Sweet, Sweet Eye Candy

All girls know you don't have to be planning an actual wedding to justify browsing through wedding magazines and websites. They're just so pretty!! And being on vacation makes it even easier to justify spending extra time just feasting on eye candy : ) Here are some of my favorite finds from Once Wed.

Geesh, just makes my head swim with ideas for decorating our home, some fun photo shoots, or our next party. Alrighty, now go make something pretty : )

Arian

When It Rains On Vacation...

... we do puzzles, crosswords, read on the covered porch, drink tea, just enjoy being together...it's still pretty awesome. There are 15 of us nestled snugly here in the beach house. The kids (and Pappy) are napping peacefully while the rest of us are enjoying the quiet break from the sun.



My lovely sister-in-law



A few more pics from the beach : )





My little bro-in-law.



Jude and Uncle Drew



Alright, back to lying around and doing nothing : )

Arian

On Vacation

We're immensely enjoying time away with family! We're settling quite nicely into our daily "eat, beach, rest, pool, repeat" rhythm.



Hudson has become quite the little surfer boy and is finally getting the hang of the whole swimming thing.











The view from the front porch---pretty sweet, right! I sat out there all afternoon with my sketchbook and ipod listening to the waves and drawing. Amazing.





Hope you're enjoying summer too (or winter for my friends in the southern hemisphere) ; )

Arian

Get Your Crayons

I have an insatiable love (addiction) for art supplies. They are like my crack. And Suder's is my crack house. The rows and cubbyholes and stacks of neatly-organized rainbows of colored pencils, oil pastel, acrylics, papers.....must....color....something...

And how amazing is it that's it's been in Cincinnati since Cincinnati looked like this! It's seen three generations of artists through its doors! Seriously, makes me want to never step foot in a giant chain art/craft store again.
I LOVE taking Hudson there. He's becoming just as in love with art supplies as I am. And of course we had to stop by yesterday to stock up for our vacation.





It's so beautiful and grungy inside....old, uneven floors...parts where the ceiling is so low you have to duck...





Sooooo pretty.

And LOOK! I made you guys a coloring page to keep you occupied while I'm away! Click on the image below to get the high resolution version, then right click or drag to your desktop. What are you waiting for! Go get your crayons!

Arian : )

The Good vs. The Great

Any day that calls for a paint smock is a great day in my book : )

We're getting ready to head out of town for a whole TON of adventures-- white-water rafting, camping, the beach, the road, tons of family, poolside sketching and reading.....YAY!





But, of course, I had no problem ditching the packing and cleaning today for a little crafty fun....adding a little "love" to one of my t-shirts : )



I'm trying to wrap up the last couple freelance projects I'll be taking for a while. I've just been feeling a deeper prompting to slow down, focus on my family and my own art, and stop spending so many late hours at this here computer screen trying to meet deadlines. It's going to be a good but hard transition. I'm really bad at saying no to fun freelance projects. But I think God has new plans for my art and family life on the horizon and I need to get on board with His plans. Even if it means forgoing good things for the sake of great things.



Part of it is that the reality of my first son entering full-day kindergarten in less than one month is really sinking in. It made me want to hug him longer before bed last night and I kept sneaking in to his room to watch him sleep. And freelance work often ends up meaning I spend less time with my boys. I think I'm just realizing that there's no time to spend less time with them. You know?

I hope you're having a great day and spending lots of time with the people who mean the most to you : )

Arian

Brought to you By...

Here are a few pics from the weekend... brought to you by "Hipstamatic"-- the new, pretty addictive photo app I downloaded for my iphone last week. Just to warn you, you'll proooobably be seeing a lot more Hipstamatic photos gracing this blog : )





They're a lot better at crazy faces than I am .



I got to spend a lot of time with my sister this weekend...always a plus : )



Urban Outfitters...yay : )



a little thrifting at Red Polly



She looks like such a glamorous rock star in this one (which she is, of course)...but I'm pretty sure we were discussing office supply organization and the intricacies of ikea shelving assembly... very non-glamorous stuff. : )

Hope your week gets off to a great start!!

Arian

Josh Garrels!

"Josh Garrels!" is exactly what I named the folder on my desktop where I've been storing the art files for this show poster because we love Josh Garrels music and I'm was so happy to get this gig!! If you're anywhere near Portland, Oregon you should go to this show on our behalf ; )

Annnd we've got secret plans to work with him on a BIGGER project toward the end of this year which will be AWESOME!
Daniel and I had such a sweet date today--- the "coffee shop/sketchbook" date is our FAV and we came home feeling so inspired! LOTS of good stuff on the horizon--- t-shirts, music videos, more art. YAY!!

Have a great weekend!
Arian : )

Conditions Are Perfect

I love rainy days. Not sure why. But they always make me feel more creative. And I don't feel guilty slowing down a bit on a rainy day, just staying at home being cozy with the boys and my sketchbook and good music. Speaking of, just downloaded the new Sky Sailing album. I love it. Adam Young music makes me want to frolic barefoot in open fields, cut out strands of paper hearts, and drink cocoa while day dreaming about butterflies and puppies : ) : ) : )

(a little container gardening)
(the view from the back door)

And here's a little sneak peek at a show poster I was working on late last night! I'll hopefully be able to show you the finished product later this week!

Arian : )