Doodle Enclosures for My Medical Bills

I've had a couple of medical bills on my desk I had been avoiding since the beginning of the week. I finally decided to tackle them today before the mail man arrived. I glanced over them and thought "Blagh! I'd much rather be using this money to..." then I paused. The bill I was looking at was from my dentist. I actually happen to like my dentist and my smile. Thanks to him, I still have a nice set of pearly whites...a few fillings, a couple of root canals and crowns, but I still have all my teeth and for that, I am very thankful. I noticed how my energy shifted by looking at things positively, and I felt inclined to share the joy. Instead feeling resistant, I was now feeling grateful and creative so I decided to include a little doodle with my payment to brighten their day.

I used a sheet of yellow paper that I found on my desk, cut it in half and began to doodle. Once I was done, (I snapped a picture of course) I folded it in thirds, placed the check in the center, folded the flaps inwards, and enclosed it in an envelope along with the invoice. I did the same for the second bill from the radiologist.
I'm sure it'll surprise whoever processes the payments. I mean, how often do people include little notes of joy with their payables? Not many, I would think. I hope my little dose of positive energy makes them smile, the same way I smiled when I realized how blessed I am to have the money to care for my health, and how blessed I am to have a dental provider like Dr. Moya and his very caring staff.


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Art, Healing, and Printables

Three weeks ago my home was burglarized. Amongst the things they took was my Macbook Pro and an external hard drive containing 10 years worth of family pictures and EVERY piece of digital artwork I had ever created. My daughter’s baby pictures, gone. My entire portfolio and endless hours of work, gone. It’s a pretty difficult thing to go through as a mom and graphic artist, but It’s funny how things work. You discover so much about yourself during difficult situations. As a mom and a graphic artist, I lost very valuable and irreplaceable possessions. They also took my 1 carat diamond engagement ring (plus other valuables) but at the end of the day, the things that hurt most was losing all those baby pictures and all the digital artwork I have ever created.  I’ve been on a roller coaster of emotions, very similar to a grieving process, combined with fear, feeling violated, helpless, and angry. At the same time, I am thankful that we weren’t home when it happened, no one got hurt, and we still have our jobs, friends and family to keep us going. 

Being unable to work on a computer for the last few weeks, I started drawing in my sketchbook a bit more. That has brought some healing and opened up new possibilities for me. After seeing what has been coming out of me in the last few days, I decided to create coloring books for both children and adults. I’m pretty excited about it, actually. 

This has given be hope and growth. I realize that the memories and images of the past will forever live in my mind and heart, and as long as God gives me life, pen and paper, I will make more memories with my daughter, take more pictures, I will keep drawing, and my new portfolio will be bigger and BETTER!

Please visit my Etsy shop (www.paisleyinparis.etsy.com) in the next few weeks, where I will be posting some of my sketches for sale as printable downloads. Proceeds will go towards new equipment to get me back in business. 

Thank you in advance for your support and happy coloring!

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The Next Level

I've always been a doodler of all things girly. Hearts, flowers, butterflies, paisley and owls abound in my drawings. I work full-time as a graphic designer creating professional pieces for a well-respected organization in my area. I love my job, but my whimsical illustrations on paper scraps an in my sketchbooks are what bring balance to my life, both as an artist, and as an individual. I see myself evolve through my art. I reflect on life as I let my hand flow freely and watch the markings from my favorite pen fill the page. Some people meditate, some people hike, others run, I doodle and Zumba to find myself balanced and centered.
I feel that my busy schedule hasn't allowed for my art to evolve lately, and I'm definitely ready to put in the extra work and effort to reach that next level. To do so, I will be taking a couple of online art courses and art challenges this summer.

I have started with the "Index Card a Day" (ICAD) challenge by Tammy at Daisy Yellow Art. The idea is to draw something every day for 61 days (June-July), on regular 3x5 or 4x6 index cards. It's very affordable, and you can use any medium to draw whatever your little heart desires. If you need some prompts or inspiration, you can find a list of optional prompt themes at the Daisy Yellow Art Blog.

Below is one of the pieces I've created for ICAD on a 3x5 index card, using color pencils and my favorite sharpie pen. This one was inspired by my mom's fruit bowl in the kitchen.

Starting today, I will also partake on the monthly "Doodle-A-Day" challenge by Rhianna Wurman, which you can find on Instragram as @ellolovey. What I'll do is, I will follow the "Doodle-A-Day" prompts and create them on index cards to post for my "ICAD" challenge. On a day that I have enough time, I will do separate drawings for each, but I think I'll be combining both challenges most of the time. How's that for multi-tasking?

I'll keep you updated on the online course as I begin to sign up for them. In the meantime, I hope you join me in my creative adventure and start sharing your daily doodles and ICAD pieces of art. You can find my daily doodles on Instagram @paisleyinparis. See you there!

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Hooray for Owl Doodles, Prints, and Patterns

Owls and owl doodles, aren't they the cutest thing ever? They're so much fun to draw, fun to look at and fun to wear. And now they're also fun to eat. Owl fondant cake, anyone? Yes please!

Food, Cake and Styling: Sweet Sugar Treats
Photo: Nomie Boutique Stationery

I find myself swooning over this gorgeous owl cake I stumbled upon over at the Amy Atlas blog. Isn't it beautiful? Makes me wish my little girl was still a preschooler so I could plan her next birthday party to have an owl theme. She'll be nine this summer. She wants bigger things now, like going to water parks, steak dinners and vacations in Hawaii. Ha! She's quite a dreamer with an adventurous heart.

But going back to the "owl" subject, let me also share with you the lovely pattern on my impulse purchase of the week...

I picked up this adorable owl doodle notebook (yay!) on clearance (double yay!) at Target the other night. It now livens up my work space, in the otherwise very beige office I share with my boss. He's very clean and masculine as far as decor goes, so we keep the office clear and neutral. However, during work hours, my desk usually displays several splashes of color starting with the red Etch A Sketch I keep near my computer, color gel pens, a pink binder where I keep my reference sheets, and now this piece of functional art that inspires and ignites my creativity with just a glance.

Any more owl fans out there?


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Envelopments® Holiday Card Sample - $3

I am currently in the process of selling most of my craft supplies, stocks and invitation samples that I've had on the shelves since I closed my Custom Handcrafted Invitations studio. The card shown above is one of the samples Envelopments® would send out to its resellers to introduce new stocks and inspire.

This is a great piece to own if you recently joined the Envelopments® family of resellers, or if you're a crafter looking for paper-crafting inspiration.

Ships within 24 hours, from Palm Desert, California.

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Sparkly Shimmery Doodles

If it sparkles, I shall love it! From diamonds to rhinestones and all else that glitters, including my latest addiction, the ever so sparkly and brilliant Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust pens. I am the biggest doodle-queen, and now more than ever since my recent discovery of said pens. They really bring my little drawings to life!
I intend to use my tiny little creations as embellishments for handcrafted greeting cards and as gift tags for Christmas and other upcoming occasions.
I've been using recycled stocks from an overflowing drawer in my studio filled with tons of beautiful odd-shaped pieces of paper. It gives me great joy to finally make use of them as I declutter my office and contribute to embellishing the world of handcrafted stationery one sparkly doodle at a time. All I have to say is thank you Sakura!
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"How do I become a wedding stationery designer?"

Every now and then I get a bit of fan mail. People just stopping by to let me know how much they like my work. I love it! It keeps me inspired and it motivates me to continue creating more and more each day. About a week ago, I received an e-mail from a fan who aspires to become a wedding stationery designer and she wanted to know if I could give her a little more insight on what it entitles. Let me tell you...it's a lot of work! But it can also be very rewarding if it is your true passion. Click here to read the post.

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Baby Meets Style. Nursery Inspiration.

Love the way these rooms were styled up! They're not cartoony or decorated in a way that the rooms will have to be redone by the time baby reaches kindergarten, and they're not too serious either where you're forcing a child into adulthood by its environment. They were definitely done in good taste, with great use of space and color. Baby meets style, that's for sure! Thanks ducduc for the inspiration!

Under the Sea Party Favors

I am so in love with all of Etsy seller's Gifts Define creations! I posted some lovebirds cupcake toppers from her shop about a week ago but her creations are just too cute not to share! With school being out, having summer upon us and lots of beach theme parties to look forward to, I thought these little handcrafted sea creatures would be a delight and inspiration for all to see.

Etsy Handpicked Items

It's been several weeks since the last time I posted a color inspiration board on my Inviting Delights blog. I went online today searching for images when I came across Etsy's handpicked items of the hour. Actually, I'm not sure if they rotate them every hour, or every couple of hours, buy I know they change several times a day. Looking at the beautiful shades of powder blue, soft white and silver made me appreciate and embrace what's left of our winter days before the flowers begin blooming and the heat waves begin to come our way. So thank you Etsy once again for your inspiration, and thank you KarinaGraceJewelry for handpicking this beautiful treasury.