Inspiration: Making a house a home ...

I have resolved that having a child means I won't have a tidy house for quite some time! With this, I realize that a home can offer so much inspiration, love and learning for my little one ... One of my fondest memories from my childhood was having an arts and craft box that my Mom would drag out so often. It was filled with scrap papers, inks and rollers, paints, felts, cardboard, glitter, etc. I also have countless memories of gardening, with both my Grandmother and Mom, these are the seeds that made me who I am today!

{Leo's first craft project-paper plate funny face}

Some of my favourite photographs are from around the house, especially those of the random still-lifes lining the window sills and of our garden throughout the growing season ...

Inspiration: Hearts! St. Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and soon an abundance of hearts everywhere- taking shape in paper cut-outs, sweets, valentines, people wearing their hearts on their sleeves!!! Mostly, I admire Valentine's Day for its cuteness to the point of tackiness! Explore the meaning and history of this day here "a landscape of story and a world of delight in the love and affection human beings have for each other."

Here is some sweet and crafty inspiration for your Valentine's Day ...

Display your love at home ... ranunculus and narcissus blooms floating in a heart-shaped ceramic {Floral by Studio Choo}

{Heart Wreath by Design-Aholic}

Woven heart valentines are perfect for storing secret love letters, candy, and little tokens of your affection.
{Image courtesy of CRAFT NIGHT}

{Vintage Valentines from Carmen and Ginger}


{paper heart valentine garland by Amy Butler}


{I Heart You - Origami Hearts Bouquet by My Bohemian Summer}


{Valentine's Day Treats from Big Sis Lil Sis}

The photographs from the engagement shoot are finally here. Our session was with Blair Marie ... I love autumn for the colours! Here is my family on a beautiful fall morning walking in the area we frequent most! Of course Leo made it into some of the shots!

Inspiration: cute and childish kitsch ... Here are some still-lifes and photographs I have taken over the past few days ...

I woke up to this beautiful peony sitting on my bedside table and I wanted to remember it ... so I made multiple scans of this beautiful flower ...


and added the scans all together ...


and I came up with this ...


I love peonies ...

Inspiration: My very favourite ee cumming's poem:

you shall above all things be glad and young
For if you're young, whatever life you wear

it will become you; and if you are glad
whatever's living will yourself become.
Girlboys may nothing more than boygirls need:
i can entirely her only love

whose any mystery makes every man's
flesh put space on; and his mind take off time

that you should ever think, may god forbid
and (in his mercy) your true lover spare:
for that way knowledge lies, the foetal grave
called progress, and negation's dead undoom.

I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance

I have loved this poem for over a decade. Who doesn't love his poetry, it's so romantic! For me, this poem represents staying young at heart and keeping one true love at heart. It's about doing one thing very well, including love and not fumbling around, ruining things or making people a little less shiny or happy ... it's about remaining true to yourself and to your love.

I love this poem so much - it represents me and my true love ...

(Tattoo by Trevor at Bushido) (Photo taken by Blaire Marie)

Last weekend we went to the lake. It is always nice to get out of the city, and anything to get out of the house when you have a little one is especially nice!

Check out this post by Blair Marie Photography ... pictures of my little man at the cabin! Here is a sneak peek - one of the pictures she took of Leo.


I was really taken by this post by Lisa Solomon (her blog: Lisa's Musings) She is an artist and a mom, and her post on the subject put everything I have been thinking and feeling for the last year and a half in words. Here is an excerpt from the post:

people sometimes ask me what it's like to be an artist and a mom. this was something that i thought about - A LOT - before deciding to have a child. i knew that being a mom would become the most important thing and that i would have to learn how to juggle and struggle in new ways. in all honesty - it wasn't even possible for me to fathom how this would all work - even on my best days of guessing. there is no way to know what temperament your child will have [on a day to day basis let alone overall] - there is no way to know how you will respond to demands of parenthood. i was determined from the get go that i would still make art. and i'm managing to do that, but it feels like it's by the seat of my pants and the skin of my teeth.

She doesn't paint motherhood as rosy. She is telling it how it is and I feel for the first time some relief that I am not alone.

It is amazing to witness a baby grow before your eyes. Leo and I have had three photo shoots, all being very different. Here are some of my favourite photographs from them. I love seeing the changes between them ...

(sleeper is Marimekko)

Christine Jordan wrote this about Leo about two months after he was born. Check out her blog Growing Up Toronto

Little Leo Walker

He’s Little Leo Walker
He’s got a shiny quarter
For helping out his Mommy and his Dad
He really thinks it's awesome
This isn’t his first one
He’s even got a special place for his change

On top of Leo’s dresser
Is a majestic tree
It’s made of glass from the beach
And the salt from the sea
It’s a lovely thirsty green and it's almost see through
And when he drops his change in
It’s like he’s planting tiny seeds

When it fills right up
He’ll have his first money tree
And there are lots of great things he can supply
A chicken for his coop
Or some candy for his tummy
Or a bell for his little doggie's collar
Maybe groceries for families who really seem to need it
Or some paint to create-another something great
Or new tires for his really fast bike-might be nice
Or nothing is quite alright too!

He can give, he can share, or just save some more
Since this world is his planet
There's nothing good he will ignore

Inspiration: airplane. Here are a couple illustrations I worked on last night and this morning ...




I have blogged about studio mela before - I love her posters!!! Here are a couple of them:

(Don't wait for tomorrow)

(Love is Everything)

See her work ... studio mela blog or here

Here is how she describes herself: i'm an artist. i get paid to draw. i love what i do. i'm also a wine lover, a beer hater. a mommy. a dreamer. a writer. but above all i'm really just a girl who lives a lovely little life. this is a space to keep the good. the deep. the funny. the amazing. the small. the big. the best.

Redbean Design - the portfolio of San Francisco based designer and illustrator - Melissa Crowley. Melissa's work includes identity, print collateral, stationary, website, packaging, event, apparel and surface (wall, textile, decor, paper) design.

(hatch and terrarium pillow cases)

Tamaishi Kayo is a Japanese artist. She studied art with Setsu Nagasawa, one of the preeminent Japanese Fashion illustrators. Kayo's work includes water painting, book cover design, magazine illustration, T-shirt design and more. Here is one of her illustrations:

(What are you thing? 2007)

Inspiration: love quotes and an antique wedding theme.

Here are a couple new images I have been working on. I added this love quote:

When you are in Love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams. - Dr. Seuss



I love wedding work, especially making wedding bouquets. This is the first wedding season in over ten years that I am not doing wedding work and I am really missing it! Here is a little sample I put together, the flower bouquets and the lollipop image are my work ... the other images are not, but I'm using them to show a colour palette of pinks and blues.

The best thing about me is you. -Shannon Crown

Today's inspiration: a whole lot of love and a whole lot of heart ....

I made this with shape collage...these are pictures of all things I love!

MY HEART

Could make for a fun home project ...

Here is 'love me, love me not' heart necklace I made a while back ... The arrow spins to reveal your fortune ... I believe I still have one available for purchase ...

I love the following two heart images...

(artist - unknown)

(artist - unknown)

And this is definitely someone we heart ...

And another picture I took about a month ago. It looked like an old photograph, so I simply antiqued it further ...