Illustrated Wedding Invitations

Last weekend my younger brother got married in Charlotte, North Carolina. I had the pleasure of working with him — and his lovely bride — on invitation materials to suit their charming rustic barn location. So along with a huge congratulations, I thought I'd share a look:

Five Years of Julys

A belated look back at five years of Julys in my calendar designs. Junes are here, Mays are here, Aprils are here, Marches are here, Februaries are here, Januaries are here.

Craft-a-way Camp 2015

This is what camp is all about. Craft-a-way Camp 2015, hosted by Small Craft. So much crafting, laughing and good times. Read more about it here.

Summer camps — then and now

I went to summer camp for nine years as a kid. It was a small, family-run all-girls overnight camp in western New Jersey near the Delaware Water Gap called Camp Nyoda — the same camp that my mother and aunt went to as girls. That's me, fifth from the left in what I'm guessing was about 1986.

From the very first summer when I called home halfway through the first week and asked to stay longer, I knew that I was in a special place. It was a place that nurtured creativity in all its forms, embraced individuality while helping us form deep, lasting relationships. My seven years as a camper and two as a counselor at Camp Nyoda truly formed the person I would become and was where I most felt myself.

I'm reflecting on this time in part because I have been lucky enough to find a new camp tradition at Small Craft's Craft-a-way camp which happens this coming weekend in Waterloo State Park here in Michigan. Hooray! This will be my third year at Craft-A-Way camp and each time I am flooded with memories of my childhood camp experiences.

But really, Nyoda is in my thoughts these days because they suffered a great loss this spring when a fire wiped out four of the seven bungalows campers and counselors live in for the summer. In true Nyoda spirit, there has been an outpouring of support to get everything rebuilt and up and running for the 2015 camp season that starts July 5. They are almost there! If by chance you'd like to lend a hand — or send some dollars — the Give Forward campaign to rebuild is here. 

Bride & Home Magazine 1968

In the late 1960s, my grandmother was the editor of Bride & Home magazine. This "Autumn Preview" issue from 1968 was saved for me by my mom. It featured photos of my parents' apartment in Manhattan. I love everything about this: From the stories highlighted on the cover, to the much hyped — and somewhat exaggerated — obsession by my parents of all things nautical in the article and apartment styling. 

The wooden schooner on the wall still hangs in my mom's home. How's that for a little #tbt?!

From the Sketchbook

Greeting cards update in the shop

I just completed a massive update to the greeting card section of my shop. Hooray! This has been a long time coming, but now you can see just about every card I have available. That includes this fun green Vespa card, or perhaps you need to send an apology or oops message with this sassy Pink Pearl eraser card!

Custom paintings for local real estate office

I'm really excited to share photos of three custom paintings I just finished for Buckley Jolley, a local real estate office here in Brighton, Michigan. The three pieces will be displayed together as a series and I loved thinking about imagery for house hunters: A large prominent exterior, an all-over design with all different types and styles of houses and a cross-section of a house representing the idea of home. 

The whole project was an adventure! I don't usually work this large — 29x41 inches each — and don't do a lot of commissioned original painting. A big thank you to Colin at The Artisan's Bench for orchestrating the whole thing and to Todd and Natalie Buckley for being so great to work with. And a big thank you to Katie Bramlage for being my model above! I look forward to seeing these framed up and in the space and will be sure to share photos then.

Some details up close

Five years of Junes

Another look back at my calendar designs through the years. Five years of Junes. These are some of my favorites seen all together! I must love June. Mays are here, Aprils are here, Marches are here, Februaries are here, Januaries are here.

The Symmetry of Snowflakes

A book cover illustration I recently did for The Symmetry of Snowflakes by local Ann Arbor author, Paul Michael Peters. You may remember my work with Paul on his first book, Peter in Flight.

Five years of Mays

Bring on the flowers! Another look back at my calendar designs through the years. Five years of Mays. Aprils are here, Marches are here, Februaries are here, Januaries are here.

Flower House Detroit

Flower House Teaser from Hello Future Films on Vimeo.

I cannot wait to see this project come to life in Detroit! The amazing Lisa Waud of pot & box is the mastermind behind Flower House. Watch this gorgeous trailer from Hello Future Films and hop over to the Indiegogo campaign to find out more and to contribute what you can.

Five years of Aprils

Another look back at my calendar designs through the years. Five years of Aprils. Marches are here, Februaries are here, Januaries are here.

Our home in Cottage Style

It's so strange and fun to see: Our little log home is in this spring's issue of Cottage Style. They found us from the article posted on Houzz a while back and shot these photos in August 2013. Here's a look at the article.

 The issue is available in grocery stores and bookstores nationwide.

Hour Detroit illustrations

I worked on a series of spot illustrations for an article about summer day camps for the April issue of Hour Detroit. I such fun with these goofball campers!

Studio Space!

I can't even explain how excited I am about this! I've rented a small studio space about ten minutes from our house. I'm maintaining my office and inventory at home, so this will be strictly a creative space — not for office work. Yippee! I'm so happy to have this dedicated space. I had an illustration job with a tight turnaround right after moving in, so it made me jump right in and work there without worrying too much about the setup. I think it's the best thing that could have happened.

Five years of Marches

Another look back at my calendar designs through the years. Five years of Marches. Februaries are here, Januaries are here.

Daily Sketchbook

My talented illustrator pal Cheryl Oz and I have been teaming up for some daily doodling and sketchbooking. We've been playing around and holding each other accountable for daily doses of creativity. Here's a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from my sketchbook over the last two weeks.

VLNTNSDYMRKT 2015

Reminder: Tonight's the night! VLNTNSDYMRKT in Hamtramck from 5 to 9 p.m.