simplicity and a daisy

happy monday! i finished another botanical drawing over the weekend - this time a daisy, the birth flower for april. i was struggling a bit at the start with how to draw a white flower on white paper, but in the end, it came together pretty quickly and i love the lightness of the piece. i am also in love with the leaf, because if you didn't know, i dread drawing leaves. it is really tough for me to get them to look dimensional, especially with this one because the leaves on my daisy were pretty old and shriveled, so there was a lot of improvisation.

up next is a gladiola for august.

beauty and life

the sun has popped out of the sky today, but for the past week, it has been unseasonably cold and rainy. it has been the perfect weather for some embroidery, a blanket and a movie. due to my estate sale habit, i have an overflowing bin of vintage hankies that i absolutely cannot pass up. they are the perfect size for my small wooden and metal embroidery hoops and i love making little pieces of art with them.

how cool is the above oval hoop??? it is very old and uses a tiny spring as its tightening mechanism. truth be told, it took me more than a few minutes to figure out how to work it!
i am working on a batch of 10 of these sweet vignettes and will have them in the shop soon.

i wonder if square embroidery hoops were ever made - has anyone ever found one?

spin and sparkle

i'm so excited to post my new tutorial for mayarts - a nursery mobile that spins and sparkles.

i love going to thrift stores and sales with my friends because i am always interested in what they find as well as what i find. sometimes you need your friends to help you think outside of the box. one of my partners in crime, joy, picked up a couple of bike wheel frames the other month to hang on her son's wall and i couldn't help think about how cute it would be turned into a mobile. i ordered some blue velvet trim and this amazing white iridescent ribbon to start my project and it all came together very quickly. i always cringe when i think about defacing books, but i had one lying around that had been scribbled with crayon and in all around bad shape. i think the only exception for cutting up books is if they are meant for the trash bin and you are transforming them into something wonderful!

are you decorating a nursery or heading to a baby shower? click here to download instructions for this mobile that will be sure to mesmerize any baby.

art and design

since my days are my own again, i have finally found time to digitally finish my botanical drawings. yay for me!

my prints begin as fully finished colored pencil drawings, then i scan them in and add the words and border digitally. i love combining my two passions of fine art and graphic design to get something complete unique and totally me. this batch brings my total of prints up to 8 which means i only have 4 more to do before i have enough for my calendar dream. well, actually 5, because a hydrangea is not associated with any month, i just did that one because they are my favorite!

what is your favorite flower? i just might throw one into the mix as well :)

glitter and stars

i'm working on a new tutorial for MayArts and i am so, so, so excited to finish so i can show it to you. i am editing photos right now and then it's time to write out the tutorial so everyone can make it.

the photo taking was quite hilarious! one of the ribbons i am using has these irredescent flakes on it, but my camera wasn't picking up the sparkle. enter brillant idea #1 for the day (possibly the week). i had a flashlight in one hand, shining a light on the ribbon, while taking pics with my other hand. all while standing with one foot on my couch and one foot on my bed. anything for the perfect shot, right?

now, any guesses on what i am making???