inspiration monday

while i was spending the day with my little bird friends in new york last saturday,
 my family went out into the city for some exploration, and ended up walking across the brooklyn bridge.  out of all the photos my little dutch sweetie took that day, this is one of my favorites.....and i couldn't wait to hear what these padlocks are all about!

as the story goes,  true-loves personalize a padlock with their names and date, and then lock it onto the railing of the bridge.

then, the key to the lock is thrown over the railing into the river,
symbolizing that the bond and commitment between the true-loves is everlasting.

i'm a hopeless romantic, and this story tugs at my heartstrings big time....

  but while i was at the workshop, my mr. romantic was creating a story of his own,
because when he picked me up later that day, he very sweetly presented me with a gift wrapped copy of the new somerset studio magazine, and said "page 22!"

and there, on the pages of a publication that's brought me so much inspiration for so many years, is the story of my "ocean of truth" paste paper booklet.....and i must admit that every time i think about it, i have to pinch myself to make sure it's real!  thank you SO much to the staff at somerset for an absolutely beautiful article!

but most of all......thank you to my little dutch sweetie, a.k.a. mr. romantic, for all the wonderful things you do that tug at my heartstrings.  YOU are my inspiration monday-and-every-other-day-of-the-week, and you will always hold the key to my heart!
love is forever.....xox


{journal page supplies: moleskine journal, koi watercolor, derwent inktense pencils, pitt pens, white uniball signo gel pen, 2B and 6B graphite pencil}

{there are thousands of love locks attached to the brooklyn bridge.....
to see more images, click here!}

inspiration monday

last week i created this little book by lettering a quote onto paste paper......some of the pages looked like they needed something, but i didn't know what, so instead of forcing the issue (which is what i usually do so i can call it finished), i put it away for a few days. and when i pulled it out again, it was like seeing it for the first time! i realized that it needed a little more color on a couple of the pages, and then i added a little shadowing to some of the lettering......and proved to myself that when a touch of patience is thrown into the mix, inspiration can definitely strike twice on the same project!

put on your flip-flops and grab your sand buckets.....we're headed to the ocean!

click on image for larger view

for a peek inside, view photos here (click on "slideshow" for large format)

you can also watch a video in large format here at you tube