Pink blossoms, Spring fever and creativity overload…

Hello lovely readers!

I’ve got Spring Fever! I’m planning and creating like a mad woman and I don’t want to stop. Lol. Even a bad cold isn’t stopping me! I have been in bed for three days but I’m sketching away.

Dreaming of my upcoming retreat to Scotland – (that is Edinburgh Castle). Can’t wait and yes…you can see my sweet kitty companion, Leo has been keeping me company while I rest.

And one more – a moody gal inspired by some vintage fashion photography.

Lucky for me, I have a pretty great view from my cozy bed – the pink blooms of a cherry tree are just starting to pop! One of my favorite things about Spring. They inspired a bit of a Pin-fest and this board emerged…

Oh and speaking of PINK and gorgeous images, my dear friend Georgianna Lane just published her stunning book! You must get it. If you love Paris and flowers then you will adore this…

To go along with all this flurry of Spring energy, I’m having a BIG SALE on our online classes too! Why not!? It’s the perfect time to encourage growth and creativity, right? I would love to have you in class.

Hope you enjoying the first signs of Spring where you are!

Much love and gratitude,

 

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Art to Adore

Happy Friday my readers!

Hope you have some lovely plans for the weekend! I’m actually going to go see Madonna!! Eeek! Kinda a childhood dream so I’m a little giddy! Anyway, before I break out in my Vogue dance…I wanted to share some more gorgeous bird themed artworks! I’ve been working non stop on my Flight & Feather  online workshop so yes, I have birds on the brain….big time!

Enjoy these beautiful and inspiring creations….and go visit these artists’ galleries of work.

Evening by Jeanie Tomanek

Introspection by Alexandra Douglass

Paperbirds by Steven Kenny

Danielle O’Brien

Lynn Watt

Fly me to Paris by Christian Schloe

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

Art Love : Marie Laurencin

Hello friends,

How’s life? Hope you are enjoying the changing of the seasons. I do so love Fall!

I’ve been taking the online course – “Studying under the Masters” with Jeanne Oliver and I’m eating up all the information and reveling in the feeling of artistic growth! Along the path of studying, my thoughts were brought back to an artist that I love but never truly researched before – Marie Laurencin.

She was a French painter (1883-1956) and lived in Paris for most of her life. She hung out with other powerful artists of the time including, Pablo Picasso, Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Robert Delaunay, Henri le Fauconnier and Francis Picabia. She was celebrated as one of the few female Cubist painters. Her style only emulates the elements of Cubism early on and quickly fades after World War 1.

Her style moves toward an ethereal look of soft colors, gentle curving shapes and doe eyed female figures. These resonate a beautiful feminine power and grace – a serenity and grounded energy that I find captivating. I had the pleasure of seeing her work at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris when I was there in 2012. I feel deeply in love with her work.  What do you think?

  So gorgeous right?

One of the most important things I have learned from this online course is to NEVER EVER stop learning about Art. It feeds my soul and is such a wellspring for inspiration and growth.

If you are in a rut, creatively, I encourage you to research a favorite artist, experiment with a medium you’ve never used before or sign up for an online Art course! Don’t give up on your creativity just because you’ve hit a wall. Find a rope and climb over it! Be open to your potential and trust your path.

xo,

Ivy

All images via here.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Hello friends! Happy Friday and Happy Valentines’s to you. I hope you are surrounded by the people you love. Hubby and I are going out for a much needed date night. Can’t wait to get all prettied up and sip a fancy cocktail.

I did splurge yesterday on a little gift to myself – this book – and I’m so pleased I did. I’ve already devoured half of it and I’m loving every page. If you were a fan of Eat, Pray, Love then you will LOVE Paris Letters by Janice Macleod. I’m so tickled with the book that I just subscribed to receive one of her magical, illustrated letters from Paris via her Etsy shop. Anyways…had to share this with you!

Okay I’m off to get ready for my date….it takes a while these days! ;)

Much love to you all,

Ivy

P.S. I’ve been doing a ton of art so I promise to share more of it next week! More vintage treasures to show you too!

Blog Design Mood board

Hi friends. How is your day going? So far so good over here. I’ve already done my homework for my Blog boss e-course, which I’m excited to share with you. We were assigned to make a dream blog design mood board. I started it yesterday and could not stop till it was done. I’m so excited to be actively  re-designing the blog and finally making the transition over to a WordPress.org. Don’t worry, I will let you know when it happens so we don’t lose track of each other. It’s time for Gracy & Ivy to graduate to a new level. So here’s my mood board…

Let me know your thoughts. Nothing is set in stone at the moment and I may even make another board to play around with some more ideas and different colors.

Have a lovely Wednesday!

xo,

Ivy

Etsy Love: Pastels

Hello lovelies! Hope your week is going well so far. I gathered up some pretty Etsy treats to get your excited for the approach of Spring. I adore Spring and pastel hues always remind me of all the beautiful flowers about to bloom and the soft sunlight peeking through the gray…

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Go make a cup of tea and enjoy browsing these lovely shops.

xo,