Moving Forward

 

 

12 months & 365 days of new chances ahead.

Hooray for that & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Peace, love, listening, learning, kindness & hope. 

Words/actions I'm keeping in mind for 2021!

 

Sleigh all day!

 

 

 

No pressure. 

It doesn't feel like late December.  We're having a strange string of warm weather days- with today at 65 degrees.

So, no sledding here today. (or tomorrow)

Tis the season

 

 

 

A patchwork of woodland wishes.

I'd rather be in a forest than on the beach.

(I sun burn easily!)

Ring, ring!!!

 Hope you have a little jingle in your step & a festive feeling in your heart.

Happy Friday! (& holiday season like no other)

Home (forever)

 

 

Home today, home tomorrow, & home for the holidays!

I must admit I've never been so grateful to work from home.

 

I just ordered a gingerbread house kit that I hope arrives before Christmas.

My son & I put one together every year.

This little candy kissed village might provide some inspiration.

 

 

 

Mountain side village

 

 

 

A bright & colorful block!

Moonlight blue animals

 

 

 

Tonight is the first night of Hannukah.

Peace, love & light to all who celebrate!

 

Birds bearing gifts

 

 

 

The season is flying by!

Hope you're finding some glimmers of joy.

Emotional check in

 

I did this holiday lettering several years ago.  I like the idea of an emotional check in- especially around the holidays.  It was originally licensed to The Land of Nod for Christmas ornaments. (which sadly didn't turn out well with messy production issues- these things happen)  Once that contract was over I was able to sell the art outright to another company.  Giving this art a second life.  Making me feel happy!

Hope you're doing okay, processing your feelings & taking it day by day.  

Here's a peek at those ornaments.

Merry and Bright

 

                                                   Cozy sweater sketchbook vibes-

 

with a little cut out creativity. 

Trying to create some merry moments against the backdrop of such a heavy year.

With every 2020 holiday/ celebration thus far an understandable shell of what 

we traditionally recognized.  On the up side, it's been an opportunity to rethink & reinvent

traditions. (And space to understand what's truly important to each of us.)

 

One more drop of eye candy.  These brush bottle trees I shot a photo of last holiday season.

(when I used to leave the house)

Made me think.....

a festive shelf forest + bright burst of color = a happy Friday!

 

Very best wishes & a BIG virtual hug. 

Hello, World! collaboration

 

 

My Hello, World! book series has collaborated with Jaq Jaq Bird.

This limited edition collection was designed to nurture & inspire creativity in kiddos.

Jaq Jaq Bird makes the coolest erasable, on the go doodle mats.  Their doodle sticks are

easy to use, erasable & mess free!

 

 

 They are offering a special GIVEAWAY to celebrate this new collaboration.

One lucky winner will receive a gift bundle featuring one Hello,World! book,

one Doodle It & Go erasable mat, and one Doodle it & Go erasable book.

To enter visit the link above.  The winner will be announced December 7th, via e-mail.

 

Fun fact *Jaq Jaq is a Korean onomatopoeia translated as "chirp, chirp."

 

Foresting

 

 

 

I love to paint animals & patterns so, this is a mix of two of my favorites.

I like the warm palette & the eclectic mix of characters.  This would be fun as kids bedding.

You make what you feel as an artist then hope you find it a home.  It's a strange way to work.

Sometimes I find it invigorating other times endlessly annoying.  The key is to make art you really like- eventually it turns into something.  A career in art is the long game! (with lots of self discovery)

Sun and the moon

 

 

Love those mornings when they're both visible in the sky.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Cozy and holed in for Thanksgiving this year.
I’m looking forward to preparing a scaled back feast for three.
Wishing you a peaceful day, a full belly & a moment of gratitude.

So many things to be grateful for.

Rockefelller

 

 

 

 It’s what the holiday season is all about.

This little owl was inspired by the Saw-whet owl (about the size of can of soda)
that was found in this years Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree– hundreds of miles from its home.
He was nursed back to health at a wildlife facility as the long trip left him tired, dehydrated & hungry.
Affectionately nicknamed Rockefeller and feeling much better, he was released back into the wild Saturday.  A promising start to a strange holiday season indeed!

 

As promised I rested this weekend & am feeling ready to fly myself.

Rest + Recharge

 

Feeling a little worn out from the last couple of weeks. I imagine we all are.  This is something I painted in my sketchbook a couple weeks ago.  I think it should say "You're really tired" but that's just truthful, not charming. (which is okay)

Planing on taking the weekend to try & recharge.  I've been doing these crazy Peloton Bootcamp classes daily for weeks now, (feeling strong makes me happy) working on a couple new books & feeling like I need to make tons of new art.  Think I need to sit still for a while & chill.  Which is hard for me but, necessary.

Have a good weekend & let's lean into the recharge.  The holidays are around the corner– yikes! Although they'll be distant & different this year I imagine the gist will still be the same.

 

Transportation Bedding

 Vroom, vroom!  I designed & sold this print almost 4 years ago.  Being a freelance designer you're never really sure when, where, or if your design will hit the retail market.  I was pleased to see my transportation art now available at The Company Store.  As you can tell the background is now bright blue.  It's funny you need to take pride in what you make but, at the same time not get overly attached as things often change.

 

available in sizes twin, full & queen

 

This is the original design.

Imaginary getaway

 

 

 

Just in time for the weekend.

Mixing in new flavors, sounds & visuals while staying safe at home.

Wishing on a star that our lives will start to feel more normal soon!

Moving Forward Patchwork

 

 

 

Gosh, I wish I could quilt!

I think I might pull out the sewing machine

& piece some pretty colored fabric

together over the holiday break.

(planing ahead)

3 Good Things

 

 

                                             To keep in mind today & tomorrow.  Okay, always!

Wall Art

 

 

 

One of my first clients staring out was Oopsy Daisy wall art for kids.

Fifteen years they still carry a lot of my art!

They also have a wide selection from other talented artists.

 All their wall art is made in the U.S.A. (San Diego to be precise)

Something to keep in mind as gift giving season rolls in.

Monday Message

 

 

 

 

Good things are coming...

 

                                                                   

Let's choose joy!

 

Gathering Beauty

 

           We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.

       -Max De Pree

Lucky Charms

 

    Eyes open... even during the toughest times there is magic to be found.

   Especially in October!

Feeling Folksy

 

 

 

Friday fall flourishes.

Wow, that's a lot of Fs!

*FABULOUS*

REPTILES

 

 

Something new & a little different has slithered into the Hello, World book series… REPTILES
I’ll admit I’m squeamish when it come to snakes but, when you learn about something
it often takes away some of the fear.

Crawl, slither, hiss, bite (yikes) there’s a lot of reptiles to explore!

*Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes.

Hello, World! PLANET EARTH

 

Exciting news two new Hello, World books are out today!
Let’s start with Planet Earth- the place we call home.
This book is packed with fun educational visuals.
Maps, a variety of different habitats & a classroom of kiddos
doing their part to contribute to a healthy world.
It’s my hope that by sharing the beauty of our planet with
little ones we might instill a curiosity & desire to protect &
preserve our amazing Planet Earth.  It’s one of a kind!

 

Greetings

 

I typically look forward to the spookiest month of the year but 2020 has felt scary enough!

Nonetheless or should I say nevermore here we are.  If you're not familair with the podcast LORE now is the perfect time to listen.  It's slightly unsettling historic folktales that makes you feel a little like you're sitting around the campfire.  (Only improvement would be some s'mores!)

*Most the stories are kid friendly for ages 10 & up.

Some flowers for you

 

Autumn Wish

 

                                    As September winds down a spread of apples & some spindly 

                                                                flowers to start the week.

Yellow

 

One more day of the weekend to enjoy!  It's funny as a full time freelancer you often find yourself working on the weekend. I try & mark it by sleeping a little later or baking something that would feel to time consuming over the traditional work week.  

Yellow makes me happy... how about you?  I've found myself gravitating to it the last month.  Maybe it's the September golden light that has inspired me or maybe it's just that little lift it seems like we could all use right now.  A little fun fact *I like yellow so much my kitchen cabinets are bright yellow. 

(I don't regret it!)

Happy Sunday!

Autumn Vibes

 

 

Subtle shifts of color & some floral finds.

Nature always inspires me!

Celebrate & Participate

 

 In 41 days (or sooner by mail) it will be time to vote!

I hope you have a plan in place to participate in our democracy. (it's trickier this time)

If you're not registered or curious about checking your status you can visit

nationalvoterregistrationday.org

If you feel like you'd like a blueprint on how you'll vote this November you can visit

planyourvote.org  Both sites are tools available to you.

Since my son was a toddler I'd take him to the polling center with me so he could see me vote.

At the end we'd both grab a sticker & we'd talk about how it's important to vote for what you believe in.

That everyone has a voice & that the beautiful thing about our country is that we can have a say in how things go.

This year I'll have him sit at the kitchen table with me when my ballot arrives and I'll once again talk to him about why voting is an important tradition to preserve.

Kids model our behavior, please vote & let them know why you do it & what it means to you.

Seasonal Storytime

 

How Do Apples Grow? is part of my Hello, World! early learning book series.  It came out a couple years ago & remains one of my favorites to revisit this time of the year.  We always enjoyed autumn trips to the orchard but, to be honest I wasn't really sure how apples grow?

 

Each one of these apples was once a pink or white bloom!

Here's a little 5 step diagram from the book to help.

 

 

 Bees are a big part of the process flying from flower to flower to help

pollinate.

 

 

 Knowing a little more about apples makes a trip to the orchard even more enjoyable.

Being there with your kiddo– even more so!
 

 

Fall Fungi

 

 

 Some painted mushroom magic. 
In my first house there were morels that would grow in the front yard.

They'd show up in the spring.  

I was afraid to eat them but, neighbors who lived in the area forever

would take them to enjoy.

They look a little like a sponge on a stem.

 

When I walk the dog in the evenings I'm noticing

fall mushrooms popping up.

Something fun to be on the lookout for.

I'm not eager to pop them in my mouth but I do like their shapes &  delicate details.