Recent snapshots.

Experiments in watercolor gradients.

The Cleveland Botanical Garden.

One of my favorite places in Cleveland is the Botanical Garden, so when Andrew and I shared a rare Sunday off together I suggested we spend some time there. It was really the perfect day to spend there. Comfortably warm,  sunny, but a little cloudy. I used to spend a lot of time at the gardens when I was in school because a handful of my classes were taught in the Gund building just across the street. It doesn't get much better than stepping out of a cold classroom and walking into a hot greenhouse in the middle of snowy February. That and I really like drawing plants. 

When I was going through these pictures deciding which ones to share I was reminded of a page from an old sketchbook that I drew on a visit here. So instead of sharing a photo of butterfly, I'll share a drawing instead. At the time, my sketchbook was an old dance instruction book that I had picked up at a local antique store. 

We also saw Midnight in Paris at the Cedar Lee. I'm not one of those girls who obsesses over all things Parisian, but I really loved this movie. Mostly for the art references.

Dad.

Thanks for being so awesome.

(My dad and I on my first day of school.)

All full.

I filled up my most recent sketchbook yesterday. I thought I'd share some photos of the contents here to give it one last hurrah before I put it on the shelf with the others.

Sometimes I'm sad to see them go, but I'm always excited to start a new one.

Golden Half.

So Andrew got me this for Christmas:

It's a Golden Half camera which allows two shots per frame so you get two photos on a roll of film where you would typically get one. Twenty four exposures = forty eight exposures. Etc. Etc. I really love this camera because it's the perfect size to take anywhere. I've been working on a roll of film since Christmas and I just got it developed yesterday. I wanted to share a few of my favorites here. Several of the shots weren't printed properly, or at all, but I kind of like what happened. 

This last one is my favorite by far. It almost makes me miss the snow. 

Pink.

A sneak peek of one of the pieces I've been working on for an upcoming art show at Phoenix Coffee on Lee. I've become a big fan of florescent pink gouache. It almost matches the sunburn I got this weekend at my cousin's wedding. 

Also, Moonrise Kingdom? YES.

Some films on a Friday.

It's not often that I get really excited about a movie. Unless Bill Murray or Wes Anderson are somehow involved in it. It's also not often that I would post something like this. But, there are two movies coming out in the near future that I am really excited about. One is "Blue Like Jazz" which is based on the book by Donald Miller. I'm currently in the middle of reading it right now, but I've read enough of it and Miller's other books to know that I won't be disappointed. Based on this trailer alone (featuring music by Menomena, and Alex from LOST), seeing how the scenes are playing out better than I had imagined in my mind, I'm going to guess that this movie is going to become a favorite of mine. I'm excited to see something like this reach out to young audiences. 

The second movie is one that hits a little close to home. Literally. It's called "Take Shelter" and it revolves around a man who starts having apocalyptic visions and feels driven to build a shelter for his family. The entire movie was filmed just outside of my hometown of Wellington, Ohio. Scenes from the movie take place in stores that I've shopped in for years, including the army/navy store where I bought my first pair of Chuck Taylors my freshman year of high school. And to top it off, my uncle is actually in the movie. He sells the main character the shipping container that he lowers into the ground and builds his shelter with. He got the part because he actually happens to sell and rent shipping containers in the area where the filming was taking place. Lucky coincidence.

(Side note: I've sat through too many wailing tornado sirens in the basement of our 100+ year old home in Wellington. This movie is guaranteed to get my adrenaline going.) 

Fiat? Oui!

We keep seeing this cute little Fiat driving around our neighborhood and the front of it always makes me picture a funny little French guy. So I drew him. 

A gorgeous hunk.

Of wood. This record player + cabinet is perfect in so many ways.

 From: fortmakers.com

Monday. Monday. Monday.

Today feels especially Monday-like. 

I blame it on the fact that I had a really fantastic, relaxing weekend. 

Friday Andrew and I went out to what is quickly becoming my favorite mexican restaurant. Unfortunately, it's too expensive to indulge in very often. They have the best little patio with shade trees and hanging strings of lights. Sitting there reminded me so much of California. I had a mango white wine sangria that I can't stop thinking about. It was that good. 

The rest of my weekend was spent taking walks, finishing up freelance jobs, and diving into some personal work for upcoming shows. Attempting to work on multiple large scale pieces at once in our office at home made me really miss my old studio. Also, our office is seriously lacking in good natural light. I've been dreaming up an attic studio for our house (if we ever get to close the deal) that includes skylights. 

Today I finished building my new work friend:

Building these little paper figures is my new favorite lunchtime project. Stay Puft has now taken his place on my shelf next to Steve Zissou and Zombie Freud. 

The Great Lakes Collective.

I just finished up this shirt design for a record label out of Michigan called the Great Lakes Collective. I have to say, sometimes I really enjoy the challenge of working for a client and solving the problem of creating what they're imagining. In this case, a wise blue owl nestled in a tree shaped like Michigan. 

Charity Shop Challenge: May.

Okay. So I'm a little late with this one. It's gone from rainy season to heat wave here. I'm a big fan of this top because it's comfortable to wear under a cardigan while I freeze in the air conditioning at work and isn't too warm once I get back into the summer air. I'm not a fan of air conditioning. Definitely one of the reasons I'm not a fan of Florida. Florida should be the capital of air conditioning. 

Necklace: Resale shop - $3.

Top: Resale shop - $5.

Jeans: Resale shop - Originally $12 but I got them for free after selling some clothes I wasn't wearing anymore.

Shoes: Famous Footwear - $35.

Charity Shop Challenge on Flickr.