Ahhh. Friday. I thank the Lord for Friday! It's rainy and cold out and I'm cozy inside, but feeling tired and ready for rest. I was playing with my food as I was cooking and here's what came of it. I'm suddenly reminded of still life painting classes, chiaroscuro, and Vermeer. Bosc pears do have quite the classical artistic quality to them- it doesn't take too much effort to make them look good! I'll be posting over at The Common Creative next week and you'll be able to see what deliciousness they were transformed into. 

I'm a bit obsessed with reading blogs and am so often inspired by all of the creative souls surrounding me online. I thought I'd share a little roundup of my favourites on this drizzly Friday afternoon. These reads might end up taking up all of your weekend time, and for that I am truly sorry. ;)

Oana Befort- this is probably the artist blog that I am most inspired by. Oana truly has a beautiful gift and her photos are quite lovely as well. She inspires me constantly in my own work.

The House That Lars Built- a new-to-me blog, as soon as I started reading I was hooked. Brittany does an amazing job at coming up with interesting and creative do-it-yourself projects and I'm constantly interested by her content.

Local Milk- my new favourite food blog. Her photos and styling are gorgeous. If you are looking for inspiration in this kitchen, this is definitely the blog to turn to!

Reading My Tea Leaves- I think I enjoy reading this one because the New York writer behind the blog, Erin, strives for simple living in a big city. Her writing is personable and continually feeds my interest for living simply. 

Deer Circus- you may have heard me rave about this one before...but I'm going to again. Bridget's writing is phenomenal. She has a beautiful way of putting words together to paint a picture. Sometimes I get lost in reading her creative and inspiring posts.

If you have any favourite blogs, share them in a comment! (Not that I need any more to add to my daily cue...but I definitely do need more).

And here's my second instalment of my Christmas card paintings. I was very focused and motivated and finished this one within a day! I received the idea for this image from my dear friend, Bethany. We both have an affinity for the still and peaceful things at Christmas and somehow being at home (wherever that may be) often brings about those peaceful feelings. This particular cottage is also inspired by the Scandinavian roots of my husband. That little paintbrush in the last picture sure does a lot of work in a day. Good job, little paintbrush, good job.

Look for the finished products in my etsy shop soon! Also, if you missed the winner from my giveaway on social media, congratulations to Tiffany (another dear friend) on your new piece of art! 

You may have seen this little guy poking around instagram in his unfinished state, but I managed to finish this off yesterday morning and snapped a few more shots to show for it. I'm thinking ahead this year. I don't usually do that- generally, I'm a present or past thinker. I like memories and nostalgia so I often dwell on those, but this year I forced myself to think ahead when I was asked if I was going to do Christmas cards again. Upon a very small amount of thinking, I decided I was going to! I may be selling last year's designs, but it's time to expand beyond those, as well. So here it is: the first finished illustration for the Christmas season! All I need now is for a greeting to adorn the front of the card. Any suggestions?