Moody Macarons

Last month Raoul took me to Harmony, a vegetarian restaurant in Atlanta. We spotted a place called the White Windmill and went there to get a sweet to take home. They have very pretty desserts, ice cream, coffee, and best of all, macarons! We got a box to take home.


But when we opened the box, they looked like many cute baby animals! So sweet. Our favorite had a coffee flavor.

Mystery Triennial at ATHICA: Coming Soon!

We have been very busy here at the Ranch, making things and preparing for the Mystery Triennial art show at ATHICA. I have three pieces I am getting ready for that night. Here are some pictures from when I was working on them.




My brother Joe helped me some with making these little guys work...




Into string puppets! These string puppets were inspired by some of these that our uncle brought us back from his trip to Mexico when I was little. I think we also got some sombreros, too.




I made an elf boy and girl, and their pet cat. I think the cat is sort of Nilla-shaped, too! Here are pictures of the boy and cat, but I thought I took some of the girl, but it looks like I just took doubles of the boy accidentally. She is shown in one of the top photos, though. I assure you, dear readers, she is just as cute at the ones I have shown here.

So, come check out the Mystery Triennial at ATHICA on Saturday, August 20th! It looks like a great show with lots of terrific artists!

Yard Sale Saturday

Yesterday we went round to some yard sales and a rummage sale at a local church. We found some neat stuff, too. I found some craft supplies like felt and embroidery hoops.


This hoop is metal and has cork on the inner hoop so it holds the fabric. I have never seen this type of hoop, or this shape before.


I can always use some jingle bells, so I picked these up.


I got this set of miniature deer, too. This was my favorite find of the day! The back of the package says "Made in Hong Kong" and the original price tag reads 49 cents!


There were some Christmas miniatures in with the deer, too. We just took what was in the box home. I thought these small ornaments were a full nativity, but it is just a mismatched set. I wonder where everyone else is? Raoul said they fell in the grass.


Last, but not least, I got this lovely handmade deer pillow. This was stuffed in a box with a bunch of forgotten plush (a sad sight, indeed). I was not going to go through the boxes, but I did while Raoul looked at records. I found this pillow and it says "Fauna, Handmade in Brooklyn" on the back. I am certain I saw it online and in magazines. Another yard sale shopper told me she saw those at the NYC Gift Fair and that she thought it was strange to find it in a box of forgotten toys! I got it for a quarter. Score!

Cloud Drawings - Otter in a Seashell

Leaving our work one day we spotted this cloud. I asked Raoul to take a picture, so he did. Do you know what we saw in that puffy white cloud?


That's right, a baby otter in a seashell!

Illustration Friday - Obsession

Okay, so when I saw the word for the week at Illustration Friday was obsession, I thought I would give it a try. I was inspired by the Kitchen Sisters series on NPR called the Hidden World of Girls. Have you heard this before? A while back they did one all about Dolphins, Unicorns, and Horses. They described how many girls at a young age really get obsessed with these animals. As a child I had a sticker book of unicorns and I had a drawing book of horses. So I guess I can identify with this obsession to a point... But to be honest, I really love cats and rabbits! I really enjoyed this story, so give it a listen on my link.

Sleepy Kitty Charm

Please meet my newest creation! This is my Sleepy Kitty Charm, and it is right here in my Shoppe Sugar Cookie on Etsy!




Each Sleepy Kitty Charm is made from my original artwork and cut from beautiful birch wood. No two charms are alike, just like real kitties. I love how these came out - I love their sleepy faces. Meow!

Cloud Drawings - Tired Bunny

Here is a cloud I took a photo of a while ago. To be honest, I do not remember what I thought it was that day I took the picture, but that is okay. Most clouds remind me of...


bunnies anyway! This one especially looked like Jumbles on closer inspection. This is what Jumbles looks like when he is resting. Sort of like a white puffy loaf of bread, and when he is really tired he rests his head on the ground.