Mouse Zine

I found a method of folding a single sheet of paper into a mini book and gave it a try. It only makes a 3 page zine, but it looked like a good excuse to draw some animals. Silly silly.

Draping Light

Chandelier, for the win.

I got the March issue of Interior Design in the mail this past weekend (thanks pops). Upon turning to the ad for Hudson, I had to pause. I was wowed. I love design, but I let a lot of it roll off because I look at so much. So it's really great when something sticks out.

Here's another version. It reminds me of the positive impression of a lake, or a perfectly draping swept up hairstyle, or a lovely chandelier earring. See how the light fills the whole chandelier, like an illuminated sculpture? Elegant.

Revolutionary Road

Nathan and I saw this movie last week, and I really liked it. That Kate is such a powerful actress. Leo, also impressive. The cinematography, costume and set dressing was what really got me. The summer heat, those soft suburban colors, the superb 50s style, my goodness Kate's dark eyebrows, blonde hair and pure face....love it. Leaving the film, despite the awed sadness, we both admitted we wish we were such a dashing pair.

The Weekly Cute

Wouldn't you love somebunny to love?...

Did you see Martha Stewart's bunny show?
(She's become my go-to for animals lately)
Equal parts adorable bunny swooning and PSA about bunny care once the Easter novelty passes. How anyone could get rid of that lop-eared sweetheart, beats me.
Bunnies. It's a Good Thing.

The Weekly Cute

Martha Stewart's French Bulldogs, Sharkey and Francesca, strapped in for a flight to St. Louis (doesn't Francesca look a little bit like Yoda in that wrap?)

Attention! Today's Martha Stewart Show is all about Dogs! So this Weekly Cute is advising you to check it out. Martha is dog crazy, and I love that. She has created a blog for her two French Bulldogs called The Daily Wag. It is really fun to see how involved she is with her dogs. Sadly, Martha's other dog, a Chow puppy named Genghis Khan, recently died in a propane explosion at a kennel where it was boarding. Several other dogs died and a few dogs and people were also injured. A very tragic event, but I'm sure living with Martha Stewart for even a short time made that little Chow's short life a sweet one.


And, I must share this:

Reading with Rover is a local program that invites children to read to dogs. It is designed to help children that may be intimidated by reading to practice in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Last night I stopped into a local Borders and was surprised to see several kids gathered there reading to dogs. I can't think of a better way to illustrate the way dogs bring good to people and to our society. It is perfectly heartwarming.

Dear Future Patron,

If I can cut a break, make my path, weasel my way in, I will design your lovely space and recommend this chair to you. And if I can, I will even get it for you wholesale. Because as a Designer I will have options like that.

Palms I chair by VIOSKI

So soft, so inviting, the perfect place to kerplunk! at the end of a long day; also available is the perfectly accompanying ottoman for resting the feet. Not a bad place to sit cross-legged and hold a puppy or snuggly baby, wouldn't you say?

So, if that is any incentive, future client.....scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

Some Things I Love

Sunny Sunday, Ides of March edition
getting excited about Spring!

1. Really warm Spring sun.
A very bright sun peeked out this afternoon and has been making sunspots in our living room. And then it rained for about 5 minutes in the middle of this sunshine, no gloom to even be seen. Mom reminded me there should be a rainbow.

2. Rainbows.
Especially the circular rainbows in the clouds you see from airplanes.
(They look like this!)

via flickr

3. Homemade iced tea.
Putting the ice cubes in the warm tea so they'll pop. Sipping it still partially warm, partially cold.

4. Spring salads!
This sun is getting to my fantasy side. I'm getting super excited about making salads. Beany salads, pasta salad, crisp cucumber salad, fruit salad, and so on. I want picnics. mmm

...And, Nathan. :) He reminded me he should be on my list. And he always is. I thought that was a no brainer. :P

Happy Friday!

Welcome to the weekend! Here's to happy surprises. :)

(cutest puppy maybe ever, ruby from herbie&ruby)

Outdoorsy

Want to hear something wacky? I went hiking yesterday! A friend was on the Eastside for the day and wanted to take advantage of the lovely afternoon, so off we went! I wasn't quite prepared for the snowy trail up the mountain...up I went in my old running shoes, tread worn off long ago. I'm surprised that I could make it as well with my present level of inactivity, though I was pretty sore later.

Rattlesnake Ridge is in North Bend, WA, where David Lynch's Twin Peaks was filmed. After the hike we warmed up with coffee at the diner where the detectives eat cherry pie! Kind of bizarre.

A great view accessible by an hour's hike. Heights make me nervous.

We made/bribed this little friend at the top. A very outgoing little bird with a good appetite. It could tell we're suckers.

The Weekly Cute

Mom tipped me off to this week's cute. She saw this pup on last night's David Letterman. Bailey plays dead a little differently than most. Darn cute! Click here to watch her via CBS. (thanks mom!)

Choice Bean

Ok, blog foodie tangent once again....

The cannellini bean, current bean of choice.

I have ignored the cannellini bean for too long. As a vegetarian, beans are especially important nutritionally, so this is worth a finger-waggling. The garbanzo bean has long been my go-to bean, but now I see options expanding. Cannellini's are mild and soft and compliment many flavors. They lend a sweetness to dark leafy greens, which I'm also trying to work into my diet more readily. Nathan's not much of a bean soup kind of guy, but I would otherwise make Real Simple's Stewy White Beans recipe part of my repertoire. It's a delicious canellini stew (I made mine more soupy) with greens, too! If you have more cannellini suggestions, send them my way.

Plink plink Tink tink

So I'll be sitting here in the apartment, all my lamps on just because it is generally gloomy outside. And then I'll hear something tapping within our stove's vent hood. If it sounds like 'plink plink plink' it is beginning to rain. If it sounds like 'tink tink tink' it's actually this.

hail.

We have more hail than I ever remember in the Midwest. Suddenly your rain or snow flurries will turn into little ice pellets. No big whoop, it lets up, the cars drive over it and it all melts. But c'mon, hail? And then it will stop for 3 minutes and some eerily bright sun will come out like this.

What? What is this?

For months our weather has seemed to straddle that line between Autumn/Winter and Winter/Spring. And now that it's March and we've sprung our clocks forward (which I forgot to do) it's especially unfair. What a tease! A couple weeks ago I wasn't wearing a coat and now hail! This is why people in the Northwest are said to drink so much coffee.

Hereby I enjoy drinking too much coffee and eating too many sweet breads. I need to paste up a beachy image over my desk to remember that warm weather will come eventually and requires preparation. Yes, if one would like to show her legs once the temps jump to 75 one random Spring day, she must go work out in that, that hail.

Ms. Karen Walker designed this look as the motivational source and due reward of getting one chocolate-eater's chubby winter fanny off the couch and to a gym.
want want want

Fortunately she designs nice cold weather, all covered up looks that give some comfort to those of us who have skipped the gym and instead holed up with a box of Girl Scouts' Thin Mints (another March temptation). At least we can get our fashion kicks in the winter.
Keep that hail coming!

Birthday Images

nathan's superb wrapping paper choice. and i got ratatouille!

beautiful cake

delicious cake!

thank you for my awesome red teapot melinda! so thoughtful and perfectly matching. :)


I had a lovely birthday. Nathan took me out for donuts at Top Pot in Bellevue before his classes. I spent the day relaxing and drawing and bought some fabric to cover pillows (crafting sounded like the perfect way to spend a day to myself! though I have yet to finish the pillows) We went out for Thai after Nathan's classes then enjoyed cake and ice cream at home. Nathan was so sweet--he picked up the cake and ran it home between his midterms! :D And last night I had dinner with a couple of good friends, always good conversation and fun. Not a bad way to begin 23, not at all.

Thanks everyone!
Your sweet messages and gifts and wishes are so special to me.
xo

ps...something just as special as a birthday is coming up in less than a month. anyone know what it is? ;)

Piscean

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my 23rd Birthday. :)

I have been playing around with fish illustrations this week. A family friend is due to have a baby girl this weekend, and I've ventured to make her a drawing of our mutual sign, Pisces. I have always liked astrology though I don't know how much credit it deserves. I gave up reading my horoscope years ago, but the description of my sign is practically dead on. (I was once part of a conversation with an astrology-minded design professor, someone with whom I've spent quite a lot of time in studio. When I told her I am a Pisces, she dropped her jaw and seriously said, Now everything makes sense.)

The fish swim in opposing directions, with and against the current. We exist in space between the real and ideal, trying to make sense of dreams and what is actually around us. We are empathetic but often detached. Our greatest struggles and triumphs seem to happen in that emotional, dreamy place where no one else can see it. I really trust this description, and I return to it for guidance from time to time. I hope that I keep this in mind and can use it as an ally in building up those good qualities and overcoming those fishy weaknesses. 23 years isn't so long, but it's never too soon to start listening to yourself better.

An earlier draft fishy drawing.

I think the orange fishes are better for a baby...but I might like the first one better? What do you think?

The Weekly Cute

I forgot how cute Pepe is. And the pastel background illustrations?
Très Magnifique!

Rediscovering Maira

"Well, Susan, this is a fine mess you are in."


Forgot about Maira Kalman, writer/illustrator of the beloved Max in Love.
So glad to find her again in the beautiful New Yorker!
Check out her awesome work about Abe Lincoln.

Art Love established in childhood is my most withstanding.

CRM

originally via lark-about

Charles Rennie Mackintosh worked almost 100 years ago, but his hand is still one of the best in architectural drawing, in my opinion.
In school I found his drawings and never got over the way he drew trees, the pleasure he must have had in drawing art nouveau trees.

New blog goal, to post art and design more frequently.
Also, to post one thing I love daily.
(I'll try)

Parents' Visit

Hello March! So far you are mild albeit a bit rainy (but I can't blame you in Seattle). We had the most beautiful, warm sunlight today. They estimate a soggy month ahead, but I'll be ok with sunny days peeking in throughout.

Mom and Pop were here until Sunday afternoon, hanging out, checking out the scenery and helping me celebrate my birthday a few days early. I forgot to take photos again mostly. Mom and I had lunch on Thursday, did a little craft shopping, and made a visit to the mall to buy new denim (and a bag for my portfolio!) before picking up Dad. We swung by to get Nathan and had dinner at one of my favorite Kirkland spots, Cactus. Oh, the eating when family is here! On Friday we had lunch at Gilbert's in Old Bellevue, which was a surprising and lovely little deli kind of place. I'm looking forward to going back for bagels more often. (It kind of looks like Panera in this photo, but it's much better!)

Gilbert's, a good find

Nathan had to TA Friday afternoon, so we dropped him off and headed to Woodinville, which is Washington's little town of wineries just a short drive away (where we used to go to Theno's!) We had a wine tasting at Columbia, then wandered around the pretty grounds at Chateau Ste Michelle. Dad got some good photos of the winery's ambling peacocks.

Chateau Ste. Michelle. A lovely place, no?

Saturday was a nice day so we walked around Kirkland a bit and had lunch at George's downtown. A bit of a lazy day. We went into Seattle for my birthday dinner at the much suggested Wild Ginger, pan-Asian deliciousness! The building is beautiful and sits just across the street from the symphony. It was a very relaxing evening. Mom and Pop had to fly out Sunday afternoon, which left enough time for a quick lunch on the pier. I had a good time and I hope you guys did too! I'm a bit of a bumbling hostess, so I appreciate your patience. Thanks for coming to see me! :)

Birthday dinner at Wild Ginger
Mom and Pop, Nathan (note:cute new haircut) and me