wedding vow calligraphy

Just when I was beginning to think

that I had raised my custom calligraphy prices a little too much
(pricing is so hard; I'm always second-guessing),

I received an order for my intertwined heart wedding vows.

(Available here, in my little shop.)

I loved working on this project,

and as always, I am so honored

that someone wants my art in their home.
Happy anniversary, Christian and Cynthia!

journal 52-March

This year I am enjoying

participating in Journal 52,

a friendly (and free!) art journaling group

with inspiring weekly prompts.

I've been keeping it simple and stress-free

by grabbing my favorite basic supplies

and not over thinking what I make.

These are my March pages.

Week 9: Color Swatch Inspiration

Just watercolors and one of my favorite gelly roll pens.

Week 10: Create for a Cause

I have a dream of making art for the blind

that is as interesting to view tactilely as visually.

This one used more supplies since I was trying to add some texture:

papers, acrylic paints, watercolors, gesso, and pen.

 Week 11: Stars

One of my first experiments with gouache.

Week 11: Stars (I loved this prompt)

Watercolors, gelly roll black and metallic pens,

and a paper city skyline I glued on top. 

Week 12: A Day in the Life of Me

Watercolors and gelly roll pen--again.

Week 13: How Does Your Garden Grow?

You guessed it! Watercolors and gelly roll pen.

banana frita (fried plantains)

Banana Frita--one of my favorite childhood snacks

and the first food I clearly remember eating

after my family moved to Brazil

when I was five.

Plantain bananas are not so slimy and sweet

as the smaller variety that is most common here in the U.S.

They are starchier and more substantial.

Fried and generously sprinkled with cinnamon sugar,

they are a treat I enjoy just as much now

as I did when I was small.

To make banana frita you need:

1 ripe plantain*

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

cinnamon sugar to taste

Peel and slice the plantain.

Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Add the banana slices to the oil and fry each side until golden.

Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar to taste.

Enjoy!

*if you only have green plantains,

simply slice them more thinly

and replace the cinnamon sugar with salt

for delicious plantain chips.

today

Today...

I am eating pink lady apples (my favorite!)

I have the door open because the sun is shining and the air is fresh.

I drank the first iced coffee of the year.

I sat down and played the piano for the first time in...um...years.

I am transforming a boring old cake into a race car for my son.

 I am blocking this freshly knitted hat

on a ball I borrowed from my kids perched on top of a bowl.

(Best and simplest way ever to block a hat, in my opinion.)

I am making watercolor cards.

I am brainstorming for the best way

to make manly art for my sweetie using these blueprints as a base.

I am also going to make Curried Pork Shoulder for dinner,

and (let's keep it real here) I'd better work on the less glamorous tasks

of laundry, dishes, and school-lunch-making too.

What are you doing today?

audacious hope

today I am inspired by tiny signs of new life

green, growing things

on my windowsill and in my yard.

and by the audacious hope

 poetically symbolized by Spring's renewal.