Illustration Friday- Wings

Illustration Friday this week isssss… Wings!

My cow flying over the moon came to mind right away. Happy Friday!

Quirky Thursday: Tea Edition

Over the past year I have become more and more obsessed with tea drinking, specifically DAVIDsTEA drinking.  I love love love popping into their store and picking out new flavors to try.  Some favorites include Birthday Cake, Read My Lips, Brazillionaire , Secret Weapon and Glitter & Gold. It's become a trend in my office and now I'm trying to limit myself to just 2 flavors a day, but the limiting isn't going so well to be honest! Oh well, everyone needs a hobby.

Anyway, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to bring Quirky Thursday BACK and share some quirky tea goods I've recently spotted.  

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This post is dedicated to the lovely Sloanie Mahoney, who shares in this tea obsession and is sipping hers in Chicago!

Amazing Site Alert: SOCIETY 6!

Society 6 is a really awesome site that allows artists from around the world to upload their work and sell it on a variety of products.  I'm uploading some of my work there, which will be available as stationery cards, iphone cases, pillows and prints.  You can visit my shop HERE! 

Along the way I've been browsing the site, and had to bring attention to some of my favorites. I put together this little guide. Enjoy! 

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I have a dream…

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I thought it would be a nice opportunity to share a dream I am currently chasing. I've gone back and forth on wanting to share this until it's all wrapped up, but realized it might be nice to get feedback and maybe be able to offer some help to the blog-o-sphere while I'm going through the process.  My dream is to be a children's book author and illustrator.  

I went to Syracuse University for a degree in illustration, and post college took a few continuing education classes at the School of Visual Arts.  I am a full-time, working children's accessory designer, and on my free time I have been working (and working and working and working and working) on a children's book dummy.  I will not share the entire story or the art from it here, because it is in the hands of a few publishing houses as I type (fingers crossed) but I will share one of my favorite images (click to enlarge) from the story:

I have been rejected 7 times so far, which in the world of publishing is actually not a lot! I can't honestly tell you that it doesn't sting to open up a rejection letter, but I can tell you it makes me want to succeed even more! It's like adrenaline fuel because I know that I have the drive to make this dream a reality.  I have also been lucky to get some constructive criticism along with the rejections and very few have been just form letters.  I also am extremely lucky to have an amazing mentor guiding me through this process and the most supportive husband, parents, sister and friends in the world.  

On Feb 1-3 I will be attending the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators annual NYC Winter Conference.  I am really looking forward to meeting people in the industry, gaining their insights, and making some friends. I'll keep you all posted! 

Also, on the subject of Martin Luther King, you should know that in second grade my class put on a play about his life and I played Rosa Parks. CLAIM-TO-FAME!

Illustration Friday- Myth

I had an idea for an illustration I've been meaning to do for awhile, so when I saw this week's Illustration Friday was "myth" I knew it was time to get collaging! 

So here is my Illustration Friday, posted on Sunday! 

It's a myth that pigs can't fly. See? I have proof!

A Centerpiece Story

I've been meaning to share this photo of the centerpiece I made for my niece's christening party a few months ago.  Time flies in the land of babies.  One minute you're waving through the glass nursery hospital window at a teeny tiny newborn and the next thing you know they're sitting in a high chair giggling and trying sweet potatoes for the first time.  The christening was a few weeks after my wedding, and I constructed this the same way I made the "Something Blue" candy bar signage.   

The glittery "Q" (that stands for Quinn) was purchased at Tinsel Trading, one of my favorite trim stores.  The rest of the items are from my ever-growing collection of knobs, jewelry parts, and paper flowers. 

If you're looking to construct something similar, check out my tutorial! 

Take a Seat

My mom went to the wedding of the lovely Nicole-The-Poet a few years ago, and saved her seat placer she loved it so much!  Nicole had used sand dollars and I loved the idea since Tristan & I were married on the beach.  Also, very early in our relationship Tristan took a family trip to North Carolina and came back with a sand dollar for me. I loved including wedding details that were little nods to our lives.  At the Christmas Tree Shop (heaven in a store) I was able to find T-O-N-S of sand dollars and starfish and so decided to mix them with tags and charms.  Everything was attached with a natural color twine, and you can see the result below: 

I've always been a big fan of beads and charms and had the time of my life scrolling through Etsy to find the perfect ones for this.  Montage Supply was an amazing Etsy shop I worked with to get charms for these seat placers and the bouquets I made myself and my bridesmaids.  This shop is particularly good for specialty wedding themed charms.  The seller was even able to find me charms that said "flower girl" for the flower baskets!  Tristan's Groom heart charm is pictured on the seat placer above.  My bride charm was on my bouquet.  Other shops I ordered charms from were Bohemian Findings and Charm Emporium. 

Overall I am really happy with how these turned out.  They were quick and easy! My big regret is not setting Tristan's and mine aside at the wedding so we could keep them.  Oh well! At least we have the picture! All photos in the post are by Off Beat Productions.