Oh boy, now I want a warthog to drink tea with. This is either a really weird, colorful, beautiful dream I had, or the work of Dutch artist/illustrator Lieke van der Vorst. It might be both.

Mother’s Day always makes me feel really nostalgic. I have so many sunny childhood memories of my mom, and now that I’m a mama there are so many moments with my son that I wish I could bottle forever … hence my latest collage! Days at the beach, road trips in the family car, playing in the garden, and homemade popsicles in the backyard. Sigh. Good times. Here’s an artsy little round-up of pieces that tug at my mama heart strings:

{Mother’s Day is on May 10th, so there’s still time to order. To buy these prints, and super sweet ceramic wall hangings, just click on the images above, or use these links: 1. Me  2. Lisa Golightly  3. Nathalie Cusson  4. Alicia Zwicewicz  5. Kelly Ventura  6. Liora Saad  7. Kelly Ventura, again!}

Oooh la la! Babeth Lafon is a French artist/illustrator based in Berlin, and her work is beyond lovely. I can almost smell the peonies from here! Pretty perfumes in fancy bottles, polkadot socks, and delicate flowers. Gorgeous.

{via meighan o’toole on pinterest}

You could seriously play the artsiest game of ‘Go Fish’ EVER with these beauties! I love this project by Philadelphia based artist Kimberly Hall {aka Nottene}… the final drawings are fantastic, but I love the story behind them just as much:

“I started designing this deck as a way to draw new things regularly. In 2013 one of my goals was to draw more every day, but it was hard to stay motivated. I was always looking for new things to draw, so when a friend mentioned she was going to learn a new card game each week for all 52 weeks of the year I realized it was the perfect number of weeks to produce a deck of cards in a way that wasn’t completely overwhelming! I have always wanted to design a deck of cards, but it felt like too big of a project. Suddenly it seemed manageable.”

Brilliant and so inspiring! She has illustrated the entire deck, and now her plan is to turn these 52 drawings into the real deal {get it? deal?}. Sorry, bad card joke. Anywho, Kimberly’s got a kickstarter project underway, so if you want to help her, ie., ensure that these get made so you can pick up a set for yourself, pop over to her project page … 25 days to go!

Yep, I’m heading to New York in a couple of weeks, and I’m bringing a whole bunch of art with me! GREAT.LY has a shop at the Architectural Digest Home Show and I’ll be there every day, sellin’ art and signin’ books! Here’s a peek at a few of the pieces that I’m bringing with me:

Yes! Lots of gorgeous art… and a cat planter! I couldn’t resist! {and I may have been pressured into including one of my own collages too}. Design Milk will also be hosting one of the days, as well as the ladies from Cool Mom Picks. Pop by if you can! Oh, and all of these pieces are also available in my online gallery, so no need to worry if you’re not actually in NYC. Click on the images above and they’ll take you right to my shop. Ok, happy weekend! I’ll be working on creativeUNblock no.3 … will you? ; )

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Oh. Yes. This is the lovely work of Italian artist/illustrator Daniela Tieni. First, I found the work at the top of this post, which I loved immediately… and then I started digging around in her portfolio and found those altered Polaroids! Sigh… it’s all so dreamy, kind of mysterious, and clearly, the perfect amount of ‘weird’.

{via Brown Paper Bag}

So sweet. So simple. All of these lovely pieces are from a series titled “Collapsed Appearance” by Japanese artist/illustrator Kubo Ayako. I’m not sure if there is significance behind these garments for Kubo, but it feels like each one has a personality and a story to tell. I would love for her to document my favorite sweater from childhood… you know, the knitted one with the rainbow stripes that doesn’t fit any more but I’ll still love it forever anyway. Yeah. That one.

I’m scared, but completely smitten at the same time. It was literally impossible for me to put this post together without creating some kind of disturbing narrative… the Jekyll/Hyde wolf boy next to the burning underpants? Yep, that’s gonna tell a story whether you want it to or not! These are the beautifully bizarre works of Austria based artist/illustrator Alice Wellinger. I love all of them for various weird reasons, but it’s this sweet little purple coat that really got me:

It instantly brought tears to my eyes and made me miss my amazing grandmother… and her beautiful, wonderful, complicated life.

I’m so excited to finally tell you guys about this! Last April, The Land of Nod asked me to collaborate with them on a series of “Jealous Curator” art collections for nurseries & kids rooms… um, OK! I immediately reached out to ten artists who I thought would be perfect for the Spring collection. I chose them as a curator, but I also had my mom hat firmly on! You see, when my son was a baby, I had a really hard time finding cool art for his room – art that he would like, but also something that I wanted to look at while rocking him in the middle of the night, and during diaper changes, and when we were lying on the floor pretending to be [insert any farm animal here].  That’s what this collection is all about. I chose fun, fresh, candy-hued pieces that your little ones will love, but that can also transition smoothly into the “grown-up” areas of your home… you know, art that you’d be happy to hang in the living room when your baby turns seven and decides to cover his walls in Minecraft posters. Trust me, it happens.

I’ve had to keep this collaboration top secret until the Spring 2015 collection was finally released, and at long last, it’s here! I’m beyond thrilled with this grouping, and so honored to have been able to work with these ten incredibly talented artists. Watercolors, embroidery, paintings and photographs… I love each of them on their own, but also kinda crazy love how they work together! Here’s more info on the full collection {snatched from the LoN site}:

And a closer view of each one {links at the bottom}:

Ahhh, I love them all so, so much. {ps. there are only 100 of each piece!} Thank you to The Land of Nod for bringing me into the family, and thank you to the artists… you’re all insanely talented, kind, and really fun to work with!

1. Sarah Gee  2. Stephanie K Clark  3. Trey Speegle  4. Cassia Beck  5. Aimee Bee Brooks  6. Alice Ferrow  7. Valerie Chiang  8. Joël Penkman  9. Alicia Bock  10. Melissa Ryder

Oh, the sweet & whimsical drawings of Japanese artist/children’s illustrator Yusuke Yonezu. The only information I have about these pieces is this… I love them {his site is in Japanese so that’s all I’ve got!}. But hey, when you’ve got bean paste buns and knit vests, who needs more? Happy Monday ♥