You Are Loved

Here's a very important thing to remember on Valentine's Day.



Remember that You Are Loved.

It's also important to remember on every other day of the year.





And especially when you are feeling lonely.




If you need someone to love you, there are always at least three people who care about you.

One is Jesus. He loves you and thinks you're amazing.

And then there’s me: I love you.

And, it goes without saying, the penguins on this site adore you.

And before you say “Naw aw,“ there are three of us (four if you include the baby penguin) and only one of you, so there. :-p

Isn't it nice to be loved by a penguin?





Always remember that You Are Loved.

The Penguin and the Toy Car

Toys can be like hearts sometimes.
Especially when your favorite one gets broken.

Wise people tell us to be thankful that all of them aren't broken, tsk.
But it's hard to do — especially with hearts.

What a baby penguin wants is the original toy magically repaired, without any defects or visible signs of repair.

But sometimes, your favorite toy can be replaced.

Hearts are a different story — they require mending.
This takes time and feeling feelings.

Unless it's a physical heart — those can sometimes be replaced.

In time, you will love your new toy.

And your heart will mend.

Click here to see more of iva's penguins

Pink Diamond Heart

Diamonds can too be pink!

According to Wikipedia, they belong to a special category called "fancy color diamonds".

Indeed, indeed. *donning top hat and sipping tea*

<>

An ordinary diamond lacks color.

But allegedly a pink diamond has gone through more pressure than its non-fancy relatives.

<> <> <>

So the message of a pink diamond is this:

• Grow stronger, but keep your heart soft.
• In a world that wants to make you hard and sharp, let yourself feel.
• When the storms of life try to water you down, keep your true color.
• But let that color be kind and gentle and compassionate.

<>

Brave Penguin

This penguin wants to give you its heart.

It's not afraid that you'll break it, because it's made of diamond.

If this penguin can be brave, so can you.

<>

Jellyfish Love

These jellyfish love each other.

When a sweet, squishy little jellyfish likes you and wants to welcome you, it reaches out to touch you.

It may not realize that its Tentacles of Death can zap you with Skin-Eating Venom until it's too late.

As cute as they are, never try to cuddle a jellyfish.

Jellyfish and human beings (or penguins) are simply not meant to be friends in person.

But we live in a digital world, with instant messaging!

Give a jellyfish a keyboard, and it could chat with you, send you emails, play Minecraft with you, even write you a poem. Add a camera, and it could video-chat with you.

º   º   º

But when two sweet, squishy little jellyfish like each other, they don't sting each other — because they are made of the same stuff.

That's just how life works.

I still believe in Fairy Tales

When things get tough, remember that your life is a fairy tale.

Every fairy tale has adventures — journeys and quests and swashbuckling and wild seas and monsters to slay.

It has magical (miraculous) powers given to small and humble orphans, for them to discover that they are princes and princesses — children of The King — to grow up to defeat powerful enemies.

And every fairy tale must have a villain (or thirty-seven thousand of them), but in the end, evil is vanquished, orphans are restored to their places as princes and princesses, and everyone lives happily ever after.

If your life is difficult right now, just remember that your fairy tale isn't over yet.

Hold out for Happily Ever After.


I'm here to assure you that it exists.

Happy Mother's Day!

This penguin would like to wish you Happy Mother's Day!

Because when it hatched from its egg, it saw you and now it thinks you're its mother.

Sorry about that.


This penguin also thinks this day is doubly special, because it thinks you're pretty amazing, and without your mother, you wouldn't exist.

So, in addition, it also wants to thank your mother for bringing such an amazing You into this world!

Mother-Approved Lilacs

Just whipping up a floral design.

Because: Mothers

My first try at lilacs.

Let's also all appreciate that lilacs have heart-shaped leaves.

Tigerente (Homage to Janosch)

Randomly... long, long ago, in a faraway land, lived a Tigerente.

(In English, this would mean "tiger-duck".)

She went on a few adventures in some German children's books long ago, and is much loved by quite a few former children in Germany.

The rubber-ducky-turned-tigerente above is in homage to Janosch, the illustrator who created the original Tigerente.

His wooden ducky just celebrated her 40th birthday a few months ago.

Heart Bubble

Bubbles are delicate and fragile.

And so are hearts.

Be gentle with the hearts of those you love.

Kawaii Seal

Please forgive me for this ridiculously adorable animal.

It's a baby seal (not a mutant fish, by the way).

Just something cute to make me smile while I wait for my penguins to return.

I hope it doesn't take too long.



It might actually take a while.

Valentine Penguin

This penguin wants to give you a lot of things for Valentine's Day.

It went to the store and bought all the balloons they had...

... but it's running out of flippers for holding them all.

It's waiting expectantly for a chance to give them to you.

It really hopes you'll be its valentine.

Infatuated Penguin

This penguin thinks you're  gorgeous.

Messy hair? Extra padding?

Glasses? Crooked teeth?

Zits? Scars?

Doesn't matter.

This penguin thinks you look amazing — just the way you are.


If it could, it would sit and gaze at you all day long with hearts in its eyes.

Beloved (Affirmations)

Say this with me:

I am loved.

I am treasured.

I am adored.

I am beloved.

Because you are loved. You are treasured. You are adored.


And even when you feel terribly alone, there is someone tremendously wonderful who calls you "beloved".


His name is Jesus, and he adores you.

And he wants to give you wonderful things:


If you give him your pain, he'll give you joy instead.

If you give him your bitterness, he'll give you sweetness instead.

If you give him your miserable life, he'll fill you with new life, full and bright with possibility.

And a hope and love that make your eyes sparkle.


This is the Jesus I know.

He loves me.

And I know that he loves you, too.

Bottled Valentines

A couple more Valentine concepts... I'm having fun with blurs and glows and minimalist designs. :-)

Binary Hearts