ARMSTRONGS BRING HOME THE GOLD!!!

(here!)

Woohoo!!!! Thanks, everyone, for your votes of support! We're super pumped!! The trip, of course, will be awesome. But I think we're equally excited that our first attempt at doing a project like this together was so well-received. And we're hoping this opens the doors to lots of opportunities to partner our art and animating skills with the work of amazing musicians. So thanks, Owl City! We're excited to come see you!

Arian & Daniel

Snow Day!! Snow Date!!

Like lots of you guys, we got buried with snow today!! Super pillowy and fluffy and falling faster than the snow plows could handle. (Don't worry, I was in the passenger seat when I snapped this pic)
I looked back at the boys as we drove through the snow to see them doing this... Love. It.
Then tonight Daniel and I got bundled up and traveled on foot in search of a place to spend our date night.
Love the lights.
Love the snow.
Love the guy.

Arian : )

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

I love coffee shops.

I love the smell, the lights, the ambiance, the comfy couches, live music, local art, scones, and the "stay as long as you want" vibe.

Friday night I got to combine some of my very favorite things: the coffee shop, friends, family, my man, soy lattes, acoustic guitar, social justice, my sketchbook, my camera, freedom, and creative collaboration.
Ryan Adcock-- singer/songwriter/photographer/freedom fighter-- raising money for his trip to South Africa. Go Ryan!
Working on an illustration project.

My favorite dude and 2 other pretty favorite dudes.


And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Miss Ruby!!! Thanks for inviting us to your rad party!

You're so cute it hurts!
p.s.-- do you know if your skirt comes in adult sizes??

Well, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to you all! Hope it's full of love and dark chocolate!

Arian : )

p.p.s.-- no word yet on the results of the Owl City video contest. I confess I was eagerly waiting by my computer at midnight on Friday night when voting ended, hoping the results would be posted at 12:01. After hitting "refresh" about 25 times, I finally just went to bed. I actually have no idea when they will post the winners. The rules are unclear on that. (Wait, let me go hit refresh again....nope, still nothing) Guess we'll find out when we find out! : )

Peeking Out

It's been an eventful week! All the emails, comments, facebook messages, etc that have been coming in from friends, friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends telling us they voted in the Owl City fan video contest has been super encouraging. If we loose, it WON'T be for lack of support from friends and family, that's for sure! So aside from sending lots of "thanks for your support!" emails, we've been keeping busy with lots of projects and indoor activities!

Like enjoying new books under our newly-strung reading lights...


crafting...
visiting family and admiring our new nephew (surely my boys were never that tiny!)...

and making good use of our imaginations.

The snow is beautiful but I am longing for spring! I'm not a huge winter sports person (unless you count drinking hot chocolate and napping as winter sports) so I tend to admire the snow from inside our warm apartment. I think if I had some cute boots I'd be more likely to get out in the snow. Hmmm.... : )

Hope you're enjoying the weather in your neck of the woods!

Arian : )

VOTE FOR THE ARMSTRONGS!!!!!

YAY!!! We made it to the final 10 in the Owl City Fan Video contest! So take a look at the final 10 and VOTE for your favorite!! (ours is the one with the little character guy sitting on the hanging star by "abrooke10")

Thanks!
AA

We Finished It!

YAAAYYY!! Our little secret project is complete and ready for public viewing!!




So, about a month ago Daniel and I had this really great, inspiring conversation on the ride home from his hometown while the boys slept peacefully in the backseat. We were dreaming about where our creativity could take us and how sweet it would be to work on projects together. We thought it'd be super fun to try our hand at a music video using my illustrations and his new animation skillz. I specifically mentioned Owl City's song "Vanilla Twilight" because the lyrics and music are so sweet, I hadn't seen a music video for that song yet, and I know firsthand the heartsick feeling of being away from your love for a long period of time (Daniel and I spent a year in separate countries while we were dating/engaged)

So I was pumped to find out last week that the folks at Owl City were holding a "Vanilla Twilight Fan Video" contest. PERFECT!!! So even though it meant working several laaaaate nights, we did it! Of course I wish we had three weeks to work on it rather than three days but I'm super happy with the results!

So check it out!! Owl City folks will pick 10 finalists, the public will vote for the winner, and the grand prize is airfare, hotel, and tickets to any Owl City show in the country. I will be sure to let you know later this week if we make it to the finals so you can vote!

Even if we don't win, it's been totally worth it. The past three nights of flirting over video chat while we worked on the project in separate rooms of the apartment have been really sweet. And I think this contest has been the kick in the rear we needed to start working more together. So thanks, Owl City : )

Lots planned today! Have a good one!!

Arian : )

VALENTINES DAY SALES!

I've dropped the prices on a few love-related prints this week in honor of Valentine's Day. So if you're in the market for some V-day gifts, take a look at these!

"I Do" print: was $20 .... now $15
Customize with your own wedding date!

"BeLoved BeFree" prints: were $18... now $12

Print your own Valentines Day cards or postcards with the "BeLoved BeFree" pdf or the "Love Never Fails" pdf for $5.

I loved Valentine's Day long before I ever had an official Valentine to share it with. Who doesn't love a day dedicated to giving and receiving love?! So get out there and show some LOVE!!

Arian : )