HANDMADE BY ... ARTIST BECCA STADTLANDER

Good morning! I came across the work of artist Becca Stadtlander on Pinterest today and fell in love. I adore the vibrant COLORS she uses in her paintings and her themes are so heartwarming. I've just recently picked up my drawing pencils again (I'm having a blast!) and if I allowed myself to compare ... which I do my best not to ... I could become a little discouraged with my simple line drawings of birds and horses in comparison to her illustrious paintings. But, I'm not even going to go there ... nope, not me. ;)

Have a wonderful weekend, sweet friends. Thanks for stopping by this week!  xx

A WOODEN TREE

Have you heard of A Wooden Tree?  A sweet online friend of mine, Emma Lamb, mentioned them on Facebook yesterday and I was immediately drawn to their handmade/vintage online shop.  They have a wonderful blog, too! You can find it RIGHT HERE.   :)

Here's a bit of info. about A Wooden Tree in their own words:

"A Wooden Tree transforms sourced and vintage textiles, turning the undesirable or discarded into a work that has new life and creates fresh memories.  The sourced textiles range from garments and pillowcases to embroidered table cloths. 

It pretty much feels like she has raided your granny's linen closet and turned into characters from the Scottish woodlands. The work takes it shape in soft interior adornments such as wall hanging Mr Stag, Miss Foxette plush and soft brooches.

A wooden tree brings your grannys linen closet to life by recycling found fabrics into plushies, accessories and art."

Have a great new day filled with beauty!  xo

An Artist at Home

Just a photo I adore .... I found it HERE!  There are so many beautiful, dreamy images on this blog.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  :-)

The Portfolio of Aprile Elcich

Wow, blogging two days in a row! Aren't you impressed? ;) There's seriously so much to blog about that I could blog all day every day if time and energy allowed. So much beauty in this world!

In my opinion, one of the most lovely spots to visit is the website of Aprile Elcich, a graphic designer and collage artist. She creates beautiful vintage collages using bits and pieces of old papers, letters, ads, and postcards. She also takes some gorgeous photos and does graphic design work for Free People ... all with a nostalgic and calming appeal.  

I'd love to know what you think of Aprile's work. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below! xx

Illustrations by Camilla Engman

Have you seen the work of Camilla Engman? This is only a tiny sample of her amazing body of illustrations. She also creates unique and eye catching mixed media pieces, colorful and imaginative paintings, and custom artwork for public commissions.

Hmmmm..... she might be a great one to have as our Resident Artist for Droplets or Raining Umbrellas (register now for the Spring session beginning May 7th)!

Inspiring New Zealand Artist

Good morning. :) Hope you had a great weekend! Nothing super memorable happened during mine, but I did enjoy relaxing and taking a long walk with my husband by the marina and water. There's nothing like the sound of waves lapping on the shore to cause me to feel peaceful. Sigh .....

I came across the work of Andrea Cook, a talented New Zealand artist, a while back but have never featured it until now. I love the soft tones, the natural and humorous themes, and the delicate nature of her illustrations.

What about you? What do you appreciate about her work?

Are You an Art Lover?

If you're an art lover like me, you might want to check out my Pinterest "Art I Heart" board. Just looking at it makes me happy. ART has that way, doesn't it?

Which piece of art is your favorite? What is the name of the artist who created it?

Color Palette Generator

Hello! How was your weekend? Ours was really nice! We celebrated January/February birthdays and anniversaries at my oldest daughters house yesterday and it was great to have the whole family together. Missing everyone since we moved over an hour away to the "big city" of Kirkland, Washington. ;)

O.k., it's probably no secret that I love color. In fact, I started Simply Hue almost 3 years ago when I was a color consultant (I went into clients homes and helped them choose a color palette/scheme for their walls and decor). It was a lot of fun but because of my some health issues it became a little too much for me.

This morning I came across Big Huge Labs Color Palette Generator and have been playing around with it for the last half hour. All you need to do if you'd like to try it out is upload a photo/piece of artwork and click on "create". Voila! A color palette is generated based on the colors in the image you uploaded! For other fun games and utilities, follow THIS LINK.

I know there are other online palette generators that I'm not aware of so if you know of any, please do share them in the comments section below (so I can waste and whittle away even more time!). xo

Whimsical Illustrations from Pintameldia

I am just in awe of the creativity of some people! Esti is the artist behind these fun and colorful illustrations and she describes her work so beautifully that I thought I'd just post a section from her shop profile:

"Pintameldia is my creative land where I doodle, cut, make, illustrate, color, print and paint. Pintameldia is a place full of ink, pens, pencils, rubbers and scraps. I am really happy doing this so when you buy something from my shop, you are sure to take a tiny bit of happiness with you. Every little piece you see has been made in a peaceful moment. I hope you find here something that makes you feel good.

My artwork is made of simple lines, gestures and connections. My personal work is inspired by night dreams mostly, while my children artwork and comission work are often a product of my daydreaming. All my characters tend to be shy, cool, calm and collected. No matter if they show up on skateboards, paper, paper, textile, books, pins or t-shirts, they all get my inner dreamy child out of me."

Are you working on any creative projects right now? Post them on your blog and leave a link in the comments section and I'll pay you a visit. :)

Introducing Dear Demoiselle

Good morning! A good blogger friend of mine, Trud from Beauty Comma, just opened a new Etsy shop called Dear Demoiselle. I've known for a long time that Trud has excellent taste when it comes to the things she posts on her blog, but I had no idea she was an artist as well. She creates these sweet whimsical collages using aquarelle pencils, fabric, Thai silk, and pencil. Here's a little bit more about her shop in her own words:

"Hello - welcome to the little world of Dear Demoiselle!

A little about me: I'm a piano teacher by profession, and in my spare time, I dance Argentine tango. As you can understand, big chunks of my life are about music. And music is all about movement. So I've been wanting to make something that stands still after it's completed...

I love making my little collages. I also love to conjure up little stories about these collages (or it could be that the collages conjure up the stories. Of this, I'm not entirely sure).

About the shop name: The phrase "dear demoiselle" is one that you'll sometimes find in old letters and books. "Demoiselle" is a French word for "young lady", and it's such a pretty word that at one point, the English people started using it, too. In English, the word means other things as well (all nice, I believe), but I like the original meaning best."

Congratulations, Trud!!! xo

Artist ~ Michele Maule

Her Shop ~ Michele Maule Her Blog ~ How to Draw a Cup of Coffee

"My name is Michele Maule.

I live in Portland, Oregon with my goofy Boston Terrier Chloe.

I enjoy a good cup of coffee, a nice pint of beer, and laughing until my sides ache. a good hug from a good friend makes my day.

I have been making art for over ten years and have a bachelor's degree in art from Portland State University. My specialty is printmaking and collage, but I also love to paint and book bind."

***********************

WHAT I APPRECIATE ABOUT MICHELE'S ARTWORK:

I love, love, love the vintage themes! The colors are amazing and her subjects are so retro and fun.

What to YOU appreciate about Michele's work?

Artist ~ Akihago

Her Shop ~ Akihago,

"About my work:

I love simple communicative designs.
I love calm selections of color.
Music is always part of my design.
I write to organize my thoughts. (I can’t sketch unless…)
I am always in search for a good black pen.
I've worked as a graphic designer for about 15 years and I've been teaching for the last 2 years. I live 5 minutes away from my studio and I spend (about) 75% of my day at the studio.

I love etsy for celebrating and supporting art.

A bit about me:

I take a very long time to decide on almost everything.
I love cool toys and books.
I take bath at night and fall asleep with my glasses on. I drink black coffee twice (or more) a day and never say 'no' to pastries."

*********************

WHAT I APPRECIATE ABOUT AKIHAGO'S WORK:

First of all, I appreciate that she "never says no to pastries." Hee, hee. Sounds like my kind of girl. :) And beyond that, I love the simplicity and sweetness of her work. She has a real knack for drawing animals, too, which can be a challenge for many artists.

What do YOU appreciate about Akihagos artwork?

Photographer ~ Silvana, Leefee Studio

Her Shop ~ Leefee Studio, Her Website ~ Leefee Studio, Her Blog ~ Leefee, Her Flickr ~ Leefee Studio

"My name is Silvana Ferreira and I run a small design studio out of my little bungalow in sunny California. My first love was filmmaking. While studying film, I became fascinated with the still image and design. Years later, I’m still experimenting and learning every day and my creative work is a constant source of happiness. I draw inspiration from many things but nature is at the top of my list.

A few things I love:

my family, friends and pup
cameras
birds
trees
the 80s
Paris
flowers
animals
slow food
decorating
letterpress
children’s book illustration
botanical illustration
art supplies
fabric
ceramics
books
bungalows
hiking
road trips
alternative energy
Africa (where I was born and raised)
being cozy
tea…

Best wishes for serenity and happiness to all my visitors."

******************)

WHAT I APPRECIATE ABOUT SILVANA'S PHOTOGRAPHY:

Something about Silvana's photos is very raw and organic. Her love for nature shines through. She has her own signature style and has fast become another favorite of mine. :)

What do YOU appreciate about Silvana's style?