Snapshots of Spain

My husband and I were fortunate enough to be able to travel to Spain (specifically the Basque region) last July. It was our first time to Europe and we were captivated by the beauty and history of the country.


I am just now going through photos of Spain - trying to decide which to enlarge and frame to hang in our home. I decided that I will start drawing some of the memories that we made and sharing them on my blog.

This illustration is of the hotel we stayed in the first night in Durango, Spain. I illustrated it in ink, painted various portions with watercolor, and then finished the color digitally.

This was one of the views outside our hotel.

The details in Spain's walkways make our sidewalks seem so boring...

Illustration Friday - Resolution

I set goals for myself every six months or so, but if I would have to come up with a "resolution", I would say that I want to live every day intentionally and always strive to be a better me.

Illustration Friday - Winter

It's getting pretty cold here, and I am looking forward to our first snow.

Illustration Friday - Mail

Many of the neighborhoods where I live have mailboxes that are behind the sidewalk and I have wondered how the mailman delivers mail if he is not walking. The other morning, my question was answered...


Below are some of the mailboxes in my neighborhood that I illustrated a couple of months ago.

Holiday Recipe - Rudolph's Red-Nosed Pasta

The recipe I submitted to They Draw and Cook posted to their website today. Go over and check out all the fun recipes and great illustrations. Happy Holiday cooking!


Correction from their posting that I live in Arkansas, not Alaska ; )

Simple & Easy Hummus

So Michelle over at culinography told me about this great website called They Draw and Cook.


I illustrated and submitted this recipe for Simple & Easy Hummus back in November. We make this hummus just about every week and it is such a nice snack to have in the fridge.


I hope that it will be featured on their site, but It wouldn't post until next year because the entire month of December they are having a holiday recipe contest. Judges vote on their favorite illustration/recipe which is then posted to the Food Network Blog (The FN Dish). Each day, Salli and Nate at TDAC also post additional holiday submissions that they like to their website.


I illustrated a holiday recipe and submitted it to TDAC for the contest, so we will see if it is featured this month...

Illustration Friday - Phenomenon

The toys of their times that became a phenomenon...

Illustration Friday - Prehistoric

We have come a long way!!

Back to bottles - Shiner Bock

Here is the first of my beer bottle series and it just so happens to be my beer of choice. Maybe it's the Texan in me, but I'm a Shiner girl.

Illustration Friday - Savour

OK, so here's the deal. It's not that I love Ketchup and want to savour it, although I do like Ketchup quite a bit. For much of my life, I thought it was normal to put it on pizza since this is what my dad taught me until I was informed several years ago (mostly by the horror on others faces) that it is, in fact, not normal to put Ketchup on your pizza.


When I thought of "Savour", I first thought of red wine because I do savour every sip. But then my mind went to Ketchup and body lotion because these are two things that I attempt to appreciate every single ounce by turning the bottles over and placing them into a measuring cup and using every last drop.


It is more about not letting anything go to waste and being frugal, really: "Use it up, wear it out, make do, do without". I learned this way of life from my mom who almost sliced her finger off when I was in high-school by cutting off the top of a bottle to scrape out as much as she could.


Savour every last drop!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We are about to head to Dallas to see my family and run the Turkey Trot. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Illustration Friday - Sneaky

My sister coordinated a surprise birthday party for my brother-in-law and husband this weekend. It took a bit of sneakiness to pull it off, but it was ultimately a success!

Nature's Magenta

I typically eat a salad everyday, and sometimes I throw in beets. I am always amazed by the natural color they produce. I love to cook fresh beets, but in the interest of time, I always have a can in the pantry.


The other day I was draining the liquid from the can into my sink, and thought that the contrast of the magenta color against my white sink was a pretty cool visual.


I am taking a vacation day today and heading to Dallas to see The Weepies in concert and then going to The Handmade Bash on Saturday. Happy Friday!

Burning

So I decided to do a digital illustration for this week's Illustration Friday theme: BURNING.
Burning doesn't always have to be a bad thing. As a matter of fact, I need to experience a little more of this kind...


Click here to return to my blog.

One man's trash...

So, last night I went to empty the trash in my workspace and realized that my paint test pages are too interesting to be thrown away.

Then I decided to cut them into strips and weave them together. I like the way it turned out. This would look cool on a side or coffee table under glass (my husbands idea).