This print holds a very special place in my heart. It was inspired by our friends, Matt and Monique, and their adoption journey. I remember standing in our dining room talking about the little love they had been praying for and awaiting. I began painting one day and their family was instantly laid on my heart.
Read MoreLake Towada // Aomori, Japan
Lake Towada is beautiful yet eerie and mystical. We may not be in Scotland, but I was convinced that the Loch Ness Monster was going to come up through this fog at any moment. We visited in August so it was a bit chilly and obviously rainy. Lake Towada is known for its natural exhibition of the four seasons. It would be perfect during autumn / maple season! We would love to check it out again on a sunny day.
Read MoreRice Paddy Art // Inakadate, Japan
Who knew that rice paddy fields could be a piece of art?! This blew our minds. These fields were planted with different kinds of rice to create ginormous elaborate artwork. (You can see a person walking on the road as an example of a scale in the photo block below.) Each year, they have a different design or scene, plant the rice then reap the harvest when it's time. They did Star Wars one year and this year they have two separate Japanese scenes. The field pictured above was inspired by the Japanese folklore, "Momotaro," which means "peach boy." It was so interesting!! We read that the entire village partakes in planting and reaping. It really gives a new meaning to, "It takes a village."
Read MoreKonnichiwa! // Welcome to Japan
We were so excited to take Mia Kai on her first trip to Japan! She loved it and the people there loved her! She made instant friends as soon as we arrived in the airport. We stayed in an apartment rather than a hotel so we learned quite a bit more about Japan than we did last time. For instance, they have an incredibly strict and organized trash system. They are serious about recycling, and we are now an official recycling family because of it. Here's a sample of what our trash schedule looked like...
Read More2018 Spring Stationery + Print Collection by Jitneys // Art Prints
Last week, we featured our new 2018 Spring Stationery collection so we'd like to highlight our new art prints this week! Most of these pieces were inspired by our travels in Japan, Germany and Italy (all of which I have yet to post about but hope to soon!). Many of these prints were inspiration for the patterns found on the greeting card collection. The combination of a print and complementary stationery would make a fantastic gift set!
Read More2018 Spring Stationery + Print Collection by Jitneys // Greeting Cards
We are so, so excited to announce that we're finally introducing a stationery line!! During our travels this past year, I worked on several different art pieces and developed them into surface patterns featured on these greeting cards. We're thrilled to introduce you to our 2018 Spring Stationery and Print Collection! The new collection of stationery and prints are available in our Etsy shop!
Read MoreMia Kai in Hawaii // Oahu and Kaua'i
We've decided that Mia Kai has basically waited until we were on Hawaiian soil to hit any of her milestones. She started crawling around ten months while on Kaua'i then took her first steps at 13 months old, once again on Kaua'i. She was nine and ten months old during this trip and I have to say, this is the age I captured some of my favorite photos of this sweet girl. We got her ears pierced, hiked the Wai Koa Loop on Kauai, hung out on Baby Beach in Poipu, walked around the International Market Place on Oahu, and ate our first starfruit!
Read MoreHike the Sleeping Giant // Kauai, Hawaii
I can't believe it took us so long to find this hike! We read about it in the Kaua'i Traveler magazine and immediately planned to venture out to the Sleeping Giant on JD's first day off. It was worth every step. I'm pretty sure this was one of our first big hikes since Mia Kai was born so we started off with the easier trails. JD carried our GoPro Hero5 Black and backpack (which weighed quite a bit more than MK at the time) and I carried Mia Kai in our Ergo. Whew! We were obsessing over the giant canopy of trees we were walking under at the beginning of the hike!
Read MoreThe Rainbow State // Kauai, Hawaii
Oh, the Rainbow State. You hold such a sweet place in our hearts! We spent the month of June exploring our favorite island but we'll just compile everything into one post. This is one of our favorite spots, mainly because it's close to the hotel and it makes for the perfect walk to either Poipu Village or Keoki's Paradise. We've seen tons of giant turtles just surfing the waves and even a couple of whales in this area. It's also the perfect place to spot a rainbow after a quick rain shower.
Read MoreSecluded Beach // Kauai, Hawaii
When the parking lot was full for Secret Beach, we improvised. Our main goal was to find a secluded beach with shade somewhere around that area so that we wouldn't lose much time. I'll be honest. I have no recollection of what this beach was actually called. But I can give you a description of how we got there! We parked at a condo parking lot near the St. Regis in Princeville, walked down a small path to this outlook...
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