Sweet Saturdays - Cake & Plates

It's Saturday, so I am popping over to Sweet Saturdays with Diana Evans and the gang!
I had a custom order for these Sweet bookplates this week - what a cute way to label your children's books, don't you think? And now for the total sweetness...

As you know, my daughter Saylor turned six last week, but with her grandfather in town visiting for the week,  we had another little "sweet celebration". We LOVE birthdays in our house! This was the cake we made this week....4 Layers of pure sweetness....Yum!

Have a great day! I will see you tomorrow at Sunday Sketches!

Creative Tuesdays - Short and Tall

"One more tall tale, and you might be as tall as me," cried Penny....

The short and tall of it was, despite their height differences, they were the very best of friends -

This week's theme over at Creative Tuesday's is Short and Tall.

Come join the fun, over here at Mr. Toast's blog!

I will see you there!

And the winner is..........

Congratulations Julia

of

Serendipity - A Mother's Tale

The winner was chosen at random, by my daughter Summer.

She typed up the names and then picked from a giant bowl.

She was so excited so be choosing the winner!

A very important job, I must say!

Thank you ALL so very much for entering and your nice comments!!

You are ALL winners to me! I wish I could give everyone a prize!

Thank you all for entering and reading my blog, and following my journey! I am so very thankful for each and everyone of you! I feel so blessed to have such an inspiring group of people to visit with everyday.

Really, thank you again. I will have to have another giveaway, soon! It was a lot of fun!

Have a great day -

Congratulations Julia!!!!!

I'm off to the drawing board!

Sunday Sketches - The Red Balloon

Happy Easter Everyone!

It's time for Sunday Sketches - with Sophia and the gang over at The Blue Chair Diary.

This is just a sketch of an idea that came to me earlier this week...

I created a "book cover" for the story of Madeline and The Red Balloon

(just a made up story I have in my head...there's lots of those up in my brain)

Madeline stumbles upon a bright red balloon caught in the tree in the field.

She tugs

she pulls

and the next thing you know,

she's off on her first adventure....

with her bright red balloon.... 

Imagine grabbing hold of a balloon and flying all over the world?

Who would you meet on your trip?

Where would you want to go?

What would you see....

Enjoy your day!

See you at Sunday Sketches!

PS

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway.

To enter, go here

We will be picking the winner tonight!

Good Luck!

Sweet Saturday Angel

Did you know that every time a bell rings an angel gets her wings?

A sweet little story my mom used to tell me when I was a little girl.

This sweet angel face is for Sweet Saturdays over here at Diana's Blog,

and Inspiration Avenue's weekly challenge....and the topic is Angel.

My kids and I saw "Hop" the movie last night.

We really enjoyed it! A perfect movie for Easter weekend.

Enjoy the day, I am off to dye some Easter eggs!

Paint Party Friday - Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

Along came a spider,

Who sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Well, this week sure flew by! It's time for Paint Party Friday. Come join the party!

 

 I have always loved reading nursery rhymes to my kids

...and this is one of my favorites.

Little Miss Muffet is all dressed up, this pretty kitty is not too frightened, yet!

...hopefully Mr. Spider....won't stay too long!

She's now available in my Etsy shop

Have a Great Weekend 

and don't forget there is still time to enter my giveaway. Just pop over here, to enter

Here's Lookin' at You ...SIX

 My litte Saylor is six today!

We will be up to our ears in cupcakes, cookies and plain old-fashioned birthday fun!

celebrating life...making wishes come true!

Enjoy your day and remember this quote, from one of my favorite people, Walt Disney.

"All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them."

PS - Don't forget there is still time to enter my giveaway....just pop over here, for your chance to win!

Thank You - and a gift card

"Joy is the simplest form of gratitude"

Karl Barth

Dear Bloggy Friends,

Thank you so very much for all the continued support
and encouragement here on my blog.

I am so VERY appreciative.

I enjoy reading each and everyone of  your comments, thoughts, ideas, and words.
They mean so very much to this little artist bursting inside of me!

I love having a place to come and visit and share my illustrations and sketches.

I love being able to connect with you all -

It's a great feeling being able to have friends like you out there....

So, I am dedicating this post to you all!

A HUGE Thank you to YOU

Thank you for reading and thank you for
following me on my journey towards my dream!

As a personal thank you to my followers,

when you leave a comment on this post, your name will automatically

be entered to win a $100

gift card from me!

That's right, spend it on Starbucks,

art supplies, computer paper, lunch with a friend, your kids,

whatever, it's my way of saying thank you!

So let's be clear,

leave a (nice) comment on this post

and you will be automatically entered in my first giveaway

The winner will be chosen randomly out of a hat,
one week from today!

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues."

Good Luck and THANK YOU
from the
very bottom of my ♥!!!!!

Sunday Sketches - A Sketch of Summer

Summer
pen and ink

It's Sunday, and time for Sunday Sketches with Sophia and friends,

over at the Blue Chair Diary.

Grab a pencil and a sketch pad, and come join the fun!

This is a sketch I did this week of my daughter, Summer.

This sketch, is from one of my favorite pictures I have of her,

and it just appeared on my desk this week...

so I took the hint, and decided to sketch it

This is how I started to color it from the sketch pad.

I used pencil and my favorite Prisma colored pencils - Rose Madder and Pink

and then I went in with my Copic (L♥VE them) pens and ink...

to finish it...

I can't wait to give it to her!

What types of medium do you like to work in?

My Favorites...

Copics, Pens, Ink

and Watercolor

Have a great day!

See you at Sunday Sketches!

Mama Love

A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.

 ~Victor Hugo

Motherhood,

nobody said it was easy, but it's worth every minute...

I am entering this for Inspiration Avenue's Weekly challenge and the topic is

Mother....

and Sweet Saturdays, over here at Diana's blog!
I think the love between a mother and a child is so special and sweet -
Have a great Saturday, my friends!

Paint Party Friday - That's One Cute Chick!

One Cute Chick

8" x 9" inches

Watercolor

It's Friday and it's time to

 break out of your shell,

and head over to 

Paint Party Friday.

I saw the cutest little photograph of baby animals in my daughter's Scholastic magazine the other day.

I immediately thought I had to paint the baby chick and bring her to life...

She's now available, here, in my Etsy shop

See you at the party!

Madeline Book Plates

Good Morning, friends.

 I have had several requests for children's bookplates, over the past few weeks.

Here is my first new design that is now available, here, in my Etsy shop.

My kids have always enjoyed putting their personalized "stamp" in their favorite books. We have been making our own personalized plates, for some time now, and are now offering them, here!

They are perfect for adults, too!

Enjoy!

Madeline loves reading books, ...

What book are you currently reading?

We are reading Silverlicious by Victoria Kann

PS - and Madeline's bookplates have just been featured in this treasury

Thanks!
here

Creative Tuesdays - Rooftops

It's Tuesday, and time to visit with my friends over at Creative Tuesday's.

This week's theme was "Rooftops".

I created an image of a map for my mouse character, Madeline,
and tried to include some buildings and rooftops, that she might discover in her daily life! 

Of course, there is a school and a cheese shop!

Do pop over to Creative Tuesday's and say hello to Mr. Toast and the gang!

I will see you there!

Sunday Sketches - and My Winner (s)

It's Sunday...and I am back from my trip.

And, Sunday = Sunday Sketches,

over at Sophia's blog, The Blue Chair Diary.

So today, I am sharing a quick drawing from my sketchbook...  

That's me...

clinging to the chair upon take-off in the airplane yesterday!

I really don't like flying one bit. Can you tell?

I remember as a kid, and even through my late 20s,

 if I didn't sit by a window, I was so upset. I always made sure, I sat by the window.

 I really loved flying, taking off and just staring out the window....

BUT, now, I will do anything to avoid the window seat...

Instead, I am hanging on for dear life during take-off and landing...

holding my breath and

thinking

GET ME OFF THIS PLANE!

How about you, how do you feel about flying?

Is it just me?

SO...a HUGE thank you all for the WONDERFUL birthday wishes, my friends.

I enjoyed reading all of your sweet messages.

AND now for The WINNER(s) of my

Where in the World is Heather give-away....

Sophia

and Eva

They both were the first to guess Breckenridge, Colorado

I think the Starbucks clue gave it away, hee! hee!

Yes, I was in Breckenridge, Colorado, on top of the world!

What an amazing place!

Gorgeous views, weather and ski conditions made for a great week!

Thank you ALL for playing along!

So, girls, just send me your email and I will contact you about your special prize!

YAY for you!

Hello 38!

heather 1981 

Yes, It's My Birthday, today!

and  that's me 30 years ago!

But wait, ...38???

How can that be?

Where has the time gone?

Well, like any Aries I am off to enjoy MYSELF, today!

I love my birthday,

and I sure am going to treat myself right!

Lots of Starbucks and cupcakes!

So....

See you at the bottom of the hill

(that's Clue #3...)

Yes, I am on a HUGE hill 

mountain somewhere ....

hmmmm????

OK, last hint  - 

It's home to the highest chairlift in North America...

remember the winner will receive a special gift from me!

Good Luck!

Make a Wish...

and have a great day!

xo

And... YES, they have a Starbucks - Clue #2

Hello My Friends!

Here it is....

Clue #2

I am in luck -

There is a Starbucks here.

And, I was 12,000 feet above sea level today - I am actually

feeling a little bit lightheaded as we speak! :)

So, there you have Clue #2.

Starbucks -

12,000 feet above sea level...

anyone recognize this place?

hmmmm? Where in the world could I be?

Some of you are very close to guessing my locale....

BUT, if you can get the exact location, you will receive a special gift!
I will have one more clue, by the end of the week...in case you are still wondering!

How are all of you?
What are you up to this week?

Sunday Sketches - Every Now and Then & Clue #1

It's Sunday and it's time for Sunday Sketches with Sophia and the gang, over here at
The Blue Chair Diary. Grab a pencil and your sketchbook, and come draw with us!

Well, I am not in Paris with Madeline,

but I am enjoying the view from here where I stand...

hmmm, I wonder, is there a Starbucks around here???

Well, as you can see,

I will be traveling for the next week -

 I am not sure how often I will get to visit you my friends, but I will try!

 I will miss ALL of  you and your daily posts, thoughts, paintings, poems and drawings -

Enjoy your week!

XO

PS - Throughout the week I will try to give clues as to my locale...

and if you want to try and guess the exact locale,
the winner will receive a

a special prize!

The first clue...

(trumpets)

When we got off the plane, here,  it was 80 degrees

...but, it's snowing now...

 

Dear Rebecca -

Dear Rebecca,

I love my new journal!

I can't tell you how much I love each and every page....

 It's is amazing in real life!

Every page is more beautiful than the next,

after years of not having a special journal,

I now have the perfect place

to write all of my thoughts and ideas!

I Love It!

Rebecca Anthony is one of the most talented artists I know, out there in the blog world.

So full of inspiration and creativity. She has been so supportive of my artwork here on my blog for the past year! She's a wonderful blog friend to me!

She is now selling her beautiful illustrated journals

here,

You may want to purchase one, I did, and I LOVE it!

And you can visit her blog, here
Her work is incredible!
I think you will agree!

Thanks Rebecca!

Paint Party Friday - All Tucked In

All Tucked In

by Heather Stillufsen

 5 1/2" x 7"

Watercolor on Arches Cold Press 140 lb paper
This was inspired by my little Saylor and her favorite Kitty stuffed animal.

Is it Friday, already? Yippee, it's time for another "Paint Party" with Eva and Kristin -

This is the the third week, and we are having a blast!

Let's see what everyone has to share this week -

 It's so fun to see all of the different paint techniques - you are all so very inspiring!

See you over at Paint Party Friday