Mai Autumn

how does your garden grow?

my whole world has been full of blossoms these days! my photo a day habit has me snapping oh so many lovely floral shots all over the place - plus some other inspiring scenes that only spring can provide :)

my birthday weekend was spent in beautiful vermont for my brother's graduation, so of course i had to get a few pictures of the gorgeous scenery there, as well.

i just live for this time of year! and now, i'm off to paint to my heart's content with all the windows open :) hopefully i'll have some things to share with you later!

 

(p.s. - these photos were all taken with instagram! follow me at maiautumn)

happy birthday to me!

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my birthday is on sunday!! since i'll be sharing my day with my momma, i started celebrating a little early (who wouldn't want to space their birthday out gradually over the course of a week? lol)

over the past few days, i've been daydreaming about all the things i hope to accomplish this year, as well as counting my blessings for all the fantastic things that have happened to me thus far on my little journey. i feel like a birthday is the perfect time to reflect on life a bit - it's my own personal "stop and smell the roses"  kind of day. so, i've put together a few of the things that are inspiring me and making me smile lately.

(Oh! also! in case you haven't been over to the etsy shop in a while, i'm having my annual birthday sale - 30% off everything (including original paintings!) for a limited time.)

now, onto the pretty!

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the new hbo show, girls - so far i am absolutely in love! and! lena dunham has the same birthday as me! how coincidental! - via

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the elegant ms. anne bancroft - via

 

and now, if you'll please excuse me, i'm off to continue my own little party over here ^_^

 

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decorating with vintage art

being in this new place, with all these empty walls, has inpsired me to expand on my (teeny tiny) art collection. i have my eye on some vintage paintings that i think would really add some character to this already quirky old house.

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my wish list could go on for days when it comes to artwork! i always love the salon style of hanging art all over the wall, (up to the ceiling and almost down to the floor!) from long ago times. i think i'm planning to execute some sort of gallery wall of this type in my living room, one of these days. for a really extensive history on this style of hanging art, go check out this article on apartment therapy: Hung: Salon-Style Display

so chic! :)

mother's day is near!

in case you aren't subscribed to the newsletter (you can sign up here!) or if you're not a facebook fan (get on that here too!) i figured i would share the discount i have happening for mother's day gifts! enjoy 25% off everything in the shop from now until may 6th at midnight EST. simply enter code FORMOM at checkout to reflect the discount.

this year my birthday is ON mother's day, so i will be celebrating the holiday in style with my momma (i mean, if you think about it, isn't a birthday also a celebration of the woman who brought you into this world anyway? i'm sure i was just the most perfect mother's day gift any mom could've asked for! hehe)

hope this spring weekend is treating you well!

new jewelry

i've been putting off adding new pretties for quite a while now, what with all this unpacking and decorating, (it takes longer than i thought to get situated!) so today, i finally got down to adding some of the jewelry that's just been waiting to debut in the shop. check it out!

you can find all these new pieces in the jewelry section of the shop - some of them are one of kind (that last one is actually a super rare vintage find!), so don't hesitate to snatch up your favorite before it's gone!

i've been painting my little heart out these days, too, so hopefully soon i'll be sharing some of my newest illustrations :)

i *cannot* believe it's already thursday! i hope everyone has a fantastic spring weekend! :)

getting settled

i'm finally starting to feel a little settled in my new place! although there are still boxes taking over a rather large percentage of my space, it's certainly starting to feel like home. (it doesn't hurt that it's just about the darned cutest place i've ever lived!) here are some shots i've been snapping these days.

i adore the way the light hits certain spots throughout the day! after all the boxes of books and things have been sorted out, i'll be sure to post photos of it all decorated. i have the sweetest lanterns to hang all over, and lots of art from my favorite etsy artists to start putting up on these walls! in between unpacking, i've been tinkering around with some new paintings and jewelry, so hopefully i'll get around to posting those soon, too.

my plan is to tackle the garden in the front yard this weekend :) so glad i moved in here just in time for spring! :)

new iphone cases and more

i'm so pleased to announce that some new illustrations of mine are available as iphone cases and skins on society6! you can also pick up prints, canvas prints and stationery with these fun new designs. i have a few of my other designs available on the site, as well, with more to come very soon. it's pretty neat seeing my work in such a functional way :)

signs of spring

goodness gracious, how time flies! i came over to check when i had last blogged, thinking it was only a few days ago, and it has already been over a week! between all this sunshine and nearly perfect temps we've been having here (and all the orders that you all are placing these days - thank you!!) i have been so busy, that i don't even notice the days passing! i am also having so much fun, so that's probably why, too :)

check out some great shots i've been getting as a part of my project365 attempt for the year (and i am happy to report, that for once, that is going swimmingly as well!)(it doesn't hurt to have instagram this year haha)

in order of appearance: happy little crocuses growing around my parents' mailbox; a wee snail found on the sidewalk while out for a stroll; my parents' dog, buddy!; sunshine on my windowsill (with art from elise mahan); and so much more sunshine over the trees (i can't get enough!)

i hope the start to your week is as bright and sunny as mine has been so far! happy almost spring!

 

spring in my step

yesterday i got down to actually painting a few little things, so i figured i'd share my musings with you!

 

 

 

 

 

"tawny owl" and "bird's nest" are available as 8"x10" prints (and the originals are still available too!) over in my etsy shop. since i'm having a 20% off spring sale over there, i thought it would be appropriate to kick it off with these new nature inspired pieces. hopefully the warmer temps keep on comin' and i keep on getting inspired to make new work! :)

hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!

big leaps

when i set out to write this blog post early on in the week, i realized, what better day than leap day to stop by to tell you all about the big leaps i've been making lately! lots of great new things have been happening, and i'm just bursting with excitement to tell you all about it! (i also wanted to have a little sale to celebrate, and you can find all the details about how to save 25% off the whole shop, today only, at the end of this post...)

i can't even believe i'm about to type this next piece of news, but, here it is - mai autumn is in a book! the new book i ♥ stationery came out last week. i just about died when my copy showed up, and there were my stationery designs on page 20! i've known about it for over a year, but it just didn't feel real until the actual book was in my hands.

the book was put together by the lovely charlotte rivers, and it features lots of beautiful stationery designers. i am so honored to be amongst all these talented artists! you can pick up a copy of i heart stationery here. (i still can't even believe it!)

in other news, i finally found a new place to live! i am moving back to the adorable town of ocean grove, nj, at the end of next month. i lived there a few years ago, and i've missed it so much, that i decided to move back. if you aren't familiar with the area, it is a tiny little town that looks as though time has stopped. all of the buildings are historically preserved, and there are adorable gardens, porches, and quirky details on most of the houses. i was already mentally moved in the minute i laid eyes on the wee little garden and quiet porch out front of my new place. i can't wait to share photos of it all once i'm moved in! it is full of so much character and i am just thrilled i'll soon be calling this little hideaway home :)

in the mean time, i've been enjoying having my family around while waiting for spring to finally arrive. the days when it's a tiny bit warmer are like little morsels of happiness when i can sit on the back deck and draw or write. it's just perfection!

(the above photos are from my project365 attempt - i'm doing okay so far! i haven't missed too many days this year! i hope to share more photo soon :)

i didn't forget what i said earlier about the sale! don't worry! in honor of leap day, you can enjoy 25% off the whole shop, for today only, with code LEAP - simply enter it at checkout to apply the discount. the code will expire at midnight tonight and cannot be combined with any other offers. 

(ocean grove image credits here + here)