Monday, March 29, 2010

Friday, March 26, 2010

save me

I've seen lately how I have a penchant for getting off track in 
my thinking and not even noticing until I'm quite lost.
[Sharpie Marker & Poster Paint on Cardboard]

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

hanging papers

I have these big rolls of paper: one is white
butcher block for the kids to draw on or
for under painty projects. The other is kraft/
mailing wrap, which Eric bought me on a date
at an office supply store (so romantic! Really!).
And here's the little hanging system I devised out
of dowels and wire so they can stay accessible
and out of the way at the same time!
In the closet of creativity, of course. 

Monday, March 22, 2010

Sunday, March 21, 2010

cilantro


Fresh from the garden! 
Turns out cilantro grows great in Arizona soil;
we harvested a batch and made tasty salsa.

Friday, March 19, 2010

maximizing the space

Now to organize (and redistribute) all this stuff and more!
Turns out there's a lot of stacking space between the shelf and the ceiling...
if you can cram everything into the right containers.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

new closet of craftiness

Eric and I spent yesterday painting the storage closet, 
which used to be a grayish seafoam green color 
that was there when we bought the house 11 years 
ago. The above picture just doesn't adequately 
capture the depressing capacity of this hue.

We repainted it into a very pale tan called ginger root,
which reflects light so much better -- it is, after all, a 
closet. And having moved all the storage items elsewhere,
we're in the process of moving in art supplies, craft bins,
and sewing stuff. It will be the sewing & crafting nook.
How exciting! Also, as you can see in this photo, there's
a shelf where things-which-must-be-plugged-in can remain
plugged in, and the power strip can just be flipped on or off.
Below this shelf is a 6-foot long table, so everything's 
easily accessible. I just can't wait to use it! 

Monday, March 15, 2010

Sunday, March 14, 2010

handmade dishcloths

For some reason, the idea of handmade dishcloths has 
come up a lot lately. I think it started in a discussion I had
with a friend about how each person seems to have different
kitchen-cleaning tools and preferences. There's the sponge, 
the dishcloth, the scrubby sponge, the plastic mesh scrubby, etc.

 I like to use scrubby sponges (yellow sponge w/ green scrub)
for washing dishes and use dishcloths for wiping down counters.

As I was getting ready to knit up some dishcloths but couldn't
find my knitting needles, another friend told me she had just
learned to crochet them. So I tried that instead. 

Turns out you can crochet them about any which 
way you want as long as you use COTTON yarn. 
It's way more absorbent than acrylic. And also much 
harder to find. But it has a nice, natural feel to it.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

easter is a'comin'

Eric and I had a great time designing these little
cards (w/ maps on the back) to invite people to
the Village Easter celebration & soup supper.
You'll notice I copied Elliott from this sketch.

Monday, March 8, 2010

another rainy day!


 
It's been raining around here A LOT lately,
and we're loving it. The girls immediately 
popped out of bed this morning when they
heard it was raining. And this is what Ashton
came out in: her hooded coat with a cardigan
underneath, a long-sleeve double-layer shirt, 
two pairs of pants, and her shoes & socks.
The clincher was the iridescent Spidey 
sunglasses -- "to keep the rain out of my eyes."

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

allergy shots

 
Although my daughter is on a monthly allergy shot regimen, 
this year has been so crazy with all of our sicknesses that when 
we went in yesterday it had been a full two months since her last shot. 

My apologies for the Teesha Moore facial feature rip-off here --
I'm still playing with her fun drawing lesson as I work out 
my own figure drawing style. Also, Ashton was NOT excited
to be represented with short hair. But I have... THE POWER!!!!
Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha  (evil villanous laughter echoes on as I fly 
away in a chartreuse cape with markers of destruction in hand).

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

time to sit

I "presented" my Philosophy of Training Children at Moms' Group 
yesterday. Figuring out my philosophy turned out to be 
an incredible challenge, so most of my creative energies 
have gone that direction for the past few days. I'm glad, though, to
have these ideas down.  Now I can see if I actually live them out!!

By the way, here's the story on the See's Candies
My dad gave me a box of See's for Valentine's Day, as is his annual 
tradition (isn't that ADORABLE!?).  I had my eye on one particular
candy that I was going to save for last -- the marshmallow caramel.
My husband, however, accidentally chowed it down. 
So the See's candy in the drawing is the box of *just* 
chocolate-covered caramels and marshmallow caramels that he 
bought for me as a super-duper replacement. Thanks, Schmookie!