Swallowtails

Still inspired by butterflies lately. I'm not really sure why, it might simply be that they are fun to draw.

It's dark and rainy today, a perfect day for staying inside and being cozy. I'm just watching Terry Jones history specials and working on getting things ready for the bazaar.

Green Things

Looking though the photos I've taken the past few weeks I noticed they've either been of plants or food. Here are a few:

Window of a tailor's shop downtown.

Chrysanthemums

Watercress & cream cheese on a bagel Mmmmm.

Adorable plant friends gave to me for my birthday last month.

My Green Things Pinboard

This is lovely music by Sea Oleena
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Have you ever made herb butter? For some reason I never did until a few months ago, it's so easy and delicious!

You just gather a handful of various herbs and finely chop. ( I also made honey butter)

Mix the herbs into slightly soft butter. Then roll the butter into a log or ball, wrap in parchment, and chill in the fridge. Enjoy on fresh bread rolls etc.

Honey labels

Just for fun I made some labels for honey jars. probably no one would ever actually want to use the first one but it's my favorite. They also need a little more work to actually be Finished, but I've sort of lost interest for now. Too much to do!

Portland Bazaar

There I just was thinking I wish there was a really nice holiday sale like Little Winter Market happening this year, when one came along! I'm excited to be able to tell you that I'll be participating in The Portland Bazaar December 10th & 11th!

To be honest, as well as being excited I'm also more than a little intimidated by the list of other vendors (Carson Ellis is going to be there signing books for heaven's sake!). I keep thinking "wait, did they mean to invite me?" I have no idea how I'm going to set up my display! Should I have originals there? I foresee some breathing into a paper bag in my future, but ultimately I know it will be fine.

(Read a little more about it on Design Sponge.)

Two favorite things

Reading and eating toast go so well together.

(Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post!)

Spec Cover

I set myself the assignment of doing a book cover for one of my beloved childhood books (still a favorite book actually). I would be in heaven if someone actually asked me to illustrate The Wolves of Willoughby Chase! It has everything I like, including a Victorian setting complete with an evil governess, a dickensian orphanage, secret passages, a winsome boy who lives with a flock of geese, clever disguises, and of course, wolves.

November Wind

I'm sure I posted this last year but it's just so perfect for November I wanted to posted it again: Yuri Norstein's segment from a film called Winter Days.

Finished Embroidery

I finished the pillow I've been working on this past week. Such a sense of accomplishment!

Neighborhood cat looking for trouble.

Menagerie Book!

I got my copies of Menagerie a couple days ago and I am beyond thrilled! It's so amazing to see something I worked so hard on printed in a book. The most amazing thing to me is seeing all the text written in the back; the acknowledgments, bios, and even the copyright small print. I couldn't hold a pen for a week after I got done writing all that out but I knew it was going to be worth it, and I was right it looks great!


You can buy a copy of your very own (and I hope you do) on Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

Last Days of October

It was my birthday last week, I spent it at the coast with Aradan. We got one sunny day and one blustery day, it was perfect. I lived in Maine for 5 years and I really miss being by the ocean and the foggy autumn evenings with salt tang in the air sometimes.

A few gifts: three books I'm very excited about, and the perfect little antique hatchet.

A Few Shop Updates

Can you believe it's November 1st already? I sure can't! However I have been thinking ahead so I've got my holiday Postcards all set to go. They come in a set of ten neatly packaged in a box. You can by a set here.


Also, I've repackaged my "Woodsman" tags so they come individually in packages of 6 in the same style, wolf, bear, and goose.