{family reunion}

Part one of my lovely vacation was spent at my husband's family reunion.

I learned that our cousin Alex has an etsy shop, too!

{I had to check it out right away}

Above are two of my favorites from her shop.

Take a peek and see what you think~

I know that I can't wait to get home and pick up some of her prints for my studio!

I hope that everyone is having a lovely week~

k*

{don't give up on me}

Hi everyone!
I'm off on my little vacation today...
Well, it's not really a little vacation.
I'll be back on August 20th.




I will have sporadic access to the internet,
so I hope to get a {teeny} bit of blogging done~

Until then, I have my ACEOs with me,
and at Unconventional Ida.
I will be shipping once a week!

I also brought a lot of wood in my carry-on,
so check back in August for some awesome shop updates~

I hope everyone has a lovely week~
k*

we have a winner~

Lucky number 13~
*Jamie from magicbeanbuyer*

Congratulations!

{thank you to everyone who entered}

Have a lovely day~
k*

IF*enough

After his girlfriend left him,
he had enough.
enough of women~
enough of his menial job~
enough of the ridiculously high price of razors~

So he did it.
He quit his job, quit shaving,
and is now known as:

*The Man Who Was Raised By Lions*

*drawing for four free ACEOs*

Leave a comment on this post to be entered into a drawing
for four of my lovely, new, limited edition ACEOs.

If your name is drawn, you will be able to choose which four you'd like~

I will choose the winner
{ July 22 }

Good luck!

k*

{{ HUGE }} shop update

They're here!
I finally have limited edition ACEOs
of my characters~
{only 50 will be printed of each}

They are signed, dated, numbered
and only
$4

I have a few listed already,
but will be working on more throughout
the evening.

Enjoy~
k*

* this week.s treasury *

I've snagged another treasury
I've named this one
{anniversary = love }
It will be up until Wednesday morning
If you'd like to take a peek~

These are the shops that I have included
{top to bottom, left to right}

theblackapple
modernarteveryday
KitschyHippo
dictioncanary
blackbriar
primpedpaperie
ConstantDreamer
krisblues
artandghosts
GumballGrenade
papermoth
gadgetgirl

{ new journals }

Meet Brother Kiute, Sister Kiute, & Ghost-Cat!

These are today's newest illustrated moleskines!

sister kiute wants to be a bumblebee
sister kiute wants to be a kitty-kat
&
sister kiute and ghost-cat

Use this lovely journal for thoughts, dreams,
doodles, class notes, or to-do lists~



* ink and colored pencil
* 3.5 x 5.5 inch LINED moleskine journal
* 64 lined pages, the last 16 detachable
* acid free paper, inner pocket

Learn more about moleskine journals at: www.moleskine.com

* wow *

This weekend was packed full of fun~
It will probably be the busiest of the summer,
but it sure was a blast!

I decided to post it all below.
I hope that everyone had a lovely weekend~

k*

first...

The weekend began on Friday
with my husband's birthday!

The night was a blast~
We had dinner with his family,
then back to our house for a delicious cake
{white with a champagne-lime frosting}.

Then we went out!
All of our old friends are in town for a wedding tomorrow.
{I wish that they all still lived here}
It was a wonderful treat for D to be able to celebrate
with all of his old college pals.

then...

Saturday, two of our dear friends were married.

The wedding was at an old mansion~

The grounds were {absolutely} stunning~

And the wedding was perfect~

I just wish that I had remembered to take a picture of the residence.

We had such a wonderful time with all of our friends.
I wish they didn't have to fly back home...

and finally...

Sunday, we celebrated out two year wedding anniversary.
We had a wonderfully relaxing day.
We slept in,
went to a lovely brunch at Finn & Porter,
and took the dogs for a nice long walk by the river
{where D proposed to me}.

Overall, it was a beautiful end to a terrific weekend.

IF*foggy

It was a bit foggy when Kelly B.
took her morning walk into
"The Forest of 1000 Eyes."

She wasn't scared, though.
She knew her kitty-kat ears would protect her from the monsters.

{ hello ghost-cat }

Sister Kiute has a new friend~
Say *hello* to ghost-cat!

*etsy love*

Last week I purchased this lovely little dish from
Leesa Brinkley of Handgrown Pottery.
I needed something for my nightstand to put my wedding rings in
and thought that this was absolutely perfect.

I stumbled upon her shop, but was sad to read that she is closing down indefinitely.
Her last day is July 11th,
so if you find something you like
pick it up!

a fun little surprise...

After a little day trip,
I no longer have blondie blonde hair...
Instead, I am sporting a
{cute & new}
brunette pixie.

My surprise, however, came when I checked the treasuries
and found I had made it into four!
Please visit these lovely etsians treasuries {and shops}.

{Something old, something new} by JavaJaneDesigns

{some COOL stuff for a HOT day} by claywidow

{Feast} by kcknits

{Do my glasses make me look sexy?} by JunkyardGypsy

Thanks everyone!

k*

I wrote { and illustrated } a book

For many of you that may not know,
I have my degree in Economics.

I thought it would be fun {yes, I think economics is fun}
to write and illustrate a little book I called
An A to Z Guide of Basic Economic Concepts.
Each letter is used for a basic concept and character's name.
I then wrote either a short story, limerick, or mock interview
about the character and the concept.

It turned out to be quite a blast!

If anyone would like to know more about the book, or for ordering information,
please shoot me an e-mail:
unconventionalida@hotmail.com

*this week.s treasury*

I was lucky enough to score another treasury
shortly after my last one expired.
I've named this one
{ i would like }
It will be up until Wednesday afternoon
If you'd like to take a peek~

These are the shops that I have included
{top to bottom, left to right}

kelliedrawspictures
theblackapple
baileydoesntbark
JessicaDoyle
elsita
LittleRobot
ashleyg
monpetitfantome
obsoleteworld
BellatrixArt
edandliz

off to the lake...

...for a weekend of fun!

k*

{ friday feature }

I wanted to share with you
the newest piece from Eloise at HidenSeek.

*It is called*

My Captain...We've reached the end of the world

I find it absolutely delightful,
along with the rest of her work!

IF* sour

Clara appears sweet and innocent~
{but trust me}
she has quite the sour disposition
if she does not get her own way.


pssst...

...take a peek at the rest of my blog~ I've done quite a bit of updating!

{ happy independence day }

I stumbled across these fantastic birdhouses from
birdhouse accents
last night, and thought they would make a
wonderful
4th of July post!

They remind me of my grandmother's house,
and nothing would make me happier than a family picnic right now...

I hope that everyone has a lovely day~

k*

*this weekend.s treasury*

I curated a lovely new treasury~
It will be up until Sunday afternoon,
so take a peek if you'd like!
I named it
{artists make me happy}

because they do~

These are the shops that I have included
{top to bottom, left to right}

MarmeeCraft
LittleRobot
soopajdelux
annejulie
HidenSeek
JessicaDoyle
annawetzel
meladori
IrenaSophia
geministudio
MundoGominola
lorihutchinson

Thanks for looking~
k*

* I sure do love...

...my mosaic coffee table
{I think I'll have it until I die}

...my great-grandmother's favorite hat

...the door to my studio

...the doorknob to my studio

...my favorite reading chair

{ happy little house }

*I have a mission for the day*

I'm going to get the house in tip-top shape,
then show you all of my favorite corners!

Here is the start~
I'll have more for you in a bit.

i found a new shop

I don't even know where to begin, but to shout:

I LOVE BAILEY DOESN'T BARK!!!

There are cups & saucers~

Beautiful plates~

artwork~


did I mention plates~
{tehee}I'm in heaven.

Thank you, RJ
for creating such stunningly beautiful pieces!

a package in the mail...

...is always wonderful!

I finally have an original {above} from
Diane Duda of Dudadaze

*I love my little aceo treats*

*and this print, too*

I am such a lucky gal today

k*

p.s. Di also has a fun blog...check it out!

{lovely treasury}

lola.s flowers were featured in a lovely treasury
curated by Jealousy Design.

Take a peek at all of the wonderful work in
...Between the moon and the mind...

* i have a workspace *

Yesterday
{I was motivated}

I finished hanging all of my characters
in my studio,
and cleaned off my workspace.
{I am far to embarrassed to show a before picture}

Now that my lovely wooden table is cleared,
I can take photos of a few of my newest
etsy treats
and share them with you all!

k*