Watercolour summer magic

Hi lovelies! 

I've been tagged by a lovely friend, Jessy, to share a few answers with you to a few fun questions:

        1. What am I working on right now?

Summer packaging & new Fall + Christmas stamp designs! I know. It's not even fall yet but I've already spotted a few pumpkins at the stores and i feel like i need to get with the program. But really, i've been procrastinating and just trying to enjoy creating fun summer kits & stamps :) I'm looking forward to Fall & Christmas already!

        2. How long does it take me to create a project?

Really depends what I'm working on, but I would have to say I always take my time. This could mean between a day to a week. Yikes! I can't put something out there that I'm just not into or feel like I'm not happy with. It's part of a process that at times drives me crazy but I always end up feeling right about it and things generally work out :) And other times I surprise myself and things just come together in a few minutes! but that rarely happens ha! Ah, that coffee works wonders lol! jk. i don't drink coffee. more like 90% sugar & milk and 10% coffee ... total motivator. ;)

        3. What are my favorite things to create with at the moment?

I'm loving watercolours! It's a fun creative work out. I have had my watercolour paper pad + inks + brushes since my art school days. I'm talking waaaaay back lol! It was SO good to play with water & brushes again! You know I forget the "rules" so to speak about working with specific mediums and this was a total " Oh THAT'S how that works better!" hahaa! I jazzed things up and added a big dash of glitter just for fun. Reminds me of the glittery water reflections of the sun in the ocean. So dreamy. XOXO Also, I ended up free hand drawing a few script card designs & stamps. First time for me! It was a bit nerve racking since my actual handwriting is so similar to a serial killers, or as I've been told like a doctors scribbles lol! Still free hand drawing was fun since it's all about doodling and that's aways fun to do and doesn't feel like "work. I hope to add a few more handmade scripts in the future.

        4. How does my writing/creating process work?

I am not a writer. as you can already tell :) nor do i make lists. because i'm that twit who writes lists only to get to the store and realize i forgot the list at home. SO frustrating! or i really hate myself at the end of the day for not getting everything done & marked off the list. so no lists. just fun :)

I used to LOVE getting assignments when I was on a design team. But now that I'm not on one I have to find a way to stay motivated and create stuff for myself. I now take on a few outside assignments just to motivate and challenge myself to think creatively. I was recently invited to create a fun tassel project to share with Mollie Makes readers and am so happy with how it turned out. I loved the creative direction from the magazine, they are the best! I can't tell you how smitten I am to have worked with my fav craft mag! If you love to create don't hesitate and pick up a copy! It's filled to the brim with eye candy and fun DIY's :)

Another big motivator is documenting our life for my little r. He's such a little guy still i know he'll appreciate it. He loves watching videos, looking at pictures of himself that we took of him as a baby baby. Sniff sniff. Little guy is growing up so fast. but this is a motivating force for me! I'm staying with it and creating for us!

My creative process is simple. Find inspiration. Draw/design. play with color options. print it. tape it to the wall. live with it. like it. great. not like it, go back to redesign and continue steps from there. nothing scientific here. just keep creating and going back to the drawing board. some ideas just take more time and that's okay! As long as you're happy it's all good :) It's supposed to be  fun, not stressful ;)

        5. How do I become inspired and stay inspired?

I want to say inspiration comes from pretty much anything. It can be a visual "material" thing: a pretty comforter from West Elm & pillows from CB2. An awesome song with a fun beat and catchy lyrics. Or from pretty flowers on my walk & the patterns I find in a bit of shade from a tree. Probably sounds crazy, but it also doesn't have to be "things" either.

I'm also constantly inspired by moments I'm able to remember. Almost 10 years ago I traveled to Italy by myself. After a few days traveling I remember feeling a bit lonely. I can remember waking up in a pretty tower in a fancy little hotel overlooking the Capri seaside. I vividly remember the open window, The cool ocean breeze against my face. The gorgeous colors in the warm sunrise. The sounds, the boats & sailors in the harbor. Singing the song "Here I Am" by Delirious by heart & on my ipod so faintly. Inspired by the lyrics: Your grace has found me just as I am, Empty handed, but alive in your hands" The overwhelming feeling of being held. Comforted. Happy. reminded I was loved. Blessed. I was so thankful to really be in that moment that I used these things to soothe the labour pains while pregnant many years later. The little bits & details of moments of inspiration are truly amazing when you give them time to settle in & be aware of them. You never know how they will inspire you later in life :)

--> Disconnect, go outside, look up, look around, close your eyes. and just breathe :)

        6. What is my signature style?

Oh my goodness. I want to say what I used to always say but I can't because I think it's changed. I have to say a bit of B&W with some sequins + type design. I'm still a bit color shy but I'm working on it ;) Also, I'm trying not to overdo the whole graffiti spray can thing so I'm using that sparingly now lol! Having a little one I think has made me a bit more whimsical.So I hope that it shows :)

- Tag the blogs of three of your favorite scrapbookers:

Jody Ferlaak

She's always so good a being herself. So honest. Such a good example in her faith + art + family life. She's just one special beautiful soul and that's really inspiring to me. XOXO

Dina Wakley

Such an amazing artist! I've had the pleasure of friending her in real life and working on the same design team back in our Kenner Road days :) She's just awesome. She's so creative and has a brilliant use of color and black lines. Super cool & I love her drawings XOXO

Amanda Rydell

I am planning on meeting her at her next Be Crafty workshop and I cannot wait! She's just the best most brilliant paper creative I've seen! And she's so awesome at redoing furniture! Always picks the best colors and has the prettiest instagram! She's just brilliant. you'll love her too XOXO

Happy creating lovelies!
xo
-d

Summer LOVE

Oh summer. please don't go!  I feel like i haven't chased enough ice cream trucks or eaten enough strawberries and yummy pineapple. I definitely haven't eaten enough ice cream ;)  Pistachio is my favorite! As i was designing these papers I realized that time really does go by too quick when you're having fun. So maybe that's a good thing? It's a sign that you're enjoying life to the fullest, I just wish we could live in those moments a bit longer lol! 

Lately we've been cramming our last swim lessons with little r, always and adventure with a 2.5 year old lol! He started off so well then as the weeks went by he started to really be afraid of the water or just the part where you initially get in the pool. It was like giving a cat a bath. i have to laugh about it now but if you've ever given a cat a bath then you know thats not fun lol! We've also been potty training him and he's doing so well so I know emotionally there's a lot going on. Its been good though. it's been fun spending our summers together enjoying being out and walking together etc. Lots to document and remember! i always say, " i need to write that down!" lol! So that's what I've been doing and will use this fun kit to document our 3rd summer together :)

One of my favorite things about the kits is adding exclusive stamps. Our popsicle stamps we used to stamp the packaging in the previous post is now available in this kit! mmmm... so good :)

So yay to good times. to remembering and documenting. i'm giving myself this weekend to play with this kit. If you'd like to document your summer with this kit they are now available in the shop! i'm really excited to play with a few packaging ideas i have for this kit. Its definitely my favorite part :) glittery watercoloured watermelon + lemon + strawberries + popsicles + ice cream bars XO 

happy last it of summer!

XO

-d

Super Cool Summer time XO

do you see this? i live 15 min give or take away from this. it's all i know. the sand, the salty air and the blue sea is home to me. and this is only my second time this year that i sit and relax & enjoy this.  It's funny because people vacation in san diego year round. they come to enjoy this. soak it all up and have fond memories of it when snow storms hit back home. i'm thankful for this everyday goodness. kickin back i realized i need to do a summer time love stamp set because oh my look how good summer is!!! Pretty freakin awesome my friends.

so i doodled away and i hand wrote that "You're Cool" stamp & the rest of the stamp set :) LOVE!!! mixed in some ever popular shapes like pineapples and ice cream cones. And yeah, you're welcome summer. You're my fav.

Mixin' it up:

paper love + stamp love

= XOXO

I also feel a donut stamp set coming on ;)

any donut lovers out there? you are my kind of people lol!

i made some cute packaging for the stamps ( some are just a random mix but they are so cheery and perfect for gifting or storing personal items )

pineapple bags have me swooning

> XO <

i think the best part of summer is the refreshments and fresh produce. what i like to do to keep cool when temperatures reach a balmy 90 degrees is eat fresh cold fruit and eat lots of ice cream. :) And ice cream on packaging is always a win i think. adorbs right? Popsicle bags are available in the shop!

We have a rule in our home that i made up: We eat our ice cream with sprinkles and have no regrets. Sometimes before dinner. always with a smile. it's like our new motto and i'm not getting any negative feedback. :) lol!  Summer is too short, enjoy it while it lasts lovelies! 

I'm giving away a set of these cute pineapple bags via my instagram  if you'd like a chance to enter and win. It's open to international entries and I pick a winner this Monday morning ! 

Happy celebrating + crafting + living + loving

XOXO

-d