(bon voyage telegram)

well, i have a HUGE announcement – ready? ok. here it goes...

spread the love is saying goodbye. 
forever.

yep. you read that right.
i had an epiphany that i could not ignore.

i just love my little babe so much and i don't know if it's the 6-month-mark or what– but when she looked into my eyes with her blooming personality i just knew i wanted to be there with her in this time 100%. i like to do things with my whole heart and i've been running my business like that since the beginning. i know now that i can't do both with my whole heart so i've come to a divided path in the road. or a door. or a cliff.
luckily i have been blessed in the past with recognizing when to jump. 
i've done it before and i am not afraid.

i've thought long and hard about how to proceed. 
at first i thought i might just find a bunch of new stores and begin to stock stores only and stop online sales. but in the end i've wiped clean the foggy mirror and can see that this stage of my career has come to a perfectly fitting end and i'm so excited because i see that it is my own choice to close up shop (at a high point) and begin something new.

i've always dreamed of diving into the next part of my career 
and i know this is the one door closing so another can open.

first, i will be a mother with my whole heart. 
i will take this time as a sabbatical and learn, grow and be inspired 
and then i will be back with a brand new portofilo.

i'll still be blogging so no worries there. 
and of course i will still be making art – since that can never stop. 
i just won't be making and selling prints for spread the love.
so, if you've been a true die-hard customer/fan you now have a bunch of collectables that will never be produced again! whooohooo to you for getting them while you could. and if you need some more – one last time... or need your very first and only before i go – i'm having a bon voyage blowout sale for the next 2 weeks before i close my etsy shop completely and stop restocking stores.

(closing sale will run from may 6th to may 19th – after that no more prints will be made!)

just like from the beginning,
i could not have started this endeavor without love. 
love from family and friends. love for my very own self and my need to create, inspire and be inspired. but most of all love from my very best friend, confidant and biggest fan – keegan. 
you are my light and rock from where everything begins and ends. i love you.

so really, the spreading of that love will never end as long as people have their prints around... 
and i feel pretty damn excellent about that.
xoxoxox
got a bunch of likes on my calendar 
and wanted to see where all the hub bub was coming from –



thanks so much to kaylah of the dainty squid who purchased it 
i remember showing my husband keegan
her cool name when i sent her package.
cool name, hair, AND lady... read on about her and her awesomeness!
xoxoxox
this is exactly what luella, kritter and i are today...
mmmmmmmm

bloom had our first birthday!


 a little impromptu party was held and if you're wondering what that amazing cake thing is above? 
well, it's the tastiest thing you can imagine made by the master –
sweet dutchess!
it's a brown sugar pavlova with whipped cream and berries... um yeah.
so light and delicious i had 3 pieces!


a small group of us clinked glasses filled with champagne 
and hung around in the just curious shop checking out all the interesting things...


so, here's to another year of fun, fashion, friends and deliciously cleaned plates.


xoxoxoxox

here's the ol' pops and me back in the day.

this shot was taken after we had just won the 3 legged race.

i remember it fondly and (although it was probably cheating) 
he basically held me up as we flew down the course.

i remember thinking he must be the fastest and strongest man i'll ever know.

many years have past
and pops has MS which has slowed him down considerably.
but nothing can take away the memory of his lightening speed that day.
he still is the strongest man i'll ever know – 
just not so much the fastest.


april 28th Lu and I will be walking for MS in downtown lancaster.
if you'd like to donate for us – please click below.
we love you pop-pop!
xoxoxox



Your Donation









hey friends, i'd love YOUR help finding new stores!
send me the perfect match 
and i'll send you a thank-you-goodie-box filled with FREE art!

 • • • • • • •

so, spread the love is looking for new stores to sell with 
and i think out of anyone YOU would know where they are! 
figuring if you like my art you might know the fun shops
that would like to carry my work and as a thank you
i'll send you a box of free art for the help...

finding the perfect match

you can look to the right -> and check out the stores that already carry 
my work to see what a good fit looks like.
if you already have a store in mind that's so great 
OR you can have fun trying to find one near you... 
or across the country... 
or across the world if you'd like!

the keeping part

all you have to do to redeem your gift box is 
send me the name and/or website of the shop you have in mind. 
after i hear back from them that they are interested 
i will ship out your very own happy package!

details

boxes will have cards, posters, calendars, and matted prints inside! 
it's could be an instant collection to keep OR a great package for 
go-to gifting throughout the year.

please email me at hello@melanielinderillustration.com

don't forget to include: your name and shipping address along 
with the name and or website of the shop(s).

just so ya know

 you may send along as many shops as you would like 
but i can only send out one box per person. 
however, if you send multiple shops and one or more are a match 
i will fill your box with even more goodies! 
sorry, i can't send a box unless the shop 
would actually like to carry my work – so choose carefully!

thank you

seriously thank you from the bottom of my heart!
being a new mom is so super fun – but as you may know
it doesn't allow for much extra time. 
finding new stores can help free up some workload
and keep this little love shop of mine on the right track.
nothing like a little help from your friends, right? 
i owe everything to you –
so much love and gratitude.
xoxoxoxoxo



hey party people!
so how does double dutch 
do a snowy saturday morning DIY project?
i'll show you...

first, a little bloody mary action


then gathering of DIY ingredients...



and why not get beautified while we work!? 
so, we tried out this rose clay mask from paisley & co.



letting it dry while finishing up...


then we washed it all off with paisley's 
orange you beautiful face wash:


 and enjoyed our job well done!


check out the end result of our project:


 {click on the image to see in detail}

since this was so much fun we've decided to keep it going –
we'll be posting a new fun DIY every month 
along with a drink and beauty trick to go with!

check back to see where our DIY's show up...

and again, if this is work – 
i don't ever wanna quit.
xoxoxoxo



so, we've had this illustration in our house since we bought it from the previous owner. people always asked about it and we loved to look at it and imagine how the house might have been back in 1880...



then one morning we see this article! 
we were so excited to finally find out more about the image we've had all this time. 

turns out fredrick brader (check out his exhibit website) was a vagabond traveling around offering illustrations for room and board back in the 1800s. how awesome.
(one of my favorite parts about these illustrations is that brader would stay in the barn and always draw himself in the doorway. it was so neat to find him there!)

so we ordered a book about him... 



and found our house illustrated inside...



also we've contacted the exhibit curators to let them know that we live in the rockland township house.
they were so excited since they've been trying to piece together the actual homesteads with the illustrations for their exhibition. sooooo neat!

i just LOVE our home so much and this just makes it even better. this place really does have a super happy vibe and i think it may be the 7 children of the youse family who keep it so light around here.
xoxoxoxoxo







hey ya'll – just a suggestion...
since my edward sharpe print is one of my best sellers of all time 
i figured i should check out:
basically the zeros along with mumford & sons and old crow medicine show take a tour across the country in amazingly beautiful vintage railroad cars and make you really wish you were doing it too...
my friend mary summed it up well as inspiring a serious wanderlust. 
personally, i LOVED the part where they play with the local high school marching band – cause you know i have a special place in my heart for HS band! so the hubs and i have talked about a xcountry train ride and this really may have sealed the deal. 
gyspy style train ride? oh heck yeah.
xoxoxox


what an awesome photo, right!?
oh susan, i love you. 
but seriously, who doesn't?

last week i got the most exciting news;
susan sarandon purchased one of my prints!
gaaaaaahhh how stinkin' cool is that!?
 she found it in a great little boutique in atlanta that carries my work called young blood –


another cool photo, right?

then in a strangely coinscidental way susan popped up in my life again.

it looks like she is one of the hosts of the fifth annual blossom ball for the endometriosis foundation along with dr. seckin who preformed my laparoscopy back in 2008 –


and what timing since my new little babe is about to be 4 months and i'm feeling so super happy to have been able to actually become a mother despite having endometriosis. 

funny. the print susan bought is one i have in little bear's room 
since i made it while i was dreaming of her.
it's simply the lyrics from the toto song: 
"hold the line - love isn't always on time"
... or maybe it's exactly on time? 
just like susan.
xoxox



love that this was named "love you"...
xoxoxoxox

i am 


the happiest girl


in the world.


thank you to all my customers who make my business what it is...
my new computer is blowing my mind and i love how great it looks next to the crazy old stone of my house. new and old. my inspiration continues...
xoxoxoxo




um. how cute is she?

gemma has a lovely blog called typically.pretty.english


 and an etsy shop called silver shed


and featured me today in a nice little wish list collection...


thanks for sharing some love, gemma!
xoxoxoxox

wowee! i'm back!
can you believe it!? 
am i crazy? 
is my baby a perfect dream-boat who sleeps all day and just coos all night?

heck no. i'm a ragged mess. 

but i still want to keep at it, so i'm opening the shop once again...
{it may not last– so just a warning. 
this a a trial run, and if i really start drowning in it all i'll humbly bow out asap.}

so what have i been up to?


well, it's been super COLD around these parts lately.

and so we've been trekking out – 
but only into the back yard, since baby bear swallows air like it's water when it's cold and windy!




(still she's surviving, and even offers up a fist pound and 
check it out – i brushed my hair and have makeup on!)


most of my days are spent like this:




ha! who am i kidding?

they're actually like this:




so how will i ever get any work done?

well, it's called baby jail...



just kidding.

no but really it's tough, so i'll only be shipping orders once a week and holding off on the custom orders until the spring. (seriously, my mom brain will have all of your names and dates messed up FOR SURE.)

so, stay tuned for new items popping up here an there and please enjoy 40% off your entire order with my coupon code: IMBACKBABY40 which you can enter at checkout!
(coupon expires at 5pm tonight so hurry now!)

and big thanks to monday's child yesterday...


what a sweet blog post from my lovely friend christin kelley.
christin has been such a help to me on my leave posting to my spread the love facebook page and keeping me afloat with all things biz like – i just can't wait to hire her as my sales rep! 
ahhh one day.


i love you people and couldn't do all this without ALL of you –
hugs to you and wish me luck...
xoxoxoxoxoxo


hee hee! check out me and my little baby-bear on from my hearth to yours...
{beautiful photo taken by cally herself!}

cally writes an amazing blog inspired by her life and motherhood and all that goes along with it – especially the educational yet super fun parts. 
she's always been an inspiration in fun and good times starting from our old school college days 
(a little less wholesome but certainly hilariously enjoyable!) 
and has now completely blossomed into the super-dee-duper fun and educational mom role. it's so great to watch parents having a good time with their kids beyond the "no!" and "stop!" that fills most days. 

she always reminds me how to play and is such a generous soul in her spirit, kind words and positivity... it contagious people, so follow along and feel the goodness it brings.
xoxoxoxo
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