It's that time of year when the pink and white cosmos are in full bloom and winter seems far away. I love these flowers and the funny thing is that I didn't plant any of them! The seeds blew over into my yard courtesy of a neighbor and continue to bloom every year. Bloom where you're planted indeed!

On My Work (Art) Table

Occasionally I check out art books from the library, but I often just page through them. It's rare that a book moves me to actually sit down and create something! Start Here: Paint: 50 Ways to Be an Artist Without Trying by Moira Clinch proved to be one of these books. 

I like that this book is geared towards techniques, rather than finished projects (although there are suggestions for those). The lessons are very short, too, often fully encompassed on a 2-page spread. 

Here's one of the lessons I did where you drop some random paint splatters on the page and turn them into creatures with some simple line drawings. It was quite fun!

What I'm Reading

Make It Last by Raleigh Briggs is a small handwritten and illustrated reference book covering topics such as canning, window repair, and replacing buttons. I flipped through it and learned a few tidbits like using strong quilting thread rather than cotton sewing thread for sewing shank buttons.


But what really fascinated me was the small publisher (Microcosm Publishing) behind this book and other similar zine-style publications. They have some interesting policies like a sliding scale for book prices (pay what you can), which I have never seen before. (Restaurants, yes, we do have some pay-what-you-can restaurants here, but not book publishers!)

On My Library Hold List

One memoir on my to-read list: Making the Best of What's Left by Judith Viorst, who writes about being in your nineties. (She is 94 as I write this.) Do you recognize the author's name? It looked familiar to me and I finally realized she is the author of the popular children's book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, one of my all-time favorites! I didn't realize that she also wrote books for adults. It looks like she's also written several poetry collections based on different decades of her life.

In the Kitchen

A couple weeks ago I had a great bowl of chicken and vegetable soup from Spoons, a local restaurant. There was a slightly floral note in the soup that I couldn't identify, so I looked up the ingredients and discovered it was saffron! I learned in this article "Saffron: The Story of the World's Most Expensive Spice" that saffron is quite old and very laborious to harvest. The purple crocus flower that it comes from is quite pretty!

What I'm Watching

I finally saw two episodes (Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2) of With Love, Meghan, which is the lifestyle show on Netflix staring Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex. I enjoyed learning some new things (You can dry flowers for crafts in the microwave?!). I'm not sure I understand the full depth of hatred towards this show. Yes, it's full of famous guests in a beautiful, expensive setting and no, she does not give in-depth directions on any of her cooking, crafting, or floral arranging projects. The conversations between Meghan and her guests aren't particularly deep or insightful, but I honestly don't care about any of that. I like seeing people--any people--getting joy and encouraging others to find joy--making things. We need more of that in this world! 

I also watched The Tuesday Murder Club movie on Netflix and enjoyed it, despite the rather dour reviews. 

It's amusing to me that I like things that I'm told are terrible by the experts. Maybe I have a rather low bar when it comes to televised entertainment? Or maybe I just don't have the extra energy to become enraged by TV shows with everything else going on in the world?

Art I Admired

When I first saw the photo of a pink flower on Threads, I thought that it looked a little like a photo that I had just taken of the pink cosmos in my yard. And then I read artist Linda Hamilton's description of her upcoming online class via the Denver Botanic Gardens and realized that her version was made with paper! Amazing!

Made Me Laugh

These giant Crocs made from sand made me smile. I don't own any Crocs, but I do have a soft spot for them since the company is based in Colorado.

New in the Shops

I've made a few seasonal items for my Etsy shop such as a hand stamped Always Tea Time keychain with a cheerful yellow kettle, Hammered Leaf earrings, and steel Tiny Boo Ghost earrings.



Several people asked about those stamps I carved last month. I'm experimenting with them to see if I can make a repeating fabric design with them. I'm not quite ready to share yet, but hopefully soon! (And thanks for asking! That always helps me make sure that I actually finish all these projects I start!)

See you next month!

I'm lucky that I don't mind hanging out at home. Between the hot temperatures and the smoke from wildfires, I felt like I spent more time inside than I usually do most summers. I'm ready for slightly cooler air and more walks outside!

On My Work (Art) Table

Back in June I mentioned that I wanted to carve a stamp but was feeling hesitant. Serendipitously, the artist Kathy Cano-Murillo (Crafty Chica) mentioned on Threads that the shop Below Five had large erasers for a dollar and that those can be carved into stamps. I went out and bought this eraser measuring about 6x2 inches and am pleased that this did the trick! This was an inexpensive material, so no need for me to worry about "ruining" it. I carved just one small piece of the eraser, so I still can make a few more stamps. I'd forgotten the kinds of lines each carving tip can make, so it was helpful to try them all. It's tempting to skip this practice step for new techniques, but it can be a confidence boost before you tackle that more complex project.

I also figured out a solution to those triangle earrings that I mentioned last month. I ended up making a wrapped wire loop, but covered it with a cone to keep the triangle theme going. I didn't have the right size cones in silver, so I used copper accents to complete the look. They're finished ... for now! Sometimes I keep new items like this on my desk for a little bit to see if I want to make changes or if I'm satisfied with them as is.

What I'm Reading

• Bird Talk by Becca Rowland
  This book compares specific bird chirps to sounds that are familiar to us -- chainsaws, cars that won't start, etc. I did not read this book cover to cover, but had fun flipping through it and reading about the birds I knew. You can get a taste of the Canadian author/illustrator's style by looking at her Instagram account @girlinwhiteglasses
  
  
  
  
• What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella
  This popular New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series fictionalized her own diagnosis with brain cancer in this novella. It's not exactly a lighthearted read, but the author does still manage to hold onto the hopeful tone that her novels are known for.

On My Library Hold List

• Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
  I like this author's writing, but some of her psychological suspense novels are too intense for me. This novel features grandmother Muriel Blossom who unexpectedly stumbles upon a crime while on a cruise. I'm intrigued that this character played a minor role in the author's Tess Monaghan mystery series which I enjoyed.
  
  
• The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
  The British author and historian tells the story behind individual colors. I enjoyed this short interview with her about how we react to certain colors.
  
  
  

In the Kitchen

It's Palisade peach season in Colorado! Every grocery store has heaps of peaches, plus the farmer's markets and roadside stands. I love a bowl of sliced peaches as much as anyone, but I wanted to do something else with the extras, so I made this lovely peach jam-like concoction. I didn't use a recipe, but this peach butter from Smitten Kitchen looks similar. I didn't use a food mill and I used 4 peaches, not 4 pounds. Mine filled one large and one small jar. I didn't bother following the canning process for long-term storage, as I know this will be gobbled up very shortly!

I don't usually buy cookies, but I was seriously tempted after seeing the pencil cookies in this free magazine that comes from my local grocery store. Aren't they cute? Those are wafer cookies with a point cut at one end, chocolate chips for the lead points, and either melted frosting or candy melts for the pink erasers and pencil tips.

What I'm Watching

I've finally seen a couple of episodes of the The Great British Sewing Bee streaming on Roku. The Great British Baking Show remains my favorite, but it was quite fascinating to see the sewing challenges. I like the idea of altering a readymade garment, as that is something I have very occasionally done myself (mostly changing buttons or adding a little embroidery). Fitting a garment on a live model under time pressure seems very stressful!

Art I Admired

For 41 years the Loveland (Colorado) High Plains Arts Council has hosted the Sculpture in the Park Show. I don't always go, but this past weekend I did! This year I noticed fewer traditional bronze pieces and more work with other mediums such as glass, wood, and mixed media. I also noticed more use of color (other than the standard metals colors of bronze, copper, silver, gold) and more whimsy--playful animals, interactive sculptures, and works that just made you smile. Before the show, I walked through part of the Benson Sculpture Garden, where I saw this cool fish sculpture:

My favorite artist in the show was Michelle Lamb who makes mixed media sculpture. Her Instagram account shows some of her work from the show, including a horse with some musical instrument parts and a swan with some measuring tape and kitchen utensils.

Made Me Laugh

I enjoyed this local story about an elk that wandered into a gift shop in Estes Park. This is extra funny when you see the shop's name!

I also liked the photos in this story: Wave-riding canines compete in the World Dog Surfing Championships.

New in the Shops

Even though I'm really looking forward to the cooler weather of fall, I'm still finding August inspiring. I've made a few more summer jewelry pieces for my Etsy shop: large Monstera plant earrings with hand stamped tags, a lobster necklace with an engraved glass pendant, and bird earrings with bright teal shell circles.

On Spoonflower I had fun playing with some retro color palettes (pink, orange yellow, and purple; orange, aqua and brown; red, goldenrod, brown) for this mod fabric design with layered squares and rectangles:

See you next month!

Late last month I went on a brief weekend road trip to a neighboring state. The weather was way too hot and the drive was way too long, but it was lovely to be out in the world again after a long year at home. I sang along to some music blasting in the car (still have "Long Time Gone" by The Chicks echoing in my head), ate a few delicious things (Apple BLT sandwich! Garlic green beans! Blueberry tart!), and saw some artwork. I highly recommend you get out and about this summer if you're able.

On My Work (Art) Table

Summer is always a bit slower for me, which means it's the perfect time to experiment with new ideas! This very simple pair of earrings has been sitting on my desk for awhile. The problem with them is that they move a lot when worn and the top triangle could potentially slip to the side. I've been trying to see if there's a perfect balance of jump rings that I can use to make sure that they always hang correctly. (Two isn't the answer, but maybe three will be?) Otherwise, I might need to skip the extra jump rings and wire the triangle to the top jump ring. Or maybe I'll come up with a different solution altogether.

What I'm Reading

I've just finished reading my second Louise Penny mystery, A Fatal Grace. (Thanks to reader Debbie for asking for an update!) I can see why she's a popular author. While Louise Penny is writing a detective mystery and the plot revolves around a crime, you feel like you get to spend a lot of deep, quality time with all the other characters in the book. 

In this book, I especially liked the scene with the character Clara talking about her artwork and the themes of imperfection and impermanence. She says, "There's a crack in everything." To which the detective Gamache replies, "That's how the light gets in." I've been thinking about that a lot!

On My Library Hold List

I'm waiting to read The book of alchemy: a creative practice for an inspired life by Suleika Jaouad. The author's website notes that she's an "author, artist, advocate reporting from the in-between places." I know that the book is about journaling, but not much else about it.

In the Kitchen

I found a new use for those pink Ball jars that I bought back in March of 2024: water! Okay, I know, not the world's most exciting thing, but hear me out! I work at home and prefer to drink out of a glass, but I could never figure out if I was drinking enough water. How many glasses of water did I drink today? Two? Ten? Now I fill one jar, place it in the refrigerator (chilled water tastes better), and use that to refill my glass. Each jar holds two quarts of water (8 cups), so it's easy for me to tell at a glance if I need to drink more. Hydration for the win!

What I'm Watching

Have you seen the junior version of The Great British Baking Show? I'm more nervous watching the kids than the adults, but I shouldn't be. They all tackle setbacks so well and are so encouraging to one another. A good show to make you feel a bit more hopeful about the future!

Art I Admired

Lately I've been looking at more jewelry designs. I love this kinetic sunflower locket by Victoria Walker Jewelry. Stunning! I've always been fascinated by jewelry that has moving parts.

I also enjoyed looking at the beautiful jewelry made by The Broken Plate Co. Such a cool way to reuse broken dishes that have sentimental meaning!

Made Me Laugh

Did you know that you can buy wrapping paper that turns all your gifts into loaves of bread? So silly!

New in the Shops

Have you heard of Summerween? I admit this trendy combination of "summer" and "Halloween" makes me cringe, but if you make things that are Halloween-themed, it is a good idea to start in the summer so you finish on time. I had fun drawing this collection of Halloween designs, one of which features cats playing with brown paper bags. I set out to draw an even number of "trick" and "treat" cats, but ended up drawing too many "trick" ones on my first pass. Naughty cats are just more fun to draw! The full Trick or Treat Halloween Cats fabric collection is available via Spoonflower.



See you next month!

It's raining almost every afternoon, but I can't complain. All that rain will lessen the chance of wildfires later on.  Plus, my roses are super happy!

On My Work (Art) Table

I've been wanting to carve another rubber stamp design. I last made one back in 2018, so it's been awhile! I have the materials ... and they're just sitting there! I'm sharing this here as a way to remind myself (and you!) to just get started.  If the design in my head doesn't match the final outcome, it's fine! You'll never improve if you don't start!

What I'm Reading

I read the second and third books in the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. I'd read the first one back in August 2023 and then moved onto other books. I saw that they're making a Netflix show about the first book about these retirees-turned-detectives (due out in August 2025!), so I started reading them again. I enjoyed the second and third books more than the first one, although it could just be that it was the right book at the right time. It's a good reminder that sometimes it's worthwhile to go back to an author and read another one of their books later to see if you still feel the same way.

I also read the new science fiction book When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi, which is about what happens back on Earth when the moon suddenly turns into cheese. It's told as a series of connected short stories, a format that makes it easy to read just a chapter at a time. I couldn't help but think of the short story he wrote years ago about yogurt (which later was animated as an episode in the Love Death and Robots series). Maybe he'll do one more dairy-inspired piece and we can have a boxed set!

My reading doesn't always align with my artwork, but I did draw a Moon Phase Circles fabric design around the same time:

On My Library Hold List

Here are two books on my library hold list:

• Class Clown by Dave Barry
  Way back in the olden times, I used to sometimes read Dave Barry's humor column in the newspaper. I haven't read any of his work in a long time, but I'm intrigued that he's written a memoir.
  
  
• Ordinary Time: Lesson Learned While Staying Put by Annie B. Jones
  The author is a bookstore owner and podcaster. I've never listened to her show (From the Front Porch), but added this book to my to-do list based on the title alone.

In the Kitchen

I made Perfect Blueberry Muffins from Smitten Kitten. The mixture has an interesting texture, more like cookie dough than normal muffin mixture. I used the batter to make 12 muffins instead of 9 and used tiny frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joe's. I also used Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt for more protein. Very good! One thing I like about muffins is that you can freeze them, so I froze half of them to eat later. My future self will appreciate that in the middle of summer when I don't want to turn on the oven!

One day when I was running errands, I bought a bottle of Just Ice Tea. I was delighted by the quote inside the cap: "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." ~ Albert Einstein.

What I'm Watching

I checked out the DVD of Wicked from the library. I'm not a huge musical fan, but I was definitely curious about this one which is a retelling of The Wizard of Oz from the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West. I didn't realize that this movie was "Part 1" (at 2 hours and 40 minutes!). The second part is supposed to come out later this year. Stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were excellent and it was fun to see Michelle Yeoh and Bowen Yang in their roles.

Art I Admired

The Quilters on Nexflix is a short documentary about men in a high security prison in Missouri who make birthday quilts for foster children. The quilts are beautiful objects, but it's also beautiful to see something good come out of such a harsh environment. There's a short article about it on Quilting Daily about the project that includes information on how to donate fabric and other materials.

Made Me Laugh

I loved reading about this couple in Minneapolis that turned their damaged oak tree into a giant pencil that they sharpen every year with a custom-made pencil sharpener. Some people come dressed as pencils and erasers to celebrate! Amazing!

New in the Shops

I don't do as much hand stamping on metal as I used to, but lately I've been inspired to make few items, including this fried egg keychain that might remind you of a certain commercial from the 1980s if you're around my age! Another new stamped item on Etsy is these write more, worry less earrings.



Someone asked me about making a tiny version of my turtle shell patterns for their sewing project, so those versions are now available on Spoonflower in brown, green, and aqua blue.

If you need a different size or color of one of my fabric designs for your project, just ask! I can do that for most designs. (And a reminder that if you make something or decorate with one of my fabrics or wallpapers, I'd love to see it!)

See you next month!

It's the middle of May and I'm ready for summer! I have so many projects that I'd like to accomplish, but I'll try not to get discouraged if I don't get to them all. I have to remember that most people overestimate what they can do in a single day, but underestimate what they can do in a month or a year. In other words, keep going!

On My Work (Art) Table

A couple of weeks ago I needed to wrap a last-minute earring gift and reached for my metallic silver washi tape to decorate the top of the box. It turned out pretty cute!

What I'm Reading

Here are three books I liked recently:

• I never thought I'd use the word "enjoyable" and "tuberculosis" in the same sentence, but here we are! Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green was a fascinating quick read. I had no idea how this disease connected to fashion or literary history. It's heartbreaking that we could eliminate this disease but have chosen not to.

• I'm not a diehard Saturday Night Live fan, but I did enjoy by The Art of the SNL Portrait by Mary Ellen Matthews. I'd always kind of wondered about the stylized photos of the guest stars that appear only for a few seconds on the screen. It turns out they were originally bumpers, an industry term that signifies to stations that they should play the commercials. Bumpers were phased out in the 1970s, but SNL continued to use them. My favorite part of the book was in the back where they show the staging and stories behind some of the photos. (NPR has a short segment about the book if you want to see a few photos and learn more about the photographer.)

• I picked up A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects by Robell Awake at my library, drawn in by the colorful book cover. I'd only heard of the quilters (Gee's Bend and Harriet Powers) before, so it was great to learn about some new-to-me makers, artists, crafters such as couture designer Ann Lowe who made Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding dress. The author is coming from a maker perspective (the chairs on his website are amazing!) and not a scholarly one, so the book is very approachable.

On My Library Hold List

I'm looking forward to Dear Writer: Pep Talks and Practical Advice for the Creative Life by poet Maggie Smith. I read her memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, last August. (If you've never read her poem by the same title, I recommend it.)

My city has just chosen their "One Book, One City" read for this year, Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller, so I added that to my to-read list, too.

In the Kitchen

In my ongoing quest to get more protein in my diet, I tried Momofuku noodles, which are the air-dried (not fried) noodles created by chef David Chang. I wasn't a fan of the sweet and spicy sauce, but I did like the noodles themselves.  They're a bit pricey--$14+ for a 5-pack as of this writing--so not something I'll eat every week, but definitely again with my own sauce.

What I'm Watching

A Lego Brickumentary was a fun watch. I didn't know much about Lego fans, especially the adult variety. I'm amazed at how they can create huge scenic displays in 3D. One of the featured artists in the documentary was Alice Finch, who is one of the few women in the field. Her first model had 400,000 Lego bricks!

Art I Admired

I bought a copy of Design, Second Edition: The Definitive Visual Guide and have been leafing through it. I love a great reference book (you know I used to be a librarian, right?) and this one fits the bill. I checked out a copy from the library as part of my research into Art Deco and decided I wanted my own copy. I feel like I could flip to any random page and find inspiration. So much beautiful art in one place -- it feels pretty decadent!

Made Me Laugh

This lovely story about a paraprofessional who sews bags for the children in her school is not inherently funny, but I was amused at how she'd repurposed the deli equipment from her former business (including a big freezer) to hold all her sewing supplies. I bet a lot of crafters can relate to that!

New in the Shops

I've been adding earrings, keychains, and stitch markers to my Etsy shop. A Daiso shop (a Japanese dollar store) opened near me and I've bought a few tiny dishes to use for photographs. Shown here are a house plant keychain, a pair of black-and-white beaded mandala earrings, and some tiny feather stitch markers, all in their own tiny dishes. The back of the plant keychain has been engraved with the words: "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."

I entered the Art Deco challenge at Spoonflower with a wallpaper design titled "Elegant Art Deco Brooch with Sapphires, Diamonds, and Silver." I always learn something by doing these challenges, even if it's something I don't expect. Of course, I refreshed my knowledge of Art Deco style, but I also learned that I need to be careful when coloring on Procreate, as I kept finding tiny spots I'd missed and had to edit the finished design several times to make sure all the shapes were properly filled in. I'm working on several different color variations, plus some simpler blender patterns to complete the full collection.

See you next month!