Pinterest Recipe Success!

In the spirit of being inspired today I was inspired to make a recipe I found on pinterest.  It's a weight watchers casserole with ground chicken, black beans, onions, garlic, salsa and a nice helping of cheese all over a bed of crushed chips.  The only think I did differently was add green peppers.

 If you know me well you know I'm not crazy about cooking but every now and then a recipe piques my interest and I like to try it out. It seems like most printmakers like to follow a recipe as it appeals to their process oriented craft. I absolutely love to follow directions when it comes to cooking. My husband is more the type to look at a picture and skim over the ingredients and then he goes to it. This drives me crazy! He's a good cook but we never have the same meal twice in the sense that it's always made differently.

So if you are like me, here is the link to the awesome recipe.  Pin it on pinterest!  And if you are like my husband, well, you see the pictures and I listed the ingredients so go to town.

To be clear, my version is the bottom picture.  The one with the extra cheese.

Inspiration Wednesday

In an effort to focus on what truly inspires me I hope to post once a week on something that gets my heart beating fast.  We all know how that usually ends up when I try to do any kind of regular post but I am defiant in the face of my predictability.  Here goes.

I know that this is a whole lotta hipster action in this video but I like it. It's an old one by Jinja Safari but I just discovered it. I like the aesthetic, hipster or not. I want to dress up as a woodland creature and run through the forest with all my friends. Who doesn't?

Working Hard!

The last few days working at Cracker Jax have been busy ones. I have been on the move and barely stopped to eat lunch.  Once I got my mind made up to do some rearranging it was non-stop until I felt fully satisfied that everything was in it's rightful home. It felt good and I was excited by all the changes. The nice thing about working there is that we all get to stretch our creative muscles whenever we feel like it.

For me I kicked things off last week when I stamped these feathers with love notes and made a display for them in old bottles on a vanity mirror. We got the idea from a magazine and once I got going with it I couldn't stop!

 And then I start moving and rearranging and decorating. Decorating these chalkboards were a fun way to slow down and do some drawing.

 I also have some of my feathers on sale and doing signage for items is one of my favorite things to do.

 This is the wall that started it all.

 I'm a sucker for butterflies and always love gathering them all in one spot. That little nook in the wall is one of my favorite spaces in the store. It was fun making that spot active.

 The owner is always pushing me creatively.  She gave me a cardboard cone and asked me to do something with it. Normally I would fret for days before starting something like that but with this I dove headfirst and did things without questioning it. It was a good lesson in making work. Just go for it!

 This was the last wall I finished.  I have to admit I was dreading it because of how high I needed to get on the ladder. There might have been a few moments were I only had one foot solidly on a rung and I was holding my breath to keep myself steady. Scary scary but I think it was a good workout for my abs.

And now I have the next two days off.  I plan on applying that same energy from work toward my studio practice.  I got my errands done so now it is time to create.

Last night I met with a couple of gals and we started tossing around plans for excitement in the future.  It's time for me to start being more proactive about my art career. I'm ready. Lets do this!

Best Friend Spotlight

Hi.  Thank you all so much for your sweet words regarding Luxie. I miss her so much.  Rue and I have been spending tons of time together.  Here is a quick video I shot while trying to get her to participate in a studio dance party. She hasn't learned that the studio was made for dancing yet.

Friday I spend some time at my best friend Janey's place.  She enlisted me to take her save-the-date photos but we spent more time procrastinating then actually just taking the picture.  I love her apartment and her decoration sensibility.   She's great at putting together beautiful little groupings.  Here are a few that I snapped.

 I'll fully admit I copied her sea urchin cluster. It's okay, though. We're best friends. We own all the same clothes.

 My grandmother gave her those beautiful cacti.

 These were the decorations we had for the picture.It only took a few minutes to get them all set up but somehow I was at the place for almost six hours.

 I gave her that squirrel for Christmas!

This is one of the outtakes.  I love them.

Ok, I'm off to teach Rue how to dance.

Today.

We had to say good-bye to Luxie today.  Her condition got worst and she was in so much pain.  I've felt a little lost all day.  Luxie had been with us for over two years and she did things that made us laugh and she did things that exasperated us. She loved being outside and did happy sideways kicks as soon as she was free to run around.  There were places in the house she knew she couldn't go so she would plot to get there no matter what we set up to discourage her.  When she was annoyed with us she would stomp her foot. She was usually annoyed when we tried to pet her and she wasn't in the mood for pets. She always had a project she was working on. It usually involved going inside a box tunnel and digging out newspaper. She worked at that like she was getting paid.

 When we brought Rue home Luxie adored her. When I opened their "cage" to pet them Lux was sure to lay across Rue and watch me carefully. She would let me pet her but she wanted me to know Rue was hers.  Rue seemed to take it all in stride.  They were both the cleanest bunnies ever thanks to their constant grooming of each other.

We are going to miss Luxie so much. I will hold Rue extra tight and hope she doesn't stomp her foot from all the petting.

Bunnies, Garlands and Friends

Thank you to everyone who sent Luxie well wishes.  We are treating her for a variety of potential bunny problems and I'm feeling confident that she's on the up and up.  She can't live in her usual home right now so this has become her "hospital bed."  Yes, I put a stuffed animal in there for her.  

Luxie's sister, Rue, seems quite lonely so I made her a play space in my studio.  This rabbit loves to play and be cuddled so it's been quite a cuddly distraction.  I intended to paint and work on some art last night but these bunnies needed attention and I felt that was where my time was best spent.

 On the day I was feeling the lowest I got this sweet package in the mail from my friend Hannah. She saw my post about my Lucky horse sign and said she wanted to send me this Good Luck horse spoon.  I was so excited when I got it. I'm such a believer in good luck charms.  Hannah also filled the package with fun stickers, a miniature puzzle (whhhaaaaaattt???!!!) and a beautiful sketchbook.  That postcard had a lovely note on it that perked me right up. I love care packages, making them and receiving them.

 I met with my friend Robyn yesterday and had an awesome getting to know you/ lets start planning crafty projects meeting.  Robyn is super inspiring and a maker of beautiful stuff. I'm planning a post on her work very soon. Our meeting inspired me to get in my studio and work.  As I was tending to bunnies I worked on cleaning and organizing because that has been one thing that's been holding me back on working.  This picture does not prove that any organization happened here but it does show off that new Papaya banner I hung over my alcove.  I got it at Cracker Jax. I've been in love with this banner since we got it in!  So that will definitely help the creative process.

 I also put together this Valentine's pom pom garland. I'm still working on it, doing finishing touches. It feels like it needs one more thing.  Never you mind the horrible coloring in this picture. Ugh. Photography.

So that was my weekend.  Mostly I was a bunny nurse.  Fingers crossed that things stay on the up and up.  Rue is missing her sister from another bunny mister and I am missing sleeping a full nights sleep without worrying something is happening. When I have kids I will likely never sleep again.

Have a good Monday, MLK day, Inauguration day!

A Little Bit of Distraction

I have a very sick little bunny right now and I have barely slept a wink last night worrying about her. We are taking her to the vet today and I am hoping we will find out that it's only a little infection and with the right medicine she'll recover quickly. I have never gone through something like this with a pet  so I'm a little bit beside myself with worry.

I thought I could find some nice distraction here and keep it light. We recently got prints of our wedding pictures taken by the very talented Caleb Irvin.  The large framed print has been lighting up my world lately. We have been playing around with different places to hang it. I think it's starting to grow on me here behind the table.

 My favorite thing about blogging? You can only share what you want to share. The wall might look nice and give you the impression that my home is kept up well with a spot for everything. In full disclosure... if the camera was any lower you would see this.  This table has been the catch all in the house and any effort to change it gets thwarted when a new batch of mail comes in or either of us brings anything home.  I am making a huge effort to make our house tidier but this always happens.

Okay, deep breath. I'm off to the vet. If you are so inclined please send lots of positive thoughts our way. Luxy seems scared more than anything and I just want to comfort her as she deals with this.

I'll keep you posted.

Can I Borrow $283?

I think Sabrina Ward Harrison is the bee's knees.  

She recently set up an etsy shop called TrueLiving and I want to buy it all. Especially this painting, my favorite.  I have been a huge fan of SWH since I was in college and a dear girl brought me her book Brave On The Rocks.  It has been an influence over my work every since.

SWH did a collaboration with Papaya a few years ago and it's ever so dreamy.  Where I work we carry Papaya and I was able to snag that awesome hardback sketchbook!  I want that postcard tin mega bad. So mega bad.

Do you love her work so much you want to marry it like I do? I thought so. ( :

The One Where She Says Love Way Too Much

I've been planning this love letter to the show Girls for some time now. I promise this is not prompted by the show Golden Globe win, though I have to admit when I read that this morning I let out a squeal. I am so excited for this show and happy that Lena Dunham is getting the kudos she deserves.

I know I'm a little late in the game on this one. I read articles and facebook statuses for months about Girls and why some love it and some hate it and I was dying to watch it but I didn't have access until it came out on DVD. When I got it for Christmas it took me a while to finally sit down and watch it because I was afraid I would love it too much or wouldn't love it at all.

I was also afraid I would have the reaction that I had which is to say, "Ohmygod that's totally my life." I was kind of embarrassed to be that girl but the truth is, it's the truth. Lena did too great of a job of depicting my early twenties.  I cringed when she did stupid stuff because it reminded me of too many stupid things I did (ok I still do stupid stuff.) 

Image via here with great article.

 I also love the friendships that are depicted.  They fight, sure, but they love each other. I was and am still super lucky to have such amazing girlfriends that help me navigate this world. We all fantasize about one day living on this great big beautiful friendship artsy commune where we can all be next door neighbors and have themed bbqs like "Under the Sea" and "Purple Rain."

I love this show because I related to so much that happens and the fact that so many other women/girls relate to it makes me realize we are all in this together with our shared experiences.  When I was younger I used to think my life was so crazy in that way that younger people think they are the only person that ever existed and crazy things only ever happen to them. I thought my problems were unique to me. Realizing as I get older that they were not unique at all doesn't bother me, it only makes me feel relieved. I'm not the only one who needs to burn diaries for fear that someone may read them 100 years from now and think I was the world's lamest lame.  This show makes me feel like I have a collective friendship with all the girls who ever felt like this could be about them.

When I was in college obviously my show to watch and dissect and try to be like was Sex and the City. I wore so many cheap high heels from Payless during that time.  But that show was more like the life I fantasized about. Girls was the life I was having. I wish this show had been around back then.  Maybe it would have helped everything make more sense. Or maybe I would not have truly been able to appreciate it without perspective.  And maybe when I'm forty I will be so embarrassed by the things I was saying and doing in my thirties. Who knows.

Image via here with interesting article.

 If you haven't seen it check out Lena Dunham's first film Tiny Furniture. It's not a movie for everyone but if Girls is your jam this movie will be like it's slightly older sister that comes home from college and does nothing but eat all the food in the fridge.

Image via here.

Pen to Paper, Fingers to Keyboard Keys

I feel so restless today! It's a shame, too, because I started the day early and successfully by running errands that needed to be done. And then I should have cleaned my bathroom but I decided that would take too much time so I ate a sandwich instead.

Now, once again, as seems to be the theme here, I've been restlessly pacing my studio.  I have a lot on my  mind and it's making me too jumbly to do anything but sit in different seats in the room and frantically scroll through pinterest on my phone. But I did do a little painting of a moth so that seems like something.

I just got a television in my studio and I think it's a good thing.  It, at the very least, helps lure me from the couch upstairs to my drawing table. I keep watching true crime shows and they are making me so mega paranoid. That might be a bad thing.

 Check out this beautiful soap that my sweet co-worker friend gave me for my birthday. It smells so beautiful and looks so lovely. I used the flowers as inspiration for my paintings.

While I was in my hometown my husband and I went on several wacky adventures to flea markets and peddlers malls. I scored big with this amazing horse sign. The tag said it was an "Amish Luck Sign" which... really?   This feels way too Sailor Jerry but I am curious about it's origins. Anyone know anything about this?  I noticed A.J. Fosik used this same sign in one of his pieces so that immediately made me feel lucky.

A.J. Fosik piece via The Constant Gatherer

 I did actually do something neat today.  I painted glitter hearts inside these jars and will paint the rest of the jar gold once it dries. I thought it would be nice to make some Valentine jars.  Maybe by Valentine's day 2014 I'll finish them and by 2015 I'll start thinking about getting them into my shop.

I feel like I need a life coach who will kick this aimless, low self esteemy, restlesness out of me.  I'm doing my best to do it myself but I really do think I could make a great TLC show.

Happy Weekend!

George Glass Is Maybe Haunting My House?

What is it about a whistling teapot that makes your home feel like a haunted house? It freaks me out every time. And then there are wind chimes hanging right outside my kitchen window that also make it very foreboding. Throw in the latest Pretty Little Liars episode viewing this morning and my nerves are on edge.

Beyond that I'm down in my studio walking around and eating impossibly long twizzlers and waiting to see if I will actually sit down to paint.  I promise I will. Yesterday I did no work in here despite my New Year's resolution to quit coming home from work and sitting on the couch all night. Last night I was genuinely tired but did I really need to watch three episodes of The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret?  TV seems to be a major theme in my life lately.  Maybe I should make art about that.

I wanted to share this new wonderful thing in my life. My super handy husband build this light box! I am hoping it means I will start taking better pictures for my ETSY shop. You would not believe how hoardery my studio is with all the things I've made that are being seen by no one.  We store it in the basement right next to where I hang my clothes to dry. Yes, those are my team spirit sweatpants.  

 I took a picture of my arrows but need to figure out how to address the short poster board for my larger pieces.  I am always making excuses for why I can't get stuff done.

My rabbits are moving around in their hutch and it always makes me think someone is in the house. I'm going to investigate and then seriously seriously start painting.

Happy Wednesday ( I refuse to say hump day ever.)

I'm Back. I Have Been Here All Along

Hi.  Can we pretend it hasn't been a million years since I last wrote here and that a couple of major holidays haven't recently happened?  Can we also pretend that the world actually did end and this is the after world and rain is made of chocolate milk and ice cream has no sugar or calories but tastes way better than when it did?

Okay, pretend away.

I am realizing I am very terrible at having days off. The last two days I have been off work and to have days off in a row like that is highly covetable in a retail job.  But I feel like for the most part I did nothing great with them.  I did two loads of laundry and unloaded and loaded the dishwasher. I made an attempt at straightening the living room but these are no the creative things I always imagine for my day off. 

Yesterday I realized it was do or die.  I had to get in my studio and work. After a morning of running errands that left me feeling a little insecure I finally holed up in my studio but didn't start working until I watched at least three Jay-Z videos on youtube and finally decided to find out what a Skrillex is. A Skrillex is pretty cool.

Okay, now it's artin' time.  But I have been drowning in non-ideas lately so I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't want to spend another day just making watercolor washes and hoping the art would make itself.  So I checked out my pinterest and started looking at beautiful pictures of flowers. And then I started painting. And it may seriously be the first time in a hundred years where I actually painted from a source.  And I couldn't quit painting!

I'll admit I'm still not exactly sure where I'm going with them. I'm not exactly sure where I am going with anything in my life. I just know that I am feeling pretty inspired by my wedding pictures and the color schemes happening in them. So we'll see where it goes.

For Christmas my good friend Janey got me this beautiful Papaya art board and I realized after a night in the studio that I may have unconsciously been inspired by this.

I hope I still have readers.  Sorry for being so neglectful here. I have been thinking a lot about where to go with this blog. I'm going to try to write every day just because I like writing. Sorry if it gets a little too wordy. No one wants to actually READ a blog!!  I'll try to make the word to picture ratio much more enticing.
Until then... eat more pizza.
x0x0