Moondog Ball Poster

It's funny how I am so captivated by Ashmae's prints but as I was going through my sketchbook I found a bunch of watercolors I did in college for this poster that reminded me of hers a little.

Apple a Day

I love this idea of painting an apple a day to learn to paint. I have not been very good at keeping up on my sketches. I get frustrated because I am so out of practice. This was a good reminder that talents don't come easily. They take a lot of practice! I am going to do better at making a sketch each week. I am a little intimidated to put them on-line but that is the best way for me to stay motivated. So, please be patient with me as I re-learn and try to discover my personal style.

Play Kitchens

from Vintage Songbirdfrom Homemade by Jill
I wish I had seen these kitchens when I was looking at buying one for our 3-year old. We ended up buying one but a homemade, wooden one would have been perfect. These would be inexpensive because they are made from night-stands.

Stunning Color

This image took my breath away. These colors are simply stunning. Ariella Chezar is so talented. Thanks for sharing, Jordan Ferney.

Little Garden

Last Saturday I worked in the yard all day. It was hard work but very satisfying. We have a small yard and I am looking forward to planting a little vegetable garden this year. I love this recycled planter from apartment therapy. I never would have thought of it myself. I am planning to do more yard work this weekend. Have a good one!

Homemade Oreo Cookies

I made these cookies for my husband this week. They are his favorite. Here are a few tips:
1. If you don't have time to make the cream cheese frosting, just buy some at the store. They still taste yummy.
2. To make/keep cookies soft put them in an air-tight container with a piece of bread.
3. As an alternative, add some mint chips and a little water to the dough instead of the frosting them.

Make the Bed

image from here
I have always wondered what the proper way to make a bed is and I finally found out. According to this video from howcast it is a 15-step process. No wonder I was confused and hate making the bed! I am going to work on being better at making the bed.

Ashmae's Prints

I love all of the beautiful (yet inexpensive) prints sold by Ashmae on Etsy. I would love one of these custom portraits. I hope I win the giveaway on Say Yes to Hoboken.

Storage Boxes

I want to use this idea from Make It and Love It to cover the front of my ugly banker's boxes. There are so many great project ideas on this blog.

Kitchen Update

With a lot of help from friends and family we updated this kitchen on a very small budget. It was so rewarding to see how much the homeowners appreciated it. However it was a lot more work than I anticipated. It took more than three full days to complete.
We took down the wallpaper and painted. We used a little orange peel texture spray under the paint. Since we cleaned off the refrigerator, we added a cork board for notes & things. We also replaced the flimsy little table under the window with more sturdy and concealed storage.
Since the flooring is very old and likely contains asbestos, we tiled right on top with vinyl tile. It is very easy to apply. If you like the look of it, it is nice because you don't need any special tools or grout. We also replaced the table and chairs with a used set we bought, spray painted, & sealed.
We simplified by removing stickers and those tile covers. We also painted the paneling white, although the after image doesn't show it.
You can see the painted paneling and hardware replacement a little better in this image. Cleaning and de-cluttering took a lot more time than I had anticipated.
We had the sink re-enameled since it is attached to the cabinets and could not easily be replaced. That took up the majority of our budget.

After all the hardwork, I was happy to say "Yay! I Made It!"

Lovely Kitchen

I found this lovely kitchen at Design*Sponge. I love yellow for kitchens. Be sure to check out the before. What a transformation.

The Human Body

Sorry I haven't been very good at keeping up on this blog since I found out my hubby was going to get foot surgery. I have been doing a lot more on my own since he is on crutches. I am realizing how much I take my husband for granted. He does a lot!
After the surgery the doctor gave us some x-rays. It reminded me how beautiful and awesome the human body is. I haven't done many illustrations of the human body but I made this for my first e-commerce website, Topical Sun. I would like to create some more illustrations of the human body.

The Paper Nut

I love the Jeanie & Jewell blog. It is full of great inspiration for anyone who likes design, especially moms. Jeanie is such a talented designer. Her alphabet is absolutely beautiful. This is an Easter Card she designed. Find more of her designs at The Paper Nut.

Watercolor Shell

I thought I would just whip out a little watercolor sketch today. There is only one problem...I haven't really used watercolors since I painted this shell in my college drawing class. That was over four years ago. Yikes! Needless to say, I am very rusty. So instead of show the awful, ugly mess I made today, enjoy something I am actually proud of.

This photo I took doesn't really do it justice. It is pretty large and the textures are pretty awesome. It's okay to brag about your past accomplishments when you are having watercolor woes, right?