the tree house room

a bed hand-crafted from from fallen tree limbs indigenous to the islands surrounding charleston, south carolina? yes, please!

ryan and i are planning a road-trip honeymoon after our wedding on august 1st, and the first place we're going to go is charleston. we love the idea of staying in a quaint little bed & breakfast there, so i was doing some browsing this morning and happened upon the beachside bed & breakfast, which houses this incredible room! they say "the large circular canopy encases the bed to mimic the feeling of being nestled high within your childhood tree house. enjoy a nature inspired spa like pebble stone walk in shower private to the tree house suite." that sounds just marvelous to me.

do you all know of any wonderful bed & breakfasts in or near charleston that you could recommend? or restaurants? or things that just can't be missed in charleston?

collaboration with polarity

recognize these images? those are my paintings! on necklaces! cat, the lovely lady behind the polarity etsy shop, asked me if i would like to collaborate with her on this locket necklace set, and of course i said yes! her lockets are so cool- they're made from recycled auto parts and magnetic lids, and each set comes with 3 interchangeable lids.

these necklaces are part of a brand new series that cat is creating for her shop in collaboration with etsy artists. what a fabulous idea!

you can pick up my set right here, and browse the rest of the amazing lockets right here.

*big thanks to cat for inviting me to collaborate!*

new painting: april showers

here is another new painting from the weekend. this one is called "april showers"-- it's been raining a lot here lately, and you know what they say: "april showers bring may flowers..."

bring 'em on! i'm so ready for warm weather and flowers!

illustration: helgi p. einarsson

helgi p. einarsson is from iceland, which instantly makes anyone cool in my book. i want to visit iceland so much. and the fact that helgi's images are amazing is even better.

whale soap dish by fox and clover (+ a video post)

i want this whale soapdish *so badly*. fox & clover's work is so incredible.
i just hit 900 etsy sales, and one of my twitter buddies suggested i congratulate myself with a gift. i think i'll wait until i hit the big 1,000 sales, but this is high on the list for possible self-gifts! oh, i love it so.

ps- my first ever video post is up over on pecannoot-- if you want to see what i look like with make-up (remember this post without it? eek), then head on over! i felt silly talking to my computer, but i'm excited to be entering the realm of low-tech video-- yay!

new painting: let the world swirl around you

hello and good morning!

another weekend down the hatch. it was a relaxing one around here-- i painted (this new one is called "let the world swirl around you"), listened to the rain and thunder, went on a long walk with ryan and admired the trees and flowers, bought groceries, made chili, mailed some etsy orders (do you know that i'm one sale away from 900 in my etsy shop? i hope i make it by the end of march!), ran on the treadmill, worked on my animation, discovered i think i have a wheat allergy, and became obsessed with watching "hell's kitchen" on the laptop in bed with ryan. it was a fun weekend! (aside from the wheat issue. i'm going to go gluten-free for a while to see how i feel. got any gluten-free recipes that you swear by? send them my way!!))

what did you do this weekend?

vote for me on threadless!

morning, all!

just a quick weekend post to try to solicit your votes for this t-shirt i designed! it's in the running over at threadless in their "threadless loves green" challenge, in anticipation of earth day, and if i win it will be printed (so you can buy it!) and i'll get some cool stuff, too!

you can check out all the submissions here, and vote for mine right here.

voting ends april 6th, so get on over there! i'll love you forever. :)

wedding inspiration

so, as some of you may know, i am getting married in just a little over 4 months. 4 months! oh my gosh.

i have a lot of the big details worked out (photographer, band, venue, cake, dress), but the little details are the part that i haven't even started thinking about yet because it's the part that scares me the most!

i thought you might like to see some of the images that have made their way into my wedding inspiration folder recently-- one of these days i'll be able to show you my own ideas, once i finally face my fear and start planning the "look" of our wedding! such pressure, i tell you. :)
i haven't even thought about what the invitations are going to look like yet-- ack!

if you have any wedding resources that you swear by, please feel free to send them my way! i think i need to have a stockpile of resources ready to go for that looming day on which i realize i have to figure it all out, and fast!

*have a great weekend, my dears! see you monday!*

david shillinglaw

david shillinglaw is a freelance artist in london and from his website it seems like he lives that dreamy life that i imagine every artist in london lives. (why don't i live in that city? seriously.)

endlessly working with other hip, talented artists, bumping into incredible people on the street, making a mysterious living by making cool stuff... this is pretty much how i envision all young artists in london living. ha! why does the grass always seem greener on the other side (in this case, london)?

anyway, do check out david's work, because it's crazy awesome, and you will love it. david is also a contributing blogger over at fecal face, and man this guy is inspiring. just look at these photos from a trip to amsterdam! (another city in which i wonder why i don't live, by the way. sigh. perhaps it's time to plan a spontaneous trip!)

{via little paper planes blog}

illustration: adrian johnson

i love when artists email (or tweet) me to tell me about an artist they think i might like-- so a big thank you to kenn goodall for introducing me to adrian johnson's work, because he was right- i loved it the second i clicked over to his website!

just look at these illustrations! they're pleasantly retro, aren't they? and i love the colors, of course-- adrian is a master of using just a few colors and creating amazing results.

print sale! print sale!

lovelies, i wanted you to know that i'm having a sale in my etsy shop right now-- buy 3 prints get a free surprise! i have LOTS of things to surprise you with, and every surprise will be different.

if you've had your eye on some prints, now is just the right time to get 'em!

hop on over to the shop-- the sale will be going on through friday april 10th, which is 2 weeks from tomorrow. and if you have any questions, drop me a line!

**just a note: the gocco prints in my shop count, too-- any 3 prints in the shop will get you a free surprise. :)

illustration: sonia pérez

i discovered sonia pérez's work on flickr yesterday-- there is such a plethora of talent on flickr, isn't there? it's like a rabbit hole sometimes-- you start clicking, and then you look at someone's contacts and click some more... all of a sudden you don't know how you got where you are. this is how i came upon sonia's work.

you can see more here-- they're really wonderful!

new illustration: exploding spring

this brand spankin' new drawing is available in my etsy shop! want to celebrate spring with some new art on your walls? head on over there. my shop is heaped full. :)

this one is called "exploding spring", which is how it feels in atlanta right now. i love it!

illustration: catriel martinez

oh man, another goodie today. catriel martinez is a graphic designer and illustrator in buenos aires, argentina, and i wish i had a book of his work sitting in front of me right now. i would oogle over it all day long and get absolutely nothing done. it would be great.

[more gorgeous work: on his website and flickr page.]

david pohl

david pohl's illustrations are the kind that if i saw them in a magazine or newspaper, i would make it a point to find out who created them. that doesn't always happen with me (i pass over a lot of illustrations without a second thought), but these would capture my attention instantly if i saw them somewhere.

so now i'll be keeping my eye out for his work out in the world-- i think it's just amazing! i particularly like that red and pink piece above.

i remember when i was in elementary school pink and red clothing was NOT supposed to be worn together-- if you did, you were *very* uncool. there were 2 girls (you know, the mean kind) that tortured this poor new girl who had moved from alaska and happened to wear pink and red together one day. they called her "the alaskan clasher", and they never let her live it down. oh, kids can be so mean!

anyway, i digress. i love pink and red together. it's one of my favorite color combinations. and david pohl's work is on my favorite list now, too. make sure to check out his website!!

illustration: graham carter

oh boy. speaking of cohesive styles, would you just look at this guy. *incredible*. graham carter is my new favorite artist for today. all i can say is a big fat WOW.

check out his website and his portfolio over at boxbird. sigh. i want to plaster my walls in these images.

question: do you work in several styles?

i need your help, dear readers.

first, a question: if you are an artist, do you work in several styles, or do you have one cohesive style/product?

the reason i ask is because i'm having trouble deciding how all my work relates as a whole. i think it's because i'm so close to it, that it all seems like it just looks like it's mine, but then sometimes i'll look at, say, a painting and pattern next to one another, and they look like they were made by 2 different artists (see above images).

i work in a few different mediums, and seem to have a few styles as well. for example--

painting:


illustration (left: more cartoony, right: a bit more realistic maybe)


repeating patterns (left: cartoony, right: more realistic)

do any of you out there have this conundrum? if so, do you feel like it's a problem as far as your professional image goes, or do you like when artists are doing a few different things at the same time? or does it make it too confusing?

i'd love to know what you think-- sometimes i feel like i need to narrow in and focus on one thing or another, but it make me feel sad to think of not being able to create whatever and however i want because it doesn't look cohesive enough.

do you have examples of artists you love that have several different styles?

do any of you create in different styles and use a pen name to separate them? (nate williams does this and i sort-of love the idea!)

i can't wait to hear what you have to share with me on this topic!

a collaboration with A Print A Day!

i am so so so thrilled to tell you about this kit that i created for a print a day that's now for sale in her shop! remember the fat unicorns? well, this kit is based all around them and is just as girly and rainbow-y as can be!

here is a preview of what is in the kit:

it's all digital, so if you purchase the kit, you'll be able to download the kit and use the images over and over, as much as you please. fun, huh?

make sure to check out the rest of the kits in the a print a day shop, because they are all seriously incredible and will make for some fantastic projects!

new illustration: let it all go

happy monday morning, friends! this weekend was lovely and springy here in atlanta, and i spent a lot of time walking outside and doing non-work related things-- it was *lovely*! i donated some old clothes and pieces of clutter, went out for mexican food with my fiancé, ryan (twice-- eek!), walked to the library, found a new wedding photographer, and was just in a generally fantastic mood. it was great. what did you do?

anyway, this is an illustration i did on friday afternoon, and i have big plans for this little girl in a bear hat.

her name is lydia, and you've seen her before, i'm sure, if you've been reading this blog for a while-- she's been in several illustrations of mine, and i have an idea. not an idea that's ready to be shared yet, but keep an eye out for her, because hopefully i'll have fun news to share about her soon!

i just put this print in my etsy shop, so if you fancy it, you can grab your own copy if you please!

happy spring! (now go balance an egg)

happy first day of spring to you all! did you know you can balance an egg upright on the equinoxes? really. it's true. i've done it.

(ok, so apparently it's a hoax that you can only do it on the equinoxes, but i like to believe it's true. it's more fun!)

i hope you all have a fantastic, sun-filled weekend-- i am so excited to leave the cold weather behind and move into the cicada-cockroach-humid days of a georgia summer. see you all monday! thanks for totally rocking my blog world these last few days-- you all are too much. :)

{image via mister pp}

ryan mrozowski

these paintings by ryan mrozowski are a real treat to look at--- wow, i'm just fascinated by them.

there's a haunting quality about them that i really like, and i love how the acrylic paint looks a lot like oil. how did he do that?

and there are many more beauties on ryan's website to see!

{via fffound}

a big thank you to you all

i just want to say a quick thank you to you all. i was overwhelmed with your responses to my "this is the real me" post yesterday-- wow! i thought for sure everyone would skim through it, think "boring, why is she whining?) and move on. :)

but instead, your messages inspired me all day long! it was wonderful! i love the community here, and i look forward to more conversations like this in the future. yay.

you are all amazing. AMAZING!

{image via psd's flickr photostream}