Kitty Genius

Best beach birthday ever

We're back! It was amaaaaaazing. Thank you so much for the sweet birthday wishes!

Our hotel, the Sylvia Beach Hotel. It's a beautiful old building on top of a hill that is right on the water. The top floor has a lounge with mismatched comfy vintage furniture and tons of blankets so you can sit, read, knit, or talk while you stare at the ocean. We sat there in the evening when it was too dark or chilly to be outside. With the windows open if still felt like you were out on the ocean.

At 9:30 they serve hot spiced wine. I am not a wine person at all, but it really tasted like delicious hot apple cider. For us, it was really the perfect place to stay. Especially because it's also just a touch (or two or three) goofy.

Each room is author-themed and we stayed in the Edgar Allen Poe room.


Please note the pendulum blade above the bed. You can scour the tiny room for all the Poe references your heart desires.

And now photos! (Please bear with me, this post is also for my family and friends back home who I am trying desperately to persuade to come out here… Jenny, Loren, Hillary, Blake, James and Diana, mom: you hear that?)

The lighthouse at Yaquina Head

Also at Yaquina Head:


(Debra, is that you?)

There were so many seals sunning themselves on the rocks and playing in the water. I could have watched them the whole trip.

The obligatory lovey dovey shot

what I spent most of my trip looking like (It was windy!)

My beach finds

The beach outside of our hotel. That speck in the distance is me. Most of my time I just wandered up and down the coast or sat on a giant rock overlooking the water. As much as I enjoy Drew's company I think the ocean is an experience that requires a great deal of solitude. To think about everything, anything, and mostly nothing. I read Live Girls, which was sad and good and did I mention good?

Aaaahhh OK—a long post, but really—the trip, the hotel, my birthday… I think the best in my adult life. Thank you Drew.

Birthday at the Beach

Last night at Powell's Drew told me to pick out a good book because we're heading to the beach for my birthday!! We're going to take a mini vacation and I couldn't be more excited!! We leave in a few hours and I've never grown out of being too excited to sleep the night before a fun road trip, camping, or vacation. Spending my birthday sitting by the ocean drawing, reading, relaxing and, if it's not too cold, swimming. That is my idea of perfect. Period.

It still may be a bit chilly there, so in the evening the place we're serving serves spiced rum. : )

Included in my book selection was Invincible Summer 2 by Nicole Georges. I found Nicole from this lovely lady.

I also picked up this book:

And a lighthearted piece of fiction.

See you in a few days!

A Quality Day With My Computer

A little mixed media drawing done while trying to get the creative juices flowing. I also spent some quality time with Google Image Search again. So many fun things to type as they pop into my head.

I've been on a strict self-imposed magazine diet. As in all diets, I'm having cravings.

I've also picked out a little birthday present for myself (27 on the 26th… yikes!):

This handy dandy soon-to-be-art-supply-storage bookcase. The best part? These.

They just fit right in!! No matter where I live I have a severe paint storage problem. All the tiny bottles of acrylic, needing to see them all and rummage through them, knocking them over when I line them up neatly… I'm thinking one or two sets of these drawers will solve the problem quite nicely.

Who Needs a Door?

Hellooooo! Today I picked up the awesome fabric above for a little home improvement project that I wanted to do.

There is absolutely no spot for the cat box, so I decided to use a cabinet. I took off the cabinet door and put the covered cat box in, and put bags and other cat stuff on the shelf above. The cabinet is also lined under the cat box as a courtesy to future tenants. So far so great! And no stray kitty litter. It's all staying in her box.

I've also been working on some other home and craft odds and ends. This morning there was vegetarian biscuits and gravy (that the restaurant made, not me). I should do the dishes but I think I'm going to look at textiles online instead. : )

I got the fabric at Fabric Depot in Portland you can see it here.

I Swear I Live in a City

On my morning walk to get a cup of coffee this little guy was walking through the neighborhood. He belongs to one of the homeowners and a little boy named Jake seemed to know the chicken very well.

And there was a tree to match the chicken.

We just got back from a little outdoor market that apparently happens every Thursday in the summer. We bought delicious strawberries, sugar snap peas, and a white chocolate lemon cookie. And the best part? A block from my apartment.

Speaking about apartments, thanks so much for the apartment love. Adjusting to a much smaller place, we're really having to put function above all else, so we didn't want to dive right in and buy stuff our first weekend. I'm trying to get a sense of how we will use the space since every square inch seems precious. Our old apartment was 1400 square feet and this one is somewhere in the 700's I believe. Two people, a cat, and a business. Currently, I'm in the midst of a catbox solution. : )

Good times! No, it is a challenge but a fun one.

A Glimpse At Last

Well, we can now safely say that in the last six weeks our apartment has come a loooooong way. We still have quite a bit to go. But I wanted to share part of our living room before and after.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The room is of combination of IKEA, TJ Maxx, St. Louis thrift stores, and of course bits and pieces from artists I love.

We have more hanging to do and storage solutions to buy, but on a less-than-shoestring budget I'm very pleased with how it's coming along. My splurge was the big white lamp from CB2, but it's fantastic and hundreds to thousands of dollars cheaper than similar lamps. It makes the place feel very cozy at night hovering above us (perfect for reading or crafting).

Coming soon… the other corner!

Have a great day!!!!!!!!

Show Pictures

As Drew set up our show at Schmancy he took some photos. (You can click on them to view them larger.)

After nearly 36 hours in bed I managed to get up and sit on the couch (whoo hooo) and hours later I even ventured out for a short walk. Normally when I get sick the cough ickiness lingers, but I'm happy to be a functioning-ish person again. Yay!

On Friday night I wished I had felt better but, Drew and I had the absolute pleasure of going to dinner with a great group of folks, talented artists all, arranged by the lovely Lisa (I would pretty much like to own every piece of jewelry she wore). We dined at Cava, a tasty tasty restaurant that Amy Ruppel and her husband, Randy Montgomery, own. I think I can say with a fair amount of certainty that everyone had a really great time.

Now… off to find a way to spend the day!

So Sad

I apologize to keep this so quick but I am so so so sick. I thought with enough medicine I would pull through but instead it will be just half of Ashley G and Drew (the wonderful Drew part) setting up our show at Schmancy today. Drew is driving to Seattle right now.

  There were quite a few people I was looking forward to meeting in person. And I'm so sad not too.

I hope you still stop by because we're really proud of the work!

And thanks so much to Kristen for  inviting us.

Show at Schmancy This Friday

Yes, indeed! This Friday, June 13, I will be at Schmancy in Seattle! I'm having a show with the talented Mark Hundley. I can't wait and I hope if you're in the area you stop by. :) The opening is from 6 to 9 p.m. The limited edition prints below and more will all be there. If you want to get first dibs, my work will be available to pre-order today on Schmancy's site! I will let you know as soon as that's up. My work is for sale right here! And there's an interview too.

Most of the pieces are offered unframed or framed, and the prices below reflect that. I have to say I am not one to talk about my work in terms of liking it. It makes me uncomfortable and I don't really know if I'm capable of liking my own work. But man… maybe it's the framing or how awesome and rich the colors look printed, but the prints look really, really good. My personal favorites are "Precocious Little Monster" (sooooo good in a black frame and just this little burst of color in the middle of it all) and "Pretty Pretty" floating in a white frame and matte.

And one more fun thing, THE BIGGEST BEARDED GUYS EVER!! As many of you know my bearded guys are normally petite prints. But these oversized guys turned out pretty fun if I do say so myself.

Ahhh… more framing!!

"Precocious Little Monster"
Edition of 10.
$38/$52 framed.
7 × 5.

"Oh So Wary (Orange)"
Edition of 10.
$35/$48 framed.
7 × 5.

"Oh So Wary"
Edition of 10.
$35/$48 framed.
7 × 5.

"Nothing to Hide"
Edition of 10.
$38/$52 framed.
5 × 7.

"Grrrarrr!"
Edition of 10.
$38/$52 framed.
5 × 7 incl. .625" white border.

"Gershwin"
Edition of 10.
$42/$56 framed.
5 × 7.

"Papa Bird"
Edition of 10.
$42/$56 framed.
5.5 × 5.5.

"My Secret's Keeper"
Edition of 10.
$48/$58 framed.
7 × 9.5.

"Lonely Sandwich"
Edition of 5.
$35/$48 framed.
5 × 7 incl. .625" white border.

"Lonely Sandwich (Green)"
Edition of 5.
$35/$48 framed.
5 × 7 incl. .625" white border.

"Pretty Pretty"
Edition of 5.
$68/$108 framed.
13 × 13.

"Pretty Pretty (Blue)"
Edition of 5.
$68/$108 framed.
13 × 13.

"Float On"
Edition of 5.
$72/$96 framed.
15.25 × 11.75.

"James"
Edition of 5.
$82/$122 framed
13 × 19 (image area about 9 × 13).

"Thor"
Edition of 5.
$82/$122 framed.
13 × 19 (image area about 9 × 13).

A Very Nice Day Indeed

Ever since finding a little green one a few years ago at an antique mall I have been in love with these miniature houses. These three mica putz houses came from efinegifts on Etsy. In our new apartment (which I desperately owe you pictures of) we have a built-in booth in the kitchen and these sit on the top ledge. If only I could find a real life version to live in. And I want the trees too.

In what has been an enormously busy week which was accompanied with a lack of posting and e-mailing we decided to take a computer break and sit under a canopy of trees in the park and read after brunch.

Drew even chased after the ice cream truck (not kidding) where a stylish young man in a captain's hat and bow tie served him his Sponge Bob Square Pants popsicle. The funniest part? There were only childless adults at that ice cream truck.

And my pretty coffee just 'cause.

I am also having an enormous problem with self restraint here. Everywhere I go there is a dog I want to steal and love and make my own. This one at the park today!?! Even Drew found him to irresistible (Drew's not quite as animal-crazy as me). Our apartment building does not allow dogs but otherwise I think my resolve would be weakening a great deal more. I don't know where animal shelters and the humane society are here and for now it's best if I don't. : )