A Visit to the Florist - Home Office Inspiration

Home Office Mood Board:

A Visit to The Florist

One of my new illustrations becomes a visual mood board for a spring office re-do

 

 

Be bold and go daring with a dark dramatic black wall....

and fun pops of green just in time for spring....

 

Walls are Benjamin Moore Almost Black

and you can find all of my spring office must haves here

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Something Fun for the Kids....Snail Mail is Good

 

 

Do your kids love snail mail as much as mine?

Well, I am beyond excited to be the Illustrator of Petit Mail - a new monthly snail mail subscription from the Petit Cadeau Blog. Petit Mail is Snail Mail for small children complete with fun,... colorful envelopes and other little surprises, mailed right to their door once a month!

 

My kids absolutely LOVE getting mail in the mailbox.

So much more fun than an email, don't you think.

 

 

Petit Snail Mail would make the perfect gift for your kids, nieces and nephews, grandkids and favorite little person in your life.

 

So,  head over to The Petit Cadeau Blog and help choose the names of these adorable new characters and You could win a year's subscription of Petit (Snail) Mail.

 

Good Luck

 

 

 

4th of July Faves

I love the 4th of July. Parades, picnics, and good old fashioned patricotic fun!

 So this week my Favorites are all about the STARS and STRIPES! 

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I am in LOVE with this hair pin, The Starlette Sparkler, from Giant Dwarf on Etsy.

I think it's the perfect way to add a touch of whimsy and sparkle to my 4th of July.

These edible gold stars from The Bakers Confections 

are perfect for adding to your 4th of July baking recipes.

I just might add these to my famous chocolate chip cookies, this year!

These patriotic glasses from Wink on Etsy would make a perfect hostess gift,

throw in a jug of fresh homemade iced tea and you are good to go, and welcome back any time!

And we can't forget about the dogs!

Four Spoiled Dogs makes the cutest dog accessories,

 and this has to be my favorite for the 4th that I have seen in a while!

Enjoy!

In love with ....this week's MUST Haves

Those of you that know me, know my obsession with black and white. From my clothes to my house, it's pretty much my staple....BUT, lately I am falling in love with another color....yes, GOLD! Black and Gold is so rich, and so fun....So this week I share with you....my black and gold cRUSH!

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1& 2. TOTALLY obsessed with THE ROPES, these gorgeous bracelets are at the top of my list this week... Made by Shana Aldrich Ready, they are just too cool and are the perfect accessory for my summer style.  

3. and who WOOD'nt want to write with GOLD WOODen pencils?

These are just too fabulous not to have....from my new favorite Etsy shop InkKit

4. I love Stephanie Creekmur's shop on Etsy, too....this Hey Y'all print is so fun!

5. and of course, being born and raised in New Jersey, this gorgeous art print from Rocket Ink has got to have a place in my home...

Hope you enjoyed a little BLACK and Gold fun!

and a my favorite things from this week!

Thief!

Do you compare yourself to others?

Do you look at the people around you and think, " Gee if I only was as thin, athletic, talented, rich, happy, pretty, lucky, smart, (etc) as that person, my life would be better? More fulfilled?

Well, one of my favorite quotes, Comparison is the Thief of Joy really helps you put those feelings to rest.
Think about it....When you compare yourself to others, you are forgetting to see how capable and beautiful you really are. When we look at others in a light that's brighter than our very own, it diminishes your self value and your own self worth.

Why compare yourself to someone else? YOU are YOU. There is NEVER going to be another person like you out there....Isn't that kind of cool? Isn't better to look inside and see all the amazing things that you have to offer rather than looking at someone else and seeing what they have and measuring their worth against your very own?

So let's not let Miss Comparison raid our thoughts and steal our joy....let's be happy with who and what we are and focus on keeping the joy in our very precious one and ONLY lives!

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day 2013

Show the Earth you LOVE her today and every DAY! 

***WINNER of our pretty spring notepads

Kerry from Made for Real

Congratulations!

For the Love of Forsythia....

Forsythia is in full bloom here in the Northeast

 I am so enjoying the bright vibrant yellow bushes that seem to be everywhere. Makes me wish they stayed yellow and in full bloom all year. They can really brighten up your spirit even on a dark and cloudy day.

More Forsythia....

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 "Forsythia" Paint Swatch....would look pretty in a powder room

by Sherwin Williams

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I love seeing it bunched in urns and vases.....at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

and at The Viceroy Hotel in Miami

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I even made my own wrapping paper out of a forsythia print I made this week.

and our new forsythia note pads make writing all of those thank you notes a breeze.

We love them so much we are giving away 3 personalized notepads to one lucky winner!

Just leave a comment on our blog and you will be entered to win!

We will let you know the winner on Friday.

They make a great gift for Mother's Day!

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Enjoy the View....

Today is a LAZY day....Breathe in Deep....Exhale...

 and ...........Just RELAX

and enjoy the view!

( mine is from sunny sun kissed Florida)

Color Code - Spring Bulbs

Hyacinth are one of my favorite Spring bulbs. I picked up a few for my house and am counting the days until they open and fill the house with their delicious aroma! The yummy greens and yellows are a pleasant addition to the gray skies and snowy weather we have here in the North East....I am totally ready for spring!
How about you? Ready for Spring yet?

Grab Your Pencil

It's so true! I love this quote - Are you ready for an adventure?  Just grab a pencil and a piece of paper and you are off and running anywhere you would like! Maybe you draw the letters of your name in a fancy script. Maybe it's a sandy beach scene on a cold winter's day...Or maybe you write an award winning speech, or a thoughtful love poem with your #2, but whatever you sketch or scribble you are beginning an imaginative 

trip to anywhere your mind can take you!

Isn't that wonderful?

So if we are going on a trip we need some cool pencils to take us there...

Here are a few of my favorites 

I am thinking of upgrading myself to these white days of the week pencils  or Wear Sequins to Breakfast Pencils....All from Amanda Catherine Designs

(I love the idea of a pink pencil!)

 Nothing like a pencil scripted with inspiration - So, OH Happy Day! and We are What We Make 

are 2 more of my favorites available here 

I'm off to draw my next adventure!

*Pencil Print available here

Sunday Sketches - Believe You are Beautiful

Do you believe you are beautiful? I hope so, because you are!

Tell the world you are beautiful today and Believe IT!

Hello! We are busy preparing for our Oscar Party. The girls and I have planned a fun filled evening with candy and homemade pizza bites Inspired from Wreck it Ralph and Crab Cakes inspired by Silver Linings Playbook. (and the hunky Bradley Cooper). 

We will also be munching on Chicken Fingers aka "Gator Tails" 

ala Beasts of the Southern Wild....

It should be a fun evening, no doubt!

How about you will you watch The Oscars?

For me, I personally love the commentary before and I will definitely be tuning into

 E! Live from the Red Carpet to see all of the glamour!

PS - I am also sharing this sketch with my friends over at Sunday Sketches

See You There!

Power of the Mind

I saw this quote yesterday and couldn't stop thinking about it. 

The Mind Attracts the Things it Dwells Upon...

So in other words, 

What we think...we become....or as Buddha says we are what we think.....

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought...." Buddha

I am off to dwell on positive amazing things today, care to join me?

....let's think AWESOME, so we can Become AWESOME together!

Living in the Sunshine

It's a cold and snowy weekend here on the East coast . 

I am cuddled up inside dreaming of living in the sunshine and swimming in the sea...

Care to join me for some Sunshine dreaming?

Hope So!

Have a good weekend, my friends!

-xx

A few of my faves....

Well the coffee is on and I a have "ELF" on in the studio today. I am getting into the holiday spirit and watching all of my favorite movies today while I work!

Seriously, one of the best parts of working from home is being able to tune into my favorite holiday movies while I am working...I am definitely Thankful for THAT!

Here is a list of my favorite TOP 5 Holiday Movies

 

1. ELF

2. The Holiday ( starring Jude Law!)

3. White Christmas ( I could sing and dance along all day!)

4. Polar Express (saw it again last night!)

5. The Santa Clause ( love all 3 movies!)

 

How about you?

Do you have any favorites?