much sums up how I felt about today. Hope your taking some time to stop & smell the lilacs as well!

Birthday Bliss

So today is a very special one for me
My terrific husband is another year wiser!
I feel so blessed to have him in my life, he’s my inspiration.
We’re celebrating with pizza at a little place right down the
street from us but for now we’re putting on our party hats
(one specially made for our little one)
& having a big piece of cake. Who says you can’t have dessert first?

Bugs and, Look ... more felt!

This is a piece I recently finished. I wanted to think about bugs in a modern, simplified shape way. I played with some more muted color with some really intense pops of bright color.




With a baby around the studio we have had to create a few new ways to communicate.
These door knockers work great and bring a smile to our faces.

And we are off!

So we’re off on our first family adventure.
What better way to chart the course of our trip
than "Oh Say Can You See" a wall-art/ place-mat
piece I made for Oopsy Daisy. It’s always fun to
learn a little more about geography with these
kind of projects.

Let's go crazy (with felt)

My son like Mobiles, so I decided to make him one. I used felt and embroidery thread plus inserted a jingle bell into 3 of the critters for sound effects. Speaking of sound effects I put the sound that each animal makes on the back for some added interest.

Bouncing Bunny

Woof woof the dog

Mister horse says "neggh"

Miss Kitty says "Meow"




Little raccoon finds things to munch





Mighty tiger says "roar"

My Sketchbook

I try to always keep a sketchbook a place were at least once
a week I can let myself go & explore something just for me.
I don’t worry if it is sale-able, if it’s too messy, is the color
a bit sad, is the subject strange? you get the idea. Funny
enough it’s been the place were many of my favorite prints
have come from. Of course I clean them up, maybe brighten
the color but this is were many of my ideas are born. I love
to tape things down instead of glue if I’m collaging- I think
it’s part laziness & also I like the transparency of the tape
over bits of the image- it adds another element to me, a
touch of warmth or maybe it is just tape.

Ahhhh Monday.........

A productive day at the studio is winding up & what a better way to finish it off than a cup of tea. (too late in the day for me to have coffee) I love tea, for it’s warm, how it makes me feel relaxed (as I’m wound tight sometimes) It's variety of flavors, the beautiful packaging, the extras you can add (sugar cubes, a squirt of lemon, a splash of cream, a touch of honey) Hope you enjoy!

The Getaway

The prints for today's post are inspired by traveling. Next thursday we will be going to visit the in-laws. We are very excited about leaving the studio for a little R/R.
This is going to be our son's first plane ride so we hope everything will go okay.
If you are going away this weekend have fun. I know we will next week!


Th train print above was the original inspiration for
the Train collection I did for the Land of Nod.
I will be posting the collection later.

Keep your eye on the sky

This is one of my favorite pieces I’ve made lately as it reminds me of the carnival that comes to the little town we live in every summer. Guess I’m getting greedy as Spring has finally arrived & I’m fast-forwarding to Summer. At the time I made this print I loved the sun and the moon (This print was bought by Gartner Greetings).
Since then I’ve made a new print of just sun, moon, stars
and text a little tid bit of it is shown below.