Finding Summer....

Memorial Day has always been the official start of Summer for my family,

( I know we have 3 more weeks until the real deal)

but...

I'm ready for Summer,

NOW!

just a few of my favorite summer things...

Long walks on the beach

cocktails by the seaside

the smell of honeysuckle

fireflies

beach combing

bbq's

picnics

lemonade

hollyhocks

candlelights dinners outside

watermelon

blueberry pie

lobster

a sunset sail

the smell of suntan lotion

swimming in the ocean, and jumping the waves!

....to me, it's the most wonderful time of the year!

How about you?

...what are your favorite things about summer?

Sunday Sketches - Just a sketch page

I am actually away from my scanner, (hey, it's a HOLIDAY weekend!)

BUT I have this sketch from last Thursday that I wanted to share...

It's just a few different ideas, people, and things...

The girl in colored pencil is a thought I have about putting ideas on paper...

....Sometimes I struggle with that....

Does anyone else?

Hope you are enjoying your long weekend,

as much as me!

Visit more great sketches here, at Blue Chair Diary

a wonderful blog, I think you might like, A LOT!

One of my favorites....Hydrangea

Happy Memorial Day

I'm gathering bouquets of one of my favorite flowers

and filling vases to the brim with Hydrangea...

white and blue!

My favorite summer flower!

Yippeee!....Summer is almost here!

It's a nice long weekend for me and the family...

we are going to eat lots of seafood, BBQ and hit the beach!

What are your plans?

Hope yours is a good one!

Heather

Images from House Beautiful Magazine

Cosmo Anyone?

Today is the movie premiere of Sex and the City 2,

and in honor of my favorite series, turned movie, 

 we're making

cosmos!

Cosmopolitan

1 1/2 oz Vodka

1 oz Cointreau

1/2 oz lime juice

1/4 oz cranberry juice

and one chilled martini glass...

Shake vodka, cointreau, lime juice, cranberry juice in a shaker.

Strain into a frosty martini glass .

Garnish with an orange slice or lime

add a few of your favorite friends, sit back and enjoy!

as you can see I am a huge Sex and the City fan, here are just 2 of my favorite quotes from the show....

“But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”

"When you're young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun.

Then, you grow up and learn to be cautious.

You could break a bone or a heart.

You look before you leap and sometimes you don't leap

 at all because there's not always someone there to catch you.

And in life, there's no safety net.

When did it stop being fun and start being scary?”

I can't wait to see it!!!

How about you....do I have any fellow fans out there?

Illustration Friday - Early

"....Am I too early for the butterflies, asked Madeline?"

Part III of my Illustration Friday series on Madeline the Mouse.

You can find my other entries here and here

Madeline in the works!

Did Somebody say CHOCOLATE?

"And above all, think CHOCOLATE" betty crocker

One of my favorite spots in NYC is Teuscher.  A chocolate lover's dream, Teuscher is home to fine Swiss chocolate, served in some of the most decadent boxes you have ever seen. This tiny shop offers chocolate confections in sweet boxes shaped like kitty cats, frogs, or even a bride and groom. You can also purchase the chocolates by the piece. My favorites are the cocoa truffles, YUM! Offering the finest in Swiss chocolate, Teuscher not only has the most beautiufl boxed chocolates but a large selection of chocolates by the piece including a menagerie of whimsical milk chocolate owls, dark chocolate cats, fish, and more...

And if you are a fan of truffles, their Champagne truffles are made with real champagne, fresh cream, butter and CHOCOLATE of course, and YES, they are DELICIOUS. A little splurge here and there is ok with me.  Teuscher can be found at 25 East 61st Street, or right in the heart of NYC at 620 5th Avenue, Rock Center .

Yes, this is a box of chocolate!

and so are these!
Next time you are in NYC, visit Teuscher, or just go here. The will ship right to YOU!

Happy Monday!

Heather

Sunday Sketches - Hanging On

"Dreams, ideas and plans not only are an escape,

they give me purpose,

a reason to hang on..."

My husband always tells me that he loves the fact that I have so many ideas in my head

...and he's right, I DO!

I'm always thinking, planning, rearranging, sketching, cooking...coming up with something new....

I guess that's what keeps me going

....keeps me happy and alive

I always like to say,

So many ideas, so little time....

but without my dreams of becoming a whimsical book illustrator,

or a famous cookie maker, or a teacher

or living in new york city as a stationery shop owner,  

or a making my mark as a fabulous decorator,

I don't know

what I would do...

they really do keep me hanging on!

and that's OK with me!

How about you...

what ideas and dreams help you hang on?

Speaking of ideas...here are 2 ideas from my little girls....for this week's Sunday Sketches...

Summer, age 7 and Saylor (Pup), age 5

For more artists and dreamers

head on over to one of my favorite blogs,

Blue Chair Diary...you will LOVE what you see....

Happy Sunday!

Heather

Illustration Friday - Equipment

The very next day, Madeline ran to get her equipment

and went out in search of the monarch butterfly...

This is part II of my previous IF post which you can see here

A rainy day...Alphabet Style

Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

~Langston Hughes

It's a rainy day spring day here,

and I'm sharing my illustration of "R"

for rabbit, rose, rulers...and robots...rain, rain and more rain...

 

Don't cry over spilled milk!

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk...

The coffee pot broke this morning!!!! AAAHHHHGGGG! -

so after several attempts to fix it with a fork and a paperclip, my sweet husband ran to Starbucks to grab me my Venti Skim Misto....!!!!

So, all is well now.

Happy Monday

Heather

Sunday Sketches - Who Shall I Be

Who Shall I be Today?

How about you? How many hats are you wearing today?

Don't you find it hard to juggle sometimes?

Happy Sunday!

Visit Sophia, over at Blue Chair Diary, and take a peek at all of the

GREAT artists that participate in Sunday Sketches!

Happy Friday

Happy Friday...

So, just taking a little break from watercolors today,  and I'm thinking of  colors to paint my bedroom walls -

they are bubblegum PINK right now...romantic right?

So, I'm off to the paint store...they know me there...."Back again...???!"

So, I might have a small obsession with PAINT!!!!

This time I'm going to try these samples....

All from Benjamin Moore.

What do you think?

I want GLAMOUR - I want something SPARKLEy - I'm done with the PINK...

I want to feel like I LOVE my bedroom....

So, these bedrooms from Bella Notte are my inspiration.

BLACK and WHITE!!!

BTW, Bella Notte makes the SOFTEST most luxurious

throws and blankets this side of dreamland. The Silk Velvet Quilted blanket is a MUST!

Highly recommend...and SO dreamy....

What about this room?

Again from Bella Notte

.... black and white again...

Yes, It is my favorite color scheme!

....so, here goes!

what are you up to today?

Illustration Friday - Fearless

Charles, the fearless flyer

"Listen to the passion of your soul,

set the wings of your spirit free

and let not a single song go unsung"

Sylvana Rossetti

Sunday Sketches - A little bit of freedom

Sunday Sketches

"The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.”

It took courage for me to get on a plane this weekend and leave my kids behind

for a quick get-away with my friends...

I used to love to fly, but then after 9/11 and the birth of my first daughter, Summer Rose, the idea of flying terrified me...

It's been a slow process of getting back up in the air for me...

each trip gets easier and easier...I get a bit more courageous every time...

I saw this little girl on the beach this weekend on my trip and thought about the freedom we have as children....No worries, no fear, pure joy and excitement...about life...

She was free...

She was courageous...

She wass happy!

Just like me this weekend,  it took courage for me to get on the plane,

but when I did, I felt free...happy and FREE!

Happy Sunday

Heather

Looking for Me?

I'm taking a little R&R with my dear girlfriends...

a little early Mother's Day gift....

As you can see I'm real busy...

just me and my favorite magazines, a book and the sounds of the ocean....

So, happy early Mother's Day to ALL of the moms out there!

"A friend is someone who knows all about you....and LOVES you anyway"

Here's to my girlfriends!!!

"A friend is the first one to come in when the whold world has gone out!"

Heather

Illustration Friday - Cocoon

Madeline had just discovered one of nature's little miracles...the cocoon...

Sunday Sketches - Follow Your Bliss

Follow Your Bliss...

Joseph Campbell

It's Sunday! Time for Sunday Sketches...So head on over with me to the Blue Chair Diary and meet a whole bunch of talented artists following their bliss by drawing what they love, and loving what they do!

This sketch is dedicated to my good friend, Mindy, who just completed her Yoga certification. She is a mommy of two and has been working all year to follow her dreams of becoming a certified yoga instructor!

I am so proud of her.

"Yoga is about clearing away whatever is in us that prevents our living in the most full and whole way. With yoga, we become aware of how and where we are restricted -- in body, mind, and heart -- and how gradually to open and release these blockages. As these blockages are cleared, our energy is freed. We start to feel more harmonious, more at one with ourselves. Our lives begin to flow -- or we begin to flow more in our lives."
Cybele Tomlinson

Are you following your bliss? 

I hope so -

Heather

See No Evil....

See No Evil...Speak No Evil...Hear No Evil...

these little bears are up to something....

This is an original painting series I just completed for a client's new baby boy...

So Cute!

Happy Saturday...

Heather