A Vintage Bride...

One of my favorite portraits from 2015...
It was difficult, because the photos were old to begin with (and I had to work from a photo of a photo, so...!), but I loved the simple style, the cascading bouquet, the beaded detail at the bottom and her simple glow.  The strob-ing and contouring trends of today don't always leave room for the soft glow or faint blush of a new and giddy bride, so there was something special about this job.
And the fact that they've been married for longer than I've been alive also added some romance to the project.  A suitable post for Valentine's day.

Overall, I really enjoyed this piece and I hope that they were as thrilled with it on Christmas morning as I was to create it for them.

Catching Up...

How sweet is this little girl?
One of my illustrations from the Christmas season.  I'm used to sharing as I go, but when you are dealing with gifts, you need to be extra careful, so I'm just now getting around to sharing the finished products.
Here are a few more 5x7 portraits::

February Desktop Calendar 2016

February is HERE!
Featuring a design that I originally made for a wedding invitation suite, but it didn't work out... which meeeeans that I get to share it with you all now!

In so many ways, this design describes the forecast for our family's February.
We are so excited to be able to close on our first house this month (!!!), but leaving our first "home" is definitely bitter sweet.  Add to the normal chaos of moving, our house is a foreclosure.  So while we have a game plan, we know there is a lot of work/mess/surprise ahead of us!
So the delicate ink outline paired with the splattered paint is the perfect background for the planning and chaos that is sure to surround my computer this next month, haha!

Ready to get this calendar onto your desktop?  Simply subscribe to my newsletter to have it delivered directly to your inbox : Subscribe here

Illustrated Save the Dates

Working on customizing this design for a bride and her husband-to-be and I realized that I never shared this design on the blog!
Love this combo of the save the date and custom portrait! The best of both worlds ;)

Sitting Pretty

How handsome is this guy?
I had the pleasure of illustrating him for his favorite human and had a blast doing so.  It's hard to resist those thick wrinkles and bowtie

January Desktop Calendar (2016)

2016... what a strange feeling!  This lap (2015) of the race is about up, but it feels like the gun just went off.  This past year was full of the usual ups and downs.  While I don't generally think of January as my "new year" (being both a teacher and wife to a teacher/master's student means that August/September is my new year), this season calls for some time of reflection.  So as I share my new designs for desktop calendars—one to fit your glam side (above), and another to match your quiet musings (below)—I will share some of our families highs and lows for the year :)

 

((Calendar designs straight to your Inbox by subscribing HERE))

 

TOP 5 OF 2015

• (Mar) Instead of closing my etsy shop down completely, I decided to renovate the space and "Blushed" was born! I could not be more thrilled with this decision and have fallen in love over and over again with my little business.
• (July-Nov) Our team camp with the cross country team was so much fun!  It really kicked off a strong season for us and I had more fun this year than I have in a long time.
• (Oct) The Hubbard took a day off of work during our busiest time of the year to take me out to the cider mill for the day.  We had been stretched really thin, and it means the world to me that our marriage is important enough to him to make time for.
• My sister in law is preggo with our little niece! I can't wait to be an aunt in May!
• (Dec) The discovery of "Psych", the tv series.  More love than Sherlock? Maybe. Hubbard and I quote the show nonstop.

 

HARDEST(LOWEST?) 5 OF 2015

• Our house hunt seems to never want to end.  But 3rd year's the charm, right?  We're actually sitting on an offer right now, so we'll see what the seller says... 2016 could have a really quick answer to that prayer!
• (Nov) Todd's Grandma was in the ICU for about a week and gave us a real scare, thankfully she made it through and was with us for Christmas
• I've had some health issues and cannot seem to find a balance, hopefully 2016 will have the answers!
• Life is hard.  I have connected with so many friends and family members who are hurting a little more this year.  It has been both a blessing, and a hardship.  My heart has hurt more this year but I have felt God's comfort, and the encouragement of community
• (Dec) We were sick over Christmas! What a bummer, but we spent a lot of time just being quiet and resting after a full year.

This year has been so full of life.  The good, the bad, the sticky ;)  I am anxious to see what 2016 has in store for us—what dreams are born, what goals are fulfilled, and what God teaches us through it all.

The one that I like...

Love this custom that I recently illustrated for friend and wedding planner, Ashley of Oh My Occasions.  I mean, really, how romantic is this shot from their engagement session?  The whole collection was beautiful, but I couldn't resist this sweet moment.  The text comes from the song that was playing when they first met—isn't that darling?

Interested in purchasing a custom portrait (link here)? There's still time to get one before Christmas!