Season's Greetings and Thanks :)

Not in the mood to paint another snow scene, here's my holiday greeting set in Australia where Christmas comes in the summer :) 

I'm not sure if raccoons live in Australia, 

this one may just be visiting! 

Hannukah has begun and Christmas is just a few days away! 

It's hard to express just how much I appreciate my friends and Blipadee readers who support and even encourage me to keep painting these little animals and scenes. I hope I am as supportive as you always are!! 

I'd also like to send a Big Thank You & Cheers out to the lovely families who have let me into their homes to create wall murals and to new found customers & friends on Etsy who have purchased my work, added me to their treasury lists, circle or simply favorited an item or two. 

It makes my day, and year really, knowing that some of my work has found a home outside of my little studio!

I hope you all have a Wonderful Holiday and Year ahead!

xo, Allyn

A Gifted Dog

Sophie has a little gift for Sam. Stew, Charles, and Squiggy would love something from their favorite shop, Blip Blop and Bark, too!

Christmas is only a week away! 

It's not too late to order cards, prints or tees from me :)

Visit my My Shop here or my Etsy Shop 

and feel free to ask about original work available to purchase

or customizing a card or print.

Have a Fun Weekend!

xo, A

My Etsy Christmas, Birthday, Everyday

I've added some new and revised designs to BlipBlopShop on Etsy

In addition to Christmas & Holiday cards, you'll find original paintings, prints and tees.

Twig Cat Santa Hat & Snow Deer cards 

now available in vertical format, as well as square. 

Here's Taco Cat and birdie! 

Twiggy Cat, her sister has had her own birthday card for some time, so it's Taco's turn. 

I recently revised this for Jane's birthday since she has a cute orange cat named Taco :x)

I love Space Mouse.

Scooter Dog has been around for years and he's still a favorite! 

Here are two matted Yoga Bun Prints (in set of 4). 

Yoga Bun is getting in shape and in touch with the Infinite Universe, just like me ;) 

Jazz Cats is a new little painting inspired by the Beat Jazz Movement and the animals who keep it thriving underground ;) I'll be adding prints of this to my shop today.

Hope your holiday shopping is fun and not drudgery! 

It is the thought that counts. Plus, buying from independent designers 

and small companies adds that special touch, not everyone has original artwork.

and

If you're in NYC, stop by the Grand Central Holiday Fair. One of my favorite jewelry designers is there- Christina Stankard with her splendid line of true gems :')

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

xo, A

Santa Dog Reads his List

It's December! 

Time to paint the holiday door for If I Were A Toy store here in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

I was happy with the one I painted last year, but I think this is pretty cute, too. I kept some skaters in the scene, but gave the spotlight to a dog playing Santa Claus :') 

Overheard in Santa Land Park this year- 

I stayed out of trash cans, I'd like a sled! I stopped scratching the couch, can I have a barrel of catnip and more long strings? I stopped tackling strangers, I'd like a bean bag chair and delicious cold cuts. I stayed away from the cat and I need a teeny reading lamp. I wiggled my cute nose for endless YouTube videos, I'd like more cardboard and bananas please! 

Timothy Hay! Skates! Raw Hide! and so on and so on ...

Little penguin is unsure of how to move his skates.

You can find my holiday cards and gift items on Etsy and browse everything else, including more greeting cards, on my site :)

***The Carroll Park Tree Lighting Ceremony is tonight at 6pm***

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Have a Swell Weekend!

xo, A

Happy Thanksgiving! xo, Thomasina & friends!

Okay, it's a couple days late... 

I am especially thankful this year for wonderful supportive friends who make all the difference when life isn't so perfect. You know who you are and you're great. Thank You! I'm lucky :)

Hope you enjoyed a lovely time with your family and friends!

xo, A

Margaret, the early years...

My good friend, Margaret Heidenry wrote this fascinating article for the Sunday New York Times Magazine. On newsstands and online now- 
My Parents Were Educational (Home-Schooling) Anarchists 

The Heidenry family in Mexico 1975 (Margaret on railing at 4 years old)

"Tired of the constraints of the 40-hour workweek, my father, in 1972, quit his job in publishing. My parents were in their early 30s, and they had four children under 7. “But we still wanted to explore the world,” my father recalled recently. They bought six one-way tickets to Europe, leaving only a laughable $3,000 to subsist on. Young and idealistic, they thought they could easily educate us along the way. “Life itself would become a portable classroom.” Read more ...

One of  my favorite pictures of Margaret with her dad, Jack walking her down the aisle.

It's a great read, whether you are for or against (any amount of)  home-schooling. I've enjoyed reading comments after the piece online,  some of the conversation gets quite heated! I had to add my two cents about one of my favorite families-

I've been a friend of Margaret's for over 20 years and know her family fairly well, too. Over the years I've heard bits and pieces about their unorthodox upbringing, but this was eye opening. The transition from home school to public school sounds rough, but the early years of travel and a curriculum that included yoga, tea time & Spanish sounds great. Maybe that combination of experiences with a formal education paid off, because Pat and Jack raised four unusually charming, intelligent and well rounded people! They're an enviably close knit family which must have contributed a great deal to their success as adults. It's inspiring to read about people willing to break from the norm and also recognize when it's time to try something else.

It was a thrill to see this in print this morning. I love looking at the old photos with Mary, James and John as kids & of course the anarchists themselves, Pat & Jack Heidenry ;) 

Nice job Margaret! No wonder you're such an interesting fun lady.

If you don't have a copy of this Sunday's New York Times, you can read it online here. 

Have a great Sunday! 

xo, A

For the Love of Etsy!

I have a renewed, refreshed, revived love of Etsy, the world's most vibrant handmade marketplace :) 

Not sure why I was gone so long as a seller. As a consumer, Etsy is often on my mind. After purchasing jewelry from favorite shops, Nest Pretty Things and Sora Designs a lovely carved elephant from Sandra Healy and plenty of fabric, trim and craft books from This & That from Japan (despite my lack of sewing ability) I decided I should give my shop another go. Up top you can see my new header and here is a sampling of the cards and  prints I recently added. 

See more at my store and check out a few of my talented friends' new shops too- Jordan Spilman, JaneKirby and Kristin Brenneman Eno's Halflight 

Below are just some of my latest faves--

                                                   

                                                         Doberman Print by Jordan Spilman

                                     

                                                           Earrings by Nest Pretty Things 

                                      

                                                           Art Print by Little Brown Pen

                                      

                                                  Toddler Fox dress by Wild Things Dresses

                                     

                                                          Woodland Bear by Sleepy King

                                     

                                               Painting- Nautical Menagerie by Lisa Congdon

                                     

                                                      Crochet Small Monkey by Millie Fern

Click to see more of My Favorites :) Trust me, you'll see some really cute, pretty and fabulous decor, jewelry, toys, art & photography! I love that you can easily bookmark faves, just in case you can't afford to buy it all at once.

*and don't wait til it's too late to order your Christmas & Holiday Cards!! 

xo, A

Hello November!

Yesterday, I painted my monthly door for If I Were A Toy store here in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Some of you will remember last November's door, Thomasina Blows Outta Brooklyn! She made it out in the nick of time. This year, she enjoys a vegetarian Thanksgiving with her friends in the forest :) 

Dinner was my mom's lovely idea, I just knew I'd like to show Thomasina again. Somehow her feathers this year are blue, not red. hmmm

I love lanterns and dogs in hats :)

Cat trying to get in on the action!

I hate being in the way of people walking into the store, but everyone is so nice and I love hearing what kids think.Yesterday, a little boy asked me if I was painting the wind. I'm glad he could tell, since this sky is pretty active looking.

This is my sketch.

Hope your November is off to a nice start! 

Don't forget to turn back your clocks Saturday night. 

Have a swell weekend!! xo, A