Today's the day!

 

Ready to VOTE? Me too!

If you have kids in your life take them with you to vote & cue them into bite size bits of 

what you're doing when you vote. Raising active participants in our democracy will keep in going & growing.  

 One of our neighbors has the best yard sign.

Happy Election Day! 

 

All treats- No tricks!

 Happy Halloween— May you leave a candy trail behind you! 

(As an adult, gouache is my new version of candy.🍬) 

Hello, World! From Seed to Pumpkin

 

   

🎃 I'm offering a GIVEAWAY of Hello, World! From Seed to Pumpkin a book filled with fun pumpkin facts! To enter visit my Instgram feed & let me know if you have a pumpkin yet & what color it is or if you carve a pumpkin what “look” you go for? (spooky, silly, traditional, or whatever happens) I’ll announce the winner on October 23. Until then... happy pumpkin season!

Pumpkin parade

 

Popping by with some patterned pumpkins!

Do you have a favorite? 

10 trick or treaters!

 I wonder who'll show up at your door soon? 🚪

Greetings OCTOBER

 

My dad is a big Halloween fan & it has rubbed off on me too!

Candy, costumes & make believe what's not to like. 🎃 

Mid-September

 

Turning trees 🍃 🍁 🍂 and so it begins!

I love to gather nature to add to my designs. 

My First Quilt 🧵

 

Today I'm sharing my first quilt. I made it last summer & took a class to help me learn the process. It was heavily encouraged to use a pattern. I thought I'd make a log cabin square quilt. I quickly found out that freestyle quilting is what captured my imagine. No need for a pattern. (at least for me) Which annoyed the teacher. 

   

For the color palette I gathered inspiration from the mimosa tree in my front yard. It's a beautiful tree that is the prettiest shades of pinks & corals. It smells sweet & floral after a rain shower & draws butterflies, hummingbirds & bees all summer long.   

 

 I've gathered fabric I find pretty for years & designed many fabric collections. I pulled bits of some things I designed & many of the favorites from my personal pink stash to fold in.

 

 

While it was intended to fit a queen size bed with no pattern it grew bigger. 

You can see in the bottom right of the photo the original log cabin square I started out with. 

Rather than following a rigid structure I found treating the quilt like a big painting is where I found the joy. 

 

When making a bedding item it's important to consider what the pillows will cover, what will really show once it's draped over the sides of the bed. If you'd like a certain section to shine you need to think about before hand. 

I loved this section so I made sure it was front and center when the quilt is placed on the bed. My grandma was a quilter. While she did nothing fancy or professional with it she did make each of her twelve grandchildren a quilt tailored to their likes. I loved how special it made me feel & took what was left of it with me when I went to college. My son went to college this year & I spent most of my free time this summer making my second quilt. This time for him, with all his likes & a little more skill on my part. (His wasn't pink it was blues & greens.)

9-11

 

This day forever feels a bit piercing to me. One more reason to share a little extra love, compassion & kindness. 💘

Alphabet FUN 🔥 ☂️ 💅🏻

 

Sharing some alphabet fun today as we get ready to roll into September.  This is art I licensed for years on a variety of kids products. I stumbled on it the other day & was pleased by how fresh it looked 15 years later. I've made many alphabets & always enjoy exploring ways I can reinvent something tried & true.

 

How would your name look spelled with these letters❓

Back to School

 I've had a busy August, last week sent my son off to college. Back to school feels different for me this year! Wishing both big & little learners a safe, fun filled year of learning new things & making new friends. As always, a special thanks to the educators who aid in a brighter future for all of us. I really believe knowledge is power.

 

 

 

Sharing art from Hello, World! School Day. This art makes me happy it shares the beauty of little hands doing big things as they step into the world. ✏️ 🚌 🧮 ✂️

NEWSLETTER

 Did you know I have a newsletter? Yep, it's true! I pull one together three to four times a year to shout out what I've been up to & new products or books I have coming out soon. Sometimes I even give you a sneak peek.✨

Being an independent artist takes a lot of determination & dedication. 

Luckily, it's also fun! 🍀 

Thanks for your support. 

World Friendship Day

 

Celebrate by calling a friend, doing something fun with a friend or even (be brave) make a new friend! I'm pretty introverted & I have made making some new friends a priority the last couple years. I'm proud to report it is going well! Life feels better with friends. 

Celebrating with color 💛 💙 💚 💘

  

 

Again, please! Another trip around the sun. Today is my birthday & I turn 51!

This is a lithography print I painted with printmaking ink then took it for a spin in the press. I drew the lion template in Photoshop to build myself a blueprint to follow.

I enjoy the childlike quality - after all I still feel like a kid at heart.

Currently, Jimothy obsessed!

I’ve long wondered how you stand out from the crowd anymore. Especially, online! Then I saw Jimothy, the short-spined raccoon who lives in Seattle. The perfect mix of unexpected proportions & a reminder of how delightful differences can be.  

 

Am I thinking about booking a trip to Seattle with the main purpose spotting this adorable little nugget- YES! (I imagine I'm not alone on this.)

On a side note: shout out for LEO season which arrives today. 💛

Summer Shapes

Summer has traditionally been a slower season for me at my studio. I use the time to take classes (with other humans) & explore different looks, color palettes, building in time for play. These are a few things that fall into that category.  

  

I'm currently in a lithography class & hope to share some of my prints soon. Lithography is messy & includes chemicals & solvents- stuff I wouldn't use at home so it's great to have a classroom that is set up for all that. 👃 My nose is sensitive!

I'm also in a slow stitch class where we draw with our needle. More on that soon too. 

Friday fl🌸 wers

Some flowers painted in gouache that I then stepped out into a pattern.

 

Called this one midnight garden. Sometimes the best part is naming them! 

(I often wish they were scratch & sniff.) 

World Kiss Day

 

 

Plant one on somebody you love! 💋

(art: collaged) 

Happy Fourth of JULY!

May you find a patriotic beat, bring a side dish to your neighborhood barbecue or hold your little ones as you watch the night sky boom & bloom into colors. Happy Birthday USA! A 250 year experiment & a work in progress one that I’m happy to be a small part of. 🇺🇸

 

Stars, stripes & hearts forever.

(Click for a better view of the art. The top piece is from HELLO, WORLD!  U.S.A.)

Sunshine and Citrus

 🌞 🍋

Gosh, I 💛 summer!

From a unit of cut out citrus and blooms.

 To a full dose of vitamin C!

Happy Father's Day 🐻

 A good dad is a great gift. Counting my blessings that my son has a terrific papa bear & I do too!

  

 This illustration was painted with gouache.

(My favorite medium to paint with.) 

 

A special shout out to my three bear brothers who I've enjoyed watching become wonderful dads!

Spotted Blog feature ♥️

 

I woke up this morning to a nice surprise... a feature on Spotted blog.

You can see the full post here. 

A special thanks to Maria for showcasing my work. It's always nice to have new people discover your art!

Bloom bodly

 

 

I drew this one with pen & added color with Dr. Martin's liquid watercolor.

I love purple and am surprised it is usually on the list of least liked colors.

(Kind of makes me love it more! 💜)

 If my son would have been born a girl I was going to name him Violet.

I have a soft spot for these purple beauties.