Doodling...my mid-year's resolution.

One year my new year's resolution was to sketch more. And I did. And it made me happy. This was the kind of sketching I did. Nature mostly.

Recently, I've been sneeking peeks in the sketchbook of a really talented artist here in our very own home. And these are some of the delights I found...

I love the whimsical flowers and trees and the blue-coconut-bikini-topped hula girl. And, these are a couple we have on our fridge...

 Hearts with wings have been a favorite subject lately. They make my heart soar {teehee}.

With all this fabulous inspiration surrounding me I couldn't help but get the creative bug. So, I have made a mid-year's resolution to doodle more.

The inspiration for the *mommy & daddy sitting a tree* doodle came from this little gem combined with the constant singing of a newly learned song ~

Here is a page of flowers ~ which I think really are my favorite thing to doodle.

I really like how the black & white turned out. I used regular tipped and ultra-thin tipped archival scrapbooking pens. I forgot how much I loved to doodle. The great thing about it is anyone can doodle. You can turn any *mistake* into some kind of something...a doodle!

Carnival Party Wrap-Up

Well, it's been a few months since the Carnival Party, but better late than never...right? I had previously posted preparations {here} for the party and talked about the theme being red & white, which I highly recommend for parties hosted close to Valentine's Day. I finally went through most of the photos....

I've got to find a photo of the table with food and cupcakes on it. Much more appealing!

Some of the games...

This was the best of all ~ a lollipop tree {literally}. I asked our good friend Mr. B to make one because he's a miracle worker of all things wood. I had explained to him the kind of tree you usually see at the school carnival that's made out of a 1x2 {??? I don't really know about his kind of stuff.}, about a foot high with holes drilled in it. And this is what I got....

Oh! The other nice thing about it being a red & white theme, and being in February is that the girls were able to wear their Christmas outfits. Double Whammy. {I hated to do it, but we just took the lollipop tree down a few weeks ago}

And here are some other shots from the day that I really like.

Flea Market Finds

I have a fondness for old stuff and when I had my first baby it was the perfect excuse to go antiquing. I started with the blue parasol and birdcage {lower left #4}. Having a second baby allowed for even more searching and purchasing!

It didn't stop there as you can see by the above photos. And, these are only some of my favorites.
1. Laundry Bag found at a little store on Balboa Island. This particular store carries new items, but the owner found this little gem at a flea market and couldn't resist buying it to sell at her store.
2. Snow White wall art made out of really thick chipboard ~ Irvine Valley College Flea Market {first Sunday of the month}.
3. Fisher Price *Bossy Belle* pull toy {I like to call her Bessy Bell}.
4. Birdcage with porcelain food bowls and blue parasol ~ Paris to the Moon, Costa Mesa...which I am so, so sad to say is no longer there.
5. This pritty kitty has a mate with a broken head at the moment ~ random estate sale; porcelain head for storing yarn/string that you pull out through the mouth ~ Long Beach Veterans Stadium Flea Market {third Sunday of the month}.
6. Fisher Price Queen Bee pull toy ~ one of the antique stores at the Orange Circle.

This Mickey Mouse cube puzzle is from my childhood. I loved playing with this toy. It has something like 16 puzzles and my 6 year old loves it as much as I did {My 2 year old isn't allowed anywhere near it yet}. My dad brought it back for me from one of his business trips to Germany. The small print on the box is in German. The blocks I found for 50¢ at ~ you guessed it ~ the Irvine Valley College Flea Market.