Cardboard Sea

A few thoughts here and there.

2012-01-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the first time I've been able to sit down and really work in my studio since we completed it. It feels good. Really good. Especially with several projects on the horizon.

I've been working on ideas for some album artwork over the past week. Some of the subject matter falls into the category of things I've never even thought about drawing before and some of it is right up my alley. I like a good challenge.

It seems as though we've been building a small community of friends here in Cleveland Heights which excites me. And not just because we finally have more people to play Settlers of Catan with.

Heather Lende's If You Lived Here I'd Know Your Name is my current read. Just throwing more fuel on the fire that is my desire to live in a cabin in Alaska.

Oh, and if you watch anything on Netflix this week, make sure it's FOODMATTERS.

Alaska's auroras.

2012-01-24T13:00:00.003-05:00

My initial thought after seeing this article.

"Say, its only a paper moon..."

2012-01-17T10:36:00.000-05:00

My mom recently shared this picture of my grandparents with me. I can't get over how great it is.

Words to live by.

2012-01-16T16:52:00.000-05:00

(from poorly written history on Flickr.)

Before & After: My studio.

2012-01-15T17:08:00.000-05:00

If you would have asked me a month ago which room I thought we were going to finish first in this house, I wouldn't have responded with my studio. In fact, we had barely talked about what we wanted to do with it. It's really a strange room, if you can call it that. We're not actually sure if it was meant to be a room, or a large closet. Someone mentioned to me that there used to be baby rooms built off of master bedrooms, so maybe that's what it originally was. Either way, I fell in love with it right away despite the fact that it was covered, floor to ceiling in ugly, stained carpet squares. Seriously.

We ripped out the carpet on the floor the first weekend we lived in the house and didn't do much after that. I set up my desk in there a couple of weeks before Christmas to work on some gifts and soon after decided that it would be nice to paint the floors white to brighten up the space a bit. So we did that. And the room was cleared out and one thing led to another and the next thing I know our good friends, the Tomlinsons, are helping me rip down all the carpet squares and sagging plaster wall.

Luckily Ryan has had some experience with drywall (we had none) and was super motivated to help us get it hung while they were staying with us. Then they left and the mudding was up to us. I have to say, I'm no Bob Vila, but I'm feeling pretty good about my drywall mudding skills after this project. And Andrew even got to use the rasp that he had just gotten for Christmas.

After the drywall was complete we cleaned the layers of dust and painted. We had finished painting the floor prior to demolishing the wall so it got fairly beat up in the process. I decided to leave it as is because I liked the distressed look and I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep it perfectly white for forever. I had an idea to use lathe to create a pin board of sorts for the wall that my desk would be against. It took me two days and a few splinters to finish it but it was so worth it. I LOVE it. It makes the room.

It's probably pretty obvious, but the room is 100 times better than it was when we started. Just painting it white made it so much brighter and more welcoming. I'm really excited to have a studio again, especially one that's designed exactly the way I want it. The only thing it's lacking is a sky light, hopefully that will come some day when the weather is warm again.

More pictures from the remodel are on my Flickr page here.

Elephants make the perfect gifts.

2012-01-10T15:55:00.000-05:00

My grandma loves elephants. So, for her 80th birthday I wanted to do a special drawing for her. Here's a sketch I did of it.

"I carry a log - yes. Is it funny to you?"

2012-01-06T11:18:00.001-05:00

Andrew and I have been watching Twin Peaks for the past couple of months. It's one of my favorites and I always felt like it was rather fitting to watch it when the weather is cold and gloomy. I drew this picture of the Log Lady in my sketchbook when I was watching it the first time around. There are just too many good characters in that show.

Twenty Twelve.

2012-01-02T22:02:00.002-05:00

We celebrated the New Year at our house with some good friends of ours. Party hats + noise makers required of course. Maybe it was the fact that I was a little under the weather, but something about this New Year's celebration seemed drastically less eventful (special? magical?) than the years past. Although I suppose it's slightly been going downhill in importance since I reached the age in which I was staying up until midnight on a regular basis anyways. Either way, it was really great to spend time with our friends who we've neglected since this whole home buying thing began. It's been a stressful and tough year, no doubt about it. I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be pretty awesome though.

I didn't make any goals for myself this year. At least not yet. I have some things in mind that I want to accomplish, most of them involving the house, but I don't want to miss any opportunities that present themselves to me. If all goes well I will have a brand new studio to move into within the next week and that is something I'm really looking forward to.

A week off.

2011-12-29T23:46:00.000-05:00

I've had a lot of time off due to the holidays and it's extremely refreshing. We've been to a lot of family get togethers, had some of our closest friends stay at our house, enjoyed slow mornings together and spent a lot of time working on the house. Here are a few moments.

Oh, and the decision to paint my studio floor white evolved into us tearing down the carpet squares covering every surface, and tearing down a sagging plaster wall, and learning drywall skills. I suppose a before and after will be in order once it's all done.

The struggle with the spritz cookies.

2011-12-21T23:32:00.001-05:00

Spritz cookies are my dad's favorite. Spritz cookies are a struggle.

Over the years we have learned that there are three variables that can go horribly wrong when making spritz cookies. Number one - the cookie press/gun. Number two - the dough consistency. Number three - the flavor of the dough. Failure to succeed at any of these variables can result in: hand cramps, crumbly cookies, cookies in the shape of mushed blobs, cookies with too much almond flavor, cookies with no flavor, or a wasted hour of your life.

This year we went through three guns and in the end decided to finally retire one of them. And after a couple of sheets of un-recognizeable, but tasty, cookies blobs we finally succeeded in making a few trays of perfectly wonderful spritz cookies.

Blanket of white.

2011-12-09T12:02:00.001-05:00

Even though I was running a few minutes late for work this morning, I stopped to snap some pictures of the blanket of white.

The first few days.

2011-11-28T21:12:00.001-05:00

(Andrew with the best treasure we've found at the house so far.)

The first few days of owning a home were intense. Three non-stop days of cleaning, scraping, painting, prying, fixing, and all of the aches and pain that go along with that. Oh, there's so much to do.

One of the first things tackled was to remove all the overgrown bushes from the front of the house. My dad and Andrew handled that and the response that we got from the neighbors was overwhelming. We even had people bringing us additional tools to get the job done more easily. It's becoming clear to us that the lady that used to live in our house was not a neighborhood favorite.

Thanks to the help of many family members, we accomplished about 85% of my goal to have the living room and dining room painted and all carpet removed by Tuesday evening. Unfortunately, when all your lamps are in storage and your rooms don't have ceiling lights it's a little hard to work past 5pm. I took a vacation day tomorrow so there's still some time to reach that goal. I just hope that the old powdery-flowery scent in the house will get thrown out with the mauve carpet in the trash.

Homeowners.

2011-11-23T12:56:00.001-05:00

We became homeowners today. Neither of us believed it was actually going to happen until it actually did considering all the let downs we've experienced in this long process. I'm extremely excited to get the keys this afternoon.

The house was built in 1925 and this photo was taken for the home's property card in 1958. I have to thank Christopher over at Cleveland Area History for finding this image for us. It's really awesome to see the house in it's near-original condition. Unfortunately all those trees have disappeared since then, the doorway has been remodeled, and we no longer have wood shingles. Nothing inside of the house appears to have been updated since the 60s or 70s. The house sits in a historical district and it's really inspiring to see how most of the other historical homes in the neighborhood have been maintained in such a nice way. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I'm really looking forward to it.

(A more up to date picture of the house can be found here.)

Jens Lekman always makes me think of the fall.

2011-11-21T14:25:00.001-05:00

I took an impromptu walk yesterday after my breakfast mocha + bagel at Phoenix. If I had planned ahead, I would have brought my nice camera with me since the last remains of fall were there just barely hanging on. Instead, I did my best with my iPhone camera. I imagine this was probably one of the last walks I'll take around the lake this year before the snow covers the ground for good. I didn't listen to any music even though the season is perfect for one of my favorites, Jens Lekman. It was nice to just hear the silence and crunching leaves on a slow Sunday morning.

‎"It's happening people, say 'Hi' to the flakes!"

2011-11-11T12:25:00.001-05:00

Bon Hiver!

There's never been a time in my life when I wasn't entirely thrilled at the sight of the first snow. I mean like, going out into the open air and welcoming it with a smile. It's a bit magical. It happened here last night. And as anyone who lives in a snowy climate knows, eventually the magic dies and we start complaining about never seeing the sun again come February. But for the first month or so I like to embrace it.

When the winter starts to get depressing I like to curl up under a blanket with something hot to drink and watch Northern Exposure all over again for the twentieth time. It's like the second family I never had, living in the town I've always thought I would live in. It's my cold dreary weather comfort. There's this little piece of it that I think of every year when the first snow comes. I love it because they share my enthusiasm for the moment.

Surrounded by ugly wallpaper.

2011-11-07T14:18:00.001-05:00

I can't believe we've been in the process of trying to buy a house since the beginning of April. When we put the bid in on the first house I never would have thought that we would be at the point that we are today...all of our belongings packed up in a storage pod since July, living with friends, going through the house buying process not once - but twice, and trying to close on a second house. It'll be worth it though, that's for sure.

We might be closing on #2 this week and I'm getting really antsy. We're also getting the world's ugliest bathroom in this deal so more pictures of that to come.

Sasquatch: Report Your Sighting.

2011-11-02T21:26:00.001-04:00

I currently have a piece hanging in a group show at AG themed around Sasquatch. Bigfoot. Yeti. Abominable Snowman. Whatever you like to call it. Here's a few snapshots of the show and some of my favorite pieces.

I love working with so many awesomely talented people.

The Awesomatic Photobooth.

2011-10-18T12:25:00.000-04:00

I recently worked with our awesome wedding photographers, The Ely Brothers, (pictured above) to create a new logo for their photobooth. They didn't have the photobooth when they photographed our wedding but I love the pictures that I've seen from it. Definitely a fun time. Below is the new logo that I made for them.

You can check out The Awesomatic website here and their Facebook page here.

Gnomes in the Garden.

2011-10-01T19:46:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday was an exceptionally lovely fall day so we made a point to spend much of the day outside. We went to the Holden Arboretum for the first time and did a lot of walking and searching for gnomes. The trees are just starting to change into their fall colors around here. It even smells like fall. We searched out a farm to pick up some fresh apple cider afterwards and we lucked out because they were making fresh kettle corn there as well.

So it's official...

2011-09-19T23:00:00.001-04:00

...after five months of work and several hundred dollars wasted we're putting a bid in on house #2. Farewell house #1.

In bed with the guitar.

2011-09-11T11:31:00.001-04:00

Word on the street is that we are closing on the house this week.

Art-Tastic Extravaganza Bonanza!

2011-09-06T21:06:00.000-04:00

My team and I set up a gallery show at American Greetings this weekend. It's the first time that any of us have had a show here and we were all really looking forward to showing our work. Our styles and media are pretty diverse, but I think it made for a fun show. We're giving a portion of the money made from sales to Rainbow Babies + Children's Hospital, so we were very excited to see that almost half of the pieces in the show had sold by the end of the first day.

Here are some photographs that I took in the gallery as well as the scans of all of my pieces.

More work by April Nemeth: http://www.littlekorboose.com/

and Sean Higgins: http://thebubbleprocess.com/

Sometimes I have nightmares about work.

2011-08-29T15:09:00.002-04:00

Work day at the zoo.

2011-08-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the team I work with at AG + I went to the zoo to draw, photograph, and just be inspired by the animals. (We put a LOT of animals on greeting cards). Here's a snippet of what I recorded.

The feast.

2011-08-13T17:21:00.001-04:00

It's been a couple of years since we made it to the Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy. It's one of those things that I really disliked when I lived there (mostly due to the hours upon hours of loud music), but something I really enjoy now. The stretch of Mayfield Road in Little Italy is completely closed off so vendors can set up on the sidewalks and people can wander up and down the street. The main draw is the food, obviously, but there's also a lot of entertainment, gambling, and a little carnival. I was looking forward to a meatball sub this year. It was excellent.

Andrew finally got to try some pizza from Mama Santa's and I finally got the chance to really have fun with my new (but old) 50mm lens that I grabbed for cheap on eBay a couple of months ago. I love how great it is in low light and being a regular SLR lens it was pretty enjoyable to do a little manual work for a change. Oh, and we grabbed a hot waffle ice cream sandwich on our way out. Yes, it was a good as it sounds.

2011-08-12T13:17:00.000-04:00

How can I adequately describe that feeling?

That feeling that comes from the instant when you hear just the first few notes of the right song and your heart swells and you become overwhelmed with a rush of memories of a day in the fall. A day that maybe never actually happened. Just an idealized end result of a collection of almost perfect moments. The crisp air. The color and the anticipation. The possibility. That smell that escapes from the chimneys that wraps me in a feeling of complete comfort.

Those clouds.

And at one time I would have called it infinite.

And at one time it was all I had.

And sometimes it makes me cry.

I love that feeling.

Purchased for the home we still don't own yet.

2011-08-11T14:35:00.000-04:00

A vintage Suzani embroidery. Someday I'll get to hang this on one of our walls.

In the meantime I'll just think about it and continue to be frustrated with the wait. This week we're dealing with mold removal estimates. Mold is my new worst enemy.

Homeless.

2011-07-27T11:32:00.000-04:00

The past week was a challenge.

We unexpectedly had to move out of our apartment earlier than we thought. Which led to frantic + completely unprepared packing and relocation of us and the cats, unplanned expenses and a lot of stress. A lot of stress.

Luckily we had family and friends who took the time to help us out and make everything go a little smoother.

So now we wait, and wait to close on this house while we temporarily live with some very generous friends of ours. We've bought ceiling paint and a vintage oven in anticipation of closing any day (or week) now. It's a lesson in patience for sure.

Florida + Friends.

2011-07-17T20:53:00.001-04:00

We've been in south east Florida for the past week. Visiting family + friends. Attending a wedding and soaking up the sun on the hot beaches. Listening to our friends play music and dancing along side them to favorites from the past.

Times like these make me really thankful for the extended family that we have found in our friends.

Listen to our friends in Goolsby (http://goolsby.bandcamp.com/)
and Young Circles (http://youngcircles.bandcamp.com/)

Our Fourth of July evening.

2011-07-05T22:24:00.001-04:00

Last night we went to the Blossom amphitheater for their Fourth of July celebration where one of our friends was playing with the orchestra. Beautiful location + excellent music + cannons + fireworks. Pretty great if you ask me.

Recent snapshots.

2011-06-29T18:59:00.001-04:00

Experiments in watercolor gradients.

2011-06-23T22:43:00.002-04:00

The Cleveland Botanical Garden.

2011-06-20T22:10:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-06-19T17:03:00.000-04:00

Thanks for being so awesome.

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

All full.

2011-06-16T21:16:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-06-14T15:25:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-06-13T11:58:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-06-10T15:41:00.001-04:00

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!

2011-06-09T15:17:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-06-08T12:56:00.000-04:00

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

From: fortmakers.com

Monday. Monday. Monday.

2011-06-06T11:34:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-06-04T22:43:00.001-04:00

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.

2011-06-02T22:05:00.001-04:00

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.

When the weekend ends.

2011-05-31T10:14:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure how my three day weekend seemed to be more of a flurry than a typical two day one, but it did.

There was the Saturday Shaker Square farmer's market and Larchmere's street sale. I thought we might have scored a couple of herman miller chairs for the dining room but once we got closer to them I was not excited about the price considering the less than acceptable condition they were in.

Freelance work and cleaning my desk. I can't tell you how awesome it feels to have a clean desk again. I think it's something I can only truly enjoy after it's been a complete wreck for several months.

An overnight trip to the lake house for some time with the family. As soon as we got there a huge storm rolled in. Watching the storm from the porch there is a familiar scene. It was a quick trip, but definitely worth it. There's something I really love about waking up there and smelling the lake water and looking down the channel at the boats. It's comfortable.

And then there was some frozen yogurt with strawberries and Californication. My two new favorites.

Sketchbook Project - Digitized.

2011-05-29T12:17:00.000-04:00

My submission for the Sketchbook Project has finally gone through the process of being digitized. It's a little wonky in that the pages don't flow together like they should due to however they scanned/photographed it, but it's not too distracting. You can view my whole sketchbook here: I'm a Scavenger - Cheryl Andrey.

Scrap Owl.

2011-05-28T19:50:00.000-04:00

I've been working on a shirt for a client this week that involved an owl. The little guy above was a reject since they were looking for something more wise + powerful. I liked him a lot so I spent a few minutes putting this image together with some scanned watercolor washes and a piece of paper.

Scuba Cat strikes again.

2011-05-26T21:06:00.000-04:00

Seven years ago I started an online art portfolio on a website called DeviantArt. For a number of years it was a really great site to share what I was working on and get feedback on it. Eventually it seemed like the more serious artists starting leaving DeviantArt and I moved on to creating my own website and blog. I've heard and seen a lot of evidence lately that "designers" - both independent and employed by Urban Outfitters - have been poaching artwork from DeviantArt and ripping it off. So tonight I deleted my stagnant portfolio and did a Google search on a few of my more popular pieces to make sure they weren't appearing elsewhere. My Scuba Cat piece has been making it's rounds on Tumblr, Polyvore, and other various sites (usually without being credited) for a few years now which is rather frustrating. But I was happy to see that no one was claiming it as their own. It was published last year in an in-flight magazine called The Holland Herald along with an article about my original inspiration for the piece, a story about a man who taught his cat to scuba dive.

So while I didn't find any direct copies of my work, I did happen to find this, which seems to be inspired by my drawing considering how close the shapes are. I have to say, I'm pretty fond of it.

Found on Flickr here.

Porch swinging.

2011-05-24T09:22:00.000-04:00

There always seems to be a lot of activity on our street. Sometimes not always the best kind, but it's fun to sit on our porch swing and watch anyways.

After it got dark last night we had six different cats visit our porch. Their heads peeking through the window to see inside the house. Our two cats getting all worked up. I've already seen one new kitten emerge from the cat lady's house next door this spring. Considering some of the activity that was happening last night, I'm sure there will be more on the way soon. I mean, I love cats, but enough is enough.

Reason #386 I can't wait to move: the cat lady's cats. Always in our yard, always peeing on our doormat.

Thanks eBay!

2011-05-19T20:35:00.001-04:00

I snagged this rug on eBay a couple of weeks ago for 99 cents! (I'm pretty sure someone lost money on that deal and it wasn't me.) It came in the mail today which I was pretty excited about. Now if only we could manage to get that house that I want to put it in. Have I mentioned that the process of buying a foreclosure is incredibly frustrating?

Anyways, if you started following my blog because you're waiting for the rope bench tutorial then I apologize because I've yet to create it. I've been on the lookout for a good piece of furniture to apply the technique to but haven't been lucky. If I don't find something within the next week or two then I will work with something I have around the house.

A perfectly rainy wedding.

2011-05-16T22:00:00.000-04:00

My best friend Dave and his new wife Bethany got married at a tiny airport in rural North Carolina over the weekend. We carpooled down which gave me the opportunity to reminisce with old friends about our crazy high school antics. Always a laugh. The wedding plans were slightly thwarted when rain brought their outdoor wedding inside. But like they say, rain on your wedding day is good luck, and the ceremony was really lovely either way. Especially with the pitter patter of rain outside and on the roof of the hangar.

When the rain finished and the sun came out again Andrew and I took a walk out to see the planes. I loved their stripes and colors. I don't think I'll ever be taking a ride in one of them though. Far too small and fragile for my tastes. Aside from the fact that I am finally getting over my fear of flying in the big ones. We showered Dave and Bethany with "snow" since Bethany will be leaving her home state and they will be living in Ohio after their honeymoon.

Mother's Day.

2011-05-08T23:54:00.000-04:00

My mom and I. January, 1985.

Fourteen years of sketchbooks.

2011-05-01T19:30:00.001-04:00

Starting with the spiral bound Mead sketchbooks in 6th grade and going through phases of kraft paper, antique, and handmade books. I've recently settled on Moleskines but am looking for something new. If there ever was a fire in my home I'd want to be sure to get these out. For me, they capture and evoke more memories than my journal and most photos. There is a time and place, weather, sound and emotion attached to nearly every page of them. They are my life.

Charity Shop Challenge: April.

2011-04-28T20:57:00.002-04:00

I'm eating a chocolate bunny while typing this. Last night Andrew and I got some delicious Easter goodies on sale. I mean, just because the bunny is a few days late doesn't mean it tastes bad. Right?

Shirt: Free People - Thrifted several years ago, $5 or less

Corduroy Skirt: Vintage from Etsy - Christmas gift

Wooden bead necklace: Made by me

Charity Shop Challenge on Flickr.

What I love most about the spring.

2011-04-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to resist the overwhelming urge to dive into planting this spring. It is one of my most favorite things, but if this potential house works out for us we could be moving in a month or so. One of my least favorite things is moving plants. Last weekend I was on the hunt for geraniums but had no luck. There is something about the smell of geraniums that I think fits the warm weather so well. Today I managed to find some white ones to fill in our long planters that were full of snapdragons last year. I had intended to settle with just those, but then I saw a display of amazing ranunculus and I couldn't resist. Every color available was perfect. Salmon, white, yellow, orange, red. They just looked incredible together. I picked my favorite, yellow, and quickly checked out at that point. One thing I am definitely looking forward to about getting a house is having a yard to fill with flowers. That sort of makes all the stressful parts of house buying more tolerable.

Thirty Pictures.

2011-04-23T17:20:00.000-04:00

My friend Chelsey posted this over on her blog and I thought I'd give it a try. Thirty prompts for thirty pictures.

1. Someone I spend a lot of time with. Andrew. And Bowie.

2. A picture of myself. Working in my old studio.

3. A picture of someone in my family. My grandpa, the reason I love photography.

4. A picture of something that makes me happy. Jellies.

5. An old picture of myself. Me and "AG Bear". Because that's what was embroidered on his corduroy shirt.

6. A picture of a sibling. I never had any real siblings, but I was lucky enough to have two really great step-sisters for a number of years. I took this photo of them when we went on a family vacation to Yellowstone. The first time I had to share a backseat on a long trip with one, let alone two sisters. Lots of memories.

7. A photo from high school. Yep. That's me in the plaid.

8. A random photo of me and my significant other.

9. A photo I've never posted before. Butterflies in California.

10. A relative of mine. My grandma on the beach many years ago.

11. A person I can tell everything to. Andrew.

12. A picture from everyday life. The cats waiting for me to retrieve their toys from underneath the oven.

13. A picture from a place I love. The redwood forest.

14. A picture that reminds me of old times. My best friends were in a band.

15. A picture from a great night. Possibly the most memorable night from all of college. Hanging Christmas lights. Tetris box costumes. Garden State + wine on the balcony of the Teal House. Drunk neighbor with a ladder. The truth about art students. Sleeping under the stars.

16. An unusual picture. Cactus face.

17. A picture of my spare time. Granny square quilt, 75% complete.

18. A picture of the person closest to me. Andrew, shark of the month.

19. A picture of a person who is always there. My favorite ladies.

20. A picture of a time in life I miss. The teal house. Good times, great oldies.

21. A picture from last summer. Cicada emerging.

22. A picture that makes me sad. Egon.

23. A picture I always laugh about. One of us had a gift card to the Sears Photo Studio. The rest is history.

24. A crazy picture. Buffalo head in my old Volvo.

25. Latest picture of myself. Five minutes ago.

26. A picture of my parents at my age. I'm not actually sure when this is from, but I liked it.

27. A picture from the best day of my life. The day we got married.

28. A picture from my favorite vacation. Our honeymoon in Carlsbad, California.

29. A picture of an accomplishment. Sitting in my completed BFA thesis space surrounded by my illustrations, book, and giant stuffed whale named Willard.

30. A picture i'm satisfied with. From my first real gallery show. A quilt that I made and paper clouds that one of my best friends and I were constructing.

Currently reading, just read.

2011-04-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

I've been making an effort to take a break during my lunch hour and spend some time reading. I had been in the habit of eating quickly and getting back to my work immediately after that. Lately I've found that my little reading break actually seems to make the day go by faster. Or maybe I'm just convincing myself of that. Either way, I'm enjoying it.

I've finished Jonathan Tropper's This is Where I Leave You. I really enjoyed it. It's been a while since a book has made me emotional. This one did. I also laughed, a lot.

Another good laugh was from A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. This was my first of Bryson's books but I'd heard that a number of his were great, and this one absolutely was. A Walk in the Woods is a non-fiction book about his decision to walk the 2,100 mile long Appalachian Trail accompanied by his out of shape friend whom he hadn't really interacted with in about 25 years. You can imagine. When I first started this book I was certainly entertaining the thought that maybe this hike was something I would do someday. I've been daydreaming about getting away from work and schedules and exploring nature I'd yet to see. But, as soon as Bryson started mentioning the hazards of the trail, like black bears and hypothermia, I quickly abandoned that thought. This book, much like Through Painted Deserts, brings up the point of how awesome the little luxuries in life can be when you're away from them for so long. I've definitely experienced that. My dad, cousin and I spent three days and two nights in the woods of Pennsylvania a couple of summers ago and the first thing we did when we hiked out was eat a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke. It was so delicious.

Just this past weekend I started Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I already have the feeling that this will be one that I read many times over and over.

Windows open.

2011-04-10T23:24:00.000-04:00

Today's weather was perfect. Warm enough to open the windows and wear sandals. Comfortable enough to go with or without a light sweater. And sunny. Finally we see the sun in Cleveland again. I almost didn't mind that I was stuck inside all morning, drawing flowers for a poster, just because it was so nice to sit with the windows open and smell the spring. Last weekend we were finally able to set up a porch swing that we had gotten as a wedding gift. Today was the first day that it was nice enough to sit out on it, I took a new book with me and spent quite a bit of time enjoying it. I love how excited the cats get about open windows. They sat in them all day long.

I caught Emma meowing out the window and looked across to see one of the neighbor's many cats asleep on their AC unit. I have no idea how it managed to get up there, but it looked pretty comfortable.

The hunt.

2011-04-06T13:14:00.000-04:00

I found this tea set in a local antique store this week. The lovely copper paint and that pattern were just perfect but I had to resist. I took a photo instead.

Andrew and I have been house hunting. We've been putting all of our extra pennies aside into our savings for a down payment. I've been doing extra work in the evenings to save up a bit more. I'd like to say that I think we've found the one, but it seems like anything could happen between the time we put down those final signatures and now. So who knows. It's exciting, and stressful all at once and it's basically all I've been thinking about for the past two weeks.

Woven bench tutorial.

2011-03-31T16:23:00.000-04:00

Our bench project was featured on Design*Sponge today and received a lot of wonderful comments and compliments! I'd like to say thanks, it definitely put a smile on my face. There also seems to be a number of people asking for a tutorial. I didn't document this process with photos thoroughly enough to be able to explain it completely, so, I'm thinking that I will work on a smaller project in this same technique with step-by-step photo instructions. Look for it here in the next month or so!

Suzie McGinness - My Bear Griz.

2011-03-29T22:15:00.000-04:00

Attending art school for five years gave me the chance to meet some incredibly talented people and I am so, so thankful for that opportunity. One of my friends from that time, Suzie McGinness, has been an inspiration to me. She is one of the most imaginative, determined, hard working people that I know. I think that it's awesome that she really followed her dream and achieved what she wanted to do as an artist. So, I'm really excited to share that one of Suzie's books, My Bear Griz, has been published and is now available for pre-order through Borders! Being a huge fan of children's books, and of Suzie's work, I'm definitely going to get a copy and I encourage you to take a look.

Charity Shop Challenge: March.

2011-03-28T22:44:00.000-04:00

This outfit really shows off the nerd in me. It's also pretty thrifty. The belt was the most expensive item, but it was absolutely worth it. It's the perfect accessory to add to an outfit that's lacking a little something. Plus, I think it's great to support handmade.

Cardigan: American Eagle from resale shop - $6.99

Star Trek t-shirt: from resale shop - $3.99

White leather bow belt: Darlingtonia - $40

Orange skirt: Vintage from Etsy - gift from dad

Polka dot tights: Target

Charity Shop Challenge on Flickr.

The bench project.

2011-03-25T18:48:00.001-04:00

Back in January I mentioned that Andrew and I were starting a little makeover on a wooden bench we had found in our basement. We thought the shape and size of it were great, but the top of it was covered in layers of paint splatters and glue so it needed more than a fresh coat of paint to make it nice again. We had come across a little inspiration at Anthropologie when we stopped in there at Christmas time and decided to try a similar technique on our bench.

We cleaned up the bench with a damp rag and sanded off any loose bits. I took a couple good looks at the construction of the piece from Anthropologie and then just went for it. I chose to weave a chevron pattern through it which I thought was a little more interesting than diagonal stripes. We are really happy with the results, and I'm happy that I could finally put some of my fabric scrap stash to use. And now we have a really awesome, unique piece of furniture for our home.

Pinterest.

2011-03-22T11:58:00.000-04:00

I finally made an account: http://pinterest.com/cardboard_sea/

Some thoughts on nuclear power.

2011-03-18T10:45:00.001-04:00

Before recent events I can't say that I knew much at all about nuclear power. I had heard that it was a clean source of power, I knew that a lot of people were pushing to build more stations as a way to deal with global warming or climate change, and I knew that there was one station within 100 miles of where I live.

Over the past week I've learned a lot more about nuclear power. Nuclear power isn't "green" or clean by any means. There's the issue of radioactive waste, which is basically hazardous for 240,000 years. And no, I didn't accidentally add some extra zeros in there. The argument of nuclear power vs. coal power seems like it could go on and on. Either way, the truth is they're both extremely harmful to the environment and there are renewable alternatives that will do the same job without any pollution and minimal change to the environment.

I came across a link on NPR which led me to this report of people and communities affected by the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing and reading. The effects of radiation are incredibly severe and last a long, long time. There are arguments that the technology of nuclear power has come a long way since then, but seeing what has been happening on the news lately, it's clear that it is far from being completely safe.

I had known about the Davis-Besse nuclear power station in Northwest Ohio. I see it all the time when we go up to the islands on Lake Erie. I never thought much about it, but was a little terrified about what I learned from the Greenpeace website. This PDF explains more, but basically that nuclear station has had numerous "near misses" of a meltdown. And as you can see from the charts, it's definitely not the only station that has had problems. The life span of a nuclear power station is 30-40 years based on it's design. Davis-Besse came on line in 1978 and is scheduled to run until 2017. Just days ago another incident happened. And then I found out that we live within 50 miles of yet another nuclear station.

So now I would like to state that I am 100% against nuclear power. I'm not trying to force my opinion onto anyone and I know there are people that would argue my point of view for days. But the thing is, I didn't know any of this until this week and I want other people to be aware.

Oh and also, read this.

(Davis-Besse image found here)

Bowie's favorite spot.

2011-03-16T23:01:00.001-04:00

The linen closet of course. Sometimes it seems like he senses that I'm going to open it before I even do because the next thing I know he's jumping into it. He's been like this since we first moved into this place almost two years ago.

We're all here together.

2011-03-15T13:29:00.000-04:00

It's terrible what has happened in Japan. What continues to happen, and what could happen. I find myself continually checking the NPR website throughout the day to read the latest news on the power plants and aftershocks. I can't imagine actually being involved in an event like that. I mean, yes, the truth is that we're all here on this planet that it's happening to, but seeing these images and hearing the stories can sometimes seem like nothing more than a book or movie to me. I guess that's a bit sad. Those of us who weren't involved are lucky, to say the least. I think it's important to keep that in mind.

I saw this map on Pinterest this morning and thought it was just too beautiful not to share. Letterpress and watercolor. From Design Ahoy on Etsy. I don't often buy artwork, but if these were to go on sale again I would love to have one.

Currently reading, just read.

2011-03-09T21:46:00.000-05:00

As I had mentioned before, I started reading another book by Frances Mayes last year and didn't particularly care for it. Under the Tuscan Sun was a different story...no pun intended. I thoroughly enjoyed Mayes' descriptions of the adventures of buying and repairing a dilapidated old house nestled in the Tuscan countryside. She and her husband learned how to live life in a foreign country and how to make a home there. It was one of those books that can really take you to another place which was something I greatly welcomed in the middle of this cold, snowy, grey Cleveland winter. Once I was done I decided to rent the movie that was based on the book. A lot of people had told me that it was good. I suppose that if I had never read the book I would have enjoyed it a lot more. It was a romantic comedy based on events in the book, a little too comical and predictable for me. But, I did enjoy how it brought particular characters and places from the book to life.

I'm currently a little bit more than halfway through This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. If you like David Sedaris, you will like this book. It's a funny story about a quirky family that spends the week together sitting shiva after their father's death. It makes me laugh out loud and the characters are well written.

The raccoon in my sketchbook.

2011-03-07T14:02:00.001-05:00

Another sketchbook page. Another preliminary drawing for my upcoming show at Phoenix. Watercolors added in Photoshop afterwards since flimsy Moleskine pages don't take to liquids very well. I'm excited to start working on the final pieces soon.

Love, love, love.

2011-03-03T15:28:00.000-05:00

I guess it's probably a little late for this post, but I realized I had forgotten to post some of the Taylor Swift cards that I worked on for Valentine's Day of this year. These few are my favorites. Unfortunately, the glitter doesn't scan very well.

Commodore VonKeepsie's whimsical poster extravaganza.

2011-03-02T21:14:00.000-05:00

I just finished up this poster for my friends at Standard Recording to advertise their SXSW showcase for this year. They wanted something eye-catching and whimsical. I think I delivered that. Also, I'm really digging this color palette.

Blue Jay.

2011-02-28T16:55:00.001-05:00

A little piece from my sketchbook. I'm starting to work out ideas + compositions for a show I will be having at the Lee Rd. Phoenix in July. I'm really excited about it. I like having a deadline involved with my personal work so that I don't let things sit unfinished for months and years.

Charity Shop Challenge: February.

2011-02-25T16:06:00.000-05:00

We got another dumping of snow today. About 8 inches or so. Monday it's supposed to be 50 degrees again. So, considering that spring could be just around the corner (wishful thinking?) I decided to feature two of my all time favorite cold weather appropriate thrift store finds for this month's Charity Shop Challenge. Because hopefully, I won't be able to wear them much longer.

The first item is the yellow wool plaid skirt. I acquired this skirt sometime around my first year of college at Unique Thrift. You can't try anything on at Unique, and I was super disappointed when I got home with my purchase only to find out that I couldn't actually button the skirt that I had fallen in love with. So I did a little creative editing and cut out the waistband, replacing it with some elastic. Worked out pretty well in the end.

The second item is the boots. Ah, the boots. Andrew calls them my reindeer feet. Furry outsides, furry insides, awesome red trim. I saw a pair similar to this on Etsy and after seeing them I couldn't get them out of my head. But the seller wanted $70, and there was no way I was going to pay $70 for a pair of boots, let alone a pair I couldn't try on before buying. And then something magical happened...I had stopped at Unique to take advantage of it's 50% off Monday sale. At the time I was gathering fabric to make rugs for Christmas gifts but my eyes happened to wander over to the shoes and I saw them...the boots. Not only were they practically unworn, but they fit perfectly, and at 50% off $4.99 I felt like I was stealing them. That was a good day.

The "Snowland" picture is the tag from inside the boots. So great.

A new image.

2011-02-24T22:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally got around to giving the blog a bit of a facelift. When I first started this I didn't put a whole lot of thought or personality into the design, but now that I've been here for almost 5 years (and learned a thing or two about how the blogger design features work) I figured it was about time to change that. So, I set to work with some watercolors, a pencil, and my scanner and now I have this.

PK: moonlight.

2011-02-23T23:10:00.001-05:00

I just sent off the files for a new shirt for the band PK. I worked with them a couple of years ago on an another design, it's always nice when clients come back to us and want more. Below is the new design that will be printed soon on American Apparel Heather Forest.

If you're interested, PK is currently giving away their album Into the Roaring for free on their website. They're also in the running to get their band on the cover of Rolling Stone, so give them a little support if you're so inclined.

Road trip to St. Louis.

2011-02-23T12:59:00.031-05:00

What's the best thing that you can do with two vacation days that you're forced to take by the end of the month? Go on a road trip to visit far away friends of course. And that's exactly what we did. Our first 5 hours of driving took us to Indianapolis where we spent the night with my good friend Kevin and his girlfriend Bryanne. They were awesome enough to let us stay with them on a bit of short notice and also recorded the NBC Thursday night lineup for us. In the morning we grabbed some beautiful breakfast at Zest (seriously, "beautiful fruit" was on the menu) and were on our way to St. Louis.

It was really, really wonderful to soak up some sunshine and enjoy temperatures that didn't require a winter jacket.

Visits with our friends Ryan and Lindsay have been too few and far between since they moved to St. Louis so we were excited to be able to spend the weekend with them. We finally got to see their house and also got to discover a city that we'd never been to before.

We played our favorite, Settlers of Catan, classy style with strawberry martinis.

Took a walk around a sculpture park.

Visited the zoo.

And the arch.

We had a lot of great food over the weekend. Lindsay made some really awesome pork tenderloin that I'm looking forward to trying out myself. We got BBQ at Pappy's. I'm not a huge BBQ fan, but it was super good. And my favorite of the weekend, discovering the Fountain on Locust. Entirely homemade amazing ice cream treats and amazing art deco decor. If it were in Cleveland I'd probably be there at least once a week.

We had a really fun weekend (except for Andrew being sick nearly the entire time). It's been a while since we've spent that much time with friends and I miss it a lot. The drive home seemed to take forever. We had rain the whole drive until Columbus when we were met by a sudden snow storm followed by snowy unplowed highways the rest of the way home. We spent some time in the car shooting videos of the rain on the windows. I will have to clip it together sometime and share.

Greatness.

2011-02-22T11:59:00.000-05:00

Airplanes is just perfect. Thanks NPR.
(Full screen this!)

Back in the swing.

2011-02-22T10:28:00.000-05:00

We have returned from our trip to the "Gateway to the West". Cleveland is covered in sparkling ice and the temperature is well below comfortable. Back to work.

A mostly frozen Lake Erie.

2011-02-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

It was pretty easy to convince Andrew that today would be a good day to go check out the frozen lake since it was 45 degrees out. I absolutely love how 45 degrees can feel so good after weeks of freezing cold. Not quite warm enough for Polaroid film though, it took a while to develop into more realistic colors...although a purple landscape is sort of lovely.

More image love from The Selby.

2011-02-11T16:34:00.000-05:00

Those fish scale tiles and that clay boat lamp make me happy. I'm inspired by the crewel work on that rocking chair. Our cats have turned the edge of our good sofa into a scratching post and it makes me want to scream...but maybe I can embroider over top of the mess. It's a thought.

(All images from: http://www.theselby.com/)

Black Bean Enchiladas.

2011-02-10T20:19:00.000-05:00

Of course I would have a cookbook from my most favorite TV show. Ever. Don't you?

We made Black Bean Enchiladas tonight. The recipe called for ground caribou but since we didn't exactly have any of that in our freezer we opted for ground beef. Being our first time making enchiladas, we were very happy with the results. They tasted great and we only had one minor hitch, some parts of the tortillas got stuck to the bottom of the dish. I was pretty nervous about cooking with a jalapeno since I don't really care for super spicy food and I wasn't sure how hot it was going to turn out. It was perfect. Or at least it was for me. I think this will end up being made in our kitchen again.

This is what Mrs. Noanuk cooked for Dr. Fleischman when he finished his fast before being inducted into our tribe. It's Mexican, except for the caribou. You can use ground chuck instead and, you know, it might even be better. Caribou is like all wild meat - almost too lean. Tasty, though.

Dr. Fleischman doesn't really do anything with the tribe. But I feel good knowing he's an honorary member.

(From the Northern Exposure Cookbook.)

Local Natives - Take Away Show.

2011-02-09T15:17:00.001-05:00

I've been obsessed with this band again lately. I need more of them in my life. Another album please?

(This recording is perfect for the headphones.)

From the closet.

2011-02-08T19:21:00.002-05:00

I got a lot of compliments on my color palette today.

(EDIT: I just found out about Jen's Charity Shop Challenge and since I do a lot of my shopping at second hand stores I thought I would participate. Conveniently, the blouse in the photo above is from a resale shop (it cost me a whole $3!) so it will be my first submission. The Flickr group can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/charityshopchallenge/)

Google submarine.

2011-02-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

I love that the Google homepage is a working submarine today. Complete with narwhals and jellyfish. Perfect.

Bowie in a bowtie.

2011-02-06T23:12:00.000-05:00

I think he liked it.

Currently reading, just read.

2011-02-03T22:42:00.001-05:00

A while ago a good friend of mine recommended that I read Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller. I remember that being during my 5th year of college when I was completing my thesis. I was working in my studio from 8am to 2am so, needless to say, I wasn't doing much reading at that time. Fast forward to just before Christmas, I find the book in the picked over remains of a bookstore's going out of business sale and I'm pleasantly surprised. I accumulated several other books around the same time, but Through Painted Deserts was the book I decided to start off the new year with. I'm so glad I did.

"The seasons remind me that I must keep changing, and I want to change because it is God's way."

There are several times in the year that I feel the urge to reinvent myself. The beginning of the year, the spring, the fall. There's something about the seasons that bring that out in me, especially the spring. This sentence really called out to me when I read it.

"I want to keep my soul fertile for the changes, so things keep getting born in me, so things keep dying when it is time for things to die. I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago, because a mind was made to figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently."

The book is a memoir about Donald Miller's road trip from Texas to Oregon in an old Volkswagen Van. He and his friend Paul experience the country without the distractions of everyday life, with barely enough money to reach their destination, and Donald continues to question "why?". They discover what's really important in life, and what it's like to desire only the simple things. It made me crave a life without anything holding me down. Sometimes I really feel like if I had the opportunity to just get up and leave I would. Working odd jobs anywhere just to experience all this life has to offer. I have a love/hate relationship with books like this for that very reason. I loved this book. There isn't much else to say.

"You're a pretty good person, you know. God made a whole beautiful earth and decided to put you in it, to experience all of this beauty. You can't do that watching television all the time."

---

This week I started Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. I read about half of one of her books last year but lost interest in it for various reasons. I'm only a few chapters in, but finding myself much more interested in this one. A story about buying an abandoned home in Tuscany...sigh.

(The books are sitting on the bench we are working on...consider it a little sneak peak.)

At home with the ice and snow.

2011-02-02T18:15:00.000-05:00

Dear future bathroom in the house we will own,

2011-02-01T11:40:00.000-05:00

Be prepared to get tiled in fish scales.

Sincerely, Cheryl

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/3221469811)

So, this is what twenty-six looks like.

2011-01-31T20:08:00.000-05:00

I'm celebrating on my own tonight. Got a haircut. Indulging in another piece of my chocolate cake. Watching one of my favorite movies (When Harry Met Sally). And making myself a pair of earrings. Not bad, not bad at all.

Today when people were asking me what I was going to do for my birthday I told them that I went out last night to Malley's for ice cream sundaes. Malley's is a local place, mostly known for their chocolates, but a few of their locations have ice cream. I love Malley's. Not just because they have the BEST hot fudge, or because they give you free pretzels to enjoy with your ice cream (salty+sweet!), but because of the atmosphere. You can ride on a carousel while eating...it goes extremely slow. And then there are the animal heads.

Birthday treats.

2011-01-30T17:06:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my birthday and so far I've been celebrating by eating delicious treats. My mom surprised me with an awesome chocolate mousse cake from Presti's. My favorite! This was the cake that Andrew and I chose to have at our wedding, although in the end we decided to get a variety so non-chocolate lovers could enjoy dessert as well. Tonight I'm celebrating with some of our friends and going out for ice cream at Malley's. They have the best hot fudge around! I'm easy to please.

Birds over the innerbelt.

2011-01-28T10:59:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about spring already. It's too soon for that.

To do. What to do.

2011-01-24T11:08:00.000-05:00

The photo above basically describes my weekend. Buried in cats and projects. In a good way.

Andrew had Sunday off so we started to tackle a project we've been talking about for a while. We're giving a makeover to this terribly ugly little bench we found in our basement. I was a little skeptical of if we could actually pull off the look we were going for, but now that we've started it I'm 100% sure it's going to be awesome. Some of our inspiration can be found here and here.

My hair is getting to be awkward and challenging and I'm debating cutting it all off again. I think I idealize long hair.

A pick me up.

2011-01-21T11:47:00.000-05:00

I've been sick since Monday night. Surviving on a diet of soup and ginger ale (which I'm really getting tired of). Today I was feeling well enough to go back to work, but still not 100% and definitely not excited to be out in 15 degree weather. But then "Sea Legs" by The Shins started playing and things got a little better. I love that song. It was a nice pick me up.

I drew this poster a few years ago for a concert to win free tickets to a Shins show. I didn't win, and I've still never seen them live, but I do like my poster.

Swedish design, glass and plants. Or, an early birthday.

2011-01-17T23:46:00.001-05:00

This weekend my family and I had an early birthday celebration for my dad and I. We trekked to Pittsburgh and our first stop was Ikea for a little shopping. After that we went to the Phipps Conservatory where a lot of picture taking took place. It was really nice to be able to walk around in a lively "outdoor" type environment and not be bundled up from the cold. Not to mention smelling all the plants and dirt. I like that a lot. It was also pretty cool to see some of Dale Chihuly's glass work incorporated into the exhibits there. I'm really glad we got to do that, it was a great way to celebrate.

I love Bonsai trees.

Photography runs in the family.

Coffee. Mmm.

The send off.

2011-01-13T23:19:00.000-05:00

I put all the final touches on my Sketchbook Project tonight so I can send it off tomorrow. It's first stop will be the Brooklyn Art Library this February. I'm definitely a little sad to be sending it away. Like all of my sketchbooks, it's basically a journal of that time in my life. I may not necessarily spell out everything that's going on in my life, but I remember the emotions and story behind almost everything I draw. Almost like flipping through a photo album, or hearing that song that triggers all of the memories you've had hidden away. I snapped a few pictures of it before I put it in the mail. I will post a link to it in it's entirety once it is digitized. I had a lot of fun with this project. Even if it meant that my own personal sketchbook suffered greatly. I think it may just be time to start fresh. It is that time of year after all.

"...Once you lose something you'll never find it again...it's lost at the bottom..."

2011-01-13T15:50:00.000-05:00

I would like to think that my future house will never be so cluttered with stuff. But there's something fantastic and cozy about the home of Albert and Gillian Maysles that I found on The Selby.

I've been a fan of the Maysles brothers and their work since first seeing Grey Gardens several years ago. The way in which they captured those women was incredible and I like that there are images and memories of the film in Albert's house. I rented the remake (if you can call it that, you can't exactly "remake" a documentary) a couple of days ago and will probably watch it tonight. I'm not expecting to like it much, but I felt that I needed to see it.

"Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays."

2011-01-10T15:26:00.000-05:00

(Hint: it's me.)

This has been my first Monday at work since Christmas and it has kicked my butt. I mean, you think you have a project under control, and then Monday comes along and messes it all up. Thanks Monday, you win.

Anyways, I only have a few pages of my sketchbook project to finish up before I mail it out this week. I'd really like to go see the whole show when it's on tour, but we've made no plans. My whole book will be digitized after it is sent in, so I will share it in it's entirety then. In the meantime, here's another page.

Handmade gifts.

2011-01-08T01:07:00.000-05:00

I made a lot of handmade items to give as gifts this Christmas. Almost everyone in my family received a crochet rag rug that I made from thrifted sheets and fabrics. Since they've all been given out at this point, I decided to share some photos of them here. Bowie seemed to think they were for him.

A cozy backdrop.

2011-01-05T15:35:00.000-05:00

I worked on another photo shoot for a Taylor Swift card this morning. I was really excited to include this thrifted granny square afghan that my aunt gave me for Christmas. It has the most amazing colors in it.

In other news, I'm kicking myself for not playing the numbers from Lost in the Mega Millions last night. I don't normally play the lottery aside from a scratch off every now and then for fun, but everyone was getting so hyped up about it that the thought definitely crossed my mind. Unfortunately, I was too eager to get home from work that I didn't stop to get one. We could have been $150 richer today.

Movie: Tenure.

2011-01-04T10:47:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite sure how this movie slipped under my radar, but last night it was suggested to me by iTunes and I was pretty excited to rent it. It has a lot of things in it that make a good movie for me: at least one of the Wilson brothers, Jens Lekman in the soundtrack, a great old bright yellow Volvo wagon, and a sasquatch. But in all seriousness, it's a fantastic comedy. It's a quirky story that's a little dark without being depressing and the cinematography is very lovely. I definitely recommend it.

Top 10 of 2010.

2011-01-03T14:52:00.000-05:00

Having a LastFM account makes it pretty easy to review my past year in music. Here's a list of the top 10 artists that I listened to in 2010:

1. The Octopus Project. I first discovered this band a couple of years ago while vacationing in Silicon Valley, California. Andrew was in training at Apple so I walked myself to the nearest bookstore and wasted away a few hours. I almost didn't buy their album, but I am so glad I did. I will always think of the redwood forests when listening to this band. I had the chance to see them several times since then including once (or maybe twice?) this year. They are phenomenal live, especially with that theremin.

2. Local Natives. This band was suggested to me by iTunes and I basically bought their album after previewing just one song. An instant favorite. We saw them play two shows early this year. One small acoustic set at Music Saves and then another regular show the same night at the Beachland Ballroom. Really wonderful. I'm looking forward to what they may be coming up with next.

3. Ben Folds. One of the first albums I ever bought with my own money was Whatever and Ever Amen by Ben Folds Five. I haven't stopped listening to him since. This year he came out with Lonely Avenue with Nicky Hornby who happens to be an author that I really enjoy. Nick wrote the lyrics and Ben wrote the music. It's like it was meant to be.

4. The Acorn. I was a fan of this band's previous work, but when they came out with No Ghost this year I just could not stop listening. It was really great for driving in the spring with the windows down.

5. Volcano Choir. When Justin Vernon's Bon Iver was getting super popular a year or two ago I felt like an outcast when I wasn't getting into it as much as everyone else. Pretty music, yes, but I didn't love it and everyone was talking about it. Then I happened upon Volcano Choir and I guess I caught the Justin Vernon bug.

6. Adem. It was a complete mistake that I ever saw Adem live and probably the best mistake I ever made. I showed up to a dirty projectors concert 2 hours early after reading the calendar wrong and caught Adem and Juana Molina instead. Both were amazing live and I left with music from both of them. One of my best friends and I devoured his music that winter and now it's the first thing I want to listen to when it starts to get cold out.

7. Vampire Weekend. This is another one of those bands that just became an instant love for me. I still can't stop listening to their first album and this year they came out with Contra. I would love to see them live again sometime.

8. The Swell Season. Andrew and I really loved the Once soundtrack so when I found the Swell Season's album at The Exchange I was super excited. Perfect music for the fall.

9. Janelle Monae. This girl has the gift of dance and music and I love both. I listened to this album twice while I was stuck in the snowpocalypse for 4 1/2 hours. It just makes you wanna dance.

10. Grizzly Bear. I guess I'm a little late with this one, but lately I'm really into Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest. Better late than never I suppose.

And there you have it. If you're curious, here's last year's top 10.