Blogger Portait #10: Meet Tiffany of Style Honestly

Woo! It’s been ages since I posted a Blogger Portrait. This one has actually been done for quite awhile, but the blog was on hiatus for a bit, and I decided to wait until she was back in action before posting the feature. So without further ado. . .

Meet Tiffany of Style Honestly!

This portrait is actually my most favorite of the ones I’ve done this year. Everything about it came our just like I’d hoped, which was great as it included three challenging things: glasses (I can never get the symmetry right), the crocheted/knit hat (I’ve drawn them before, but they are rough), and dreadlocks (which I’ve never drawn before). But the whole thing came together so quickly and easily; it was magical. I loved this reference photo too – unique framing, and Tiffany is just stunning! So, onto her blog.

Style Honestly is one of the few fashion blogs I follow. Why hers? She blogs about thrifted fashion! I love that. She creates the cutest looks, all from thrift shop clothes. Fantastic. She even has a series called Thrifty Tips Thursday, packed with hints about thrift shopping (which can be overwhelming when you start. So many racks of clothes!).

Also, I love that even though her focus is fashion, her personality shines through in her posts. It isn’t just shots of her in outfits; she writes about such wonderful things like acceptance, body love, and (as her blog tagline says) embracing the imperfectly beautiful things in life. What’s not to love?

So head over to her blog, welcome her back to the blogosphere, and leave some love!

Blogger Portraits is a series I created as a way to combine my love of portrait art and feature other blogs. I am in no way being compensated for these features; I just like to spread the blog love!

Blogger Portrait #9: Meet Katie from Punk Projects

Finally back with a blogger portrait! This post was supposed to be ready yesterday. . .and then it wasn’t. Oops! But here we are now, better late than never.

Today, I’d like you to meet Katie, of Punk Projects!

This piece initially gave me a bit of trouble. I sketched it all out, then decided it was too small and redid the whole thing! And I’m so glad I did. It allowed for much more shading detail, in the eyes and hair especially. On to Katie’s blog!

Punk Projects is an amazing craft, DIY, and art blog. Katie does absolutely beautiful work, whether it’s bookmarks, scrapbooking, or pages from her art journal. I’m pretty convinced there is nothing she can’t do – she sews, paints, draws, scrapbooks, revamps furniture. . .the list goes on! I love her style, and how she uses color, and I always look forward to her posts.

A few of my favorite posts:

Mixed Media Tags
Faux Leather Paper Journal
Gelato Flowers Totebag
Tea Mixed Media Bookmarks

She also has a great series called Make it Monday where she posts tutorials (her own, and from around the blog world) for crafts and DIY. I can’t tell you how many I’ve saved to try!

Although I don’t scrapbook much anymore, I am always inspired by Katie’s scrapbooking posts. She puts together little memory books and pages often, and they always impress. She also makes cards, and each one is so unique and wonderful.

If you’re an arts and crafts lover, you can’t NOT love Punk Projects. So head on over, check out some awesome projects, and leave some love!

-Kayly

P.S. Hopefully I’ll have another portrait for next Monday, but I do have a commission to finish so it might be in two weeks. Stay tuned!

 

 

Blogger Portrait #8: Meet Sonya!

This week, I’d like you to meet Sonya Cheney! Her blog is self titled, so just click the link to visit!

I really love this portrait. I love the serious expression, and those pink headphones of course! Originally I had planned on adding color to the headband as well, but the black and pink contrast was so great that I just left it as is.

Onto her blog! I love Sonya’s blog for the personal nature. I know I say that a lot, but that’s because it’s so true! Feeling like there is an actual person behind a blog is so important to me. Sonya blogs about her life, her writing, books, and other fabulous nerdy things I enjoy. From reading her blog, it seems like we’d get along really well in ‘real life’ and that connection is always something I find really special in a blog.

I also love Sonya’s honesty within her posts. She isn’t afraid to talk about times when she’s down, or just not happy about something. I find it inspiring, especially as I’m still too shy to talk about my own issues to an extent on my blog!

Almost every Friday she does a gratitude post called It’s Friday; I’m In Love summing up the little things she’s loved about the week. I think that is so great – to take the time to notice the good things, no matter how small, no matter how crappy the rest of the week has been is wonderful, and I think it’s something more people should do!

I think it’s so rad that Sonya writes a zine! Her blog is actually the first place I ever encountered the word zine, which of course led to the question What is a zine? They are actually pretty sweet – one of my goals this year is to purchase some and start a collection! She sells her in her shop – check it out for yourself, and pick up a copy!

Make sure you stop by Sonya’s blog and shop, say hi, and leave some love! See you next Monday with another portrait!

– Kayly

Blogger Portrait #7: Meet Shawna of Scrawny Girl

Back on with Monday Blogger Portraits!

Today I’d like you to meet Shawna of Scrawny Girl!

This is another double whammy of blogger/indie biz owner. I had lots of fun doing her portrait. I left her sweater and hat unblended to add in some texture, and I like the results. As usual, a ref that was filled with personality. Plus, purple hair. Love it!

As you may have seen from my previous indie shopping posts, I’m totally in love with Shawna’s business Scrawny Girl Shop. Her shop is full of stickers, cards, and prints of her hand drawn illustrations, all of which have such a blast of personality to them.

How cute would this print be in an Easter basket??

I own this card, and still love it. Fits me to a tea! (See what I did there?? Yes? . . . .Yay bad puns!!)

I’m running out of spots to put her stickers, but I still want more. She has such a great style of quirky kawaii characters, and I think her art is just fabulous!

Both of these packs are on my wishlist.

I found her shop before her blog, but her blog is equally great! Shawna posts about shop updates, and life with her adorable little one. She has a Tarot Tuesday series which I always enjoy reading. I myself haven’t done Tarot in many years, but you can always get a little insight about life from reading her Tarot posts.

Another post I really liked was her Bright Hair Don’t Care post all about the products/upkeep of her fabulously bright haircolors! As a hair/makeup/girly dunce, I always appreciate tips and tricks on things of that nature, especially since I love bright hair colors myself – even more so now that summer is right around the corner!

Make sure you stop by Scrawny Girl shop and blog, leave some love, and maybe even do some Easter shopping! Another portrait next Monday!

-Kayly

Blogger Portrait #6: Meet Cody of Daft Crafts

I am so excited for this week’s portrait! So without further ado. . .

Meet Cody of Daft Crafts!

My excitement stems from a few things. First, I really love this portrait. I had a blast doing it, and the hair color is so fabulous. Love that color blue. Plus, it’s just a piece I’m proud of! It was a first in that the facial shading is minimal, and I really like the result.

Also, I love this blog. Daft Crafts focuses on indie shopping, promoting handmade, and helping out other makers, which I think is just fantastic! There are many shops and products I’ve found via their features, and maker guest posts/interviews. There are also tutorials for so many things, from crafts to website help! It’s just an all around great blog.

Daft Crafts has an amazing weekly series called #happyhandmade, where she showcases handmade items from many different indie shops. The series is in it’s fifty-seventh week! I find so many items to add on my Storenvy and Etsy wishlists from this series.

The other thing I love about this blog is the blogger behind it! I’ve never met Cody in real life, but she seems pretty amazing. We’ve corresponded before, and trust me, she’s an all around fabulous person. Always willing to help, and give advice when asked. She is always encouraging other makers, and being a cheerleader for handmade. How can you go wrong? She also just happens to own an indie business herself – an awesome company called Lu & Ed. She makes Mon-stors, a totally unique, one of a kind storage system for books, toys, anything your kid can fit! How cool is that? Plus they are all made from upcycled fabrics so they are super eco friendly. Besides the main Mon-stors, Lu & Ed offers different varieties from Tooth Pillow Mon-stors, to Gadget Mon-stors for all your electronic needs. I personally own a Gadget Mon-stor for my iPod and love it. Durable, high quality, and totally adorable! She even makes mini Monster stuffies!

My Gadget Mon-stor – I just love him!

So make sure you stop by Daft Crafts, and check out all the handmade goodness, and give Lu & Ed a look-see too!

And lastly, the other reason I’m excited about this post is that it’s a great segway for announcing my expansion of the blogger portrait series! Since indie/handmade shopping is something I find very important, I’m going to expand this series to include indie shop owners to feature as well. Part of what I love about indie shopping is the feeling of getting something so personal, that someone created with their own hands, and getting a little look at the maker behind it adds an even more personal touch. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear any feedback!

-Kayly

Blogger Portrait #5: Meet Sarah of Chase Photography!

This weeks blogger portrait is a unique one. It’s the first blog that has a dedicated focus – photography!

Meet Sarah, of Chase Photography.

My 8B pencils were not happy with me after this one! But I really like how it turned out. The photo ref had a lot shadows that were a little intimidating to render, but it all worked out!

Sarah’s blog is focused on photography, and many different aspects of it. She specializes in child/family photography, and besides showcasing her own (beautiful) work, she shares lots of different photo tips! Everything from ways to photograph little ones, to outfit tips, and even makeup tips (which I am always happy to learn more about!)

She also has posts about her daily life with her son and even the occasional yummy healthy recipe. Why do I love it? Really, my favorite part is seeing her photos. They are so gorgeous. It is rare that I don’t see one of her photos and immediately want to draw it. In fact, on a couple occasions, I have! She posts photos from her sessions all the time, and I love browsing through them!

Sarah and I actually knew each other back in gradeschool, and have since reconnected through the magic of Facebook. She too has a little one, and we’ve had a couple playdates with our kiddos! Sarah ended up snapping some photos when they came up for a visit, and the results are just gorgeous!

I love black and white photography!

Going into it, I didn’t think she was going to get any good ones (shows what I know!). My miss isn’t too into picture taking at the moment, and was so not into sitting still or doing anything. But Sarah still managed to capture some great ones, including my new favorite picture of my daughter.

Stunning! Although I’m probably a little biased. So go stop by Chase Photography, browse some beautiful photographs, and leave some love!

Another blogger portrait next Monday!

-Kayly

Blogger Portrait #4: Meet Polly of This Enchanted Pixie

This week’s blogger portrait is one of the first blogs I ever started following.

Meet Polly, of This Enchanted Pixie!

I loved doing this portrait, but was nervous about it too. I knew I wanted to do the overlay of color, but since it was something new, it was a little nerve wracking! Luckily, it turned out looking just the way I wanted it to – on the first try no less! I’m definitely incorporating it other portraits too.

Polly blogs across the pond in the UK, and I love that it is full of personal posts. She blogs about her life with her husband and three daughters and all they do! She also shares recipes, style posts, product reviews, and more.

The personal aspect of This Enchanted Pixie is really what drew me in when I first went there. Polly is always so genuine, and I love seeing the adventures she has with her kiddos! She also makes and sells beautiful jewelry. You know how I love handmade, and I can personally vouch for the quality and beauty of her jewelry – I bought earrings for both myself and my mum this past Christmas and they are so lovely! Check out her shop and see all the lovelies for yourself.

Polly has quite a few series, my favorite being Things I Love – a collection of items (often handmade) that she’s been eyeing on the internet. There’s always something I end up wanting too! Plus she often shares awesome DIY natural bath and body recipes – she even published an ebook about it called Herbs and Essential Oils. It’s packed with amazing recipes for beauty products, and cleaners for the house too!

A couple of my favorite posts:
DIY Lotion Bars
Mamaheart This is actually on ongoing series (one I took part in!).
Make sure you stop by This Enchanted Pixie, look around, and leave some love!

-Kayly

Blogger Portraits is a series I created as a way to combine my love of portrait art and feature other blogs. I am in no way being compensated for these features; I just like to spread the blog love!

Blogger Portrait #3: Meet Mandy of Chocolate and Cream Cake

Another Monday, another blogger portrait!

Today, I’d like you to meet Mandy of Chocolate and Cream Cake.

I think her portrait is my favorite I’ve done so far. Mainly because it came together so easily and I was expecting it to be difficult! The details just worked out so much better than I thought they would, and it was a great feeling. As you may be realizing, I like selecting references with lots of personality, and this one was no different!

What do I like about Chocolate and Cream Cake? Initially, the title drew me in. I mean, seriously, who wouldn’t look at a blog with that title?! Once arriving and poking about for a bit, I realized I’d stumbled upon my fist blog that is primarily dedicated to nerdy interests. So I was practically jumping for joy. Being a giant nerd myself, her posts are always right up my alley.

She also runs my favorites series I’ve ever found on a blog so far: Nerd News. This (mostly) weekly series covers every nerd topic you can think of from movies and TV, to tech and science. It’s fantastic. I have discovered so many fabulous/hilarious/intriguing things from that series.

Chocolate and Cream Cake is also home to another of my favorite series: Haiku Revieu. Which is exactly what it sounds like. Movie reviews, summed up with a haiku at the beginning of the post. Brilliant.

Besides her awesome series, Mandy posts updates about her life and things happening from a personal aspect which I always appreciate. I think blogging is a very personal endeavor, so feeling like there really is a living, breathing, real person behind the blog is pretty much a necessity for me.

So go visit Chocolate and Cream Cake, grab some nerd education, leave some love, and enjoy! And tune in for another portrait next Monday!

-Kayly

Blogger Portrait #2: Meet Kristin from My Life As A Teacup

Time for another blogger portrait!

Meet Kristin of My Life As A Teacup.

This was a super fun one to do. Kristin was kind enough to send me multiple photos to choose from (which was quite hard!) but I settled with this one for a few reasons. Mainly, I felt it captured the essence of her personality that I get from reading her blog. Someone who is comfortable with herself and her style; a little quirky perhaps in a very endearing way. Now, since I don’t know Kristin personally that could be 100% wrong, but the original photo gave me that impression and I wanted to capture it.

What drew me to her blog? A more apt question would be what didn’t! Much like last week’s blogger portrait, I really like that you  know she is a real person behind her blog. And the majority (as in I’d estimate at least 98%) of her posts are all subjects I’m interested in! One of the first posts I ever read on her blog was this Batman for Beginners post. After reading it, I knew I was going to love her blog. While her topics vary, a lot of them are literature-based which, being an avid reader, I love. I’ve added many a book to my Goodreads lists thanks to her posts! She is also where I discovered the 30 Days of Lists Project, which I absolutely adore!

Kristin also has great post series. They range from a weekly gratitude post, links to cool things around the internet, and my favorite one: For the Love of a Linguaphile. It’s a very simple series – every week she posts one word and it’s definition. Some are words I know, but most I don’t and I love learning new words to add into my vocabulary! Some examples that I have loved learning:

aubade
alacrity
penurious

There really isn’t a thing about her blog I don’t like. She is an excellent writer which makes her posts even better. She just posted a personal essay she wrote about her hometown of Pittsburg, and it was great! Hopefully we’ll be lucky enough to read more of them! I definitely recommend you stop by, look around, leave some love, and start following along.

Who will next Monday bring? Come back and see!

-Kayly

Blogger Portrait #1: Alycia