Moving right along...

(Click on image to go directly to source)

Hey guys! It will be a little quiet over here while we're moving and until we get internet set up at the new place. Hopefully, it won't take as long this time as it did last year!

Also, I realized I somehow missed my two-year blog birthday earlier this month. I'm not really one for big celebrations, but I just wanted to say thank you to all of you awesome people who stop by here every day. This little corner of art and inspiration makes me happy.

See you soon! xo, Mary

(From left to right: "Flowerpop" by Linda Ketelhut; "Ariba Familia" by Leah Giberson; and "Skyglider II" by September Wren.)

All of these pieces have a mid-century, 60's vibe and make me think of summer at it's best. Actually, they make me nostalgic for a time I never knew, if that makes sense...some sort of idealized American childhood full of carnivals and road trips and floral wallpaper with big graphic repeats. Mostly, this grouping just makes me happy.

To see other Instant Art Collections, click here.

Scenes from Life

I had a successful outing to Target the other day, meaning I went in for one thing, which I couldn't find, and walked out with these limited-edition Andy Warhol Campbell's soup cans instead.

Aren't they awesome?

I also had to try these candy corn Oreos, also limited-edition. They didn't exactly taste like candy corn, more like vanilla mixed with candy corn, sort of frosting-esque. They were good but very sweet.

We finally got the shades up in the bedrooms, five in all. This project took longer than expected because we discovered soon after we started that we have metal frame windows instead of wood, so that meant we needed titanium drill bits, self-tapping screws, and a lot of muscle. If you have a fancy drill/drive thingy, it's not so hard to put screws into metal, but we didn't want to spend an extra $200 for this small project, so we took turns just muscle-ing the screws in there. Needless to say, we are both still sore.

I was playing Frankenstein with the cupcakes, cutting them apart and mushing them back together to make my own hybrid flavors. I would say it was a successful experiment.

A plane taking off in a dramatic storm. I'm sure it was bumpy getting through those clouds.

Message of the Day

vapor qualquer

I think this print is perfect, and it actually goes with the Instant Art Collection from Wednesday, no?

What are you guys up to this weekend? We will be packing, packing, and more packing. I also plan to do some work on the house, like more cleaning, installing roman shades on the bedroom windows and a shower curtain rod in the bathroom, and maybe making a trip to the paint store to get some samples. We have an open floor plan (if you can even call it "open" in such a tiny house-haha), and I have a pretty good idea what color I'd like to paint the living room/dining room, but the rest of the house is still up in the air. If anyone has suggestions of favorite paints they've used or maybe has seen photos of great wall colors recently, please share links in the comments!

Hope everyone has a good weekend! xo, Mary

(Clockwise from top left: Chance Encounter by Stasia Burrington; "The Grid" by Victoria English Charm; "Hives in Glass, On the Lava Rock" by polarplaces - Karina Gomez; "Vegetarian Dino" by milkandhoney05.)

Ever fancy a chance encounter with a veggie dino and some astronauts in a geodesic dome in a forest in space with twinkly lights/stars/fireflies? You did!?! Well, this is the art collection for you! ;)

Seriously though, don't these pieces just somehow fit together? I think they could spark endless daydreams and imaginative tales...and might be dangerous if placed too near my work desk, where the working is supposed to happen but frequently doesn't.

To see other Instant Art Collections, click here.

Scenes from Life

We went to the Arlington County Fair a few weeks ago. It was a whirl of bright lights, sweet smells, cute happy kids, and laughter mixed with screams of terror/delight...the kind of sensory overload I think only happens on warm summer nights.

Did you go to a fair this summer?

Big news!

"Row of Houses" by August Wren - Jennifer Orkin Lewis

I'm interrupting my regularly-scheduled Instant Art Collection this week to announce some big news: we got a house! Finally. Most of you know we've been looking for a long time, and I honestly wasn't sure if it was going to happen. I've heard some horror stories about house hunting in this area though, and overall, I feel very lucky. It's a small, one-story brick house (only 1170 sq. ft.) about 20 minutes outside DC. And yes, even though it's just 20 minutes away, it feels like uncharted territory for us. We will need to buy a car for one thing, the sooner the better. Actually, I alternate between being really excited and kind of overwhelmed by all the work we need to do (and money we need to spend); sometimes I go back and forth several times in the span of an hour. But mostly, I just have to remind myself that this house means I get to have a studio/office of my own, a place to spread out and make a mess and create big projects or little projects or whatever I feel like making; that thought usually calms me down and brings a smile to my face. And we also will finally be able to get a dog (that is, if we can afford one after all the house bills and car bills-eek!).

I will share photos at some point after we move in and get some furniture in place, art on the walls, etc.

Also, how cute is the illustration at the top of the post? Check out Jennifer Orkin Lewis's shop; she sells fantastic colorful prints from her watercolors and oil paintings as well as digital illustrations.