The Latest and Greatest

And answers to your questions

Last year, right around the time I found out that I was expecting baby number five, I was approached about the possibility of illustrating a children’s book. For those who have been following me for awhile, you may have gathered that this is something that has been on my heart for a long time.

Besides being incredibly honored to be asked, I was delighted to discover that the book in question was a gem of a read. The story was sweet, charming, and funny. Also, quite fittingly, it followed a mom’s journey through pregnancy from the eyes of her little boy.

I have a real love of Children’s books. There is something wonderful about the way pictures can make an already great story even more captivating. So, I am very excited to announce that what began as just preliminary conversations last Fall, has now come to fruition. I have officially teamed up with Kim Armbrustmacher to bring her story to life!

A peek at one of the illustrations I am working on.

Some fun little notes about the process:

• This is the first book I’ve ever illustrated. So, I’m excited to give you little windows into the world of what it’s like as I go along. So far it’s exactly as I imagined: a lot of work, and a lot of fun!
  

• I’ve decided to use people that I know as the inspiration for the characters in the story. This way it will be easier to have consistency in my illustrations. I’ve never had to paint the same person over and over again in different angles and scenes. That is so intimidating! But it’s also exciting to think about the ways this process will help me to grow as an artist.

My little brother, Michael, and his wife, Jillian - two of my main character models!

• I only have little pockets of time to work on this because the kids are home for the summer. So when baby goes down for his nap in the morning, the kids have a list to work through, and I have two hours to get as much as I can done.

I hope you enjoy following along this process. If you have any questions about what illustrating a book is like, definitely ask! I’m happy to share the journey with you. There will be so much more to come, so stay tuned!

In other news, I received my shipment of these Virtue postcards in the mail! They are SO pretty, and I loved designing them. My dream is that they help families teach their kids about the virtues in a simple and very meaningful way. You can download them and print them yourself here:

I also had this pack of cards printed on thick, textured paper. I will be launching them mid-July! You all will have first access.

As always, thanks for being here. May your hearts and homes be full of joy and peace.

Sincerely,

Kristina