Peace to everyone this holiday season and always.

Shopping List

These days all of my professional artwork is done on a computer. Maybe that's why I've felt such an urge to use my brush pens lately...even to make a shopping list.

I had most of the summer off from my main job, so nice. The above pics were taken at a nearby park. Penny and I got in the habit of taking the bus there and picking wildflowers in the late afternoon, all by ourselves. We'd bring a ball to kick around but usually ended up just sitting and watching and talking. Now it's fall, I'm back at work, Penny is back at school, and Chris and I are back to our long, busy days.

Some links that have been inspiring me lately:

Speedball pens. Want to get my hands on a set.

Lady and the Tramp background art. My current day job is designing backgrounds and holy moly are these humbling.

I will try to post some pics of our new apartment in my next entry. I know I take huge breaks in between posts so thanks for hanging in there :)

Our little family is seeking a bigger home. Until the right one finds us, I'm preparing for the impending move by unloading some things that I can live without. I'm going to be listing a few of them in my usually sleepy vintage shop. Yes, even my beloved phones! Go ahead, set up your office just like Joan Holloway.

Another watercolor attempt. This one looks a little more like her at least. But oh that mess of blonde curls! I got lazy.

I've just begun a short hiatus from work. Penny won't be done with her school year for another few weeks, so I've got time to do stuff like try to remember how to paint! Kinda forgot how tough watercolor is... I've been trying to get into the mindset of truly. not. caring. about. results. Letting go of the ego. Having fun. When I was growing up I would draw for hours and throw it all away, never showing anyone. It was simply a form of entertainment. I can't think of a better mindset to aspire to, truly.

bear toast

I can't take credit for this, it's all over the internet. Made a certain bear-obsessed 3 year old very happy though!

Finally

Ever since I introduced my Robot Alphabet prints, people have been surprising me with how they decide to combine and arrange their letters. Some people spell out their child's name, some people do initials, some have a theme, like King and Queen, and some just select one image that speaks to them. A few have bought all 26 prints!
But I suspected that there were more people out there who would like the whole alphabet, but perhaps not in the form of 26 separate prints.
And so here it is, the Robot Alphabet poster! It's taken me so long to get this just right. I wanted it to have the same feel as the prints; textured, archival paper, vivid, pigment-based inks for longevity, and a layout that didn't compromise these cute little bots. I'm so happy with the result. More pics here.

weekend away

I just returned from Easter weekend at my mom's, which provided a much-needed change of scenery for Chris, Penny and me. Sometimes I don't realize how much of a rut I'm in until I completely change my environment. We spent most of the weekend outside, with no agenda but to let Penny run, dance, dig, and play. On Saturday afternoon we bought an egg dying kit and spent Sunday morning helping Penny color her first egg. I bet you can guess which one is hers :)

Birthday

For her 3rd birthday, Penny requested a pink cake with strawberries. This was the first cake I ever made from scratch, and I finally get what all the fuss is about those stand mixers you see in all the cool retro colors. But my 1970's era hand mixer managed to do the job. If you're curious, I used this recipe for the cake and this recipe for the frosting. Special thanks to my coworker Stephanie, an experienced baker who wasted no time in whipping up a Pinterest board of cake ideas for me.

Before and After

My main goals for this holiday weekend were to have fun and not think about work. On Friday I felt majorly creatively stuck and burnt out. It's a terrible feeling and always feels like it will last a long time. I decided my only hope to design anything decent by Tuesday I'd better get as much distance from the day job as possible. Saturday we took Penny to her first movie and I felt much better. I decided recently that the two most important things in life are to have fun, and to stay as healthy as you can (so that you can keep having fun for as long as you can).
Okay, so it wasn't all fun. I also tackled my business taxes, which just about broke my brain, and re-shot some of my product pics. Above, the before and after pic for one of my robot toddler tees. Much better, no? It's amazing I've ever sold any shirts! Thank you customers, for overlooking my sub par photography.

February

I have piles and piles of Penny's artwork from preschool. I've been hearing about some cool solutions for what to do with it all, like scan them and put them all into a Flickr account or make them into a bound photo book. We came up with an idea too, at least for the drawings that aren't quite frame worthy: collage! This was a birthday card for our friend Danny.
Have you discovered Pinterest? I've written before about the visual inspiration folder I keep on my desktop. Pinterest is way better! Now I have a link back to where I found each image, and it's so much fun to pin and see everything together. If you want to see what I've had my eye on lately, you can follow my boards. (Or if you already pinning away, feel free to pin some items in my shop :)
Enjoy your week! I'm about to tackle our taxes, so wish me luck!

January

A very belated Happy New Year to everyone. In the spirit of post holiday sales, I've discounted these, with more items to follow. Gotta clear out some stock and make room for new inventions! I've got a brand new computer and a head full of ideas :)
Pictured above: Penny's breakfast of homemade whole wheat sweet potato pancakes with almond butter and organic strawberries (OK so I'm proud of the food I feed my kid), and my magic fig tree who thinks Spring starts in mid January every year. A friendly, positive omen, I think!