It's All About The Process

I love when writers and artists share their process. Afterall, what's that phrase? It's not where you end up but how you got there that matters. Its the journey, the discovery - that's the fun part. So, when I came across the preliminary sketches of, children's book author and illustrator, Madi's new book I'm A Little Bit Scared Of... you can imagine my excitement.

The book is amazing! I mean I adore mixed media in general, but her use of collage work in this children's book is just stunning. Here take a look and see what I mean...

Madi's use of fabric, paper, and original drawings all meld perfectly together to form a cohesive world for her characters. Speaking of, let's take a look at some of the behind the scenes work that Madi was kind enough to share on her fun website. As I browsed through, myself, I couldn't help but wonder what the weight of each page in her sketchbook must feel like; with all the layers of fabric and paper glued around and on top of her sketches. It's definitely one sketchbook that I wish I could finger through personally.

Finding Madi's website reminded me to enjoy the process. I'm always in such a rush to get the mundane things done and out of the way with that I often miss the beauty in them. So, this weekend I'm tasking all you fabulous ladies with a little challenge - try something new just to see what it feels like. If you always need music on when you clean the house, try it in silence instead; listen to the sounds of the activity at hand. Try a new food just to process the smell of it. Take the kids for a mystery ride just to enjoy getting them ready and loading up the car.

Whatever it is just be mindful of the process and enjoy the journey. Don't just rush and hurry up to get things over with so you can start the "fun" stuff. Life and everything in it is the fun stuff. Take the time to notice all the little things. Afterall, we only get this one chance, this one life to experience. So soak it up while you can and enjoy each and every moment. Besides, even if its painful or boring you're lucky to have it.

Light As A Feather...

A few weeks ago I had the most elaborate dream. In it a feather pillow burst open and I was unable to run away. Instead, I stood still mesmerized by the falling feathers that were as white and as fluffy as snow. Needless to say it was one of those strange dreams that stick with you and for days afterwards I kept sketching feathers and played around with the idea of feathers mirroring snowflakes. In the end I ended up with a new screen printed card called Feather Flakes. The Fall version is in a red wine or rust colored ink reminiscent of the changing leaves and, in a few weeks, I'll be listing the Winter version in the Birdcage Cards' shop as well. It's printed in a light steely blue ink and paired with a silver envelope.

Since I've just printed 20 new cards last night and I'm gaga for feathers anyway this week's I Want Wednesday post is very plumage centric. So, for all you feather fanatics here's a healthy dose of colorful plumage...

Clockwise from top left: Controversial Pillow, Feather Flakes Note Card, Sweet Feather Color 03 pillow, Chartreuse Scoop Neck Tank, Bella Headband, sterling silver feather pendant necklace, Cecile watercolour and ink illustration, hand illustrated feather necklace

Groovy Artist Jenn Ski:

{bird cards}

I adore the far out work of illustrator Jenn Ski. Though clearly influenced by mid-century modern design, her style is distinct and completely her own. I'm looking forward to taking a trip to my local Michaels craft store this weekend to check out her A - Z Animals Scrapbooking Line. Admittedly, I'm a little obsessed with the Letter A (alligator) print shown below. Why don't you take a virtual trip to Jenn Ski's shop yourself this weekend? I'm sure you'll find more than a few pieces to get excited about!

Oouuu, and Jenn also has a vintage and a vinyl shop full of groovy finds for your home and its walls! So, be sure to stop there after lunch - you know after you rest your feet from all that walking.

{owl cards}

{Letter A (alligator) print}

Inspiration Found: Katie Kirk

I love the design style of Katie Kirk of EightHourDay. I first stumbled apon Katie's work the other day over at Allen Peter's blog. He had shared some of her new wedding invitations and I found them to be fun and playful with a lovely color story. I immediately sought out more of her work and instantly fell in love with her quirky style and modern spin on old school retro design.