@abigailhalpin If you are drawn to whimsical folk type illustration, this is the account to follow! Abigail's drawings are so inspiring for me- I love even the smallest of sketches! 

@artandsoulcreativeco A must-follow especially if you're a local Vancouverite. Laura does the cutest animal illustrations that just make your heart melt a little. 

@foxandflourish Another local artist, Christina is killing it with her beautiful calligraphy skills. Not to mention, she generously shares her knowledge with her many workshops held all over the city!

@kelly_burnett This account brings a calm presence to my instagram feed. Kelly's gorgeous monochromatic minimalist paintings leave me a bit breathless. 

@ladyhue I've been following Caitlin's work for some time and have always been drawn to her beautiful and powerful paintings. Her feed always gives me a little something to reflect on visually. 

@oanabefort What can I say about Oana's work? It leaves me speechless every single time. Her skill is beyond incredible as a watercolour artist! Oh, that detail...

@rebeccacaridad Rebecca is a true artist in every sense of the word. Although I admire her for her painting skills, I am also in awe of all of her photographs, flower arrangements, and calligraphy. Everything she touches seems to turn to gold. 

@rebeccagreenillustration If there's any illustrator I find most inspiring, it's Rebecca. She's living my dream life- illustrating for cool magazines, painting murals, taking part in gallery shows...she works so hard and has so much to show for it! 

@teaganwh Another hard working illustrator, Teagan creates the cutest little creatures for cards and books. She also has done some amazingly detailed poster art among other projects. 

@yuliyart A recently discovered artist for me, I was so glad to have discovered Yuliya's work. It's incredibly intricate and mesmerizing to look at. Her updates always leave me wanting a bit more.

Instagram has grown to become my favourite stream of social media, as I think it is with a lot of visual people. I am often overwhelmed by the amount of inspiration I receive from seeing other creative lives being documented and shared in my feed! I thought I would put together a little list of my favourite artists that I follow. I hope you find someone new to follow, too! Sorry in advance about the very small writing on each picture. I'm still getting used to Squarespace so if someone knows how to change that, please share your insights with me!

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll have seen that I'm having a spring sale (no April Fool's joke!). I'm so excited that it's spring and with the sun shining and the birds singing, I'm in a good mood. So bunny-hop on over to my shop, (or just click the link) put your items in your cart, and enter the code, HAPPYAPRIL when you checkout for a fun 15% off your entire order! Easy peasy.  But you might want to hurry- this sale is 2 days only and ends Friday! Happy Spring, everyone!

I thought that I would be able to be able to create one post dedicated to our travels in Europe, but as I looked through my pictures yet again, I realized that there would be no possible way without completely overwhelming you with images! Best to break up our journey in sections. Well, it's already been a week back in Vancouver, and I'm already feeling homesick for our magical travels, especially Paris. As I look back on Munich and think about all of the wonderful things we were able to experience, I'm realizing that I left a small part of my heart in this city as well. I will never be able to explain the feelings that I held while wandering through the streets of this city, but I hope these images capture little pieces of those feelings. We were only there for 2 and a half days so we packed in as much as we could. 

The main purpose of stopping in Munich was not just to see the beauty that the city beholds, but to make the trek through Bavaria to a small town called Oberammergau (look to the pictures with snow!). I have heard this town name spoken since childhood but never really knew the significance of it until traveling through the snow covered hills to the wonder that lies there. My great-grandmother, who we called "Oma", used to talk about this place with such fondness. She was never one to open up much about her life during the time she lived there, post WWII, but she did describe this town as "feeling like heaven". As I discovered more information about the hardships and persecution she endured before arriving there, I began to understand why this place was so very special. It was more than just a pretty resort town, it was a refuge and place of freedom. And I couldn't help but feel a little emotional upon arriving at the Oberammergau station. It felt surreal...I was following her path to safety and rest. It felt sacred. Oma passed away when I was 13 but memories of her do pop into my mind every once in a while. And despite the fact that the town has been taken over by tourism and souvenir shops, I was able to find some connection with my Oma once again. 

Pictures from the top:// 1. charming view from our hotel window // 2. coffee shop details // 3. awkward coffee holding hand // 4. historic streets at 7am // 5+6. the wandering husband // 7. does it mean that I'm getting old when I become fascinated by park birds? // 8. Englischer Garten // 9. a German Romantic // 10.  beautiful views at the park // 11. again with the birds... I guess I must be old at heart // 12-14. views from The Residenz museum- like Versailles but without the tourists! I'm so glad we went. // 15-17. views from Oberammergau and Bavaria. // 18+19. I think these speak for themselves...just plain beautiful. // 20+21. Views over the city from atop a church tower.