This Wednesday I’m flying off to Philadelphia (to a super swanky hotel) to meet with Tara Gentile and 20 amazing ladies for the Art of Earning LIVE!  I can’t believe how eager and scared I am for this.

I’ve never flown to an airport before [...]]]> Oh my goodness!  I’m so excited!!

This Wednesday I’m flying off to Philadelphia (to a super swanky hotel) to meet with Tara Gentile and 20 amazing ladies for the Art of Earning LIVE!  I can’t believe how eager and scared I am for this.

I’ve never flown to an airport before where no one will be there waiting to pick me up so I’m definitely nervous about that.  I’ve already been having nightmares about getting stuck in the airport overnight because the escalators are broken and the stairs are those type where you think you’re going down but you’re really going up.  As I told my mother, if anyone can get lost or confused in an airport, it’s me.  No doubt they’ll have to announce over the intercom that a young lady is crying in one of the terminals and would someone please go give her a hug.

But it will all be worth it once I walk into the hotel lobby and meet up with all of those creative entrepreneurs I’ve been following for months!  One and a half days of business planning and rocking the idea of a new Art of Earning!  (If you haven’t read the book by Tara Gentile, you’ll definitely want to check it.)

So expect lots of crazy inspiration, prints, and products coming out of me in the months to follow!  For now, I’m simply attempting to do 5 days of work in 2.  It might be an impossibility but I’m giving it my all!

Have you ever had a crazy airport adventure?  (Please don’t tell me anything too scary or I’ll have even more nightmares tonight.)

I told you a few days ago about the most elusive sea monster, the Ship Fish.  He’s the master of sneak attacks on sailors and he loves the taste of Old World wood.  That’s why we don’t hear much about him today.  His old teeth don’t enjoy [...]]]>

I told you a few days ago about the most elusive sea monster, the Ship Fish.  He’s the master of sneak attacks on sailors and he loves the taste of Old World wood.  That’s why we don’t hear much about him today.  His old teeth don’t enjoy crunching metal hulls.  In his dreams, he’s swimming the oceans of the 1700s, devouring everything in sight.

Some silly facts about the Ship Fish (just in case your mother never told you tales of him right before bedtime):

• Because he lost an eye in an early shipwreck accident, he has no depth perception.  As such, when it came time for him to build his disguise ship, he built a 2-dimensional ship.  It still confuses sailors but the Ship Fish needs to swim at right-angles to make sure his prey can see him.
• No one knew the Ship Fish existed until two seagulls caught sight of him in a shallow cove.  Two hours later, every seagull in a 100 miles was chatting about him.
• He’s one of the few fish (or sea monsters) to have two sets of side fins.
• When he’s not looking for ships to sink and eat, he’s on the lookout for a lady Ship Fish (which are even more elusive because they can disguise themselves as ships in a bottle).

Have you ever seen a Ship Fish?

I think it’s the fact that I live so close to the coast now that my book will focus on the ocean. [...]]]> As you may remember, I’m working on a print book that will feature a collection of my illustrations, short stories, and poems.  Today I’m very eager to share a little snippet with you!

I think it’s the fact that I live so close to the coast now that my book will focus on the ocean.  Over the last year and a half, the lull of the waves has overwhelmed the sound of birdsong and rustling leaves that I was used to.

This is only part of the poem that came to me nearly in entirety while I was on my daily walk.  I was still several blocks from home when it came roaring into my mind and I literally ran home so I could write it all down.  I probably looked very silly to anyone who saw me because I was running while chanting the poem to myself so I wouldn’t forget.

“One day I’ll be an ocean,”

Said the little baby sea.

“I’ll drink so much salt water,

They won’t make fun of me!”

“One day I’ll be an ocean

And stretch from side to side.

I’ll be so large that I will then

Develop my own tide.”

“One day I’ll be an ocean,

Monstrous and filled with whales.

Sailors that set ship on me

Will have to heave the sails.”

I’ve always loved poetry but for some reason when it comes into my mind, it always rhymes and talks about quirky things like this.  Perhaps I read too much Shel Silverstein and Edward Gorey when I was little.  Or maybe all those late nights of reading Roald Dahl (when I was supposed to be reading Nathanial Hawthorne) rubbed off on me.  I’m certainly not complaining because I think the child-like nature of rhyming poems goes perfectly with my wondrous illustrations that rekindle your wonder.

I’d love to hear what you think!  I’m still working on finishing this poem but I am curious to see what other stories or creatures of the sea you enjoy!  I have several more pages of the book to fill up so there’s room for a few more silly poems.

The magic doesn’t end when you send it [...]]]> Did you know that cards are magical?  They can contain secrets, memories, jokes, and wishes.  They nearly disappear when you look at them from the side and yet they contain so much depth.  And when they arrive in your mailbox, they bring smiles.

The magic doesn’t end when you send it though.  Who knows what magical things go on when they arrive at the post office?  Perhaps they really do use owls to deliver overnight mail.

My shop is now full of more magic thanks to these new note cards.  I found a gorgeous printer who uses thick paper with a light satin finish.  You won’t believe how nice they feel!  (Not that I’ve been touching them obsessively or anything.)

You can now send your relatives and friends some cheer and magic (but hopefully no owl droppings) with a set of inky note cards!

You can see all 5 designs in my shop!

When I hit the send button on the Spoonflower website and ordered a yard of fabric featuring two of my illustrations, my stomach teeter-tottered between my knees and my throat.  I was so excited to see the fabric and equally terrified it would look awful.  I spent the next 10 days [...]]]>

When I hit the send button on the Spoonflower website and ordered a yard of fabric featuring two of my illustrations, my stomach teeter-tottered between my knees and my throat.  I was so excited to see the fabric and equally terrified it would look awful.  I spent the next 10 days praying the mailman would come and praying he wouldn’t come.

The mailman DID come and I actually made my boyfriend open the package.  I had a panic attack but then I felt nothing but joy!  It was gorgeous!

The next day I pulled out my boyfriend’s vintage Husqvarna sewing machine and the Swede Team set to work.  I’ve never felt so proud of myself as when I sat back and looked at what I had created for you.  And I don’t mean that in a cheesy way because I really did make them for you (although I can’t promise I won’t keep one for myself).

You only have so wall space for the inspiring and quirky artwork you love.  (My boyfriend and I have had to start hanging gallery style, with frames from floor to ceiling and everywhere in between.)  But you do have a favorite couch or chair or bed that could use a pillow.  After all, who’s ever complained of having too many pillows?  (Besides your boyfriend because he doesn’t understand the point of couch pillows since his legs are long enough to reach the floor when he sits all the way back.  Oh wait…maybe that’s just my boyfriend.)

Anyway, I wanted to give you something that you could use, something that you could touch and cuddle and beat your boyfriend with when he tells you, “Maybe two bowls of ice cream is too much.”  (Or is that just me again.)

“Coming Home” and “Meowby Dick” can now decorate your children’s beds, your studio space, or a cozy den.  They can also go on car trips with you when you’re off adventuring since they’re the perfect size for car naps!  Wouldn’t you just love to hug these illustrated pillows?

I really hope you’re as excited about them as I am.  I’d love to hear your thoughts and also your pick for the next pillow illustration!

Happy Monday!  I seem to have been bewitched this weekend and drew like a mad woman to finish this new illustration.  I’ve broken away from their spell long enough to share this with you but then I fear their sweet songs and giggles will wash me back to their island.

“The Young Sirens”

“Sailors fear these two girls more than they do rough seas.  They’ll do anything to block out the sounds of their laughter and songs.  One note, one giggle, and they’ll crash their ships ashore.

It gets quite lonely on an insland surrounded by shipwrecks, so the young sirens amuse themselves by collecting the trinkets that wash up on the beach.  Presently their collection boasts dozens of anchors, countless treausre chests, two crowns, and a wealth of sea shells.  If they could ever leave their island, they would be the talk of every royal court.”

These young sirens may be my favorite sea piece yet!  Mischief and mirth sparkles throughout as though the girls are saying, “Who?  Us?”  They seem unaffected by the havoc they wreak on passersby with their silly songs and giggle fests.  They’d very much like to have another girl join them for a bit of dress-up fun but, sadly, only adults come by in the ships.

If you’d like to let “The Young Sirens” play in your house (or in a friend’s house so that your own ships in a bottle don’t sink), you can find them in my shop today!  Be warned, these girls might inspire your own daughters to play dress up.

Embroidery opened a whole new world for me!  I learned the new skill of sewing something other than the bottoms of  my [...]]]> A few months ago I turned several of my illustrations into embroidery patterns so that you could sew your own story and create a beautiful piece of artwork for your home!

Embroidery opened a whole new world for me!  I learned the new skill of sewing something other than the bottoms of  my pants.  I wouldn’t say my skill in that area is great by any means since I still only know two stitches and one of them doesn’t even count as a stitch.  (Unless they’ve decided to name the simple act of going up and down the Megan Stitch without me knowing.)  In addition, I learned that there are so many new devices to make embroidery easier including custom iron-on transfers.

Today I’m SO excited to tell you that I now have my own iron-on transfers for you!  It took me 3 months and countless phone calls but finally a large roll of special paper arrived at my door.  Now, instead of giving you a pattern to trace or a pattern to draw on with a special iron–on pencil, you get a real transfer sheet!

Just take the sheet…

…iron… (Yes, I actually do my ironing on the floor but in my defense the only things I iron are paper and fabric for the embroidery kits.)

…and you’re done!

Are you cheering yet?  I think I hear a little roar but it could also be the fridge beside my desk humming (and therefore telling me to eat more cookies).

Every embroidery kit will now be 10x easier to make because of this little sheet of paper that I get to share with you!  If you’ve been wanting to do one of these with your kids, or if you were worried about your drawing ability, you can now make them!  I’m really happy about this because it not only makes things simpler for you but it makes the kits even more fancy (and who doesn’t love fancy things?).

If you’re excited too, I’d love to hear your thoughts!  And be sure to check out all 5 designs to see which one would make a sweet gift for your Valentine.