Illustration Friday - Racing

This week's word for Illustration Friday is "racing." My take on this word is the classic story of the tortoise and the hare, only in my story the tortoise wins. Slow and steady wins the race!

Halloween Week!

It's Halloween week! Here are our pumpkins we carved a few years ago to get you in the spirit of the season!

Button Sets!

I have been working on some of my new button sets lately. I am happy to announce that they are carried at ShanaLogic! Shana has soooo many unique things at her shop! The Hugs Button Set and Sea Critters Button Set are exclusive to ShanaLogic! If you have not seen her website, you should check it out.

❤

Sketchbook Project - Number Two

I have been trying really hard to keep up with my Sketchbook Project. I documented two of my outfits from last week. One day I wore a vintage striped dress that I have not worn in ages. It reminded me of Margot Tenenbaum a bit, and look - I forgot the T in Margot in my drawing! And I tried really hard not to misspell Tenenbaum. Silly me! I am really bad with movies (ask Raoul) and do not remember movie information like so many of my friends do.


So here is the drawing of my cute little outfit. I do know the dress was purchased at the Salvation Army on Route 8 in Pennsylvania, circa 1995 or so. They had the same dress with blue stripes, too, but I did not buy that one for some odd reason. This is not a real Lacoste dress like Margot's in the movie. Instead of the alligator logo, it has a bumble bee applique, but I did not draw it in.




Friday's inspiration was the 1980's cos I found this cute striped top in the pajama section of our local Target. I am going to wear it as a regular top, though, and I think that is okay. I used to want to wear my pajamas as real clothes a la Evan Dando in the 1990's, but I was in high school and my mom would not let me. Now I can!


To take this look to the next level (and no, I did not wear my rollerskates to work!), I wore a little heart charm that looks very Lisa Frank to me. Raoul gave this to me for Christmas one year, and it even has a fake sparkly "diamond" on it!

Nilla's Paws

Nilla has the cutest paws.

Zines - Kiwi Edition

I have been a fan of zines ever since I started reading them in high school. I have to say, and it may sound silly, but zines saved my life. I recently ordered some zines from my pal Susy at Bird in the Hand Zine Shop in Australia. Australia is a great place for zines, especially arty and crafty ones, like the ones above.




Spoonful is a sweet zine, and a fun little read. This issue's theme is "A Happiness Companion" and has articles on that topic, a tutorial with ideas on using up your small bits of fabric, and showcases some different artists with photos of their crafts (this issue features a "goat" theme!).






Next is Extra Curricular. Like Mixtape, another favorite zine of mine, Extra Curricular is all about making and feeling good about it. Did you know crafting is healthy? Yes! There is a great article all about this, too! I also love the interviews with different artists and photographers, seeing their studios, and learning about their creative process. There is a nice article about Roller Derby in Australia and New Zealand! I also have to say I love seeing the ads in all of these zines!




Sohi looks a lot like a fashion mag, with beautiful photography and nice paper, but there are neat stories all about community gardening, moving from the city to the country, cross stitch, food, art, and so much more.


Plus, I learned so much about even more zines, artists, and crafty websites in Australia than I ever knew existed! Hooray for zines!

Cute New Shoes

Oh how I love shoes! So I got these cute new shoes! They are super and just my style.

Cloud Drawings - Donut and Bagel

We saw this lovely little cloud when we were leaving the botanical gardens last weekend. We thought it was really neat to see a cloud like this. Hmmm... So I drew it to be...


A yummy donut! Or...


A bagel!

Plush You - Tomorrow!

Plush You is tomorrow! Yay! We took my Kokeshi dolls to the Botanical Garden here in Athens. I just love it there. It is so pretty.

Yummy Tiramisu!

My Blythe doll Gretel loves some tiramisu, and so do I! We have been addicted to this dessert lately. It is like eating a yummy cloud.

Banana Bread Recipe

So it is finally cool weather here and that means you can turn on your oven and not make everyone in the house warmer than needed! So last night I made some banana bread. I have been perfecting my recipe, and I think I got it down a lot better than before. Would you like to make banana bread, too?

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 mashed bananas

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Pre-heat your oven to 350º. Mash the bananas - make sure they're nice and ripe. Mix all the dry ingredients together with the banana mash. Lastly, mix in the oil, maple syrup, and chopped pecans. Pour and spread mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes...check to see if the middle is gooey. If it is, stick it back in for another 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy! This is also good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This time of year I like to have mine in the morning with a cup of chai tea!

Plush You - Kokeshi Dolls

Are you ready for this year's Plush You? Plush You is an art show dedicated to handmade plush form around the world! This year Plush You is on October 8, and takes place at three of my favorite shops in Seattle - Schmancy, Nancy, and Fancy! This year I made three Kokeshi dolls. I think they came out really cute!




Here they are standing up so you can see their shape a little better. I used fleece and felt and they are weighted with some pellets at the bottom so they can stand on their own. I also added a jingle bell in the body, too!








My plush will be shown at my friend Kate's shop, Nancy. I got to see Plush You a few years ago, and it was very inspirational! Please have a look at the show if you are in the Seattle area cos it is really a fun and creative show with very great artists!

Nilla and Oreo

Here are our pets, Nilla and Oreo. Nilla is our kitty, and she is all white and soft as ice cream. Oreo is our baby bunny. She is soft, too, and looks just like a cookie. We love our pets.

❤