the BIG NEWS!

it’s here!  

my *new* online class! 

{painted pages workshop}

registration has just opened and it’s filling up fast! 

go on, get your spot today!  

all the information you need can be found right here! 

hooray! i’m SO excited!

xo *s

in the in between

that place in between...that’s the place where all of the paintings in the shots above are living... somewhere in between start and finish. works in progress.  it’s nice that they haven’t hit the “ugly” stage yet, that’ll probably come, but for now, they are just “waiting for more”.  i am kind of loving just leaving them here for now. the in between seems awfully nice lately.  it also feels good to have some new paintings in the works, thanks to every day in may, i’m getting it done. 

speaking of in between- i’m in between the start and end of a pretty big project, actually, i’m closer to the end and ready to shout it from the rooftops!  i’ve been working on a little big something behind the scenes for a while now, and it’s for YOU and it’s coming soon... as in this week*!  it’s a big week, with a big announcement to share, so i’m getting excited! 

see you soon! xo *s

*now’s the time to get in on the news--- sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear the big announcement :) sign up here. 

these days...

every day in may is really working! i’m really making the effort each and every day to fit in some just-for-me creative time... it’s a busy season with some behind the scenes/computer work, so in an effort to not let that take over, i’m working really hard to balance it off with some fun creative time.  what that time looks like is a little different depending on the day, but here’s a peek into the last few days. 

saturday - i spent some time up in my studio playing around with my new idea for using BIG photographs in my work....  excited about this! 

sunday- ada spent some time with her grandparents in the morning so that i could work on a project or two.  i was feeling a little overwhelmed with all i had on my plate, so i went for a run (more like a run/walk if i’m being honest...)  and it did the trick!  totally cleared my head and helped me focus.  i spotted this apple tree when i was out- it was hard to miss because it smelled so deliciously sweet! (i’m totally counting this as my creative “me” time as it helped me push through a block i was having and i got back to work refreshed and excited... ) 

monday- it was a busy one, ada woke up feeling a little under the weather/ a lot cranky, so things had to shift around a bit which is always tricky, but luckily, in the evening between dinner and bedtime i found a little pocket of time to sneak up to my studio.  while she and dada played trains and read green eggs and ham for the umpteenth time, i painted with a new-to-me color- black!  spoiler alert- i even kinda loved it!  

today, tuesday- a visit from the grandparents in the morning, coupled with a cooperative toddler taking a much needed afternoon nap provided me with lots of studio time- hooray!  i tore apart my current inspiration wall next to my work table and started a new one. this is always a good practice, as it keeps things fresh and gets me re-inspired with some new ideas.  these days i’m loving faded “vintage-y” yellows,  the patterns and colors of old quilts, and botanical illustrations. (more on this wall soon as it grows!) 

tomorrow is a studio/work day, so i’m excited to build on some of the things i’ve started these past few days!  

*if you don’t see a daily posting here, you’ll find me @sarahearn on instagram.  so happy you are following along and making your days more creative too!  xo *s

afternoon in the studio

since there was no nap today, ada and i did some "collaborative work" in the studio. 

while she was working away on several watercolor masterpieces, (at MY table and in MY chair of course), i was working on some new ideas for some bigger paintings across from her. (more on those soon)

 

i look away for just a minute, as she says:

"mama, your studio is the best place for little kids to come and paint their skin” 

why yes, yes it is. ahem. 

we had literally just come from taking a much needed afternoon bath.   

but, since you are only almost 3 once, well, i just let her go at it.  she proceeded to paint black stripes all over both arms and on her hands, i may have cringed a bit, but boy was she happy. she then asked to have her picture taken, just like this:

and since part of my may challenge involves more letting go and less thinking, well, today was a good lesson in that.  

happy weekend!  xo, *s

all sorts of flowers

{day 2 of every day in may}

today was a busy one.  this evening, after wrangling (literally) a cranked up toddler to bed, i tip-toed down the stairs and i poured myself a glass of wine.  just as i was about to collapse onto the couch, i remembered that there was that thing i challenged myself to. yep. so off i went to the studio, wine in hand, and worked on a few doodles. it wasn’t much, but i almost didn’t want to stop.  now there are a few pages of doodles of all sorts of random flowers to add to yesterday's poppy.  there’s no turning back, i think some flower paintings just might be in my future! 

i’m SO thrilled that so many of you are excited about this little every day in may challenge. be sure to follow along and join in! 

so far, so good :) 

xo *s

a challenge

that's the goal! do something creative/inspiring every day in may. i always feel like a good little push will help me though some of those days when i feel like there’s “just not enough time” between being a good mama, wife, friend, exerciser, housecleaner, showerer, (seriously) you know, all that STUFF of LIFE that can come before the oh so important creative ME time.  or YOU time.  so that’s my challenge to myself, to squeeze in at least a little bit here or there EVERY DAY IN MAY and blog (and intstagram) about it. gulp.  it’s happening... you in? wanna join me? #everydayinmay on instagram or link here in the comments.

for me, this means doing something fun/exciting/playful in my studio that has nothing to do with any “real” work deadlines...  seems so simple, yet these days i find myself “just painting to paint” less and less, so i’m trying to find my way back and make it a part of my everyday. it’s OH so important and i’d like to make it a regular part of my studio time again. 

here’s a little snapshot or two from my creative time today. there wasn’t much as i’m on some tight and stressful deadlines, but i did manage to steal away a bit this afternoon.  i used my sketchbook to work on and record some new ideas for paintings. 

i also played around a bit on my giant chalk/idea/inspiration board.  it helps me sort out how/what i see in my mind, like a BIG sketchbook, it’s one of the best tools i have.

april OH april

april has always been a month of fresh inspiration for me, a sort of coming out of a creative hibernation and into the sunshine of exciting new ideas and plans.  i realized this pattern when i was writing my book and talked about it here, one year ago today.

april is also a transition of sorts, from winter to spring, from inside to out.  the trees and flowers are finally blooming and blossoming all around and i couldn’t be happier.   

this past month had its share of ups and downs-  

some of the ups-

 

mud puddles and merry-go-rounds

  

ada and her friend on daffodil hill, monday, april 15th

some of the downs -
the sadness of boston- the news and stories that surround it, all of which touched just so close to home. there were the countless hours spent sitting on my bathroom floor as i encouraged someone with M&Ms and marshmallows. (the later worked the best). many more hours of a different sort of frustration when important plans were thwarted. but, on the bright side, such frustrations have become important learning experiences nonetheless.

thankfully, there were far more ups than downs, and that brings us to now.

today is a sunny, perfect 70 degrees. i have a napping, almost potty trained (!!!), sweet little girl. and, as i sit here in the sunniest spot in my studio, i have lots and lots of ideas to jot down and explore. to top it all off, there’s an iced coffee waiting for me in the fridge.  

as you may have noticed, april was also a month of MUCH less online time and much MORE studio/creative time. but, i’m back on track, with more to share on the creative front and a few important announcements to share this week and next... 

how are you? what did your april look like? 

tomorrow is MAY! hooray! xo *s

{on the table}

here’s what was {on the table} at our house this week ~

 

top to bottom:
1. loving yellow lately! my forsythia finally bloomed! 
2. i found this on her table in my studio (adorable)! 
3. organizing the month ahead (it has to be pretty or i won’t do it)!
4. working hard on another dinosaur picture. note the tutu on top of the dino pjs. 

not sure how it got to be friday already, but i’m signing off from a busy week to head into an equally busy, but FUN, weekend.  there are baby animals to visit*, an egg hunt (or two or three), and some quality family time.  looking forward to it! 

 *yesterday ada said - “mama, it will be SO cute to see the baby lambs hatch from their eggs”. i explained that they didn’t hatch from eggs, but agreed that it will be SO cute to see them anyway. :) 

{on the table} is a series that i’m thinking of revisiting on fridays.  it’s been so long!  here’s a couple of past {on the table} posts.  one + two.  xo *s