Embroidery... {xox}

Wouldn't it be adorable to use these custom embroidered numbers from Merriweather Council 

as table numbers at your adorable wedding and than gift those cute little initial necklaces to your bridesmaids. I love the color, texture and vintage look that the embroidery adds. Oh its so clever!

Great Alarm Clock Idea

Oh My Gosh! Have you seen these silent alarm clocks yet? Its a touch screen wrist 

band that vibrates when you need to wake up, sum it up or get out of dodge. I LOVE 

this idea. Because Dave and I are always popping out of bed at different times, these 

private little alarms would add a lot less groaning to the morning routine. 

What do you think? 

People Freaking out in a Haunted House: Hysterical

I know this is so random but I can't stop laughing at this. I stumbled upon it looking for 

references, and it gave me a good laugh. Its people freaking out in a Haunted House.

 Look at that guy running away from his wife as she pulls him back, true colors right. 

Haha. I like that top picture of the guy protecting all three girls, way to go Dude!

More Here

To Love a new Life

My sister is having a baby. Have I told you that? Its pretty wild, it will be the first 

baby of our immediate family and my brain and heart are gushing with the idea of a new 

person to love. When I realized she was bringing another person into our family, it hit 

me in a strange way. If you don't know me by now, you should know that I worry a lot, 

especially about the people I love. 

Well, I was driving alone listening to a terribly sad song. Thats when I realized, as I was 

hoping that my new little nephew, would never have to feel the sad ache that that slow 

song sang of, that I loved him already. Because I was already worrying about him. 

Its a strange thing, to worry so much, but it all comes from this giant place in my heart

 where I hold all of my favorite people. Love manifests in funny ways sometimes doesn't it? 

Paige is due this weekend {!}. Her ankles are swollen and uncomfortable and she is 

anxious to meet her new son. Its mere days before I will be an Aunt and my parents will be Grandparents for the first time. The family has halted in wait of this new little baby boy.

 I wonder when his birthday will be!?

 1st image via {great maternity shoot} 2nd image via

Dan Kendrick's Baltimore Book Launch: TONIGHT

Hi friends, I am really excited to announce the Baltimore launch of Dan Kendrick's new 

book, Sex Sells but I'm Ugly, a real time guide to sales, marketing and life.

 I know this event will be a great time, and I wanted to let all my local Baltimore readers

 know to come join the fun! Its a Chic, Black, White and Red party {!} 

And everyone who attends gets a copy of the book!

Illustration Inspiration: Priscilla Burris

Cute Right? Priscilla Burris is our feature in this week's Illustration Inspiration. 

She creates characters that are so adorable and spunky I could pluck them off the 

page and take them to the zoo. I really appreciate the shape of the heads. {Thats 

strange I know} But it definitely contributes to the adorableness of the character. 

She uses a sketchy, low detail, style but adds perfect touches to melt your heart 

or get you laughing. That last drawing at the bottom looks just like my little sister 

Kelsey when she was little. {so cute}

For more from Priscilla Burris visit her site: Priscilla Burris

Amazing Business Cards

LOVE the way these business cards are brightly sprayed.

IS Creative did it themselves with an airbrush!

Oh Harry...

Oh... Now thats just hysterical.

via ffffound

Superman Character Bought for $130

"On March 1,1938, DC Comics gave two young men from Cleveland, Joe Shuster and 

Jerry Siegel, $130 for the rights to a comic character named Superman. That $130 check 

essentially created a billion dollar industry and set in motion nearly 70 years of legal battles 

that continue to this day. Without this check being written out by DC Comics, there would be 

no Superman, and thereby no Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, X-Men, and all the 

characters that came into existence after the concept of "the superhero" was born with 

Superman" This is a lesson for artists to consider maintaining legal rights to their artwork. 

This check is now being auctioned for $38,053.

 I wonder what Joe and Jerry think of the value of the Check now. 

images via illustration art

Happiness

Happiness is a difficult thing to settle in. Its hard to attain because we are always 

looking for more, and a lot of the time you get so lost in seeking it that you don't 

realize you are actually living it.

Lets be honest, we are all occasionally guilty of dreaming about all of the things that 

we don't have that we wish we did. Maybe for the weekend, we could focus on what 

we love about our life, those who we love in our life and all of the decisions that we 

have made to get us here. And by doing so we can find some sort of clarity amongst 

all of the daily 'i wishes' and see that we really do have something to be happy about.

I for one know I am. xoxo

Happy Friday. 

image via

Tea Cookies... Brilliant

Great Idea. So adorable for a Tea themed Party.

via

In the Spotlight for a Minute

Yesterday I felt lucky to be in the spotlight over at Melissa Blake's fantastic 

lifestyle blog, 'So About What I Said'. Included in the interview are details 

on my etsy shop, the inside scoop on how I got started and my favorite 

illustration to date. 

Read More on Melissa's Blog.

Illustration Inspiration Featuring: Erin Stead

Yes! Its Wednesday again and here we are back at our Illustration Inspiration feature! 

I have been looking forward to spending my morning diving deep into the illustrative 

world of another illustrator since last Wednesday's post about Matt Phelan. 

Today I am featuring Caldecott Medal winner, Erin Stead. In order to tell you a bit 

about her, I hopped over to Seven Impossible Things and read their interview. I got 

totally swept up in reading about her unique process. (Its a long one with really great

 pictures so check it out for details.) Basically she adds all of her color using wood block

 carvings. And it is only after all of the color has been blocked in that she draws on 

top of that with pencil. I am actually a really big fan of that Pencil Decision. I feel that the 

gray tone of her drawings gives them all a familiar vintage look. 

Can you feel that too?

May I also add that her husband Philip Stead is also an illustrator. {SO much fun!} 

And they created this book together. This was her first illustrated book and was 

named the New York Times Best Illustrated book in 2010 {Wowsers, Go Erin!)

Design Templates for Paper Folding

Discovered this book today by Trish Witkowski that offers comprehensive

Formats, Techniques and Design Considerations for Innovative Paper Folding... 

Kind of a cool idea... I had to share. 

BONUS: it includes a CD with 40 digital templates {!} 

Advice from Joanne Goddard

I have always admired Joanne Goddard of Cup of Jo for the honesty and vulnerability 

that she includes in her blog posts. She posted a bit about her favorite advice and I 

thought it was worth passing along. Thoughts like these are really good to keep in 

your back pocket. 

This snippet of advice was featured at Refinery29. 

The Just Love Project

The Just Love Project is a Design Project that posts a new design every month about love. 

Above are the poster designs for January through March. I can't wait to see April's! 

Wouldn't it be cool to get one for July, when we get married? I love the colors! 

You can buy them each month or in packages. Check it out here.

The Ghosts of World War II's Past

Wow. As someone who adores history's personal side these photoshopped 

photographs by Russian photographer Sergey Larenkov put things into a really 

interesting perspective, and really blew my mind. The combination of old and 

new really allows you to appreciate the shared history of the ground you walk 

on in a whole new way. This collection is titled The Ghosts of World War II's Past. 

There a 20 photos to view, for all of them visit MyModernMet.

Meant for a Moment's New Website Launch

I am so excited to finally announce the LAUNCH of my Meant for a Moment's new

website. Creating this site has been months in the making. I am thrilled to see it come

to life and to finally be able to announce it to you all. 

www.meantforamoment.com

Make my day and stop in for a visit.

Illustration Inspiration: Matt Phelan

Matt Phelan ladies and gentlemen. (pause for applause) 

How could you not adore his loose whimsical style? 

This talented Philadelphia, illustrator/Author, uses a combination of pencil, watercolor 

and ink to capture these budding moments of real (sometimes desperate) emotion, 

(ie; look at that hamster eyeing up that sandwich, I could melt.) I love the loose lines 

and sketchy quality of his work. I also love the way he draws his children. Look at the 

large cheeks and tiny eyes. He manages so much emotion with so little drawn detail. 

Of his many illustrated books some include: The Seven Wonders of Sassafrass Springs 

(his first publication), The New Girl, and The Storm in the Barn (written and illustrated). 

The hugely talented Matt Phelan is surely an inspiration to my illustration. 

Many thanks to him for sharing his work with us. 

To Have and To Hold: by RUCHE

So, Have you seen Ruche's Bridal Line? Do you see that dress up there that is a pure 

white and adorable? It is titled "The Audrey." Whats not to love? I love the old world

look they have to all their styles and those head pieces too! {xox!} Its all very budget 

friendly my friends, so pop on over and check it out. 

Liz Miller's Magic Eye

I ran across Liz Miller's mixed media work last night and I kind of got mesmerized. 

Its kind of like those magic eye puzzles {remember those?} I got lost in them. 

They all grew faces and shapes, and personalities all their own.

Don't you just love the colors? 

Visit her site to see some of her very large, very bold installations. 

Sharing Love...

Noteworthy. 

via 

Camomile tea and the Sniffles

Well Folks... Its been a sniffly few days over here in my Studio and I have been 

longing for some "Sunshine Tea." Sunshine Tea is an amazing combination of Camomile 

Tea, Honey, Lemons and Vanilla Syrup. It is so smooth and soothing I am melting 

just thinking about it. 

P.S. Did you know that Camomile was so good for you? {bonus}  

Illustration Inspiration: Olivier Dunrea

Its Wednesday again and I am back with a New Featured Illustrator for 

Illustration Inspiration, Olivier Dunrea. 

I was drawn to his style because it is whimsical and playful, but it also has a 

rustic touch to it. After peering at his Studio I see where he gets his rustic inspiration 

from. Moel Eyris Studio at Henwoodie is where he creates his work and it is a 

beautifully set against the back drop of the Catskills Mountains in NY (wowsers). His 

works include, Old Bear and His Cub, Gossie and Friends (lots of Gossie books) 

A Tree for Pyn, and many more. 

I really love the way Olivier uses his watercolors to soften the look of his illustrations. 

Each illustration looks like a cozy world I could just jump right into. And he is very 

good at illustrating animals as if they had human emotions and thoughts. 

Which is oh so hard to do!

*SPECIAL* Custom Mother's Day Gifts

Meant for a Moment's Custom illustrations make perfect gifts for Mother's Day. 

From now until April 8th, receive 10% OFF your Custom Illustrated Order.

Email for Inquiries {!} meant4amoment@gmail.com

The Hair Bow

Well Ladies, if you are looking for an amazing new up-do to make everyone swoon, 

let me introduce you to The Hair Bow. If you are wondering 'how in the heck does 

she does that?' Head on over to Ducks in a Row; she has set up a wonderful step by

step DIY showing you how to create this adorable look for yourself. 

Ill be busy growing my hair long, if you need me for anything. 

Important notes for Monday

Just because its Monday.

photo credit: Lucy Snowe

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Another March Birthday to Celebrate {x o x} My Dad, one of my favorite

 people in the whole wide world celebrates his birthday today. There are a

 lot of reasons my dad tops my list of favorite people, to list just a few:

• He reads books like, War and Peace and Frankenstein for FUN.

• He was a total hunter and outdoorsmen than, he had three girls. He totally

embraced it. Sympathetically leaving the deer bodies in his past, he took us on 

tons of hikes, put snakes in his pockets for us to discover and taught us how 

to fish and crab the Chesapeake Bay. Thanks Dad.

• He claims his blood pressure lowers as he crosses the bridge and nears the 

bay. I believe him. 

• I don't think he LOVEs his job. But I never hear him complain about 

work. Thats a big deal.  

• He is awesome and everyone wants to be his friend. True Story :)

Happy Birthday Dad. I LOVE you!

Buzzwords to make your heart swell

I stopped by Etsy this morning and stumbled across I Mudrov, an oil painter 

from San Francisco. And fell in love with his umbrellas. And than I looked further 

and realized that a recurring theme in his artwork was, bicycles, dogs and umbrellas. 

And if there are any buzzwords right now that would make your heart swell, tell me 

those three would be top on your list. I really enjoy the story that the combination of 

the three create in each composition. For example, look at the bottom painting, aren't 

you totally routing for these to strangers to get tangled up together by their dog's leashes. 

He will get one whiff of her perfume, she will get taken back by his musclely arms (haha)

 and Boom they are in love. {That's what I see ;) }

Stop in and check I Mudrov out. He has many more talents to present beyond what 

I have showcased.

Being Elmo. Marvelous

I am a huge fan of Documentaries. Especially documentaries featuring dreamy 

success stories of someone pursuing their dream like its no bodies business and 

knocking it out of the park. This inspiring  movie about Kevin Clash, Elmo's 

puppeteer, sheds light on the creation of Elmo as a character. And offers a peek 

into the creative world of Jim Henson and Sesame Street and what its like to see 

your dreams come true. And Kevin Clash is a  Baltimore native. Go Baltimore! 

P.S. You can see it on Netflix Instant View. 

Illustration Inspiration Featuring: Nicholas Gannon

Well folks, I have decided to add a new feature to the Meant for a Moment Blog. 

In dire need for some inspiration, I thought you too could benefit from my finds. So, 

from here forth, every Wednesday I will feature a new illustrator on my new 

weekly post entitled, Illustration Inspiration, to keep all of our creative juices flowing. 

This week, take a gander at Nicholas Gannon. I adore his color use and the sparse 

composition that he so beautifully lays out. You can feel the isolation of that little boy 

before you even know the story line. 

And the added shadows of the buildings are a great touch... a very subtle way to 

imply the building's presence without actually putting it in the picture. Bravo.

Pastels, I could wear you all day long.

I love the colors this spring! I want to paint my walls with them and fill my closets. 

Here are some great Pastel Finds from Zara

Another Noteworthy Day!

March really kicks off a slew of Birthdays... First Dr Seuss, and now my sister, Paige.

(And coming next week my dad {xoxo!}) I totally love her. I am actually sorry you all 

don't know her. She is so much fun and a really wonderful sister. 

Although she bears many skills here are just a few to celebrate today:

• She leaves the most amazing voicemail messages. Sometimes 

its a song, sometimes its an entire story, and sometimes I actually

 think I am decoding a riddle, its fun. 

• she makes ridiculous faces... as seen in above photo

• she knows great recipes... I mean great. Fish tacos, I drool.

• she always has something to talk about and is never upset if you 

need to do all the talking

and

• she laughs (really loud)

Happy Birthday Paige, I LOVE YOU!

A Very Special Day

Oh my Goodness, I could say a million words about how Dr Seuss has changed 

my soul. Without a doubt he has help point me in the direction I have headed. 

He was a pioneer and I would eat green eggs and ham with him in a house with a 

mouse any day! Happy Birthday to him!

The Everywhere Project

Have you seen the everywhere project pop up yet? It has just begun but it is very 

interesting. The Everywhere Project is a collaborative design project that pays tribute 

to the classic folk song “I’ve Been Everywhere”. It is curated by Adrian Walsh, 

a designer and illustrator based out of Southern California.

It looks as though they plan on featuring cities from just about... everywhere.

Corium Screen Printed Leather Bags - You have my Heart

These screen printed, leather bags have me emptying my bank account way before my 

proper bills are paid. Look at how pretty they are. I love the colors. But I am specifically

 drawn to that first one. It looks so natural, and comfortable. Corium offers bags of 

all sizes, check out more here.

What brands your Company?

I have been doing some really fun Branding and Identity work with my new 

favorite folks over at Red Gym Shoes, a philanthropic creative marketing company. 

Just wanted to post some of the highlights. 

Video Birth Announcement = Winner

And Everything Nice from John Jensen on Vimeo.

This amazing video is Guaranteed to make you cry the happiest of tears. 

This is a video birth announcement. {I know right, babies, I had to do it!} 

My sister is about to have her very first baby and we are gaga over babies right now. 

I hope this very creative, sweet and tender video puts a little warmth into your 

otherwise chilly February morning. 

Thanks Design Mom for the Inspiration

1 Dog and 236 Illustrators = Much Fun

A picture book for adults. 

This book features one adorable little pup, Morran, and 236 very talented illustrators. 

Each illustrator takes a very unique and personal direction as they create a portrait of 

Morran and are featured in a full page of this book. Flipping through the pages 

provides endless inspiration and much entertainment. 

Follow this link: HERE to see a full preview of the book. Grab a Cup of Joe and sit 

back and enjoy. 

Destination DREAMLAND

Well its Monday and the perfect time to get all your dreams mixed up and scattered 

into the air. Aren't these photos amazing. Doesn't the air just look so sweet here? 

Its Salar De Yuyni, Bolivia, the worlds largest salt flat. All of that crust fluffy looking 

whiteness is salt, and it spans 10, 582 km across Bolivia. Absolutely amazing. Lets go!

Decode your next Conversation

Heres more good body language indicators.