Here’s a fun project to do on your own, with friends or to keep the kids creatively occupied for a bit this Christmas season: A watercolor coloring page. I sketched a simple scene of Christmas houses and rather than filling it in with the typical marker or colored pencil option, I thought it would be…
create
Pretty Packaging for little treats
Every year at Christmastime, I make sea salt caramels (here’s my recipe). I make them for our family. I make them for our church coffee + cookie Sunday. I make them for teacher gifts and to give to neighbors with our family Christmas card. They are my absolute FAVORITE to make, to eat, to give and…
Free printable watercolor coloring page
Here’s a fun project to do on your own, with friends or to keep the kids creatively occupied for a bit: A watercolor coloring page. I drew a quick sketch of a sweet bird and simple lettering and you get to fill it in! Rather than the typical marker or colored pencil coloring pages, I…
Watercolor for the everyday artist
Each month, I volunteer in the kids’ elementary school classroom teaching art. At our first art lesson of each school year, I like to ask the students to do something for me. I say to them: “raise your hand if you are an artist“. In the younger grades – kindergarten, first and second – almost…
Life is beautiful … but it sure is prettier with flowers
Houseplants and fresh greenery are key to my neutral decorating style … but first came my love of flowers. As a teenager, when other girls were covering their bedroom walls with cute boys and fashion tips, mine were filled with magazine tear outs of flowers. Martha Stewart Weddings was my first subscription and I couldn’t wait…
simple + sweet diy painted wood hangers
My adorable cousin and her husband had the sweetest baby last weekend. This is their first and we could not be more excited for this new addition to our family. I know all families are different, so when you hear ‘cousin’ it might not be that big of a deal. But my sisters and I…
A DIY pillow inspired by the new Magnolia Hearth + Hand line
Oh, new Magnolia Hearth + Hand line at Target, you are adorable. I ordered a few things this weekend and while I was in the store earlier this week, I saw the whole collection (or at least what was left of it in my store) in person. One of the items I almost bought was…
How to create pom pom garlands (like the ones on our porch swing)
We’ve been spending a lot of time out on the front porch this summer which means I’ve been showing more photos of it. And in nearly every one of those photos is the porch swing with pom pom garland draped above. I mean, how adorable are those girls?! But the questions and comments I most…
the emily handwriting font
I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time and finally the opportunity presented itself : You can now download the font for free {previously $4.99} by joining our exclusive freebies page. Click the link above to get your free font and much more! I added in a few doodles and symbols because they…
how to camouflage outlet covers with wallpaper
Up in the studio (and throughout the whole house, actually), the outlets, light switches and wall plates are almond colored. I’m assuming this almond color was the standard back in 1992 when the house was built. Not a huge deal except that they look pretty grimy next to all of the white walls. So on…
get your free set of valentine note cards + envelopes
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to share a few freebie love note designs. What’s not to LOVE about watercolor hearts, arrows, rain clouds raining down hearts? My illustrations were scanned and formatted into sweet little note cards with matching diy envelopes. Keep reading for the how-to and to download the files!…
When you can’t find the table lamp you want, you improvise
After all the back and forth and option-weighing, I decided the desk in the studio will stay as originally planned. We’ll adjust the chairs to raise them up a bit and call it good. I actually feel very happy with the decision and can continue on with putting the studio together … Next up is adding…
cable knit sweater pillow tutorial
Today I’m guest posting at Finding Fabulous – a blog dedicated to finding fabulous design without spending a bunch of money. So in honor of the idea of decorating for less & thinking outside the design box, I’ve done a tutorial on turning a {thrifted} cable knit sweater into a cozy pillow. Click over to…
5 favorite tricks & techniques in Illustrator AND a new class
Here we are on day five of a graphic-design-y week! I hope you’ve found beauty and inspiration in the posts so far. In case you missed any, first I shared a handful of designs from my custom stationery designing days. Lots of cute projects and many examples of great print-at-home invitations, christmas cards and announcements….
free Seaside clipart and how to use it
Can one ever have enough clipart? I think not. Especially of the hand-drawn variety. Add a little drawing to a gift tag or invitation, use one in your logo or in an ad – nothing overboard (ha!), but just enough to make a visual impact. Fun, fun, fun. I have summer on my brain and…