musings

photo experiments

2012-01-16T15:59:00.001-08:00

just a cat..

2012-01-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

Muffin collage

2012-01-16T15:54:00.001-08:00

Christmas tags

2012-01-16T15:53:00.001-08:00

Landscape

2012-01-10T19:12:00.001-08:00

Ok, back at blogger :)

I'VE MOVED!

2011-02-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Go HERE!

Yummy places to check out...

2011-01-31T12:30:00.000-08:00

2011-01-07T09:51:00.001-08:00

Happy 2011!

2011-01-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

I so loved this entry at An Apple A Day. I think it's so honest and relatable. This has been a great year and I'm lucky that each one is better than the last. As far as resolutions go, I will try to eat a little better and take a little more pictures.

Let's start 2011 off with this chipmunk pal! (from here)

'Notha fox

2010-12-01T22:01:00.001-08:00

Lost recipes found drawings

2010-12-01T21:54:00.001-08:00

These aren't up on the site yet, but I couldn't wait to share them! And yes, that IS an eggplant dressed as a detective!

Milk blog again

2010-12-01T21:52:00.000-08:00

....Just a reminder of how awesome this french magazine is.

Silver Foxes

2010-11-29T22:53:00.001-08:00

..another new animal I'm crazy about!

Cool Canadian roadside attractions

2010-11-29T22:50:00.001-08:00

There are tons of them here! Some of them are awesomely kitschy and folky!

My new favorite animal: the Pudu

2010-11-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

Quite possibly thecutest thing in the world: a mini deer! they barely grow taller than a foot! I want one for a pet so bad.

Here's a young pudu exploring the city!

2010-11-29T22:38:00.000-08:00

Idea for a condolence card

2010-11-29T22:36:00.000-08:00

IF: Savour

2010-11-29T22:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, maybe not the best interpretation of the word, but I just illustrated this poem that I have always found hilarious. It IS about food!

Winter Cookies

2010-11-25T07:31:00.000-08:00

New Baby Card

2010-11-25T07:29:00.000-08:00

House

2010-11-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

..maybe Harolds?!

Harold Hedgehog

2010-11-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

2010-11-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think the paper where I test my paints turns into a little art piece.

IF: Burning

2010-11-15T19:08:00.000-08:00

Burning love between the owl and the pussycat in their pea green boat! I realized partway through that I made this piece way too small to keep it loose and still get the detail I wanted..the whole piece is only 5" wide! Perhaps I'll re-do it bigger, I really like the colors in it, I took inspiration from an art nouveau painting I liked.

Birthday Owl

2010-11-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

for cass!

Green Deerling

2010-11-15T18:57:00.001-08:00

Spoonflower

2010-11-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

How cool is this new site where you can customize fabric! Some of my favorites:

2010-11-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

2010-11-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

2010-11-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

teapots

2010-11-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

Chicago Marathon

2010-10-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

2010-10-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

2010-10-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

2010-10-27T14:12:00.001-07:00

Apple Galette

2010-10-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

Recipe here

Fall Flower Pattern

2010-10-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

Character doodles

2010-10-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Acorn pattern

2010-10-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Yates Mill Corn Muffins

2010-10-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

From Smitten Kitchen! I think next time I'd halve the corn kernels. Lucky me, I had some corn meal hand delivered to me from North Carolina. Usually I love these warm with marmalade, but I had apricot preserves on hand and they proved to be quite yummy.

2010-09-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

2010-09-22T06:26:00.001-07:00

2010-09-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

Collages

2010-08-26T11:38:00.001-07:00

Zoo Doodles

2010-08-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

My pal and I took a visit to the Bronx Zoo, always a great place for taking reference photos and discovering new characters.

Pink Ibis Pal

Sea Lion Baby who escaped, and then squeezed under the gate to re-join his family! He put on the best show of the day and I think he knew it!

And a Fuzzy Lemur..love that big tail!

Moomintroll cake!

2010-07-20T05:02:00.000-07:00

This was for a contest to win the new Moomin cookbook and a Moomin comic book! I used iced Milano cookies for Moointroll and the Snork Maiden.

sketch!

Things I'm crushing on for July

2010-07-18T10:16:00.001-07:00

Samantha Crane opened for First Aid Kit when I saw them last month, and I was reminded how much I liked her when she had a spot on Soundcheck the other day.

Cher's music and style is awesome. Just a reminder.

The Selvedge Yard is an awesome blog full of inspiring old images..I could spend days...

I've been eating the blueberries from our farmers market like candy.

My pal Michelle was nice enough to pick me up some silver nail polish from Queens..now I'm obsessed! It's a nice escape from all the summer bright nails.

These could be the perfect sunglasses.

I Won!

2010-07-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I randomly entered a contest at this site to win this great interior design book, and durn it if I didnt win! It's full of great ideas and pretty photos.

Vermont

2010-07-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

For the Myths and Fairy tales show at Niagra

2010-06-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

Art Show rejects

2010-06-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

Matthius: First Aid Kit drummer

2010-06-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

Flea Market Finds

2010-06-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

Rocket doodles!

2010-06-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Cherry Clafoutis

2010-06-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

I had a Whole Foods coupon for a free pound of cherries, so I found this Williams Sonoma recipe. I've never made this dish before. Apparently the classic way to do it is to leave in the cherry stones, as they scent the clafoutis. Not having a cherry pitter, I decided to stick with tradition. These little guys were amazing fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream and crushed pistachios. My lucky roommate got to have one for breakfast!

Coco Loco Popsicles

2010-06-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

Design Sponge had a charming post about popsicles, so I made them with the cute popsicle molds I picked up at Ikea a few weeks ago. Next time I'd double the pineapple, but they were nice and cold and creamy. They tasted awesome after a long hot run.

Flicker Photos

2010-06-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

My photos have an online home now!

Brooklyn 2

2010-05-09T23:56:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn 1

2010-05-09T23:54:00.002-07:00

This is part of an ongoing series of Brooklyn architecture!

Pines

2010-05-09T23:54:00.001-07:00

IF: Fearless

2010-05-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

I've had travel on the brain lately, so when I saw the word 'fearless' I instantly thought of adventure! Lewis and Clark probably had a packing list for their great adventure, so I illustrated it. Don't forget the long underwear (modeled by Lewis), extra socks and canine pal.

Workspace fun!

2010-05-09T23:46:00.001-07:00

Botanicals

2010-05-09T23:32:00.001-07:00

Mom and Baby Homemade Poptarts!

2010-05-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

How perfect for Mother's Day! As soon as I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen I knew I had to make them. I couldn't resist making half of the tarts mini, so cute.

Usually I'm more of a 'throw some dough in a pan and go' kinda gal, but for these I had to have matching rectangles, woah, math! Check out the ruler I had to bust out. As far as the dough goes, I resisted the urge to make over-work it as I have in the past with pastry dough. Some pieces of butter were the size of coarse meal, some were as big as an olive, but I stopped when the average size was that of a pea. It worked like a dream...the dough came out fabulously flakey.

I used Sara Beth's Strawberry Peach Preserves, I love anything from her!

After I put them in the oven I went to see what Meanwhile was doing. He was not amused.

I'm not one to throw out pastry dough! I sprinkled the trimmings with some vanilla-bean sugar and baked them..yum!

Ta-da! They came out awesome. Will definitely try again with Nutella!

Ginger Mint Lemonade!

2010-05-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

I was planning on baking this weekend, but it's too darn hot! I made this refreshing beverage instead for me and a friend!

Sweet baby jesus.

2010-04-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

These cookies are freakin outta this world! I stumbled across this recipe while looking for a birthday treat for my pal. He's getting a pretty awesome, changing colors magical mug and I wanted to fill it with something special. The Momofuku for 2 site is full of gorgeous photos and helpful comments.

I knew these were going to be good when the caramelized corn flakes came out of the oven. A humble breakfast staple was elevated to toasted, sweet/savory perfection. I'm already thinking of where else I can work in these gems..blondies, cupcakes, granola bars...

I flaked and forgot to cream the brown sugar along with the butter and white sugar, oops! I didn't realize my mistake until it was too late and they were baking. Perhaps not surprisingly if you've eaten at Milk bar, my mistake was a happy one. The cookies came out not too sweet, which is often a complaint of mine. The texture was a bit shortbread-like and the flavor was smack dab in the middle of sweet and savory! I still have most of the ingredients, so I might make more this weekend for friends (and...myself..). If I do I'll stick with the half sugar approach, just using both kinds of sugar this time. Man, these are good...this crappy photo doesn't do them justice.

Made for Walkin'!!

2010-04-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

Yay! my amazing cowboy boots are here! They're a delicious dusty-white weathered suede with fun stitched details. I can't wait to wear them with skirts and shorts once the weather gets nicer. And half off..doesn't get much better than that!

Things I like right now...

2010-04-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

*These are the perfect simple canvas bags. I might have to invest in a red one for my bike riding this summer and put a pretty pin on it!

I've been having a hard time finding recipes lately..I keep on coming across the same old lemon bars and chocolate chip cookies. But this site is amazing..some really interesting cupcakes involving beets and Guinness...not to mention a nice, clean site design.

Very into First Aid Kit right now...

I've always loved those old fashioned silhouettes. At our house we have one of me and my two sisters that were done when we were little..so simple yet effective. This is such a sweet idea for mothers day..or maybe for a sister.

Tiger!

2010-04-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Tigers are cool. I did this for a t-shirt contest for Wild Aid.

Cocktail drawings for Lost Recipes Found

2010-04-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

Craft night!

2010-04-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

Jar terrariums a la designsponge. Instead of turning the jars upside down, though, we decorated the lids with pretty paper (a trick from our last craft night!) and kept them rightside up. It's also easier to give them a spritz of water this way. The great thing about this project is that it's 100% free. They look cute on a windowsill!

Spring bees and flowers baby cupcakes that I made for the occasion. I always use this recipe, comes out perfect every time!

Baby shower card for some dear friends

2010-04-13T17:18:00.001-07:00

Alice in Wonderland

2010-04-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

My sister wanted me to try my hand at some Alice in Wonderland drawings. Her class is doing a unit on the story, and I'm supposed to talk to them at some point about an artists' interpretation of a story. I actually had a really hard time with the drawings because I love the original art so much..I couldnt get it out of my head! And then add to that the Disney movie and all the art I've seen for the Tim Burton interpretation....These two I was happy with though. I think the map came out well because I don't recall seeing an actual map of wonderland. I think it'd make a pretty awesome poster or board game.

Delicious Things I Ate this Week!

2010-04-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

I ate like a king this week at some awesome New York spots..some new, some new to me. First off, while strolling to the bank near work I passed a new store "The Nutbox." Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for a cute name like that so I went in. Meh...a bulk food store trying to be more than a bulk food store if you ask me. They had a make your own trail mix section, but I didn't think the variety was that great. And my dried mango slice was tough. Things quickly got better later in the week when I had a pork sandwich from Porchetta. WOW! Buttery pork roast with cracklings served on a simple roll..totally worth the $10 price tag. This guy goes more in depth with more money-shot pictures. At a new park slope spot I tried out one of Michael Jackson's favorite beers as well as this yummy Dreamweaver wheat..nice and light and a little spicy.

I stopped into Butter Lane to pick up my friend a birthday cupcake and got a vanilla cupcake with coconut icing for myself. I love that you get to choose your own combo and the icing is applied fresh! The perfect cake to frosting ratio. On Saturday I hastily assembled some pigs in blankets from store bought stuff, but if you want a less trashy version for your happy hour this recipe looks good. And, to go with aforementioned beer, I discovered one of the best bar snacks ever : Splits Pretzels in Garlic and Onion.

Duck in a smart hat!

2010-03-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hedgie and majestic deer pal

2010-03-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

2010-03-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

Easter drawings

2010-03-28T21:11:00.001-07:00

Sharks!

2010-03-28T21:10:00.001-07:00

IF: Rescue

2010-03-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

I really love sea life, and it's awful how the corral reefs are being destroyed by pollution and clumsy tourists. The reefs need rescuing! I did some of these 'corral bouquets' a while ago, they're fun to draw.

IF: expired

2010-03-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

This chocolate bunny's days are numbered!

Amazing story/book/website

2010-03-20T21:09:00.001-07:00

Just go here !

Easter stuff

2010-03-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

I love Easter! Easter candy, Easter colors, Easter decorations...I found some super cute things from Dean and Deluca, Martha Stewart and Williams Sanoma, and of course there's a drawing from one of my favorite artists, Beatrix Potter. I especially love that garden cookie tray from D & D...too cute to eat!

Thermoses

2010-03-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

It's a fact!

2010-03-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

My pals and I decided to each illustrate a fun fact! Mine is: "Fred Rogers, Known as Mister Rogers, wore sweaters to conceal forearm tattoos commemorating his short stint as a Merchant Marine.

Way to be secretly even MORE awesome, Fred! I put him in a sweater vest to show off those sweet tats!

I had a little trouble with the wallpaper behind him..originally I had a bunch of houses (to represent the neighborhood) but decided it was too distracting so I tried painting over it but it just looked really overworked. So I found this wallpaper texture and I'm pretty pleased with the solution. Check out Amy's and Cassandras!

Fabulous things for spring!

2010-03-20T16:06:00.001-07:00

Check out the beautiful stuff at Cursive design!. I especially adore this "twig" necklace, so organic and simple. Not that my birthday's coming up or anything... ;) / Did you know that Whole Foods has these great coupons online? 75 cents off delicious, good for me Lara bars? yes please! / I am borderline OBSESSED with this awesome dry-in-60-seconds-polish. I'm really awful at home manicures and always manage to smudge them up. With this magical stuff I, too can have white nails..win!

Check out my super cute new dress! It actually looks much cuter in person than on this too-cool-to-look-happy model! / What a cute l'il spring deer! / I could spend all day on this blog about beauteous packaging..*swoon*!

Group Show at Cameo Gallery

2010-03-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Put on by the fine people of Blanks. The theme for this show was "talisman." A lot of cool people showed up, and it was fun to see what other people did. I missed the band with giant train whistles, though!

nerdy cat!

2010-03-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

IF: Subterranean

2010-03-14T08:08:00.001-07:00

Badger n' Bird

2010-03-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

Barn Owl

2010-03-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

NYPL

2010-03-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

I just discovered that the NY Public Library has an amazing online gallery of all sorts of fascinating images images of all sorts! There are maps, photos, prints, diagrams, magazine and newspaper clippings, X-rays... What an amazing resource for reference and inspiration! They also have a fabulous collection of beached whale prints, which have always really interested me. Here are just a few of my favorite images that I came across:

For St.Paddy's Day

2010-03-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Spring is here!

2010-03-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

IF: Brave

2010-03-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

This brave explorer has tamed a wild grizzly bear!

Things me likey this week!

2010-03-07T16:58:00.001-08:00

"Science in the City" Podcasts, Kate Miss beautiful hand woven and brass necklaces, Momofuku pork belly buns!

Lemons! Customized Nike frees, a fun blog about artists who draw cats!

Ginger Lemon Cookie Sammies

2010-03-07T16:46:00.000-08:00

I had to balance all that kale out with some cookies! I've been crazy about lemon lately and I'm always down for ginger, so I had to try these! I've made ginger snaps a lot, and I find that shortening makes for a better "snap" and I missed that in these cookies. The lemon frosting was really good though. Next time I might double the zest because I'm such a lemon fiend, but the flavor and texture was great. In the end, I might do these again with a different ginger cookie recipe.

Kale Chips

2010-03-07T16:42:00.001-08:00

I tried this recipe from Epicurious for Kale chips. It's really simple and they come out with a nice, nutty flavor. A good way to get your greens in! Would also be good with sesame oil.

A few more food drawings

2010-03-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Tea Fox

2010-03-01T21:26:00.002-08:00