Modern bedroom ideas

You probably don't remember this photo of our bedroom back in 2010. 

I decorated the naked walls with some artworks and small shadow boxes.

 Some of the illustrations are my work and some are the work of my favorite artists.

Two of my watercolor paintings + A papercut by me + An exotic shell that I've framed in Ikea's shadowbox + A little terracotta incense burner

My watercolor birdie + "Love" illustration by talented Helen Dardik + "Kidney for ginger hair" by wonderful Natasha Mileshina of Bubbo + A shadowbox featuring my papercuts and an art brooch by "Juliepollen".

Wire Blooms: Decorative cable clips (I bought them from Ebay)

Whale papercut wall art: Made by me from paper, confetti and blue transparent paper

I bought this pretty birdie brooch from Joliepollen shop on Etsy back in 2009. 

It's so well-made and delicate that I didn't felt like using it as a brooch,

 instead I framed it. Those botanical papercuts are my design 

and I think the whole thing came together nicely :o)

This is the work of one of my all time favorite artists "Mónica Calvo".

We bought these shells from a wonderful shop in 5th Avenue (Playa del Carmen, Mexico).

The shop was full of amazing shells, big and small from all over the world.

Here are my pebbles, all in one place! That felt pink poppy is a brooch, handmade in Russia by

very talented and sweet Elena of "Roltinica".

Blueberries

Hand painted by me on a pebble

I've used: Acrylic colors + Micron pen 005

Cobalt blue pebbles

My new set of painted pebbles; for the love of cobalt blue.

I've used : Acrylic paints + Sakura micron pen 005

♥ Which one is your favorite?

They are tiny!

Pressed leaves

A few leaves from my big collection of pressed leaves.

Some of these are from 10 years ago.

Super moist Banana Bread

I made this yummy Banana Bread this morning.

It's been over a month that I try to eat "Clean". At first it may seem like a real challenge. But it gets easier and easier as you find new alternatives. This is a great recipe for anyone who is interested in "Clean eating".

* I used milk instead of oil and used whole eggs, not just egg whites. It turned out great!*

Happy Persian New Year!

Another year has passed and again another Nowruz is here.

 Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Iranian calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical Northward equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed.

I would like to wish you a wonderful Persian New Year (Nowruz). Hope this new year brings you joy, health and prosperity ♥
! نوروز مبارک

This is my little Haft Sīn! Probably you remember the ones from the previous years.

Haft Sîn (Persian: هفت سین‎) or the seven 'S's is a major traditional table setting of Nowruz, the traditional Iranian spring celebration. The haft sin table includes seven items starting with the letter 'S' or Sīn (س) in the Persian alphabet.

The Haft Sīn items are:

✿ Sabzeh – wheat, barley or lentil sprouts growing in a dish – symbolizing rebirth

✿ Samanu – a sweet pudding made from wheat germ – symbolizing affluence

✿ Senjed – the dried fruit of the oleaster tree – symbolizing love

✿ Sīr – garlic – symbolizing medicine

✿ Sīb – apples – symbolizing beauty and health

✿ Somaq – sumac berries – symbolizing (the color of) sunrise

✿ Serkeh – vinegar – symbolizing age and patience.

This pretty container is a gift from my lovely sis. It's a handmade Persian antique piece.

Those sweets on top are handmade by me. In Iran we call them "Tout" which means "Berry". They are very easy to make. I will write a post on how to make them, hopefully very soon :o)

That little tile is handmade in "Isfahan", a city of Iran that is famous for its legendary tile works. It's a gift from my lovely friend Raheleh! xo

Sketchbook

Toronto is a cold city with long winters. But it has many sunny days with beautiful blue sky in wintertime. You can lie on the bed, look at the blue sky and imagine that you are in a tropical
island ...so far away.

For these sketchbook pages, I've used:

- Micron pen 005

- Watercolors

- Colored pencils

- Stamps

... and the winner is

The winner of Valentine's giveaway is picked by "Random.org", no. 51

Congratulations dear Mariya! Please email me your address so I can send you your little magnet!

And a big thank you to all you for participating.

It was a real pleasure reading your sweet comments!

♥

Original watercolor paintings

Last week I was working on these tiny watercolor birdies. 

As you've noticed I love everything small and miniature!

 These babies are available for sale in my Etsy print shop.

Which one is your favorite?

I bought this frame a few years ago from Black's Photography.

It was on sale and inexpensive. I've made the mat myself, using a push style mat cutter

that I got from a local art store.

Valentine's Giveaway!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  ♥

Because it's Valentine's Day I have a giveaway for you! A hand painted pebble magnet.

 It's very detailed from close and will add some love to your fridge, magnet board,...

Please leave a comment here for a chance to win it!

* I will announce the winner on Monday (Feb. 18)

Happy Chinese New Year!

I wish you a very happy Chinese New Year everyone!

I was born in the year of the snake,

so obviously I'm kind of happy now!  :D

In my Etsy shop

This illustration and the matching one (mother and baby) are among my best sellers on Etsy. Many people asked me for different hair and skin colors during the past few years, so I decided to add 4 more hair/skin combinations to my shop.

I might be able to do other combinations too, just let me know :o)
Enjoy!

Beach pebbles

A few weeks ago we went by the beach of Lake Ontario for a walk and I collected some
 lovely smooth pebbles. Hopefully soon I'll paint on some of them.

This was the first time that I was visiting a snowy beach. It was very different from a summer beach,

but it has its own beauty.

As you can see there is an icy area between snow and water and I fell down just like how

 people fall down in cartoons (first two legs move forward and ...)

 in a second my iPhone was somewhere in the air and I was

 lying down on my back aching all over!

 Well, I was lucky that I didn't break a leg! No one says pebble hunting is easy when

everywhere is covered with ice and snow!

Do dogs LOVE snow? I had never seen dogs that happy before, they were rolling in snow and playing!

*Most of these photos are from my Instagram. You can follow me @joojooland

Sketchbook

New from my sketchbook. All things Japanese inspired.

I've used:

✿ Sakura Micron pen 005 in black and brown 

✿ Colored pencils 

✿ Gold gouache 

✿ Watercolor

✿ Black pencil

I love to use gold gouache here and there ♥

Many people asked me before about the type of brushes that I use for tiny details.

I use 6/0 and 15/0 brushes.

I think you can find these in any brand :o)

Try to be like the turtle

Something I've been working on the last few days. 

A self esteem quote that was suggested by one of my lovely customers. 

Watercolor on 8.5" x 11" paper

Available in my print shop.

Early bird

One of the good things about being an early bird is that you get to see the beautiful sunrise.
 It especially feels good after a whole week of rainy/cloudy days!

Have a lovely weekend friends! ♥