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Studio Time...

11/11/2016

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It's been awhile since I've had an entire day in the studio. So much to do and I am so excited to be doing it in my favorite place. Happy Friday everyone!!
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Sweet Dreams My Love...

8/16/2016

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​"Sweet Dreams My Love"...said in a whisper as we put our sweet ones to bed. Whether your sweet one is a few weeks old, a few months old or a few years old...this print will help them to keep dreaming sweetly even when you are not there. 

Available in the shop. Can be customized with your pet name for them in stead of 'my love'.

​What is the pet name for your sweet one?
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Cinco de Mayo Birthday Fiesta!

5/15/2016

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My little one is not so little anymore...M is officially 8 years old! For her party this year she requested a Mexican fiesta and what could be better since her birthday is actually on May the 5th! Here is the run down of her Cinco de Mayo themed party.
I tried my hand at a few handmade decor items that I've never tried before...paper flowers, paper bag stars, cascarones, face painting and entertaining a record number of school friends and family!
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I have always wanted to try making giant paper flower and this was the perfect reason to finally to do them. I started with a practise attempt using scrap printer paper and when that worked out well, I bought a pack of coloured paper from Walmart to make the final ones.
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Another fun thing I have always wanted to try is making Cascarones. If you are not familiar with these, Cascarones are confetti filled eggshell that you essentially smash open on each others heads. We started collecting empty eggshells in April, then dyed them, stuff them with confetti and it was a big hit with the kids. Note: Brown eggs do not dye and they do not break like white eggs do! It was like those birthday candles that don't blow out...brown eggs had to get smashed HARD to break...my husband and I volunteered to be the target for those ones. 
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We also made stars out of coloured paper bags (I saw this tutorial on Facebook). I never knew you could do this and it was so incredibly simple! Of course we had traditional banners through out the house, floral head bands for all the girls and a classic piñata!
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It was an amazing day, an absolutely crazy fiesta...and she loved it all!

​Happy Birthday to our sweet girl, you are smart, fierce and we love you so much!!!
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Our birth prints have a new look and size!

1/28/2016

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Our original birth prints come in an 8x8 square size which have a really great and unique look to them. However, we have been receiving more and more requests to have them available in 8x10 because depending on where you are in the world, square frames aren't as common. You asked, we listened and now our birth prints have a new size!

Since we were introducing a new size, we took the opportunity to introduce a new look for them as well.
Our new birth prints now have a fresh letterpress style to them, new tones, background colour and as always are completely customizable from the words right down to the colours.
What makes these prints so personal is that they are based on the birth place of the new baby.
First Born
Includes baby stats mom and dad names.
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Second Born
Includes baby stats, older sibling, mom and dad.
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Third Born
Includes baby stats, older siblings, mom and dad.
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Twin Birth
Includes both baby stats, mom and dad.
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The original square prints have always been one of our favourite prints, in fact it was one of the first prints we created. We are very excited to bring a fresh new look to them and a new size that can be easily framed with almost any off the shelf frame that is matted for an 8x10 picture.

We are very proud to introduce these, they are available in the shop now and if you have any questions about them, please let us know...we love making them and would love to make one for you!
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This Weeks Print Inspiration: A Fox in the Woods

11/19/2015

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Most of my inspiration for my prints come from everyday life, experiences or observations, however, this weeks inspiration was based on just plain old fantasy. I am currently working on a series of artist trading cards and the goal of this set was that each card would have its own image but together the whole set would make a larger image. I shared my progress pictures on my instragram feed and have decided to compile them here. I started with the grid and the desire to create an image that is part wonderland and part dream sequence. 
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Following that I created the main character which was a curious little fox.
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Then came the core image which was a heart and then the rest was all fantasy and fun.
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Final result is that curious little fox in a forest surrounded by nature and a mysterious path...but what happens from there is up to you to come up with.
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I will be using the artist card version at a trading event that is coming up but I also created an 8x10 print version which is now available in the shop. ​

The print is brand new and it had a great response at the art + craft show last weekend and I absolutely LOVED listening to moms and their kids talking about the print, thinking about where they would put it in their house or in their rooms and then sending it home with them. Those moments make my heart swell up with joy and gratitude!!

This was a such a fun project and it was also fun sharing the process here and on my instagram feed. Join me over there for sneak peaks of upcoming projects and glimpses into my my inspirations. 
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Jurassic Park Inspired Birthday Party

9/8/2015

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We recently celebrated my son's birthday and did so with a Jurassic Park inspired party. My previous post shares how I created his dinosaur piñata and now I will share the highlights of what I put together for his party.
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I used the palm trees from his pirate party from a few years back.
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Created these badges for the kids which they all loved!
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Using chalk I free hand drew these dino images on our fence.
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I create this piñata from scratch and you can see how here.
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Made his t-shirt using some images I found online.
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Make sure you wash the chalk off asap or may be tough to get off.
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Placed ferns throughout the house with some sneaky snakes.
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All the hats I found at the Dollar Store which was great.
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The fence dinosaurs also served as targets for the water balloons.
I also used some construction items we had around the house left over from our pool installation (that is another post that is coming up) such as a skid and metal pole that I used for the East Dock display. I also reused some false greenery that I has left over from some other parties all over the place and I sadly forgot to take pictures of the food table, cake or loot bags...oh well.

Overall, it certainly had the Jurassic feel but more importantly the birthday boy absolutely loved it all. He was so excited to see everything and didn't want to take his hat or badge off...I believe he would have slept in them if we let him. The best part of it all was his smile and our family who were what really made the day special. Happy Birthday little man...you are amazing!
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Dino Piñata

9/1/2015

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We celebrated my son's birthday a little while ago and threw him a Jurassic Park inspired party. As per tradition, I made his piñata which this year was a T-rex. I'll be posting highlights from the party in the next few days but right now here are the basics on how I created this cute but slightly scary T-rex piñata.
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What You Need

  • Paper Mache paste (I mix water and flour until it feels like runny porridge)
  • Newspaper cut into strips
  • Rope
  • Paint
  • Scissors and a box cutter
  • White foam board
  • Hot glue, white glue and tape
The Foundation
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Inflate three ballons, 2 small and 1 large one. Secure 1 small and 1 large together as seen above using strips of paper and tape.
The Foundation Wrapped
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Wrap the balloons in newspaper strips soaked in paper mache paste and set it aside to dry. I placed the form into bowls to dry overnight and flipped it the next day to continue drying.  
Head and Tail
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Using scrunched up paper and tape, shape arms, legs and a tail. Tape them onto the foundation and wrap those pieces in newspaper strips soaked in paper mache paste. Take the 3rd ballon and wrap it in paper mache paste.
Head and Jaws
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Take the 3rd ballon and cut it in half. Take 1 half and trim it so it will fit as the lower jaw. Once you got the right fit, hot glue and/or tape it into place. 
Take the 2nd half and trim it just a bit so it will fit on the head forming the rest of the upper face/jaw. Roll up newspaper and tape 2 lengths down the head from snout to neck to form the ridge above the eyes.
Once that is done, cover it all once again with newspaper strips soaked in paper mache paste and let it dry.
Finishing Touches
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Instead of streamers I went with simple acrylic paint. Once all was dry, I punched a hole through his mouth to allow me to fill it with candy.
  I cut teeth shapes out of some white foam board scraps I had lying around the studio and hot glued them in place. 
Lastly, I tied a rope around his neck to be able to hang and yank around for the fun part of smashing him open.
That is it...it only took a few days to create it and the birthday boy absolutely loved it. If you have any questions on the process, please post them in the comments and I will answer them as best I can. If you try it, let me know how it goes. 
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Back from Vacation and Shop Fully Open Again!

8/18/2015

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We had such an amazing mini summer vacation full of moments like this! 
I am feeling blessed, revitalized and ready to tackle the last few weeks of summer break with these little munchkins. 
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The shop is fully opened once again and happily already working on new custom orders. 
Let me know if you need one, I am available anytime via email, Etsy or here for my local Canadian customers.
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Painting Time: Nursery and Children's Room Paintings

6/25/2015

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Been working on some nursery/childrens room paintings. 
A flamingo, some birds and a little bitty bunny equal FUN!
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Custom Orders and Teacher Appreciation Prints

6/2/2015

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I have been busy creating custom orders including these custom Teacher Appreciation Prints. 
We have one for preschool teachers and grade school teachers, customized with their name and in plenty of colours. 
Place it into a 5x7 frame and you have a great end of year gift. If your school year concludes at the end of June, there is still time to order one for that special teacher in your child's life. 

CANADIAN CUSTOMERS: If you are interested in ordering one and paying in CAD, you can now do so via this link here. 
As always, email me for any inquiries, custom orders or to just to say hi...I truly love hearing from you.
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    WELCOME!

    This is the place where I share my creative projects, endeavors and the stories that inspire my prints.

    ​Why Ink and Dirt Designs?

    You can find out more about the artist behind the prints and the reason behind the name
    Ink and Dirt Design here.  

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