Easter Bunny

I know I'm a little behind the times, but I wanted to post this quick illustration. I took a departure from my usual style but had a lot of fun working on it.

Fall Promo Mailer

Here is the piece I did for my Fall promotional mailer.

That Says Christmas

I am a little late posting this, but I found out a while back that I was one of 19 winners for Hallmark's That Says Christmas Contest. We were to create a card drawing inspiration from one of these words: wish, fruitcake, joy, ho ho ho, or peace. I was inspired by joy. I loved the idea of a happy penguin, who was spreading joy to his friends.

If you would like to purchase my card you can go to http://bit.ly/d0RY8V and by it online.

I am excited that this is the third contest I have won through Hallmark. If you would like to check out my other cards, here are the links:

Birthday Your Way - http://bit.ly/8ZqUBM

yourHoliday - http://bit.ly/cKdXcX

The yourHoliday contest was a career changing moment for me. In January of 2008 I had given myself one year to make something happen with my illustrations or I was going to have to move on to something else. I entered this contest in July and found out a few weeks later I was a winner. After that everything snowballed to where I am now. I can't believe how far I've come since that day. I know I still have a long way to go to where I want to be, but I'm glad I never gave up.

Illustration Friday - Early

The families woke up early to go camping. This is an illustration I worked on for Gospel Light's Summer 2010 Preschool Activity Pages.

Hidden Picture Puzzle

I can finally post my illustrations from the Spring Activity Pages I created for Gospel Light. This was a hidden picture puzzle I illustrated for preschoolers (ages 2 & 3). I had a lot of fun working on it. I tested it out on my own 3 year old first to see how many of the hidden food objects she could fine.

Hallmark's Birthday Your Way Contest

Hallmark has just posted the finalist's for the Birthday Your Way Contest.

http://www.Hallmarkcontests.com/page/WINNERS/sub/Gallery/Contest/BirthdayYourWay/do/detail/CardID/14

Check out my card!

Hallmark's Birthday Your Way

I just found out I am a finalist in Hallmark's Birthday Your Way contest. The winning cards won't be revealed until March, so I will have to hold off on posting my design until then. As this is the second Hallmark contest I am a finalist in, I will also be featured under the Repeat Card Stars. What great news to come home to after a long drive home from Florida.

New Blog Header

Here is a blog header I recently finished. It is for a fantastic family blog called 2 Wired 2 Tired. I had a great time working on this illustration. However, I did find it a challenge to make the mother look frazzled and tired. Here is the link if you want to check it out http://www.2wired2tired.com. It has great information for mom's and funny stories too. Not to mention the occasional product reviews and giveaways.

Illustration Friday: Infinite

I have reworked this illustration an infinite number of times. I think I am finally satisfied with it.

Illustration Friday: Craving

Pamela the Packrat craved bright, shiny objects and lots of toys. This illustration is from The Bright Red Button by E.A. Budd, illustrated for Stories for Children Magazine.

Quick Updates

Wow, it's been a while since I have posted. I have been busy working on a couple of exciting projects and haven't been able to participate on Illustration Friday in a while.

I want to thank Deb Meyer for the Kreativ Blogger award.

Deb has a great digital style and wonderful creativity. You can check out Deb's blog here.

I was able to illustrate a story for this month's issue of Stories for Children Magazine. To see my illustrations and read the story click on the link.

Illustration Friday: Time

It's time to make Valentines! I remember making little Valentine mailboxes when I was in elementary school. Creating this illustration definitely brought back alot of fun memories.

Illustration Friday: Climbing

I loved sledding when I was younger, but I always hated climbing back up the hill.

Illustration Friday: Pale

The mermaid's faces paled when they realized they had been spotted from above.

Illustration Friday: Contained

The dinosaur's excitement could hardly be contained as he made is way up to the castle for the birthday party.

Thank you everyone for all of the great comments and advice you have been giving me!

Illustration Friday: Resolve

I am glad this topic came up for Illustration Friday as I have been thinking about my goals for 2009. This year I resolve to:

1. Become a member of SCBWI

2. Join an online critique group

3. Increase my promotions for the year

The Hallmark contest as really motivated me to work hard to have more of my work published in 2009. I am excited for all of the possibilities this new year will bring.

Illustration Friday: Opinion

The winner of the Hallmark YourHoliday Card Contest is based on the voter's opinions. This is my entry in the contest, in which I am a Finalist. I am very excited to be a part of this contest. It has always been a career goal of mine to have one of my designs printed by Hallmark.

Illustration Friday: Late

A late night of Trick or Treating.