Monday, July 19, 2010

beautiful Beaucaire

Ah Beaucaire, where do I begin. A wonderful gem on the edge of Provence. (Literally the edge). It is a quaint town full of artists, good food, fabulous wine and friendly people - I love the French! My creative spirit (and my stomach) was well fed and inspired! The trip was too short but I was invited back and you can bet I will take my host up on the invitation.

I have a so much to share with you. Today I am unpacking, doing laundry and repacking. Tomorrow I am off to Estonia. So, for now enjoy these photos of Beaucaire and neighboring town Tarascone. I hope to have internet while in Estonia so I will be posting more soon.

I have had a thing for doors and windows for a very long time.
I had few strange looks when I took a picture of this door.
I love the distressed colors.
beautiful Beaucaire
my two new friends: the sausage guy
the cheese guy
I want a house with purple shutters

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

this weeks paintings

Lately when I get creatively stuck, I pull out the paints and start "sketching" with a brush. My only intention is to use a different tool to "sketch" some ideas. There is no pressure to make a masterpiece. For me, changing from a pencil to a paintbrush helps me relax, clear my mind and not erase! Ideas start flowing...some good, some not so good.

Below are this weeks paintings. As I finish them up on the computer I will post before and after shots.

My gut says the one below is going to turn
out very nice once I add a bit of color.
A big break is coming to me...tomorrow! I head for Beaucaire, France. My dear friend Toni has invited me to come visit her. I am very much looking forward to relaxing and hanging out with my friend, drinking some rosé and trying some yummy french cheeses. I anticipate some new inspiration as well! I will be bringing my sketch book (and camera) and will post my photos and sketches when I return. So, see you back here on July 19! A bientôt!


Tuesday, July 6, 2010

finished project: personalized stationery

It has been a busy week trying to wrap up projects before I head to France on Friday...more about that later. One of the projects that I just completed was personalized stationery. The request was two cards; a thank you card with Curt and Erika on the front and a small gift card. The "Erika" was the first card I submitted. It was a bit too feminine for the couple but a great personal card for Erika.

I really like both designs as I feel they are truly representational of my style. One of the best things about this project was the freedom given to me to design something special for them. Erika gave me some inspiration, told me what she liked and gave me great feedback on the first round of drafts. I worked with the printer to get the colors just how I wanted them. The printer did a great job and the colors came out brighter and better that I thought they would.




Monday, July 5, 2010

all about australia

Australian's have great appreciation for color and pattern. (Actually, one of my favorite magazines for inspiration is Australia's Vogue Living.)

A few months ago I got to meet one of my clients from Australia. She was visiting her niece who was living here in Budapest. We meet for coffee and had a lovely time getting to one another. You can imagine how excited I was when I received an email with photos of her pillows in their new home. They look like they were specially made for her living room. They work perfectly!

Thanks Cathy for the photos!

In other Australian news, my Etsy shop now ships my magnets to Australia! Ironically, I have had a number of requests over the past few months to ship to Australia. After doing a bit of research I discovered the shipping prices are not too bad. So, if you are interested in magnets, check out my store. Also, I will be adding a lot more inventory soon so check back often!

I have a busy week ahead of me as I leave for Southern France on Friday! Lots of inspiration coming soon! Also, I have some other great posts scheduled for this week so hope to see you tomorrow!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

attention designers and color enthusiasts!

I started writing this to tell you about the "Let's Color Project" and then my colorful world started spinning and well....I ended up at Pantone's website and reading their newsletter called "Tones". Color everywhere! And I want you to be as excited as I am!

(My friend Josephine will laugh at this post since when we first became friends the only color I owned was black and I am writing to tell you to be excited about color. hehehe)

So, I got lost in blog land last night and I don't know how I finally arrived at the site but here it is. The coolest project I have scene in a long time! Let's Color Project. Instead of explaining what it is...watch the video and click on the site. I can think of a few places in Budapest that could use a little color...give me a paintbrush I am ready to help!!




What did you think??? What color would you paint your town?

Now onto Pantone. Did you know that they have a FREE color newsletter called TONES! Yes I said FREE! AND did you know you can download their Fall 2010 color palette directly into Adobe Illustrator! YES I said !!FREE!! and from Pantone!

While reading through TONES I came across a link to their fashion color report for Fall 2010. What a great resource.

And one last cool an article on The 25 Best Color Apps for iPhone. I just downloaded the free one from you guessed it, Pantone.

I am super excited about all the color - especially the "Let's Color Project". Color is so important! It really does make a difference. In the neighborhood where I live in Budapest, there are tons of large prefab concrete apartment buildings. I hate to say it but they are very ugly. Recently they have started painting them - lime green, red, blue. It is amazing how much better they look! I will take some photos and post soon. There is a lime green one down the street from me that makes me smile whenever I pass it. A coat of paint does a world of difference!