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.