biofreeze

if you work all crunched up at your computer like I do, this stuff really helps tense muscles feel better...click here for more info.

illustration friday topic-"music"

these were all painted while listening to 4 of my favorites CD compilations...all of which are very ethereal.

holiday doodles

I wish I had the energy to figure out how to use all of these pages + pages of ink-y doodles I have laying around...(other than placing them on my favorite kraft background and tossing them on the blog, that is)

ducks

once upon a time nate got out real ink + a real pen and did these doodles...I just came across them in my files. maybe this will inspire him to get that pen back out and start inking!

shop local

...this is the back of the stocking I posted earlier with the birds...it's for the Grey Colt "handmade stocking" event, which this year benefits the local farmers market.

illustration friday topic-"unbalanced"

it's easy to eat unbalanced meals during the holidays...but YUM!

Grey Colt

the Grey Colt (in Hudson) is starting to put out holiday things...I LOVE this whale ornament...

burlap

my new favorite technique...cutting my own rubber stamps and printing on burlap...

frivolous friday

he would make a funny little handmade...felt hat + scarf...little pom-pom on top...crystal glitter on the snowflakes...anyone out there wanna buy him for their holiday line?

chanukah

I just found these in my files...both are wrap designs in repeat...I doubt that I would have the patience to plot out all of those tiny mosaic squares again.

poinsettia

just a simple pattern ... almost in repeat.

new cookbook

I bought this cookbook in ann arbor over the weekend...it is saturated with really yummy recipes...and it is vegetarian, ya know (in fact all four of us bought it!)

red

I must have been remembering this pattern I did when I bought those shiny red boots in ann arbor this weekend. maybe this pattern just wasn't christmas-y enough for anyone to buy cuz it is still in my files.

ann arbor

oooh-boy! LOVE ann arbor...great farmers market, great food, great paper store + great shopping all around....and a VERY fun time with the girlfriends.

frivolous friday

it's a bit frivolous to be taking a little road trip with so much work to do...but...I've got my coffee and I'm headed to ann arbor...yay!

ladybugs

everywhere I look in the house there is a ladybug sitting on something! they are too chilly outside and must know that I keep the heat up pretty darn high around here...

book recommendation

I posted another book by this author a few weeks back...I recently read this one and I enjoyed it even more. very beautifully written.

illustration friday topic-"skinny"

lots of walking equals skinny legs...(I'm using this illustration I had done earlier since I'd rather spend some time walking)

new postings!

our studio SSS november postings are on our website (click here). I'm pretty sure nate is making fun of my eco-alphabet but he is just jealous...

happy halloween

frivolous friday

it's scary how much I like using this little leopard print pattern...

boo!

I am only able to cut straight lines in pumpkins and I do like eating candy corn that gives you an instant sugar headache.

kids christmas

illustration friday topic-"fast"

time sure doesn't go fast when you're trying to do a "24 hour water only fast"...

snowmen

some look like they are wearing a fez! they are a goofy looking bunch of snowmen...

sweet etsy site

are these sweet or what? check out this etsy site (here) ... I may have to purchase these as they look like they were made for my studio...

blizzard

it's a blizzard here in the studio...I took every snowflake I've been designing lately and tossed 'em altogether on kraft. I would totally use this for holiday wrap with some green ribbon.

peace

frivolous friday

I now realize why my boxwood trees have been looking a little scraggly...someone likes sitting in the middle of them.

100 girls on cheap paper

another incredibly great book by chronicle. every illo is so lovely.

aveda

honestly...I've tried 'em all and this is the best hand cream and it's not all flowery + lavendar-y smelling.

illustration friday topic-"frozen"

this little lady is having way too much fun to feel the chill in the air...

eco-alphabet

sneak peek...I'm working on an eco-alphabet for our november web-posting...here are a few of the letters. you're correct...I can't keep secrets very well.

hiking w/nate

nate was in town + we went for a big, long hike...to make up for the deep fried risotto balls he made for dinner. uh, YUM!

frivolous friday

not even close to being a frivolous friday...first, the rain caused the mini vacation to be cancelled...and now our ninth grader has the miserable flu. maybe blueberry muffins will help, a little.

cheers

I like drawing fruity cocktails way more than I like drinking them

fennel

fennel...chop up the bulb into bit size pieces, cut up an orange and toss everything with olive oil, lemon juice, salt + pepper...oh so good. crunchy and full of different flavors.

cherry pie

this piece of pie looks like it's smiling + laughing...wish I had some pie right now. oh wait. I'm making brownies...

pomegranates

I love pomegranates...they're so fun to draw...like figs + pears + eggplants. and crazy fun to eat...messy but worth it.

illustration friday topic- "flying"

after a fun day out flying in the park, these feathered friends are happy to be back in their lovely homes.

za bun

of our five kitties, this one likes to be photographed the most...he is a study in contrast...in every sense of the word.

frivolous friday

just having some silly fun in the studio...

book

this is a wonderful book. I was very "quieted down" while reading it....

new pattern

remember all those color palettes I did? well, I really liked this one + ventured into pattern designing mode using these colors. It's one of my new favorite designs...sure wish someone would buy it...

illustration friday topic-"germs"

germs get cozy anywhere...and if there weren't so many cozy in me today I would've illustrated another germ jar house. sneeze + sniffle...

polenta recipe

in a small effort to help more people become vegetarians, here is one of my favorite recipes (from williams-sonoma vegetarian cookbook)...the key is to use the above pictured cornmeal for the polenta and no-chicken veggie broth by imagine......(click on the recipe to enlarge)

girlfriends

thanks to all my wonderful girlfriends...you are the best!

parsnip fries

these are really easy ... perfect for a rainy autumn evening. maybe with some beer...of course.

frivolous friday

I'm cheating...this is an older file done for Paper Magic awhile ago...but these snowmen are kind of frivolous and funny.

our NEW website!

nate + I have been creating our new website! check it out (here) ... geez, we're going to be busy keeping up with it. ok...nate did all of the technical work + programming...he even designed it so you can go look at the old site (yawn) if you are so inclined. he's the best...

illustration friday topic-pattern

every shopper has their own pattern + style...

september 30

my personal favorite colors...what can I say, I went to the Columbus College of Art + Design...grey was a big part of every class. a few notes about this little "month of color palettes" exercise...it actually made the month go just a wee bit slower + I recently did some spec designs using a few of the palettes (which I will be posting soon). and I have some fun new number shapes to play around with...

purely decadent

this is dairy free ice cream...using agave for sweetness, not sugar. it is REALLY good, but ya gotta love the taste of coconut. easy way to go vegan. thanks to rick for introducing me to it.

HB

happy birthday Brad + Alex...two of my nephews that were born on the same day, same year...both are really great guys in their very individualistic ways. (this is a card I did for Gartner Greetings)

september 29

yes, I am very very tired of this design as well...one more day to go.

september 28

september 27

this is a tribute to cleveland...especially this a.m....there's color out there is the greyness, you just need to look closely. it's soothing, really.

liza lou

the new liza lou piece at the cleveland museum is stunning...

september 26

fa-la-la

just taking a break from the zillion piece pop-up design I need to finish...

frivolous friday

not much frivolous about this friday...it is  b u s y !  I'll be taking "fanny", my mom's kitty, to the groomer for a haircut...then back to whittling down the pile of assignments.

september 25

september 24

feeling a little collegiate...

eggplants

I have no business blogging at the moment...just got a big rush assignment...but...my friend just brought over these unbeliebeably beautiful white eggplants from her garden and, well...I couldn't resist.

september 23

seven more palettes to go...

uh-oh

kind of hard to work when your seat is taken...and who could possibly disturb this cutie?  so I'm sitting on 2 inches of space at the edge of the chair. ow.

september 22

certainly not my favorite palette but I'm feeling a bit lazy...

illustration friday topic-INFINITE

"illustration friday" word this week-infinite. endless meandering trail of hues...

september 21

happy birthday to wonderful patty!

pumpkin roulade

my downfall...pumpkin roulade...I can hardly wait for september cuz that's when Heinen's starts making it. it is sooooooooo good.  I've never tried making it myself...why bother.  but I think "barefoot contessa" has a good recipe for it.  the problem...nobody else in the family likes it so I just pick away at it til I'm in sugar high oblivion.

september 20

sure do love my kraft paper...

september 19

frivolous friday

this may just be the way to end the day...coconut water, fresh squeezed lime juice + a little splash of rum.  

september 18

new cardstore.com

I am adding these to our "studio sss" site at cardstore.com as part of my pet holiday series...and working on more today.

september 17

september 16

gift

I bought my first christmas gift today...and it's for a follower of my blog who shares my same initials + likes kitties + birds...

september 15

these are very "david" kind of colors...

HB david

today is david's birthday....I doubt he's a follower of the blog but ya never know...I've been telling the cats all morning that he does not want a bird or a chipmunk for his birthday but that he appreciates the thought.

september 14

a very bizzzzzzzzzy monday...

september 13

sundance films

this image is from the sundance greenporno site.  click here to see.  these short films are brilliant ... absolutely brilliant.  I've always admired Isabella Rossellini but this just takes it to a whole new level of admiration.

september 12

I know these colorways may be getting boring for you but it's more an exercise for me (as in, following through with something...I've got a bad habit lately of finishing things only 90% of the way).

september 11

HB

just trying out the 80's color palette with all of these extra ink-y circles I have leftover...

september 10

fond memories of the 80's...I still have leg warmers, shoulder pads + hairspray to keep the big hair looking big.

september 9

I'm thinking crayola...

september 8

ink doodles

nate needed some inky drawings of food for an illo he was doing for a recipe article...so I spent 13 minutes inking 'em up and another 73 minutes goofing around with them for no reason at all other than to avoid cleaning the basement storage room....I have 4 more pages like this that were done to avoid cleaning other rooms.

september 7

my favorite colorway so far...I'm easing my way into christmas palettes.

illustration friday topic-"strong"

if you can live by this old phrase then you are the strongest person I know...because I've seen words crush + destroy.

september 6

september 5

in case you are looking at my blog for the first time, I'm doing a color-palette-a-day for this design through the month of september.  I'm trying to break out of some of my color comfort zones...and not always very successfully.

frivolous friday

I adore this artists work and she has a very creative and fun video clip on her site...a preview of a documentary she has made using her work.  click here. do I think it's frivolous? not really. but it sure makes me smile...

september 4

september 3

fun game

this is a fun game.  it's a fast paced version of scrabble.  easy instructions + takes only 5-10 minutes to play a game. it's even fun enough that my teenage boys will challenge me to a game.  they usually win, but when nate plays he always wins. maybe we are just a boring family...oh geez. 

september 2

music

amadou&mariam...this is some music david came across that I absolutely love.  click here to listen ... track #11 on the CD I've posted is my favorite.