{dewdroplets} six

a cabinet of curiosities for your enjoyment...

{aurora borealis via nasa}

{video: how the aurora borealis works via brainpickings}

{monthly delivery of artisinal sweets via black box dessert club}

{waterless snow globe tutorial via sweet something designs}

{dance vs. powerpoint via john bohannon at tedx brussels}

{vintage holiday illustration via jill clark}

sent with love from your innkeeper!

{design} mod santa

i discovered this fantastic santa in a crate of vintage holiday cards at a local antique store.

this particular saint nick instantly captured my heart for four reasons:

i am a sucker for stripes.

always.

there is no mention on the card of company, designer, or year.

i'm guessing somewhere in the sixties?

swoon!

the card is flocked with red velvet

which transports me instantly back to my childhood.

our early seventies home had two rooms

which were covered in flocked foil wallpaper.

i was smitten with the velvety stuff.

check out this fabulous lettering

from the inside of the card...

isn't the whole thing simply swell?

this is what a one dollar treasure from an artist date does for me.

ho ho ho!

{retreat} inner voice

{the shieling by caitlihne}

during my twentysomething years, i traipsed through a nebulous swirl of existential angst.

it was a confusing time because i had followed my dream and moved to los angeles to pursue a career in acting...yet i was deeply unhappy as an artist.

living in a thriving metropolis while navigating the twists and turns of an inner shift was difficult for me.

so from time to time, i escaped.

accompanied by my guitar, my journal, and a bag full of art supplies, i would jump in the car and head off into the mountains...

{inside or outside by dadu shin}

although i occasionally camped, my landing spot was almost always a beautiful inn, cottage, or bed and breakfast.

into a cozy little nook i would go, retreating from the chaos of nine million people and making space for my own voice to be heard.

this was such an important practice for me. it helped me find my way to where i am now.

last night i realized this: i loved my ritual so much, i made an inn of my own.

and here we are.

now i am full of wonder about you: do you have a retreat or a ritual which assists you in untangling the threads of your story?

{dewdroplets} five

a cabinet of curiosities for your enjoyment...

{hansel + gretel via annie leibovitz}

{oh land "rainbow" via big ugly yellow couch}

{curried sweet potato farro salad via always order dessert}

{folklore mythology fairy tales + magic via betty lou spence}

{official trailer for press pause play}

sent with love from your innkeeper!

{dewdroplets} one

a cabinet of curiosities for your enjoyment...

eleanor by tuesday mourning

spicy dark chocolate coconut smoothie via always order dessert

life as a creative person is a constant dance between structure and flow. 

keep listening to when the music changes, and you'll be just fine.

via have fun * do good

a heartfelt collection of female experience via roots of she

the prague astronomical clock six hundredth anniversary show via six giraffes

wishing you a splendid weekend, my dear friends!

foodstuff: they draw and cook

two of this innkeeper's favorite things combined: illustration + recipes...

{lucile prache}

{nick padavick}

{anita lozar}

{alex savakis}

these lovely creations are from they draw and cook, a website and soon-to-be-published book of deliciously illustrated recipes from around the world.

shelf life: hearted girl

it is a thrill to announce that today is my second ever guest post!

your innkeeper is visiting the beautiful blog hearted girl...

hearted girl is created by lynn, a radiant, loving, and truly genuine person who i am lucky to have connected with via the magical interwebs...

lynn's energy is so positively vibrant that i can feel it all the way from vancouver every time i read her posts, comments, or emails. she is someone who makes me feel fantastic every time we connect.

today i am contributing to hearted girl in a guest blogging series called shelf life. the series is about things in our lives that never have expiration dates or cease to be amazing to us.

for my shelf life post, i have illustrated and written about five simple pleasures that i have loved ever since i was a wee sprite.

friends, you are invited to join me over at hearted girl today!

an awesome book of thanks

i have fallen head-over-heels in love with a book...

kevwrex tweeted it recently and i keep reading it over and over.

it is a children's book that is overflowing with a beautiful heartfelt message and fantastic colorful illustrations.

here is one tiny verse...

thank you with kisses

and thank you with hugs

from a part of my heart

that is so full of love

this is one of those books that i read, close, sigh a deeply happy sigh, and say 'yes!' it captures something so true for me, in words and in pictures.

you can read the entire book here.

i highly recommend watching this short, funny video of dallas explaining the book...



you can visit his website to buy the book and read more about his amazing story. it is very inspiring! 
thank you, dallas, for a such spectacular piece of work. i will be adding it to my personal library and sharing it freely with humans of every age.
and thank you, dear guests, for being one of the awesome things in my personal book of thanks.
xoxo

the vege-men's revenge

i love illustrations from children's books.

especially vintage images from beautiful old antique children's books.

in fact, the winged being you see up above is an illustration from a children's book circa 1902.

recently i found this fantastic children's book image...

{source}

it is from the vege-men's revenge by florence k. upton circa 1897.

this strange and wonderful book has been digitized by google and all of the beguiling illustrations can be seen here.

friendship is the best medicine

dear friends, i am very grateful for your wonderful words of encouragement during my recent illness.

after being completely down and out for a week, your comments were like brilliant rays of sunshine in my bedroom...

{a sick day for amos mcgee -> illustration by erin stead}

so many of you took time to write to me, and your words brought me a huge dose of happiness that i really needed.

i recently started following patch adams on twitter, and he sent me this message:

friendship is the best medicine.

thank you for helping me feel better, friends!

i have truly missed being here with you at the inn.

it is exciting to report that joyful springtime adventures are in the works. the dew drop inn shall be bursting forth with new treehouse tales and hillside loveliness soon.

in the meantime, i hope all is well in your corner of the universe and wish you a splendid weekend.

xo

{illustration} future homes

while traipsing about on the interwebs recently, i discovered a beautiful group of vintage illustrations via whorange...

{future homes}

these images are prints from various ad campaigns in the early sixties.  they are part of a set curated by captain geoffrey spalding, who also has a variety of other vintage delights tucked away in his archives.

{draw} zentangles

when i was a wee sprite, i used to spend hours drawing twisted curvy lines and intricate patterns on notebook paper using skinny crayola markers...

{source}

thus, i was instantly intrigued when marit from the thirty days of lists group introduced me to the concept of a zentangle...

a zentangle is simply "an easy to learn method of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns."

other words used to describe it:

intuitive * fun * relaxing * abstract * ceremonial * portable * timeless...

the company motto:

anything is possible one stroke at a time.

i got lost wandering around the website tonight.

and now i'm hooked. i've got the recommended pen + a brand new moleskine waiting for me.

so it's official...

the first thing i'm going to draw in my new journal is a zentangle.