Now with color

Oh these are the mailboxes in my neighborhood...

While strolling around my block, I was inspired by the unique choices people make with their mailbox selections. I am starting to think that mailboxes are like shoes and cars in that they tell a lot about their owners.


I will paint these tomorrow night and I will have a round 2 later this week because, yes, there are more...


Note: All mailboxes illustrated above are truly from my neighborhood. I did not imagine them, not even the train.

Oh, Crickets

I am not sure what I did to offend the cricket community? I should start off by saying that I love the outdoors. I practically lived outside growing and really did not watch much TV until I was 15-ish.

Because of this, of my favorite sounds are the honking of geese flying overhead, tree frogs and believe it or not, crickets. What I have learned most recently is that I prefer listening to crickets that are a bit further away than say, OUTSIDE MY BEDROOM DOOR!

Seriously. Why did one cricket decide that right outside my bedroom door would be a perfect place to make his home? A home without a bed, because this cricket never sleeps, or maybe he has that restless legs syndrome... And how long is a crickets life span, really? Maybe they procreate really quickly and do not let their cricket babies leave the home.

Please go away, Mr. Cricket. I need sleep. I even left off the little hairs on your legs in my illustration because I thought it looked a bit buggy. I might just have to change my iPhone ring that I selected months ago: Crickets. Is that irony?

Now with color

Back from New York...

Well, I'm back from New York. It was a business trip, but I managed to walk around the city for an hour the morning that I left to take a few pictures of the city.

I loved this brick church. It was really beautiful. I think I will try to paint it tomorrow or Monday.

I love the energy of New York and that you can walk everywhere. I think that I could have lived there for a couple of years. Having said that, it is SO nice to be home.

New York

I have been in New York since Sunday for work. I will post this weekend when I return!

Doodle, doodle, doodle...

What can I say, Top Chef makes me happy.

There are about five shows that I would prefer never to miss, and this is one. I like the creative aspect, the challenges, watching the process and seeing the final product...

Project Runway is another show that I try not miss. Would anyone like to doodle "Project Runway" or "PR" and email to me to be posted?

Black beans with cinnamon?

Weird, right? Or have I just been kept in the dark?

We made shrimp tacos with sauteed red bell peppers, onions and garlic. For a side dish, I emptied a can of black beans into a sauce pan. Maybe it was the Mojito, but I decided that soy sauce, onions, ketchup, and cinnamon would be the perfect addition. Oh my goodness! If you like cinnamon, I recommend

trying this. However, I would suggest starting sparingly because you can always add more.

Below is a sketch of the cinnamon that I used. I love Simply Organic's spices. The little bottles are so cute. I am trying to think of a way to reuse the empty ones. Any ideas?

Oh, to live on the water...

Please can I live here and take my canoe to the local marina to buy my milk and eggs? Ok, if I am being honest, I would probably have bad dreams knowing my house was sitting on little wooden stilts.

A quick sketch finished in ink and watercolor - I think I will send to my grandma (gaga). My love for watercolor came from growing up admiring her beautiful paintings.