Special and Loved

Making people feel special and appreciated is one of my favorite things to do. Luckily, there have been some parties and birthdays so they have gotten me in the baking and drawing mood.
I made a card for my coworker, she's getting married soon and her favorite cake strawberry!

owls in love

When it comes to a cute couple in love my go to animals are owls. I am still pretty obsessed with acrylic paper and colored pencils. I love the awesome blending effect.

so happy together

And here is the strawberry cake. I decided at the last minute to top it with a fresh strawberry design.
I love a pretty garnish  to finish off the presentation. Which automatically makes me think of one of my favorite scenes from "You've Got Mail" 

 "What are you doing?! That caviar is a garnish!" lol (scene starts @ 2:15, having trouble embedding sorry )  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAQogHJ529g

party goodies

strawberry goodness

the bride to be

We had a great time celebrating with our coworker. I got her beach mats with a built in pillow. They are a cute patchwork print and come in his and hers colors. From Target of course!

I've got some birthdays coming up and I'm dreaming up the perfect things to make some of my favorite people feel special and loved! What are you up to lately?

Mix and Match

I really like my mint capri pants from Target, and I recently got some cute summer tops from Gap.
I wanted to do a post on a few items, mixing and matching to maximize your wardrobe.


 Outfit 1: Polka Dot Tank from Gap Mint Capris from Target earrings from Target

Polka dots are perfect for summer

The other outfit has a short sleeve top that I got at Target a year or so ago, I love that the subtle crochet overlay that dresses up the otherwise plain tee. I love Navy paired with Mint lately.

  Outfit 2: Navy Crochet Top(old Target, similar here) Mint Capris from Target earrings from Target

I'm hoping to post more outfits soon, what do you love wearing this summer?

Local Inspiration

We had a nice break from the heat last week and I went down to Bishop Arts to eat on the patio at Cafe Brazil and enjoy the breezy day. I saw that my favorite gorilla was in the window at Ginger Fox Gallery. I have mentioned this gorilla before but this time I have a picture to share. I finally got a printed card of this happy painting too!

close up

I just love her use of color, the bright fuchsia and the stark contrast of the black fur with the bright yellow flower....it makes me happy. Her attention to detail is incredible.


At the Artisan Collective, I always drop in to see what's new and I was so excited to see that Manuel Sarmiento had some new pieces.

  I love his style and his long stick-like people, he also has some miniature chairs that remind of Tim Burton's style in a way. But his new pieces were playful metal ants that could be hung on a wall or I'm thinking my backyard fence, a perfect playful accent to my garden! I could not find pictures of his newer work, but here are some of his past works. He uses scrap metal and re-purposes it ways that are so unexpected. See more here

Of course I also had to make also make a trip to my favorite pie place. I've always loved their floral touches in their menu design and other pieces and I recently discovered who created their branding and website.
Such a great sense of style and use of color, great design makes me happy.

I keep the menu in my cube for happy inspiration

What are you inspired by lately?