Portfolio: All Creatures Great and Small

This past summer we celebrated the coming birth of my sweet cousin Laura's third baby and third little boy - Crosby Thomas. We found out she was decorating the nursery in a Noah's Ark theme and then asked if she had a quote, verse, or lyrics she wanted framed.

This project was so fun for me to work on! I loved combining my illustrations of all the happy creatures (great and small) with calligraphy. I used a premixed ink and regulated the pressure and amount of ink on the nib to give the letters an ocean feel of dark and light blue. As well, I added a little more swashes then I usually would for a "masculine" print to help give it that moving water look.

I loved working on this piece and I love that sweet Crosby and his brothers will see it everyday reminding them of all the great things our Lord has created.

Links to Love: May, vol. 2

Original Image  by Jenny Causey for Sara Saipua

Well, May is almost finished - and it has been a good month. Birthdays, graduations, and all kinds of celebrations in between. I'm sad May went by so quickly, but I'm looking forward to a sunny June.

Here are some links I have been loving this last month:

- The National Stationery Show posts have been filling up all my feeds this past month, and I couldn't get enough! To see some of the beautiful new stationery, check out Oh So Beautiful Papers great reviews. Make sure you don't miss their Paper Party post - I just love that garland!

- With a recent inspiration from my sister redoing her apartment - I have been obsessed with  "IKEA hacks" on Pinterest - especially this bar cart one!

- In need of a good read this summer? Check out these lists here , here, & here
My favorite reads right now include Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand,  and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

- Rifle Paper Co. launched their wallpaper line at NNS this year, and officially to the public today. So much beauty - I'm in love!

-Think you can tell a persons age off of their first name? Maybe you can - read more about it here

- Long summer nights call for quick but delicious meals. The girls over at The Daily May have the perfect fix for this with 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta. They are also giving away the cookbook the recipe comes from, The Oh She Glows Cookbook, so check it out!

Links to Love: April, vol. 1

Photo from Anthroplogie Blog. Photo taken by Anthroplogie.

This week has been full of appointments, a handful of work, and an unnecessary interruption of being down for the count yesterday with a terrible cold. Thank goodness it is Friday! Everyday seems a little closer to true spring and out of the winter woods.

Here are a few links to interest and inspire you this weekend:

-Check out the stunning Earth Day displays by Anthropologie promoting the awareness of the monarch butterfly here! See more of the window displays with #AnthroEarthDay on Instagram.

- Did you know April is National Card and Letter Writing Month? It's not too late to start writing! Join Egg Press and Hello!Lucky as they promote this great month with the #Write_On campaign.

- Hopefully this new take on the font Comic Sans, Comic Neue, will bring a positive light to this much loved to be hated font.

-This yummy Thai Frappe recipe from the ladies over at A Beautiful Mess would make a great brunch addition this weekend!

- I really enjoyed this article, 4 Reasons You Should Always Pay Designers & Developers by Jon Acuff. It had some oh so familiar truths.

-Check out these beautiful photos of Washington D.C. cherry blossoms by the talented Erica Baker of Erica Baker Photography. Does isn't make you wish these beauties were planted everywhere?

Artisit Admiration: Paola Navone

Plates | Chair | Table Cloth | Fish Bowl | Lounge

I have had a fond love for Paola Navone's collections at Crate & Barrel since they started collaborating. Her gorgeous patterns, whimsical shapes, and Mediterranean influence place a joyful and easy air to each piece that would enhance any space. Her three new collections exclusively through Crate & Barrel are: Pic-nic Collection, Party Collection, and Fish Collection. Being a sucker for the black and white combo lately - it was love at first sight for me. With the strong accent colors varying between deep blues and vibrant teal, with watermelon patterns thrown in-  I'm head over heels for all three collections!

Check out more about the collection and her process with the video on Crate & Barrels page.

Color Companions: Red and White

Be Mine | Cookie | Ribbon | Garland

Nothing is more perfect than a bold red and crisp, clean white on Valentines day. Pull out your glitter pens, washi tape, and scissors and start making gold ol' fashion Valentines day cards, complete with hearts.

Living in the Midwest my entire life you would think that when winter came I would be well equipped to face the cold. Thankfully, lots of hot tea and cocoa have kept me sane and warm through this unusually cold season. It doesn't hurt either when they are served in a pretty or eye catching mug! Do you have a go-to mug or desiring to find a new favorite?

Here are a few I would love to ad to my ever growing collection:
1. Fox  2.Handwritten  3. Monogram 4. Tree 5. Owl 6. Orange 7. Heart 8. Geometric

Color Companions: Spring Colors 2014

Looking for inspiration, I strolled into West Elm this weekend. Now, I have received catalogs for West Elm for a few years, but a catalog can not do these beautiful pieces justice like the real life store can! The open show room displayed the modern lines of the furniture and accessories perfectly. I could see each space being in my future home! The store also boasted West Elm's signature "living" wall display  (Top right picture). I just swooned over the lush green back drop.

I was most impressed by the cheerful and sensational color pallet displayed for the 2014 Spring season. ( Is it too soon to be thinking about spring admits these chilly winter days? I don't think so) Among the popular choices:  Raindrop Blue, Tanager Red, Proper Grey, Parakeet Green, and Lemon Twist Yellow. These cheery color combinations popped against the lovely patterns scattered on kitchen goods and home linens alike. Instant inspiration! Among my favorites on display were the mid-century printed bowls, Hive vases, and basically all their lovely pillows.  I snagged my own piece of inspirations with this adorable ceramic plant holder and succulent.

Check out more upcoming color inspiration for Spring & Summer 2014 by Sherwin Williams for West Elm here.

Need a quick and inexpensive change to your room? Pillows can change any room in an instanceinstant! With a variety of shapes, patterns, colors, and textures - there is a pillow for every occasion and every person. I love the way the colors and patterns you choose for your pillows can change the whole mood of the room. Mix and match solids,  and patterns, and colors, and textures to create a fun conversation piece. I'm just gushing over that fox pillow!

Check out  some of these fun pillows for your own home:

Top Row: Red Flowers, Flock of Birds, Black Flowers, Red Berries, Whale, Dipped-Dye

Bottom Row: Tassel, Geometric, Yellow, Tree House, Fox, Ampersand