red shoes

valentine cards

download here

We made Valentine cards over on my group blog, We Love to Illustrate and they are FREE to download, print and give out to your friends and family. They are intended for kiddos, but I think a lot of adults might like to receive one of these, too! There are lots of fun designs to choose from!

winter CHA show

The winter Craft and Hobby Association, commonly refered to as CHA, starts tomorrow in Anaheim, CA. This is a big show for scrapbooking, greeting cards and other crafty type products. My fabulous rep, Mary Beth from Pink Light Design, will be showing work from myself and all her other artists at booth 1738. This is the ad she put together for the show. Fun, huh? I've got some designs shown here - can you guess which ones are mine?

winter days

I haven't particiapted in Illustration Friday in soooooo long, but I saw the word this week was "prepare" and I thought a winter illo would be perfect. These kiddos are preparing a snowman and they are prepared for snowy weather with their coats, scarves and mittens.

This illo is also perfect for the weather we are having here in Seattle. We don't get a lot of snow here, so when it does snow alot, it usually sends the city into a panic. Schools close at the drop of a flake, cars slide off roads then get abandoned, buses don't run on schedule, etc. It's not pretty, folks! And, tonight we are predicted to get anywhere from 6-15" of the fluffy white stuff! Are you prepared Seattlites? The forecast calls for SNOW!   

happy new year!

Whoo-hoo! We did it! It's another new year and we are here to celebrate it! 2011, you were good to me and I appreciate all the wonderful things that you brought me, but I have a new best friend and her name is 2012. Tonight we will drink a toast, watch fireworks and steal a kiss from our loved ones, like most people in the US.

I thought it would be fun to see what other traditions and customs are celebrated on New Year's Eve around the world. Here's a few of the ones I found.

In Spain - When the clock strikes midnight they eat 12 grapes one with every toll of the clock, to bring good luck for the next 12 months of the New Year.

In Hungary -  they burn effigies or a scapegoat known as "Jack Straw" which represented the evils and misfortunes of the past year on New Year's Eve. Jack Straw is carried around the village before being burnt.

In China - For the Chinese New Year, every front door is adorned with a fresh coat of red paint, red being a symbol of good luck and happiness.

In Denmark - it is a good sign to find your door heaped with a pile of broken dishes at New Years. Old dishes are saved year around to throw them at the homes where their friends live on New Years Eve. Many broken dishes were a symbol that you have many friends.

In Wales - At the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its luck.

From this website.

happy holidays!

I made this cool sign with the ransom note generator over on letterplayground. Anyone can join in the fun and make some artsy letters to showcase on the site. Pretty awesome, huh? Try it, it's fun!

free holiday printables

Kristin from papercrave always has the most fun and charming things to blog about. I thought I'd share a link to her roundup of free holiday printables. A one stop shopping trip to printout your holiday gift tags and other fun stuff. She even mentions my group blog, We Love to Illustrate, which really is an honor, considering the line up of super talented designers she showcases. Happy printing, cutting and wrapping!