The Little Things...

For Birgitta, in gratitude.

New publisher, new book

And a new look. 

Normally I work with a combination of hand-drawn and digital,

but this one is all on the computer, from scratch.

A couple of samples:

That yellow speech bubble will hold some text. This book is all about food!

Anyway, all that computer work only makes me want to hunt down

 my pencils and brushes...and paint!

These are for a different book, and I'm enjoying their making just as well.

Softly Spring

Illustration on watercolor paper;

gesso, watercolors, watercolor pencil, ink

Hey techies, grab my QR!

So, you can just google for QR code generator -  I used this one -

enter a couple of things, and the nifty program will make you

a brand new QR code!

What's a QR code?

Well, duh, something like a bar code but with more info.

And they're all over the place.

And you can make one and use it as a business card

(for instance). 

If you have the app for it, you just scan it with your phone,

and it takes you places.

Here's mine.  Don't it look purdy?

I should make some jewelry with this!!!

Guess where that takes you (hee hee)!  Go on, scan it!

And if my post was all gibberish to you,

get the lowdown on it right here.

Happy scanning :)

Earth Day

April 22, 2011.

Earth Day is everyday, really.  Only we forget. 

So maybe it's good to designate one day

when we can step back and

consider the treasure we live on.

A lovely girl named Beth

(a name like Beth can only belong to a sweet person)

sent me this email,

which I'm sure at least a few of you are familiar with,

but it's worth sharing.

All about one of Nature's gems - the cucumber!

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need

every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin

B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin

B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron,

Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

 

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon,

put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a

cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B

Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that

quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

 

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror

fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a

cucumber slice along the mirror, it will

eliminate the fog and provide a soothing,

spa-like fragrance.

 

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?

Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will

be free of pests all season long. The chemicals

in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give

off a scent undetectable to humans but drive

garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5 Looking for a

fast and easy way to remove cellulite before

going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or

two of cucumbers along your problem area for a

few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber

cause the collagen in your skin to tighten,

firming up the outer layer and reducing the

visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6.. Want to avoid a hangover or

terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices

before going to bed and wake up refreshed and

headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B

vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential

nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in

equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and

headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that

afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers

have been used for centuries and often used by

European trappers, traders and explores for

quick meals to thwart off starvation.

 

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and

you realize that you don't have enough time to

polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber

over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a

quick and durable shine that not only looks

great but also repels WATER.

 

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a

cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic

hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage,

facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire

cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water,

the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber

with react with the boiling water and be

released in the steam, creating a soothing,

relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce

stress in new mothers and college students

during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and

 realize you don't have gum or mints?

Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth

with your tongue for 30 seconds to

eliminate bad breath; the

phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your

mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

 

12. Looking for a 'green' way to

clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel?

Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the

surface you want to clean, not only will it

remove years of tarnish and bring back the

shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm

you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake?

Take the outside of the

cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen

writing, also works great on crayons and markers

that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

That just makes me go "Wow!",  AND they're yummy!

Have a wonderful Earth Day!

Watercolor - two ways

There's something undeniably delicious about letting your brush slurp up jewel-toned watery color, and to lay it on paper in delicate swathes. 

Folks who work with watercolors know what I'm talking about!  

I've been without it for far too long,

so making this little birdie was so sweet. 

 And then I thought I might as well do it digitally too,

not the same picture, as you can see,

but the same(ish) technique.

Anyhow, here it is, and both were fun to do:

Watercolor two ways....

Traditional media (paint and paper)

Digital media (mouse and PhotoShop)

More ammo for my illustration techniques!

Simple pleasures

I find it amazing that the most ordinary things can inspire us

to pause and reflect, and marvel. 

I was trying to sort out some of my photographs into anything

that might resemble a sane grouping

of a crazy variety of images

(probably an impossible task not worth the attempt)

 and found these....

Taken at night in yellow light...

A mellow light...

Our old chandelier and a vase from WalMart

with a plastic orchid stuck in it...

(I told you about the ordinary things!)

But I remember it was wonderful to take these pictures.

Hope you find some extraordinary

in your ordinary today!

Caught in passing....

Happenning upon an article on Etsy,

I found this little gem and had to share:

What does handmade mean to you?

Handmade is the cliff swallow, bulding a mud nest on a wall where vertical meets upside down. It’s about finding the patience to slow down and accept the pace at which one person can progress through many detailed steps. It’s the power that we all have to bring something into existence that just moments before was a fleeting thought or curiosity.

What an amazing way  to put it!  Do read the rest of their story

- it's guaranteed to inspire.



Ring, ring...!

Visiting my parents (yes, I am) means a couple of things
 - lots of food, and lots of talk :)

I need to start working on illustrating the book

I'm supposed to be working on,

but I'm also itching to work with fabric.

I found a few shards of really cute material and

 can't wait to make something out of them. 

And I definitely need to make more of these!

Funky fabric rings are calling out to me!

While The Babies Sleep

 Four little babies fell asleep

Then their friend came and woke them up

This inspired Mommy to wake up too.

And see red.

And gold.

And oval seemed like a good way to go.

Ready to party?

An experiment in monochrome

My new book illustration project involves a Moroccan wedding.

That means this look that I was working on

will have to sit on the shelf for a bit.

Moroccan wedding = COLOR, no?

At least I think it does.

Time for research!

Minty Green Butterflies

What happens when you mix blue with yellow,

or actually, greeny-yellow?

Minty green, of course!

The NanoBot had her fingers in the making of this,

but that was the best part. 

I love 'cooking' with her!

I found this playdough recipe at mini-eco here.

(can you believe those yummy natural colors???)

We wanted blue playdough, but didn't have any red cabbage left,

(chop some and pour boiling water over it,

and you get an intense blue dye

-also thanks to mini-eco.  You MUST check out this fabulous blog)

so I improvised with drink crystals

(which we only use for coloring stuff - haven't tasted them yet :))

The drink crystals were a lovely blue,

but the recipe calls for cooking oil,

and I only had olive oil.

That's where the blue+greeny yellow part happened.

The resulting color was a gorgeous icy green - so cool!

The butterfly pic was taken as daylight was just fading,

and shows the color accurately.

We made lots more butterflies, then put the cookie cutter away.

These pics were taken in yellow light.

I made a bunny face, and the LittleOne made some monsters.

This was the color of the drink crystals

(no idea what flavor that is - I just picked it up for its hue!)

It made for a good lesson in color mixing!

Color, and a prayer

It's white, white outside, so I made me some color...

A funky fabric bag

To go with some funky fabric jewelry

Bring on the snow...

Although, with the storm we had a couple days ago, 

and the snow swirling around us,

I couldn't help thinking how incredibly fortunate

we are to have a roof over our heads

 and every comfort to cater to our every need. 

I couldn't help thinking of the many who are without a home,

 without warmth, without even food. 

Inconceivable, but so real for so many. 

Like I said to the Little One,

the least we can do is pray for such people,

pray for their comfort and safety. 

But that is not the least we should do. 

We all have the capacity to help, and there are

many small ways to do so, both locally and online.

We do food banks and blood donations

(DaddyBoy goes every other month),

and each year instead of doing birthday parties

we sponsor a child in the LittleOne's name,

but I also hope to volunteer at a soup kitchen

with her when she's a little older.

 

Until then, there are so many other small ways to pitch in.

May the cold not be too cold for anyone...