My Zoetrope

Valentine's Day Cards!

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lotsa new cards this year for Valentine's Day! I tried to keep most of them non-specifically V-day, because I think you should tell your loved ones that you love them all year round, not just on Feb. 14th! But you know, you can do it then too. :)

You're My Favorite

Bunny Banjo

Hedgehog Valentine

Hot Air Balloon Foxes

Peacock Love

Custom Poloroid Portraits!

2012-01-16T11:09:00.000-05:00

I have a fun little Valentine project I have been working on; custom portraits! I made these four different ones to choose from, and they can all be customized with your names, adding/subtracting glasses, making them girl/boy, girl/girl, or boy/boy, and changing colors. They come in a 5"x5" print format and are available in my shop. I'm SUPER excited about them!

More Valentines goodies coming soon. xoxo

Big 'ol pile of yarn

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

My little sister visited me last weekend, and we ventured up to Queens to PS1 for the afternoon. So glad we did! I've been a little under the weather lately and super-busy with work, so it was really nice to just go out and look at some art. And um, jump in a gigunda pile of yarn! This was a super-fun visit; lots of great exhibits that amazed us both, and ended with some frolicking in this yarn pile. People were just lounging about, with the occasional kid (okay maybe us too) falling backwards or forwards into the pile of fluff. We tried to dig to the bottom and found it was too tangled, but it's probably about 4 ft. tall! Also, the artist who created it hid a bunch of gold necklaces in there too, and if you find one you can keep it. It just brought a smile to everyone's face in there and was a perfect end to a great day. :)

Fridge Photos

2012-01-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

During my cleaning spree on New Year's eve, I decided to clear off all the clutter on fridge (that has been there forever.) It felt good at the time, but later on, it just felt so EMPTY! I decided to take some inspiration from this post at A Beautiful Mess, and print out a bunch of my instagram photos I have taken with my phone over the last year or so. SO glad I did! My fridge is instantly happier! Also, I learned that I take a whole lot of photos of my cat, my bf, and food. :)

I like this idea of changing it every year, and displaying different memories and good times. Brings a smile to my face every time I open the fridge!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T14:32:00.003-05:00

Pumpkin-Cinnamon Rolls, recipe from Don't Eat Off the Sidewalk

Happy New Year!! Here's to a super-fantastic 2012, filled to the brim with greatness and happiness!

(Umm, and yumminess! These Pumpkin-Cinnamon Rolls are my favorite, and the perfect way to kick off the new year!)

Goofs

Sisters!

Where did all the trees go? (Queue Tegan and Sara...)

2011-12-30T12:08:00.000-05:00

Every year, right after Christmas in the park near where I live, there starts a mass tree grave that just grows and grows every time I pass by. People just bring their Christmas trees here to discard. It is so sad looking!

I took a nice long walk around the neighborhood today, enjoying the oddly-warm-for-December temperature and sunshine, while taking some photos.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-28T10:01:00.000-05:00

Sister's disco ball tree

Apple-berry Pie, from Vegan Pie in the Sky

Hello! I hope your holidays are (were) great! I spent a long weekend in upstate NY with my family, with lots of laughter, good times, and yummy food. Hooray for family! I have a rather large family, so it's nice when we can all gather at once together.

I'm really love this time of year, when I feel inspired and motivated for the upcoming year. I've been jotting down things that I really want to happen this year, business-wise and personal-wise. Places to go, things to see, things to make happen. The important part is following through with all my grand plans!

Vegan Doughnuts!

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

So, um, yum! Dunwell Doughnuts just opened shop in Brooklyn recently, serving their amaaazing vegan doughnuts. So exciting! I went and checked them out today (it's like a 20 minute walk from my apartment, so exercise + doughnuts=yay!) It was hard to choose, but I went with the jelly-filled powder doughnut, the lemon-lavender, and coconut (I gave this one to Nik later on, but I totally wanted to eat them all.) It's really adorable inside too, so I will definitely have to have a work/doughnut/coffee day there soon.

Waffle Sammich

2011-12-12T09:28:00.001-05:00

So, a month or so ago, a new place opened up down the street from me called Waffle and Wolf. I didn't investigate too hard into if they had any vegan options or not, I guess because I assumed they wouldn't. Lo and behold, Nik did some investigating for me and they do! They have a buckwheat waffle that is both vegan and gluten-free! Whoa man. I stopped and got this beauty to-go last week and it was as delicious as it looks. For the filling, I went with their "Wolf Sauce" (tahini + molasses), orange marmalade, strawberries, and almonds. They have just lots of fruits and veggies for vegan filling options, and I'm hoping they add more vegan-friendly spreads (mostly just PB and jams now) in the future. I might have to try a savory waffle next time (ooo spicy tomato jam)! I quite like the concept of waffle sammiches.

BUST Craftacular!

2011-12-09T09:11:00.001-05:00

Hello! For the 5th year in a row, I'll be at booth #167 at the BUST Craftacular this weekend! It's a 2-day event, but I will just be there on Saturday. It's gonna be a super-fun time, and I hope you come say hi if you stop by!

Coloring Books!

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Maybe you have noticed this about me, if you have read my blog for awhile, but I'm kind of a big kid at heart. A 31-year old kid! Coloring books were one of faaavorite things as a kid, and I can remember spending lots of time neatly coloring in pages and pages of coloring books. Stubs of peeled crayons were piled in my art box (kinda like my current art box actually.)

I've been wanting to make my own coloring book or activity book for awhile now, and I finally invested in a heavy-duty paper-cutter so I could do just that! I'm starting off with these three coloring books, and hope to expand the line to activity books, and journals/sketchbooks soon. And maybe I'll finally start working on that children's book I've always wanted to write and illustrate...

Coloring books are in the shop!

Out and About

2011-12-05T10:08:00.001-05:00

Mural on Karate Studio

I bought a new camera recently (Canon Rebel T3i), and this weekend was the first I was able to properly play around with it. It is my first SLR camera, so I'm pretty psyched! I'm slowly learning how to properly use a lot of the manual settings. I'm really excited to use it when I go home for the holidays, to take lots of photos of my family. I've noticed that photos are lacking from recent years, now that we are all older (my youngest sis is now 19! the baby is not a baby anymore!) Time to remedy that! I'm also really excited to start painting a little larger and having the ability to photograph the paintings, instead of scan in pieces with my crappy scanner. Hooray for technology not holding me back anymore! Anyways, I took a walk around the neighborhood last night, right before sunset when the light was super-pretty.

Sunday waffles with dried cranberries and currants in them. (Raised waffle recipe from Vegan Brunch)

Sunset over Williamsburg Bridge

Christmas Trees for sale

More trees for sale

I accidentally photographed a dude (ghost?) peeing! I swear I didn't see him when I took the photograph! It was all black behind the gated door, to my eye. I just thought the the gated door was pretty. Maybe my new camera takes x-ray photos?! Either way, SPOOKY.

Goodbye leaves, see you in 6 months.

2011 Holiday Handmade Cavalcade!

2011-12-01T07:18:00.001-05:00

Hello! I'm really excited for the Holiday Handmade Cavalcade coming up THIS Saturday. Put on by The {NewNew} Etsy team that I'm on, it's always a super-fun event. It will be at Public Assembly, in Williamsburg, from 10-6pm. Maybe you can tell, but I designed the flyer this year! It was a lot of fun to make and I'm happy with how it came out. Woo! So if you are in the Brooklyn area this weekend, please do stop by and say hi!

p.s. We are one of TimeOut NY's "critics pick" for the upcoming weekend!

I'll Sleep When I Die

2011-11-29T11:39:00.001-05:00

I'll Sleep When I Die, new print in the shop!

I often think of this phrase, during super-busy times (which seems to be all the time lately...) A bit morbid maybe, but when the days go by without enough hours in the day to get all that I want to accomplish done, I can't help but find sleeping just getting in the way! Don't get me wrong, I lovvvve to sleep (and I do it well!), but I also love what I do for a living and sometimes I just have so many ideas on the table and so few hours in the daytime. I'm sure you can relate, right?

I want to thank everyone who bought something from me during my holiday sale this past weekend, or at anytime in the past. I really appreciate it and am super-grateful to be able to do what I love for a living and to make people happy and smiley with my work. Warm fuzzies!

Penguin Ornaments!

2011-11-26T13:19:00.001-05:00

I'm super-pysched about new Penguin ornaments this year! This 'lil guy is rocking his hot pink scarf! I printed them through Spoonflower, and they are hand-sewn and the 'lil scarfs are crocheted.

DETAILS:
+Fabric: 100% Cotton fabric. Digitally Printed via Spoonflower
+Stuffing: 100% Cotton
+Yarn: 96% Acrylic, 4% Metallic Polyester
+Dimensions: Approximately 4" x 2.25", plus 2.5" hanging ribbon

Don't forget I have a Holiday Sale going on this weekend! Enter the coupon code KITTYPARTY at checkout to save 15%. Sale ends Monday 11/28 at midnight EST.

Annual Holiday Sale!

2011-11-22T22:30:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again where everyday seems to go at warp-speed, as the holiday season starts and speeds up. Or at least, that's how it always feels to me! I'm having my annual holiday sale to help you jump-start any shopping you were planning for friends, family, loved ones, (and yourself.)

From Fri. 11/25 - Mon. 11/28, save 15% by entering, at checkout, the coupon code: KITTYPARTY

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow to my USA pals; eat lots of yummy food!
xoxo,
Michelle

Holiday Cards!

2011-11-10T09:08:00.000-05:00

Available here

Hello! I'm pretty psyched about my holiday cards this year. I think my favorite is the fox (also, I want a stripey scarf with those colors), but then maybe the penguins are my favorites too. I brought back my cutie-cat Hanukkah card also (spin, dreidel, spin!)

This is always such a busy time of year for me, and I really tried to get a jump on it this year, but here we are, two weeks before Thanksgiving! I might have something secret cooking up for a day after Thanksgiving sale, so make sure you're signed up for my mailing list if you want to be in the know!

Season's Greetings Fox is available here

Happy Holidays Penguins are available here

Holiday Bears are available here

Season's Greetings Cat is available here

Hanukkah Kitty is available here

Zippered Pouches!

2011-11-07T10:14:00.002-05:00

So in the midst of 'MoFo madness last month, I made a bunch of new things but failed to mention them here. First up, is my latest Spoonflower endeavor! I created these illustrations (based off this Woodland Jamboree print) to go on these fun zippered pouches. They are printed on linen-cotton canvas, and hand-sewn up into a mega-cute pouch. I use mine to hold pens/pencils/markers/erasers/etc., but they could totally be used to hold makeup, sewing supplies, etc. I don't really consider myself much of a seamstress, but I'm totally proud of these and how they look all sewn up. Woo! Available here, in the shop.

VeganMoFo: Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T10:45:00.001-04:00

Super-happy about this charity project this month! I've raised $310 so far for the sanctuary! Thank you SO MUCH for all the kind words, comments, enthusiasm, and to everyone that has helped out this month. All the remaining painting will remain in my shop and I will donate the money as they are sold still. Cupcakes for everyone!

Happy Autumn is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes, from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

So the end of MoFo is here, with sadness of course, so I decided to go all out with super-orange and pumpkin goodness. Oh, and Happy Halloween! I didn't dress up or really do much, as we had a freak snowstorm here (seriously, we have so much strange weather here this year...earthquake, hurricane, heat wave, snowstorm in October...). Nik and I hibernated all weekend, watching scary movies, carving pumpkins, and baking up lots of pumpkin goodness. Perfect!

Pumpkin Pancakes, from Vegan Brunch

I was going for a cute bear, on the left, but the bottom line kinda looks like a mouth instead of the bear's muzzle. Oh well! Nik made a super-scary one!

It looked like this outside on Friday...

...And like this on Saturday!

Miles was confused too.

VeganMoFo: Apple Cider and Bear Claws

2011-10-28T13:06:00.000-04:00

Angry Bear is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

I've been loving apple cider* season lately. Buying a gallon every weekend at the farmer's market, and savoring every sip. Someone told me recently that apple cider is not a universal thing, and that the cider in Seattle tastes like apple juice, but they still call it cider. What! I hope that this not true, because that would be really really sad. The cider here tends to be really thick (you can't see through it!) and strong (and sooo good warmed up!), but NY is a big apple-growing region so it's taken pretty seriously. Apple cider is so much better than Apple juice (gross! reminds me of hospitals!) They filter all the good stuff out!

*not the alcoholic kind, because Wikipedia tells me that "cider" in Europe refers to the hard stuff. And that makes me sound like a lush, buying a gallon a week. :)

I have this wonderful vegan diner near me, called Champs, that is pretty amazing. Like, if you are coming to NYC to visit, you should go out of your way and go there (and it's not really out of the way at all; Brooklyn is the best anyways!) I go there a lot, 1. because they are awesome and 2. because they have really great baked goods, and 3. they serve breakfast all day, and finally 4. they have really tasty sammiches (and I love sammiches.)

I picked up a bear claw the other day AND IT WAS FILLED WITH MARZIPAN. Pretty much making it the best bear claw ever. On the weekends, they have gigunda magical cinnamon buns and sometimes they have vegan almond croissants!

I have lots of love for Champs.

VeganMoFo: Happy Sammiches

2011-10-27T12:28:00.001-04:00

Happy Sandwich is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

Bean Nut Burger

Let's talk about sandwiches. I'm obviously a fan (I mean, who isn't?) of the wonderful act of stuffing tasty morsels in some magical carb-y goodness. So when Celine and Tami asked me to test for their upcoming Vegan Sandwich book, I did a little happy dance and got this sammich party started. These ladies have come up with some of my new favorite spreads and creative flavor pairings for sandwiches to date. Here are a few of the sandwiches that I tested, and if you are looking to find out more, search each of their super-amazing blogs for "sandwiches" for some photos and recipes that they have been teasing us with lately.

Croissants! mmm flaky goodness

French Tofu Salad on Croissants

Monte Christo

Peanut Butter Banana Bacon

Peanut Butter Brownie (whoa man)

Unfishwich

VeganMoFo: Seitan and Mushroom Empanadas

2011-10-26T14:04:00.000-04:00

Marvin the Hedgehog loves doughnuts and empanadas the best.

Marvin is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

So that seitan and mushroom stuffing that I used for the stuffed mushrooms? SO GOOD. Nik and I were invited to a Dominican-themed Birthday party last Saturday, in which I was the only vegan (or even vegetarian) in attendance. I used this as a perfect excuse to make something I have never made before out of Viva Vegan, to bring with me, and empanadas won out (I have no clue why I have never made them before!) I made them in mini version so that they were potluck-friendly and they were a hit! Also, they're pretty!

VeganMoFo: Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-10-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

Happy Mushrooms and Snail is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

The mushroom lady at my local farmer's market had some really nice (and huuuuge) crimini mushrooms last weekend that were practically begging to be stuffed. So stuff I did. I made the filling from the Seitan and Mushroom Empanadas, out of Viva Vegan, because I thought it would translate well into a stuffed mushroom (and into my tummy!), and because I had a dinner party full of omnivores to go to this Saturday, and it was a test run to see if I should bring the empanadas (I did!) Holy delicious! It's the Kalamata olives that do it, I'm sure of it. It's a great unexpected salty twang that I just loved. Also, I could eat stuffed mushrooms everyday.

VeganMoFo: Seitan

2011-10-24T13:45:00.000-04:00

'Lil Weiner Dude is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

Simple lunch of sauteed seitan, mushrooms, broccoli, and fresh tomatoes. Everything is lightly seasoned with olive oil/salt/pepper.

Okay, I admit, I mostly made seitan because I wanted to draw a dachshund (but they're so cute!) I don't make seitan that often, but when I do, it's great because it lasts for days and I can make a whole bunch of meals out of it (you'll see! I have more posts on it this week!) My go-to seitan recipe nowadays is the red or white ones out of Viva Vegan. They are super-simple, easy to add/subtract different spices and flavors, and always turn out great. Win all-around.

Happy Monday!

VeganMoFo: Mac 'n Cheese

2011-10-21T12:15:00.003-04:00

Bird Family is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

This is totally another Mom-meal, some mac 'n cheese. Granted hers was baked casserole-style, and this is my super-lazy-oh-my-god-I'm-hungry version. I mix mine up right in the pot the pasta was boiled in. I add in a healthy dose of nooch, a splash of unsweetened soy milk, about 1-2 TBS of earth balance, a clove or two of garlic, and some salt/pepper. I stir until creamy, adding more earth balance or soy milk if need be, and wha-la, the ultimate lazy mac 'n cheese. I added some broccoli into the boiling pasta water in the last minute so that I had some green in my meal. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll add in a sprinkle or two of Daiya if I have any on hand (there is a bit of Daiya mozzarella in this bowl.) Yay Mom-meals!

Happy weekend friends! :)
xo,
Michelle

VeganMoFo: Ode to Summer Tomatoes

2011-10-20T16:23:00.000-04:00

Tomato Love is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

I get so sad when tomato season comes to an end. They are probably my favorite seasonal fruit or vegetable of all time. I think strawberries are a strong second. No more fresh tomato sammiches with a little veganaise on crusty bread. No more freshly chopped up tomatoes over pasta. No more eating them plain with a little salt and pepper sprinkled over them. Goodbye tomatoes; see you in 9 months!

This is a tofu scramble that is lacking in the tofu department...

VeganMoFo: What bear doesn't love pie?

2011-10-19T13:25:00.000-04:00

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone so far! I donated $100 this morning to For the Animals Sanctuary, and I'm hoping to donate more at the end of the month. Completely warms my heart. This has been super-fun painting everyday too. It's been awhile since I have regularly painted and I think I might want to stick with this habit after the month is over too. Oh! And did you see there is a giveaway up today to win either two of my prints or some of Jeanette's amazing pottery?? Super-great!

Bear with Pie is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

Lemon Mousse Pie

Now, onto some pie. I'm pretty psyched for Isa and Terri's Pie book to come out! I was a recipe tester for them, and having pie around all the time was downright awesome. I posted some pies earlier, but here are a few more of my faves (Lemon Mousse wins for the all-time best pie in the world!)

Peanut Butter Brownie Cheesecake

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

VeganMoFo: Rocky + Cookies

2011-10-18T16:14:00.001-04:00

Aww, poor 'lil dude just wants a cookie...

Rocky is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

Mmm...cookies. I made the Rocky Road cookies from Vegan Cookies Take Over the World the other night, and they were super-delicious! I substituted crushed cashews, Dandies marshmallows, and dark chocolate chips for the fillings for some ultra decadence. I mean, you really can't go wrong with chocolate plus more chocolate and some other yummy stuff, right?

VeganMoFo: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

2011-10-17T10:46:00.001-04:00

Cinnamon, the Hamster is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

So I was browsing around on Pinterest the other day (are you on there? be my friend!), and someone pinned these amaaaaazing and intriguing looking pumpkin cinnamon roll PANCAKES. Yes, PANCAKES! Obviously, they were put in the "need to make" category immediately. They weren't vegan, but easily veganizable (new word?) I just went for the straight-forward "cinnamon roll," instead of pumpkin cinnamon roll, and used the basic pancake recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance (same one is in Vegan Brunch.) I mixed up some brown sugar + earth balance + cinnamon (as per the recipe foun on Pinterest) and piped a spiral onto each pancake right before I flipped it. Totally magical! There are even the crevices like a cinnamon roll! The crunch of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture makes these unbelievably delicious. I drizzled these with a little bit of maple cream that I had, and some maple syrup. They even kinda rip apart like a cinnamon roll when you are eating them! Seriously, best pancakes ever. These are definitely going in the "make to impress" recipe box.

VeganMoFo: Mom Meals

2011-10-14T17:57:00.000-04:00

Kitties are for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

Cooler weather usually makes me turn to comfort food, and in turn, that usually means Mom-food. You know, the food you will forever associate with your Mom or other parent/guardian type and what they used to make all the time for you as a kid. Goulash is totally one of those type of Mom-meals for me, just some basic elbow pasta, tomato sauce, onions, some sort of ground protein (I used Gimme Lean Sausage Style), and cheese (I used Daiya Mozzarella). Bake it in the oven and everyone's tummy is happy. Nik has let me know me that there are different types of Goulash out there, and his memory of it is completely different from mine (German-style vs. Italian-style). Who knew! We totally disagree on what Goulash is, but this is always "Goulash" in my eyes, and most definitely a Mom-food.

VeganMoFo: Broccoli Dude

2011-10-13T12:25:00.000-04:00

Broccoli Dude is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

I've had a hankering for broccoli-cheddar soup ever since the leaves started falling off the trees here, and lo and behold I received a gigunda portion of broccoli in my CSA share last week. It was meant to be! For veggie soups, I like to roast or saute them with olive oil/salt/pepper first before I blend them all up. I kept it broccoli basic, adding a couple of small potatoes to give the soup more body, and just lots of nooch, salt, pepper, and daiya cheddar to the mix. Blended up until not smooth, but not gritty either. I used the water from boiling the potatoes to thin it out. This was a quick weeknight meal, and I just tasted as I went until the flavors were YUM. Totally made me want to pop my collar and dance like the 'lil broccoli dude up there.

VeganMoFo: Eggplant Parm

2011-10-12T10:42:00.000-04:00

His specialty is Eggplant Parmesan!

Mister Bear Chef is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

Oh eggplant parmesan, you are my ultimate comfort food. Childhood dreams and all that jazz. I'm pretty specific about how it's put together though...

Requirements:

1) Must salt eggplant beforehand to soften. It's true. Skipping this step will result in chewier eggplant, and no one wants that (right?) Salting makes the texture dreamy. Let your eggplant sit in a colander with salt tossed around on it until you are able to take a slice, squeeze it in your hand, and water drips out. If it's still stiff, resists bending, or just breaks in half, the salt has not finished it's magic yet.

2) Breading makes everything better. Whether you bread/fry or bread/bake the eggplant first, it makes the end result DELICIOUS. I used a crunchier panko breading, with added italian spices to the mix. Also, peel that skin off the eggplant for maximum breading area!

3) More sauce is better than less sauce. Not much is sadder than running out of sauce and having dry eggplant!

Best part: leftovers!

VeganMoFo: Graham Cake

2011-10-11T12:20:00.002-04:00

Her specialty is vegan chocolate cake!

Baker Kitty is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

So, um, I've been snacking on this amaazingly beautiful cake for the last few days, and I'm getting a little sad that it's almost gone. This is the Graham Cracker Cake, from Celine and Joni's Hearty Vegan, and oh my goodness is it yummy. A nice graham cracker flavored cake with chocolate chips speckled throughout, and topped with a whole lot of roasted marshmallow-y gooeyness (I used Dandies). This would be an excellent cake to bring along and impress people at a picnic or potluck.

Melty mmmm...

VeganMoFo: It's Soup time!

2011-10-10T13:10:00.001-04:00

Meet Acorn, the floppy bunny. She's a sweetie with a streak of mischief in her. Watch your garden closely!

Acorn is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 5"x7" (image size is 4"x6")
Will fit in 5"x7" frame! Signed on back.

This was one of those use-up-old-veggies kind of soups. I had some carrots, an acorn squash, a bunch of cloves of garlic, and an onion that I chopped up, drizzled in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes on 400F or until tender. I then threw them all in my blender with a can of coconut milk, and heated it up on the stove top until hot. More salt/pepper to taste and a little bit of sriracha hot sauce for a kick and voila! I liked the creaminess and thickness of this, but you could add some veggie broth or water to it thin out.

VeganMoFo: Homemade Tofu

2011-10-06T11:15:00.000-04:00

Tofu! is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 8"x8" (image size is 7"x7")
Will fit in 8"x8" frame! Signed on back.

Soak your beans overnight!

I may have mentioned that I bought a soy milk maker and tofu box awhile back, and I have been happily making my own almond and soy milk and tofu ever since. Both are such staples in my diet, that it was a no-brainer for me to invest in both, for environmental reasons and saving money reasons. As long as you remember to soak your beans or nuts the night before, it is pretty minimal effort that you have to put in. I thought I would give a basic tutorial of the steps that go into making tofu. This is the Soy/Nut/Rice milk maker that I bought and the tofu box also.

Add soybeans and fill with water to line inside. Plug in and push button. Ta-da!

Machine beeps when soymilk is ready. Pour into strainer into pitcher (both came with machine). You are left with the okara (which is super-nutritious! There are lots of recipes around that use this up) I will usually make two batches of soymilk to put into the tofu box at once.

Add a tsp. of Nigari (magnesium chloride) to 1 cup hot water and slowly pour into soymilk. The tofu box that I bought came with Nigari crystals, but I just recently ran out (they lasted a LONG time). I found this weird liquid version at a local Asian store.

Weird separation occurs as the curd/whey do their thing.

Pour into cheesecloth lined tofu box and let slowly drain. Once most of the liquid is gone, wrap up cheesecloth and put a heavy weight on lid and let sit for 10 minutes or so. I'm aware that this photo looks totally gross.

Magic tofu! Yum!

VeganMoFo: Conan and Jalapeno Poppers

2011-10-05T13:33:00.000-04:00

Meet Conan. This dapper young fellow will wallop you at a game of chess, without blinking an eye, but will also lend a sympathetic listening ear for all of his dear friends. That Conan, he's a swell guy.

Conan is for sale here

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 8"x8" (image size is 7"x7")
Will fit in 8"x8" frame! Signed on back.

I was going for a Pomeranian puppy here, but he's kinda foxy too!

So Nik has had this idea for awhile, that we need to have a double-header night watching both of the old Conan movies (Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer). I resisted for a really long time, but finally gave in to appease the masses (and by masses, I mean Nik.) I decided to make a fun dinner to go along with it, to make it interesting for myself. Jalapeno poppers have been in the back of my head for awhile on the "must make soon" list, and when we scored a whole punch of jalapenos in our CSA recently, it was a no-brainer. I upped the yum-factor, by pickling the jalapeno about a week before I was going to use them for poppers. I didn't really follow a recipe to pickle them, but just kept it basic with equal parts vinegar and water, plus salt and peppercorns. For the filling, most vegan recipes on the old internet suggest tofutti cream cheese, which I usually think is pretty gross so I nixed that idea. I love the cashew cheese from Veganomicon, so I made a batch of that and added in a bunch of the pepperjack Daiya to the mix. I cut the pickled jalapenos in half, filled each side, and rolled the tops in some panko for some added crunchiness. I sprayed them with some olive oil and baked for about 20 minutes (flipping half way through) on 400 degrees F. I had onions and potatoes laying around, so I went for the fried gold medal and made onion rings and baked potatoes too (new fave method, slicing potatoes and drizzling olive oil on top and baking.) We had fresh sweet corn and some cantaloupe to balance out the breaded extravaganza.

Oh, and Conan the Barbarian was terrible. Our copy actually stopped working about 3/4 of the way through, and I was so relieved. Unfortunately, Nik is master downloader and had a new copy about 20 minutes later. I refused to watch the second one!

VeganMoFo Day 04: Soy and Sake

2011-10-04T10:35:00.000-04:00

Veggie Sushi is the best. One of my favorite vegan NYC restaurants is Soy and Sake, where their specialty is vegan sushi (plus a whole lot of other things). I went out with a friend there recently, and we pretty much inhaled everything. We ordered the Rock Shrimp Tempura as an appetizer (because it's my absolute favorite and I order it everytime I go there). For my main course, I went for the Soy chicken tempura bento box (!! HUGE !!) I definitely couldn't finish this, but hey, leftovers are awesome!

Today's charity painting is a veggie themed one, because veggie sushi can be super-creative and impressive and I felt like saying HOORAY FOR VEGGIES.

Happy Veggies painting for sale here.

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 8"x8" (image size is 7"x7")
Will fit in 8"x8" frame! Signed on back.

The Rock Shrimp Tempura appetizer. Possibly my favorite appetizer of all time.

Soy Chicken and Veggie Tempura Bento box, with miso soup, california roll, edamame, dumplings, salad. YUM.

VeganMoFo Day 03: Lemon Cake!

2011-10-03T17:29:00.002-04:00

It's happy cake time! Nik's birthday was last week, and though I would have loved to make him a super rainbow layer cake, he's more of a lemon and vanilla kind of dude. Delicious though! I used the vanilla cupcake and lemon buttercream out of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, with lotsa extra added lemon zest and juice.

Super-happy rainbow cake is for sale here.

Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 8"x8" (image size is 7"x7")
Will fit in 8"x8" frame! Signed on back.

VeganMoFo Day 02: Ollie

2011-10-02T15:24:00.004-04:00

Add caption

Meet Ollie! Ollie loves sitting in high places, sprawling in the afternoon sun, and just generally being a rascal. He's a young kitty, but struts like a full-grown tiger and knows how to play the cute card to get attention. Nachos and a good veggie burger (with actual veggies in it) are his fave. If there are sweet potato fries around, he will come a'running. Ollie wants to find a happy home with a super-great person who can also tell great jokes.

Adopt Ollie here!

***Details***
Medium: Watercolor on heavy Arches paper
Size: Approximately 8"x8" (image size is 7"x7")
Will fit in 8"x8" frame! Signed on back.

I just got back from an extended weekend away in Washington D.C. and I'm still in vacation recovery mode, but I thought I would show one of my favorite meals I had there. Nik and I went to Busboys and Poets our first night there, and we shared an epic vegan nacho platter, followed by a pretty gigunda veggie burger with sweet potato fries. No, I couldn't finish it! Darn if I tried though...

Both were delicious! The burger really reminded me of Campbells veggie soup (like, from the can), which was odd, but completely delicious. The nacho platter was masterfully made, with alternating layers, so we weren't left with a pile of soggy chips at the end (win!) I automatically order sweet potato fries whenever they are on a menu because they are my fave! These didn't disappoint and were super crispy and sweet. We had Thai food and pizza (they had Daiya mozzarella there!) the other two nights, but it was dark in both places, so no photos. Super-yummy all around!

Vegan burger and SWEET POTATO FRIES from Busboys and Poets, in Washington D.C.

Epic vegan nachos from Busboys and Poets, in Washington D.C.

VeganMofo Time!

2011-10-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

Squee! Brutus and Abbie, photo from For the Animals Sanctuary

It's time for VeganMofo again! I'm super-excited to participate for my 3rd year in a row, and I'm doing something a little bit different this year. Usually I will paint cute little food or animal paintings that go along with my daily meals or recipes (you can see some past examples here and here and here). I'm still going to be doing this, BUT I decided to go a little bit further this year and put the paintings up for sale and give all the proceeds from this to a charity. I've chosen to donate to For the Animals Sanctuary, because they are a pretty super-great non-profit animal rescue and sanctuary, in Blairstown NJ, and are vegan-owned. Feeding, housing, and taking care of these animals costs a lot of money, and as a non-profit organization, they rely entirely on donations. Hopefully (with your help!) I'll be able to make a sizeable donation at the end of the month! I will be making original watercolor paintings of a mix of cute 'lil animals and my goofy food characters, and will be in the $25-45 range (depending on complexity, size, time it took, etc.) I ran into a bit of a conundrum for this first day of mofo, since I'm actually in Washington D.C. at the moment, so the first painting will go up tomorrow (along with some tasty DC eats I've been enjoying) when I'm back home! Excited!

Happy VeganMoFo!

xo,

Michelle

Crafty Bastards! D.C.!

2011-09-28T11:45:00.000-04:00

So I'm heading to Washington D.C. this weekend for Crafty Bastards, and I'm pretty excited about it. I've only been to D.C. once before, during the Inauguration, and I can't wait to properly explore the city and take part in what is shaping up to being an amazing craft fair. If you are in the D.C. area, I would absolutely LOVE it if you came and introduced yourself to me! And, if you have any can't-miss tips for things I should do/eat in D.C. (I am already pretty excited for Sticky Fingers Bakery...), that would be much appreciated.

I will be at booth #163, in the tennis court area. Also, if you are so inclined, I would love it if you voted me "Craftiest Bastard." I could win some pretty sweet swag! Thank you!

xo,
Michelle

Ticket Stubs

2011-09-27T11:03:00.000-04:00

I've been to a lot of concerts. Last night I went to see one of my faves play, Mount Eerie (for the third time), and I got to thinking about all the ticket stubs I have and how many great memories I have of those shows. I love being able to look at a ticket stub, and instantly recall a flash of the concert or a snippet of a memory. Like when Michael Stipe dedicated "Tongue" to Radiohead (their openers for the show), or when I was upgraded to 3rd row seats at Madison Sq. Garden for the New Year's Eve show of Wilco and the Flaming Lips (!), or all the road trips I have taken to Canada to see Radiohead play (and Jonny waving to my friends and I after we called out to him after the show in Barrie, ON), or seeing Rainer Maria at a dive bar in Buffalo, NY and them not getting on the stage until almost 3am. Ani Difranco was on crutches when I saw her (also in Buffalo) and the memory of her beautiful voice carrying throughout the auditorium, grabbing the setlist from The Arcade Fire's tiny show at a church in NYC (and my 2-hour wait in the freezing cold without a ticket and ending up inside standing next to David Byrne in the audience!), all the road trips to Bonnaroo and the amazing bands that played, seeing Gwar and really trying hard not to get any of their blood and other fluids that they spew into the audience on me (I made it until the last song, when they shot out some sort of liquid straight out and it reached the very back wall where I was standing), all the warehouse shows of tiny bands that went onto be big bands, standing in line without a ticket for Beck at the Hiro East Ballroom and slipping the bouncer $20 to let me in (he did), cutting in line and making it into The Boredoms "77 drummers" show on a beautiful summer day in Brooklyn. PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth, Underworld, Sigur Ros, Massive Attack, Liz Phair, Bjork, and I could go on forever.

I've never really thought of myself as a "collector" of anything, but I guess I do have one real collection in all the ticket stubs I have amassed over the years. My Dad is a really avid concert-goer and I was always in awe of his ticket-stub collection when I was younger (think of just about any classic rock and blues players and he has probably seen them...). I definitely am my father's daughter in this respect, and he was the inspiration behind me saving every ticket stub I was left with after a show.

Anyways, I was sad last night when there was no ticket stub and it got me thinking back to all the will call or free concerts I have been to (probably quadruple the amount of ticketed shows) and how I don't have that printed stub to trigger a memory of it. Sad! I wish I had thought to document them in other ways in the past...

Tomorrow night I'm seeing Radiohead for the 12th time! I'm just really excited to have seen so many of my favorites play in person, ticket stubs or not (but hopefully!)

2012 Wall Calendar and New Prints!

2011-09-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

2012 Wall Calendar, available here in my shop.

So this is what I have been working feverishly on for the last couple months, my 2012 calendar! As has been a bit of a tradition over the last couple years, I created 12 brand new illustrations, surrounding some sort of theme for my calendar. I've been feeling a bit daring lately, and dreaming about all sorts of magical lands and fun times that I want to experience, so I hereby declare this year the YEAR OF ADVENTURE! Yep, that's right! Adventure doesn't have to mean traveling to a foreign land or jumping off a plane, it can also mean taking a different route home or just having no plan whatsoever for an evening and seeing where it takes you. So hooray, I'm super-happy about this coming year and really excited about how my calendar came out!

2012 Wall calendar and all twelve prints are now available in my shop here!

Twelve brand new prints, available here in my shop.

Chicago Fun-times

2011-09-13T15:01:00.000-04:00

My display. Experimental lightweight pocketed wall worked out pretty well. Everything fit in a suitcase!

So I'm back from Chicago and Renegade was a complete success! So much fun and I met so many nice people that came to my booth. Plus, we had PERFECT weather (SO happy about that). My boothmate, Paula Egan, was great and she makes absolutely beautiful jewelry made out of handmade paper and resin. I didn't really get a chance to walk around the show at all, which I was a little sad about , but an A+ time overall!

New zippered pouches and 2012 calendars, which I will be putting in my shop super-soon.

I also got to wander around Chicago a bit and hang out with one of my very best friends that I don't get to see as often as I would like. I walked around Chicago while he was at work on Friday and saw Lincoln Park, Millenium Park, the Tiffany dome at the Cultural Center, and went to the Museum of Surgical Science and of course, The Chicago Diner (yay!)

I have more pics up on my Flickr stream, if you were so interested!

Tiffany glass dome at the Cultural Center

Taking a break in Lincoln park.

Orchestra playing in Millenium Park

Bean at Millenium Park

Duh!

Vegan PB Cookie Dough shake at the Chicago Diner

Vegan Radical Reuben at the Chicago Diner

Museum of Surgical Science

First Kotex ad. Museum of Surgical Science

Museum of Surgical Science

Renegade Chicago! This weekend!

2011-09-08T09:54:00.000-04:00

So excited! I leave for Chicago in a few hours for Renegade and to spend some time with a super-great friend of mine in his lovely city. If you are in Chicago this weekend, I would love to meet you! I will be at booth #184 on Division st. btwn. Wood and Hermitage.

Have a great weekend and I'll be back next week with my new calendar and all sorts of new prints and fun stuff to show you!

Irene

2011-08-29T13:05:00.000-04:00

So Hurricane Irene rolled through town this weekend, and thankfully spared my neighborhood and myself. We didn't even have any leaks or lose power or anything. Nik and I were pretty super nervous peeking outside every once and awhile all night, but we kept ourselves occupied with some Sons of Anarchy and some cinnamon buns that I baked (recipe from Vegan Brunch). There were quite a few downed trees and lots of branches and leaves scattered about the next day (and it was still SUPER windy afterwards). I've never been through a hurricane before, and it's just awful looking at some of the photos from North Carolina or other places with severe flooding and wind damage. Not something you expect, living in the Northeast, to have an earthquake AND a hurricane in the same week...

2012 Calendar Sneak-peek

2011-08-23T10:38:00.000-04:00

Hello! I have been hard at work on my latest series, twelve new prints that will also be part of my 2012 (yikes!) calendar, and I thought I would give a little sneak peek at a few of them. I'm trying to finish them all in time for Chicago Renegade, which is coming up in a few weeks (double yikes!), along with all the other holiday goodies that I have been working on (plus a top-secret project!) So yes, it's been all workworkwork lately, but I'm really into it so it's been fun!

Summer Food

2011-08-16T12:38:00.000-04:00

Crazy-big haul.

I love the dog days of summer, where there is so much abundance at the farmer's market. My fruit and veg haul was crazy huge this past week, so we have been having super-summer dinners all week. So so good. These are the things I savor (literally!) and love about summer. Nik and I helped distribute the shares for our CSA this past saturday, and it was a fun people/dog-watching morning in the park. There was a little pup amputee with two rear wheels instead of legs that basically broke my heart. So many Great Danes live in my neighborhood, and I just cannot fathom what kind of apartments these owners have that hold such gigunda dogs...

I froze a lot of stuff, corn and zuchini and pesto, in preparation for the dead-zone of winter where I will be craving some fresh veggies that don't have a root attached to it. I love pulling out fresh corn off the cob on Thanksgiving day!

A peek at the CSA pickup

I was the fruit lady, handing out peaches and melons.

Eggplant wings (basically just breaded eggplant smothered in a hot bbq sauce), watermelon, and a salad with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and avocados (red wine vinegar/olive oil/salt/pepper dressing)

Sauteed tofu and onions in spices, corn on the cob, and green beans

Spoonflower Swatches

2011-08-09T10:37:00.000-04:00

Hello! Summer seems to be slipping by rather quickly, as of late, and all of a sudden it is August. Yowza. I can't wait for Fall though; Bring on the hoodies and apple cider and crisp leaves and pumpkin-flavored everything! I had an old friend visit this past weekend, and we had a blast. Coney Island, The Museum of Natural History, LOTS of walking around, way too much sunshine, good food and beer, and great talks. I love reconnecting with old friends that I haven't seen in awhile, and feeling like no time has passed since you last saw each other. Yay friends!

I've been a pattern-making fool lately. Well, for a few months actually, but I was saving up patterns to get test swatches printed via Spoonflower. Finally got some back yesterday and I'm pretty psyched about them! Most of them I put up for sale on Spoonflower (you can have a little shop on there; super-neat!) and a few I'm keeping to making a nifty new product for my shop and for upcoming craft shows. If any of you are on Spoonflower, I would love to connect with you on there and see your patterns. Such a great community there and so fun to be able to print your own designs!

Staying cool

2011-07-27T10:27:00.000-04:00

Beach time! Nik and I combatted the horrible heat wave last Thursday by packing up and heading out to Far Rockaway, to the beach. The weather was a million times more tolerable out there, and downright lovely, if I might say. 100 degrees F in the city that day, but it was a breezy day at the beach with the perfect water temperature and some killer waves. We spent the day jumping in the waves, soaking up some Vitamin D, and eating ice cream and chips/guac from the boardwalk (Babycakes has a pop-up bakery there for the summer, with lots of ice cream, brownie ice cream sandwiches (!!), doughnuts, and cupcakes! Exciting!) We're already plotting when we can go back...it's fun that we can both take off work during the week so we don't have to fight the crowds that flock to the beach on the weekends.

It's the dog days of summer, am I right? Stay cool!

Vegan Chocolate ice cream, from Babycakes!

Chips and guacamole

Waiting for the train to come

Ahoy Matey! Fabric

2011-07-14T10:05:00.000-04:00

Super-psyched about this! I was a pattern designer for over six years, before I quit my day job to do my illustration work full-time, and I used to really enjoy making patterns. As with most things, I got a little burned out from doing that (and thus quit my job), so it has taken awhile to get back into making them. I've slowly been doing some patterns for fun, and this is the first one I have had actual yardage printed. Exciting! It is available in fat quarters (17"x 21") in my Etsy shop, or as yardage through Spoonflower.

Details:

Quilting Weight Cotton, digitally printed via Spoonflower.com
100% Cotton Fabric
17" X 21" Fat Quarter
Estimated Shrinkage 3%
Wash on delicate setting, cool, using phosphate-free detergent

I have some questions for you! Do you ever buy fabric through Spoonflower? Do you like to purchase fabric as fat quarters or yardage? I know Spoonflower fabric is expensive, but I'd like to give the option for both. Any particular kind of patterns you would like to see? What do you usually make with your fabric?

Thanks for your help!

Michelle

Homemade Rhubarb Jam

2011-07-12T09:23:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I found myself with an abundance of Rhubarb and ordinarily I would whip up a strawberry-rhubarb pie, but I was low on the strawberry end. So! To the internet I went in search of some rhubarb recipes! Jam was logical, so I went with it and my oh my, is it delicious! I had a few stray strawberries laying around, so I threw them into this recipe that I found, but otherwise didn't change anything. I really loved the fresh orange juice and zest in it and it made for a nice tart jam that was super-yummy on toast (or to even sneak a spoonful of...)

Ahh, summer! :)

Summer Sale!

2011-07-11T10:34:00.002-04:00

Hello lovelies; I hope your weekend was sun-filled and relaxing! I had a great time away from the city, at Nik's parent's house, and am feeling refreshed to work and get down to business this week. Lots to do!

To start off this lovely week, I decided that I'm having a SUPER-SUMMER SALE in my shop! You can enter the coupon code SUNANDFUN at checkout to save 20% off your order. Sale ends Sunday July 17th (midnight EST). Woo!

xo,
Michelle

Happy B-day Miles and Sweet Summer Days

2011-07-06T08:56:00.000-04:00

It was my sweet kittie cat's birthday on the 4th of July. Yep! 4th of July baby! Miles turned 9 and spent the day celebrating kitty-style (sleeping). Nine years he has been with me...they fly!

I went outside to sketch yesterday afternoon and it was absolutely gorgeous. I need to do that more often, or at least do it while the temperature and heat is still bearable. Nik and I are going to visit his parents in PA this weekend and I'm pretty excited to get out of the city. A change in scenery always does one good!

Happy Holiday Weekend!

2011-07-01T09:56:00.002-04:00

Summer fruit season is the best!

I sometimes forget about holidays like the 4th of July, Memorial day, Labor Day, etc. since I work for myself. Actually, I'm usually only aware because the Post Office will be closed and I have to plan around that. Nik likes to work these holidays too (since his office is quiet and he can get stuff done) and he can just take a swap day for any random day off then. Thus, I don't really celebrate these types of holidays, since I'd be celebrating by myself anyways!

I can definitely get behind long summer weekends though, and I plan to enjoy this moderate NYC summer while it lasts. I'm working at the shop on Governors Island this Saturday and plan to soak in the sun (and get some work done) the rest of the weekend.

Have a sun-filled weekend!

xo,

Michelle

Little birdie

2011-06-28T09:39:00.000-04:00

Little birdie told me that there might be a sale going on in the near future...especially if you are on my mailing list that will be going out soon...

Creative Field Trips

2011-06-27T11:20:00.000-04:00

Last week, I took a creative day and went on a field trip of sorts, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's my favorite museum in NYC, and I always feel super-inspired after a visit there! I also wanted to check out the Alexander McQueen exhibit, "Savage Beauty," and holy wow, was that awesome! Like seriously, I'm not too huge into fashion or runway shows and whatnot, but this was really great. It was pretty crowded, so I wasn't really able to sketch inside the McQueen exhibit, and photos weren't allowed, so I just soaked it in. I tried looking up photos of it online afterwards, but they don't really do it justice at all. It was great seeing some Philip Treacy hats in person too.

Wandering around the MET after the McQueen exhibit, I'm always drawn to the African art section and the Renaissance paintings. They're my faves (and it's usually empty, so I can stare as long as I want!) Everyone is usually crowded around the Monet's and Picasso's, but I tend to favor the much older stuff.

I'm contemplating the illustrations for my calendar for next year and just needed a creative day to just let my mind wander and for new ideas to form. Everyone needs a time-out from the day-to-day sometimes! Definitely did wonders, and I think I need to make a regular habit of this. Where do you go for some creative time?

Here are some sketches and photos:

Shop Update!

2011-06-24T11:29:00.000-04:00

Hey friends! So I've finally gotten around to adding all the new stuff that I have made over the last few months into my Etsy shop. (I feel so slow sometimes, but yet I feel like I'm working so hard?!) Anyways, there are 8 new illustrations, that you have seen peeks of, that have been made into cards, rings, necklaces, hair pins, and wing pins! I'm pretty psyched about them. I've been wearing a little bear ring around 'cause I think he might be my fave! I created a whole new accessory section of my shop, and these are all meant to be limited edition, so when they are gone, they are gone!

Have a happy friday and a super-great weekend! I went on a creative field trip the other day, and I'll share with you some photos and sketches from it next week. Woo!

(Yes, I do crack myself up...HA)

Renegade Brooklyn 2011!

2011-06-09T10:23:00.000-04:00

More Renegade this weekend! (I'm going to sleep so hard next week after the crazy couple of months I have had...)

I'll be sharing a tent at booth #231 with the lovely Spiderbite Boutique and Jokey Yokey this Saturday and Sunday, and I'd love it if you would come say hello if you are in the area. Oh goodness, and cross your fingers that the weather forecast changes it's mind about the thunderstorms...

Father's Day is a-coming!

2011-06-08T14:29:00.000-04:00

Hey! Dad-day is coming soon, June 19th to be exact, so I made a few cards to celebrate the day of Dad!

Available here and here in my shop.

Governors Island Pop-up Shop

2011-06-06T08:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday! I wanted to tell you about a pop-up shop that I'm a part of for the whole summer at Governors Island. Put together by Better Than Jam Handmade Co-op and made up of members of The {NewNew} Etsy team, it is quite the the lovely little shop set up in one of the old historic houses on the Island. Governors Island is such a happy place to begin with and the shop is super-cute! I worked a shift out there this past weekend and will be out there occasionally throughout the summer. Here are some pictures I snapped of inside the house (and here are some better pro photos at this link):

Oh hey, look at me!

Postcard for Etsy

2011-06-02T10:16:00.000-04:00

Last month, I was super-excited to design and print a postcard for Etsy to use at their booths at the Maker Faire this year. They created a "Whack-a-Treasury" game where users can create their own Treasuries when they whack the gamepad with their gigunda golden hammer (like that whack-a-mole game). I had lots of fun creating this old-timey suped-up version of this machine on the postcard and I can't wait for the Maker Faire to come to NYC in September!

Texas Flowers

2011-06-01T12:00:00.012-04:00

I like flowers, and there were lots of wildflowers in Texas, so obviously this worked out well for me!

Some pretty findings:

Agave plant

Spot the grasshopper!

I got one of these gigunda thorns stuck in my foot...

Cactus flowers

Texas Photos

2011-06-01T07:57:00.000-04:00

Cement hands

After Renegade in Austin, my Mom, Sisters, Uncle, Aunt, and I drove to my other Aunt and Uncle's home a ways north of Dallas. I loved it so, so much there! They are caretakers for a holy-huge-house and preserved land for a family that usually lives in Dallas, but has this really great vacation home in the middle of nowhere. My Uncle and Aunt are such great people (and she is a super-great artist and photographer), and I loved their eclectic home decorated with such fun and different things. It was so great to spend time with family that I never see, and even meet some I haven't met before!

I have a thing for photographing flowers, so I have a separate post with those in a bit!

Findings hanging from tractor steering wheel

crystal mobile

Buddy

Handmade mosaic in the garden at the Big House

My Sisters, Mom, and I

Rocks I collected.

Oh yeah.

My favorite Renegade Austin Vendors

2011-05-31T12:00:00.001-04:00

There were so many great vendors at Renegade Austin, that it was really hard to choose favorites. I narrowed it down anyways! Here are my top 3:

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I have been a fan of Mary Ink online for awhile, and loved seeing their stuff in person. I had my eye on a screen-printed dress of theirs, but they were sold out of my size by the time I got over there on Sunday. Luckily they will be at Brooklyn Renegade in a few weeks, so I'm going to make sure I get one this time!

.............................................................................................................................................

I was immediately smitten with the work of Klai Brown. She was super-nice too when I chatted with her for a bit! She will be at Renegade Brooklyn in a few weeks, and I plan on getting myself one of her mugs (I didn't want to break it on my way back from TX, so I held out)!

.............................................................................................................................................

There was lots of great jewelry there, but Molly M Designs totally blew me away. Her lasercut necklaces were a particular favorite of mine. There aren't many of the necklaces in her online shop, so I assume that most of them were bought up at Renegade!

Renegade Austin 2011!

2011-05-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

My booth setup

New stuff!

So, Austin is awesome! I set up my booth at Renegade Austin a few weekends ago, and had the pleasure of meeting so many nice people, customers and vendors alike. I had a great weekend and as always, I LOVE meeting people who buy or just like my work face-to-face! I think the kids reactions are my favorite, as some of those little cuties get so excited, and that makes me excited! I introduced some new products at this show, lots of rings, wing-pins, and hair pins (and soon, necklaces). I will have a separate post with more details on these and when they will be in my online shop very soon. Woo!

I had some great booth-mates too, KC and Kevin of Make Shop Live, from LA. They make super-cool things out of recycled and repurposed things, and holy whoa are they creative. It really couldn't have worked out any better or with nicer booth-buddies! You can check out their Etsy shop here, and their blog here.

Make Shop Live's booth

Super-cute pin cushion rings!

Back attack!

2011-05-30T08:10:00.001-04:00

Street graffiti in Austin. I wish it didn't say "weed," 'cause it kinda ruins it, but I didn't wanna photoshop it out either.

Right near the street graffiti was this sign. Aww!

Hello! I'm home sweet home in Brooklyn today, after a crazy-awesome two-week road trip to Texas! It was really, really great. Renegade Austin was super-fun, it was cool to see Texas for the first time, and most importantly I got to spend lots of quality time with my family. Woo! I'm getting back into the swing of things today, but I have lots of photos and news to tell you this week.

Happy Monday, let's make it a good one!

Road trip to Renegade Austin!

2011-05-20T22:15:00.000-04:00

Hello! I'm in Austin right now! My mom, two sisters, and I road tripped down here from NY, and it has been awesome so far. Lots of pretty sights and laughs and fun times on the drive down, and today was great walking around Austin. I'm PSYCHED for Renegade tomorrow! If you are in the Austin area, stop by and say hi! I'll be at booth #162 with Make Shop Live, from LA.

A few pictures:

Sis and I

Arkansas is pretty.

Airstream Trailer

Sneak Peeks!

2011-05-10T12:48:00.000-04:00

A little sneak peek at some things I have been making lately...

Sweet Dreams!

2011-05-06T13:13:00.000-04:00

Pink/Purple Dreamcatcher available here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/73578869/dreamcatcher-pink-8x10-art-print

Dreamcatchers have caught my fascination lately. Ever since I read this blog post over at Modish, I've been wanting to make one (she makes the "feathers" out of of cardboard, so they are vegan-friendly!) and have been doodling them in my sketchbook. I finally finished a drawing of one and I'm pretty into it! I made two versions, a pink/purple one and a teal/green one. Dreamcatchers are said to let the good dreams through and "catch" the bad dreams in its web, so you can have some sweet dreams. I like that!

Teal/Green version available here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/73579871/dreamcatcher-teal-8x10-art-print

Prep Weekend

2011-05-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

Scoring the cards to be folded.

Hello! Happy May! I had a super-productive weekend, with lots of printing/trimming/scoring/folding/signing/packaging of cards and prints. I'm trying to do as much of this stuff ASAP, so I have time before leaving for Austin to really concentrate on my display and some fun new products that I'm cooking up. So exciting! I'm a total last-minute gal, but am impressing myself with being on top of things. Total pat on my back, hehe.

Nik and I are rewatching The Sopranos (he's never seen it before!), and we're both pretty into it. It was such a great show, and has not lost it's pizzazz over time. I have heard stories, from my Dad, that my Grandfather used to be the bartender in a bar where mobsters frequented, and I wish I would have had the opportunity to talk to him more about that before he passed. It's such an interesting culture and life, all the rules and "way things are." You think that a lot of that is just stereotype or the way that things are portrayed in the movies or on tv, but then you read a news article about another arrest of a local mobster and it reads straight out of a fiction story.

xo,

Michelle

p.s. Don't forget to join my mailing list that I'm going to be sending out soon! I promise it will be good!

Sneak peek! Pre-trimming.

Sneak peek! Rounding the corners

Stack 'o prints waiting to be packaged.

Signing the back of all my prints.

Assembly line of packaging a print.

Glowing Balls!

2011-04-22T10:22:00.000-04:00

All photos via Brooklyn Vegan

Have you guys SEEN this video from Coachella last week?? It's amazing! I've been replaying it whenever I need an energy burst because it gets me so excited and brings a big grin to my face. The Arcade Fire dropped a gazillion glowing LED balls from the top of the stage during their "Wake Up" performance and it is SO MUCH FUN! I wish I was there, but thank goodness for youtube!

Happy Friday!!

Happy Mom-Day!

2011-04-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day is coming soon here in the US...May 8th to be exact! These are two new cards added to the shop today for all your favorite Mom, Grand-mom, and friend-mom's in your life.

Happy Mom-Day Card

Teacup Succulent Mother's Day Card

In other news, I have been obsessed with making/painting/doodling little teacup succulents lately. I will surely show you what I have done with this obsession soon...