The Doors.

I have trouble watching suspenseful movies. I remember being 5 or 6 and my parents renting "Little Shop of Horrors" and being traumatized by it, and since then I have found little enjoyment in anything that's suspenseful, violent, or scary. I'm a wimp. So, when we watch anything that's even slightly frightening, I either leave the room or draw. Drawing somehow distracts me. These were drawn while watching movies this weekend.

Chez nous

Dog.

I've been saying that I'm going to do a portrait of the dog, but keep putting it on hold. I've been working on sketches for the last few weeks. He's generally a ridiculously happy dog, so these make him look a little over-serious.

les fleurs de printemps

The watercoloring continues. I'm not sure what's inspired it, but I'm enjoying playing with paints and spring flowers. We have 5 or six types of daffodils flowering in our garden right now. The pink ones (below) are really fluttery and delicate. 

le petit maison jaune

I'm on a watercoloring kick as of late.

Playing with more paint. I like the roof on this one.

Why don't you have a piece of fruit?

Tropical fruit watercolor I painted while in Kauai. If I could retire tomorrow (at age 28, which is unlikely), I think I would spend a little time every day painting.

drawing

I've been avoiding the internet for the past few weeks. I started to feel like it was taking up most of my free time, and I wasn't getting anything done, and I definitely wasn't being creative. This is the result of being isolated from the internet: painting & drawing. Good stuff. Hopefully there'll be more to come.

Belle Jour

• listening to the sound of the dog licking his paws
  

papier peint

It's unlikely that we'll ever wallpaper our house, due to my general indecision and my husband's dislike for it, however, I think it can be incredibly beautiful. Wallpaper would make a nice surprise in a closet, or small entryway. I love the designs at Trustworth Studios. Their designs are mainly reproductions of designs from the English Arts and Crafts movement, and they are all a little whimsical.

mimosa

According to Pantone, mimosa is the color of 2009. It's cheerful and vibrant when it's gloomy outside, and it's a great spring color (think Peeps, daffodils, tulips). Yellow has always been one of my favorite colors (see our house), but I've never been able to wear it well. Maybe with a cute little pair of yellow galoshes or a yellow umbrella would help with the winter blahs.

Umbrella, necklace, marigold seeds, bikini, tote, and galoshes.

grandma

I recently cleaned out some photos from an old hard-drive and found some scanned photos of my grandma. I love their little bob haircuts with little caps and mary-jane shoes.

Sunday.

Lazy Sunday afternoon. Wishing I was spending it watching The Graduate.

L'Arte

All images by Christopher Bibby. 

My parents spoiled me this Christmas with a little piece of art by Christopher Bibby. I love it. 

Sparkling Snowflakes

It's snowing this morning! 

paper snowflakes, card, bottle & necklace. Card & necklace via ohjoy!.

Stockings

When I'm in a sour mood, I challenge myself to think of 5 (or more) good things that have happened during the day. Sometimes the best things I can think of are pretty simple, like "I still have air to breathe".
Since I mentioned that in general I don't like Christmas or winter, I've been thinking of all the things that I do like about the season. I like Christmas stockings. My mom embroidered stockings for my brothers and I when we were kids. One of my favorite parts of Christmas morning was waking up at 4 AM, dumping out our stockings, which were mostly filled with mandarin oranges and chocolate coins, and binging on citrus & chocolate before my parents got out of bed.
I don't have a Christmas stocking now (nor do I have a mantel to hang one on), but I like the idea of a stocking made of non-traditional fabrics. Charming, no?

Holiday Madness

Amsterdam advent calendar on right available from NouveauDesigns here.

Christmas is easily my least favorite holiday. There are so many things I dislike about winter and the holidays, so this year I'm trying to remind myself of all the great things about it. When I was a kid my parents had a little cardboard advent calendar with doors and windows which you opened to reveal pictures of Christmas-ness (candles, trees, ornaments, teddy-bears). I loved the surprise of discovering what was behind each door, and the idea that each day you were one day closer to THE DAY, which at the time meant presents, and tons of chocolate.

Red & Gold Christmas

Warm Christmas inspiration.