Hippity Hoppity

Easter's on it's way!  Above, my monthly door for If I Were A Toy store. Below, a few of my cards...

Some of you may recognize these bunnies and birds. They're currently available to purchase on my website and at Papel NY in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Yoga Bun is also back in stock :)

Thanks for taking a look today! Still waiting for that sunny spring weather here in Brooklyn!!

Happy Birthday

Blipadee Blog is celebrating it's 1st Anniversary! I posted a simple introduction on April 20th of last year and began profiling some of my neighborhood favorites in May.


As I've mentioned before, I started Blipadee on a whim after my mom forwarded Luca Barney's blog to me. His was up & running only a few days after his birth mid April '09. I was confident that if a newborn could do it, I could ;)

Here he is, the son of my mom's lovely friend & Italian teacher, Paola. Baby blogs are a wonderful way to share photos and information with friends and family. I love the way it's written in his voice & very funny. Hope they decide to start it up again (no posts in awhile, but I keep checking :)

I greatly appreciate the generosity of the people who first let me profile their businesses. They really had nothing to go on at that point.

A big Thank You to Jessica whose store Ruby Moriarty is full of cute hand-made clothing (including my tees!) funny books, art and a relaxed fun atmosphere!

Thanks to Cozbi, whose store is pure charm & beauty! I love it all and buy when I can, beautiful clothing for women and children. She's a total inspiration, too.

Thanks to Tommy who has made Le Petit a staple of the Carroll Gardens neighborhood. He was a virtual pioneer, opening up long before others took a chance below 4th street. It's since become a destination spot with restaurants like Frankies, Buttermilk Channel and Luna Rossa, to name a few.



Of course, Blipadee is a great showcase for artwork. I enjoy posting about my experiences, whether on a scenic job or mural project. It's nice to have a place to share my designs for licensing and to show paintings in the works or on exhibit (if I'm lucky!)

If any of you are considering a blog of your own, it can be time consuming and one more thing that's in need of exposure, but I think it's a great companion to a website. It has "life" to it because it continually changes. I love reading other people's blogs and I'm still amazed at what a small world the internet has created. Last, but not least, it's very fulfilling to interview people you are curious about and who inspire you!


It's May and Mothers Day is this Sunday, so it was time to paint a new door mural for If I Were A Toy :)

Check back this weekend for my Mothers Day Post!
Grazie!! xo, Allyn

Happy Easter

I painted the door for If I Were A Toy just in time for Easter Sunday! *Important tip- if you need to scrape paint off glass, much faster to spray with Windex 1st. I learned the hard way ;)

I planned to keep it simple this week, so I made this little card for my readers :)

Then the pleasures of Spring sprang to mind! I've been going through photos, usually of trips I've taken with my mom in the Spring. My hope was to find the most fabulous shots to enter in Frommer's Photo Contest (deadline tonight). Feels like playing Lotto. I uploaded about 25 and now cross my fingers that I will be the lucky winner for a cover and $5,000 bucks ;D

Regent's Canal in London, above is a very charming area. Visit Waterscape for more info :)

I bought these Ranunculus, which I'd never heard of before, from a local bodega/deli. I don't have a green thumb, so I am keeping a close eye on these! Lots of light & water-- should be able handle these pretty little flowers.

I started with my album full of photos from a May trip to Rome a few years ago. The Roseto Comunale or Rose Garden on the Aventine Hill is simply gorgeous! A must see if you visit during the flowering season :)



It is very hard for me to edit down to just a few, but I'm trying. I have many photos from Italy. Love this kid below. He wasn't prompted to make this face, he just went for it!




My mom made a brilliant decision and booked our stay in Venice at the Westin Excelsior on Lido. It's a 15 minute boat ride from Venice proper (hotel has private boats going out every hour or so). It's magnificent and the town of Lido is a beauty, too! I took endless pictures of people's homes. Above, I've shared the most simple of pleasures; towards the end of each day we had Prosecco, Pellegrino and snacks on the water :D





If you haven't been to Venice, make it a goal! It is truly extraordinary!! Above is the Basilica di Sant Marco The piazza seems to stay over populated for obvious reasons ;) You can escape the crowds if you're not afraid to get a little lost or turned around on the walkways. Venetians are very friendly, too.


I adore Burano for all of it's wonderful bright colors! It's a dream :)


Above, a house statue of Jesus. It was the nicest one I saw and thought it would be appropriate for my Easter post, of course.

I've used this picture on a past post. It's one of my favorites and honestly, I think it has a shot as a book cover!


You may know by now how much I like Spain, so I used restraint when choosing photos :) Below in Barcelona, the walk from one masterpiece to another, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia to Montaner's Sant Pau Hospital.




Many years ago I visited Claude Monet's gardens in Giverny, France. It was absolutely gorgeous! Again, I have so many photographs, even so they can't do it justice.




The MOMA has Monet's Water Lilies on display through April 12th, including his late paintings in the collection.


Cuteness :o)


Regal...


Retiro Park in Madrid, Spain is most spectacular! Below, the unusual Dr. Seuss-like trees intrigued me. I will include more from Madrid on a future piece.



Hello there!






Hope you have enjoyed this little ode to Spring!
Happy Easter :) xo, Allyn