Papernstitch

I have been making finger puppets this past weekend! But I also wanted to let you know about papernstitch! Papernstitch is a handmade marketplace showcase. They have so many wonderful artists here, so it is the cream of the crop from Etsy and handmade goodies! So please check out my papernstitch gallery page, as well as all the handmade finds there!


So here are a few of my finger puppets. I embroidered the faces and embellishments and I used my sewing machine for the bodies. I made bears, kitties, bunnies, and piggies!




These are just a few of them that I made!

Shoe Love

Who doesn't like a new pair of shoes? I know I do!

This is a collage illustration I made for an article in Venus Magazine a while ago. This collage art is made from old magazines I had in my collection. It was for an article on "dream jobs" and readers wrote in had some of their answers published. One gal said her dream job was to try on all kinds of shoes! How exciting to illustrate this profession! I even modeled some of the shoes after some shoes in my closet, too!

Makes me think "Hmmmm... maybe I need a new pair of shoes!"

Cloud Drawings - Beluga Whale and Slug

I have always enjoyed looking at clouds. I love looking for hidden pictures in the sky. I have been thinking about my Puffy White Clouds zine lately and how I could show you what I see in the clouds. At first glance, the cloud looks very ordinary. We saw this one on the 85 North on our recent trip to Chapel Hill. You can read about that trip here and here, complete with photos!


On first sight, this cloud looked like my favorite whale, a beluga! I love how belugas always look like they have a permanent smile. They are so graceful, too.


Then some of my friends said this cloud reminded them of something different. Katy said it was a slug. Since she lives in Paris, France it should be in French - "une limace." My friend Jamie also said it looked like a slug, but more specifically a banana slug.

Grilled Cheese

Clothes Horse Number Two

Here is what I wore yesterday. I must have been in a bit of a time warp cos it really was Wednesday, but I wrote July 15, and that is really today's date. Ah well... So I have on thrifted clothes in this outfit! I got the top at the local Goodwill and the skirt at a little vintage shop in downtown Athens. I think the name keeps changing, but I know when it was in Normaltown it was called Artichoke. I love it cos there is a quail bird family on the skirt, and I love quails. I imagine they are Bobwhites, one of my all time favorite birds! I totally thought I looked like a librarian this day, too. I drew a spoon in my pocket cos, well, that is what I had in my pocket! I used it to eat a cupcake for brekkie and then pudding later on. Super!


I also have these lovely Fluevogs I got a few years ago. I had to post a photo of them, (from a different day, not with yesterday's outfit cos I forgot to take the picture, then it got too late and dark outside) cos they are so cute!

Illustration Friday - Diary

This week's word on Illustration Friday is "diary." I like this word cos I used to keep a journal myself for years. I prolly want to burn them now, but at the time I think it helped me lots. I also loved reading personal zines (or "perzines, as they were called then, but I do not like that term), and I still do. I also kept a diary, but in comics form. I kept that up for almost three years then stopped doing those. Those comics really helped me remember things. Maybe I should start them back up again...?

In progress...

Happy weekend, everyone. Even though this week was short and fun cos of a holiday, it felt long at times. But I am working on this drawing for something to show next week. As you can see, there are some mess ups and try agains, but that is how I draw. I love drawing the same things over and over until I feel they look right. I also draw pen to paper only, most of the time, like on this page. Oh I hope everyone has some fun weekend plans, cos we are going to Chapel Hill, NC to see one of our favorite bands, Unrest! Now i have seen Mark Robinson play a handful of times, but I am very excited to finally see Unrest! Plus, our pal Janice will be there all the way from Seattle! I am sure you will be able to read more about it on Rancho Cocoa!

Flossy the Dachshund Love

I just wanted to thank Julie at Subversive Cross Stitch and Rare Bird Finds for showing off Flossy the Dachshund Embroidery Floss Bobbins on their websites today. Thank you so much, this totally makes my day!

Illustration Friday: Giant

This week's Illustration Friday word is "giant." The first thing that came to mind when I heard the word giant was one of my all-time favorite bands, They Might Be Giants. I drew John and John here with a coffee cup, one of the band's most beloved things. I used to draw They Might Be Giants all the time when I was in high school. Maybe I can find some of my fan art I made! I also used to write them fan letters. I never heard back, but I do have some autographed pictures of them, as well as a note from John Flansburgh thanking me for joining his Hello Recordings (remember those?). I do not listen to TMBG as much as I used to, but I still have a Birdhouse in my Soul for them.

I'll Fly Away...

We had a pair of Carolina wrens make a nest in our patio. You can read about it here on Rancho Cocoa's post from last year.


This year we had them return and have baby birds! Today they flew away! It is sad to see them go, they grow up so fast. Here is my drawing inspired by watching the baby birds take flight.

Happy Fourth!

Little Bear.