A NEW Year

So soon it will be 2011. I'm not much into resolutions but I do like a "to do list" So, here we go...

TO DO:

1. Get out & about & explore more

2. Adopt a dog

3. Look into Luca's little brown eyes more often

(without letting my mind wander off to other details)

4. Kiss my sweet husband more

5. Just be happy to be me!

Wishing You...

A Wonderful Christmas full of friends, family & kindness!

Dear Santa

I've been a pretty good girl this year. What would I like? Well my favorite part of my day is in the morning when I pull out my make up and get all dolled up. I love the colors, the smells, the names, (roman moon, napa valley, black ice, baroque, you get the idea) & especially how I feel when I'm done. Ready to take on the day. So to sum it all up What I want for Christmas is world peace & make-up. What a combination. *Note: I do follow the phillosophy that less is more, so don't worry I don't end up looking like a clown.

Happy Winter Solstice

Now bring back the light!!!! Think I may need to get one of those lamps to sit under.

Circus

I thought this was an appropriate post today. Feels a bit like a circus around here. We've been rushing from one thing to the next- one deadline to the next! Looking forward to a few days off soon. The art is a collection of simple patterns I put together in photoshop.

2010 Christmas Card

Hooray!!! We just got all out 2010 Christmas cards. A nice sense of relief has come over me. This year I painted a little village scene, added some stamping & a few stitches with the sewing machine & voilà.

12 Days part II

As I mentioned yesterday I had made a 12 Days of Christmas gift-wrap collection years ago for Hallmark. You can see different but the same. Hallmark added gold foil to the wraps & bags they also have some pretty talented lettering artist that helped out with the text. The collection was big but I only had a few bits & pieces of it left. To find more I'd just need to visit my mom's house she's bought a sample of everything (yes, everything...) I've ever done & has it all neatly stored away. She's great & the best Christmas present I ever could of wished for.

12 Days of Christmas

Tomorrow will kick off the Twelve Days of Christmas. Hard to believe. . . Last year I was commissioned by Hobby Lobby to create a 12 Days of Christmas gift-wrap/ gift bag collection. They wanted something fun & whimsical but still traditional. This was the outcome. When I worked at Hallmark 7 years ago I did another gift-wrap bag collection for The 12 Days of Christmas. (I'll show that one tomorrow) Seems like I'm often requested to recreate the same theme. The challenge is to keep your general style but be aware of where you've already gone before.

Land of Nod Holiday

The last 5 years I've been lucky enough to work with The Land of Nod on a holiday assortment. There are stockings, garlands, plush ornaments (inspired by my little one who would break all the glass ones), place-mats, a tree skirt & advent calendars. Have you decked your halls yet?

The Land of Nod is currently offering free shipping on many of these items.

Interview on Illustration Mundo

I recently did an interview for the amazing Nate William's, Illustration Mundo.

You can check it out here: jill mcdonald design

December Floral

December 1st has arrived. Missing the lush green & pops of color outside. I'm still finding some beauty in the outdoor palette. Colors just seemed more paired back- & a bit like one color slowly falls into the next. I found a floral in my print collection that has this winter feel to me. I have all my art achieved on my computer. When I pulled this one up it was called December Floral & I knew it was perfect for today's post.