Attack of the Cheesy Puffs

This picture was too funny for me not to post. It doesn't have much to do with my creativity, but illustrates the creativity of a tired, bored toddler after 4 hours in the car. I provided my cute little one with the medium for the creative project (unknowingly) and she went wild (while her parents were not looking). Sofia is just learning about the color wheel and how colors interact with one another. She chose to create a three-dimensional piece demonstrating how not only colors interact, but also how inanimate objects interact with the human physical form.

I cannot begin to describe the joy this little one brings to me, even when she dumps an entire bag of cheesy puffs all over herself and the backseat of my car.

Rainy Day Roving

Northern Minnesota + cold and rainy weather + fireplace + log house + children + homemade chicken soup = perfect recipe for needle felting. I needled a bunny and carrot for my Sofia. I also taught my 9-year-old niece how to create with wool and needles and she mastered the art. She created a dog with a water bowl and a food bowl.

More Gifts From Mother Nature

Today I found more gifts from Mother Nature blooming in my front yard. Impeccable design, as always.

Mother Nature

If you have ever visited my blog, you are very aware of my adoration of nature and flowers. I have a powerful appreciation for plant life that could be labeled as “strange” by some. Seriously, when I walk outside and I examine how plants are created, I am in total awe. I am always excited to see something in nature growing or blooming and I never tire of foliage. I am like a child when it comes to nature. I get excited and giddy about it. I jump for joy when I see a spring bud on a tree.

Thank you, Mother Nature, for providing me endless joy and inspiration.

Needle Felt Eggs

To fulfill my needle felting addiction, I made my Sofia these adorable eggs. She loves to tote them in the itsy bitsy basket I got from one of our favorite toy stores, Wonderment.

Spring is HERE!

Spring finally arrived in Minneapolis and EVERYONE is happy (except for maybe the people that are trapped inside of an office all day). Minnesotans are possibly the most grateful people for 70-degree weather in the UNIVERSE. We enjoy every moment of warmth and sunshine and people aren’t hesitating to put on their bathing suits and bask in the glory of the sun.

Winter is so long and cold here and never fails to make me ask, “Why on earth do I live here?” Then spring comes and washes any cold memories away, making Minneapolis one of the greatest places to live. My life suddenly fills up with gorgeous flowers, gardening, bike rides, long walks, feeding ducks with my Sofia, swimming in kiddy pools, playgrounds, bar-b-ques, and farmer’s markets…and I am so HAPPY.

Waking Up

I love when my little one wakes up in the morning and comes storming into my room as though her most important mission in life is to snuggle with me. Of course I love her snuggles, but I am always in awe of how completely adorable she is when she first wakes up in the morning. Her wild hair, charming demeanor, and rosy cheeks make her totally irresistible to photograph.

Exploring

I took some photos of my Sofia exploring nature this afternoon. She loves to prance around in her red cowboy boots that are way too big for her little feet.

Joy

"I measure my success by my joy."

Dreaming

Spring is here, but it's doing a swell job disguising itself as winter. I forgot what warm weather feels like and how different my surroundings look when they are covered in life. I am ready to say "Goodbye" to you, winter.

Anagram International Website

I am thrilled that the website that I designed for Anagram International (the world's largest distributor of metallic balloons) is finally LIVE! I see the developer made some changes to the site, but overall maintained the look that I created. The concept that I came up with for the site was "celebrating life's precious moments." I suggested that Anagram include imagery from many different types of celebrations, from bringing baby home to college graduation.

If you saw Anagram's old site, it looked like it was designed in the 1970's. It was almost impossible to navigate and it was in dire need of a makeover. One of the challenges that I faced when designing the site was how to make the Anagram logo look updated without making any changes to it. Complimentary colors and a circular design pattern successfully updated the logo and made it look timeless and classic.

I loved working on this project and have to say thank you very much to Vencio for choosing me for the art direction and design of the Anagram International site!

Vavavavoom

Here is my Ranier. She had her hair glammed up by Jamie from Euphoria Salon in St. Paul, MN. Jamie is an awesome stylist and because of this, Ranier and I couldn't help but have an impromptu photo shoot. It was nighttime and the goal was to get some glamorous photographs with very dramatic lighting and shadows. Mission accomplished. Check out Ranier here, here, and/or here.

Naturally Dying Easter Eggs

My Sofia and I dyed Easter eggs using goodies that we found in our kitchen. First, we blew out the eggs by creating two small holes in either end of the egg. Then we pressed our lips to each egg and forced the contents out of the eggs with our powerful lungs. It is not a glamorous task, but allows you to display your eggs for a much longer amount of time. Removing the contents from within the egg shell also allows for more versatility with the eggs. For example, you could create an egg garland with your shells. We are displaying our eggs in a glass vase upon our mantle.

We dyed our eggs using vinegar, warm water, old glass jars, blueberries, beets and mangoes. Our egg dying process is strictly experimental and we did not follow any guidelines. We added our foods to jars along with a splash of vinegar in each one. Then we placed our eggs in the jars along with hot water. We left our eggs overnight and were surprised by some of the results. The egg colors are very earthy and mellow. My favorites are the eggs dyed by blueberries. My least favorite eggs are the ones dyed with beets. I left the skin on the beets, which is why I think the eggs turned brownish, instead of pink.

If you would like more information on naturally dying Easter eggs click here.

Mr. Grayson

I just finished making the most adorable kitten for my little one's Easter basket! This was my first experience felting with needles and I enjoyed almost every second of it (except for the five or six times I stabbed my fingers with the barbed needle).

I hope to make more creatures for my Sofia and plan on making gnomes next. I found this awesome tutorial on how to make felted wool gnomes.

Play Time!

I cannot call my job "work" anymore because I am simply enjoying myself way too much to call it that. From now on, I will have to call it "play."

My illustrations are metamorphasizing into miniature pieces of art -- greeting cards, calling cards, customizable stationary and more.

Here is a snap shot of what I have been creating.