Okay, well it’s not exactly a letter from Roald Dahl, but if I received a parcel or card feating these amazing stamps from the UK, I would be just as excited to receive it. Royal Mail has released a set of tribute stamps featuring the illustrated work of the amazing Roald Dahl. If you grew up with his stories, I’m sure you are pleased as punch to see his work commemorated in a stamp. My favorite as a child was Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but as an adult I am simply spellbound by a collection of his short stories entitled Tales of the Unexpected. I highly recommend this anthology if you like stories with a little twist at the end. If only i lived in the UK and could send out all of my correspondence with Fantastic Mr. Fox.

In honor of a very Harry Potter weekend I leave you with this!

If you didnt’t get to watch the season finale of Madmen last night, don’t worry I won’t spoil it for you. But i did think this would be the perfect time to show you these amazing pieces I scored at an antique show earlier this year. It was one of those finds that you just couldn’t pass up, and since they were sold separately I had to haggle for a deal so I could take them both home.

They were actually folded in quarters for quite some time so I had them dry mounted on some acid free foam core so they would remain flat and wrinkle free. I just love the illustrations and thinking about the time that went into creating this work by hand instead of a CAD program. They are a great start to my madmen inspired workspace that is slowly coming along.

Check out these back to school stickers by Illustrator Jennifer Bell. Seriously how cool would these have been in third grade. If you are thinking the same thing, you can get a printable version along with some other cool back to school stickers, from a few other artists as well, at the We love to illustrate blog. I also really liked this little bunny illustration of hers as well… I just couldn’t resist putting the two side by side!

I’ve been using paint chips from Home Depot to display my brooches at outdoor craft fairs for the last few summers. But this pales in comparison to the new Sherman Williams TV ad by the amazing people over at Buck. They have animated an entire world created only with paint swatches. Seriously you have to check out the commercial to believe it.

I found Alex Dukal’s portfolio site while tromping around the internet looking for something completely unrelated. I just love those happy little accidents don’t you? Born an raised in Patagonia, Argentina, Alex’s style is like a breath of fresh air. I just feel that his work is really fresh and isn’t laden with other artistic influences. All of his work puts a huge smile on my face which is so very nice early in the morning. You can also check out his blog and stay on top of his upcoming projects.

I am loving these little spot illustrations by Stephanie Cox. These little watercolors have a lot of style within their freely painted lines. I can definitly see these gracing the pages of Martha Stewart or even inStyle sometime very soon. Stephanie is definitely one to keep your eye on!

Rafa Jenn has a new print out entitled “All  You Need.” Made up of some very beautiful colors this print would look great in almost any space. But you better hurry fast with a price tag of  $39 and a limited edition of only 25 these are going to go fast.

The Picture Book Report is one of the coolest projects I have seen in a very long time. Fifteen amazing illustrators will be creating a new illustration from their chosen picture book every month. So every month a new surprise illustration from some of my favorite books growing up, by some of my favorite illustrators of today. The illustrators that are participating are… Andrea Kalfas, Daniel Krall, Israel Sanchez, Jeremy Sorese, John Martz, Julia Sonmi Heglund, Kali Ciesemier, Laura Park, Lizzy Stewart, Meg Hunt, Phil McAndrew, PMurphy, S.britt, Sam Bosma, and Will Bryant.

We all know i’m a sucker for silhouettes and theses illustrations from Amy Ruppel are no exception. These little graphic works are designed digitally and then cut out and placed neatly into a wax painting. The final product is just stunning. She also offers prints of her works… just in case you want to buy a few.