Autumn Adventures

 With Autumn in full swing and Halloween just around the corner, we've been celebrating to the fullest! We went apple picking at Gizdich Ranch, and to the Giordano Pumpkin Patch with our family (and our newly-walking niece!) This pumpkin patch is my favorite because they have BUNNIES to pet! 

Blue Mandala

Rose Sugar Scrub

Over Christmas my close friend Emma made a bunch of us girls a salt foot scrub, and I loved it so much I knew I wanted to try and make a variation of my own. So when Mother's Day came around I saw my opportunity! I opted for a sugar alternative and followed this recipe, but used rose body oil instead of baby oil. The results were fantastic! I am going to experiment with coconut oil and lime next time. Fun fact, sugar scrubs are great for sensitive skin!

Date With A Squirrel

This weekend I spent some time outside, picked some flowers and met a little squirrel who was very interested in what I was doing. It was so beautiful out and it was nice to sit outside and listen to the wind and the birds. I named the squirrel Flower.

5 Artists to Check Out Now

Hey everyone! I took a bit of a break from posting but I am back now! I hope you had a wonderful Easter, mine was nice and relaxing. Keith and I didn't do baskets this year because of how absolutely CRAZY everything is right now with him finishing school. We've started a count-down on our chalk board in the living room till the day of graduation.
More on topic: I have been having a very difficult time finding motivation for artwork lately, and when I sink into artists' block like this I find it can help a lot to branch out and research artists I have never seen before. I have a great love of Visual Development work, and find a lot of inspiration in it, which can translate quite beautifully into a more fine-art field.
So here are a few current artists I'm finding a lot of inspiration from, both fine arts and screen arts.

1. Otto Schmidt

2. Eliza Bennett

3. Katherine Tromans

4. Meg Park

5. Katie Rodgers

Daily Proton: End of March

It is the last day of March, which means I have completed the Daily Proton initiative I set for myself! It has been fun, and a great way to put a positive spin on my days at work. Thanks for reading, whoever you are! Today it is raining again, despite being beautiful yesterday, and I am enjoying it with a cup of green tea at my side. 

I hope you had a great March, and are ready for an even better April! Those of you in school, the semester is wrapping up soon, and summer is coming fast!

Daily Proton: Cosmos Squared

Happy Friday everyone!

Last night we had some friends over to watch the new Cosmos with Neil Degrasse Tyson, and to add a bit of theme to the night, we made Cosmos with this recipe!

I absolutely love themed get togethers and it's so great when one works out with minimal planning. It was a great evening and the drinks were so delicious! I will definitely be doing this again as the season continues. Have a great weekend!

Daily Proton: Inspirational Quote of the Day

Daily Proton: Rainy Day

It's raining! It is so wonderful, especially considering the drought California has been experiencing. Despite the fact that I am fully pumped up for summer, I am welcoming this change in weather with open arms. I can't wait to get home and enjoy being cozy inside with the rain and a movie. I think I may bake tonight, this is the recipe I have in mind: 

Soft Buttery Pretzels

Daily Proton: Drawing Mandalas

A couple weeks ago I was stuck in serious artist's block. I had just stopped drawing entirely for about a week which is very unusual, and couldn't figure out why I had lost the energy and will power to keep up my practice like I usually do. Stress from an unsatisfactory work environment can do a lot of things, and my work has definitely decreased my motivation for artwork, as well as causing a lot of mental stress and anxiety. 

Then I came across this article on the Free People blog, and thought I'd give it a try. It is amazing how much time passes when working diligently on a Mandala, and how calming it can be for your mind. I focus on the vibrations of the pen movement, and how they travel through my fingers and up to my wrist. After I'm done I add a bit of color if I feel so inclined, and am left with some very fun and beautiful sketchbook pages! I think this is a practice I will continue with for a long time to come.

Right now my favorite way to unwind is to make a cup of green tea and settle into a Mandala.

Daily Proton: 15 Ways To Be Happy NOW!

I got to work this morning and opened up all of the websites I like to have open while at work, one of which is HelloGiggles.com. I saw an article titled "15 Ways To Be Happy NOW!" and so of course I clicked on it. This is such a great collection of tips to gain a more positive life I just had to share it here as part of the Daily Proton series. Click the link below to read the article, and be sure to visit the author's blog!

15 Ways To Be Happy NOW!

Daily Proton: Fuzzy Bunny

Happy Friday!

Daily Proton: 10 Things to be Happy About Right Now

1. It is the first day of Spring!

Winter is officially over and the days are getting longer! This is especially good news for those of us working 9-5 because now we actually get to experience some DAYLIGHT! And even more good news is the days will only get longer from here on out!

2. It is almost the weekend!

ONE MORE DAY until Saturday! And let's face it, Fridays feel like they're already half Saturday anyway. So power through today and stay up late tomorrow!

3. Frozen was just released on BluRay!

Yeah I'm never gonna stop watching this now.

4. Disney announced a sequel for The Incredibles!

The only Pixar movie that actually called for a sequel is finally getting one! And better yet it is being written by Brad Bird! YES.

5. Tea exists in the world.

Seriously guys, if you haven't gotten on the tea bandwagon its time to. It is so beneficial for your health and it tastes delicious, and there are endless flavors and benefits depending on what kind of tea you get! Its like Magic!

6. Spring Break is around the corner!

I'm not in college anymore but a lot of my friends are, and this is good news indeed! Even if you don't get a week off, embrace the loosey goosey vibe and have a couple drinks and spend some time outdoors!

7. Easter is coming up!

Rabbits! Eggs! The Lord is alive! Baby Chicks! EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS HOLIDAY IS RIDICULOUSLY JOYFUL.

8. This Gif was made:

9. If for some reason today is a bad day, it is the last March-20-2014 you'll ever have to live through.

Seriously, if today is so bad there is at least this. Its the last time you'll experience today. Time keeps on pushin' and better things are coming tomorrow!

10. I found this website: http://www.noisli.com/

I am definitely going to use this for yoga at home. It can be such a stress reliever! I even put it on at work sometimes.

And seriously, this song doesn't get old. So give it a listen and make a list of your own!

Daily Proton: Frog

Do you ever get called cute when you're angry? I imagine it looks something like this:

Daily Proton: Flawless

This is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Daily Proton: St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! It is a Monday which can be daunting, but it is also a minor holiday so let's focus on that instead. If you are ready to party tonight, check out my top 5 favorite beers here, and enjoy your evening when you get home! As for me, I will be staying in watching a movie, and drawing. I hope you remembered to wear green, and have a great day!

Here is a cute squirrel to start your day off, and an awesome rendition of "Let It Go" to watch on a break.

I quite literally burst into some tears when I saw this, it is just way too cute. This is now my desktop on my work computer.

Daily Proton: Finally Friday!

That's right. Good old fashioned TGIF. THANK GOD IS RIGHT! I am so excited for the weekend, and despite the fact that it is not technically summer yet, I am in full blown summer mode. 

I was reflecting this morning about how I feel about my job, I very much dislike it, it makes me feel unmotivated, and often times can make me depressed. But then I always remember I am doing it for a reason, I am doing it to support my new family as a married woman, I am doing it to help us move to where we want to go and it is TEMPORARY. Sometimes this can be so hard to remember, but its important to remind ourselves that any unsavory situation we may be in, it is temporary. Just like this week is ending, this time will end too. So if you're in a similar situation, fight the good fight. You'll get through it, and as Calvin's dad would say; "It builds character!"

So enjoy your Friday! Take a break and have a mini dance party!

Daily Proton: Ways to Make Your 9-5 more Bearable

Working the 9-5 schedule can be very tiring, and if you don't love your job, could make you feel pretty down. I made an illustrated guide with some things that I do to try and brighten my time spent in the office! I hope your Thursday is going speedily, only 1 more day till the weekend!

Daily Proton: A Nice Reminder

Today I am sharing one of my favorite quotes, it has been said by a few but this is my favorite wording. Its a good reminder to look on the bright side of things, and not focus on the negative.

Hope your Wednesday is going well! The work week is half over! 

Daily Proton: Between Two Ferns

Today I've rediscovered the hilarious "Between Two Ferns", and have been shamelessly marathoning episodes at work. This one particularly tickled me, enjoy!

Be Like a Proton

Lately I have been having a hard time staying positive. Work has taken a difficult turn and so has my health with the onset of nasty seasonal allergies. (which are too strong for even Claritin to help)

So what can I do about this? So far I have mastered the art of becoming a crumpled mess and crying for no good reason, and that is clearly not working for me. SO this week marks the start of my own personal "Be Like a Proton" initiative. For the rest of March I will be doing posts Mondays through Fridays about something POSITIVE! (...Get it? Cause Protons are positive!)

I encourage you to do the same! Just write something down on a post-it note and keep it stuck to your computer or mirror, or even tucked in your wallet. Its time to make a change, and make the choice for joy.

For the first post and to get me in the full swing of being like a proton, I have made a playlist! It is full of songs that make me happy and inspire me to do well. All of these songs are available on Spotify, so if you have it I recommend making your own version!

Red Married the Wolf

This is a post I have been so excited to do! Last year I was asked to help out with a staged bridal shoot. The purpose was to inspire brides looking to have darker wintery weddings. We wanted to do something with a bit of a dark fairy tale twist, and ultimately settled on Little Red Riding Hood. To give it an even more unique spin, we thought "What if Red married the Wolf?"

I was given the honor of being the set designer, and got to design how the reception table would look. It was a huge team effort and I had such a blast working with these ladies! So far we have been published on multiple wedding blogs, but most exciting of all we made it into the Winter 2014 issue of Today's Bride! 

VENDORS:

Photographer:  Nerinna Studios// Set Design: Rachel Miller// Bakery: Artistic Bites// Event Planner: Blissful Events// Makeup Artist: Ellyse Bernales// Floral Designer: McCallum Designs// Jewelry: NCC Diamonds//Other Location: Sanborn Park// Model: Sarah Agar// belt, headpiece and brooches: Something Treasured// Other: Steele My Hearts// Dresses: Watters

PUBLISHED:

Something Turquoise // Frosted Petticoat Blog // Papermoon Weddings // Aisle Ready

Today's Bride SF Which can be purchased at Barnes and Noble!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! I have not blogged in some time, and am currently feeling ever so under the weather. I am currently writing from my bed all bundled up and trying not to completely contaminate my keyboard. I am in a particularly good mood today because I can actually do something that feels productive, my sinuses have been so wrecked I've barely been able to keep the lights on let alone look at an illuminated screen. I decided to use some of my energy today to complete my valentines.

I am a huge fan of Valentine's Day, but not just for celebrating a romantic love, but for celebrating all kinds of love. Keith and I usually don't do anything, and I opt for a "Galentine's Day" with Lauren instead. Though I don't celebrate the holiday traditionally, I do always manage to hand out at least a couple valentines. This year my friend Emma and I got together and made these Cupid's Arrows out of twigs, embroidery floss, glitter paper, and some watercolors. 

They were so much fun to make and have inspired my next DIY project for the house! 

I hope you are having a fun (and healthier) Valentine's Day!

Spread love to everyone!

This is Lauren's Valentine. She hates this holiday, and I seem to be the only one she will accept a valentine from, so I like to have fun with them.

Some quick doodles for inspiration!