light bulbs on a rainy day

Today was another slow day of rest + recovery from a cold, Amy's Organic Soups and drawing.

These little lights have been on my mind for awhile. I love being around people that shine. Those kinds of people that are transparent about who they are. And even though they've been through hard times and have their own struggles, they always speak light into your life.

little forest

I love making lists. Mostly because I love crossing things off.
Earlier this week I made a list of what my vision is for the next few projects. I know not everything is going to be crossed off as quickly as I might like, but seeing my vision in front of me has helped me stay focused and excited :)

Today I got to hangout with my friends Cierra and Tyler. We had lots of fun at the park.

the happy little Christmas trees

Today is the official opening of Happy Little Heart!

One of the items I've been really excited about releasing is our happy little Christmas tree cards :) They're made with felt, buttons, and thread and firmly grounded onto an ivory card.

Some pieces/work haven't been listed just yet but I'm learning that having a shop is . a . processs! Tomorrow I hope to get a few more Christmas-y things up and then I'm going to begin preparing for some travel time.

And did I mention I have the best most supportive husband ever? 

because I do :)

a little early Christmas cheer

Oh and you can nowww....

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

!! 

Kelly + Clint

 

Lately I have been working on getting things ready for my etsy shop, happy little heart. One of the items I've been most excited about offering is custom portraits of couples. 

These two lovebirds, Kelly and Clint, just tied the knot in July! Kelly was a friend of mine in high school that I've been able to reconnect with and I must say our rekindled friendship has revealed the true beauty of social media. Kelly has a beautiful heart and an attitude of honesty that you can see in her blog where she shares the awkward and awesome bits of everyday life :)

I hope everyone's enjoying the change of seasons! I'll be announcing the opening of happy little heart soon soon so keep your eye peeledddd

<3

Jesus Art Show

 

This is my submission for this years Jesus Art Show at Ringling College of Art + Design.

So many abstract things come to mind with the prompt simply being 'Jesus'. When I think of Jesus I think of this huge limitless love. I think of divine purpose, of creation with intention. But when I got very quiet and asked myself what have I been learning about recently… freedom was the first word that came to mind. Freedom is something the Lord has brought up to me quite a few times before. You see I've lived life with a lot of worry. I have worried about what people thought of me, about how I looked, about the possibility of being sick, about the idea of death. It's ranged from tiny things to huge things. I grew up believing I was a worry wart and there was no changing. While in college I began to realize when I live with all this worry I am only half alive. I'm partially present. Then the Lord began to show me that I wasn't made to hold onto all this worry. I am not created to sit around and be fearful, I was created to seek after the Lord and put my trust in Him. To live everyday in freedom. It was a life changing discovery and something I still strive to live out each day. So through my piece I wanted to depict things that Jesus always brings with him. These three things have changed my life and helped me become the person I know I am made to be.

the kitties

Illustration Friday - Tall

The beginning of another school year

Recent freelance done for the children's ministry at Words of Life Fellowship Church. It's hard to think everyone's heading back to school already. Where did the summer go?!

The season for weddings has arrived! I get the feeling it's going to continue on for the rest of my life.. which is pretty exciting :)

This September will be the celebration of two friends of ours, Sam + Angel.  These two have such beautiful creative hearts for the Lord and it's been such a privilege getting to know them more over the last few years. I know God has some big plans for them and I can't wait to see it all unfold.

As a way to raise money for the big day Sam and Angel have set up a online store where they are selling limited edition prints of their work and their friends work. You can find this piece and other fun work there. I also wanted to encourage you to check out their beautiful website www.samlovesangel.com. These two worked together to illustrate 'their story' and they did a fabulous job, so go peek!! :)

new series!

Hello hello! Hope everyone's been having a great and glorious summer :)

It's been awhile since I've posted so I wanted to give you a quick late night update:
Twirling Skirts of Magic finished up mid July right before my beautiful sister-in-love's wedding + my birthday + family vacations. The first dummy book has been printed and Esther and I couldn't be more excited!! A big big thanks to everyone who helped make this book a reality. This wouldn't have been possible without you. Keep an eye out, I'll be posting some of the work from the book on here soon! For now here's a sneak peek of my new series "my love for you is..."

Kickstarter: Twirling Skirts of Magic!

A few months ago Esther Marie contacted me with her vision for a children's book. She had met several little girls that had been rescued from lives of sex trafficking while on a trip to Cambodia. The experience stirred Esther's heart to reach out to girls and women around the world. Her bright smile and never ending enthusiasm really moved me. Reaching out to girls had been on my heart for awhile and this beautiful opportunity had been placed right before me!

After months of talking + doodling with Esther I am excited to share Twirling Skirts of Magic with you :) The story of Emery was created to inspire and educate. To help girls come into a better understanding of their true worth and to show them they have the ability to make a difference in the world. Another part of Esther's vision was to create an opportunity for her readers to change lives. To do so she is sending a percentage of the proceeds to Cambodia and Thailand to support their orphanages and safe houses.

Esther Marie is one of the most ambitious women I know, whose dreams and expectations climb beyond the sky. I am so blessed to be able to be apart of this vision.

If you would like join us in making Twirling Skirts of Magic a reality (or just learn more about the project) please check out TSOM's Kickstarter page.

The latest freelance for a lovely client :)
He's been working with a friend to create an online community dedicated to understanding the in's and out's of Gamification! Really interesting stuff. You can check out some of the articles they're talking about here!

Kitara trendy lion kitty

Kitara & Kaloni

 

 

 

these are the two new additions to the family :)

I've been having fun making happy hearts lately.


This little guy was for a friend of mine :)

Jesus Art Show

My artist statement and submission to the Jesus Art Show back at ol Ringling :) 

Jehovah Rapha

(the Lord my Healer)

Over the last few years I’ve been interested in learning more about the promises the Lord has made to His people. One thing that has intrigued me in particular is His will to heal and work miracles. These three stories are from real people.  From ordinary people who know Jesus, His character, and want to be more like Him.

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

Luke 5:12-13

exploration

60 watt angler fish :)

Pin Up Design Contest

Here are my submissions for the Threadless Pin Up design competition!

 Click on the title to see it on a t-shirt and vote if you'd like :)

A Pin and An Arrow

Simple Sunbathing

happy Valentine's day!

popularity

mermaids are quite popular.

happy wednesday :)

boy + girl

a birthday lullaby

A little something I made for my amazing Mama :) She used to sing Edelwiss (pronounced 'Adelvice'.. I know, I never would have known that's how you spell it) to me while I nodded off to sleep :) I remember thinking she should be a professional singer because she sounded sooo beautiful.


<3 happy birthday Mama!

something I've been meaning to share!!

Just this week I found out Stanley and I's wedding was featured on the beautiful wedding site Style Me Pretty!

It's such a blessing to have the opportunity to share our day with individuals from all kinds of different places. The wedding was quite an adventure! (and sometimes I say my greatest piece of work so far :P ). The planning was fun and difficult and exciting and a little stressful. But ultimately the whole day ended up being a masterpiece. Better than I could have ever planned. It was beautiful seeing all these people (family, friends, vendors) come together to celebrate our love and get excited about all God has in store for us. 

For pictures from the day from the amazing Kristen Marie, video from the wonderful duo at Lucky Lemon Films, and a bit more wedding ranting from me take a quick trip to Style Me Pretty.

<3

always keep moving forward

It's doing nothing that's the enemy

   - Sybil, Downton Abbey

fabrics and foxes

today I have begun my exploration and adventures with foxes...

grounded in love

grounded: mentally and emotionally stable : admirably sensible, realistic, and unpretentious

Marriage was the first thing to come to my mind when I read through this definition of grounded :)

Recently a friend asked me if I will ever get out of this "wedding phase" that I've gotten into since planning my own wedding. 

I don't think I ever will. 

I'm just captivated by the purity and beauty that is present when two people choose to love each other forever.

So for this week's Illustration Friday I chose a bride and groom whose relationship is grounded on unconditional love.

<3enjoy