Tiptoe Through The Tulips

As I was driving home from the gym today, I was noticing all the pretty tulips and daffodils in gardens. I love seeing the flowers bloom, it just gives you such a great feeling to see all that growth, colour and beauty. Did you know that Tulips actually originated in Turkey. The name ‘tulip’ comes from the Turkish word ‘tulbend’, which stands for turban. Interesting hey, I always thought tulips originated in Holland but they didn’t.  Here I’ll share some of my tulip photos that I’ve taken and used on products for my store and a few designs that I created and put on t-shirts. Enjoy!

Making Easter Treats

Have you heard of ‘cake pops’ or ‘cake balls’? I heard of these fun treats by Bakerella (you can find her on youtube) and I had been wanting to try to make them so yesterday I got motivated and decided to make some for Easter. I chose yellow, blue and lavender for my chocolate colours. You could make these for all kinds of parties from birthday parties to baby and wedding showers. These would also be a great project for moms or grandma’s to make with the kids. Only a few ingredients required and a little creative juice! I also just finished an article that shows the steps to make these! Making Delicious Cake Balls

I’ve been designing cute ‘cake’ designs for my store and using them on a variety of products.  Stop by to see more, Designs by Shell

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Birthday Party Themes

Do you have some birthdays coming up in your family. If so perhaps you’ll be hosting a birthday party for one of your children or a spouse or maybe a parent. They can be a lot of fun to put together especially if you turn it into a theme birthday. There are so many fun themes to do for a kids birthday. For boys there is the pirate party, bowling party or sports party theme. For girls you could host a princess party, spa party or dance party theme. There are of course lots of themes that would work for boys and girls as well as for a mix of ages. One could have a cupcake theme party, a pool or swimming party, garden party or barbeque theme party. Pick your theme and tie all of the decorations, food, cake and games to that theme. Here you’ll find some cute invitations that I’ve designed in a variety of different themes. To see more visit my store Designs by Shell.

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Creating Cartoon Animals

Well, it’s no secret that one of my favourite things to create and draw are cartoon animals. I love to come up with interesting positions and funny expressions for them. Then I like to add humorous sayings or messages to them. This last week I’ve designed the cutest teddy bears in spring dresses ( what… teddy bears aren’t animals) for birthday party invitations. I’ve also drawn some cool cats and redesigned a beaver that I created a while back. It’s great that there is no right or wrong when creating your own characters they just are what they are! I’ll share some of them with you here. Hope you enjoy them and to see more come by my store Designs by Shell.

Maintaining Your Fitness Motivation

Some days it is definitely harder than others to stay motivated and inspired to do a good workout. Whether you choose to go to a gym and lift weights and do cardio machines or you prefer to exercise outdoors, one still needs motivation. A few of the ways that work for me are : 1) Set small goals… like today I’m going to do two sets of lunges or add an extra 8 squats to my routine. 2) Think of something healthy that you love to eat like fresh strawberries or a juicy peach and remind yourself how good that will taste when you finish your workout. 3) Wear something stylish or cute (ladies) it really does put you in a better mood than if you just throw on an old t-shirt.  4) Find a workout partner that can motivate you for at least one of your workouts during the week. For me I work out with my husband on the weekend and we help motivate each other. We always have a delicious breakfast after our workout too! So try to make it fun and you’ll stay motivated. Here are some designs from my store that might inspire you too! Designs by Shell

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Capturing Great Floral Pictures

Spring is here and the flowers are beginning to show their heads.This is my favourite time of year. Time to get the camera out and capture some beautiful floral pictures. There are a few things to remember when taking photos of flowers and I’ll share them with you here. The first tip being you’ll want to focus on your subject, getting down close to it. Try varying your position and angles to get the perfect picture. Tip # 2 would be to try to take your shots in filtered sunlight or on a slightly overcast day as the bright sun can wash out your images. Tip # 3 is always check for distractions in the foreground/background of your shot. Sometimes weird items lying in the way distract from your subject.  Try these next time you’re outside with your camera.  I thought I’d share some of my products that sell well with my floral photography. Hope you enjoy them and to see more come by my store Designs by Shell.

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