new cute things

I've been on a making frenzy.  In part, because we're in the adoption process and I want to make a million cute things for our future niblet.

But also, I just have loads of ideas and, maybe for the first time, am really creating from this place of joy and light.

When I started making things, it was because I was miserable at my job and making cute animals and creatures cheered me up. But now that job is a thing of the past and I have a part time gig and all of this time to think and imagine and make things. Except for those blissful unaware summers of my (or anyone's) young childhood, I don't think I've ever been happier.

Here's what happy makes:

These fellas are all being slowly added to the fivetrees shop. . . with more on the way!

Happiness

Reading John Crowley's Little, Big and I love it so far.

Early on (because I'm only to page 70 at this point) one of the main characters, while falling off to sleep, imagined he saw a sampler in a tiny house nightlight that said:

The Things that Make us Happy
Make us Wise.

That is undoubtedly true. . . here are somethings that make me happy.

pretty street art + complimentary colors

complicated cloud formations


flowers that have people faces


the tidiness of farming


L.P. enjoying a rolled down window.

train stations that try harder than most


blurry photos that just give you the sense of a thing

My grandma used to say that happiness was "liking what you had to do." I think that is also wise.

Storm Skies

Tornadoes touched down in nearby communities last night. Yesterday it rained so hard here that a rapids formed where our driveway/alley slopes down and hits the street. Summer storms are always the most violent. . .

But afterwards, if you've had the good fortune of not being in the path of a tornado and you and and all of your neighbors are fine, then you usually luck out and see some of the most beautiful skies--deep blue, the last monster cumulus clouds skittering out of town, crystal clear air and sunshine. Today was no exception (and maybe that was reason enough for the homemade ice cream at long last).

On the way to see our friends' new home in Oak Park (so, before seething with jealousy over the location and the beautiful 50's aqua woven-print kitchen counter tops), we saw this amazing installation of flowers made from recycled bottles.




And the skies all day were one gorgeous show after another.

Summer In Full Swing

What a bad blogger am I. . . it's been so long. In my defense, I'd be a better blogger if the part of me that's supposed to not lose her camera was better at not losing her camera. Alas. . .

But summer is in full swing in my house. The farmer's market is back on, which means summer foods are, too. Yummy barely cooked steak and fresh asparagus and dilled potato salad. Yummy spinach salads with watermelon (ok, so the watermelon is a cheat this early in the summer) and pine nuts and goat cheese. Salmon cakes over beds of spinach with fingerling potatoes, carmelized spring onions. All of those dishes made with herbs from the home garden and fresh veg from the farmers.


I love this season--partly because of bare feet, but mostly because food tastes like food again.

Tonight is chicken salad--50's style with mandarin orange slices and olives and pineapple--and for dessert? Homemade chocolate chip ice cream. The Houstons gave us an amazing White Mountain ice cream maker for our wedding. . . 5 long years ago and can you believe (with Dan loving ice cream as much as he does) that tonight is the first time we're using it? Ridiculous!

Duggan Redux

I should have posted this a while back. . . but Rachal Duggan is an amazing designer/illustrator whose illustrations were recently chosen for all of the print pieces and media releases for Columbia College Chicago's Manifest. Remember this story? I posted about her a month or two ago?

Anyway, I loved her illustrations so much that I crocheted a 3-D version of one of her little nun-ladies for a pal at Columbia who does loads of work on Manifest. That got me an intro to Rachal and then I made one for her, too. We're total strangers and I think it struck her as weird that I was willing to make something for her with no payment.

So, she got me back, sending me an illustration through campus mail as a thank you. It made my whole week and I've already framed it and made it part of the growing salon hanging in my office.

Thank you, Rachal!

Here's the illustration (and this should happen more often artsy people. we should still work to sell our art, but we should gift it, too, and see what wonders the world sends back to us in return):

Studio

The salon-style hanging of artwork in my studio is coming along.  I want to fill my studio walls entirely with work I love. . . the more stuff, the more inspiration.  A lot of the work is from artists I found on Etsy.  Also some of my buddy, Casey Riordan Millard's old work.  She's amazing and has kept me on my toes for decades.  A homemade tack board, Edward Hopper, and so on.

All hung on granny smith apple green walls that my sweetie painted for me going on three years ago.  Such a happy place.

As it shapes up further, more pictures to come. . .