Momathon Blog

Happy International Women's Day!

Today is International Women's Day. It's a day of celebration AND a day to take action. Today is a day to start making changes, to join together as a community to build a better future for all women. The story of womens struggle for equality around the world belongs to no single feminist or to an organization but instead to collective effort of all who care about human rights.

Here are a few astonishing facts about why we need to join together to help women around the globe, via the Globalpovertyproject.com.

 

Women make up 1/2 the world's population. 

Yet 70% of the world's poor are women.

• • •

1.4 billion women in the world live on under a $1.50 a day.

• • •

Women work 2/3 of the total working hours worldwide,

but only earn 10% of working income.

 

Each year 1,000+ International Women's Day events are uploaded by corporations, women's groups, schools, governments, charities and individuals from around the world. No matter where you are there is bound to be a range of exciting International Women's Day events near you. You can find more information here: International Women's Day 2013 events.

 

Images: The illustration featured above is by me, Chris Olson. Feel free to pin images on Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks!

City Dogs {Frenchies}

As you know, I love to draw dogs and I've added new products for dog lovers in my Society6 shop—everything from pillows, iPhone cases & skins, laptop skins, framed art prints, stretched canvases and more. Check out the pillow featured below here. If you order any items from my shop, you get free shipping—just you use this promo. (The free-shipping promo is available through December 9, 2012).

Above: City Dogs {Frenchies} Throw Pillow by Chris Olson at Society6.
The Society6 Throw Pillows are made from 100% spun polyester poplin fabric (giving it a nice cotton feel), a stylish statement that will liven up any room. Available in three sizes - 16", 18" and 20". Individually cut and sewn by hand (yes, the folks at Society6 are using their hands as usual), each throw pillow features a double-sided print of your artwork and is finished with a concealed zipper for ease of care and at a price that will impress your best collectors. For even greater affordability and options, the Throw Pillows are sold with or without a faux down pillow insert.

Below: more of my Society6 products featuring French Bulldogs including an iPad skin, iPhone case, and framed art.  

 

Images: CITY DOGS {FRENCHIES} graphics by me, Chris Olson, and feature my original artwork of French Bulldogs. Feel free to pin image on Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks!

 

Dogs Are My Fave

Some people knit, I doodle. And I love to doodle all types of animals—especially dogs. Frenchies are extra fun to draw. I guess it is something about their wise expression. 

More dogs in my doodles:

Dog Doodle: Lucy

Daily Doodle: Dogs in the city

Waiting for my coffee to brew

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Image: TO ERR IS HUMAN graphic includes a dog illustration and design by me, Chris Olson. Feel free to Pin it Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks! 

Social Media Doodle App

Yesterday I mentioned a new app for doodle lovers. Doodle.ly for iPad is a sketchbook app that turns your iPad into a doodle canvas for sharing on Facebook and Twitter. You can see what Doodle.ly doodlers are creating here. If you like to doodle on paper, then this is a great app for you—and your kids. Check out my list of things I like about the app below. Plus I have some suggestions for ways get the most out of doodling using this app.

Polka Dot Love

Happy Monday, friends!

Did the weekend treat you well? My weekend zipped by much too quickly. I'm starting out a bit slow today. Sorting through my emails. Walking my three dogs—yes, three! And baking a batch of blueberry muffins. Yum!

Sharing a bit of doodle-ly letter love—with polka dots—today. Is doodle-ly a word? I hope so. I like to say it ;) 

Not only is doodle-ly a word, it's an app! I'll have more on this app tomorrow. 

Image: The DOODLE-LY POLKA DOT ART at the top of the post is by me, Chris Olson. The app image on the left is from iTunes. Feel free to Pin them on Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks! 

Summery Decisions

A narrow dirt road with long stretches of washboard bumps wraps around the lake. At the southwest corner is a sign. Which way would you turn?  Left to the cabin?  Or right to the lake?

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Image: I love vintage signs. Here's my take on a popular sign I often see "up north." Sign graphic created by me, Chris Olson. Feel free to Pin it on Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks! 

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Hello, Summer!

Does it feel like summer at your house? The sky is blue and the heat is sizzling here. Happy Summer!

The June floral pattern above by me, Chris Olson.

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Photos: On My Desk Today

Thinking about the 5" inches of snow that came as a fluffy surprise yesterday. Plus Mardi Gras and those amazing masks. The book on my desk is a childhood favorite: Snow by Roy McKee and P.D. Eastman. Here is what’s on my art studio desk today—a collection of items I am using in my illustration and design work. Check back next Friday for another collection. 

On My Desk Today: Castles, Crowns, and Frilly Things

Thinking about castles, crowns, and frilly things. Here is what’s on my art studio desk today—a collection of items I am using in my illustration and design work. Check back next Friday for another collection. 

And, yes, I really do wear that tiarra! It's very effective in getting the attention of my kids.

It's almost the weekend. Looking for some DIY inspiration? Check out my book reviews--loads of photos--featuring a selection of decorating books here. 

Polka dots, flowers, and best friends

 

Hope you are having a lovely weekend. I'm thinking about sweet things as I plan some projects for the next week. Happy things like polka dots, a dog sitting at my feet and a pink bouquet always get my artistic juices flowing. What about you. What is your muse?

(Art by me, Chris Olson)

Thinking about my garden

 

 

Today is cloudy with temps hovering around freezing. I am wishing for spring with cheery flowers in pots on my deck and a row of daffodils in my garden. One of my favorite parts of gardening is planning. I have always had a fondness for dark flowers. That's why I started playing with my paints and sketching a black flower. Who knows... Maybe it will end up in my garden too.

Flower art by me, Chris Olson.

On my desk today

 

Here is what’s on my desk today—I am assembling photo cards for holiday gifts. Check back next Friday for another collection.

Photo by me, Chris Olson. 

On my desk today

 

Here is what's "on my desk" today--a collection of items I am using in my illustration and design work. Check back next Friday for another collection.

Photo by me, Chris Olson.

Hello, Weekend!

 

Art by me, Chris Olson

My October blog banner

Selecting images for a banner is always fun. Halloween makes this a great month for design ideas. Here's my new banner.

If you would like to order a custom blog banner, send me an email at chriscocomedia at mac dot com. Or go to my design website for contact and design information.

Thanks!

Chris Olson

 

Make it a great weekend mantra

 

The days are getting shorter and fall is right around the corner. Time to soak up the last rays of summer sunshine and enjoy the day any way you like! Here's a weekend mantra to boost your mood and energy level. 

 

Go ahead, waste a little time. It’s good for you!

The quote in my illustration has been attributed to several people including John Lennon, Bertrand Russell, T. S. Elliot, Soren Kierkegaard, Laurence J. Peter, and others.

Text illustrations by me, Chris Olson. I do custom artwork with your favorite quotes, if you are interested go to my illustration website.

 

My daily doodle: Four cats

 

Cats are kindly masters,
just so long as you remember your place.

~ Paul Gray

(Cat illustrations by me, Chris Olson)

It's the little things...

 

 

Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

And remember to enjoy the little things!

Mixed media art by me, Chris Olson.

Watercolor Wednesday: Doxie Moxie

 

Happy Wednesday!

Watercolor art by me, Chris Olson.

Are you saving enough?

 

The recent stock market slide may make you too nervous to look at your retirement account, but now more than ever you need to make sure you have realistic expectations for what you will need in retirement and compare that to how much you are saving each month.

Do you know how much you need to save each month for retirement? Jean Chatzky, More Magazine's finance columnist suggests: "Not sure how to do the calculations? Try the Ballpark E$timate at Choose to Save."

Women vs. Men
Many women need to shift the way they think about money and become at least as savvy as men with their retirement savings plans. Why? For starters, women are living longer than men. Yet men think they need to save more for their retirement. Women on average only earn 77 cents on the dollar compared with men. Plus women are more likely to be employed in jobs that are not covered by company retirement and pension plans. Married couples may assume they are better off, but they need to also consider what happens to the surviving spouse–often the wife. According to WSJ.com:

Daily doodle: Wordless Wednesdays

 

Daily doodle by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. 

Improving lives one puppy at a time

 

 

Changing lives one puppy at a time, Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships.

Draw a monster today

 

It's hot! It's stormy! Perfect time to draw a monster.  

I call it monster therapy. Gather a bunch of markers or crayons and some paper--any size. Even Post-It Notes work.

Now here is the fun part. Pretty much anything goes. Expert doodlers and newbies will enjoy this project. All you need to do is scribble, doodle or draw the craziest monster you can think of. If you want, add some glitter, feathers, and stickers too.

Looking for more inspiration? Check out the monsters on the blog by my friend–and bestselling children's author/illustrator–Nancy Carlson.

* Monster doodle above by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. 

 

Daily doodle: fashion matters

 

 

Fashion matters, even during stressful times. In the morning I sometimes just throw stuff together and walk out the door "ready" for the day. Wrong.

I've noticed that taking some time for myself to think about what to wear that day--no matter how busy I feel--really does end up making me feel better. 

Bill Cunningham, New York Times On the Street fashion photographer, says it best in the movie Bill Cunningham New York:

Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.

* Doodle above by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

Sand between my toes

The summer heat wave is here. Time hit the beach, sit back, and relax.  

Doodle above by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

Your vacation begins now

 

Sigh... My collage art class with Claudine Hellmuth is almost over. What am I going to do for fun now? Perhaps a vacation?

Looking for something artsy to do this summer? Check out the classes at Big Picture Classes. Or follow artist and workshop instructor Claudine Hellmuth on Twitter–@collageartist. Her tweets include loads of clever craft ideas and great links to DIY projects and tutorials.

Collage by me, Chris Olson

Daily doodle: Summer is here to stay

 

 

Doodle by me, Chris Olson.

Summer vacation doodle

 

Taking an online art course is a great way to get your creative juices flowing. Here is the collage I completed yesterday for a collage class taught by the fun and super creative Claudine Hellmuth at Big Picture Classes. You can follow Claudine on Twitter at @collageartist.

(Art by me, Chris Olson)

 

Summer collage

 

 

Summer is the perfect time to try something new and get creative. So this month I am testing out collages in an online class taught by the fabulous instructor Claudine Hellmuth at Big Picture Classes. The boating collage above is my first attempt. Lotsa fun!

Art: by me, Chris Olson

Hello, June!

 

Doodle by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

Daily Doodle: Don't forget to be awesome

 

 

Happiness is a direction, not a place.

~Syndey J. Harris 

 

 

Doodle by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

Daily Doodle: Pug and spider

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout.

Down came the rain, and washed the spider out.

Up came the sun, and dried up all the rain,

and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.

 

Illustration of the pug and spider by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. 

 

 

 

 

 

More best advice from mom: Take turns

I grew up with two older brothers and as kids we were constantly arguing about who got to sit in the front seat of the car, or who got to take the newest (and coolest) sled down the hill first, or who got to pick the TV show next. In my countdown to Mother's Day, today I'm remembering the best advice from my mom whenever I needed to take a step back and think about what my siblings or my friends would want: "Take turns." This advice never grows old–even at work or with my grown-up friends and family–life is sweeter when we take turns.

Thanks Mom!

In honor of Mother's Day, this week my "Mom Says" doodle art features my favorite sayings from my mom. You can find all of my "mom says" art here. You can see even more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. 

Illustration above by me, Chris Olson.

 

Best Advice from Mom: Stand Up Tall

In my countdown to Mother's Day, today I'm remembering the best advice from my mom whenever I was feeling down: "Stand up tall."

In honor of Mother's Day, this week my "Mom Says" doodle art features my favorite sayings from my mom. You can find all of my "mom says" art here. You can see even more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. 

Illustration above by me, Chris Olson.

 

Daily doodle: Easter bunny slippers

I love this drawing by my daughter. She makes gel pen drawings look amazing!

Doodle by K.C.

Daily doodle: baby bird

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.
It sings because it has a song.  

~Chinese Proverb

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. Illustration by me, Chris Olson.

Daily doodle: The original JUST DO IT!

Now is a good time to be your own Yoda according to Elizabeth Pongo's posting in the Own Your Own Beauty series on BlogHer. Because, I guess, when you take charge of your own well being, life becomes so much sweeter.

The doodle above is by me, Chris Olson. You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

 

Daily doodle: Pugs do not like windy days

Doodle by me, Chris Olson. (You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.)

Daily doodle: for Kira

 

 

 

Doodle by me, Chris Olson. (You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.)

Daily Doodle: Happy Birthday, Dad!

My doodle today is dedicated to my dad on his birthday. A bit of nostalgia, this doodle features my brothers and me at a local ski area back when tow ropes and lace-up ski boots were the thing.

One of my fondest memories from my childhood in Minnesota was going skiing almost daily from December through March at the ski hill conveniently located about 2 blocks from my house. As soon as I jumped off the school bus after school, I would grab my ski boots and skis and head to the slopes. I think a season pass at the ski hill back then only cost about $25. When my family moved from Indiana to Minnesota I was nearly five. The only thing that made the move tolerable was the promise of lots of snow. I admit I was a bit disappointed the first year because as a kindergartner I imagined the Minnesota snowdrifts would be higher than my house and instead the drifts were only hip high. The snowfall the first year was below average. However, each year that followed we had more than enough of the white stuff to ski–and shovel!

Doodle by me, Chris Olson. (You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.)

Daily doodle: A silky terrier and his favorite bone

The dog in the art above is my little silky terrier. He loves to carry around bones--the bigger the better. He is so small that when you look down on him most of his body disappears beneath his head :)

Doodle by me, Chris Olson. (You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.)

 

 

Daily doodle: you are beauty full

 

 

You are so beautiful ... to me, 

You are so beautiful ... to me, ... can't you see?

 

You're everything I hope for

Everything I need...

 

~ Billy Preston & Joe Cocker

 

 

Doodle by me, Chris Olson. (You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.)

 

Daily doodle: singing in the rain

 
You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. Illustration: Chris Olson © 2011.

Daily doodle: She believed she could

 

 

 

"Always act like you're wearing an invisible crown."

~author unknown

 

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. Illustration: Chris Olson © 2011.

Photo doodle: There is no medicine like hope...

 

If only we could fly a plane and catch a glimpse of tomorrow. 

 

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. Photo doodle: Chris Olson © 2011.

Valentine doodle: love blooms

 

 

"Love comforteth like sunshine after rain."

~ William Shakespeare

 

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. Illustration: Chris Olson © 2011.

 

Daily doodle: more (heart) please

"Do you remember we were sitting there by the water? 

You put your arm around me for the first time,  

You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter,  

You are the best thing that's ever been mine..."

 

~ Mine lyrics by Taylor Swift 

 

(Mine music video by Taylor Swift.)

 

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles. Illustration: Chris Olson © 2011.

Valentine doodle: keep me in your heart

 

“If there ever comes a day
 when we can't be together
 keep me in your heart,
I'll stay there forever."

~ Winnie the Pooh

 

 

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

 

Image: VALENTINE DOODL art by me, Chris Olson.  Feel free to Pin it on Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks!

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Illustration: Chris Olson © 2011.

 

 

Valentine doodle: Love actually is all around

"If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around." 

~ The Prime Minister, the movie Love Actually

 

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

Illustration: Chris Olson © 2011.

Valentine doodles: Puppy love

“I don't wish to be everything to everyone,

but I would like to be something to someone.” 

~ Javan

You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.

Illustration: Chris Olson © 2011.