Meet November's Featured Artist - Donna Carrick

I thought it was so interesting when Donna described herself to me as an “Accidental Artist”. The truth is there is no accident to how beautiful her paintings are! I first discovered Donna’s work while picking up my giclee prints at my printer, Palette Arts in Nipomo, Ca. He was scanning her gorgeous paintings and to see them in person, they literally took my breath away.

Donna’s paintings are inspired by her life while living in Kauai which she still does for a couple of months every year. Her subjects include botanical wonders; orchids, banana flowers, breadfruit, matilija poppies and succulents. Donna loves the beach and strives to capture the ever changing colors of the ocean in coastal land and seascapes.

Currently on view at Marisol at The Cliffs Hotel & Spa, Shell Beach, CA

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” -George Elliot

But here’s the thing that I LOVED most about our interview. Donna took a very long break from when she first studied Art at the prestigious Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, to not really beginning to paint until she had retired several years later. And Thank Goodness for us she didn’t just retire and never paint again. In fact, quite the opposite. She told me her new motto is to “Live Dangerously!” That as people get older they tend to be more careful about everything but not Donna. She is painting and traveling and living life to it’s fullest. Let’s just all take a moment to think about that. So if you think you’re too old to start something new, even another career, there are many people who would disagree. You are never to old to create a new dream!

Part of being the Featured Artist on the Podcast is the artist generously offers 3 prints for sale, the month they are featured, with the proceeds going to the Louise Monforte Memorial Art Scholarship. These are the gorgeous botanicals now available in the Give Back Category of my Shop. Aren’t they stunning!!! I know you will enjoy Donna as much as I do. She is not only warm and charming but an incredibly gifted and beautiful soul.

You can listen and view Donna’s Podcast Interview HERE

Website: www.DonnaCarrickArt.com

Instagram: @donna.atthebeach

Her work can be seen at Marisol at The Cliff's Resort & Spa in Shell Beach as well as Pu'uwai Gallery in Hanapepe, Kauai.

October's Featured Creative Entrepreneur - Author/Artist/Explorer -Christine Mason Miller

They say timing is everything and in this case I couldn't be more excited to share my incredibly talented friend, Christine Mason Miller in Podcast Episode #4, the day her New Book; The Meandering River of Unfathomable Joy, is officially released for Pre-Sales!

But first, a little about this amazing woman. I met Christine years ago when she had a very successful greeting card company called, Swirly. I was just starting out with my own greeting card company and reached out to her. At the time she was living in beautiful Santa Barbara, just about an hour South of me. Almost instantaneously, we became fast friends and kindred soul sisters in the land of creativity.

Through the years Christine has had an incredible career as an artist, author and teacher. In fact, I'm sure you would recognize her work because it has been successfully licensed all over the world. She has taught on-line courses, created inspiring retreats, written and illustrated five books, to just name a few of her outstanding accomplishments. So you would think that would lead to a person with a huge ego but in fact, the opposite is true. When you visit Christine's website, the first page you will land on is one of my favorite quotes from Mother Theresa. Christine truly lives and acts by these words.

There are very few people I have met in my life that have impacted me in such a positive way. I will share with you that when my sister passed away, I had hundreds of books that were pre-sold that I needed to pack and deliver. I was in between a state of shock, grief and feeling completely overwhelmed. Christine drove up from Santa Barbara, gave me a huge hug, then said, "How can I help you?" Those 5 words....saved me.

Then for 2 days we packed up and shipped out all the books. I can not tell you how much that meant to me and how inspired I am by her "small acts of kindness" that she delivers with "great love".

Almost two years later and a lot of personal growth, I will never be able to show her how grateful I was for her presence at one of the most difficult times of my life. I wanted to share this back story with you because this is the essence of who Christine is and it shows up in all her art, her teaching and her books. In fact, when I read this book it made me think of traveling and every day life in an entirely new way. To focus on the blessings in the most difficult situations. To show up for life fully, without regret. To grow in the most uncomfortable places of ourselves.

In her Podcast Episode we discuss why she created the book and how she "discovers a place of deep, abiding faith that affirms her spiritual journey around every corner, teaching her what it means to embrace what is, to live in gratitude, and to surrender to the flow of each moment."

When I read her book I found myself hanging onto every word as she invited me into her enchanting and inspiring adventure. Not only is the book visually gorgeous, I found myself laughing, and at times crying, as if I was one of her girlfriends traveling with her on a soulful adventure of a lifetime.

I've already ordered mine! Pre-Sales of the book are Now Available HERE!

The Meandering River of Unfathomable Joy - Finding God & Gratitude in India

20 stories - 7 illustrations - 100+ photographs - 4 recipes

Website: ChristineMasonMiller.com

Instagram: @Swirlygirl18

Pinterest: SwirlyGirl18

Podcast Episode: Interview with Christine Mason Miller: Author/Artist/Explorer

October's Featured Artist - Meet Tug Rice

I'm so excited to share with you one of my most absolute favorite illustrators, Tug Rice. Tug is this month's Spotlight Artist! It’s fitting because Tug is used to being in the spotlight for his acting work but now it’s time to shine the light on him for his wonderful art work.

You can listen to Tug's full podcast interview HERE. The video version on YouTube also allows you to see more of his gorgeous artwork.

I met Tug on Instagram a few years ago. It was easy to fall in love with his effortless illustrations that always seem to have something cheeky about them. He mainly chooses to illustrate scenes from around New York City where he lives and perhaps it’s that or maybe it’s because his sketches leave you wanting to know more about the person on the page, either way it’s brilliant and I adore all his creations.

Tug works digitally but his art looks like watercolor or sometimes pencil and ink.

In this episode Tug and I talk about his journey as a self taught artist and how a last minute decision to enter an art exhibit led to his incredibly successful career as an illustrator. He recently collaborated with jewelry designer, Harry Winston for a beautiful 6 page spread in Harper's Bazaar. You will also find Tug's work in The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Poland, Travel & Leisure, and Rowing Blazers.

Tug has so graciously allowed me three pieces of his art to be sold this month to raise funds for the Louise Monforte Art Scholarship. They are available for the month of October in my on-line Shop under the Give Back category.

Listen to the Full Episode HERE

Website: TugRice.com

Twitter & Instagram: @TugRice

September's Featured Creative Entrepreneur - Amie Freling-Brown Artist/Designer - MeMe Hill Studio

It was such a treat to Interview Amie Freling-Brown of Meme Hill Studio for Podcast Episode 2!

You can listen to the Full Episode HERE!

Amie and I met via Instagram a couple of years ago. I was so intrigued with her creative journey because she was the first Artist turned Interior Designer that I had ever met and the similarities we had with our work and family lives were uncanny! Plus the fact that she is one of the kindest souls I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing!

Her creative journey began around her Grandmother Hill’s beloved card table always equipped with crayons, paper, glue and glitter! Little did her grandparent's know at that time what an influential artist and designer she would become! I love this Podcast Episode because she really shares a wealth of information on how her grass-roots business and love of hand painted objects led to her landing her product in Nordstroms! And that was just the beginning…

Now you can find Amie wearing many hats including brand ambassador and social media influencer. Her powerhouse portfolio of brands include, HomeGoods, Raymour and Flanigan, Sherwin-Williams, Delta Faucet, Laura Ashley, Progress Lighting,  Lipton, The Bon-ton, and many more. Amie is a recent winner of the Home Depot DIY think tank competition and is a 2018 Better Homes Magazine Stylemaker.

Even with a looooong list of amazing accomplishments, I think what I love the most about Amie is her warmth and genuine willingness to help other people. She paints these beautiful murals for children’s hospitals and donates many hours to community outreach projects.

Blog www.memehill.com

IG https://www.instagram.com/memehillstudio/

FB https://www.facebook.com/memehillstudio/

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/memehillstudio/

Twitter https://twitter.com/AmieFreling

September's Artist Spotlight: Marie-Joie Hughes - Former VP of Product Development For the studios of William's Sonoma & Pottery Barn

In my podcast interview with Marie-Joie Hughes she offers a wealth of insight into what it's like to work for the lifestyle companies we all know and respect. Her journey as an artist is incredibly interesting and she offers helpful information for those interested in pursuing a career in commercial design.

You can listen to the full Podcast Interview Here!

Here is a little more about her creative journey and what Marie-Joie Hughes is creating now.

Her story begins like most people in the arts. MJ started drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil. She always drew wild costume images. Even as a tiny child she would take out the historical fashion books from the library, and then create historically accurate paper dolls.

Costume design has always been her true passion. She was more into the illustration aspect than sewing. 

She believes she has been very lucky to have had many people in her life, mostly women, who really encouraged her and pushed her to succeed. She came from a lower middle class background, but was determined to go to art school even though her father told her she would never make it as a designer and should study something practical like accounting.

Fortunately through a friend of her parents she got a job as a textile designer's apprentice right out of high school. She showed Betsey Lamonte, (the designer who she claims changed the course of her entire life), her wild costume illustrations.

Because she could paint with gouache, she was hired. MJ had to drop out of art school a year later, because she became extremely ill. Since Betsey Lamonte became the head of textiles at Esprit de Corp, she got a full time job designing the Esprit Kids textiles. She was only 19. Aside from doing some costume work in theatre and independent film, she has been designing textiles and doing surface design for companies ever since.

As in most businesses, the industry is small and one job always leads to another based on the reputation of your work and who you know. She felt extremely lucky to get into the Williams-Sonoma group 20 years ago. She started free-lancing for Gardener's Eden- which at that time was owned by Williams-Sonoma. All the connections she made over the year started with the woman who trained her, Betsey Lamonte.

Mary Britton-Rose who hired her for Gardener's Eden moved to Restoration Hardware, so she went to Restoration Hardware. After a few years she went back into the Williams-Sonoma brands because she was offered a job at Pottery Barn. She stayed with Williams-Sonoma Inc for 13 years. Two years ago she left her position as the Vice President of the Product Development Studios for both Williams-Sonoma brands and the Pottery Barn Main brands.

The two design teams she lead, created the artwork for not only the textiles categories but also dinnerware, wall art, some packaging and many decorative accessories that required artwork. 

Why did she leave? In her words, "Product design is truly created in the factories by armies of craftspeople and workers. It literally takes an army to make a duvet and sham set. I love working in the factories. I started working in the factories in Hong Kong over 30 years ago.  I left my executive job to work deep in the factories and help train the young design teams in those factories. The factories are the wombs of creation. I like to be where the action is and I am passionate about teaching and guiding the next generation of designers into designing a more creative and sustainable world."

Marie-Joie has recently launched her own collection of wall art and textiles with deep spiritual meaning and symbolism. If you choose to purchase any of her art in the month of Sept 2018, in the GIVE BACK Category of my online shop, she will receive a commission and the remaining proceeds will go to the Louise Monforte Memorial Art Scholarship, an educational scholarship available to support the next generation of artists! The scholarship will be available to high school students of Arroyo Grande High School, Spring 2019.

Marie-Joie Hughes Podcast Interview
Marie-Joie Hughes Website
Marie-Joie Hughes On-Line Shop
Marie-Joie Hughes Instagram
Marie-Joie Hughes Facebook
Marie-Joie Hughes Spoonflower
Marie-Joie Hughes LinkedIn
 

10 Easy Steps To Start Creative Journaling

Welcome! I'm so glad you're here!

I have so much I want to share with you on how you can unlock your hidden artist and find joy in the Art of Creative Journaling! I've been any artist my entire life but it was when I went to college that I began the ritual of filling a large black journal every year. Let's just say college was, a-hem, a few years ago when Prince and Madonna were giving us all life. Every year since then I've created a journal. I can’t see that ever changing.

The mixture of creative play along with putting pen to paper is one of the quickest ways to get in touch with your deepest thoughts and emotions. That said, it’s not always pretty and sometimes quite messy and maybe even a bit sad, pretty reflective of life don’t you think? The greatest thing about journaling is that it’s just for you. It’s a completely safe place for you to write your feelings and paint your ideas. It’s a place to add pictures that inspire you and doodle when you are feeling stuck. Sometimes my pages are full of just writing while other pages are full of my sketches, paintings, and ideas.

The beautiful thing about Creative Journaling is that any one can do it! Once you begin the process you will experience more clarity and find peace within yourself in a new, exciting way.

Let's Get Started

1) Choose your journal: First think about how you want to use your journal. If you mainly want to write and sketch then you may like the Canson Black Spiral Journal I use. I like the large size but it comes in several sizes. If you want to primarily paint and use mixed media then you may prefer Strathmore or Moleskin watercolor journals. I have both. I use a small Strathmore watercolor journal for when I’m traveling along with a Windsor & Newton travel paint set. These went with me all over Italy and back! You may want to browse the isles of your local art store and select one that feels best for you.

2) Art Supplies: Some of these may seem obvious but here is a general idea of what you’ll need. Pens, Paintbrushes. I like Artist's Loft Synthetic Brushes, Paints: Watercolor - trasparent - fluid, Acrylic & Guache - opaque and more saturated color, Stamps, Ink, small spray bottle of water, Gesso, Tissue Paper. I could go on and on because you can literally use anything that will stick to paper to play with in your journal! In my Creative Journaling Playshop I explain more about how you can use each of these mediums.

3) Conquer your inner critique: It's easy to feel overwhelmed when staring at a blank sheet of paper but the great thing about it is, this is for your eyes only unless you choose to share it. So To Begin - Just Begin! Let go of all outcome and let your words, paint, or pencil flow across the pages without judgement.

4) Find inspiration: Once you get into the practice of creating journal pages you will start to see things differently. Anything can become inspiration! If you are just getting started I would suggest you start with taking a walk in nature. Yup, just take a walk. Nature is full of inspiration. Connecting with the pure vibration of nature with an open mind is one of the quickest ways to jump start your creativity. There are also many creative art and writing prompts you can explore. I talk more about those in my Playshop.

5) Create your background pages: Sometimes if you "just aren't feeling it" you can start with something as simple as creating background pages. You might want to mix paint colors on your pages and come back to them later when you want to write or collage on top of them.

6) Words: I love to play with words and quotes. Draw them, cut them out of magazines and make a collage, layer them on top of of your background pages or write a word and just doodle around it. A simple writing prompt is to answer the question "I Am____________" with several answers. Artist, author and friend Christine Mason Miller, aka SwirlyGirl, writes about this in her beautiful book, Desire To Inspire.

7) Draw simple shapes: Even if you say you're not an artist, just about everyone can draw repeating circles or triangles, squares that interlock, etc. I'm personally a fan of "dots" they show up quite often in my paintings.

8) Mixed Media: This is one of the funnest ways to journal because you basically are playing with all kinds of materials. One of my favorite things to do and very simple, is photocopy or print out an image in black and white and then paint it, or add whatever else speaks to you. 

9). Try looking at it a different ways: I take lots of breaks when I'm painting pages and have found it helpful to step back and look at the design. You can even turn your pages. Sometimes I will take a picture on my phone and look at how the camera captures the design.  

10) Take your time: Set a time that will consistently work for you. I like to journal and paint in the late afternoon. It’s my way to unwind at the end of the day. You can see my daily paintings on my Instagram. I started it as the 100 Day challenge, which I've now done three times! It's become a habit that I look forward to every single day! 

Some of you may choose to journal first thing in the morning. I will do that as well as a way to sketch out what my day will look like or write about something I'm trying to process and figure out. Author, Julia Cameron wrote the most amazing book 25 years ago that is still relevant and helpful, The Artist's Way, where she talks about the power of morning pages among many other wonderful insights.

I truly hope you will give it a try! Put on some great music, light a candle, pour your self some tea, coffee, or a glass of wine and have fun!

If you want to learn more about Creative Art Journaling, I will be offering an on-line Playshop in the Fall. The best way to know about it, is to join my newsletter. I'm also launching a super exciting Podcast which is all about supporting artists and creative entrepreneurs while giving back to the community in a unique and meaningful way. I'm soooo excited about it...More to come on that soon!! Let's keep in touch! xoxo Mari

Do Gooding!

The Gentle Lion with sweet blue eyes was created in memory of my beautiful sister. She was a Leo and collected many lions. She was also very generous in her donations to help people and animals. In the spirit of Paying It Forward in her name, Louise Monforte, all the proceeds from this print will be donated to The Central Coast Feline Network. Please visit their website FelineNetwork.org and consider making a donation to this wonderful organization that is entirely run by volunteers. You can purchase Blue Eyes here. The biggest feline of them all! :) One check has already been mailed to them, please consider helping me to do it again! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! xo

How To Survive The Holiday Crazies!

Lately I've noticed that my shoulders are literally up in my ears! The stress and tension of caring for a big family, mixed in with some health scares from someone I love deeply, is enough to make me clench my jaw 24/7 but then add into it the holidays and it's so easy to feel overwhelmed!

So, I took a little of my own advice and made myself a self care list of things I plan on working into my daily schedule. It starts with a quiet moment in the morning and my journal. I write down my Intention for the season. It goes something like this: I am present in the moment of every day and choose to be surprised by joy. I notice all the special moments without rushing to get through my never ending to-do list and I am ok if it doesn't all get done. I remind myself to breathe deeply!

Even the simple task of writing in my journal ten minutes in the morning makes me feel more grounded and ready to experience each day. Carving out a little extra time to do some morning yoga then have a warm cup of tea with lemon is worth waking up the extra 20 minutes. When the days get tough I just remind myself to breathe deeply. Squeezing in a walk in nature and a good nights sleep also does wonders! I've illustrated a few other ideas here too. May your holidays be full of love and blessed with beautiful moments and may we all be able to drop our shoulders and enjoy every moment!

My Collaboration With Eccolo LTD. !!!

I'm finally able to share some exciting news with you! Last summer I was approached by a couple of wonderful companies to collaborate on some super fun products! The first one is Eccolo. Eccolo makes journals, stationary, travel accessories, and home goods. I'm so excited to finally receive the samples that will be showing up at HomeGoods, HomeSense, TJ Max and more this holiday!! Keep a look out for my white lion logo! 

Join Me For A Super Fun DIY Workshop On Interior Design!

Now for some really exciting news! I’m offering my first hands-on workshop on Interior Design Sunday, Sept 17th at the Home Expo from 12:00 – 1:00 pm! I am Soooooo excited about this class! Ever since I wrote Charming & Pretty – The ART of Home, I always saw how it could be a fun addition to create a Guided Home Journal packed with all my years of design experience into a course that is intended to spark your creative side in a simple step-by-step format. During the one hour, jam packed class, you will creatively define your design style and leave with the important basics you can use to create the home you have always wanted!

I will specifically be focusing on the Family Room with guided worksheets that you can re-use and apply to the other rooms in your home. You will receive a fun goodie package and your own binder full of guided prompts and design information AND are you ready??? This class is only $30!!  You can sign up here. Space is limited so I wouldn’t wait until the last minute on this one.

My workshop is part of several creative courses going on that day presented by some of our towns most inspirational and gifted entrepreneurs. You can sign up for all of them at a discounted rate here. So much FUN! I hope to see you there!!

Live Charming & Create Pretty Every Day! xoxo Mari

How To Create A Personal Sanctuary Spot & So Much More!

The new Living Lavishly magazine is here! I’m so impressed with how this magazine has grown over the past couple of years. I still remember the conversation over coffee with the publisher on how our town was in need of a fun shelter magazine. The next thing I knew Living Lavishly was born. It’s been a pleasure to write and illustrate for the magazine on what I love, DESIGN! Pick one up today or read it on-line here! 

Making Some Changes & A Huge Summer Sale! →

Yes, it's true. It has been a long time since I've posted anything. Honestly, there has been a lot of things going on in life some happy, some very sad. It's just been one of those years that has made me pause and take a step back to really think about the direction I want to go with my life and my business. Which is a good thing but now I'm ready to get back into the game.

When I asked myself what it is that I really, really Love to do I have found I love to illustrate and create product for the home decor industry. I also love to write and to teach all things about the home.

So when I was recently approached buy a couple of companies to license my designs, the timing couldn't have been more perfect. The good news is next year you'll be seeing my product pop up in many fun places and with that new adventure underway I've also decided to give my on-line shop a big remodel! I will be discontinuing most of my pillows and focusing more on paper goods, prints, books and workshops! (I'm super excited about the workshops and I will share more on those soon but the first one will be at the San Luis Obispo Home Expo this September!!) 

Through the holiday weekend if the pillow isn't already sold out it will be only $10!! 75%OFF!! Woohoo!! Have a safe and Happy 4th of July Weekend!! xo Mari

The New Living Lavishly Magazine Is Here!

If you are local to the Central Coast check out the latest edition of Living Lavishly Magazine. I had fun writing and illustrating my thoughts on Pantone's Color of the Year - Greenery as well as my Design Tips on how to style your bookshelves. If you're not local, you can read the magazine on-line. Happy designing!

Introducing The Princess!

The New Year has kicked off rather slowly for me, absolutely not the usual, but my family and I had some challenges to go through with the loss of someone very special in our lives. When I would normally be multitasking on several projects I felt I needed time to go within a bit and re-evaluate everything in my life. So I gave myself some Time...which was really hard because I'm always going a million miles a minute. Then recently the California storms hit and our power went out for five days. Now I had no choice but to unplug and live "off the grid". As challenging as it was to not have power and internet and TV for five days, I actually secretly enjoyed having an excuse to do what I needed to do; be still and in the moment. I had great conversations with my daughters and my husband, read a terrific book, and painted. It allowed me the time to finish this painting; The Princess. The Lioness represents quiet strength. She is majestic and magical. She is also a fierce protector of her family. I think a lot of us women love so deeply that we would do anything for our families and this painting represents that strength.

The power is back on and the sun is shining once again. I feel like I had a good nights sleep and I'm ready to get back to work but in a much more mindful way. I have some exciting ventures on the horizon which I will be looking forward to sharing with all of you but until then, I wish you quiet strength, grace, and beauty in all that you do...like The Princess. May you live a life that is Majestic & Magical & Full of Color!

xoxo Mari

My Heart Thanks You! - Upcoming Events!

Happy December! Boy-Oh-Boy! This month kicked off with a bang! It's been so busy at the studio that I'm finally taking a moment to post a few updates. First of all, WOW! Thank you so much for the amazing support I've received from so many of you about my New Book, Charming & Pretty - The Art Of Home! It's been a little nerve racking putting my "baby" out into the world so my heart thanks you for all your kind words!! Last week I had two really fun events with a book signing in Camarillo at my friends gorgeous home boutique and then a super fun book launch party last Friday at Shell Beach Floral!

Photo By: Justin Stoner - Shell Beach Floral Book Signing

So what's next?? For those of you in the Santa Barbara area, I will be signing my books at the Santa Barbara Makers Boutique Dec 11th, 1:00-5:00pm. I will also have my 2017 Calendars, prints & stationary available! The event is held at the home of K-Nine Solutions and 10% of the sales will go to Train Me Home, a non-profit dog rescue program providing training and placement for hard case pups who have been in and out of shelters. Come help a puppy out and finish your holiday shopping!! 126 East Haley Street!

Also I will be signing books with our new shop partner Contessa S in downtown, San Luis Obispo on Saturday, Dec 17th from 1:00-3:00! Who knows I may even whip up a fun little design workshop to share with you too!

Thank you for popping by! Happiest of Holidays to you and yours! xoxo Mari

Introducing My New Book! Charming & Pretty - The Art Of Home

This is a big moment for me and I so appreciate you popping over to read about my latest project, my new book! I’ve been working on this book off and on for the past few years and it’s now in it’s final stages of editing. It will go to print October 1st! Pre-orders are happening now! 

So what’s it about? Here goes.

If you don’t know this about me, I am a designer (interiors & home decor) but I am also the mother of three beautiful daughters who are growing up quicker than I was prepared for. It feels like a minute ago they were twirling in little dresses and playing with Barbie dolls. They are now 16, 17, and 21. This summer when my oldest daughter told me she was moving out it triggered a mountain of emotions in my heart. Why had no one prepared me for this? I wasn’t ready for her to go. I’m still so deeply sad about it but I’m also incredibly proud of her. It’s darn confusing. She is self sustaining, working, in college and made a beautiful life for herself…but I miss her so much.

You see, it goes like this all day long…happy for her, sad because I miss her.

This is when I realized it was time to finish the book. I wanted to hand her a pretty little book filled with pages of advice on how to make a beautiful home and live a meaningful life. I wanted her to know about family traditions and etiquette, history and design. It felt as if time snuck up on me and I hadn’t had a chance to teach her everything. So I put it in a book and I illustrated every page of it so my girls would know about the special little things we do in our home to build a strong family and how they will be able to create their own charming and pretty nest when it’s time for them to fly.

Then one day I was speaking with one of my design clients. She was excited to share with me some things she had done to her home on her own. I was impressed. She was kind enough to tell me, “See Mari, look how much you’ve taught me.” That was a wonderful moment for me and I realized all these things I’ve written about are helpful for anyone who loves their home.

So yes, there is design advice in the book because that’s what I do for a living but there is quite a bit of mom advice in there too, anywhere from how to iron a shirt to how to throw a party. These are things that were taught to me from my mother, my grandmother, my mentors and my friends. It’s broken down in months and by rooms, not that it needs to be read that way, it’s just that we do different things in our homes during the different months of the year.

I LOVE to illustrate. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I love to create rooms and paint them with sometimes not very realistic color palettes. (I’ve yet to meet a design client that would let me paint their living room walls pink but if you’re out there, call me!) I use illustration as a way to communicate to my clients what I am envisioning their space to look like. The renderings in the book are more whimsical because there I can make-up who the client is and that client happens to love pink. So the book is also a collection of paintings I’ve done over the past two years. If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen many of them but there are quite a few new ones in the book as well.

I also speak about my sweet parents in the book. We built a guest-house for them almost nine years ago. It’s called Peppertree Cottage. You’ll have to read about it to know why. My parents gave me a beautiful childhood and we have traveled this life together through all the ups and downs. They are important figures in my life and they have taught me so much.

I find myself in an interesting time of my life. I am a mother caring for daughters, a daughter caring for parents, a wife caring for my husband and a business woman caring for clients. Truth is, they all care for me too. Life hasn’t been perfect by any means but it has been full of love and I know that I am very blessed. I’ve poured my heart into this book. I hope it will give you some fun ideas that you can use and I hope that my art brings you joy and makes you happy.

That is my intention behind the book, to make you happy.

I will be posting the printing progress & updates here on my blog. I’m offering some fun bonuses for those of you who pre-oder and I sincerely appreciate those of you who do. I’ve chosen to go with a US printer because I believe in supporting US companies. The book will be hard cover and printed on beautiful 80lb paper. This is a perfect gift for anyone who loves their home, design, decor and art.

Pre-orders receive: 4 ready to use bookplates for your own book collection as well as Free shipping & your book signed by me!

Pre-orders also receive this sweet 5" x 7" print.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This has been quite a journey for me and I can’t really put my finger on why I’m so nervous about it but I think it’s like having a baby, terrifying and wonderful at the same time about bringing something new into the world.

xoxo Mari

The New Living Lavishly Magazine Is Out!

Happy Friday everyone! Have you seen it yet? The New Living Lavishly magazine is out. I have some fun articles in there to show you how simple it is to design and decorate your home. If your not local, you can read the issue online here.

I'm sharing with you simple and easy tricks on how to make your coffee table look amazing!

This was fun! I was able to show off my good friend and fellow designer, Abbe Fenimore, and this Gorgeous Powder Room she designed as well as share with you some tips on putting the POW! in your Powder Room. Check out Abbe's online shop too! She has A-Mazing taste. 

And here I'm sharing with you a colorful and inexpensive Thrift Store make-over. Piece of cake!

These are just a few of the fun articles in the latest magazine! Pick one up today! They're FREE. Also, if you like learning these fun decor tips, come see me speak at the Home Expo on Saturday, September 17th at 1:30, Madonna Expo Center! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Master Bath Before & After - Glam Make Over

To say 2016 has been a busy year is an understatement. I'm so fortunate to have had many, many design projects to work on. The down side is I haven't had time to even think about taking pictures or posting them anywhere. So I finally set aside some time this morning to share with you a small part of one of my favorite projects with one of my favorite clients. This house has been in my life since 2011 if you can believe that. I remodeled it back then, then a few years later due to change of ownership I did a few more updates and now this past year it finally became complete with every room in the house, including the yard getting an entirely new look. There are many rooms involved (including a fabulous media room with hidden passages and all!) but for today I'm sharing the before and after of the master bath.

This was after a new coat of paint and styling it for resale when my client decided not to sell the house but to completely remodel it instead.

And this is the after.

I loved the lacey feel of the handmade tile and used it as wainscoting throughout the room.

Every detail is so pretty right down to the crystal hardware.

And Yes my friends that IS the chandy in the water closet.

There are so many exciting things happening this Fall. I'll be sharing a project that has been very near to my heart Next Week! I'm also speaking at the SLO Home Expo on Saturday, Sept 17th. I'd love to see you there!

My Collaboration With Pottery Barn!

The early part of this year through a chain of fortunate events, I was introduced to the VP of Product Development for Pottery Barn. We became fast friends with so many things in common it was as if I had met my long, lost sister! She invited me to their headquarters, where I seriously had a moment when I thought I had just entered heaven! The fast pace environment with artists and artwork everywhere, simply took my breath away. I signed on with them that day as a freelance designer and have had the great fortune to work off and on with them since then. They have many incredibly talented in-house designers too. Did you know they create all their own designs? Simply spectacular. I also want to tell you that these are some of the nicest people I have ever met!! It has truly been a pleasure to work with them. Although I've created many designs, not all of them made the final cut but these sweet travel bags did! Yay! They are my first designs that I did for them. You can see the original paintings here. They did change the colors a bit but I'm thrilled with how cute they came out! They are now available here for purchase and would make a super holiday gift for the travel lover on your list! So that's really exciting! I feel really blessed to have had the opportunity to work with them!

Something else that's really exciting is a fun Give Away I'm doing over on Instagram! You can find me there @MariRDesign where I'm giving away a free room rendering watercolor. Just follow me there as well as @InteriorDesignCommunity and comment to me on the picture on your feed you would like painted! We will be picking a winner this Wednesday!

My Recent Rendering For Designer, Lisa Mende & Traditional Home Magazine's Napa Showhouse

I am really enjoying all the wonderful people I am meeting on social media and it gets even better when incredibly talented bloggers, designers, artists, & writers ask to collaborate!!! I'm so excited about all the fun, new projects happening with several of them! I was recently asked by the incredibly talented Interior Designer, Lisa Mende, if I could create a quick room rendering for her of her room design for Traditional Home Magazine's Napa Showhouse. Literally, I had about 2 hours to figure it out but I didn't want to miss this great opportunity to work with such a nice person! You can read more about Lisa on her blog! I can't wait to see the showhouse!!