Waking up in the forest

On sunday I woke up in this green cozy world.
It's been a while since I slept in a tent.

I've been trying to plan a new illustration but it's going exceptionally slow this time. A new world with new characters doesn't come to easily after all... :(

Weekend

Hellu hellu,
I hope you're taking good care of yourselves during the weekend.
When the weekend arrives I like to visit the forest, eat something nice and draw if the inspiration is there. When it comes to food I really think that fresh baked bread, pickles, artichokes, cheese, prosciutto and serrano ham is something of the best you can eat. Yum yum yum :)

P.S Free shipping in my shop until tomorrow if you use this promo link

More of mum

Some more old photos of my mum :)

I love when she had crazy curly bangs!

Also I love the striped tights on striped couch kind of thing.

Levi Pinfold - Black Dog

Black Dog by Levi Pinfold

Levi Pinfold is one of the few children's book illustrators that really puts time into details. His books are so beautiful and he chooses the best colors :)
Levi has published the book Django and Black Dog. Check them out!

Fox riding moose

1st of May! Who of my readers have got a warm green spring and who are still with snow outside?

I recently drew this fancy little fox who's riding a moose. Did you know that a Swedish king once wanted to make an army where the soldiers would ride on moose? It's true. It didn't work though. These animals aren't very easily tamed...heh... I feel that that's rather obvious. But you know Kings... they're all like, give me 200 tigers and a giraffe with 5 legs!!! Now! I'm BORED!

The print can as always be purchased on Society6.
I've had a few emails where people wonder about Society6. I sell between 30-40 items per month and since people buy more stuff (like iphone cases and pillows where I can't control my profit but always get 10% (instead of actual prints where I decide the profit)) my earnings are not very high. However, I think it's such an excellent service that I don't really mind the low profits. At least I have a real job too :)

Beautiful Lana

More old photos of my mum!
I can be quite brag-ish about my parents. But I think that's better than being rude about them :)

I'm very proud of them because me and my sister have had a great upbringing with a lot of humor and love. They have worked hard to have the jobs they do today (dad's a surgeon and mum's in economics). They practically started our family in a shed-like little hut in Latvia. And by a fortunate series of events we had the possibility of coming to Sweden when dad was offered a job at the hospital here.

So mum and dad, thanks for all the things you've done for me and my sister :)

Portrait

It's been a while since I did a self-portrait so I decided to wrap the scarf Robert got me from Morocco around me and make something simple. Among the bunch the best photo was unfortunately were I looked the saddest. The other ones just weren't expressing very much :/
Oh well, what to do what to do....

How's your weekend been?
I've been moving all my stuff so my head feels a little exhausted.
Hugs!

Mina lives here

She has my little sami fox pillow in her vintage sofa.

I'm super jealous of her little blue carpet. She knows. She keeps an careful eye on it while I'm visiting. So that I don't steal it and then run my way ;)

A friend of hers came by with the fox with dresses iphone shell.

Free shipping thru sunday :)

FREE Shipping Thru Sunday!

Hello Darlings!
Thank you for the birthday greetings, you're super sweet.
My co-worker Ulla showed up one day with one of my shells :) It's the one on the photo above, for iphone 4.

My shop has free shipping until sunday night! 

I'm considering getting a t-shirt this time...hu hu huuu :)

25 years

Today I'm turning 25  :)
On the photos above is my beautiful mother, probably around 27 years old, and little me with my sisters teddy. My mother recently brought more old photos that grandma wanted to get rid of. I found this among them, I love how mum looks like a nymph from a John Bauer fairy tale. I'm going to post some more photos from her youth soon :) Hihihihi.

From the phone

I'm not really an instagram user, I'm not comfortable enough to show everything I photograph to everyone... and I already share so much of myself on other sites. Also I haven't really understood if you can choose which photos to publish and which to stay private? Or is it just choosing public or private for al photos?

Well, the last week I've used it a little bit. Pictures 1,2,4 and 5 are all taken on my way to work. And picture 3 is of course little Loollooooo :)
The weekend really swooshed by this time! I celebrated my birthday in the forest with some friends today, it's on tuesday really but who has time to go to the forest then :) ?

Who lives here?

"Pretty House" in my shop

This illustration has been traveling with me for 2 weeks now, always in my bag but I never found time to finish it. The longer it's with me the more unsure I am of when it's actually finished. I know my boyfriend has this problem. He doesn't know when to stop drawing on his pictures. When do you know that it's actually done?
Hm, we've decided that we just have to say STOP and then that's that :)

You've been leaving such nice comments lately. I especially liked this anonymous one:

I really love your...I don't know, style? Your drawings are so beautiful and whimsical. When I go onto your blog it always feels like fall or winter. Like roasting marshmallows over a fire. What would you say is your inspiration for your artwork? (Both Photography and Drawing)

I love the feeling that my blog would give the sensation of roasting marshmallows over a fire :)

As for inspiration, I usually answer the forest and fairytales. But I don't actually read that much tales. Often I just see things around me that I write down in a book. After a while I put all those things together that I have taken a liking to and consider if they could become an illustration or photo. If you look through my pinterest it becomes quite clear what inspires me :)

The white tent #2

Today, Gizmo, turning 13 next month, joined Laura by her tent. Gizmo is 75% Samoyed and 25% Karelian Bear Dog. The were both gorgeous and super patient :)

Joggers and guys with their crazy mountain bikes didn't really pay the models any respect and just cruised boldly by Gizmo almost crushing his tale. Hah... I would never have disturbed a photograph like that. It's not like we were on the only path. This is on a sub-path. The real path is 10 meters behind me.

Pretty Inspiration

Photograph by Marianne (Last name unknown) - her flickr maridesign

I've been browsing a lot of cottages and houses on the internet lately.
This one was so funny. The photographer claims that it's shaped like that because of the wind.

Photographer unknown
Source: Private Disarray

Lamp posts are covered in ice in the Adriatic coastal town of Senj, Croatia on February 7, 2011.

So pretty, don't you think?

Photographer unknown

Source: To the stars and onward

Lisets cup

Order from boyfriend to girlfriend.
(See it on her blog here)
Rather sweet :)
Painting porcelain is fun too!
There's a little kitten on the inside too, but you can't see it here ;)