I’m partial to this baby announcement I designed for Stephanie and Dean* because inspiration is right outside my window; I live on a hillside where there’s always at least one—if not a hundred—olive trees in sight. Olive trees have become one of the distinctive emblems of our life on the Mediterranean.

The olive pattern in the background started out as a simple branch that I painted in Photoshop.

I then repeated the olives on a roughly painted background of desert-inspired colors.

With a few Photoshop filters (including my favorite, rough pastels), the background turned into this:

*Names will always be changed.

I mentioned that I was working on a promotion for a community center library. Here’s what I have so far:

There will be several different promotional pieces that tout their different categories. I’m having so much fun with it!

I miss holiday parties. People gussied up, appetizers circulating, glasses clinking—so much fun.

I’ve been trying to remember what I used to wear to holiday parties before we moved overseas. I can only remember two outfits. Two! That’s it! And who even remembers what years they’re from! (Though I’m going to guess 2005 on the left and late-1990s on the right.)

As usual, I’m living vicariously through the rest of you, so please tell me what you’re wearing to your holiday parties this year!

I’m working on a fun design project to publicize a community center library. One idea I’m exploring is to promote, not just the library itself, but reading, too.

It’s all about how reading exercises your brain muscles. If this concept goes through, I’ll post the final design!

This is the second year in a row that I’m wearing my mustard cardigan to Thanksgiving dinner! I guess I unofficially have a “Thanksgiving sweater.”

The difference is that, this year, I went a bit crazy with color; last year my look was much more autumnal. But I think I like this look. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Mustard Cardigan: H&M. Floral Top: Anthropologie. Braided Belt: TJ Maxx. Purple Jeans: TJ Maxx.

When we visit my in-laws at Christmastime, we go to Christmas Eve services at their church and are, inevitably, under attack by holiday sweaters. It’s a Christmas-sweater mutiny, with sequins and felt appliqués on the front lines.

So I admit that this Net-A-Porter magazine spread, claiming that the holiday sweater is “officially back!” made me chuckle a little. I’m pretty sure that holiday sweater, the ones I saw in the church pews, are not back—and never will be. (Click image to enlarge.)

Anyway, all this thinking about holiday sweaters inspired me to design this cheeky Snow-Cone sweater. And then after I did it, I looked it up and realized it’s basically been done before. Sigh! Are there no more original ideas in my head?

I should mention that my almost-four-year-old seriously objects to this sweater design. Is it a snowman or an ice cream cone? He says it can’t be both.

If I had my own spring 2012 collection, maybe this would be part of the color palette. Pretty pale lilac, delicious cherry red.

As a side note, when I started this blog last year, I never planned to post these illustrations. Since I’m not a fashion designer, I don’t want to pose as one. Yet I admit—it feels good to have a place to store all these images floating around it my head! And now that I’ve started, this is rapidly becoming one of my favorite subjects to post. So thanks for reading!

This is what I’m fantasizing about today. A cropped, wool blazer in navy blue, with shiny blue paillettes around the neckline.

If I was a working girl again, I’d wear it with a caramel tweed pencil skirt. But as a stay-at-home mom, I’d wear it with skinny distressed jeans and a relaxed gray tee underneath. Seriously, where’s that robot tailor?

I woke up this morning knowing exactly what I wanted to wear. Unfortunately, this outfit exists only in my imagination.

You know, I could really use a robot. With just a simple command, my robot could process my Photoshop illustrations and produce my fantasy outfits within a couple of hours. Now accepting applications.

Today I’m wearing a wrap tee in the most delicious shade of peach you’ve ever seen (thank you, J.Crew Crosstown Tee in Georgia Peach). It’s simple and lovely when paired with cropped black pants, black gladiator sandals, and gold filigree chandelier earrings.

But this color, oh this color…! It makes me want to be somewhere else. Oh, I don’t know, like Lima. Lima, Peru. Like here:

And here:

And definitely here:

*Photographs of Lima by Eve Andersson.