Simple Pleasures 2

I did a post a couple of weeks ago called Simple Pleasures. Here is the second installment to this series!

This little still life:




These delicious strawberries in my favorite Michael Aram bowl:


This lovely container that holds my cooking utensils (that I rarely use...the husband does all of the cooking!) I love the color and the organic shapes of the pattern!


This photo of my dad and me from my wedding. I love how candid it is! I hate posed pictures...so boring!


This vintage book on birds...very inspiring!


My collection of shells...I just love their shapes and how they all look together.


What are some of your simple pleasures?

Glimpse

Here are some things I saw this morning:

A pretty little glass vase on my window sill


A shelf in my kitchen with a little white bird and cup. I love anything white!


A small blue dish...I just love this pattern...


Summer sun coming in through my upstairs window


My new cute sandals...I think I might just wear them today!


I think it is important to appreciate the little things around us that make us happy! What have you seen today?

Hawaii Adventure

Here are a couple of pictures taken from my Hawaii adventure.
First up: As soon as you get to Honolulu's airport, you will begin seeing these signs for the ladies restrooms...I love it!


Here is the sunset view from our hotel room....isn't it grand?! We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki Beach. Such a wonderful hotel!


We had many bird visitors on our balcony, they were super cute!


Here is me on our balcony...yay for a beautiful view!


Along Waikiki Beach you will see surfboards everywhere! I so wish I was brave enough to learn!


Here is a view from our favorite restaurant called Tropics. It was located right on the beach in our hotel...best food and drinks ever!


Here is my Waikiki Cobb salad that I ordered twice! It was quite delicious...yummy avocado!


Here is a beautiful view of the harbor that was right by our hotel...lovely isn't it?! I would love to ride on one of those boats!


Walking along Waikiki I saw a couple of these stores! I thought it was too funny!


More food pictures! The husband and I went to a wonderful Thai restaurant and I got the summer rolls...they were so pretty and delicious!



The husband and I had a wonderful trip...we just love Hawaii! We cannot wait to get our kayaking pictures developed (we used a disposable waterproof camera.) Hope you enjoyed looking at our pictures:)

Tropical Bird

Here is one of my latest artworks called Tropical Bird. It was influenced by my upcoming trip to Hawaii in two weeks. Did I mention that I am pretty excited about this trip?! I need a vacation for sure!

I just love how travel really influences an artist and their artwork. I find that whenever I go anywhere (even just to another state!) I am somehow inspired. Where is the most inspiring place you have ever gone?

Bird prints

Sorry I have not written on here very much at all lately! I have been very busy with the end of the school year and my summer classes started so I am super stressed! I have been doing printmaking with my students for their final projects and ended up making linocut of my very own! Here is my little bird print! Hope you are having a great week so far and enjoyed the long holiday! I will try to post soon!

Art Pen Pals

Good morning! Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend so far! I thought I would just post a quick fall-inspired painting/collage I did on a watercolor postcard. I am sending this postcard out to my aunt who lives in Chicago and who has always been a big supporter of my art and basically every artist she meets! I love people like that, don't you?!!

To start this artwork I first painted the whole background a beautiful copper color (golden fluid acrylics are my fav!) and then painted the dandelions on top. Lastly I cut out a little bird from one of my hand-painted papers and collaged him on with matte medium.

This was all done on some watercolor postcards I purchased at the art store...how fun! I am almost tempted to put this in an envelope though so nothing happens to my artwork!

Anyways....if you have time today send someone you care about something arty like a card you made, a quick sketch, anything! Become art pen-pals! Have the other person send you something they drew or painted back...even if they are not an artist! I don't know about you but getting real mail...aka non bills or junk mail is a real treat and does not usually happen!

Now being an art pen-pal is not to get confused with trading artist trading cards...no! Use any format and any paper you want....I personally love decorating envelopes and enclosing drawings of whatever I am doing!

Alright, so now if you are bored you have something to do now!

I hope everyone has a great day and I will be back later today to post some projects from my Intro to Art class.