painting and day dreaming

Hi there, I have been meaning to do a new post for a while I just couldn't seem to get to it last week.
Lately I have been very busy and very sleepy and that has left me a little brain dead and uninspired.
But I did manage to hang out with my good friend a couple weeks ago, she always gets me inspired to do something.... I love her carefree spontaneity, she's willing to take on any craft, sewing project, and painting and the drop of a hat.....so we had an impromptu painting session the other night.
I was experimenting with watercolors and acrylics. I think I like the watercolor on the left side better probably because of the purple :)

I've also been sketching random creatures, this summer has been awesome for kids movies, and I think this pink monster was inspired by my recent viewing of Monsters University. I really love that the monsters franchise not only celebrates that it's good to be different but values differences especially when it comes to teamwork, a good lesson for kids to learn and adults to remember.

My family and I have been through some trying times lately and I've been thinking about how much I really don't like the saying "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade". I'm all for making the best of a bad situation it's just not my favorite. But it did get me thinking about what cute little creatures would look like running a lemonade stand of their own.

so cute and happy :)

Anyway, I'm trying to get my creative groove back and work on stuff daily so I hope to have more new stuff to share soon. What are you up to the as we near the end of summer?
Happy Tuesday to you!

Anthropologie Anniversary

I had no idea that it was Anthropologie's 20th anniversary?! I saw on facebook that they were bringing back 20 pieces they love. I thought I would take this opportunity to share some my favorite pieces over the years.

Katherine from Corgis and Cocktails is a fan of Anthro, she loves dresses and this one is one of my favorites, love that birdie print!

love her outfit posts!

I think my first purchase was this candy colored striped dress. I stalked it online for a while and it finally went on sale and my size was sold out. I did happened to see it marked down at the store in a petite but still I had to have it so I did. I still really love it to this day the candy colored stripes, red stitching and ruffled hem are so sweet and lovely.

worn with my sweater from Target

close up of hem, stripes and stitch detail

My next big crush was also on a dress, that I used my 10% birthday discount to buy. I was captivated by the swan print, the lush brocade fabric, the bodice detail and of course the pockets!

But it was kinda short and too fancy to wear to work... it reminds me of a dress and ice skater would wear to an after party I still love it but I don't think I could pull it off on a regular basis. I ended up returning it, it was just too expensive and not versatile enough.

Here is a recent favorite that I actually was able to snag on sale. I really do love the color and embroidery, see more here.

Also this recent favorite, I'm not really a fan of the high-low hem on myself, but something about the stripes and cut makes it look so sophisticated. It was super cute in the pink too but that's sold out so you'll just have to take my word for it ;)

Last but not least, these devastatingly gorgeous pair of heels by Tracy Reese. I love the mixed materials and deep jewel tones. I could go on again but I already posted about them here.

Out of the reissued pieces I wasn't an overall fan of the entire collection. I think this dress was a recent piece as I vaguely remember it from a few months ago.

tropics dress

This top is really cute, I love the mixed patterns and the embroidery detail on the sleeves.

Mixed Print Top

Some of it's over the top as far as ruffles and animal motifs, but an interesting concept. So what are your all time favorites, do you think you will buy anything from the anniversary collection?

stuffed animal pets

Sometimes creativity comes from excitement and happiness, sometimes it comes from grief. That was the case when I made first stuffed animal after my dog passed away a few years ago.

My little cutie pie :)

I didn't really know anything about how to make stuffed animals but I learned a lot from my first attempt, I love the vintage bunny fabric, I think it's better to be whimsical than realistic sometimes.

My friend lost her sweet little dog this last week and I just felt compelled to do something for her kids, so in a late night mad dash I attempted to make a little fleece dog, I wanted to play with the face layout and put the entire face on the front side.

He kinda turned out like a cross between a hippo and a dog creature

I guess it's good he looks kinda cartoony since he's for a little boy.

He kinda reminds me of Spunky the dog from Rocko's Modern Life.....I miss old cartoons.

For the older child, I wanted to experiment with other soft fabric, fleece is soft but not always fun to sew, I bought some soft wool herringbone fabric and I set it aside for a special softie and this weekend it called to me.

I drew a better pattern and made a wider seam allowance--- always important to accent angles and shapes.

he's a happy little Yorkie

He kinda looks more like a scottish terrier but he's a happy little guy to snuggle with and that's all that really matters. I love to make animals because I love to make people smile that's really all their is to it.

 

Things that make me smile

I was inspired by post by Emily over at Cupcakes and Cashmere. It's a list of things to remember and laugh at when you are having a bad day. I sent to all my coworkers and they loved it so I thought I would do a post about the things that are making me smile these days.

Jason Mraz in his cat T-shirt

this pic was taken from his fb page

My striped colored zinnias have finally started blooming. I love their happy faces.

The steering wheel cover my sweet friend Jennifer made me. I love the awesome quirky and colorful bird fabric, it makes me smile every time I'm in my car. She's a pretty awesome seamstress.

So happy and colorful

A nice apple pie. It's been awhile since I have baked for myself and nothing makes me happy like apple pie warm from the oven.

Pretty colorful paintings. Like those by Carly Allen Martin. She was featured in our local Dallas paper, and although at first glance, it seems simplistic or chaotic in form. It has a soothing and engaging quality too. She has inspired me to start painting again :)

picture from carlymartin.com

What makes your day a little brighter this summer?