big day . . .

Tomorrow Anais is turning eight. Pretty big stuff. Also, it's the last day of school for my girls... so - I'll have my hands full. Planning on taking them and their friends to Chateau Laurie for high tea - just because it's fun to do something fancy once in a while.
Above: Anais doing what she does best - torturing our cat Fergus with love:).

tiger kittens flower story . . .

A tiger kitten flower story pattern to show you today:
There once was a magic garden. It was deep inside the land of Summer and it was full of enchanted flowers. The tiger kittens loved it especially for it's brightness and came often (on sunny days) to lie around on the magic grass.

Rebel Walls . . .

Leo has run away from home with the visiting Circus when he was very little. He loved the circus and worked very hard for many many years. He roared loudly, looked ferocious (on occasion), and jumped through the impossible flaming hoops without fear or hesitation. His hard work paid off as he has become the King of the Circus!

If you are on the lookout for a fun wallpaper... I got a few over at Rebel Walls you might like. A feature wall or two could make life more fun:).

NY moments . . .

I procrastinate a lot. I should have blogged these right after I came back from New York... and shared all my New York moments with you back in May... and now it's second week of June and I am late... but not a giver upper. Here are some things that made me love NY a bit more this time:
• Japanese men smoking skinny 5 inch cigarettes outside 'spa for men only'.
• (possibly crazy) homeless man on 5th Ave telling me 'Girl, you're crazy!'... when I was trying to open a door that was obviously locked.
• Bleach blond lady tanned to a crisp (resembling a negative) making a young black man do a double take:)
• Public urination by a woman wearing a long skirt (that's right... that happened).
• A young man telling me 'careful, these shoes cost  $300' when I accidentally bumped into him on a very busy street.

Pictures above: 
a. Carolyn Gavin on High Line, resting a minute during our beautiful walk.
b. the cover of my Blurb Book for Surtex this year
c. me, Elizabeth Olwen and Michelle Bencsko (Cloud9) - fun meeting at the show:).

Odd Encounters . . .

A little 'out of the ordinary' or 'odd' could really brighten your day! 

just a little wild . . .

For today's show & tell I brought these little jungle animals. They aren't too wild... but very pleased to be a part of this happy repeat:).

Psikhouvanjou . . . new plates . . .

Just in time for the picnic season (I'm pretty sure I've just invented it) there are some new plates with my designs at Psikhouvanjou. I'm going to keep the one with the sun at my desk... for all the upcoming rainy or cold days. It would make my thoughts warmer... I'm sure:).

New York . . . my impression . . .

As I was sitting in a soup of frustrated and disappointed people (also known as LaGuardia Airport)... trying to find a silver lining to the endless delays of my flight home - I remembered that I brought my laptop (to whom I lovingly refer to as Silvester - due to his colour and stature). I took it out, put it on my lap... plugged in the mouse and proceeded to execute my New York experience in vector... while sitting on a black pleather LGA chair. A 7 year old boy named Archie (who has been driving his poor mother up the airport wall... and whom I've lent my iPad in the hope of focusing his energy on something else) was sitting beside me and commentating on his every game move. I was more than entertained. Me and Archie put in a few hours of work ... side by side. The result of my efforts are now a print (see above).

hedgehogs & foxes vs geese & rabbits . . .

What have I learned at Surtex this year, you ask... well, everyone is bananas over foxes & hedgehogs. I'm bananas over geese & rabbits... but I'm a girl in search of the ultimate equilibrium... thus - ta da! they all gather together in this pattern and enjoy a blooming field on a warm summer's day.

Hello NY ! . . .

All packed and ready to go. Let's see what surtex has in store for me this year. See you on Sunday or see you here in a week:).

Summertime Gang . . .

With the warmer weather the gang of children that usually hangs around my front yard (3 of mine & 7 or so others) has come back into full time operation last weekend. I was watercolouring while their voices were drifting up into my open window... letting these snotty little bastards inspire my work. I just love the cheer the good weather brings to the neighbourhood.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! Here's to it all being worth it! Here's to insanity of trying to have it all!

sweet anticipation . . .

As always, before a trip to New York... my cup is full of anticipation and excitement. I love this fluttering feeling of 'things to come' in my gut:). 

nature & magic . . .

I would love to spend a day in one of Hayao Miyazaki's movies... walking with forest spirits or chasing Totoros. This print is a bit of a tribute to that lovely mix of all things nature and magic.

psikhouvanjou nesting dolls . . .

It is surreal to see your designs take form in three dimensions! 
The flat (vector) Goldielocks has gone into the woods to visit some friends... and acquired some serious curves along the way :).
Check out these nesting dolls here.

enchanted garden . . .

A little fairy tale pattern to brighten up this day! In love with indigo lately and it's starting to flow into my work.

Surtex 2014 . . .

If you have been wondering where am I... well... I've been working hard on getting ready for this years Surtex show. As always, I have high hopes that all the hard work will turn into great new projects:).
Am I going to see you there?