fresh picked whimsy

Feathering our nest

 
Ahhhh, spring!  Time for spring cleaning, organizing {Kim, are you reading?}, purging and home improvement projects!  Bring it on...i'm ready for it.  We've got to finish the exterior painting {yes, we're still working on it} and get going on some new projects.  I LOVE thumbing through my stacks and stacks of saved magazine clippings...so inspiring! 

 
I'm so glad i've saved volumes of some of my favorite home decor magazines, now that so many of them have stopped publication.  First on our indoor list is updating our playroom.  The kids want to make it more of a teen hang-out...less of a playroom.  It's time to pack up some of the treasured toys {not to be seen again until ...gasp...grandchildren!} and make way for more board games, video games and movies.  It should be a fun family project.  I will be sure to take some before and after pics and share them here.

Finally, i need to announce the winner of my book giveaway....using RANDOM.org...the winner is:  MJ!  Congratulations, MJ...I will email you and get your address for shipping.  No worries, friends, there will be more giveaways to come!  Thanks for all the lovely compliments you left me after that post! I love hearing from you all!  xo

a sugar coated Sunday...

Meet Jane Summitt...{pictured here with her lovely daughter}. 

 
Jane is also known as Frannie...Frannie the clown from Fun with Frannie.  My friend is a clown...how totally cool is that!?!  She is the definition of "following your dreams and doing what you love".  Frannie is a rock star among the grade school set.  She had a booth making balloon animals at our school carnival this past Friday night and her line was never less than 30 kids deep.  The woman is seriously talented.

Jane is in the process of updating her website and after a creative brainstorming meeting together, we decided that her website needed some updated photos of her amazing face painting and mad balloon skills.  So, she dreamed up a little party and collaborated with the owners of a darling candy store in the art & design district of our hometown of Carmel, called the Simply Sweet Shoppe.  You may remember I blogged about them a while ago here.

 

They staged a little face-painting party for some little friends of Frannie, so that i could photograph her work.  The afternoon was rainy and cold outside, but full of sunshine, sprinkles and glitter inside! 

 

 

We had the entire upper room of the Shoppe, which is also a small theater and workshop, called the Second Story Playhouse. 

This place was awesome!  They offer everything from acting, singing and dance classes to various art and family improv classes.  We had a coloring table...

 

One of the owners, Jill Zaniker, had set up a sweet creation station for the kids to dip marshmallows and enjoy a treat.  All of the kids LOVED it! 

 

Jane...doing what she does best!

 
 
This isn't your run-of-the-mill face painting.  This is like the face painting you get in Disney World!  She is an artist.  I'm in awe...

 

 
 
Everyone had such a fun day.  Seeing the kid's sweet faces when they would see themselves for the first time in the mirror was priceless!

 

The Simply Sweet Shoppe and Fun with Frannie are working to put together a party package...i think they are a match made in candy store heaven!  If you live in the area, and would like more information about Frannie or the Sweet Shoppe, follow the links here:  Fun with Frannie and The Simply Sweet Shoppe. 

A compliment for you...

 
Blogging for me is my diary...it's very personal and also vulnerable.  You are all so kind with your sweet comments and it means so much to me that you even stop by.  Thank you, friends...those who comment and those that lurk.  I ♥ you all. 

As a thank you, i am giving away a copy of the children's picture book that i illustrated, Getting to the Heart of Complimenting.  Simply leave a comment for me and you will be entered to win.  The giveaway will close at midnight on Sunday and i will announce the winner on Monday.  My friend and author of the book, Anne Paluszny, and I are working fast and furiously to publish the next book in this series...Getting to the Heart of Respect.  Yes, i know...we can all really use that one!

 
  
I LOVE this print from Marc Johns.  It's sold, but wanted to share it with you anyway.  Really, wouldn't this be fantastic?  I'd take a compliment over telephone hold music anyday. 

 
I stumbled on to this website that i think is sooooo cool.  Need a pick me up?  Pop over to ComplimentBot 4000 and receive a compliment.  Want another one?  Just click your refresh button and get another one.  Genius!  Why, thank you, ComplimentBot 4000!

How cool is this?  Go here to download one for free so you can post it on the bulletin board at your school or office.

 
  

I know I've talked about The Purdue Compliment Guys before here on FPW.  They are so cool, they are worthy of mentioning again.  Check them out in action here.

 Now, go and make someone's day by paying them a compliment today.  Small acts of kindness like that make the world a better place.  Oh, and one more thing...  

GO PURDUE!!!

How Sweet it is!

I am bursting with pride for my Purdue Boilermakers, who have made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.  I know they ruined some brackets for a lot of people who didn't pick them to move past the first game.  Us Boilers love to be Spoilers.  :-)

  GO PURDUE!

Please, play with your food!

Have a picky eater in your house?  Boy, do i wish i had known about some of these ideas when my babies were little.  Give one of these ideas a try if you want to WOW your kids.  They will love you for it.

This blog post idea began when i stumbled on this...a little repulsive to me, but kids will think it's the bomb diggity!  I have to admit, my first impression was shock..."how the heck did they do it?" and then, "why didn't i think of that?"  Seriously, genius!  Megan of Plum Pudding has all the details here...

We've definitely done this one...always a crowd pleaser with the toddler set...simply use your kitchen scissors to slice the dog half way up and cook!  For a double dose of gross, serve your octo-dogs on a bed of green Ramen noodles (a.k.a. "seaweed"!)

 
I dare your kids not to giggle with a plate full of smiles like these from family.com:

 
  
My Little Mermaid obsessed daughter would have loved this from Ziggity Zoom:

 
Look at these amazing ideas from Funky Lunch, who has a book coming out this year.  Seriously, this is food art:

 
   My kids all adored this book, How are You Peeling?  Foods With Moods {a great lunch table read}:

 
Want to thwart any bullies from stealing your kid's lunch?  Perpetual Kid offers these hysterical and gag-worthy "fake mold" lunch bags {that your kids will love!}.

 
Check out Perpetual Kid for these fun with food tools:

cute!

 

CuTeR!

 
CUTEST! 

 
 
 
Finally, forget the kids...this mom wants this tear off pad of placemats called Doodles at Dinner available on the Catching Fireflies website!:

 
TGIF, my friends!  Have a fun day!

What do you get when you cross a shamrock with poison ivy?

A rash of good luck!

That's the joke i put in G's lunchbox today!  Happy St. Paddy's Day, my friends!  Are you wearing your green today or have you been getting pinched left and right? 

Yes, everyone's Irish today.  Plunk an O' or a Mc in front on your last name today and there you have it, you're Irish!  We are the McDonough's (fo' rizzle)...and our family is originally from Inishbofin, Ireland.  {I believe it's pronounced "In-ish-buff-in"}  Look at this gorgeous place...

I hope someday we can take the kids to visit this homeland of the McDonough's {pronounced "McDunna", although it's slaughtered in so many different ways...our personal fave is McDonut!} 

I'm linking to a vintage blog entry from last year here, as i've had several requests for the info on the St. Paddy's Day treasure hunt that my kids go on every year.  It's super simple and you can download the FREE clue cards right here. 

The happiest of St. Patrick's Day to you and yours!

A prayer for you and me...

New art for a personal project.  I am loving hand lettering right now...can you tell?  It is an excerpt from a prayer from St. Therese of Lisieux.  A friend shared it with me and it truly resonated with me.  Powerful words that i love and believe.  Now, i want to share it with you.  Here is the complete prayer:

May Today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possiblities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing that you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

Irish i could live here...

The latest village set for my client, who is collecting one for every holiday:

Every time i finish one of these, i always wish i had made a duplicate set for myself, but i never do.  Someday...i tell myself.  I think i'm lying.  i wish i wasn't.  i know myself too well.

 


For some reason, my camera would not focus on the glitter house...i tried in so many different lighting situations, and every time, it was blurry.  So...sorry for the blurry pic of the glitter house.  My father-in-love surprised me a few weeks ago and bought me a One shot photo studio, so i can take fabulous pics of my products.  But, it was finally sunny and i thought these really needed to be taken outside, which is where i think leprechauns live...in a little forest somewhere.  At least, that's what i imagine...under some little mushrooms in a mossy patch.  In Ireland, of course.  Don't you think?  Next time...i will use the photo studio.  Thanks, Duz!

I just loved the light in this photo...so dreamy...  Sunshine, i am so happy to see you.

I thought i would share the original sketches of this village.  I always start with a sketch & brainstorm ideas, materials, colors...and i use it as a loose guide.  I almost always change it up a bit once i start making it. 

 
Here's just a smidge of the chaos found in my studio after a village has been completed...messy, messy, messy...i work messy.  Glitter, glitter everywhere! I ♥ glitter!

 
   Sure looks like some leprechauns have been getting into mischief in the studio!  ♣

Next village up....Easter!

The unexpected day

I had big plans for the day.  Really, i had so much to do and the sun was shining and it just had so much promise.  Then, just as G's bus was pulling up, i spilled a full cup of coffee all over the kitchen counter and floor...and i had already added the coffeemate...which made it not just messy, but sticky, too.  Nevermind that it was a waste of a perfectly delicious cuppa joe. 

Sorry, no photo here...just a lot of this...

 
I chalked it up to butterfingers and still had hope.  Then this happened...

 
I was backed into.  I'm so sad to see my van with a boo boo.  I love that van.  We have totally bonded.  There...that's better:

I have never been in an accident (as the driver).  It was a first for me.  Then, a good unexpected happened.  The person who hit me was so nice.  She could not have been nicer.  We had lots of time to chat and we did and now we're friends.  Just like that.  Totally unexpected.  It felt like a God thing.  Although, i do think that if God really wanted us to meet, he could have had us crash into each other's grocery carts or maybe some other less expensive way.  I'm just sayin...

Later in the day i got a phone call from my alma mater high school (where my daughter goes) asking if i would come in and talk to the kids about illustrating my book.  That was very unexpected and exciting and scary all at once.  I wasn't sure what K would think about it...mom coming in and talking at her school.   But, she was happy...so i'm happy, too. 

One last (hopefully) unexpected of the day...this pretzel that K pulled out of the bag, as is. 

 
I'm taking it as a sign...that we are loved. 

Dogs for my Cole Slaw

Yesterday was my nephew, Cole's 3rd birthday.  I call him Slaw.  He just got a big boy bed and my sister redecorated his big boy room with a dog theme.  He loves dogs.  So, I dreamed up a few characters for him and illustrated them.  Maybe i will continue to add to this canine crew over time.  I ♥ dogs, too...

 
Ironically, Cole doesn't have a real dog.  He has 2 cats.  So, of course, i had to illustrate them, too.

Happy Birthday, Cole.  xo