i heart linen

Updates, a tutorial, and a giveaway!

Hey gang!  Happy Friday!  Just a quick post to update you on the happenings around I Heart Linen land. 

First off, I have the distinct honor of guest posting at Danielle Thompson's super awesome and inspiring blog on Monday Tuesday with a tutorial for this Desk Calendar! Yay! *dances the hustle alone* 

Be sure to tune in at Danielle's house on Monday Tuesday or you'll miss out on a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of Miss Melody Miller's  Ruby Star Rising!  I thought this would be the perfect giveaway, since I used her awesome fabric for this project!

 

Couple things coming up for February:

Feb 3 - Bari Ackerman's Blog Tour for her new book 'Inspired to Sew' with Stash Books kicks off on Monday, January 31st! Woooot!  Her toury-tour will be dropping by here on Thursday, February 3rd.  Oh and....Giveaway! ^_^

Feb 16 - Rae Hoekstra of Made by Rae has invited me to play along for something SUPER special happening in her neck of the woods next month.  Remember this?  Well, it's happening again! So stay tuned!

Feb 19 - Abby Glassenberg's new book with Interweave Press, The Artful Bird is out! Yippee!!  She'll also be kicking off her blog tour and she'll be swinging by these here parts on the the 19th! You know it..........Giveaway! Woot!

And lot's of other precious goodies for your lovely eyes to behold next month!  Brace yourselves! Consider yourself prepped.  ^_~

Somewhere in Hawaii......

 .........there's a small group of children making snow angels and little snowmen, because I'm POSTING today! Yaaaaay! It's been forever hasn't it? Geez Louise. 

I can't believe January is almost over!  2010 was some kind of crazy year for me and I'm happy that it's over because 2011 is looking so, so, SO promising!  I've got lot's planned this year, which I'll post about later.  Those plans do indeed include many more posts than last year. :P

I've really been fine tuning my Mommying-routine and trying to make more time for crafting and art. I've been cracking open my sketchbook more than ever as well, which brings me to what I'm posting about today!  I LOVE to draw and paint and really haven't been able to do it as much as I would like.  I'm so happy to spend some quite time at my desk doodling in my sketchbook or painting with watercolors, with a hot cup of tea, the sun beaming down on me and with a little Bach playing.

One of my favorite illustrators is a Japanese artist by the name of Sugiura Sayaka.  I discovered her work this month while book shopping on Amazon Japan and was completely smitten!  

Her art is so painfully cute and sweet,(which is a direction I've been going with my own work ^_^) that I had to see more!  She has a ton of books released in Japan that focus on various subjects, from travel to how to spend a relaxing Sunday to how to make a scrap book!

Her work is so simple, yet clever and stylish in so many ways.  It reminds me of simple sketchbook doodles, but taken to a completely different level.  If only, oh if only these books were available here in the States, I'm quite sure they would fly off of the shelves!

Even if you can't understand the text in these books, they really make you want to get that Moleskine out and start drawing, even if you're not the greatest artist.  Why not try your hand at drawing sometime? You never know what will come of it. ^_^

The page below in particular has inspired me to make a planner painting for each month of the year with my watercolors.  How lovely would it be to have such an inspiring planner to keep yourself organized for the year?

Well, I hope the year has been great for you so far and that you'll have many, many chances to explore your creativity and make, make, MAKE in 2011! Enjoy!