Family Time.

I am so excited to spend the next 6 days in sunny California with my new beautiful

wrinkly nephew Cole. He was born on Saturday. My Younger sister and I are flying

out early in the morning to give that cutie little baby a hug and a squeeze. 

So please forgive my absence. I will return next Wednesday with great photos and 

updates of his beautiful fresh new life.  Until then, take good care of yourselves. 

And remember just how beautiful this life really is. {xox}

Happy Birthday to My Sister

An Important Day in history today. Happy Birthday to my sister, Kelsey. 

I love you so incredibly much.

For those of you not lucky enough have a Kelsey to love, let me give you some 

reasons to find one. 

• The Kelsey I love is so big hearted she would walk 

into a bee hive if you told her you needed honey. 

• She is both painfully and adorably gullible, so our 

storytelling family has always had her second 

guessing reality. 

• She has a guinea pig. Love those little guys {!}

• But best of all, she would befriend you, and 

care for you... no matter who you are. Her 

heart is open WIDE. Of all the people in the 

world she is the last person to ever pass a 

judgement. 

And thats why, I'm glad to have a Kelsey in my life...

Happy Birthday Kels {xox}

ILLUSTRATION INSPIRATION: Julie Morstad

For this week's Illustration Inspiration feature I chose someone whose style is very 

different than my own. Actual it would almost be impossible for me to try to mimic 

this style. Thats why I LOVE it so much! It is so unique. Each of Julie Morstad's 

illustrations provide her own signature and every time you see one you can pick it 

out as one of her own. 

She uses colored pencil, ink, gouache and pencil and sometimes even collage to 

create her beautiful drawings. I really admire the mixture of rough pencil that she allows to 

shine through. Each of my pieces end up having to look very clean and smooth when 

they are finished (OCD?) But I always like them best at there sketch phase. Sounds 

kind of like an identity crisis right? She keeps her drawings looking very 'hip' this way.

And to balance the gray of the ink and pencil she throws in those brilliant punches 

of bright color. Its just makes my eyes swim across the page, I just adore her style! 

Hope you do too.

Books are Art...

I am a little behind the times on this ad (Anagram books has since closed) but look at 

their beautiful advertisements promoting their store. That octopus is out of this world.

I could look at it for hours and try to figure out how it was created. 

I became an Aunt and my heart bursted

In the wee small hours of Sunday Morning, I became an Aunt, for the very first time. 

My Sister had her first baby, in California while I  a.n.x.i.o.u.s.l.y waited in Maryland for

word of his arrival.  He is Beautiful and tiny and so wrinkly he actually looks wise; like he 

has years of knowledge on me and I need to hit the books before I go out there so I am 

not out smarted by this adorable tiny wrinkly little face that looks so peaceful and perfect. 

My heart keeps welling up inside with sheer love. I bounce back and forth between 

feeling excitement for my sister and her husband who are over the moon for their 

new baby boy, I know their hearts grew a hundred times when they saw his face.  

And I'm gushing over the idea that there is a new little man in our lives that we are 

all going to laugh with and love and watch grow. And he is going to get hair cuts and

 build blocks and loose teeth and have adorable innocent moments that will make me melt. 

I am flying out to join my sister and her husband and meet Cole for the first time on 

Thursday. I can not wait to see that tiny face. Congratulations to my sister and her 

husband ~ xox you guys are going to be wonderful parents. 

Thanks Bippity Boppity Boo for the adorable photo