Early Voting!

No need to wait until November to cast your vote, time to flex those voting muscles and support some wonderful creatives across America out there making the world a more beautiful and happy place to be!
I am so thrilled!! My "Back with friends" painting made it to the finales in the Kids Handmade Challenge under the Art category!! I do hope that anyone reading this will go out and vote for my for my painting!! It's simple and only takes a few moments go to this link Handmade Kid Challenge Register with Etsy if you haven't already, it's free and there is great shopping to be had for everyone once you do. Then cast your votes and don't forget to cast a vote on "Back with Friends" under the art category. The guest judges are from Boingboing, Cookie, decor8, Martha Stewart Living, Ohdeedoh, Parents and Treehugger. They will be choosing the Expert Panel Winners and I would love to be one of them!!

Last Breeze of Summer

My little Emma has once again inspired another wonderful watercolor.

As summer draws to a close and classrooms begin to fill, the Last Breeze of Summer caresses your skin. There is still the sweetness in the air and warmth on your arms, a complete sense of clam and joy as you look forward to the magic of the coming holidays.I have added two new delightful items to my Etsy shop, a beautiful giclee print and personalized card.

Transport For London

I absolutely love Transport For London. They have cameras all over the city and when ever I need my London fix I just click on their wonderful map and get live shots from my favorite places in the city.

Tuesday Book Review

In light of all the news surrounding the upcoming movie about Coco Chanel (staring my favorite french actress Audrey Tautou), I chose today's book "Different Like Coco" An absolutely delightful Illustrated children's book, about the real Coco. Unlike the charmed life of some of today's fashion designers like Stella McCartney or Tom Ford. Coco came from a very poor family and ended up in an orphanage at age 12 after her mother died. She was an amazingly independent and confident lady. Knowing that she just as good as any wealthy well-bred lady in Paris, she took her talent and creativity for sewing and made simple, practical, and comfortable clothes to fit her frame. The book has loads of wonderful facts about Coco Chanel, like how she invented the cardigan sweater, and made it fashionable NOT to wear a corset. Just think we could all still be wearing corsets today if it wasn't for Coco. This book is great for any age girl. Each page is full of delightful drawings and ends with an inspiring message to be yourself, be different like Coco!

The Plane

Okay, so here is my take on a modern little boys airplane as vector art. Waiting to hear my dad's response. He's going to cut one out in Masonite tomorrow at his home in Colorado and let me know how it comes out and if there are any more changes needed. I think it will look great as a stand alone piece or with the Eiffel Tower. Totally new to doing little boy things so it will be interesting to see how well it is received in the end by consumers.

A bit of advice

In The Fashion Lab Vogue Daily News

18 August 2008, 12:48PM

AS the modern fashion industry becomes increasingly globalised, style maven Daphne Guinness, writing in the Financial Times, is celebrating a return to individuality.

"Between couture fashion and street fashion, there is a certain continuity. It's great to go to London's Camden Market or downtown New York and see what the kids are wearing," she says. "Today, you don't even have to travel to do this; all you have to do is look at fashion blogs."

"On one site you might see a hipster in Williamsburg, New York, for example, in very tight, very shrunken jackets and trousers, and then you jump to another and see a different type of person wearing an oversized shirt, belted with silver tights. It's like a bunch of ad-hoc experiments going on all the time."

With the media focusing increasingly on which celebrities are wearing which labels - or, indeed, collaborating with them - seeking out individuals with style is more refreshing than ever before, Guinness adds.

"Celebrities almost never look good unless they are 'out' at something or other, while real fashion animals always look a little interesting, even if they are only going to Starbucks. Individuality will always exist," she asserts. "It's more that it has become very underground and doesn't infiltrate the mainstream as much as it should, so you have to search it out, which is getting more difficult, but also more rewarding."

"It's exciting to see people inhabit their look, wearing clothes from morning to night. Fashion at its most interesting and purposeful, whether it's the most expensive clothes being made or the least expensive, is not about showing off - it's about creation."

Tea For Two

Trying like mad to get a least one new item up on my online shop every week. Meet the latest illustration to my Remarkable Bird Shop.

Tea for Two

This was a really fun and fast image. It was Thursday at nap time and I was eager to get some art done. I had nothing even remotely ready to post for the weekend. I fell in love with some images of Emma having tea with her monkey and decided to draw and paint from there. In three days (which is absolute record time for me) I had my Tea for Two painting up in my shop. I'm hoping this week brings yet another wonderful painting (or two) But need to get busy on some wedding invitations for my sister-in-law and get that Global Gals logo colorized. Wow what a busy week I have ahead, hopefully I will get some of it posted on this blog too so everyone can see how all my projects are coming out. Oh, and I almost forgot. I need to get a plane drawn out too, my dad is going to cut it out of Masonite and we will add it to the shop for those who have little boys and want a plane to go with the Eiffel Tower instead of butterflies. I have to get the plans for the plane done this week and sent out so my dad has time to cut it out and bring it with him at the end of the month. Oh the work I will need to accomplish during Emma's nap.

Tuesday Book Review

A fun walk through one of my favorite clothing stores Anthropologie, Donald secretly purchased this book while I was browsing. What a wonderful surprise!! A Dictionary written by the man Christian Dior himself! I absolutely adore Dior!! And all that is real fashion. And to have a book written by him and now released again in print for all of us to young to be around during his life is exceptional. From Accent to Zest and everything that is fashion in between this is a great guide for those who know, love and want to stay fashionable. Somethings are truly timeless, and this book proves it.

Eiffel Tower

It's finally done. After almost a year of design, cutting, and painting, I finally finished my little girls Eiffel Tower and butterflies. It took me ages to decide what materials to use for the tower and butterflies and even longer to figure out what color to paint them. Then there was the matter of attaching them to the wall. I didn't want big holes or paint ripping off. I also didn't want a super pink room. So in the end my dad helped me pick out some great light weight pressed board (Masonite) Then he did the cutting at his home in Colorado. I used the color off of Emma's chairs from Pottery Barn for Kids (which is a lovely soft green), and the nice people at Home Depot made paint that matched perfect. I also found at Home Depot lovely little 3M poster mounts. I had to use 4 packs of the stuff, but the outcome means no holes in the walls and no paint that peals off and I can rearrange and take the tower with me where ever I move!! Voilà! a light weight, customizable, easy to affix to your walls over and over again, Eiffel Tower fit for a modern home!