inspired by... children's books

i've always loved children's and YA books. for the longest time i was kind of embarrassed to admit it because i thought people would think that it was silly for an adult to read children's books. but with the introduction of books like harry potter and the hunger games, so many more people have come to realize how amazing children's literature can be so it's made me a bit braver :) 

lucky me, i work in a library at a college that focuses on children and families so i get to order tons of children's books! lately i've been paying closer attention to the amazing work of illustrators. there are some truly talented artist out there and i thought i'd share two of my current favorites. even if you're not into children's literature, i hope you'll find the artwork of these illustrators as inspiring as i do.

wildwood + mysterious benedict society

illustrated by carson ellis

i just finished wildwood and i loved the illustrations. she really brought the wild, beautiful forest to life through her artwork. for the entire first half, i kept thinking that i had seen a similar style of illustration somewhere... then it hit me! the mysterious benedict society! another excellent story about wonderfully extraordinary and quirky children.

i want my hat back + extra yarn + the incorrigible children of ashton place

illustrated by: jon klassen

i think that i want my hat back is absolutely hilarious and i chuckle whenever i get to the page where the bear and the rabbit eye each other. their facial expressions get me every time. these three stories are very different but jon klassen's charming illustrations work perfectly in all of them. 

can i just say that i'm loving this trend of children's book trailers! beats my bad lighting photos any day. and please click on all of the above links. clicking on the illustrator links will take you to their website filled with more of their great artwork and most of the title links will take you to lovely websites filled with author news and fun extras that take you further in to each story.

also, if you're interested in getting more recommendations for children's books (let's face it, my writing skills stink so my book reviews never get much farther than "it's so great!!"), a friend of mine recently started up a blog, auntie karen's book pile: raising books instead of kids to share her favorite children's books. she reads like a maniac and has great taste in books :)

today i'm loving... ishtar olivera

it's been a very difficult month and to finish it up... i'm sick again! hopefully, february will be a better month. anyways, today i wanted to share something cheery and lovely. 

today i'm loving ishtar olivera. her designs are so joyful they feel like a clean breeze, a smile, and a warm cup of tea. whether it be a hand carved stamp, an illustration, or a sweet photo, a visit to her blog always leaves me feeling a bit more light hearted. stop by her etsy shop too! 

     

    

thank you ishtar for letting me share your photos! 

today i'm loving... shimtokk

today i'm loving shimtokk. shimtokk is the beautiful brain child of sally j shim of shim + sons and joke vande gaer of tokketok. they feature the prettiest packaging ideas and offer plenty of printable freebies. i love their clean, joyful designs!

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1. hello gift tags; 2. merriest christmas patterned paper; 3. + 4. meant to be calligraphy goodies

an ode to crayons

i've always loved crayons. crayolas in particular. the best schools years were the ones that started with a brand new yellow box filled with waxy, bright, crayons. i did my best to use my crayons evenly, rotating them so that they would stay pointy for as long as possible.

zodiac crayon carvings by diem chau

love in every color - 8x10 fine art photograph by shannonpix

to be honest, i think this old sesame street clip is what started my whole crayon love affair. this was by far my favorite sesame street video and i love it now just as much as i did when i was six.

i believe coloring (with crayons especially) is good for the soul. next time you're having a bad day, grab a box of crayons and a coloring book and scribble away. and please do color outside the lines if you'd like :)

world's smallest post service

lea redmond runs the world's smallest post service. she creates and sends packages and letters so teeny that they come with magnifying glasses so that you can read its message.

photos via ali loves curtis

side note: where does one go to get a tiny roll top desk??

chronicle and lea redmond have teamed up to create the world's smallest post service kit so you can run your own miniscule post service.  it includes everything you need to get started including envelopes, twine, postage, and gift boxes, all impossibly tiny.

world's smallest post service

in addition to running this miniature post service, lea has creates interesting things such as recipe dice and a matchbox theatre. she also has several other projects that can encourage people to be more thoughtful of the world around them or to just do something that will make another person smile. visit leafcutter designs to see them all :)

weather report

found via pillipilli. click here to enter your city and view your weather report presented in collage art. created by kurt riedi and steffi gloor.

PetitPlat

images by PetitPlat

someone needs to pick me up off the floor. i remember seeing PetitPlat's work on etsy a long time ago but i recently rediscovered her work when i saw a photo of a teeny cheese platter on must have cute. i definitely remember her fruity earrings, and the unbelievably realistic salmon, but oh my gosh i do not remember her baked goods! how are these not real?! to give you an idea of how tiny these masterpieces are, one of those bread baskets measures about one inch. PetitPlat, you truly are an artist and miniaturist extraordinaire.

dawbis's lovely paper

dawbis of lovely paper, is a paper magician. what she does is so incredibly unique that i really haven't seen anything quite like it. when i saw her latest work in progress, i had a "eee-i-really-need-to-show-someone-how-amazing-this-is" moment. so i shall share it here!

 

 

images used with permission from dawbis

isn't it beautiful? everything she creates is a true work of art but something about this one, i really can't wait to see it finished. maybe it's the cute animals :) i'm hoping that someday, her work will be used as illustrations in a children's book. wouldn't they be perfect? to view more, visit dawbis's blog and flickr. she also has a vintage paper collection that is museum worthy. you really must check it out.

mamau le petit monde

i love looking through illustrations and prints on etsy.  i was searching for a print to give to my sister as a housewarming gift when i found mamau le petit monde.  i love her work.  it's sweet, calming, dreamy, and just makes me so happy.   i wish i understood spanish because her blog looks just as lovely.

papercuts

not the painful kind. but the otherworldly, mind boggling kind. my first encounter with papercuts was when i stumbled upon papercutdiecut on etsy. i just kind of sputtered in disbelief for a few minutes, no joke. how how HOW can these possible be cut out of rice paper by human hands? i'm convinced that papercutdiecut is a fairy of some sort.

images from papercutdiecut. click on each photo to view their etsy listing.

and because i live in boston and because it simply rocks, i had to include this paper cut of the old boston city hall by papercutsbyjoe. i would never guess that this was a papercut! i can't imagine the thought process that must go into creating this out of a single sheet of paper and a craft blade. and one unexpected sneeze while cutting and it's game over.

image from papercutsbyjoe. click on the photo to view its etsy listing.

image from amazon

going along with all these beautiful works of paper art, i'm dying to read this book! i judge books by their covers and this one is so promising. i'm wishing and hoping that my library will order it soon. isn't it amazing how versatile paper is? and what's even more amazing is what the wonderfully creative people in this world can do with it.

gypsy and twink

have you met gypsy and twink? she uses such simple shapes to create beautiful pieces. i'd love to know where she gets her papers :) it's so sweet how the pieces snuggle into each other and how they're not whole without one another. home isn't home without my family.

2 birds, gold and red

word house with lady

blue house with tree

photos from gypsyandtwink

beautiful birds

i was clicking around aimlessly and stumbled upon the most beautiful blog i've ever seen!

Geninne's Art Blog

She hand carves the prettiest stamps and has a great tutorial on how you can make them too! i can't wait to give it a try.

you can find prints of her creations on etsy. this one's my favorite :) i like how he's just about to land and he has the teeniest smile. and just look at the colors! her blog is bursting with color, nature and fresh air. oh and i'm crazy jealous of her studio and work area.