Flower Power

The other day I wanted to draw but I wanted to do something a little different. I have been doing lots of quotes and lyrics and scriptures lately, and I just had the urge to draw. Like, no words, just a pretty picture. I thought pretty quickly of flowers, and some of my favorite flowers ever - my bridal bouquet! I don't know what it is about these flowers, but I just love them. I still think my bouquet was the most beautiful thing ever! I still even have it - it is dried up and in a vase by our front door :)

So anyway, I got out a good picture to go off of and I got to drawing. I wanted it to be true to my style, but I also wanted it to be a pretty accurate portrayal of my bouquet. I think I was successful in both! I then scanned the drawing into the computer and added color. It ended up being this beautiful, fun illustration that I am so pleased with!

I want to experiment more with this kind of project. Anyone interested in letting me borrow a picture of their bouquet or just some flowers they love to create more of these little illustrations? I haven't decided yet if this is something I will make available in the Etsy shop, or if it is something that appeals to a wider audience than just, well, myself, so let me know what you think - I'd love to get feedback!

Graduation Announcements

I feel incredibly thankful to have been involved in an amazing ministry since high school called Young Life. The fact that my husband works for this ministry allows us to be a part of high school students' lives day in and day out, hopefully for many years to come. I love meeting high school girls and building relationships with them! Sometimes I am even lucky enough for one of them to actually  like me enough to hang out all the time and become an incredibly close friend. One of those such girls is Amelia. I can't believe that after 4 years of friendship, she is graduating next month and moving on to bigger and better things! I am so proud of her, and I was honored that she asked me to design her graduation announcements!

She provided the picture (taken by the amazingly talented kandrphotography) and I was responsible for the rest. Because I know Amelia so well, I felt like I had a good idea of her style, what she would like as far as a look and feel, and color scheme. I went with my gut and she loved the end result!!

Isn't she gorgeous?! 

Know a graduating senior that needs cute, custom announcements? Contact me!

Home Sweet Home

Hard to believe that Christmas was over 3 months ago - time flies! Way back in December, I was working on some lovely house drawings for Christmas gifts. I didn't want to post them at the time, so as not to ruin the surprise, but obviously time got away from me and I never shared them at all!

One that was especially fun for me was a drawing of my Grandmother's old house. She moved away into a smaller apartment years ago, but her house holds a very special place in our whole family's hearts. We spent many, many Christmas Eves at that house, swam in the backyard pool from morning to night in the summers, jumped on (and fell off of...) the trampoline that was a Christmas present one year, slept on the floor of the living room while watching movies - the list goes on and on. My dad knew how much it would mean to his mom to have a picture of that house for her to keep forever.

When we finally gave it to her (January was when we finally got to see her!) she was in tears. She loved it and it really did mean so much to her. Her reaction was exactly what I envisioned when I first started drawing homes. A way to keep those memories alive for years to come.

Here is my Grandmother's drawing!

Have a special place you want to remember with a drawing? Check out my Etsy shop!

Ooh Baby!

While I am hesitant to make any promises I can't keep, but I will say I plan to be a bit more of a consistent blogger in the coming weeks and months. We'll see how that goes... I have certainly been keeping busy with lots of fun new work to share on the blog, and also some old work that I need to catch up on!

I have lately had babies on the brain, since we recently discovered that we are expecting a second child this fall. We are over the moon! I have always enjoyed designing pieces for nurseries, playrooms, etc., and so now I have more enthusiasm for that than ever!

I recently created a set of prints that in my opinion are WAY cute. So cute, in fact, that I may design our newest nursery around them! I used classic baby song lyrics and neutral colors to create these kid-friendly prints. I think they'll look great in white frames hanging above a crib or changing table!

While I'd like to keep them all to myself, these prints are in fact for sale in my Etsy shop!

              

Proverbs Ladies

I created this little print a few weeks ago and I really love it. Not only does it include words that are inspiring and encouraging, but it is also just the right amount of feminine and sweet. It is printed on 5x7 luxe blush paper, which is a very pale pink. I made it sort of as a companion to the print I posted about earlier for the daddies, with Psalm 127. Though this print is not mommy-specific - it is good for all the ladies out there!

Like this print? Head over to my Etsy shop and get your own for only $8 plus shipping!

Words of Wisdom

I designed this new print and I love it! It uses the words from Romans 12:12 and I think it is so inspiring and encouraging! The first part is fairly easy to do - hope is one of the most beautiful gifts we receive when we have a relationship with Christ, and having hope just naturally brings joy! The others are a little more challenging. Patience is HARD. Especially in this life of instant gratification. Bryan and I have talked lately about how easy it is to find information these days - you just jump on google and find out. You can find out anything you want to know, see anything you want to see with just one click of a button. But life doesn't always work instantly. Actually, I think life, real life, like the tough stuff of life, rarely works like that. We so often have to wait and waiting is hard! But these words remind us that we are called to be patient, even when it is hard and we are beat down and tired.

Prayer, although it in itself is so simple, can also be a hard practice! And we are supposed to be FAITHFUL in prayer. We are supposed to pray, and pray often. Why then is it that I can get to the end of the day and think, oh man, I totally forgot to talk to God today! He makes it so easy and wonderful and simple, and yet prayer can so often get thrown out the window.

I plan on finding a great place to hang this sweet print so I will be reminded of how I need to live!

If you'd like this print for yourself, hop on over to Etsy and place your order! This is one of those times when instant results are extremely satisfying! :)

Shout Out to the Daddies

I have been so excited about this little print since I made it, but I had to keep it a secret from the blog world until after Christmas. I made it as a gift for my sweet hubby who is a wonderful father to our little boy. Daddies are really important people and they need to be reminded that they are appreciated!  This print could make a great Father's Day gift when that day comes around, or just a sweet anytime gift for the special dad in your life. Dads, be JOYFUL in your children, even when they are c-r-a-z-y! (because we all know kid-craziness happens from time to time)

This 5x7 print is available in my Etsy shop for only $8! Click the link to check it out!