The House Of Hearts | Travel, Design and Good Living » Art & Design

Around The World: Traveling Art Journal

Crystal — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:37:49 +0000

I was lucky enough to be participate in the Traveling Journal: Around the World that Jessica Mack of Brown Paper Bunny was hosting. Now you may not know this but the ladies that are part of this project I am sure well aware that I had the book for 6 months which I am really embarrassed about.

When the book got into my hands I was completely stunned with all the creativity and talent I was holding and it brought my own creativity to a screaming hult. This may sound strange but let me explain.

I compared myself to all the entries before me which brought on HUGE self-doubt that I could even come close to the bar that was set. This brought me to push the book further down my creative ‘to do’ list to the point where I just wanted to send it to the next person. But giving up is not the answer and where is the growth in that?

Where do I get off comparing myself to others who have worked hard & gone to school to cultivate their creative lives?

I am just exploring my creative side and I can not expect myself to be as good as someone who has been working their craft as a professional for sometime. That is just foolish, but comparing yourself to others can be can’t it? We are all unique, have made different chooses to get ourselves to the place we are today.

Comparing yourself will only bombard you with feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt and keep you derailed from your goals.

With all of that being said, I want to say SORRY & THANK YOU to Jessica Mack and all the ladies who are part of this project for being patient with me as I slowly worked through my own lack of self-approval. Now that I have that off my chest here are the entries that have come before me, below the photo you will find links to the creators! ENJOY.

BLOG // TWITTER // SHOP

BLOG //

BLOG // TWITTER // SHOP

BLOG // TWITTER

Is there something that you are letting yourself be held back on?

Know that you are not alone! We all have struggles and being honest with yourself along with some self-love you can jump over any hurdle that is before you.

If I can help you in anyway you just let me know!

Until we meet again. Much Love,

P.S. Need a little more love this morning? Check out Much Love Anna.

A labour of love.

Crystal — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:35:17 +0000

Now it may not look like much BUT this is my first WordPress theme that I fully hand coded and designed. (Paul usually did my graphic since he is a pro.) I feel very proud of myself to say the least. It has not been the easiest task since I knew nothing about PHP before I started but I was up for the challenge and earned a lot through the process.

I wanted something clean, simple & fully mine. I feel I have achieved that although there is a bit of tweaking left to do. So please snoop around and let me know if you see anything that looks a little funny or out of place.

New thing on the blog you’ll find is Sponsorship spots on my right sidebar. You can read all about what your money will go towards and what you’ll get out of sponsoring The House Of Hearts right over here. Along with simplifying my about page if you don’t find what you are looking for on either of these pages then be sure to write me and ask. I’m always happy to answer questions!

I’ll be back with my 2011 photo wrap up.

Until than much love,

Focus

Crystal — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:55:57 +0000

I have been really focused lately in polishing up my skills in Photoshop and Illustrator, hence the little new art book entry of mine. And I wanted to share some things I have been using lately like Paint The Moon’s Sample Photoshop Actions which kick some serious butt! I mean come on with names like Sunny Days, Vanilla Pop & Urban Delight you really can’t go wrong.

So if you have Photoshop and are looking for some new looks for your photos check them out! And if you don’t have Photoshop but want to test it out you can download a FREE 30 Day trial of the product. It might just become one of your favourite softwares. I know it is mine so far!

Until we meet again. Much ♥,

Fresh from the Philippines – Valerie Chua of Quiet Girl

Crystal — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:40:32 +0000

While doing a little research for a final project I stumbled across these great postcard illustrations and can not help but share.
The collection is called Blush Hagaki by Valerie of Quiet Girl out of Manila, Philippines. Valerie is a self-taught artist so her work I find not only inspiring for it’s dreaminess but also because she made mistakes to get to this place of greatness.
The Creative Dork did a great interview on Valerie which I think is worth the read right over here. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I am going to spend it cleaning, studying and catching up on all the blog posts I would like to make.

Until we meet again. Much ♥,

Brandi Milne’s First Designer Toy

Crystal — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:07:46 +0000

Some of you might remember that Brandi Milne is one of my favourite artists. Her paintings are simply dreamy and out of this world. I will own one of her originals one day!

Back in 2009 I was lucky enough to of won a pair of her orignal hand made playing cards, sent to me in the mail with a little note. (which I still have) Needless to say I was giddy like a little girl when I won and these little guys are up on my studio wall.

I highly suggest you check out Brandi’s work and this fun interview. Want this toy for yourself? Then head over to 3D Retro.

Until We Meet Again. Much ♥,

+Tape Stripe from Pugly Pixel

Much Love Monday

Crystal — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:05:23 +0000

There is something so lovely about the sound & smell of coffee being ground in the morning. It gives me the feeling that each day will start of fresh and it is my choose what direction I want each day to go. Paul is usually out of bed earlier the me and makes the coffee but if it is on the weekend and Paul is making the coffee it usually leads to us to our kitchen table where we spend our whole Saturday. Him drawing, me creating something from one of the many hobbies I have picked up over the past 3 years, drinking to much coffee and dreaming of our next adventure together. I treasure these Saturdays because they seem to have been happening fewer and further between due to Paul working on multiply projects at once leaving him to work 12+ hours most of the weekdays. (Which is also the reason we can have our crazy adventures together. So I can’t complain!)
Below is the creation of my new sketchbook turned awesome art journal that I put together over the weekend. (Along with 3 CD covers/books)

{ book plate by flapper doodle }

What are you loving today?

Need some inspirtation? Check out Much ♥ Monday.

Until We Meet Again. Much Love,

1st Vlog and a whole lotta bragging!

Crystal — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:48:05 +0000

Alright I have done it, my first ever Vlog. It is just a simple introduction for part of the 20 Something Bloggers, it is short and sweet since I prefer to be behind the lens. Paul says it is a good characterization of how I am in real life! I left out a lot of things but I am open to questions so please feel free to ask me in the comments or email me.
{Random Facts Posts: 1, 2 and a list here}

Intro for 20SB Vlog Day from Crystal Heart on Vimeo.

And now to some fun stuff! The game Paul has been designing has just been announced. The launch of the IE9 Game is on June 10th so if you are a PC using make sure to check it out as it is optimized for you! AND if you are in Toronto you can play the game LIVE!!! WHAT?!?! I wish I could be there. All the details are here for the launch. If you are a nerd like me and like to see the process check out theirTumblr. AND now to the characters, which are on posters. We are going to get them framed and put in our gaming room.

My favourite is the eye ball guy #2. What’s yours?

So remember, if you are in Toronto this weekend make sure to make it to the live event at Richmond St W & John St
Friday, June 10 from 9:00PM to MIDNIGHT & Saturday, June 11 from 9:00PM to MIDNIGHT.
Well I am off to enjoy the thunder storm which is upon Montreal right now. Hope you are all having a wonderful evening.
Much Love,

New Dreamy Blog Design!

Crystal — Sun, 29 May 2011 20:25:06 +0000

I could not be more happy with the creativity and productivity that is happening in our household this weekend. Paul and I have been brainstorming for a great new blog design for The House Of Hearts and everything we have come up with up until this weekend just didn’t cut it. But then we looked through some ‘rejected’ designs from some gigs he has done lately and inspiration struck us! Paul put so much time and love into this illustration to make it dreamy and reflect so many aspects of who I am. Thank you so much for always spoiling me, Paul! What do you think of his creation?

I have changed the layout as well to have a wider body to show off my photos a little bit better. There is still a lot of tweeking that will be happening over the next week, but if you see something that you think shouldn’t be there or a bug leave me a comment or message me on my new contact form.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!
Much Love,

P.S. I also added this little plug heart plug in. If you don’t feel like leaving a comment but like the post just heart it!
+ Paul used Pugly Pixel’s letterpress tutorial.

Basement Projects

Crystal — Fri, 27 May 2011 04:36:14 +0000

I could not be happier to be writing this post to you today! My cousin Vicki who I hold near and dear to my heart has just purchased space in Mexico City and is starting an art gallery call basement projects. You may say ‘Why Mexico City?’ and the answer is simple LOVE. Vicki is a newly wed to a wonderful man named Oscar who is helping make her dreams come true. I love how they make each other so happy but yet live an extraordinary life, it makes me think of Paul and I.

With a new art gallery comes the need for great art! The CONCEPT for the first exhibit taken from the website:

POPURRÍ is an eclectic group art exhibition presenting 15 emerging local and international artists working in a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, photography, animation, collage, and mixed media. This exhibition seeks to recognize the outstanding quality and diversity of work being generated by contemporary emerging artists today.

If you think you would be a great fit for this new gallery come check out all the details on the Call to Artists Page or get the up to date new on the FaceBook Page.

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend! I would love to hear what you were up to :)

Much Love,

Design Work for Captive Creativity

Crystal — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:05:18 +0000

I have been working with Amanda of Captive Creativity to give her a new blog look. I wanted to create something fun and sweet, to reflect all the goodness that is on this great blog. My inspiration was a candy shoppe that I am sure most of us have fond memories of as children. A few inspirations:

{source}

Here are a few of the designs I came up with.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

The Winner!

Check out her new blog look HERE!

If you are looking to freshen up your Blog header or WordPress I would love to work with you! I have very reasonable rates so lets’ chat!

crystal {at} thehouseofhearts.com

Hope everyone is having a wonderful HUMP DAY!

Much Love,