inspired by... children's books

i've always loved children's and YA books. for the longest time i was kind of embarrassed to admit it because i thought people would think that it was silly for an adult to read children's books. but with the introduction of books like harry potter and the hunger games, so many more people have come to realize how amazing children's literature can be so it's made me a bit braver :) 

lucky me, i work in a library at a college that focuses on children and families so i get to order tons of children's books! lately i've been paying closer attention to the amazing work of illustrators. there are some truly talented artist out there and i thought i'd share two of my current favorites. even if you're not into children's literature, i hope you'll find the artwork of these illustrators as inspiring as i do.

wildwood + mysterious benedict society

illustrated by carson ellis

i just finished wildwood and i loved the illustrations. she really brought the wild, beautiful forest to life through her artwork. for the entire first half, i kept thinking that i had seen a similar style of illustration somewhere... then it hit me! the mysterious benedict society! another excellent story about wonderfully extraordinary and quirky children.

i want my hat back + extra yarn + the incorrigible children of ashton place

illustrated by: jon klassen

i think that i want my hat back is absolutely hilarious and i chuckle whenever i get to the page where the bear and the rabbit eye each other. their facial expressions get me every time. these three stories are very different but jon klassen's charming illustrations work perfectly in all of them. 

can i just say that i'm loving this trend of children's book trailers! beats my bad lighting photos any day. and please click on all of the above links. clicking on the illustrator links will take you to their website filled with more of their great artwork and most of the title links will take you to lovely websites filled with author news and fun extras that take you further in to each story.

also, if you're interested in getting more recommendations for children's books (let's face it, my writing skills stink so my book reviews never get much farther than "it's so great!!"), a friend of mine recently started up a blog, auntie karen's book pile: raising books instead of kids to share her favorite children's books. she reads like a maniac and has great taste in books :)

project life win!

remember when i was hemming and hawing over whether or not i should try out project life? well, apparently, the universe thinks it's a good idea and gave me a push in the right direction. about a month ago, becky higgins and members of the project life creative team hosted a bunch of great project life giveaways. and somehow... i won one of the prizes!? i nearly fell out of my chair when i saw my name on the list of winners. i won a project life amber core kit from the giveaway hosted by paislee press! woo hoo!

that's me at the bottom! :D

i got my amber core kit a couple of weeks ago but never got around to sharing it. let's dive in shall we?

thanks liz!

this little box is so dense. i couldn't believe how much it held.

60 3x4 filler cards

60 blank grid journaling cards

32 bi-fold journaling cards + colored day and number stickers

a few of the 380 decorative journaling cards

this is only a portion of what the core kit comes with. i love the colors in the amber kit and i can't wait to use everything!! the plan is to start on my 29th birthday. hold me to it friends! i'll be sure to share my thoughts on this new way of journaling/scrapbooking once i get started. i hear it's especially great for moms with little ones (or anyone who leads a hectic/busy life) since it's a quick way to record each day's little memories and you end up with a beautiful scrapbook at the end. ohh i hope becky higgins will come out with baby themed kits! how great would this be as a gift to help new moms document their baby's first year?

thanks so much to becky higgins and liz from paislee press for their generosity :)