Photography: Frances Jmelhop

Good morning! I can't believe it's Friday already. Although I did think it was Friday on Wednesday, so apparently I have no sense of time this week.

What I do know this week, though, is that I think these photographs by Frances Jmelhop are exquisite.

And I could pretty much die happy if I owned that dress below. I think I would find every holiday party possible to attend in that dress! I love it so much.

You can find Frances' portfolio here.
Have a fantastic weekend!!

{found via Esther Loopstra's blog}

mikey burton: wilco band poster

Holee Molee. Holy Moly!
I love this Wilco poster by Mikey Burton.

I have a thing for buffaloes. This is amazing.

He has lots more cool posters on his website. And you can buy stuff here, and see tons more work on flickr.

Goodness, I think I might be Mikey's new biggest fan.

united thread

I saw this top image by United Thread on the front page of etsy yesterday, and it caught my eye, so I clicked through to their shop. Boy am I glad I did! I love these pieces.

I think the colors and lines are fantastic, and they're quirky and fun.

Check out more from United Thread right here.

SPRING: inspiration in bloom

Spring. Inspiration in Bloom.

I am so thrilled to announce this project that I've been working on for the last few months with 3 incredibly inspiring ladies:

*Michelle Ward
*Jess Constable
and
*Carolyn Rubenstein

Spring is about dialogue. We will be creating monthly conversational video posts and blog posts around specific topics-- topics that you want to hear about and participate in! That said, we need your input.

The theme for our first video, which will launch the week of Thanksgiving, is gratitude. What questions/comments/experiences do you have around the idea of gratitude? Through sharing our own experiences and tossing around ideas suggested by you all, we hope to inspire not only ourselves, but also you in the process!

Head on over to our Spring website to learn more about the project and to leave us comments. (You can add comments here, too, or even email us if you want to!)

We have a badge, too, that you're free to put on your blog if you're inspired already:


We can't wait to hear from you and start exploring the topics that emerge!

brand new website: art wall

I am so so excited to introduce you to this brand new website called Art Wall this morning, not only because it's a fantastic concept, but because I created all the illustrations for the site! Katie Stephenson, the mastermind behind Art Wall (and she also runs Save Gocco and a lovely etsy shop,) contacted me back in June, and we've been working together ever since.



I also created this little animation trailer for the site. I love how it turned out!

And here are a few shots of the website pages. You can click on each frame to get a bigger view of the piece of artwork and read a description of it and the artist, and also to purchase. And my oh my, there are some wonderful artists involved!

HUGE congrats to Katie-- I know how hard she's worked on this project, and I can only imagine how thrilled she is that it's up and running this morning!

Please take a peek at the site and let me (and Katie, of course) know what you think!!

AND, you can become a fan on facebook, follow Art Wall on twitter, and check out the Art Wall blog. All the bases are covered. :)

Enjoy!

Blissful Monday: week 3

Here we are again, on Monday morning. Some people dread Monday mornings. I really like them. Fresh week, fresh start.

I'm loving these Blissful Mondays, too, because it's a reason to focus on gratitude and positivity instead of being sucked in by the Monday morning blues.

So, my bliss list for this week:

1. I really truly took a day off yesterday, and I sat outside on the back porch and read a whole book! It was sunny and perfect, and wow did i feel rejuvenated afterwards. (Oh, and I took a nap on the couch somewhere in there as well! Bliss.)

2. I bought my first ever baby clothes-- my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are having a baby in December, and my husband and I bought the cutest things at the Beehive Co-op here in Atlanta! We bought a onesie by happy family that says "chillin' in my crib" and couldn't stop laughing about it-- it's so funny! (This one is hilarious, too.)

3. The most delicious bread ever from Whole Foods.

4. My new duck bag that I ordered from baggu. It's the perfect size to lug all my stuff around, including my laptop. Perfect!

5. Wayne Dyer. I think this man is beyond brilliant, and his books rock my world.

***
Now it's your turn! What's on your bliss list this week? What are you grateful for?

I hope you have a beautiful start to your beautiful week!

darling clementine: christmas on the brain

I've got Christmas on the brain this morning, and I'm admiring these cards by Norwegian stationery company, Darling Clementine. I always design my own Christmas cards, but if I didn't, these would be the ones I'd choose to send out to my family and friends.

Check out more designs on the Darling Clementine website and buy some of these gorgeous cards in their etsy shop! It's never too early to stock up, right? The holidays are right around the corner! And won't your family think you're fancy when you tell them their Christmas card hails all the way from Norway? Oh yes, they will.

ps- aren't their photographs fun??

Gocco giveaway at Share Some Candy

Morning! I wanted to let you know about a big gocco giveaway that's happening over at Share Some Candy right now that I'm a part of-- 13 artists and 13 giveaways! It's pretty spectacular.

There's an interview with each artist, as well as lots of photos of amazing gocco prints, and all you have to do is leave comments on each artist's pages to enter the giveaways. Easy!

I love gocco, I love free stuff, therefore, this is awesome. Plus, Share Some Candy is amazing no matter what. Check it out!


{this gocco is by Kate Pugsley. I love it.}

Katherine Streeter

There will never be a shortage of artists that inspire me. Katherine Streeter is the latest in the ever-growing list. Isn't her work amazing? I love how spontaneous and free it feels-- I also really like how the background is so important in the pieces. They don't feel like backgrounds, because they seem like they're on the same plane as the subjects of the paintings. Does that make sense? I like how the subject and the background seem to be existing in the same space.

Anyway, Katherine's website is bursting with amazingness, so you'll definitely want to check it out. You can also find her on flickr.

And I'm finding myself really drawn to white drawing/painting on a black background lately.
I love the splash of color at the bottom of this one:

Just beautiful.

illustration: greasychickenface

Birds birds birds. What is there not to love about birds? Greasychickenface loves them, and her love is apparent-- look at the variety of gorgeous birds in her watercolors!

I'm tempted by all of these paintings. I think they are fantastic. AND, the best part is that greasychickenface is having a one day only sale in her shop RIGHT NOW, today, and all these beautiful pieces are just $15.00!

That piece at the top just might have to be mine....

You can also find greasychickenface on flickr, where you can browse more of her bird paintings. LOVE.

Blissful Monday: week 2

Hello hello hello! Happy November- wow, right? November already.

Here are some things that have made me happy in the past week. My BLISS LIST, if you will.

1. Waking up on Sunday morning without an alarm, and remembering that the time change had happened over night. So it was an hour earlier than usual! Love that.

2. New friends + trivia night at a smoky suburb bar. SO FUN. (Not the smoky part, but the rest of it.)

3. Beyoncé. I've had "Single Ladies" stuck in my head for DAYS, and I've even gotten Ryan in on it. We run around the house dancing to it while we're making dinner!

4. FALL. Oh swoon, this is my favorite season by far. The air smells good, the temperature is perfection, and walking around my neighborhood gets me all inspired.

5. Working on a super fun, hilarious project that I'm keeping *secret* for right now. I worked on it all day yesterday, even though last week I said Ryan and I were going to start taking Sundays off. Oh well- next week! To be revealed in the next few weeks.... :)

What's on your bliss list this week?

halloween 1989

Oh yes, that's me above. Halloween, 1989. Nine years old. Notice the remnants of my crimped hair-- I lived for crimped hair back in the day. My friend Kristen (picture below) and I made an alien and spaceship costume together, and for some reason she got to wear the papier maché spaceship that we jointly made. Probably because she was taller. And cooler.

We had these awesome purple 2-toed feet that my mom made, which you can see in the photo of Kristen, and these killer 3-fingered silver gloves that Kristen's mom made. We tie-dyed the shirts ourselves. Kristen and I were very crafty together.

Thought you'd enjoy a little blast from the past this morning-- I hope you have a fantastic Halloween tomorrow, whatever you might be doing. :)

See you Monday!

illustration: george mitchell

I love these illustrations by George Mitchell! A church wearing an eye patch and waving goodbye to a man on a cross-laden skateboard? Heck yeah!

Check out more on George's flickr page. Love it.

All the Single Ladies: Pomplamoose

This is making me intensely happy right now.

What I Wore Today

{gemma correll}

You may have seen this project that Gemma Correll started already, and I've been meaning to blog about it for forever now, so if by chance you haven't yet seen the What I Wore Today project, here it is!

{emilie boudet}

Basically, the idea is to draw what you wore today, and then post it in the flickr group. Gemma also chooses her favorites to post on the blog of the same name. (She posted my drawing a couple days ago!)

{marina collings}

Here is my drawing from October 16th:

I really want to do another one soon!

{hamptone}

Definitely check out the group, because it's really so wonderful, and new drawings are being uploaded all the time. I really hope a publisher picks this up, because I think it would be SUPER book. Don't you? Now get to work on a drawing so you can add it to the ever-growing group!

{kiddy factory}

{umbrella_head1}

julie morstad

Julie Morstad is talented. So very talented.
I can't stop staring at these images.

Both of these are available as archival prints on bamboo rag paper in her shop-- doesn't that sound delicious?

And Julie's website has many, many more beautiful and creative drawings, if you would like to ooh and ahh some more.

mark weaver

I'm digging these images by Mark Weaver. I love how they feel sort-of vintage-y and retro. And you know I love the colors.

BLISSFUL MONDAY: week 1

Good morning!
A couple weeks ago, if you remember, I talked about creative mission statements and starting Blissful Monday here on Treasuring, and by golly, I think today is the perfect day to begin. And I want you to join in!

So here is the deal. Blissful Monday is a place for us to make our own rules. It's a place to talk about what makes us really truly happy. To ruminate on what we want our bliss-filled lives to look like, in all its dreaminess. To reflect on the past week and what we've loved. Memories. Aha moments. Insights. Touching compliments. A gorgeous breakfast. A smile. Gratitude.

Sound like fun?

The only guidelines:

There is no room for complaining on Blissful Monday. If you need to vent about something, please take it elsewhere!

There is also no room for judging. It's just not helpful to anyone, right? Right.

Please keep it positive and fun, and feel free to interact with one another in the comments!

So, here is my BLISS LIST for today:

* My husband, Ryan, and I decided to start taking Sundays off together as often as we can. We decided this while sitting on the porch in the sun, drinking protein shakes after going to the gym, and it was pure loveliness. This means no work, no feeling guilty about not working (this is key), and no studying (Ryan is in med school.) We decided that it'll help us stay motivated through the week to focus and get done what we need to get done, so we can relax fully on Sundays.

* Stepping on acorns while walking through my neighborhood. I get an enormous amount of satisfaction from this, I'm not sure why, but man I love it!

* Fresh, clean sheets on the bed.

* Soup. I made a delicious vegan tomato corn chowder last night. I'm planning to make LOTS of soup this fall/winter.

* Feeling cozy. This means: tea, my fuzzy white robe, being on the couch under a blanket, soup, my pink knit hat, my car heater, rainy days.

***
How about you?

What are you loving? What do you want more of in your life? What is your inner urge telling you to do that would brighten your day if you listened to it? What can you let go of that's keeping you constrained and stressed, so you can feel relaxed and happy instead? (Hint: it's probably something you "should" be doing. Those shoulds can really cause trouble!)

I hope you have a fantastic Monday!

Hiroshi Tanabe

Have you seen Hiroshi Tanabe's work before? Somehow I have managed to not know of him until just this morning, and now I am completely smitten.

These illustrations are so fantastic! I love the color, and wow, those black backgrounds-- so intriguing. They suck me right in. They remind me of those drawings we used to do in elementary school, where you color with crayons and then paint over it all with black india ink, then scratch away so the color comes through. Do you know what I'm talking about? These are like that, but in ultra-sophisticated form. I love when things remind me of childhood, but in a grown-up way.

Hiroshi is represented by Jedroot, and many of his gorgeous images are on their website. You can also find more on his personal website, and I've been oohing and ahhing there for the last 15 minutes. SO GOOD.

Sasha au Passage: by Pil Animation

Hello, lovelies! I told you I'd be back here yesterday, but it didn't happen, did it? Well, here I am today. I had a lovely time in Boulder, where it was full-on fall and just beautiful, but now it's nice to be back home and back to the blog. I missed you!

I wanted to share this animation studio that I just discovered with you this morning, because I think they are just incredible. Pil Animation is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and this animation, called Sasha Au Passage, is hilarious. And you absolutely must check out their website because it is a visual feast and *so* creative. I love it!
(Make sure you click on the independent button under the productions heading, and watch the wedding and Dr. Pilkenstein short animations. They're my favorites!)

where the wild things are: FORTS

Good morning and happy Friday! Are you going to see Where the Wild Things Are tonight?
I have an early flight to Boulder tomorrow morning, but I think I may drag my dear husband out to see the movie anyway tonight. It looks so good!

I *loved* the book as a kid (and still do-- doesn't everyone?) and I was definitely a fort-maker, so I was excited when I saw this project over at Booooooom. It's a fort-making contest! Booooooom and Weloveyouso (Spike Jonze & Co.) teamed up for the contest, and the submissions are incredible. Pictured here are some of my favorites, but you really have to go check out all the entries. People went all out. It makes me want to build a fort in my living room right now!

CLICK HERE to see the winners, who were announced yesterday!

{ps-- I'm going to be in Boulder through Tuesday, so I'm taking a mini blogging break. I'll see you back here on Wednesday!}

these dresses are made of WHAT?

Gosh, you guys, I haven't been making any art of my own lately! I've been working on client projects, getting ready for art shows, going to weddings....

Soon I will show you some new things, but for now, more images that inspire me:


These dresses are made of toilet paper.

WHAT??!?

Yes, TOILET PAPER.

In honor of breast cancer month, 15 of Canada's top designers created these amazing pieces of wearable art out of toilet paper.

That takes talent. And vision. And I imagine a lot of toilet paper.

{Read all about it right here and right here.}

fantastic artwork: REtro Whale

Oh dear. I think I have a new favorite artist today. Retro Whale, I'm crazy about your work. Oooooooh, boy!

Are these director coasters not the most wonderful coasters you've ever seen? They are. Believe me.

Retro Whale has a killer etsy shop, and a blog, too, so you know where I'll be today. Oh yes.

helmo: colored smoke

I love the other-worldliness of these photographs by French graphic artist duo Helmo. They feel magical, don't they? Slightly eerie, too, I think-- for some reason I keep thinking of the Blair Witch Project-- do you remember that movie?

I can't stop staring at the colored smoke and wondering how they achieved these effects... I think it's just beautiful. Be sure to check out Helmo's website for more.

fly buffalo fly

Oh, Monday, here you are. Did you all have a lovely weekend? I spent mine at the Candler Park Fall Festival here in Atlanta, where I had a booth to sell my art. What a fun weekend! It was rather amazing, actually, because the forecast said it was supposed to rain all weekend, but it ended up raining hard on Friday night, staying clear through the weekend (and yesterday was the PERFECT fall day), and now it's pouring again this morning. The gods were smiling on Atlanta this weekend!

The highlight of my weekend was this:


I'm sad that I didn't get a great picture from the front, but I saw this person walking around in the most amazing buffalo costume EVER, with wings. Which may not seem all that amazing to you, but if you remember this painting of mine:


It becomes a little more wonderful. :)

I feel like there's a message in there somewhere for me, but I'm not sure what it is.... And now I'm dreaming about owning that buffalo costume. Oh, the fun I could have with a big, furry buffalo costume!