Us.

Love's Road Map

I can say that without a doubt that I love Valentine's day. I know many people out there, single or taken, absolutely despise the holiday (or whatever you want to call it). But I myself see nothing wrong to devoting a day to chocolates and wine and sweet hand written notes. I am also an artsy-crafter type, so that may have something to do with my appreciation of the day. Valentines day doesn't have to be about falling into the grasp of the evil card companies and their idea of sucking money out of your pocket, it can be about taking the time to tell someone you're thinking of them and for me, that includes crafting cards with lots of cute and pink and heart shaped dealy-boppers (official crafting term).

This year my creative little sister came home from college for a month and did lots of thrift shopping. On her exploits she found some discarded maps and gave them to me to play with. So I did.

My friend Holly happened to be over for dinner when I busted out the craft supplies and here are the results:

Inside My Dream

A friend near and dear to my heart, the lovely and wondrous Holly Finley, has been making music magic for as long as I can remember. In high school we would sit cross legged on the floor of her bedroom, a group of three or four of us, and sing ridiculous songs ranging from reggae to punk while Holly played her guitar. Often we would record these spontaneous bursts of fun onto cassette tapes to replay for our amusement at later dates.
After high school we all went off to college each in our own little educational direction. Without a second thought Holly started taking song writing and music history and guitar and cello and any music class she could absorb. She became involved with choirs in the area and started performing in town and around the world.
After years of dedication and hard work Holly has officially announced the release of her debut album EP; Inside My Dream. The title of the album lends itself so fittingly to the sounds within; melodic and dreamy vocals paired with personal and metaphorical lyrics, the exact things dreams are made of.
I myself have been a great supporter of all things Holly Finely since long before her musical debut. She is a wonderful and warm person with exceptional talents. As a long time friend I offered to make the album artwork for Holly and, in her true trustworthy style, she let me do what I wanted. The result is album art that speaks as true to Holly's title as her music.

So please, check out Holly Finley's Inside My Dream available on CDBaby and iTunes, follow her on Facebook and give a budding artist the chance to shine like she deserves.

Instant Gratification

Tide pooling with Holly Finley. Deveraux beach, Isla Vista, CA.
Kyle and Holly looking for creatures under a black hole sun.
Kyle. My love. :)
Pelicans on the horizon.
I could spend countless hours at the Deveraux tide pools.
A big pink star fish trapped by the low tide.
My darling friend Alison and I after margaritas and greasy Mexican food. Not a good combo the night before a half marathon. Carlsbad, CA.
The Gabster and I at Kyoto in Santa Barbara for her sake bombing birthday bash.
The evidence of a delicious sushi dinner.


The fun of an instant camera never dies. It's magical and exciting. It's instance gratification... but the kind of the past. Because, really, the new instant camera is on your iPhone or HTC and it doesn't just take the picture and show you the results in nano seconds, but, bing bang boom! and it's on the web or sent via email. I accept the "new" instant camera because it is fun and easy, but I am happy that companies and buyers (like myself) are still embracing the idea of old skool film variety.

Below, a "new" instant camera shot taken by my friend Patrick Parkinson, regularly featured on the wonderful blog of his wife Lalove "Lawless" Benedict.

Falling For You

I am in the process of creating the stationery suite for my BFF's wedding. It is a pleasure to do this for her and her wonderful fiancé and I can't wait to get the "Save the Dates" finished and ready for her proofing. Her fall wedding lends itself perfectly toward the colors and shapes of the season and so we are playing with the fun idea of fall leaves. Here are a few of the leaves that will be used throughout the stationery. The leaves were hand drawn and painted with watercolor by me.

Ethereal Inspiration

Design and art isn't just about pen and paper. A lot of great design comes from inspiration of things all around us. Currently my life has been incredibly busy, but every once in a while I get a chance to explore my guilty pleasure; reading blogs. Any type of blog really. But usually a mixture of fashion, design, food, art and lifestyle.

Last night I took a small amount of time to peruse the internet and stumbled upon the latest Elie Saab couture collection. Fashion at its finest, I was instantaneously rendered with an urge to wear every single dress available. But not only would the collection be pure heaven to wear, it is pure inspiration to look at. Particularly fun for me was the muted/bright color combination of the line. Pair that with the flowy, gauzy, soft edges of the gowns and you have an awesome watercolor painting to happen. See the full collection here.

So take a breath, look around you and find something inspirational today. Happy hunting.