Ice Cream for Real

Yesterday I saw a girl walking with a bag of groceries and I could see a frozen pizza in the bag. I was so jealous.  At the moment I was really hungry for lunch and I knew she was walking home and was going to make that frozen pizza and it was going to be soooooo good.

It probably wasn't that good but who knows.

Since we have started budgeting our life we are also working on eating better. We are not on diets, necessarily, just over-hauling what we eat.  Needless to say there are no frozen pizzas in the freezer. If you want one around here it comes out of your weekly allowance.  It's not so bad. I went home and made chicken and cous cous for lunch and forgot all about the pizza.  The hardest part to get used to is cooking all our meals. We no longer have a lot of grab and go foods so if you are hungry you have to prepare and make something.  I rely on laziness to not overeat. 

We have had a lot of changes around here and so far so good. It took me about a week to be grumpy and depressed with the food and money thing. I desperately want to buy a new dress or a new purse. All my purses are old and in various states of disrepair. Ok so my dresses are all fine but I still want a new one.  My birthday seems so far away.  But in the spirit of counting your blessings instead of your burdens I know that the balance for blessings is way stronger (did I say that right?).  Mostly because I learned how to make ice cream with frozen bananas and peanut butter.  Okay, that is not my biggest blessing but come on! Ice cream from bananas and peanut butter!

-Grab those bananas off your counter that are starting to become too ripe. You are not going to eat them anyway so cut them up in one inch pieces and throw them in the freezer (put them in a container first, duh). 

-After they have frozen put them in your food processor with a scoop of peanut butter (I try to use as little as possible. Maybe a hearty teaspoon) and turn it on. 

-If it is not getting as creamy as you like you can put a little milk in but it is not necessary if you want a vegan treat.

Auuuggghhh!  It is so good it hardly seems healthy.  With an indulgence like this I'll choose it over frozen pizza any day.  Can I eat some for breakfast? I might.

In my studio I am making messes and figuring things out.  I feel like I am basically starting on a whole new body of work and it is a little intimidating in some ways.  I am excited about what I am doing but I sort of do not know where I am going with it so I definitely have some moments where I feel lost.  All I can do is keep at it and I think the big picture will reveal itself to me. By Friday I would like to start taking pictures for Etsy.  Fingers crossed that I can meet that deadline.  

See that bowl on the left side with brushes sitting in water. I left them like that overnight. Gross.

Have a good day and I'll see you here tomorrow.

Some Things To Look At

Yesterday I had the day off and spent it as creatively as possible and took pictures along the way.

First of all, check out this bunny. I have had Luxie nearly a year now. I should have a birthday for her soon. What do you get the bunny who has everything?

Over the weekend I worked on these small tissue paper pom poms and used them to decorate Lux's cage. Since her space is a bit of an eyesore I thought I could do something to make it prettier.

I also decorated these little corners of my world, too. Notice those rocks from a recent photo shoot?

I worked in my studio for a while...

and did this.

I made these, too. I love these little plaques and want to make more. Maybe instead of photos of rocks I'll draw my own.

Now I'm off to work. There is coffee that needs to be served.

Have a great day!

Art!

Latest studio rut is at a standstill! I've been hard at work by re-working old pieces. My latest studio epiphany? More layers!! Back in the old days I use to pile on layer after layer with a little help from silkscreen flats. Nowadays I don't have silk screens to fall back on so it's up to me and a big bucket of gesso. I finally learned how to make it my friend while I doodle and draw and then paint everything white and start all over!

Here's my messy studio to prove work is being done.

Truth be told I actually hate working in this kind of mess but there is so much of a mess that I'm a little bit overwhelmed. Anyone want to come over and organize my space? Or else just submit me to be on a TLC show where they do it for me?
Here are bad iphone photos of in-progress work.

I'm not totally totally sure where I'm going with this work but I'm thinking a lot of healing crystals and cemeteries. Weird combination I guess. And as always there are ghosts! I'm excited to see where this takes me.
And here's an ice cream cone from Dairy Dogs. They really do put eyes on all the cones! Happy Summer!

Some Things To Look At

Yesterday was a day. That's all I can say. There were some ups and downs. One of the ups? My boyfriend made these delicious nachos for dinner. Turkey crumbles, homemade guacamole, salsa, onions, tomatoes, cheese and tons and tons of cilantro, my fave. It was delicious.

One of the downs? All the shelves in my art studio fell off the wall. I don't know why it happened but it took me over an hour to finally go in the room and deal with it. I was too afraid to see all the damage. Luckily and surprisingly most things came out unscathed. A few busted frames but art work was still intact so I had plenty to feel lucky about. But now this is what my studio looks like messier than ever. We are going to hang the shelves again today but I'm still a bit nervous of another disaster...

One bright spot in my studio are these awesome vintage owl pencils. I have had these for forever. My best friend Claudia gave them to me one year for Christmas and I hang them up in every place I live in. They are kind of like my version of the lucky horseshoe.

I have recently acquired some amazing art including this crazy beautiful piece by John Medina. We traded last year for it but he had to hang on to it a little while longer. Once I got it I was pleased as punch. It reminds me of the Mountain Monsters I use to draw. I think I'll keep this guy in my studio for inspiration.Also, when I visited with my friend Cassie recently she gave me this beautiful doily painting. I have always loved theses paintings so I am very excited to have one of my own!

Yay art!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday. I hope your shelves stay intact today and everyday!

Etsyians Among Us

Since I graduated I have been working a lot at home in my studio. Lately I have had a lot of print exchanges due so it has forced me out of my private space and into the printmaking studio at school. I'm lucky to still be able to use the shop every once in a while when I really need it.

I was nervous at first to start working around people again but once I did I was reminded of why I love printmaking so much in the first place. The need for a shop helps create a community. When I work at home I make all kind of decisions about my work in a bubble. No one is around to give their input. At a shop, there is always someone who is willing to take a look at what you are doing and give an opinion. That's how I met Hesper. We were both working quietly on our own stuff but I was freaking out about potentially making a mistake on my print so I called her over to take a look. She gave me some great input and after that I was much more comfortable about what I was doing.

I complimented her handmade bag and discovered that she has her own Etsy shop where she makes bags out of up-cycled fabrics. I love the different styles that she makes and the materials are beautiful. Check out Subversive Seamstress for much more.

And if you are having trouble with your own work and feel like you're working in a bubble go find someone who is willing to step in and say if a color is wrong or a line is not working. It can make all the difference!

Help!

My studio is a mess! Can someone come and clean and organize it for me? Every time I walk in I feel so overwhelmed. Here is my table:

But there are also quiet moments where it's clean and decorative like here:

and here:

I just linger in these moments until the hyperventilating stops.

Seriously willing to trade art for an organizing cleaner.

Last In The Studio

I'm moving out of my studio at school and this is the last in-progress piece hanging up on my wall. It's sad to move out but I'm hoping my new studio will help me finish this. This is a mixed media painting on 30" x 40" paper.

I've had a pretty good response to my fundraiser. I'm still trying to get more art pieces donated. If anyone is interested please read my last post and get in touch with me. I got word from the family that every day has it's own challenge. This all weighs heavy on my mind. I feel for this family and am so glad to know there is at least something I can do to help, even if it's just a little bit.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

My home and studio

Our house is finally coming together and I finally got some new batteries in my camera. Since there are still a few messy spots in both my studio and the rest of the home I only took some detail shots and a few before pics. Here are some scenes from my studio. I have had the most fun setting this up.

And the following are images of the rest of the house. More to come.

The rug above came with the house but we ditched it for a light gray one. And our sink and bathtub? Green! Seriously. It's so funny!
I don't love the color of the cabinets so we may paint them as soon as we get landlord permission.

Huge backyard! This was the most exciting. We are hoping to have a garden soon.

That's that. I will get more pics once everything is up and going.

Hope you have a great weekend. I'm off for a whole wedding weekend, should be fun!

Good Morning.

So I still haven't gotten around to buying batteries for my camera (mostly because I'm cheap) but I took a few pictures of my new studio with my cell phone, hence the not awesome quality. It's so fun putting my new space together. I feel like there will be a lot of inspiration in this room and that's what I need. A new space will do me good.

My friend Janey bought this house-shaped box and decorated it just for me. Isn't it beautiful?



On the work front I start really working yesterday at the restaurant and I really like it a lot. I like all the people I work with and it's nice to have a job that makes me active. I like moving around a lot. I think I may just be a good waitress after all. I was super nervous about going into work today. I was feeling really insecure and it made me think about how I feel like I've gotten more insecure with age. When I was younger I was fearless and defiant. I was who I was with no apologies. I wish I could still be that way. I'll try my best to channel that angsty teen girl who kept her head up no matter what. Do any of you all notice a difference between yourself now and then for better or for worst?

Hope your Thursday is great!

Don't forget the giveaway here.