cherry without a stone

we're back into the swing of things around here...lots of summer projects and folding baby clothes and spitting cherry pits in the shade. sis is coming fast (she's due july 10th!) and instead of panic i'm left with a bit of peace and come-what-may feelings. it's a bit of a surprise...and a true gift for my mind and my body as they prepare for the big day...but not so much of a gift to the unfinished baby things yet to do.

c'est la vie...pass the cherries!

p.s. remembering doc today...

 

happy wednesday, loves!

 xoxo

 

planted firmly on the ground

no matter how many times i try to set up a traditional work space for myself i always end up using the floor!

there's just something about the ability to sprawl out and sit cross-legged, or lay on my back and stare at the ceiling when stuck, that has always got my mind going and ready to work. i'm a cheap paint//loud music//bum on the floor kind of painter!

(although my baby bump has definitely made reaching forward and getting up off said floor a funny task...there may be some rocking to gain momentum involved.)

today i'm working on some rifle-inspired flowers for baby shower invitations!

there are so many little boys in our family, it's a real treat to get to be having a girly party....flowers and sweets and gobs of color...i can't wait!

happy monday and last day of april! 

good grief, where is the time going?

peony paint

i parted ways with the peony wallpaper for the baby's room and matt and i decided to just do what we do and paint the pattern on the wall ourselves...making the peonies the size and color we really wanted! paint is certainly a lot less scary than wallpaper....

i don't know if anything could melt me faster then waking up in the middle of night to find matt sketching flowers on the wall for his baby girl's room...she's already one lucky gal to have him for sure!

so far i think the peony wall is going to be lovely...and i can't wait to start throwing some neutrals in the room and put a baby in that crib!

max and me and kinfolk

the third volume/spring issue of kinfolk is available today! 

i've been sinking into my copy with left over lemon cupcakes and a bit of quiet this afternoon.

 

i'm not quite sure how it's possible, but every new issue gets more and more beautiful than the last...

 i was lucky enough to get to contribute a few new simple paintings and a illustration for this issue...and got the chance to write a small essay about time spent baking and making messes, just me and my max. 

it's a fun read, knowing now that the katie who wrote those words had no idea she would soon have another little set of hands eager to help in the kitchen...

these are a few extra photos from our shoot for the issue...oh how i cherish them.

 

p.s. did i ever tell you that kinfolk is carried in anthropologie stores? good grief, it's a bit of a dream to go into your favorite store and see your name and work on a product on a shelf!

now that calls for another cupcake!

happy happy tuesday!

time to live in the scattered sun

snippets from our friday...beginning a few spring/summer paintings and jumping on the couch with max.

he's gotten lucky enough to have a 4 day weekend from school...me and mimi are loving having him around today! it's definitely a "don't go to school-stay home and jump on the furniture-ride bikes and get dirty" kind of friday...

happy weekend, loves! 

pretty palette

busy busy working week...lots of painting to do and spring cleaning and finally putting away christmas (we're/i'm awful about procrastinating)

however much i drag my feet to put things in their place, it's so nice having a clean studio space to work in....and make more messes in!

sunshadows

we've been without sunshine in ohio for weeks now. 

just rain and clouds and chill.

and just when i thought i couldn't take much more of the gloom, the sun peaked out!

today has been spent finding the sunniest parts of the house and curling up in the bright and the warmth.

it's been working and painting across sun-shadowed paper.

it's been wonders and wonders for the soul. 

paint your wall

i finally finished up the mural in max's little art studio hideaway tonight!

it's taken me a bit to actually finish it...it's been 1 part busy schedule to 3 parts i'm too tall and have to squat while working up there. 

anyways, max really loves it...and he even helped me paint a little bit of it!

i decided to leave a lot of empty spaces to keep the wall feeling light (it's a small space) and to let max go to town on filling it in if the mood strikes him.

it feels good to finally have things done up there.

it's the best to peak upstairs and find max hiding out...making messes and creating all sorts of funny things. 

an added perk is keeping all the crayons and markers and paints in one confined space! 

i definitely recommend converting an attic or spare closet into a mess space for your little ones!

paint by number

while max is away i decided to camp out up in his room and add a paint by number mural in his little art studio. i found 2 vintage paint by numbers that i loved...and plan on morphing the two (fingers crossed i can finish it before he gets home tomorrow). before max left i asked him if i were to paint something on his wall what would he like to dream it would be....he told me an old-timey football player with a curly mustache and beard down to his cleats. hmph! i'm going to try to fit that in somewhere...maybe hiding behind one of the birch trees? does that sounds a little terrifying?

so far my time alone has been amazing. i never got out of my pajamas yesterday. not once. i rearranged the living room 5 times and finally settled on putting everything back the way it was. i listened to my favorite songs on repeat and ate pizza and ice cream in bed over a good book and was asleep by 11. this morning i was up at 6 o'clock and took the longest shower of my life.

being alone is a real treat sometimes, but i can tell you...nothing is as good as when you get to share it.

hoping your weekend is a beautiful one!

xoxo

pocket novel

today was the kind of day for being tucked away in the corner of your favorite bookstore...just the right amount of clouds and drizzle. my favorite place in dayton is bonnetts. it's scattered with kitschy action figures and piles of used books and vintage magazines (the old playboys make me laugh every time). i went searching for inspiration for work and ended up stuck in the paperback western isle. it was nice getting carried up and lost for an afternoon.

hoping your wednesday was a fine one!

xoxo

color story

i hid myself away in the art store today. there's something about cloudy grey skies and the best kind of chilly air that make a girl's fingers itch for new rubber erasers ( i have an unhealthy addiction to hoarding erasers...and biting them, but that's another story). i let 7 year old katie fill my basket...and spoiled myself with some new brushes and paints and a box of charcoals. it was a little like christmas.

work has been especially exciting and inspiring lately. so many wonderful adventures on the horizon. i love how seasons overlap and change and bring about fresh ideas and new motivations...and plenty of erasers to stuff in my pockets.

copacabana

the may sun and breeze have stolen my heart. 

i am sun burnt and filthy and never have been happier about it in my life.

i've been out all morning attempting to spray paint cabana stripes on a $10 outdoor rug for the back patio.

my hunt for a store bought one ended when i saw dollar signs in the hundreds. ack! 

so far as i can tell, making my own is going to be a real disaster.

i'm a mess of tape and paint over here...with no guarantees.

but the skies are clear, the sun is out, 

and at the very least i get a funny story and one ugly rug out of the deal.

p.s. how is it wednesday already?

<3