Free friday - comfort

I received the most lovely email from a elementary art teacher from Indiana USA, named Rebecca. She and her class of 9 years olds were inspired by my Instant Comfort Pocket Boxes and made their own witty versions!
I was totally touched by their beautiful creations and thought this is worth a free friday share ;-)

They make much more arty stuff over there by the way, you can see for yourself on their website (I wish I had an art teacher like that back in the days)!

SMART exhibition

Some weeks ago I was asked to contribute in an exhibition in Minneapolis. The SMART exhibition ('a showcase of cleverness, surprise and delight, metaphor and juxtaposition') is curated by the fabulous Amy Ng who you might know from Pikaland.

Along with other illustrators an art makers I entered two illustrations. (Marloes de Vries joined with one of her fab illustrations too!).

The opening was last friday (I wish I was there, but unfortunately I live on a different continent). You can see the pictures and some words on it: here and here.

I think they did a wonderful job, don't you?

Also, all the artwork is available in the online exhibiton shop!

photo by Light grey art lab

New originals!

I spend the day making new photo's of my shop products, it was time for some 'freshing up'!

Also, I decided to list some original illustrations, one of a kind, the more 'grown up' work I make too. The portraits are made of gouache paint an black pen and are faces of familiar people or are sprouts of my imagination. Do you recognize some of them?

Slow comeback...

Ok, so I had a little concussion.
I'm slowly recovering and trying to get some work done every day (it isn't going at all at the speed I'd like it to go... gosh, I'm way too impatient to be ill). Being behind the computer still makes my head a bit dizzy so I'm restricted to a small dose every day...
And thanks to everyone for your lovely comments and 'be better soon wishes', it helps!

Today a DIY example of what you do to make a money gift more fun. You know how sometimes people ask for a 'little envelop' when having a birthday party or wedding? Well, this might not be the most exciting thing to give so better make it a fun little design project!

How is it done? Simple: cut around the paws of the bunny (or whatever image you've got) with a craft knife, slide the money between his paws and, tada! You're done!

A little blog break...

My lovely readers,

I'm taking a little break from blogging. Tuesday evening I had a bicycle accident (maybe I should start wearing a helmet, like this little fella by Gemma Correll). Luckily no serious injuries but I'm stuck to bed to give my bruised body and head some rest.

I hope to be back next week!

ps. for my students: The lesson tonight is still on.

Free friday - new bedroom

Yesterday both me and M had a day off and M decided (hurray!!!) it was a good day to take out the hideous carped in the bedroom (remember that?). He sanded the floor underneath and I did the finishing decorations (finally finished the little crochet carpet too!)... result: a light and fresh room for sleep!

Ceci n'est pas une fraise

Do you remember H&M launching their conscious collection a while ago? Strawberry Earth did a collab with H&M and opened a pop-up shop where you could have your H&M eco t-shirt printed with a design. I made one of the prints you could choose from and this is the result!

Eco Fab

I'm not sure if it's always visible but when designing my products, eco- and human-friendly is getting higher and higher on my list. This applies to where I have my paper goods printed, the materials I use, the clients I work for and even the food I eat while creating.

Happily I'm not the only one. Eco friendly is becoming more of a 'natural state' for companies, shops and people. A few lovely examples:

+ Strawberry Earth ('don't just buy green, buy awesome') +
Share products made in a good way, by happy people and with care for the environment. They also support initiatives that make the world a bit nicer, good causes that rock!
They offer some pretty good eco deals every week too, from beauty arrangements to fancy products.
I'd like to add here that I've been working with the people from Strawberry Earth on several projects now and they are just as lovely as their message!

+Babongo+
A webshop with a green lifestyle. Don't expect boring stuff here, it's all just as designer worthy as eco friendly! Owner Nicole has successfully put together a lovely collection of home decoration, paper goods and accessories.

+Bookhou+
Two Canada based designers (John and Arounna) who make very pretty bags, totes, home ware, wood- and paper products. Most of the fabrics are 100% eco and handprinted by Arounna.
I bought my favorite bag here (even the strap is made of recycled leather) two years ago and I'm using it almost every day (and it's still almost looking like new).

+Eco-logisch+
An eco-friendly DIY store for your big and small projects in and around the house. From paint to wallpaper and isolation material to solar panels. Everything you can buy at a 'regular' DIY store, you can buy here eco friendly! And quite important: the prices are friendly too!

The illustration was made by me for ASN Bank (commission via Strawberry Earth).

Working on...

... this cool fella for a new project!

free friday - seedbed

One of my students, Mirjam, asked me to show how I make little dissolvable seedbeds. I make them out of newspaper, which when put in the ground, will recycle and dissolve. This way you don't have to disturb the little roots of your seedling, you can put it in the ground with pot and all!

1. Cut out half a page of newspaper (you'll have about an A4 size piece, maybe slightly larger).
2. Fold about 5 cm (2") of the long side.
3. Fold it into a tube and staple into place.
4. Turn the tube round and push the top part in a bit.
5. Now fold in the sides (like you do when wrapping a gift)
6. Fold over the top and staple in place (again, it's like wrapping a present).
7. Put in some soil and sow your seed! As they can be a bit wobbly, best to put them together in a little container (like a lunchbox). This also makes watering easier and less messy.

Have a good weekend!