Hello Friends + Happy FRYday!

Ekk! Today, I am soo excited- for multiple reasons! It was the last day of school [for the kids, I still have 4 more days], my little sister + baby of the family graduates high school tonight, and my #GirlcrushFRYday creative interview feature is coming from all the way across the pond in Netherlands! 

Let me introduce you to my friend, Judith [in wonderland].  She is a bright, fun and creative momma [of 2], that I discovered through the wonderful world of Instagram. Her IG  is what your pastel dreams are made up of. Her house looks like what I would want my art palace to look like if I had the space + resources. 

Keep reading to learn more about this multilingual lady, I think you'll be surprised to find that her taste in her personal style is much different than that of her taste in art, music or decorating. 

And of course show Judith some love on Instagram || Blog  || Instagram ! 

1. How do you like your [french] fries [flavored &/or sauces &/or where from etc...]? 

I looove fries! We don’t eat fries very often, maybe once or twice a month.  I usually go for fries with ketchup but here in Holland we have a dish called “patatje oorlog”, which means “war fries”. It has mayo, curry, warm peanut sauce and chopped up raw onions. It looks really gross but tastes sooo good! If you’re in Holland you really need to try this, almost every snackbar has this on the menu! 

2. Who is your favorite artist? 

Madonna! I’ve been to her concerts many times. I don’t really enjoy her new album, I’m not even going to her concert this year but I do have most of her albums on vinyl. The first concert I’ve ever been to was from Gloria Estefan, I was a big fan of her during her anything for you/ cuts both ways-period, I wished I had curly hair like her... I’m really into SIA lately but I also love Stevie Nicks, Lana del Rey and Lorde. I used to be a huge Spice Girls fan, I had like 3 pairs of Buffalo platform sneakers and “Geri-Hair”, and in 2007 I went to their reunion concert in London, that was one of the best days of my life! I was in seat 37 right in front of the stage and I cried for the entire show, I was sooo happy!
 
3. What CareBare best represents you? 

I’m more of a My Little Pony kinda gal. First generation ofcourse. 
 
4. Do you dress a colorfully as everything else in your life? 

Actually.... I only wear black. Everyday; all black. I even dyed my hair black for years. I haven’t dyed my hair for a few months now and I’ve got very ugly brown and super-grey roots; I’m planning on dying it pastel pink when my hair is healthy enough but that might take a while...
 
5. Describe your perfect Saturday for us:
 
I love lazy saturdays, walking around in my pyjama all day long, watching Netflix (OITNB or AHS!) and just doing nothing special at all. But once every other month I’m spending an entire saturday in a big city, like Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Utrecht. I’ll take the first train (really early!) and bring a good book or some yarn (to crochet) with me and enjoy the ride. Then I’ll meet up with my bestie, shop untill we drop, go lunch somewhere and shop some more. I always return back home late at night, broke, supertired and with at least six or seven bags full of random crap. But those are the best saturdays I can imagine!
 
6. Sweet or savory foods for breakfast? 

I don’t eat bread but my kids love “hagelslag” on theirs, that’s chocolate sprinkles! I just eat some greek yoghurt with honey in the morning while the kids make a mess with the hagelslag...
 
7. Are you a city or country gal? 

I’ve always been a country gal, I live in Drenthe (very pretty with lots of nature but also very boring, Google it and you know what I mean) but I really enjoy going to Amsterdam every now and then. It’s about a two hour train ride away from my home and I always look forward to visit it. But to be honest; I love coming home to my little boring village after a long hectic day in Amsterdam. 

8. When stuck in a rut, where do you turn for inspiration? 

I always turn to Instagram when in need for inspiration. I discovered so many amazing creative people, labels and brands thanks to Insta and I often wonder what my life would be like if I never made an Instagram account. I even met my best friends (Hi Margo and Ilse!) on Insta! I also love visiting museums and fairs but my 2 children are also a huge inspiration.
 
9. How many languages do you speak? On Dutch schools they teach English, German and French so I speak four languages. I would love to learn how to speak Spanish one day tho. I live very close to the German border so my German is pretty good. I’m also planning to go to Berlin this summer, so knowing that language comes in very handy. I’ve been to Berlin 3 times already; I was a LoveParade girl in 2000/’01/’02, with rainbow hair dancing on trucks. But those visits were all about partying and now I really look forward to see the city. Oh, and shop obviously.
 
10. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? 

I would love to visit the States some day. I love seeing pictures of people who took trips to L.A. and Vegas. Those places seem like so much fun. Colourful buildings, fun stores and neon signs everywhere (I’m kinda obsessed by neon signs). But I would also really love to go to Japan; Harajuku seems like a real magical place.

P.s. : Are you new around here? Read more about me here, and read more creative interviews on the #GirlCrushFRYday page here.  

Hello friends + happy #OnWednesdaysWeWearArt day :) I hope the first half of the week has treated you well, either way- your almost to the weekend now! 

I am in a chipper mood because I am two days away from the last day of school and then post planning next week and then SUMMER VAYCAY for this teacher gal! Woot Woot! I can't wait :) So many fun things to look ahead to this summer! 

And since summer is just around the corner, today I choose an artist that has many colorful illustrations that inspire me. His name is Coles Phillips. I became familiar with his work, before I knew anything about who the artist was. I could tell his work was probably 'vintage', but knew I had never seen quite anything like it before. Once I discovered who the artist was + looked him up, I fell in love with nearly everything I saw. [no lie!]  

Check out my Pinterest board for Coles Phillips here and let me know if you feel the same way! 

I love the way Phillips used the fade effect, letting the subjects of his paintings blend into the back ground. I also enjoy the juxtaposition of the flatness of color in the backgrounds against the realistic textures of his subjects and other details. 

I knew I wanted to wear something that was one solid color and while unpacking summer clothes I came across this gem. I knew it would be perfect for this shoot. All the ladies Phillips painted always looked so classy, sophisticated and fabulous and that is exactly how I feel in this vintage number! 

Do you love my new pink chair? I came across it at Ross the other day and couldn't pass it up! 

Get this look : 

[ jumpsuit : vintage : Highland Row Antiques ]
[ shoes : Urban Outfitters ]
[ earrings : Kate Spade ] 
[ necklace + bracelet : 31 Bits ]
[ art : by me :) ]
[ chair : Ross Stores ]
[ photography by: Chris Burden ]

Psst! : Have you checked out my ARTY Hard page yet? Whatch'a waiting for?! This is where you can book in home painting parties with me, or if you aren't here in Atlanta you can participate in the virtual art party I host each month using the daily prompts posted on this page. 

Hey girls heyyyy!  :) 

Its FRYday, so you know that means I have another girl crush to introduce you to this week! :) I am so excited to introduce you to my friend Natasha! On Instagram she goes by @violettinder and probably has one of the brightest/most colorful profiles, filled with artwork that will make your eyes go all heart shaped! 

She is a full time momma out of So Cal, who after giving birth to her baby girl in early 2014 got bit by the creative bug and hasn't stopped creating since! She opened up her etsy shop Violet Tinder {Studios} where she sells a colorful array of stationary + wall art! 

Check her out Natasha on Instagram || Blog || Shop + read my creative interview with her below! 

1. How do you like your [french] fries [flavored &/or sauces &/or where from etc...]?


 I like them extra crispy and with TONS of ketchup!! They are literally my favorite food. Like, if I was going to die tomorrow, I would want a giant platter of french fries and a gallon of ketchup


2. Do you have a pen pal? If so where do they live?

Well, my fave penpal is actually my 90-year old grandma. She doesn’t hear well (which makes the phone hard) and we live far apart, so we write “interview letters” back and forth, asking each other random questions and sharing little memories… it’s actually so much fun and I can’t tell you how much I treasure the letters!!


3. Would you rather have troll hair or hair like Repunzel for the rest of your life? 

This is a TOUGHIE!! But I would have to go with Rapunzel hair… think of all the crazy do’s you could create! Plus, I kind of already wake up with troll hair, everyday, minus the neon colors, haha.


4.Lefty or righty?

Righty!


5. If you could only paint/draw etc. with one color the rest of your days, what color would you choose?

Aqua! Shades of aqua… my all-time favorite color.


6. Most recent netflix binge? 

I was late to the game with Scandal so I spent a good month or two just catching up… it’s so addictive! I also love House of Cards, and pretty much burned through the newly released season in, like two weeks. Someday I’ll learn how to pace myself...


7. Favorite Spice girl?

Ginger! It’s that red hair… always and forever!


8. NSYNC or BackStreet Boys?

Baby bye bye bye! Nsync!


9. Biggest lesson learned in running a small business?

Oh man, there are so many… And I’m still learning everyday. But I think, to truly follow your gut- make what you like to make, follow what inspires you, and try not to be swayed by what others are doing. It’s so easy to get caught up in comparison or trying to keep up with others who appear successful. I think the only way to build a sustainable business is to focus on building/creating your own unique perspective, and allowing people to fall in love with that. At the end of the day, being authentic is what’s most attractive.


10. Would you rather only have a shouting voice or only be able to talk like a baby? 

Haha!! I think a shouting voice… I already overuse exclamation marks as it is!! And a baby voice would just get annoying!


11. Best song to listen to when your down?

"I Wanna Be Your Lover" by Prince or anything that makes me feel like getting up and moving and forgetting why I feel bad! (And if I really feel like being moody, Ryan Adams and Ray LaMontagne always do the trick.)

Psst! : Check out my interviews with previous girl crushes on my #GirlCrushFRYday page here. 

Hi friends + Happy Wednesday!

I hope everyones week has been going smoothly :) Mine has been pretty good, I can't complain too much. I'm very busy in life right now, but kind of blissfully happy because I know summer is just around the corner.

[ I can not lie though. The end of the semester and especially the end of the year is hard. I have 'standardize test' for my ELEMENTARY school [ART] students, and I am knee deep in giving those assessments right now. 

Also, entering grades for report cards, helping out with field day, awards days and packing up/locking up everything in my classroom for the summer b/c my school is hosting summer school and if I don't all my stuff will grow legs and walk away.

...also trying to juggle a few freelancing jobs, a regular babysitting job, blogging, making time to paint, and time to spend with family + friends and not to mention MYSELF.....

I NEED SUMMER TO HURRY UP BEFORE I GO CRAZY!!!.....But life is great :D It really really is! My soul + body could just really use some sleep + sunshine right about now. ]

Whew! :) Thanks for letting me keep it real with yuh ;) I know my teacher friends out there can relate! Any who, this week our inspiration for #OnWednesdaysWeWearArt is the American pin-up artist Gil Elvgren. See my Pinterest board for him here. 

He was the big commercial artist before Andy Warhol. Producing over 500 paintings from the mid 1930’s -1970’s. Elvgren made his art with the intentions of it being reproduced or licensed out. [Something I've recently gotten into and want to do more of! HELLO :) hire me ?!]  He sold his art to companies to use on things like calendars, which were most popular for his pin-up girls.


Chris and I had fun shooting this, as me trying to do 'pin-up girl' is just funny. hehe! So I leaned more into cutesie-wootsie and got some really fun + retro photos! 

Get this look : [  shorts : cutoffs originally from Old Navy || swimsuit c/o : Red Dolly Swimwear || jellies +  pink bag  c/o : Sun Jellies ||  Necklace : vintage || sunnies : street vendor || donut table : D.I.Y. || pink grill + lawn chair  : Target || diamond speaker : Shop Ban.Do ] Photos by : Chris Burden website//blog 

Psst! : check out this 'Cup of Creative' interview featuring myself, by Atlanta photographer Christina- where we met for coffee and she got me to open up about over coming failure and more- read it here!