TENDER MOMENTS IN BLUSHING PINK

All in a lazy Sunday morning's work shopping on Etsy! Here is a little treasury of some of my French inspired favourites below. If something catches your eye click on this link to get them from your screen into your hand! Happy shopping! x

PRETTY LITTLE THIEVES

I've covered Pretty Little Thieves on Dandelion before, but stopping by Nancy's shop I couldn't help but reintroduce you! Nancy is currently kindly selling a selection of her work for her Drawing For A Cure project, whereby she raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So basically for you and me, that's shopping with a double feel-good effect ;)

ART BY ASHLEY G

Ashley G has long been an Etsy favourite of mine, and looking at her list of sales it seems I am not alone! I love her dusty pastel colour stories and her naive mark making...gorgeous :)

LUCKY ME

What's this I see in my letter-box! The lovely Wendy from Mulberry Muse has sent me a little thank you surprise after she did an artist interview and giveaway on Dandelion Daydreamer... and I love it! I especially adore the beautiful owl print, which has flown straight into an antique frame and now proudly perches on my desk. Thank you Wendy, you have made my day :)

Dilka Bear

I love Dilka Bear's work. and no, not just because she incorporates fields and fields of delicate dandelions! Well okay, they are what lured me into her pretty shop, but I stayed to enjoy the refreshing pastel colour palettes, the whimsical maidens and their fluffy animal friends. Below are my two favourites.

Wish Upon A Star

I rather fancy these prints for my home sweet home. Lola's Room is where you can pick up some of your very own...

Win A Print By Caitlin Shearer!

Just a quick reminder that you can win a print by Caitlin Shearer here on Dandelion Daydreamer! Simply click here for your lucky chance :)

Hopeless Romantic!

If you are a hopeless romantic much like myself, I'm guessing you'll enjoy the quirky illustrations of Sophie Blackall, I know I do!

Artist Interview With Caitlin Shearer

Long have I been a fan of Caitlin Shearer's work, who would have thought one day I'd be interviewing her on Dandelion Daydreamer :) Describing herself as a cross between Shirley Temple and Anne Frank, I can't help but feel her painted ladies wouldn't be out of place in that category. Waifishly elegant yet awkwardly beautiful, Caitlin's ladies endorse the alternative beauties of the world. I like them all too much to have a preferential, maybe you could choose it for me?! One lucky reader will win a selection of prints by Caitlin, simply leave a comment below and let us know your favourite. The competition runs until next Tuesday and the winner will be chosen at random...Bon courage lovelies! x

Where do you work from?
My desk in my bedroom by the ocean. (australia!)

Please describe your typical working day?
Waking up early and checking emails, followed by a day of drawing/painting/going to the post office/packing prints/taking photos/re-checking my inbox. then reading, maybe watching tv, painting some more, then bed!

 Where do you take your inspiration from?
David Lynch, Pin up girls, vintage fashion, 1940's films, old hollywood glamour, teenage-hood, the occult.

What mediums do you use?
Watercolour paint, inks, glitter, paper, lead pencil.

What are you wearing?
Navy tie dye tights and a black dress.

Who are you other favourite illustrators?

Enoch bolles, coby whitmore, david downton, laura laine, amy earles, lily piri.

What are your favourite etsy shops?
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lillypiri
http://www.etsy.com/shop/revivalhouse
http://www.etsy.com/shop/perchtmilk
http://www.etsy.com/shop/thevamoose
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gn922001
http://www.etsy.com/shop/alexandragrecco
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SophieBlackall

What is your favourite thing about being a creative person? And the worst? if there is one!
The best thing is being able to manifest your thoughts, whether they be torturous or sublime, and turn them into tangible pieces of art. The worst is having creative blocks, or coming up against people who see the world at such a polar opposite angle, and not knowing how to deal with that.

How do you spend your weekends?
Drawing, watching movies, having parties with friends, drinking cider, dancing, sleeping in.

Do you have any favourite blogs?
http://ablogforblackpaul.blogspot.com/
http://babbletoe.blogspot.com/
http://boyswhoblush.blogspot.com/
http://www.enchanteddoll.com/blog/
http://femaleillustrators.blogspot.com/
http://hannahandlandon.blogspot.com/
http://riikkasormunen.blogspot.com/

Thursday Art Fix!

Here's your art fix for the day! Voide Ville's shop has a vast array of covetable creations, my personal favourite is Dog Sleep, pictured second.

Artist Interview and ORIGINAL art giveaway with Pretty Little Thieves

Since Posting some of Pretty Little Thieve's work last week I couldn't stop thinking about her adorable illustrations. I wanted to know more about the talented Nancy, and as luck would have it here she is today with an exclusive interview for Dandelion Daydreamer :) I love her quirky use of line and and punchy flashes of rainbow colours. What I love most about Nancy's shop is that we can all buy an original illustration for a snippet, as well as this she also sells her work as pocket-friendly prints. Nancy has very kindly offered the lucky giveaway winner not one but two prizes! The first is the original illustration "Anymore" (first picture below), which she has created especially for the giveaway! And the second prize is a choice of a print from this section of her shop. All you have to do is leave a comment and let us know your favourite illustration, winner will be chosen at random and competition runs until next Tuesday. Bon chance tout le monde :)

Where do you live and where do you work from?
Los Angeles, California. I carry drawing pens and sketchbooks with me wherever I go.

Please describe your typical working day?
coffee, lots of tea, answering emails, blog posting and reading, researching, drawing, painting or cutting and pasting, a walk around the neighborhood.

Where do you take your inspiration from?
music, relationships, heartache, nature

What mediums do you use?
watercolor, acrylic, graphite, ink, cut found paper

What are you wearing?
to work in-jeans, toms, vintage t-shirt, wolf head necklace

Who are you other favourite artists/illustrators?
this list is quite extensive but here are a few:
Julie Mehretu
Kara Walker
Margaret Kilgallen
Laura Owens

What are your favourite etsy shops?
tomfowlks
badhairmountain
beauchamping
patriciareyes

How do you spend your weekends?
some combination of the following:
art shows, museums, flea markets, eating out, drawing, painting, wandering around town, book shop perusing, thrifting, taking random photographs, hanging out with friends and family

Do you have any favourite blogs?
http://www.designformankind.com
http://www.art-milk.com
http://www.design-milk.com
http://www.pikaland.com
http://www.zoestrauss.blogspot.com
http://www.book-by-its-cover.com
http://www.booooooom.com

Tuesday Giveaway and Artist Interview with Photographer Kristy Bee

Well done everyone, we got through Monday! As usual Tuesday brings you another artist interview and goodie giveaway. I have been popping Kristy Bee's images in my posts for quite a while now so I thought it only polite to introduce the lady behind the lens. Soft dreamy lighting and powdery pastels set the tone, as her delicate subject matters work the camera into a romantic haze. Age-worn signature polaroids frame vintage hued florals, as classic Chanel No.5 bottles and petal strewn Eifel Towers take us to Paris for the morning (well, actually, who said we were coming back!) Kristy has very sweetly offered an 8x10 or an 8x8 print to the lucky winner of this weeks giveaway. All you have to do is jot down a comment and let us know your favourite image. Competition runs until Tuesday 2nd of March and the winner is picked at random. Fingers crossed x

Where do you work from?

The great thing about photography is that you really work in many different places. Maybe a local coffee shop, maybe your backyard, maybe on your way to the store. My roomy Emera bag fits all my different cameras...which go everywhere with me. As far as processing, I do that right at my desk in front of a big huge sunny window.

Please fill us in on a typical working day?

I wake up, make my coffee, get the kids to school, and spend hours taking photos and processing photos. It all depends on the time of year for where I go to take photographs. I have my favorite spots in each season.

Where do you take your inspiration from?

I am inspired from many things. My family, nature, the way the sun hits my coffee cup in the morning.

What camera do you use?

I have a pretty reliable older DSLR Canon that I use for most of my work. I also love to play around with vintage cameras. My favorite is my vintage Polaroid SX-70. I also use a Polaroid 100 Land camera, a vintage Minolta film SLR, and my Argus for TTV's.

What are you wearing?

Pretty much my daily attire is jeans, white ribbed tank top and a vintage cashmere cardigan. I have vintage cashmere in pretty much every color and it's always fun to wear whatever color suits your mood. I'm a vintagy kind of girl.

Any favourite photographers you would like to introduce us to?

If I were to list all my favorite photographers the paper would roll off my desk, onto the floor, and out the door..lol. If I had to pick favorites, it would be these photographers. Basically I love everything they do and I strive to be as good as them one day.

Cindy Loughridge (Cinnamon on Flickr)

Lauren Rosenbaum (lauren {elycerose} on Flickr)

leslie *thomson (flickr)

What are your favorite Etsy shops?

I have many favorite shops..here are a few:

I love the gorgeous sweaters here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ovejanegra

I love the cute home made animals here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Marjji

I love sterling silver and silver rings : http://www.etsy.com/shop/ABlondAndATorch

How do you spend your weekends?

Well, I am a mom to two beautiful daughters, so I spend my weekends with my family. We love being together. We love the beach. We have movie night every Saturday, we make popcorn..it's so much fun!

Do you have any favourite blogs to share with us?

Though I don't always have time for my own blog..I do have a ton of favorites..Here are just a few:

http://sproutedkitchen.com/

http://sheleftonamonday.blogspot.com/

http://rachelashwellshabbychic.blogspot.com/

http://www.mytartelette.com/