Illustrator | Mir de Silva

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I was invited to do a workshop for @humboldtcoe ‘s Creative Symposium recently. I decided to switch things up for this, and spent a couple weeks last month brianstorming with @tessyinger and a group of mural enthusiasts at Redwood Coast Montessori (@rcmfoxes ). The kids did all the design work for this project & together we settled on a theme: Ducks with Gadgets. Each student was able to use an ipad to digitally render their artwork, and I used their digital renderings to project each customized duck to the mural panel. The kids also helped plan out the colors for the mural, which I labeled as a paint-by-number.

During my workshop, around 20 teachers from up and down Humboldt County helped to paint this whole thing in, and now you can appreciate me coming back to define the lines. Overall I’m super happy with how this piece came out!

It was fun seeing the role reversal, with kids laying out the particulars and teachers needing to faithfully follow their instructions. Everyone did a great job :,)

Thanks to HCOE, especially Lizzy & Olivia, for helping me bring murals to school. That’s how I started and it was a life changing experience for me <3

I was invited to do a workshop for @humboldtcoe ‘s Creative Symposium recently. I decided to switch things up for this, and spent a couple weeks last month brianstorming with @tessyinger and a group of mural enthusiasts at Redwood Coast Montessori (@rcmfoxes ). The kids did all the design work for this project & together we settled on a theme: Ducks with Gadgets. Each student was able to use an ipad to digitally render their artwork, and I used their digital renderings to project each customized duck to the mural panel. The kids also helped plan out the colors for the mural, which I labeled as a paint-by-number.

During my workshop, around 20 teachers from up and down Humboldt County helped to paint this whole thing in, and now you can appreciate me coming back to define the lines. Overall I’m super happy with how this piece came out!

It was fun seeing the role reversal, with kids laying out the particulars and teachers needing to faithfully follow their instructions. Everyone did a great job :,)

Thanks to HCOE, especially Lizzy & Olivia, for helping me bring murals to school. That’s how I started and it was a life changing experience for me <3

⚡️IT’S HAPPENING GUYS⚡️
The Humboldt Bay Trail will finally, finally be complete! I’m so excited that I was asked to provide some artwork for the celebration (which by the way will be end of June at the Adorni Center) SWIPE 👉 for closeups of these cutie pies & to get more details
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For my skin art people, I’m going to be offering these up as flash! :D Check out my page @tattoos.by.mir for more info on that.

⚡️IT’S HAPPENING GUYS⚡️
The Humboldt Bay Trail will finally, finally be complete! I’m so excited that I was asked to provide some artwork for the celebration (which by the way will be end of June at the Adorni Center) SWIPE 👉 for closeups of these cutie pies & to get more details
.
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For my skin art people, I’m going to be offering these up as flash! :D Check out my page @tattoos.by.mir for more info on that.

Most of you have been following along with my stories this past week but in case you missed it, here’s my finished mural at @centeratmck
🕊️
We did a survey with the staff here on what should be depicted in this room where they hold meetings both virtually and in person amongst staff and also families. There were a lot of recurring themes- water movement, simplicity, rounded shapes, peace, forest. Overall I got a sense that they wanted something calm. One thing I’ve always loved about egrets was how they are these huge and awkwardly shaped beasts, and yet incredibly graceful and silent. They remind me of taking walks in the cool air- something that never fails to calm me down. I decided this mural will be for them. I hardly ever work with such a limited palette but I think I’ll have to do this more often- I love the simplicity and it was a joy painting this.
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This mural concludes my contracts from 2024- just a wee late 🫣 That means I am ready to begin booking 2025. Let me know if you have a vision! I would love to work with you 💜🤍

Most of you have been following along with my stories this past week but in case you missed it, here’s my finished mural at @centeratmck
🕊️
We did a survey with the staff here on what should be depicted in this room where they hold meetings both virtually and in person amongst staff and also families. There were a lot of recurring themes- water movement, simplicity, rounded shapes, peace, forest. Overall I got a sense that they wanted something calm. One thing I’ve always loved about egrets was how they are these huge and awkwardly shaped beasts, and yet incredibly graceful and silent. They remind me of taking walks in the cool air- something that never fails to calm me down. I decided this mural will be for them. I hardly ever work with such a limited palette but I think I’ll have to do this more often- I love the simplicity and it was a joy painting this.
.
This mural concludes my contracts from 2024- just a wee late 🫣 That means I am ready to begin booking 2025. Let me know if you have a vision! I would love to work with you 💜🤍

🦈🩵
This shark mural was so fun and I realize I forgot to share some pictures taken in daylight, so please swipe and enjoy! 👉
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This project was a collaboration between myself (courtesy of Humboldt County Office of Education) and the South Bay Elementary and Middle School’s after school program. I’m going to be doing a little blog post for this one to explain how we got here. I’ll share in my stories when I’m done writing that up in case folks want to do a similarly fun collaborative mural with this age group :)

🦈🩵
This shark mural was so fun and I realize I forgot to share some pictures taken in daylight, so please swipe and enjoy! 👉
.
This project was a collaboration between myself (courtesy of Humboldt County Office of Education) and the South Bay Elementary and Middle School’s after school program. I’m going to be doing a little blog post for this one to explain how we got here. I’ll share in my stories when I’m done writing that up in case folks want to do a similarly fun collaborative mural with this age group :)

My submission for the Junque Art Show, which will be up through December- go check it out! I’ve included pictures of some of my favorite submissions as well.
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My piece is titled ‘Mayreau,’ for the place that I salved all the fishing rope woven in the background. The fish were cut out of cement board leftover from tiling our bathroom. They’re made up of tumbled scrap glass and chunks of tile I found washed up at the beach in St. Vincent.
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I’ve already started on some more trashy mosaics (check out my stories) which are going into my rotation for the Alternative Gallery. I’ll let you know when they’re publicly available :)

My submission for the Junque Art Show, which will be up through December- go check it out! I’ve included pictures of some of my favorite submissions as well.
.
My piece is titled ‘Mayreau,’ for the place that I salved all the fishing rope woven in the background. The fish were cut out of cement board leftover from tiling our bathroom. They’re made up of tumbled scrap glass and chunks of tile I found washed up at the beach in St. Vincent.
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I’ve already started on some more trashy mosaics (check out my stories) which are going into my rotation for the Alternative Gallery. I’ll let you know when they’re publicly available :)

Only the real ones know Bluey!!! (OK the real little ones)
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It was a gorgeous #pastelsontheplaza this year. Thank you @evolveyouthservices for donating to the North Coast Children’s Services so that I can make this :) You guys rock.

Only the real ones know Bluey!!! (OK the real little ones)
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It was a gorgeous #pastelsontheplaza this year. Thank you @evolveyouthservices for donating to the North Coast Children’s Services so that I can make this :) You guys rock.

Hey friends! Are you familiar with all the great work @crtp_northcoast does to make our cities safer for bicycles & pedestrians? Parking lots and ever-expanding roads are not the solution to our climate crisis, housing, and safety concerns. CRTP is pushing back against these ways of developing to encourage inclusive, safe, and sustainable options. It’s a big deal! If this resonates with you, come support them while also making a charming little garden rock out of tumbled mosaic glass. The glass is all salvage too, woot!

There’s room for about 13 more folks to join- Link in bio to purchase a ticket :)

Hey friends! Are you familiar with all the great work @crtp_northcoast does to make our cities safer for bicycles & pedestrians? Parking lots and ever-expanding roads are not the solution to our climate crisis, housing, and safety concerns. CRTP is pushing back against these ways of developing to encourage inclusive, safe, and sustainable options. It’s a big deal! If this resonates with you, come support them while also making a charming little garden rock out of tumbled mosaic glass. The glass is all salvage too, woot!

There’s room for about 13 more folks to join- Link in bio to purchase a ticket :)

I think it’s time to scribble on paper and cut it into shapes again!
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(this is a collaborative piece I did years ago with @tessyinger)

I think it’s time to scribble on paper and cut it into shapes again!
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(this is a collaborative piece I did years ago with @tessyinger)

That’s a wrap on this really fun garage door mural. You can find this one street-facing off Grotto in Henderson Center :) I had a lot of fun including garden flowers and showcasing our many resident swallows ✨
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Thank you Thea! I hope to do more murals like this in the future!

That’s a wrap on this really fun garage door mural. You can find this one street-facing off Grotto in Henderson Center :) I had a lot of fun including garden flowers and showcasing our many resident swallows ✨
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Thank you Thea! I hope to do more murals like this in the future!

I am full of big emotions right now. We did it 🥹
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@friedmeggg @purplelobsterbush @secularfruit @yipkiyay you made this dream come true! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Really the only way things like this can happen is through teamwork— I am so grateful to you!
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@eurekastreetartfestival thank you for believing in me all those years back and helping me grow as an artist and human. So grateful for all that you have done for me :)
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Finally a huge debt of gratitude to my friends and community for the encouragement, snacks, drinks, daily check-ins, bells and whistles. You are all why I do this! It’s for you!!

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#esaf2024 #eurekastreetartfestival

I am full of big emotions right now. We did it 🥹
.
@friedmeggg @purplelobsterbush @secularfruit @yipkiyay you made this dream come true! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Really the only way things like this can happen is through teamwork— I am so grateful to you!
.
@eurekastreetartfestival thank you for believing in me all those years back and helping me grow as an artist and human. So grateful for all that you have done for me :)
.
Finally a huge debt of gratitude to my friends and community for the encouragement, snacks, drinks, daily check-ins, bells and whistles. You are all why I do this! It’s for you!!

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#esaf2024 #eurekastreetartfestival

Some happy moments in the mural so far. We have been going non-stop for 8 days now 🥵 only 2 more left- must make them count!!! Cannot wait to reveal this one to you all. It’s honestly incredible.
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Big HUGE incredible!
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Thanks to Violet @purplelobsterbush , Megan @friedmeggg and Rune @secularfruit for putting in so muchhh woorrkkk!l
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#esaf2024 #eurekastreetartfestival

Some happy moments in the mural so far. We have been going non-stop for 8 days now 🥵 only 2 more left- must make them count!!! Cannot wait to reveal this one to you all. It’s honestly incredible.
.
Big HUGE incredible!
.
Thanks to Violet @purplelobsterbush , Megan @friedmeggg and Rune @secularfruit for putting in so muchhh woorrkkk!l
.

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#esaf2024 #eurekastreetartfestival

We made some progress today!! Here’s how the day went: Megan learned how to drive a lift and painted a 5 ft. tall mushroom, Finnea Wildfur made a rare appearance at our art talk, Pete with United Rentals brought me an ice cream cone (!??? ♥️!!) and Julia brought me coffee??!♥️!! I threw our names down making this mural official without spelling anything wrong ☺️
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Ended the day singing Regina Spektor and eating shrimp so this is a day for the books.
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Thanks for coming to our art talk folks!!
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#esaf2024 #eurekastreetartfestival

We made some progress today!! Here’s how the day went: Megan learned how to drive a lift and painted a 5 ft. tall mushroom, Finnea Wildfur made a rare appearance at our art talk, Pete with United Rentals brought me an ice cream cone (!??? ♥️!!) and Julia brought me coffee??!♥️!! I threw our names down making this mural official without spelling anything wrong ☺️
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Ended the day singing Regina Spektor and eating shrimp so this is a day for the books.
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Thanks for coming to our art talk folks!!
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#esaf2024 #eurekastreetartfestival

IT HAS BEGUN!
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I am writing this from my cozy bed post shower and my arms feel like little limp noodles. I made wonderful progress today though- mostly put up the better part of 2 coats of primer. It’s a big ol’ wall to have painted in 1 week, so I’m trying to get a head start.
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Tomorrow I will wrap up primer and begin to boogie down with some color 🌝
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I’m hoping to at least have *something* to show y’all for our talk on Monday night!!
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P.S. @friedmeggg will be joining me soon too, and I’m so looking forward to having a painting buddy! Check out her work. You’re going to freaking love it. Also if you haven’t already seen @purplelobsterbush ‘s work- go check her out too. There are even glimpses of Finnea on her page, a little taste of what’s to come ;)
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#esaf2024 #eurekastreetartfestival

IT HAS BEGUN!
.
I am writing this from my cozy bed post shower and my arms feel like little limp noodles. I made wonderful progress today though- mostly put up the better part of 2 coats of primer. It’s a big ol’ wall to have painted in 1 week, so I’m trying to get a head start.
.
Tomorrow I will wrap up primer and begin to boogie down with some color 🌝
.
I’m hoping to at least have *something* to show y’all for our talk on Monday night!!
.
P.S. @friedmeggg will be joining me soon too, and I’m so looking forward to having a painting buddy! Check out her work. You’re going to freaking love it. Also if you haven’t already seen @purplelobsterbush ‘s work- go check her out too. There are even glimpses of Finnea on her page, a little taste of what’s to come ;)
.

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#esaf2024 #eurekastreetartfestival

🌼🌿
We got to wrap up a really satisfying mosaic project today in my one-on-one class. My student did every part of this project— from cutting and sanding the wood & glass pieces to mixing her own grout. I think it came out so beautiful! Charcoal colored grout is something isn’t it 😮‍💨

🌼🌿
We got to wrap up a really satisfying mosaic project today in my one-on-one class. My student did every part of this project— from cutting and sanding the wood & glass pieces to mixing her own grout. I think it came out so beautiful! Charcoal colored grout is something isn’t it 😮‍💨

This week I wrapped up my mural at Peninsula School. There are 8 panels, each reflecting the school’s equity clause (as interpreted by myself, Rachel, and the after school program kiddos) My favorite panel is the creativity one, where I painted in kiddo original artwork on the canvas. I also really like how that hose bib came out for some reason.
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Anyway- what a fun one! I find the work of first graders to be truly inspiring. Thanks HCOE for reaching out to me with this special project! I am looking forward to more school murals in the future :)

This week I wrapped up my mural at Peninsula School. There are 8 panels, each reflecting the school’s equity clause (as interpreted by myself, Rachel, and the after school program kiddos) My favorite panel is the creativity one, where I painted in kiddo original artwork on the canvas. I also really like how that hose bib came out for some reason.
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Anyway- what a fun one! I find the work of first graders to be truly inspiring. Thanks HCOE for reaching out to me with this special project! I am looking forward to more school murals in the future :)

Last night was fun! Thanks to all the folks who came out to buy art & merch and support the @eurekastreetartfestival ! Here’s a couple pictures of a little rabbit I painted for the live art auction & one of my paint neighbor @staysketch . I’m getting really pumped for the festival this year- the banana slug ceramic installations by @shannonsullivanstudio and @jswanceramics are going to be so cool guys. Mark your calendars you won’t wanna miss it!

Last night was fun! Thanks to all the folks who came out to buy art & merch and support the @eurekastreetartfestival ! Here’s a couple pictures of a little rabbit I painted for the live art auction & one of my paint neighbor @staysketch . I’m getting really pumped for the festival this year- the banana slug ceramic installations by @shannonsullivanstudio and @jswanceramics are going to be so cool guys. Mark your calendars you won’t wanna miss it!

Some scenes from the collaborative mural I am working on at Peninsula School. Getting close to finishing this one
🌞🌈
It’s really fun creatively weaving kids art and ideas into the mural. I feel like our respective contributions are having a conversation.
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Credit to Rachel for encouraging caterpillars and Nicole for helping change up this child directed comic on accountability from an, “I’m sorry / it’s OK” to an “I’m sorry / thank you.” Sometimes it’s not OK, and that’s OK.

Some scenes from the collaborative mural I am working on at Peninsula School. Getting close to finishing this one
🌞🌈
It’s really fun creatively weaving kids art and ideas into the mural. I feel like our respective contributions are having a conversation.
.
Credit to Rachel for encouraging caterpillars and Nicole for helping change up this child directed comic on accountability from an, “I’m sorry / it’s OK” to an “I’m sorry / thank you.” Sometimes it’s not OK, and that’s OK.

Mural season has kicked off and right now I am working with the Peninsula School’s afterschool program kiddos- my youngest helpers yet! They’re built different guys 😅 We started by reviewing Peninsula’s equity clause and having the kids define each word, then come up with some illustrations that reflect them. I have compiled those for later— right now we are getting busy painting in some sky, dunes, grass and the bay. Up next, sun showers and rainbows 🌈
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Huge shout out to @rachelmorrisarts from CalPoly who helped put together the design and has made it out each day to help- you’re awesome! Also Atlas and Mori who helped me out so much on our first paint day. You two are phenomenal tiny human wranglers 🙇🏻‍♀️ Special gratitude to Chance, the only middle schooler in the bunch, for being such a dedicated painter. Also Michelle, principal Raven, Travis, Lizzie, Vince, and Olivia for helping to put this project together. I am really excited to see the transformation!
🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️🌦️🌈

Mural season has kicked off and right now I am working with the Peninsula School’s afterschool program kiddos- my youngest helpers yet! They’re built different guys 😅 We started by reviewing Peninsula’s equity clause and having the kids define each word, then come up with some illustrations that reflect them. I have compiled those for later— right now we are getting busy painting in some sky, dunes, grass and the bay. Up next, sun showers and rainbows 🌈
.
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Huge shout out to @rachelmorrisarts from CalPoly who helped put together the design and has made it out each day to help- you’re awesome! Also Atlas and Mori who helped me out so much on our first paint day. You two are phenomenal tiny human wranglers 🙇🏻‍♀️ Special gratitude to Chance, the only middle schooler in the bunch, for being such a dedicated painter. Also Michelle, principal Raven, Travis, Lizzie, Vince, and Olivia for helping to put this project together. I am really excited to see the transformation!
🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️🌦️🌈

I loved the soundtrack to American Fiction. (The movie is great too)
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Made more progress on January. After 1 hour of lining I smeared ink and then my nib burbled out a bunch of droplets 🤦🏻‍♀️ which meant that I needed to take a break. Looking forward to coloring though!
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#inkpen #inknib #calligraphypen #humboldtcounty

I loved the soundtrack to American Fiction. (The movie is great too)
.
Made more progress on January. After 1 hour of lining I smeared ink and then my nib burbled out a bunch of droplets 🤦🏻‍♀️ which meant that I needed to take a break. Looking forward to coloring though!
.
#inkpen #inknib #calligraphypen #humboldtcounty

New originals in the shop- including the last of the Duck, Duck, Goose gallery! These paintings are fairly large and add a lot of fun & color to the space. All duck art is a collaboration between myself and @tessyinger !

Link in bio ;)

New originals in the shop- including the last of the Duck, Duck, Goose gallery! These paintings are fairly large and add a lot of fun & color to the space. All duck art is a collaboration between myself and @tessyinger !

Link in bio ;)

A wee timelapse of my progress on the January calendar page.

A wee timelapse of my progress on the January calendar page.

I’ve been doing some tooling around with poster paints lately. I looooveee them. They handle like watercolor with gouache opacity- and they reactivate when dry! I’ve been reusing the same palettes worth of paint for the past week and I only squeeze a dime sized amount at a time. The colors are incredibly vibrant too, and seem to allow for more nuanced color mixing vs. the acryla-gouache that I was using before. Give it a shot if you’re curious- it’s definitely worth the cost!
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This is a quick paint sketch for a mural coming up this spring btw 🌼

I’ve been doing some tooling around with poster paints lately. I looooveee them. They handle like watercolor with gouache opacity- and they reactivate when dry! I’ve been reusing the same palettes worth of paint for the past week and I only squeeze a dime sized amount at a time. The colors are incredibly vibrant too, and seem to allow for more nuanced color mixing vs. the acryla-gouache that I was using before. Give it a shot if you’re curious- it’s definitely worth the cost!
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This is a quick paint sketch for a mural coming up this spring btw 🌼

Everyone’s talking about the new warbler flying around Eureka but nobody’s talking about all the cool hats he has for sale? What’s up with that?
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#blackthroatedgreenwarbler
#watercolorpainting #watercolorillustration #mesellhatsokpoke #travelingmerchant

Everyone’s talking about the new warbler flying around Eureka but nobody’s talking about all the cool hats he has for sale? What’s up with that?
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#blackthroatedgreenwarbler
#watercolorpainting #watercolorillustration #mesellhatsokpoke #travelingmerchant

🌼 all better! 🌼
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This is my first time fixing a hole on the edge of a zipper this way. How snazzy! A little seam rippin’ and she’s back in action. Vintage fabric gifted from Devon, who is the bestest.
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#visiblemending
#mendingmatters

🌼 all better! 🌼
.
This is my first time fixing a hole on the edge of a zipper this way. How snazzy! A little seam rippin’ and she’s back in action. Vintage fabric gifted from Devon, who is the bestest.
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#visiblemending
#mendingmatters

⚡️TIDINGS!⚡️
Hey, just wanna let y’all know that I did my second ever blog post- this one recounting all that went into my latest mural in Manila. Head over to my website to read all about it!

OR

Swipe to see the results!

GINORMOUS GRATITUDE to all of the people and kiddos who helped with this project. Really, the texture was something else but we freaking did it guys.

Until next time! 🌝⚡️

⚡️TIDINGS!⚡️
Hey, just wanna let y’all know that I did my second ever blog post- this one recounting all that went into my latest mural in Manila. Head over to my website to read all about it!

OR

Swipe to see the results!

GINORMOUS GRATITUDE to all of the people and kiddos who helped with this project. Really, the texture was something else but we freaking did it guys.

Until next time! 🌝⚡️

Most treasured mural sneakers are back in action!
⚡️🩵⚡️🧡⚡️
#mendingmatters
#visiblemending

Most treasured mural sneakers are back in action!
⚡️🩵⚡️🧡⚡️
#mendingmatters
#visiblemending

Painting is under way! 🎨✨
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Folks following my stories have seen this bathroom go from yucko to glamorous over the past couple weeks. Today, after planning, designing, pressure washing, priming, paint spraying.. the kids finally get to put on some color! (Thanks for the sun universe!)
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We went @ginatuzzi style and mixed our own paints which meant they needed their own beautiful names.
😅😅😅

I’m super grateful to be able to partner with the folks at the Redwood Coast Montessori and especially @tessyinger who worked with the kiddos to get the design all laid out. I think you’re going to love the end result :)

Painting is under way! 🎨✨
.
Folks following my stories have seen this bathroom go from yucko to glamorous over the past couple weeks. Today, after planning, designing, pressure washing, priming, paint spraying.. the kids finally get to put on some color! (Thanks for the sun universe!)
.
We went @ginatuzzi style and mixed our own paints which meant they needed their own beautiful names.
😅😅😅

I’m super grateful to be able to partner with the folks at the Redwood Coast Montessori and especially @tessyinger who worked with the kiddos to get the design all laid out. I think you’re going to love the end result :)

Something new and fun I participated in this morning: Rot art! Thanks to @makersapron for putting this fun event together that highlights a pretty important and overlooked component of Reuse. Also thank you to @elkriverjules & Cathy for getting me a nice big bundle of New Zealand Flax at the very last minute to weave with. What a beautiful way to spend a morning in a forest!
🍂🍃🌾🌼

Something new and fun I participated in this morning: Rot art! Thanks to @makersapron for putting this fun event together that highlights a pretty important and overlooked component of Reuse. Also thank you to @elkriverjules & Cathy for getting me a nice big bundle of New Zealand Flax at the very last minute to weave with. What a beautiful way to spend a morning in a forest!
🍂🍃🌾🌼

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