Pencil Flower Forrest

Oh, Folky Plates, please be picked up!

Mushrooms and Casserolls

Heyoo! Remember I mentioned I was taking a class from Lilla Rogers. Well it has started this week. And the first assignment was to create a pattern of mushrooms and casseroles.

A trip to Surtex

Lovely photo by Nole from Oh So Beautiful Paper
I'm trying to get back to my routine after that little adventure that I entered myself into. People who are just my friends and family want to know if the trip was successful and I re-assure them that it really was. People who are designers want to know all the details how we set up the booth and what type of clients I've met. And I tell them how we took my dad's mini van and packed all of our stuff and drove to NYC for 8 hours.
For people who like their money counted - yes, it was an expensive way to shout out the I'm serious about what I'm doing and that it's not just a hobby anymore.
My philosophy is that people spend big budgets on vacations and they just go places, have fun, spend money and come back recharged with lots of pictures of them all tanned in bikinis )) Well, I considered this experience to be my sort of vacation and time spent at the show - my bikini time under the sun )) I just spent it without expecting anything back in return, I just enjoyed every single minute of it and had a blast.

Of course all the measuring were off ))) You just have to be a math freak to precisely calculate the wall installations. I wanted it to look like a living room, so we got the cardboard sheets at the Home Depot and applied custom wallpaper with my design from Spoonflower. But little did we know that the sheets would be too heavy, and the aluminum skeleton had to be subtracted from the measuring of the big 10' long wall and that it's never enough screws of all sizes and etc., etc. If others on  the set up day were all in harmony setting up their booths and smiling, we were the type yelling in crazy Russian and cursing out loud ))) That's ok, we had known each other for too long and if not my nitpicking husband there's no way I could do this on my own.

So the show came and my goal wasn't to sell a number of pieces, but to exchange information and just let the companies know that I exist, and to invite them to my website. And as I expected I met many many of my dream clients during those three days. There is another great thing that happened. But as much as I'd like to tease everyone, I simply can't say anything yet. My good friend Martha says it's always about meeting that one person and you can count you had it. I sure did meet that one special person!

Instagram @mirdinara

We went to places to eat like Mari Vanna restaurant - a place I wanted to visit long ago. The next night I met with my classmates - my friends whom I didn't see for about 8 years. But we couldn't really do any museums or galleries because of the show hours. One place that I really missed was visiting Lotta Jansdotter, someone I admire. She had her studio open day on Saturday and I was hoping to be done with setting up early in the day to go and meet her. But, alas, that didn't happen as we spent all day hammering the booth. I did see her at the show passing by and I was all excited to get to shake her hand, but I was told by my husband to stop being a monkey and to respect a person's privacy. So, no, I didn't get to meet her.
But I did meet SO many incredible people who were both exhibiting and visiting the show. I made good friends with Elizabeth Olwen, wonderful Melissa and her husband from Iza Pearl Design, the sweetest Nole from Oh So Beautiful Paper, who came and snap some pictures, Happy Go Lucky Creations who happened to be our booth neighbor, beautiful Jen from Paper and Cloth Design Studio, Lilla Rogers who is teaching a class that I'm taking right now, and many many many others.

It was the first time we ever left our daughter and went anywhere by ourselves. I was paranoid she might be crying all night long, but to my greatest surprised she didn't even ask where mommy and daddy went. She was all spoiled by grandma and grandpa.

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it fascinates me so much how the world is so much more colorful seeing it through my toddler's eyes.

Surtex 2013 Booth650

This day has come and gone and it was fabulous! I've met so many incredible people at the show who were both exhibiting and visiting. My husband and I just packed my dad's mini van and drove all the way to crazy New York City. A day of sweaty set ups and we were all smilie and shiny polished to meet all of our visitors!

Big thanks to my sister for these photos (c) azizamir photography, to my husband for building up the booth, to my dad for his mini van and to my mom for helping me with all the sewing and preparations.

Surtex 2013

This Friday I'm off to NYC for Surtex. It's exciting! All the work is done, now the fun part begins ))

Mothers Day

This marks my second year of being a mother to my little Sabrina Mila. When she is all grown up I really want her to have the same relationship with me as I have with my mom right now. Sabrina is very little yet, but I think we already have very special bounding. Girls are different - I would have no clue about how to raise a boy, which, I'm sure, is just as fun. But girls are like a double fudge chocolate cake)

photos from left to right: my mother-in-law and her mom, my mom, me holding Sabrina 2 years ago
instagram @mirdinara

lovely weekend to everyone )

My promises

I promise to myself to get better at drinking just plain water throughout the day. At least one bottle a day is better then coffee coffee coffee.

I promise to myself to remove makeup before I put my head to the pillow.

I promise to myself to stop checking my iphone that often. It becomes firmly attached my left hand. It's scary.

And lastly I promise to let go and never be emotionally attached to things.

Yes, that's my agenda for tomorrow. What's yours?

more cats here

How simple is the thought of re-using and re-creating?! Indeed! But, it just hit me that I can actually turn some of my existing illustrations and turn them into a pattern ))) and voila!

Sabrina is 2

Someone has turned TWO today!
Yes, my little girl is full of life and wonders. She dances like a ballerina, she draws like an artist, she sings songs, she counts, she jumps all day - for you it may seem like an ordinary thing, but for us her every new move is a striking news that we're so proud about. And I love her personality so much, she is very caring and loving. She might be a little too stubborn at times, but I hope that's a good quality to have. I'm so excited to start taking her to ballet, music, swimming and art classes. There's SO much interesting in this world that I'm absolutely impatient to tell her about. Happiest Birthday, pumpkin! We love you so much.

Photo by lovely Aziza Mirtalipova azizamir.com

A curious fox

Some little girl is turning two tomorrow! Time truly flies. She speaks in full sentences so fast and all the words that come out are so funny! She leaves us in a surprise where she picks them up from. Now our days are full of wonders - wonders about everything that surrounds her world, like the birds that fly by, the ants that are apparently having a birthday party, a little mouse that apparently lives in an unscrewed nail hole and etc. ;-)

Wallpapers

How many coffee drinks can one person possibly drink a day?

the meaw cafe

Sometimes I start a blank page thinking I will create something dramatic and sophisticated and meaningful. But the little elfs in my twisted head pinch my brain and no matter how hard I try to become more serious, I come up with this kind of crap, pardon my language. This blog is about my art journey and I rarely censor what goes up on here. That's how you get to see my all kinds of mismatched underwear.

a one folk pattern

I thought I didn't display this pattern in the proper way. I think in this full scale you can view it better.

Fall Plate Collection

Happy Monday Morning!

New Folky Patterns

I've never created that many patterns in my life. And making pattern is so addicting, I simply can't stop ))

all the beautiful photography was captured by my sister Aziza (azizamir.com)

a YouTube video

I'm so lucky to have a sister who is a photographer and a videographer. She came and took this beautiful video and captured one day of my life. Please click on the link here and take a look ))

video: azizamir.com

Summer!!!!

I'm soooo into the summer now. Can't wait for those steamy days. Here's a dose of sunshine for you.

Photo by azizamir photography

Once upon a time..

My sister was vising and we had so much fun. She filmed a short video of me that I just can't wait to share it on my blog here! And she took so many many gorgeous photos of my family! I'm usually the shyest when it comes to posing for pictures and I always turn out so awkward. But having a sister who is a photographer makes things a lot easier.

Photos are copyrighted by azizamir photography.

Earth Day!

Let's celebrate by reusing and recycling.

a weekend

I'm just like this fox, enjoying the gorgeous weather outside today.

a weekend

My sister is visiting and we are filming a short video where I'm showing my one day of my life. Can't wait to get to show you the edited version!

Uppercase 17 and Special Treat for You!

I'm so excited to get to tell my story in Uppercase 17. People often wonder what do I do besides blogging and in this issue I'm revealing my whole story.
And it's not it! I enclosed a little keepsake for you - a sail-man postcard that was featured on Illustration Friday.
But wait, and even that's not it yet! For my dear blog readers Uppercase has kindly offered a sweet special promo for $10 off a subscribtion or renewal. Just visit this link and type the words 'contributor17'.

Enjoy!

City life

I'm experimenting with colors here. This is not quiet my pallet but I think I don't mind it.