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)

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! :)

 

happy summer!

summer is upon us! take 30% off the whole shop this weekend with code SUNSHINE30 (code expires at 11:59p EST 6/23)
i've been trying some new things (as you can see above) and i kind of like the direction this is going! i'm always trying to stay more present, so i thought maybe it might help to channel some of that energy into some new illustrations. what do you think?

i'm looking forward to lots of warm days ahead, with sand between my toes, salty ocean air in my lungs, and sunshine on my face. i hope you're all out there enjoying the season! :)

 

daydreaming - decorating

every once in a while, i get to thinking that this lil apartment of mine could use some new accents. decorating is one of those ongoing things that will never feel entirely complete, and i kind of like that about the whole process of designing a space - sort of little reminder that life itself is about constantly growing and changing as well. here are some goodies i've had my eye on lately....

((   hanging planter, throw pillow, succulents, overdyed rug, adorable bottle opener, diy tassel garland, iphone stand, cuckoo clock, flora print  ))

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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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mai autumn in west elm!

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

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! :)

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! :)

lovely bits from the interwebs

i've become somewhat like one of santa's elves overe here, what with packing all these orders and such, (thank you! to everyone who is shopping!) and in my in between time, i've been wandering around the internet finding pretty things like it's nobody's business. i guess this is kind of like a little wishlist, although some of these wishes are a bit unrealistic (ahem, a new living room and designer sofa..) here are some of my discoveries over the past few days...

 pretty gift packaging via pinterest

spanish wine glasses at spartan (via daily candy)

beautiful greens via conspicuous style

wall stencil via royal design stencils

earrings via seed and sky

wool sweater via andy ve eirn

original illustration via betsy walton

silk ikat clutch via eclu

 

ok, no more daydreaming about all these lovely goodies :) it's back to work for me!

frances palmer pottery

i've been attempting to avoid my computer all day, and it's not working :) but! i have come across something beautiful, so maybe my procrastination of getting down to any actual work has been worth something. frances palmer pottery has stopped me dead in my tracks this afternoon. there are just sooo many gorgeous pieces on this website and it's making me miss my time spent with clay while i was in college. check out these beautiful works of functional art...

aren't they stunning? all of the handmade pieces take my breath away! you can see more of this amazing designer's offerings over on her website.

now, i better try and pry myself away from this screen or i'm never going to get any work done today! toodooloo! :)

(all images via frances palmer pottery)