Flowers Galore - A Photographer's Dream

Can you believe it's August already? The summer is going by far too quickly! It's been a busy week for me. My husband Brian and I have been doing day trips to parks and gardens. We went to a beautiful 'Botanical Garden' called VanDeusen Gardens in south Vancouver. I was in photographers heaven. I took so many fabulous pics' of unique flowers and plants. My favourite hydrangea flowers were all blooming in a variety of colors and sizes. There were daisies and sunflowers, begonias and petunias and so many varieties of roses. So above you'll see a few of the pics I used for products in my store. We also experienced our first B&B in Kelowna. Stayed at a great place with a swimming pool right on the golf course. We had a good time gofing on a natural green putting course and kayaking on the lake. Also got in some visiting with family too! Now it's back to work... pop by my store to see more of my creations.
Designs by Shell

Wild Things

I included a couple of my raccoon drawings that I put on products too! Stop by my store Designs by Shell




Okay, so yesterday my husband and I went for a long walk, well we actually spent the afternoon at a park in Vancouver. Stanley Park to be exact. The flowers were beautiful as usual at this time of year. I took many pics' of them. The most exciting part of the day was my encounter with a little raccoon. First you should probably know that I am not a 'big animal' fan... yes they can be cute but I am pretty tentative around most of them. So anyways my husband and I were sitting on a bench that overlooks a pond with lots of tree and bushes around, just quietly reading our books. This rustling beside me startles me and a raccoon comes straight out of the bushes towards us. It was about 4 feet away! What do I do? Of course, I jump up on the bench, freaking out, saying, 'Oh no, Oh no, crap, what do we do?! My husband is laughing at me and telling me to get down from the bench, but I remain standing there. I did not think this was funny... the raccoon turns around and heads back into the bushes. After this I was a little jumpy and was having a hard time concentrating on my book. A few minutes later the raccoon comes sneaking out again and crosses in front of us and gets into the pond. Yes, I was up on the bench again! The raccoon probably thought I was nuts! It must have looked pretty funny but I didn't care. I did capture some great pictures of him as you can see above. Ahhh... what an afternoon!

Got a Craving for Sweets

This last week I've been working on adding items to my Sweets and Desserts category in my shop. I started off drawing some decadent ice cream cones in soft colors then some ice cream sundaes in a little brighter colors. Then I came up with my latest design, my lollipop designs. Actually I did a few different designs for these as they were so fun to create. I never knew there could be so many creative ways to draw lollipops and candy designs. I've been having a good time coming up with sayings to add to these designs too! I find that people really enjoy humorous or cute sayings on items like t-shirts, mugs, totebags and so forth. I hope you enjoy the ones I've posted here, to see more come by my shop for a snoop around, lots of great gift ideas!
Designs by Shell

Amazing Flowers in the Neighborhood

A couple of mornings ago I went for an early walk in my neighborhood before it got too hot out! There were so many beautiful plants and flowers and everyone was sleeping as it was pretty early, so I was able to take plenty of pictures. I captured some stunning hydrangeas in colors from light blue to deep purple. Hydrangeas are my favorite flower, just love them! I also took some amazing shots of lavender bushes in full bloom and a few roses too! It was a great morning and so much fun to combine exercise with picture taking! You should do this in your neighborhood it just may open your eyes to all the beautiful nature and flowers around you! So the last couple of days I've been adding these pic's too products in my store. If you love nature and flowers come by and visit my store Designs by Shell

Steppin' Into Summer

Well the kids are all out of school now, all the graduations are over. It's time for some summer weather. The weather man here says once we get through this weekend the sun is on its way and should be around for awhile. With warm summer days comes pool parties, barbeques and lighter dinners. Summer also means pulling out the summer t-shirts and shorts and spending some leisure time on the beach. Even if you don't swim, it's nice to get your toes wet and sit in a lawn chair with a good summer novel. These last few days I've been creating some fun and cheery summer designs as you see above. I hope they put you in a good mood and make you smile! Here come the days of summer! Come see more of the latest creations at Designs by Shell

How Do You Celebrate Canada Day

Celebrate Canada Day with a cool Beaver mug or t-shirt. The syymbol of the beaver has received official Canadian emblem status and is the animal that is on the Canadian nickel. I came up with this beaver design and thought they would look cool on products in my store. These items can be used or worn all year long! Great gift ideas too! Go Canada!

I've been working on some fun 'Soccer' designs. This little bear dressed in soccer gear, including cleats. Ready to kick the soccer ball.

Here's the little soccer star in red soccer gear and cleats. A fun birthday invitation to a sports or soccer party. Get the kids excited with this one!



If you are a Canadian like me, maybe you have some traditions or ways that you like to celebrate Canada Day. Well for myself and my husband Brian, we have been celebrating by going into Vancouver, a large city about 50 minutes from our place. They have a huge celebraton at Canada Place where there are all kinds of shows, events and music groups that perform, and yes it's free to watch. There is usually a great line-up of bands and entertainment that we enjoy! Just be sure you wear good walking shoes! (blisters are not fun) So to show some Canada spirit I thought I'd post a couple of my 'Canada designs' as well as a few other interesting designs I've been working on. Please stop by my store Designs by Shell To all you Canadians have a wonderful Canada Day! Cheers!

Heard the Latest Buzz - Toy Story 3

Pardon the pun! My husband and I went out for dinner on Monday night and then to the Toy Story 3 movie. It's been many, many years since my boys were running through the house with Buzz and Woody saying "to infinity and beyond" or "there's a snake in my boot"! Sure brought back memories though. Maybe your thinking adults going to a childrens movie is kind of weird. This movie however had touch points for all ages. The young children of course relate easily, teens and older adults can relate as the story is about 'Andy' the main character heading off to college. He has to decide what to do with all his old toys that he's grown out of. As I love to draw animal characters and cartoonish images I found this movie quite inspiring. So above you'll see the cute bears that I've been creating the last couple of days, for products in my store. Hope you enjoy them and if you'd like to see more come by Designs by Shell for a visit!