day three

Color! It was a productive day, to say the least. I was able to put up a lot of colors which really gave some life to the painting. Many people stop to say how much they like the colors and that's very encouranging. It's looking better and better!

day two

I spent the day painting the background color, which is slightly different than the primer. Can't wait to put up some different colors and see it really come to life!

 It was likely to rain, so while my inlaws were in town checking out the mural, I enlisted my brother-in- law and cousin to help drop the tarp to cover the wall. They did a great job, even when they had to climb to the very top of the ladder and cut a thick cord with dull scissors! Thanks guys!

This morning it looks like the mural is safe and sound, just hoping it stops raining. I'm going to spend the day painting and will post more pictures soon.

day one

I can't believe how much I got done today.

That's me! 

It's also great to be in Cambridge again, what a great place. I'm very tired and need to sleep, got another big day tomorrow and I will write more then, I promise!

mural time!

Oh man, I'm only a few days away from the largest art project I've ever done -a mural!

This has been in the works for over a year, talking and sketching and planning. Now it's finally happening and I'm excited and a bit nervous! It's the outside wall of 1369 Coffee House in Inman Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. I worked here for three years while attending art school in Boston and have a particular fondness for the place. 

 The design came out of a desire to incorporate different elements of the coffee house's life. The owner and employees brainstormed and came up with many great ideas, which I pulled together into one image: a diagram of an espresso machine. It's not accurate or technical at all, but rather an interesting way to show how things like music, cycling, the community, and of course coffee, are all part of this amazing establishment. I wanted to show how great this place is and make it a beautiful thing to look at. 

Below are the current mural. I'm not sure how long it's been there, probably a long time...

If you are a local or will be in town, feel free to come around and take a look at the progress. I'll be updating this blog with photos of the progress every few days. 

Wish me luck!

sneek peek

I'm printing new tote bags! After a lot of research I found a company who sells organic and fairtrade certified cotton bags and tea towels. The, after a long journey they arrived at my door and I went to the art store to buy screen printing supplies, found a studio nearby with the equipment I needed to put the design onto the screens (Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica) and arranged my living room to accommodate the screenprinting itself (basically just used the coffee table and made a mess!)

 My 'label'

I've printed owls and bears so far, and next will be an alphabet which I'm really excited about. 

I'll be selling these babies in my etsy shop and at RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR, LOS ANGELES!!!!! My friend Jenny Smith and I will be sharing a booth and we couldn't be happier. It's one of the biggest craft fair in the US and it will be in LA on July 28th and 29th, so mark your calendar!

I'll be posting again when the bags and towels are done and in my shop, so check back soon :)

weddings

It is an honor for me to have been asked to design two wedding invitations recently. I have just finished this wedding announcement design for Ryan and Chiara, a couple who are studying with my husband at UCLA. They gave me some ideas, like the floral pattern on the bride's dress and they also showed me some other invitations that they liked. I knew that they wanted a tree or something green and leafy and since Chiara loves squirrels it only seemed right to put one in there too! They wanted me to hand write the text, which really suits the style of the drawing. Below is the invitation for the party they will have in Italy this summer.

 This one is for my old friend Courtney and her fiancee Aaron. I showed them a few designs I had made and they liked this the best and then they chose these colors and we worked on finding the right fonts together. They had a lot more information to put on the page, but I think it worked out really well and the tree balances the text. I love the birds! I printed both these jobs at home and the invitations were all hand cut with rounded corner, a nice touch!

I really enjoyed these two projects and am hope not too much time goes by before I get another commission for wedding invitations...

If you are interested in having invitations of any kind designed and made by me, please get in touch! You can also share this post with a friend :)