daily doodle day #16

the doodle for day number 16 is a hummingbird and who ins't awestruck by these lovely creatures :)
as soon as i started sketching this morning i knew i was inspired to take this doodle further!
i began a flowery wreath in ink and have plans to continue and finish with a watercolor wash.

a little side note of inspiration... we just bought these stamps and i am head over heels with the design, everything is made up with hearts! swoon! i've been gazing at these lovelies which i purposely placed on my desk for some cheerful eye candy.

hello bird!

a fun little piece i drew up yesterday in between some work... its always nice to take a break and make something just because. it wasn't until after i played around with the colors that i realized it kind of resembled my latest inspiration board!




& just in case you haven't seen over at society6 i have some designs up for sale as prints, tees, ipod/iphone skins and cases! including yesterdays hello bird! its really quite an amazing site.

inspiration >> from the philadelphia art museum

matt and i hopped in the car tuesday for a semi-belated valentines fun day and headed east to philadelphia!! it's been 2 years or so since i've been to the art museum (well over 3 for him!), so it was a long over-due trip considering we've frequented NYC museums more than philadelphia.
it was a wonderful trip filled to the brim with inspiration overload.

of course we brought our cameras along & snapped away.
& of course one of my favorites were the dutch tiles.
they are just so fun & simple, i can't help but love them.





i suppose i really enjoy ceramics and delicate paintings? because these asian dishes are so charming!




this shot came from one of matt's favorite sections- the armory!
the detail work on all the armor, swords and yes, even this gun was just so unreal.


there was also a small exhibit showcasing embroidery- my favorite piece (which photo didn't turn out due to lack of lighting) was a stitch sampler that dated back to the 1600s! the stitches created intricate lines, shapes, flowers, designs and looked like a well thought out pattern, it was oh so lovely & inspiring!

woodland garden >> inspiration

these matching curtains & shams from urban outfitters make me swoon. the punchy colors and the simple yet playful line-work are a dream come true! if that wasn't enough woodland garden love there is even a rug to go with this set. talk about a lovely dose of inspiration. 

inspiration >> paint palette pillows

how lovely are these watercolor paint palette pillows from cb2? i was flipping through their most recent catalogue yesterday and my heart stopped, i am head over heals in love. they remind me of the little pieces of scrap paper where i test what color i mixed or how thick the watercolor pigment is. i just might have to own one.... or both... of these.

snowflake kites >> starbucks commercial

i just saw this last evening & I can't get the imagery out of my head, the snowflakes are so whimsical & dreamy. i've been contemplating making paper snowflakes to hang- its now definitely on my crafty to do list. enjoy!

december inspiration + promo mailers!

my latest arrangement on my inspiration board has a mix of reds and greens to celebrate the season. the snippet of green polkadots is one of my holiday wrapping papers this year, swoon!



finally got to take a snapshot of my recent promo mailers featuring the piece ocean swept in deeper blues. i sent a batch out a couple weeks ago, must beef up my client list to send out the next round.



i am loving the back layout & design, it's only natural for me to handwrite my information... using a typical type just doesn't mix well when trying to showcase myself. hope you enjoy them as much as i do!

autumn leaves >> inspiration

yesterday i spent the unseasonably warm afternoon outside drawing and collecting leaves.
i think i may do some quick color studies from them before they become brown and crunchy.

october inspiration + nested

my new october inspiration board... i decided to go through old magazines/catalogues for this one and my eye was caught by creamy neutrals & hand drawn line work. 

another illustrator piece! i sketched this same idea next to the previous, ocean swept, so i think they have a similar feel. blogger seems to have really desaturated this one making the greens/browns look gray-ish. flickr has a better version (on my screen at least!)

a trip to the brandywine

we ended up at the brandywine river museum on thursday & it was absolutely beautiful. matt had never been so it was definitely extra special.

we purchased the general admission and the NC Wyeth home/studio tour. 

the studio. was. well, still is amazing. unfortunately we weren't able to snap photos inside, but this photo below is the north facing window of the studio. it had the most amazing light.

this is the path between the studio and the home.

from my own experience of the trip... even though i don't paint like the masters on display there, it is (beyond) amazing to see where/how illustration started. just to be in the same room as those works of art is jaw dropping. the history. the significance. and to put it simply, the talent. it was truly a fantastic day filled with inspiration.

our mini collection from the trip... the 2 postcards on the right are paintings by Andrew Wyeth & the bottom postcard is from inside NC's studio.

the green bib necklace

this beaded swag bib necklace from anthropologie  catches me eye every time i see it. i could never pull it off though, i tend to wear simple jewelry if anything at all.. i think i love it so much because of the gorgeous green color annnd that it reminds me of all my tiny circle drawings. 

super fun modcloth flats

these state fair flats from modlcoth are super adorable! they make me want to slip them on and hop on boardwalk rides all night & eat nothing but funnel cake.

also, sign me up for doing designs for insides of shoes!! how adorable is that?? my whole sketchbook is filled with birds!

"so makes me want to paint" commercial

just saw this lovely sherwin-williams commcercial on HGTV & it makes me want to run out to home depot and load up on paint swatches (you know, just because). oooh the colors! oooh the animation!! enjoy!

a must have

just spotted these gorgeous watercolor poppy plates over at  anthropologie and i am absolutely in love with them.

 they remind me of these snapshots i took in march at longwood gardens

oh happy owls

"hable construction pendants rug" by ooh_food on flickr

who doesn't love whimsical pennants tied up with string?? there is something so childlike and fun about those little triangles that I can't help but smile when I see them.



these owls brightened this cold and very rainy tuesday.

disney details

oh dear blog it's been over a month since I last wrote. I'm not intentionally neglecting you... I just wish I was still in Disney World. I know it's not much (we do have 983 photos) but here are a few of my favorite snapshots that inspire me in so many ways.

decorative/bright/fun bird totem in animal kingdom. swoon.

alice in wonderland display window. oh so lovely.

toy story 3 concept art. swoon again.

sculpted cowboy woody. made me chuckle.

spaceship earth detail. perfection.

see some more photos on my flickr ! no, I haven't uploaded all 983 yet but there is more eye candy.

inspiration snapshots

I'm always in awe over Gennine's beautiful snapshots of her studio and inspiration boards, they are always so stunning!! I swoon over the natural light and fun prints/postcards/handmade everythings she decorates her work space with.


Here are some of the things I currently have tacked up on my inspiration board, it's always changing with different postcards, notes, & drawings! 





Clockwise from the left corner VanGogh calendar, thank yous from made by hank , a Susie G postcard print, a bird ornament from longwood gardens, an original watercolor by Amanda Chronister, a lovely card I received that features a Marjolein Bastin watercolor of watercolors, a postcard of Ye Pirate Cruncher by Jonny Duddle, Terrosel postcard by Joy Ang , a where the wild things are + longwood gardens ticket stubs, and in the middle... a thank you + pin from Leah Duncan, and my most favorite stamps the love king and queen!! all of which are pinned up by those cute ladybug push pins!



On my bookshelves you will find loads of Disney art of books, DIY magazines, wildlife reference, art prints, and yes.. of course bird things!

inspiration found afterwards

Just about a month ago I cracked open a brand new sketch book. It's always so exciting but... always so intimidating to start drawing on those first few crisp white pages. I began doodling a page of fun swirly hearts. This pattern below features my favorite one!

Not much more than a couple weeks later after my page full of hearts did Matt and I make a second trip out to Longwood Gardens... where we discovered this heart pattern! I love finding things like this after I've already drawn my own version.

Here are just a few other snapshots from the gardens... and most certainly future inspiration.

I just love the leaf-like pattern on these gigantic leaves.

This chrysanthemum shield is made up from just one plant- absolutely. amazing.

These little flowers were so delicate and vibrant.

Longwood Gardens

This past weekend was a fantastic one! Matt and I made a trip to longwood gardens & then to chestnut hill's arts and crafts fest. The weekend was filled with food, walking, and of course tons of inspiration! I took over 200 pictures at longwood- there was so much to see and we only saw about half of it. unbelievable! Here's just a small amount of the pictures I took- I have a feeling I'm going to start uploading my zillions of photos to Flickr..

I imagined this overhead shot of these gorgeous red flowers as a polka-dotted pattern

I just loved the color of this flower, its big shiny petals, and the tiny flowers floating inside of it

these swirled plants were one of my favorite finds

the water lilies were absolutely stunning, look how large they are!

inside part of the conservatory were these topiary bees hanging from the ceiling

this bench reminded me of an owl

can you tell I have a thing for scrolls and swirls? I loved the simplicity of this bench

this was part of a waterfall/fountain I just loved the pattern and texture

the shape and color of this flower reminds me of a paper lantern