Texas Bound!

I'll be on vacation visiting family in good ole Texas for the next week. I'll be busting a move on the water skis, eating fresh tomatos out of the garden, and catching up with all my cousins. Can't forget to give my mom credit for taking this awesome picture.

Dancing Paint In Water

These photographs remind me of exotic sea creatures! They also remind me of the moment the creamer hits my coffee. I love watching the coffee and the creamer swirl and dance together.

Photographs by Mark Mawson

via 2 modern

Field Trip Time

I took an afternoon field trip outside to look for inspiration for my 2010 calendar illustrations. I'm hunting for great patterns, textures, and shapes. These are all pictures taken in NW Portland. There are some lovely plants blooming right now.

Lace Trend

I've never been a big fan on doilies or lace tablecloths, but I like the alternative uses of lace I'm beginning to see pop up in the online world. It's always really cool for me to see other artists taking a somewhat mundane material and transform it into something more fresh because thats what I'm doing with plastic in my work right now. Take a look and see how artists/designers are playing with lace.


via Dezeen


via Pistachio Press


via thepaperpeony



Via Torillagirl


via Outsapop Trashion


via damneddollies

Summer Time Turkey Burger Experiments

This turned out to be a delicious burger! I was quite pleased with the outcome of this experiment although it was hard to fit it in my mouth. All the different layers made for great flavor combinations and texture. Comment below if you have any interesting burger combinations I should try in the future.

Movie Cover Artwork: Everyone Copying Everyone

Nothing looks very original anymore.

I was searching through netflix and noticed how many of the covers look almost identical!! It's disappointing to me that the film indsutry is going through the motions cranking out these movies with little thought going into branding and visual identity. Now that I think about it, not a lot of thought went into the plots either.

None of these covers are very memorable because of their cookie cutter composition, type treatments, and photography direction. Perhaps this is an untapped niche for designers to make an impact. It would be awesome if Hollywood would hire designers that are willing to explore out of the normal safe zone.

It is unfair for me to say that the entire industry is like this because there are some cool things going on. I just wish they would be willing to push the art a bit more. Try something fresh. Thats all.

Easy Veggie Quiche

I'm sitting here wondering why I'm just learning how to make quiche. It's so easy and such a tasty treat for myself. I thought I would share the goodness.

Step 1
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4 eggs
1.5 cup of half and half (or milk)
salt
pepper
Beat it Up!
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Step 2
Sautee your vegtables in a pan with some olive oil. I used onion, garlic, spinach, and broccoli here but you can use whatever you want. The idea here is to get the veggies partially cooked so it doesn't take as long in the oven.
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Step 3
Spoon your veggie mixture into a pie crust. Cover in shredded cheese. Then pour your egg mixture over that. I put more cheese here, but you don't have to. Bake it at 350 for 30 minutes.
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Thats It!

Deforestation Tee-Shirt

I dig the simple iconic pattern representing our planet's forests. Just a little guilty reminder that happens to look rad as well. The designer is Rick Crane. Check it.

Via Threadless

A Cheerful Broach

My friend gave me this lovely broach from the markets of Spain. I love the way felted crafts look. Thanks Hannah! You're awesome!

Short and Sweet Minimal Stationary Collection

I've been having a lot of fun making these card! They are just so simple and cute. The texture of the eames furniture weave paper and embroidery stitching feels so nice in my hands. The cards are blank on the inside and come with a matching envelope. Check out my etsy shop to see the entire collection.

Chill Music and Animation for a Friday Afternoon

Autum Story by Firekites



I love freedom and creativity that this medium provides. Its very cool to see one idea flow into something completely different. Awesome video!

seen via dear ada

Peonies-Such a Delight

Last weekend I went to Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island to pick strawberries. It was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I highly recommend it if you live in the Portland area. The strawberries are so good when they are fresh! I also picked up some of the last peonies of the season. They are so gorgeous sitting on my window seal!

New Hand Sewn Pocket Sketchbooks in the shop!

There are a lot of new items that will be rolling out my shop during the coming weeks so stay tuned. I always feel more creative when I have a sketchbook by my side throughout the day. This is a really great size for your pocket or one of my wristlets. Check them out in my etsy shop.

New DIY Business Cards for the shop!

I finally got around to getting my business cards made. I had a stamp made through www.rubberstamps.net and used that to make the cards. ve been getting lots of different stamps made by them and I've been very happy with the way they turn out. Their prices are affordable so its fairly inexpensive to get a stamp made. I'm using paper that I already had laying around, so no cost there. The tricky part is getting the stamp centered on the paper. That takes practice. I definitely recommend the rubber stamp business card other Etsians trying establish their identity and sense of professionalism.

Oh, I forgot to mention the handmade wooden bowl in the first picture. It was made by my very talented Uncle Robert. I think it's beautiful!

Landscapes

I'm feeling inspired by the work of Leigh Beisch this morning. I love the emotions the landscapes evoke. There are no hard lines, only soft color transitions that make me feel comfortable and calm. I could use more calm and comfortable in my life right now. Thanks Leigh! She is also a wonderful food photographer. Check out her website here.

seen via modish

Embroidery Doodles on paper

I'm loving the cute factor of the cup-o-joe. I'm also trying out stitching up some hand typography. Fancy, i know.

Green Packaging in the Shop

I'm doing my best to make sure my etsy shop is green, including the packaging. This is why I've decided to make mailers out of cereal boxes and various up-cycled food packaging. I have tons of this stuff laying around so why not... I'm not sure if I will be able to implement the new packaging with all my items, but it should cover most of them. I stiched the edges on my machine, so they are actually very sturdy. I've been using one for a couple weeks. I stash my sewing projects on the go in the envelope and throw that into my tote. It seems to be holding up really well. Hopefully my customers will continue the life of the cereal box even longer. I am a little self conscious about my customers knowing what food I eat, but I guess I will get over that.

The weather did not cooperate yesterday for the handmade nw event. We unpacked our car and started putting up our canopy when wind started picking up and the sky turned dark. Our cue to pack it up, was seeing other venders' goods flying all over the parking lot. Oh well, i guess it wasn't meant to be.

My latest project is the tin can lantern. I was inspired by the sweetness of this lantern.
I was looking for a nice way to create mood lighting this summer and decided to make tin can lanterns. Although they are very labor intensive, they are free and they don't take too much brain power. Basically you clean out an a tin can, put water in it and freeze it. The ice keeps the can from caving in. Once the inside is frozen you hammer different sized nails into the can to make the design. My bf made the one on the left and I made the one on the right. I love the way they turned out and I want to make many more. I also think it would be nice to paint them all different colors so they look pretty during the day as well.

Come Visit Curious Doodles at First Thursday.

I will be showing my work with Diskgrunt at Handmade NW in the Active Space Parking lot on NW 17th/Lovejoy. Please come visit us and say hi. I've been working like a mad women to get lots of cool stuff made for this event. I'm very excited despite the worn fingers and tired back.