New around the house...

Vintage kilim won on Ebay

Possible colors for painted furniture

25 cent rubber cow from gumball machine---her new favorite toy

Bathroom with a fresh coat of paint

Gemma...

Since purchasing a laptop a few months ago, I promised myself that I wouldn't let my picture files get out of control this time around. While editting, here's a little peak at what I found. I keep a gaggle of girls on hand in case I'm in need of inspiration. I was weeding out the old ones and noticed I had way more pics of Gemma Ward left than of anyone else. Doesn't she have the loveliest face? Cute as a button.

Earthy...

Another work in progress.

Ruffles...

♥Ruffle Apron

♥Ruffle Bikini

♥Ruffle Shower Curtain

A bit of reading...

(image courtesy theworldinamatchbox)

♥Installment # 6 in decor8's creativity series...Analysis Paralysis. This weeks discussion describes me perfectly. Holly lists some reasons to JUST DO IT!

♥Rush over to Pecanoot. This new blog, authored by Jessica Gonacha encourages us to celebrate the our abundant realities, all through pictures. I recommend you visit for a shot of positivity!

♥Have you ever read Tongue in Cheek? Corey is 51, living in the south of France, married to a Frenchman (a gorgeous one at that), & has two teenagers. Corey takes beautiful pictures daily...colorful shutters in her quaint village, antiques at flea markets, bathing beauties in her newly remodeled bathroom. She occasionally gives away antique lace and brooches, posts recipes for pastries and yummy pastas. You will get lost in her blog! Grab a cup of tea when you have a spare moment and go to France!

I hope you all enjoy the weekend! We are painting our bathroom, starting veggie seeds (hooray), and visiting with family from Chicago. I hope to squeeze in time to work on a new print as well. See you on Monday!

p.s. Don't forget the BOGO print sale in my etsy shop :)

Buy One, Get One Free SALE in the shop!

I try to do random print sales for those paying attention to my blog, and I believe my last one was well before Christmas. Now through Monday (2/18 - 2/23), buy any print, get one of equal or lesser value free! Buy two prints, get two free, etc. It applies to all prints in the shop (ABC Collection too), just let me know which free print you'd like in the "message to seller" area at checkout. Skip over to the shop now.

♥♥♥

Strum the guitar...

Guitar Softies

I love the way these turned out! The specs...

Each measures 17" long x 6 1/2" wide.

The fronts are made from unbleached organic cotton, embellished with machine stitched guitar strings, embroidery, and eco-felt (felt made from recycled plastic bottles). They are stuffed with bamboo fiber, which is super soft, silky, and eco-friendly. Each is backed with one of my favorite Amy Butler fabrics.

*Makes the sweetest throw pillow on a child's bed :)

Later today...in the shop

The Color of Music 8 1/2 x 12, Acrylic/Graphite on 140lb. paper

My Blue Suede Shoes 8x8, Acrylics/Graphite on Deep Gallery Canvas

Horrid lighting, I know, but if I wait on sunshine there would be no pics until spring!

Little Drummer Girl 9 x11, Acrylics/Graphite on 140lb. paper

♥ Here are 3 paintings that will go in the shop shortly. Softies to follow!

Gradually updating...

Busy as a bee around here! I've finished off 3 originals that will be going into the shop over the weekend. I've got a few more sketches up my sleeve, so we'll see what I can accomplish over the next couple of days. The stack of Amy Butler fabric you see there will be incorporated into some softies I just finished making a pattern for. I hope to pull a few elements from this series and turn them into cuddly goods. I'm participating in the Poppytalk Handmade Market starting Monday, so as I get the images together I'll start listing them over at Etsy. I'll be updating the blog as I go, so check back :) Have a lovely Thursday!

hear the funky beat...

Another snippet of an original I'm working on.


You can probably tell by now that this new collection of originals is taking on a musical direction. I'm always inspired by my girls, and as of late, one of their favorite things to do is "rock it out". My 5 yr. old really loves to perform ( if you're on my Facebook, you've seen the evidence), and Ava is happy in the back-up/sidekick role. Santa brought Rylee a kiddie guitar this year, and while she's had fun with it, she keeps mentioning she knows it's not the real thing. FYI- her style is more Jimi Hendrix than Kidz Bop. Last weekend after days of her talking about the band she's going to form, and the songs she's going to write, and the stage she wants us to build...we took her to the local guitar shop to let her have a look around and to see if they offered lessons for wee ones. We walk in and the shop owner pulls down a smallish sparkly pink guitar, and places it in front of my daughter...with a skeptical look on her face, she says, "do you have one with fire on it?" Yep, we have a wild one on our hands :)

black + white

When all else fails, go for black and white stripes. I love Love LOVE that headboard!

(photos via Ellen von Unwerth, Living Etc, Gap)

pinkalicious...

♥ PINK

Properties: Pink is the color of universal love. Emotional love of self and others, friendship, affection, harmony, inner peace, has both fire and air elements. Gentle, Casual and Approachable.

Add pink to your life when you want:
-calm and serenity
-neutralize disorder or dampen frustration
-relaxation
-acceptance
-contentment

In my quest to add more color into our home, I researched how different hues affect our mood. Pink really has alot going for it, wouldn't you say? And judging by the photos above, a little goes along way. I would love to have that bathroom! My husband would probably not feel the same way. :)

Our favorite book, devoted to pink.

Photos courtesy Domino and LivingEtc.

Come on in...

Ha! This cracks me up. I need to re-paint our front door...perhaps I should also lay down this down. I think greeting guests with a little humor is always good, no?

(via coco+kelley)

Weekend reading...

It's Friday! Yippee!!! Today I'm taking the kiddos to McDonalds for Happy Meals. (disgusting, I know) I'm constantly shoving mass amounts of organic fresh goodies on their plates, and they've gobbled enough of it, to earn themselves a trip to the promised land. I really think it's just the cheap little toy they get excited about. Later in the evening, we're headed out to stare down our neighbors, in a friendly game of cards. I need to find my big black sunglasses and start working on my poker face. What are you doing this weekend?


Let your kids make art.

I like big buns and I cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny...

What's in that glass?

Such a remarkably brave lady

What's a blog for anyway?

See you on Monday!!!

blue suede shoes...

A song bird in stripey tights.

New originals in the works...

Sneak peak...Work in progress...New collection of originals coming...

Seeing blue...

Today was a bit of a yucky day for me. My mood was blah at best. Perhaps it's the winter gloom bug sitting on my shoulder. I tried to sketch, then paint, but this will go in the scrap paper bin for the kids to paint over. I spent a couple of hours this evening digging through rarely-used toys, looking for things to donate. Does anyone else feel the need to purge belongings in the winter when you're stuck inside, and the house starts to feel a bit small? I can go on some crazy clutter control binges in the winter. How do you deal with the winter blues? Do tell. If you live somewhere that's currently 75 and sunny, don't respond, because I don't like you much today :)

(p.s. If you have kids that love to make art, click here)

Replacing the Hannah Montana poster, (it's about time)

(via swissmiss)

A cheeky take on the other Keep Calm posters. My daughter is an apsiring rock star, don't ya know? She will love having this poster in her room. Available at The Poster List.

Frosty and the snow pig/dog

Meet Frosty and the Snow Pig.

The four legged fellow was intended to be a dog, but the kids think he looks more like a pig. They might be right. At least once a year we try to build an enormous snowman in our front yard. Last year he was dressed as a Red Wings player, with oreo eyes and carrot nose. The squirrels attacked rather quickly and left frosty with a horribly deconstructed face. This year we just carved his features into the snow. I think he's rather cute, although he's already started to melt. At seven feet tall and almost 3 feet thick, he can stand to shrink a bit I think.

In the Bedroom...

In the last couple of weeks I have painted all the bedrooms in our house. Our bedroom went from a blah blah beige to a very light grey. It's so soothing and it really brightens up the room.

I've been making an effort to add color throughout our house, without it, Michigan winters can feel overwhelmingly drab and depressing. Our bed has a cream colored, upholstered headboard at the moment, which I snagged on Overstock a couple of years ago. I love it, but think I may try to change it up a bit by covering it. I ordered the mustard/grey Amy Butler fabric pictured above on Ebay...a few minutes with a staple gun should make the job a snap.

Earlier today I painted our current bedside tables white. They are a Thomas O'Brien design from Target. Simple lines + a shelf for books, they just needed a coat of paint.

The lamps pictured above I already own, (found at Home Goods last year). I believe they will work fine, as I'm really trying not to purchase anything unnecessary. The flokati rug pictured is from Ikea, which I hope to go take a look at on Friday. I want to avoid alot of pattern, so I think this will add a nice texture to the room without making it too busy. The print is from Alicia Bock's etsy shop, and is just one of the several pieces of art I'd like to hang in the room. The next step in the bedroom re-vamp... what to do for storage and tackling the dishevelled closet...that deserves its' own post.