WHAT A WEEKEND it was a hot one with high humidity and little cool down at night. wren caught a stomach bug with a high fever on saturday. i have to admit, her fever rattled me. it was a first for us and we now know what to expect next time. she’s been improving each day, but i can tell she is still a little dehydrated. she’s eating and drinking a bit more now, and her fever is gone, but i won’t be completely at ease until she’s back to her normal, high energy self.

i managed to find time to paint this weekend while wren napped. such a rarity because i normally spend that free time cleaning, doing dishes or laundry. since it was too hot, i had nothing better to do than just sit and paint {no complaints here!}. i haven’t used water colors in probably 15 years, but like a close, old friend, it’s like no time had ever come between us. as much as i enjoy being creative in different mediums, painting is my most natural form of creative expression. it feels good to be painting again.

the giraffes were going to be used in a shower invitation for a friend, but a little mishap with our scanner and i’m now on to designing her something completely different. no painted giraffes this time around, sadly. alright…on the hunt for a new scanner. any recommendations?

I HAD SO MUCH FUN MAKING THESE INVITATIONS wren’s invite had been on my mind since the week she was born. what type of mother starts planning their baby’s first birthday right after the child is born — this crazy mother right here. my sister loved wren’s invite so much she asked if i’d make logan’s first birthday invite too {logan and wren are four months apart}. logan has a beautiful head of thick, red hair, and my sister is obsessed with frogs, so naturally a redheaded frog invitation was in order for little logan.

i’ve added a few birdie items to my shop, inspired by wren’s invitation: birthday bird stickers, birthday bird flat notes, and little bird flat notes {birdie without the birthday hat}. with my sister’s permission, i just might add birthday frog to the shop too.

WOLF KAHN’S heading back to harbor. the colors were a pleasant surprise when i flipped the calendar this morning. i want to live in that painting right now. can you believe it’s already june? i say this every year, but this year more than ever life feels like it is rushing by too fast. way too fast.

THESE BLUE STARFISH CARDS were added weeks ago to the shop. i actually had forgotten that i added them – losing my mind, or what? i’m thinking of creating another set in yellow, and possibly gray. as always, these cards can be customized. contact me for details. you can view the listing here: starfish, small flat notes

ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE daily reads, elephantine, has written a nice post about my work. elephantine is full of the most delightful eye candy, and amusing snippets from rachel’s life — plus her pup bodhi is the cutest thing ever — double plus, rachel has an incredible etsy shop and i dream of owning this, this, and this {pretty much everything in the shop, tommy}.

here’s the fun news friends: rachel kindly offered to host a giveaway of my stationery. you must be thinking, wha? are you serious girl? and i say, yeah i’m serious girl! you could win everything you see above {blue leaves folded notes + branches gift tags + i’ll throw in some fun surprises AND draw all over the outside of the package to give your postman a hardy chuckle}.

so go on over and enter the giveaway!

now if only we could add two extra hours to the day purely for drawing and painting and blogging. if only!

and if you’re wondering why i haven’t posted pictures of wren’s birthday invitations {i did on twitter, you should follow me}, well, it’s because i’m working on it. i am! along with five other posts that are tardy – way past due – late – old news. but for my own sake, i’ll still post them anyway.

CLEARLY, I’M IN A SEASON IN LIFE where i just can’t find the time for little things i used to have time for…catching dust bunnies…filing my nails…or paperwork since we’re on the topic…sketching happy ghosts…eating something other than string cheese and coffee…watching giada and ina in the afternoon and cooking one of their masterpieces…blogging. but i do have time for the important things…being a mom, and a wife, and present to friends and family. yes, important, indeed!

until then, i suppose fun little life updates will need to wait. perhaps until this weekend? for now,  a quick shop update {birthday bird stickers!}

a few years ago my beautiful friend wendy asked me to design her wedding invitations and requested that i illustrate dogwood branches and blooms. these branches always put a smile on my face, reminding me of my friend and how much i love springtime.

while preparing for the craft faire i rediscovered the illustration and decided to print a few flat notes – they were a surprise hit and i also sold a set the first day listed to my shop. i added more sets to my shop just in case you might want a little piece of spring during the cold months ahead.

NOW THROUGH MONDAY purchase a set of holiday note cards and receive a set of holiday gift tags {your choice}. happy holiday shopping! visit my shop…

GIVING GIFTS NEVER GETS OLD FOR ME, {neither does receiving them, hehe} and neither does making gift tags and cards. now that shopping {or making} is on all of our minds, don’t forget the little touches that make a gift extra special – eh, hem, tags and cards – do you see where i’m going with this? check out all the new holiday lovelies in shop:

shown above: silver flurry mini cards, merry little circles mini cards, reindeer greetings tags, winter stripes mini cards