Irene

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

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

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

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!