One Post Before Fall Ends

When life gets busy, something has to give. These days, it's my personal blog, but I love to have it to look back on, document my life and keep my little part of the internet. I turned 35 in November. I'm enjoying my 30s, and appreciate the chance to get another year on this planet. Better late than never, here goes a list of the things that happened at 34 that I'd like to remember:

1. I became a mama. Being a mama is pretty amazing. You get to run with glee towards a fire engine at a kid's party and people just think you're being a great mom. Ha! Impending motherhood also gave me a kick to start things going on other dreams I had before I got sucked into a vortex.

2. Case in point: I became an official small business owner with my design partner-in-crime, Ann. We started Design Move Toss, LLC, which is a virtual and in-home interior design consulting gig. The goal is to have it be a fun and creative outlet where we can help people, make some extra money, and let it grow responsibly and organically. I'll probably talk about it more, and we're in the process of getting our logo / collateral redesigned soon! However, it was great to get started and not worry about making everything perfect in the beginning. Anyone else have a tendency to suffer from perfectionism paralysis?! Oy.

3. I really made a go of my Etsy shop selling watercolors and custom home portraits, and was pleasantly surprised to exceed my expectations in sales! I want to explore some paper collage and larger scale paintings this year, but we shall see. (Again, that limited free time and day-job thing).

4. I went out of my comfort zone a few times, and as usual, was glad I did it!

5. I said "no" when needed, to make sure I wasn't spreading myself too thin, so that I can be there for my family.

6. I tried to stay present in the moments and enjoy my new baby, and was "gentle" with myself, per the wise advice of Leya (Curious Bird).

7. I read some books for fun. I laughed with friends. I watched more TV than one should, and tried not to feel too guilty. I ate lots of chocolate muffins in the afternoons with a side of coffee.

8. I got to spend lots of time with our family and friends, which is the most important thing to Mike and me. Having Henry as initiative for people to visit really helped! My heart bursts when I see how much he is loved by my amazing relatives.

9. We got to go to NYC, Washington D.C., Indiana and Florida. Not too bad for year one. (We also all got severely sick in NYC with our Indiana relatives, but have many stories to laugh about now).

10. I picked up my knitting needles again! I'm making Henry Pickles (his nickname) a Fair Isle sweater.  I'm looking forward to see what good things 35 brings!

Drawing Houses in Philly, New Jersey + Cincinnat

It seems like the trees in my neighborhood were just shaking their pink pom-poms announcing spring, but we're already in the middle of summer thunderstorms.  It must have taken that long to start adjusting to the new rhythm of my life.

Our schedule is getting easier, or we're adapting and becoming more efficient baby wranglers. We're learning to pick and choose some nights. The kitchen remains clean, but we've left clean laundry unfolded in favor of more time with Henry, dinner out with friends and a whole book read last week. I thought about doing it tonight, but decided to check in here instead.  Every day is a choice when it comes to time, but I'm trying not to sweat it or spread myself too thin.

I'm feeling very grateful to have the need to carve out time to finish some house illustrations, and create floral garlands for photographer Anna Peterson's new logo.

This row home drawing was one of my favorites to do, mainly because it was for my friend who is a total sweetheart, and also because I loved painting the little flower boxes. I was especially happy to finally finish this, since it was part of a long overdue wedding gift I'd been meaning to send, but some baby got in the way. I told myself I technically have a year according to Emily Post, but I felt really guilty not finishing yet when she threw me a Book Club Baby Shower and cooked me a delicious chicken pot pie and Smores bars shortly after Henry was born!

This sweet portrait was a commission (and surprise gift) for the parents my friend, Rachel Grace of Raenovate. They were moving to be closer to her and her growing family, and she wanted to document their beloved home of thirty-six years.

This Cincinnati home portrait was finished just in time for Father's Day.

Alright, I'm off to delay yet one more day of folding laundry (probably).

Holiday House Portrait for the Grace Family

My adorable friend, Rachel Grace of Raenovate asked me to create a house portrait for their 2012 holiday cards. I was so touched to be asked, and hadn't realized how much I missed my watercolors and inks after a brief hiatus. In interior design school, interior and exterior renderings was always my favorite part of my projects. They have a cute Craftsman style house which was fun to draw, and Rachel and her talented hubby are always doing impressive home improvements.

I especially liked creating the holiday garland details and banners, and painting the bricks!

I loved how their house portrait turned out, and thankfully, they were pleased with the results! I also decided to add custom house portraits to my Etsy shop since they are so much fun to create.

Rachel used a local printer to scan the image and create their cards. It was such a treat to receive their cute holiday card in the mail. I think it turned out really great! Thanks for the opportunity, R+T!