dreams.

would this look fun as a scarf? or draped over the couch?
i'm thinking of getting it printed.

i made this in a somewhat unusual way: i scanned my head, then i edited the image, flipped it around and multiplied it. is that gross? tell me the truth darlings. honestly, if i thought bk would let me scan his head, i would have used someone else's.
XO

election craft for you!

darlings. for the most part, this blog is not political. if you are a regular reader {or know me from my life outside of this blog}, however, you probably already know that i am voting for barack obama in this november's election. this weekend, i decided to make a few low-tech buttons for my family & i to wear to promote this most awesome candidate, and i thought it would be fun to share the buttons with all of my internet friends too. you can download the graphics for these buttons by clicking here, here, or here, and you can watch a super dorky video of me demonstrating how to make this craft here.

Obama craft for you! from kelly c on Vimeo.

An internet hiatus does crazy things to a girl...

I haven't yet gushed about the latest & greatest Mankind Mag?!?! Well, I simply must! Dear-hearts, please check out the newest edition of Mankind Mag. It's the bee's knees. It's the cat's meow. It's the snake's pajamas! Check it out online. Buy a hard-copy to drool over. Be sure to write all of your to-dos in the totally awesome calendar by the one & only Jess Gonacha. {But only until you buy one of Jess' gorgeous calendars for 2009.}

Oh, and as if the lovely and talented mastermind behind Mankind Mag {Erin Loechner} didn't have enough fabulousness in her work life, she just revealed that she is the editor of fellow magazine & announced it's debute.

Can you feel the love in this post?! Good.
XO

wardrobe notes: remixing the batwing tunic.

dears, i'm so happy to continue to show-case my fall fashion picks on etsy in more detail. one thing i learned during my year of no-new is how to remix my favorite articles of clothing to keep my outfits fresh, me inspired, and my wallet closed. my friends on wardrobe_remix are constant sources of inspiration for breathing new life into an old skirt by layering it or wearing it as a top, for example. because i'm still keeping it thrifty this year, i'm featuring each gorgeous piece with staples i already own (or i own something remarkably similar to-- those silvery oxfords are actually old tap shoes in my closet). my intent is to work in a new article of clothes without worrying about buying a whole new wardrobe to accommodate the new piece.


the batwing tunic created by Liza Rietz is such a versatile piece. here are a few ways i would wear this style. (click on the image to see it larger.) with a piece like this, you can change the look so much by just switching it up between tucking the tunic in or tucking it out.



{batwing tunic, by Liza Rietz.}
{turquoise skirt, by Rowena Sartin.}
{mustard skirt, by TopShop.}
{skinny pants & high-waisted skinny pants, by American Apparel.}
{maxi-skirt, by 9west.}
{excellent source for tights: we LOVE colors.}

Check out Liza Rietz by visiting her at:
*At her Etsy shop.
*On her website.
*In person at
liza rietz and a broken spoke
2305 NW Savier Street in Portland

new in the shop!

dears, i'm adding new work to the shop everyday. i LOVE this! here are a few of the new pieces we are offering at kelly loves whales: the shoppe. i'm making more pieces as fast as i can, so check back often for new prints, t-shirts (yay!) and stationery. for a look at all of these new one-of-a-kind prints, clicky here.

additionally, i've listed a few graphic design services for fellow Etsy sellers. here are two of the personalized banner & avatar kits currently available (swell and penthouse suite). for a look at more graphic design products, click here.

that's so graphic.

dears, i have been working away lately on so many projects. this is the time of year when ideas seem to sprint into my brain at all hours of the day. i see a whole series of paintings just as i'm drifting into sleep. a new shape will creep into my brain while i'm dodging cars on my bike. you catch my drift, right. it's a wonderful time of year. i'm planning to release a bunch of new work in the shop in the next few weeks, and i cannot wait!

in addition to the paint-draw-print work, i've been playing with graphic design lately. i created some new business cards for myself that i just love and had them printed at overnight prints. fabulous.

AND and and, my mama is opening Stitches, her yarn and fabric shoppe, this autumn, and i've put together some materials for her shop. i LOVE it. playing with type and graphics is what i do to relax. what i do when i have free time. because i love it so much and have gotten so much positive feedback, i'm planning to offer a few design-related items to my shop: avatar and banner designs as well as business card and postcard design and printing. in the next few weeks, i'll be listing the first round of personalized product lines. i cannot wait!!

bright. and brand new.

Bright, shiny new poster prints and post-cards. In the shop.

remember

seriously.

gra-fix.

dears, i have been knee deep in new work all day, and i cannot imagine a happier place to be. THANK you, universe.

*

here are a few of the fun new shapes i've been courting.
for the etsy shop, a relatively new banner

and a brand, spanking new avatar.

for the future, a new poster.

for all of us, a little reminder.

just being me.

hello there, dear-hearts! happy wednesday to you. i have a huge day with my job-job, so this post will be quick and to the point. for awhile now, i've been wanting to create some graphic pieces for cards and a tote bag. here is a prelimary design. step one, check. next step, figuring out the printing.

we'll talk more soon.
loves.

good mail day!

it all started here, or maybe here, with the inspiration e-zine from design for mankind. the talented erin followed up the e-zine with a corresponding inspiration poster.
i LOVED it. i had to have it. it magically arrived at my door yesterday.

now that is what i call a good mail day.

{p.s. sorry this post looks so wonky and was missing text the first go-round. blogger is acting SUPER DUPER CRAZY today.}

On my desk.

I'm working on my web design skills, my dears. Here is the beginning of an idea.

Pounced. Elle2design.

Check out what I brought back from my last pouncing adventure: Elle2design! Elle2design features the gorgeous work of designer Robin Keys. Her cards are simply lovely. (I'm quite fond of this one, butterfly.) Aren't these colors de-lish?!

I LOVE making stuff.

Although this might seem a bit random, I really do like making new banners and mastheads and buttons for the web. I just made this new banner for my shoppe, and I am so happy with it!

Busy-ness.

Hello my dears,

Here is another little sketch. Pink and green have begun to appeal to me this year. Who knew? I must admit that for many many years, the fantastic-ness of this combination was lost on me. However, in the last few months, I have become totally enamored with it! You will probably see more thistle and moss, fuchsia and hunter, and other combinations of the pink + green duo in weeks to come.

I will be listing the original in the shoppe tomorrow morning.

Happy weekend-ing!

Sunburst?

A moment of light. And then it was gone.

Fish scale lamp.

Darlings,

I think I have finally kicked this cold's booty to the curb! Hoorah. So much has happened since I last had the strength and attention span to share with you all: Thanksgiving yumminess, more sales in the shoppe, interviews for another day job, and on and on! The important thing (to me, at least) is that I am able to paint again. Joy! Here is a new piece that I have been dying to share with you.

Do you think this would look divine with Lamp on stack of logs and

Mid-century Bubble? I do! I think I will have some prints made.

Oh, by the by, have you begun thinking about Christmas at all? I have and of course I'm trying in earnest to get myself organized. Remember the HANDMADE PLEDGE? Well, I thought it would be helpful for any readers who are new to buying handmade for me to put together a little buyer's guide of sorts, with links to other savvy handmade buyer's guides like Modish and Trunkt along with my Etsy favorites. Look for that tomorrow, won't you?

Wishing you all a loverly evening. I do believe I am off to sit on my meditation cushion before walking our dog to meet the husby after work.

Toodle-loo!
kel-kel

Mid-century bubble.

Dears, we are not leaving town today after all! Good! I was hoping to share this new piece with you, and am thrilled that I don't have to wait until Friday or Saturday. I painted this little number yesterday afternoon after much rushing around and experimenting with the holiday cards, bigger prints of some of the paintings in my shoppe, and my accounting system. The lamp in this painting was just what I needed. I hope you enjoy it! I am planning to make prints for the shoppe. I think it would look lovely next to Lamp on stack of logs.

Coupla thoughts.

Good afternoon, dear readers. All is a-bustle here in my little studio at the North Pole (it's a bit chilly in here today).

First, another smaller print will be available shortly at kelly LOVES whales: the shoppe. Feast your eyes upon this little scene, which debuted on the blog this summer. The print is printed on fine, velvet paper (which looks and feels like watercolor paper). The colors are quite subtle, which you know requires MAJOR restraint on my end!



Second, I have been throwing around the idea of producing some seasonal cards. As soon as the paint dries, I'll give you a chance to peep the first sketches. Any thoughts on the whole card idea?

Third, it is truly time for me to buy a new scanner. I have looked at the Epson Perfection V200. Does anyone have experience with this one? Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

We'll talk more later.

Bits. And a bit of good news.

Seriously exciting news: I scanned a bunch of paintings at kinkos. (my scanner died, 'member?) This means that I should have actual prints of my work to launch the ETSY shop. Hoorah. hoorah.