Friday Favorites

Now more than ever I'm trying to conjure up Springtime. Like, maybe the ultimate Spring day will show up if I look at enough pics of adorable baby chicks, and Easter bunnies, and paintings of pretty girls rendered in pastel perfection. I feel like Spring is the least controversial, the least debatable of all the seasons. You never hear someone say "Yeah, well, I'm just not into Spring...it's not my thing."  Ha! I seriously just laughed to myself, imagining someone saying something as ludicrous as that. Everyone loves Spring. Even those nuts who love cold winters and endless snowfall...they too have their breaking point. By the time April rolls around they're dying for mild sunny days just like the rest of us. 

Right outside the studio window is this scraggly dead looking viney bush that climbs the neighbor's fence. I peek out the window at it every day to look for the tiny blooms of green that indicate the arrival of Spring. None yet. It's still scraggly and dead looking. But by mid-May it's a wild billowing mass of bright green. I love that. It gives me hope. And I think most artists feel like this. The Winter is hard on us, and the longer it lingers, the more our creativity seems to fade. But seeing that dead vine turn into a mass of vivid green year after year, without fail, let's me know that I too will come to life all over again...bloom bright in warm afternoon sunshine. We all will.

So c'mon Spring...get here already! I feel like each of these Friday faves is trying to summon Spring in one way or another. I adore the above image! I love that it welcomes Spring on multiple levels. I love that the letters themselves could not exist without the arrival of Spring. No Spring-no blossoms. No Spring-no green leaves, no bright green blades of grass. It's such a magical image...and I'm trying to say that in the least corny way. I love it!   

And your first thought might be "what does chocolate cake have to do with Spring?"

Well, I'll tell ya...this isn't just a chocolate cake...this is a Campfire Delight! It's a 6 Layer Rich Malted-Chocolate Toasted Marshmallow Cake, and it's from the always amazing Sweetapolita! A recipe like this says "bring on the warmer weather...nights spent out on the deck or in the yard, around the fire, toasting marshmallows, making s'mores". Oh jeeeeez, I need this.

I love the way that Spring is captured in these incredible paintings by Darcy Allan. Her use of color is so enchanting. All of her paintings are so fresh. She keeps her lines simple and loose. There is an airy feel to her work, a lightness that shouldn't be taken for granted, perfectly imperfect. 

A little while back I fell in love with this pair of videos...and now seems like the perfect time to share them. Nothing says Springtime more loud and clear than a little yellow duckling.
Caution: Your heart is about to melt.

And last but certainly not least are these incredibly cute cookies! I just adore the style and color palette of Micarina. I've seen my share of decorative cookies, but I've never come across such unique designs before! I love how whimsical, how cute...and especially how much personality these cookies have. They are so dreamy. It's impossible for me to pick a favorite...but those Budgies are amazing!

Ok, I hope we inspired Mother Nature to get a move on! Thanks so much again for reading. I'll be back soon with some crafty fun!
xo, Jenny...and Aaron says hi!