Mai Autumn

settling in

moving is a lot more stressful than i imagined. now that my wee little business is the size of a 10 ft truck, it wasn't exactly a week long process. i think this month has been the first time (since october!) that i'm feeling like i actually *live* here, and not just inside of a cardboard box fort (although box forts can be fun). 

i finally have had time to make some plans and think about what i want to accomplish for the year, all while actually decorating a little bit. here are some snaps from my new life up here in jersey city :)

(the prints in the first photo are from the lovely clare elsaesser. i am thrilled to have such a grown up bedroom here!)

(you can also snag the white peacock feather in my shop - prints and original are available)

thank you!

I can't believe this year is almost over! I have been so busy with making, and designing, and attending events these days, that I haven't had a stitch of time to say hello here! It's the greatest feeling knowing that my work touches people's lives, and this year has been no exception in finding out just how many people I reach through my work. My life may be tiny, but I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world to get to do what I do. Thank you to each and every one of you who buy my art, comment on my posts and email me or meet me in person telling me amazingly sweet things! I feel truly blessed :)

To all who are reading this teeny blog, I hope your holiday season is merry and bright, and your 2014 brings you the best year yet!

falling into fall

as the weather gets cooler, i'm finding myself holing up in my house just painting my heart out. i'm hoping it results in the shift i've been searching for as the seasons change.

i've also been reading georgia o'keeffe's biography, Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe. she was such an inspiration.

(via kiki and polly)

there are some new things up in the shop, and i'm now offering free domestic shipping on all orders over $75, so please check it out :)

 

summer took me

goodness i have lost track of time! this summer has been a whirlwind of fun and i've been so busy with personal work, keeping up with all my print orders, (thank you guys! it's been awesome to be this busy!) and hanging out with all my friends and family, that i totally forgot to share all that's been happening! here are some highlights of what i've been up to lately....

i'm really getting into decorating my little house :) i'm hoping someday i'll be "done" but, i know that's impossible!  above, i made my own chalkboard out of a frame from the craft store, some chalkboard paint and a piece of particle board (so easy!); "release my wild soul" print from earmark; teensy photos of lovely garden scenes from abby try again

wall hanging from, bookhou and geninne; vintage botanical canvas and globe found here in ocean grove; fern and circular galaxy prints from elise mahan; and a teensy print of my own white peacock

"pink bather" print from kiki and polly; lanterns from anthropologie; mirrors from secret window mirrors; shadow box from homegoods.

i've been spending a lot of my art making time on this painting (that is taking forever) of my friend ashley jensen (check out her photo work - she's amazing!)

hopefully i'll have all that wallpaper finished soon and prints and the original will go up in my shop!

i've been juicing lots! this is one of my favorite recipes - so refreshing and easy!

i've also been going nuts over painting my nails. it's my me time :) kind of meditative!

always enjoying my favorite neighboring city, asbury park, nj. above, a photo of the silverball arcade museum on the boardwalk, and the beach facing convention hall. such a fun place!

and of course, last but not least, i've been enjoying time at home with my best little furry friend, boo :)

i can't believe it's already august and i'm starting to plan things for the holidays (i know!)

i'll pop back in soon with lots of new lovely things and news to share - lots in store for the months ahead!

enjoy the rest of summer out there! :)

 

interview on hazel wonderland

i'm so excited meredith, from hazel wonderland, got in touch with me to do an interview for her, "become your dream" series! i hope you enjoy finding out a little bit more about me :) go check it out over here.

hello and happy holidays

(this is my only christmas-ey thing i had time for this year - a pine scented candle. oh yea)

what a whirlwind of a month it has been! i have not stopped since the week of thanksgiving getting all your orders packed up and shipped out (thank you, thank you, thank you! to all my wonderful customers!!)

all the excitement has me starting to get a teeny head cold (i'm starting to notice this happens every year once i've finally hit the holiday shipping deadlines) but my spirits are high. this year has been more amazing than i could have ever dreamed and i am so thankful for all of it!

i'm off to rest up a little bit before i start (yes, start) my holiday shopping. and then, it's onto bigger and better things for 2013! i hope i'll have more time to pop in and say hello on this blog, since i really enjoy sharing and getting to know all of you out there.

here's wishing you all a wonderful hoilday season and a very happy new year! see you in 2013! (Ah!)

favorites

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as september comes to a close, i'm realizing time seems to be speeding up and slowing down at the same time. i came across an article that made me feel quite nostalgic, and i thought i'd pop in to share.

a short little article was posted over on zatista a few weeks ago about back to school art supplies. all the talk about crayons got me to remembering that my absolute favorite crayon was always cerulean. i loved it so much that i would use up the whole crayon before any of the others, (and i have to admit, i think i might have stolen a few replacement cerulean crayons in times of need!)

upon realizing this, it dawned on me that quite a bit of my work as an adult centers around shades of this exotic color! it's funny when you notice your favorites still ring true, even through all the chaos of growing up and entering "the real world".

so, in honor of remembering my favorite childhood hue, here are some lovely cerulean sights :)

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as the air turns cooler

it's apparent that it's almost september with the cooler air that keeps waking me up in the morning. i've been busy working on a lot of new work - some of it is up in the shop, others i have yet to post, but here are some things that have been happening in my studio these days.

and if you've been in the etsy shop, you might have noticed a few new peacock feathers popping up! i'm planning to do lots of these. they are so fun to paint with the metallic acrylic i've been adding.

i also did some traveling earlier this month to visit a friend in san diego, and i realized i never shared any pictures! i think these tropical snapshots are just the thing to send off summer.

as you may know, fall is one of my favorite seasons (half of my business name is autumn after all!) so i'm looking forward to crisp nights, the smell of fall leaves, enjoying a nice glass of red wine on the porch, and a quieter little beach town atmosphere. 

i hope the start to your week is lovely! see you in september!

what's inspiring me

i've been pretty busy lately, but i always have time to get inspired by all the amazing things i find all over the internet and in magazines. here is a peek into what i've been paying attention to lately...

maria elina

erin gregory

the white deer

lucky hemlock

fatma

lucky hemlock

 

i've also been working on lots of new illustrations and i'm sure you'll be seeing them soon! :)

mai autumn in west elm!

pretty darn cool seeing one of my peacocks in the new west elm catalog! :)