A little birdie told me...

 

 Here's a peek at some of my new treats:

 Tiny buttons! 

Prints!

More batches of sight word cards - in new boxes to boot!

Plus greeting cards, stickers, 

and small, gifty surprises

that I'm still finishing.   

If you are local, you're welcome to come visit me downtown this Friday or Saturday.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. 

I hope your day is rich and deep. 

surrounded in love, 

bright in gratitude.

The way we stroll...

Some of us are supposed to be getting ready for a pop-up art sale next week
but we keep getting lost the woods!

The good news: new art flashcard sets are coming!
 I'll keep you posted.

Here's to finding light and joy in the midst of the wild & woolly this week.

School's out!

Goodnight, pencil jars. 

Goodnight, lunchboxes. 

 School's out!

Hello, sunshine books.

Hello, swing seats. 

Hello, sandy feet. 

Summer is in session!

Summery reads:

 

   

 Sam and Jump by Jennifer K. Mann
A Beach Tail by Karen Lynna Williams, ill. by Floyd Cooper
Listen to Our World by Bill Martin Jr & Michael Sampson, ill. by Melissa Sweet
Surf's Up by Kwame Alexander, ill. by Daniel Miyares
Ocean Sunlight by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm
Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin

borrow

A happy accident in pencils, cardboard backing 

and color palette experiments

is my latest submission to the May SCBWI Insight's prompt word "borrow."

Don't you love getting to borrow from all the delicious books waiting in the library?

Here's a question for my creative friends -  do you ever work with prompts?

I am stretched when I work on art for Birdy's sight word cards.
I try to think of all the ways a simple word speaks to me,
looking for the story behind it.

Online resources such as SCBWI Insight drawing challenges
or Colour Collective's weekly color prompts are a fantastic springboard
for experimentation. And online challenges are abundant, once one starts looking.
 

  How do you stretch yourself? 

Do you write from prompts?

Do you ever coax words out left-handed, if you're a righty?

Sketch with eyes closed, if you're an artist?

How do you dig deeper for inspiration?

My brother, illustrator Jesse Joshua Watson continually inspires me,
He paints jaw-dropping wonder on reclaimed wood, old surfboards, drums, plywood.

Beauteous.

Some of our borrowed library treasures this week:

The Night Gardener - Terry and Eric Fan
Roar Like a Lion - by Tae-Eun Yoo
A Rock is Lively - Diane Hutts Aston, ill. by Sylvia Long
The Bear and the Piano - by David Lichtenfeld
Pax by Sara Pennypacker, ill. by Jon Klassen
Tiny Creatures : the world of microbes by Nicola Davies, ill. by Emily Sutton 
The Adventurers by Rachel Elliot, ill. by Valeria Docampo

Dream Animals - by Emily Winfield Martin

What does BORROW bring to mind?

Tiny Valentine-y

 

Haven't you always wanted mini flashcards?

I thought they might be a fun Valentine-y gift. 

I like to carry around pocket-sized art decks, don't you? 

Because don't we all carry words on the go?

 

Who doesn't like a little

fun on a ring?

Or words on a string?

They're up in my shop, 

perfect word surprises

for your small people - 

or your pocket card collectors.

Local buyers can enter the code: LOCALPICKUP

on my shop to waive shipping fees 

and arrange a delivery option.

Here's to the small, the tiny, the mini,
the little bits of love and beauty in this big world
that make life sweet and good.

Tiny book favorites:

  

Enormous Smallness by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Eric DiGiacomo
The Tiny King by Taro Miura
Tiny's Big Adventure by Martin Waddell, illustrated by John Lawrence
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes - by Mem Fox, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter