patterns

We were in Austin for a few days and had a great time—even if we went from hot to hotter!

The change of scenery was very needed. Some things we saw are inspiring me and already affecting one of my current projects.

Above: Austin state capitol dome.

Layers + layers - so many possibilities.

Below: Senate room ceiling.

Love the hanging bowl shape.

Star fence around the capitol grounds.

There's always much to be said about repetition.

Music themed windmill.

Quirky and a great reminder to have fun with my work.

I've always loved the hills and trees all around Austin.

Natural elements will always call to me.

Now, we're back home, the laundry is done (seriously set a record—I'm a procrastinator with the unpacking), we're back to reality and new projects are waiting.

Can you believe it's August already?!

simplicity

All plans for work went right out the window this week. The kids are out of school on spring break so I've been focusing on them. I have no idea what I was thinking when I thought I'd get so much done this week. All self-imposed deadlines were way off. However, I did launch into a two day massive spring house cleaning job. I've been attacking our belongings with brutal honesty—"do we really need this?"—nine times out of ten the answer is no. Goodwill and the public library received many goodies in great condition and this morning the rest went out the door in trash bags. Frankly, it is so liberating to watch all of it just go. I recommend it! It's like free therapy and once you get started it gets easier to just keep going. If you need a little push here's a great article about identifying clutter.

I found this quote and I think it sums up my thought process of this week very nicely...

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. ~William Morris

It's as simple as that.

• • •

I'll be back in earnest on Monday. In the meantime, if you'd like to explore other wonderful crafty blogs check out this list. It is such an honor to be included and in such great company. Thank you to Babble and to all of those of you that visit—and thank you for the kindest messages and emails I've received in the past month or so (you know who you are! :)) I cherish every word.

I must go now because the Houston zoo awaits and my very patient children are eager and ready to go. Have a wonderful week everyone!

clay

I love ceramics. Love. I don't know what it is about them but they truly call out to me. I think it may be a combination of the material (the natural aspect of it) and the hands on quality of the art itself. I started a pinterest board with ceramics with a few examples but I know of several more artists that need to be added.



I just happened to read that the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft was going to offer a clay bowl workshop for families on Saturday. Hello! I wanted us to go no matter what.



Little C and Mr. Z where up for it but my dear D was pouting all the way there. He didn't think making anything with clay was going to be fun at all (a been there done that attitude). By the end of the afternoon he relented and admitted that I was right—he did enjoy himself a lot.

Don't moms always know best? Hehe. (Admission: I hated when my mom would say anything similar.)



Little C and I tried our hand at the wheel. I'd never worked on one and the few minutes that I did left me craving for more. I'm going to have to look into taking a class. The man that gave us our five minute lesson was so sweet and kind. He's been at it for 20 years.



We had a wonderful time, learned something new and have little treasures and photos to reminds us of the day. It was the perfect thing to do after a week of the most dull, brain cell reducing, production work I've done in a while. I really needed to get my hands into something—literally.

For anyone in the Houston area... There are other interesting events coming up. Visit their calendar of events page for more information. We found out that they offer different workshops, on the first Saturday of each month. I will definitely keep this on my list of places to visit again.

BTW - How cool is it that Mr. Z thought of taking the pictures of us in action (without me asking—I was too busy having fun!) because he knew I'd want to blog about this later? He knows me so well! :)

Happy Monday everyone!

it was merry and bright

It was a wonderful Christmas weekend. We shared lots of yummy food and great times while in our jammies all day. We were very relaxed and took our time with everything we did. No rushing for a change.

I don't remember eating so much in previous years. My goodness! We ate Colombian tamales, (specially ordered, because we certainly don't know how to make them) and other goodies. We also made buñuelos. Yum!

The highlight of this year's Christmas has been all the Lego building going on around here—so fun! Grandparents, parents and kids all chipped in. My Mom and I had never built any of the sets together—so that was a first. Tomorrow the building continues. Any guesses as to when I'll have my kitchen island (where this Lego town now resides) back to normal?



I hope that those of you that celebrate Christmas had a great one too!

in memory of my grandmother

Today my 95 year old grandmother and godmother peacefully passed away at home surrounded by family—albeit not all. I wish we could have been there. However, I am grateful that we got to see her when we went to Colombia this past summer.

For several weeks we've been on pins and needles not knowing when this would happen. We knew it was a matter of days and today it became a reality. It still seems a bit surreal.

These two photos are among the last things my grandmother ever gave me. Even though she looks quite serious in the top one, it's my absolute favorite. She's with my grandfather (who passed away 17 yrs ago) and I believe they were still dating at the time. I think they look so sharp. It was taken by one of the freelance photographers that lined that particular street in Bogotá. The second photo was taken on their wedding day in 1945.

The things I'll remember most about my grandmother are that she was very strong willed, determined and classy, she taught me how to knit (I'll be forever be grateful about that) and she knew how to cook really well but it definitely was not a hobby. My Mom and I both inherited that gene and often remember her saying on the subject... "The sooner I can get out of the kitchen, the better."

Now that I think about her knitting, I remember she used to crochet a lot too—a LOT. I also remember seeing her sewing and mending a little something here and there. The more I think about it the more I realize that a love for handiwork is deeply ingrained in our family.

She wasn't a sweet, huggable type of grandmother but she fervently loved her family and she took care of her own in the best way she knew how. She certainly was the family matriarch. I'm so glad that our children, her only great-grandchildren, got to visit with her on a few occasions.

Although we are obviously grieving her passing (I'm surprised at how the waves of sadness just come and go, come and go...), we're relieved that she's no longer suffering and at peace.

My hope is that she is with my grandfather and that they are enjoying each other's company again.

weekend

The end of our summer break is a week and half away so we figured that we'd celebrate by visiting San Antonio (3hrs away), do the whole touristy thing and eat a lot of ice cream to beat the heat. We hadn't visited the main attractions in a very long time so it was great to see them again through the kids' eyes.

The view from our hotel room.



Our hotel from the river side.



Sunday morning stroll.





The most visited tourist site in Texas—The Alamo.





The kids were so proud to be signing the guest book (never mind that photos aren't allowed inside the Alamo... oops).



Another reason why we decided to make the weekend special... on Monday, August 9th we will be celebrating our 13 year anniversary (here are a couple of photos). I married Mr. Handsome, Mr. Heart of Gold, Mr. Patient and he's still all that and more.

design and its applications

What a week!

Aside from the fact that our nine month old water heater needs to be replaced and that this detail wasn't discovered until Mr. Z came home and smelled the house was full of gas (ahhh that's why I had a pounding headache all day!) and other work related stuff, yesterday we lost our dog.

After an hour of looking for our little guy, in the pouring rain, I decided to make some 'lost dog' signs and the graphic designer in me kicked in.

As soon as I sat in front of the computer, I had flashbacks of the thoughts that run through my mind whenever I see other people's efforts. I always think of ways to improve them, in the nicest, non-snobby designer way.
- Don't use fancy fonts (clear is more important than fancy)
- The phone number should be larger (I've seen them itty-bitty many times)
- Replace the ink in the printer or use a photo that has more contrast. A dark box doesn't help much.
- If handmade and written use a very thick marker.

I whipped up some quick signs, we drove around hanging them in visible places and they did the trick. After 3 hrs. of going through awful scenarios of what we'd do without our Otto (who looks just like the second one here), we found him in the care of a lovely (and unknown until yesterday) neighbor. Phew.

In less dramatic and happier graphic design news...

One of my logos was selected to be included in the LogoLounge Master Library Series (Vol. 3) Shapes & Symbols. It's the third time my work makes into one of their books and I'm so very flattered to be included. Thank you LogoLounge!

colombia 2010

So... we're back from a 20 day trip to Colombia. We visited family and friends and stayed in a small town just outside of the capital Bogotá. The weather was great because we got to escape the crazy summer heat—the highs were in the 60s and the lows in the 40s.

We had a lot of fun things but things could've been better. Little C caught a cold that lasted a few days and then the rest of us fell like dominoes (except D who was the only healthy person in the house). Three treatments with a nebulizer kicked my butt but thank goodness for the soccer World Cup for entertainment purposes while in bed (we are avid fans btw). Needless to say we didn't get to visit or see all the things we wanted to (totally regret not going here), but we made the best of it and we did get spoiled silly.

A lesson I learned: never, ever let the camera battery die on a day when you take a trip to the most beautiful places you've ever visited. The iPhone camera is NO substitute!

Things I'll miss...
The people.
The food.
The mountains.
The architecture.
The people. Yes, that needs to be said again.

I was in such a rush packing and getting things ready for our trip that I didn't have time to write posts for my blog. That's why I posted twice while I was there but I didn't want to exactly let on that my house was alone and available for pilfering!

We got back Sunday morning and I'm just starting to feel like my normal self again. While I get back in the creative mood here are some photos that I'd like to share of our trip. The whole set is on my Flickr stream here. Photos of our 2006 trip are here.



We had a wonderful time, but I do like being home again too.
Does anyone else feel like they live in a palace when they come back from a trip?

away and in the past

I've been away from my computer for most of the last few days and it felt so good.

We went camping with the boy scouts over the weekend and happily found our house in one piece once we got back. Remember last time?



I love campfires, sharing good songs, watching the kids play and the walks. The night in a tent when one has an inadequate sleeping bag is another story—specially when the rest of your family is sleeping soundly. I was glad for the kids and Mr. Z but I was beyond just cold and let's just say that I wasn't a happy camper (literally) at sunrise. However, seeing how much fun my boy scout was having with the whole experience made that quickly go away—a cup of very hot coffee helped too.

• • •

Today little C and I went on her class field trip to a one-room school house where we were treated and expected to behave as if it were 1898 (think Little House on the Prairie). We did the same with my D when he was in 1st grade and it was just as fun.

Lining up for class. Parents played the part of 17 yr old students or 'big sisters and big brothers'.







The kids practiced math on slate boards and did some penmanship exercises with a quill and ink. The latter was a bit of a challenge but they did surprisingly well.

Here's the dress and apron I made... a lot of work for one day of use, but she looked so cute. It was well worth the effort, but I still don't understand those of you that think that sewing is so relaxing and fun—phew!



The kids were thrilled to try out the hoops and sticks albeit a bit frustrated because they thought they would be easier to handle. They were told to go twice around the schoolhouse and they were completely out of breadth by the end.

We ended the day enjoying lunch (out of pails) while sitting on blankets under the clear blue sky. Perfect. I've always said it, March is my favorite time of the year.



Days like these make me want to drop all work related activities and just be a Mom. I get such a kick out of seeing what a great time the kids have and watching their innocent play and minds at work. But I also know the part of me that craves tackling my own projects can't stay dormant forever. I'm most happy when there is an ebb and flow between both worlds. Tomorrow I go back to that juggling act... and that's ok.

inspiring break

The kids were on their spring break last week. The change in routine is alwasy a bit of a jolt but a great time to recharge. We visited museums, thoroughly enjoyed the awesome weather and I sketched every night like I hadn't done in a while.

This is my favorite time of the year to enjoy the outdoors.


Sea creatures are a new inspiration...


Fossils too.


The aquarium was a hit but the sharks were the obvious favorites.


Today I'm back at work, inspired and full of new ideas. I can't wait to get started. I feel like I'm on the cusp of a new wave. I don't what type of work will come of it but I know it's coming.

quote of the day

"Nature has the best colors. Right Mom?" - by D, as we watched the sun rise this morning.

• • •

Again... thank you so much everyone. I wasn't expecting such a big response to yesterday's post. Goes to show that I was right in not deleting my post, which I almost did as soon as I pressed publish.

Your comments far outweigh any negativity that may come my way.

Have a great day!

last day

The kids will be going back to school tomorrow, which means we're still not quite into the routine everyone else jumped into today. To enjoy our last full weekday together the kids are using some of these this morning...



and I'm using some of this.



I derive the same pleasure from seeing rows of embroidery thread as I do a stack of neatly folded towels in the linen closet. Is that strange?

• • •

In other news... I found out that the magazine bowl project found in Home, Paper, Scissors will be used as a class project in a special needs organization. That makes me so happy.

conquered

I don't really blog about food but this was a must. As simple as they may be to make for some people, pancakes have always eluded me. Always. I give them another shot every few weeks or so (not that we need to be consuming anymore carbs in this house), but I'm stubborn like that. Today my bad streak has finally ended. I owe it all to a cheat sheet you can find here. Thank you Amy! Thank you!



Or, maybe I owe it all to my assistant who started running to her room when she saw me pulling out ingredients. "Wait for me! Wait for me!" she yelled as she trotted away to her room to get her chef's hat and a stool.

Where's that enthusiasm when there's homework to be done? (not that I blame her)

change of pace

This is the best week I've had in well... weeks. And it's only Monday! I feel completely relaxed and ready for the new year.

We had a wonderful and cozy Christmas. There was a bit of everything and even some sleeping by all of the adults at one point or another, but it was deemed appropriate and very necessary. The socks are due to my request of a shoe free house. Let's see how long it lasts.



The weekend was l-a-z-y. Loved it. Needed it.

The big to-do on today's list was going to the library. When we got back the kids jumped on our bed to read. They covered themselves with an afghan my Mom made for me when I was about nine. I wanted to join them so badly but dinner wasn't about to cook itself. I love that little raised finger.



The days between Christmas and the new year are the best. Don't you think? The feeling of anticipation is so overwhelming but comforting. More than anything I think it's just the longing of a clean slate. A new year full of new possibilities. What is around the corner?

making progress

This morning. It's still missing some knickknacks but it's almost there.



A week ago.



This is the only room that is almost complete. There's still so much to do. But I feel so much better. I almost feel like we're in a new house. There is much to be said about new flooring and paint.

Is it crazy that I still agreed to host Christmas here? I consider it an incentive to hurry up and get this all done once and for all. Wish me luck!

christmas traditions

Stephanie Levy was so kind to invite me to participate in her artist advent calendar. She has posts from artists around the world and they are sharing their Christmas traditions. She just posted my feature today—here. Take a minute to read all the other posts—they're all so interesting and different from one another. Thank you so much Stephanie!



I had to send her some old photos because we are still in the process of putting our Christmassy act together around here. We completed our pesebre as you can see above and now we need to tackle our tree.

Cutting it all a bit close but we're getting there.

back home

I can't quite say 'home, sweet, home' but at least we are home. Although the stay in a hotel was quite relaxing and convenient, I just want to get to tackling the whole mess we have here.


A result of some doodling with my little C while D did homework yesterday.

It isn't all bad, because there is a silver lining to this whole situation. We now know, for sure, that we can live with less. No real shocker there at all—but when you experience it 'for real' it puts things in perspective. We stayed at a hotel this week, where we only had some clothes and personal items, a few books, school work and my laptop. That's it—and we were ok. More than ok.

If anything, we had a great time together. I realized at times that I was feeling like I was 'really' there, really present and not doing one thing will thinking about what needed to be done next (laundry, the next meal, the next project etc). We slowed down and I really enjoyed that feeling. It has given me some food for thought.

Now that we're back, I'm going to focus on becoming more lean in regards to our belongings. We just proved, that not much is needed at all so I want to take advantage of that lesson. To that effect, a good part of everything, that was dumped (in a huge hurry) either in the living room or part of the kids' rooms, will not go back to were it was before. It will either be donated, given away or thrown out. I'm actually looking forward to that.

As for waiting patiently for all the work to be done for replacing base boards, painting, insulation, water heater, etc. etc. Yuck! I will mentally kick and scream the whole way through it all.

I'll be back next week. Be well!

• • •

Check out the wonderful review Diane gave Home, Paper, Scissors! Her Craftypod podcast is one of my very favorites and I value her opinion a lot, so her words mean the world to me. Thanks Diane!

one hundred eighty

Friday evening I joined a group of ladies that were in Houston for the Quilt Market. I saw familiar friendly faces and meet new ones. In particular, I was so happy to see Michelle again and meet her partner Gina. I am most impressed by their hard work and perseverance. Check out their Cloud 9 fabrics. They are all organic—love that!

I was the outsider, by not being a fabric designer, but I enjoyed hanging out with these very creative women for a bit. I hope they all did well. It is so unfortunate that the Market isn't open to the general public. I'll have to scour some other blogs to see how it went.

On Saturday, we went camping with D's boy scout troop and had a wonderful time. Not even the gray weather could dampen the fun. There was hiking, touching a baby alligator, and of course many roasted marshmallows. It was so nice to unplug from the world even if it was only for 24hrs.



The rest and relaxation ended the minute we got home to discover our water heater had burst in our attic. We walked in to feel squishy carpeting under our feet in several areas of the house. I will spare you all the details of the minutia behind taking care of something like this. I'm sure many of you have been through something similar and I know it could've been worse but... umm... wow.