but most of all, when snowflakes fall

we made funny sugar cookies – they were my first so i am very proud of them. z didn’t understand the hedgehog silhouette (as you can see), but his bespectacled moose made up for it. if you are a baking novice like me, here is the easy peasy, stress-free recipe.

thank you for all of your very thoughtful suggestions on what i should draw next; now i have some personal projects to work on in the winter months. happy christmas! (i really hope it snows tonight.)

sweet juniper holiday card

in the last few weeks i have had the pleasure of illustrating and hand-lettering this year's holiday greeting card for jim griffioen of the blog sweet juniper! and his very cool, detroit-based family (their amazing home was featured on design*sponge back in 2007). as you can see, i really enjoyed drawing them. thank you for the opportunity, j. and w.!

maîtresse-en-titre

thank you for your comments and messages; i read and appreciate them all. i wonder:

is there anything you would like to see me draw?

oh comely magazine

last month i illustrated an essay called "the place where i am happy" - in which a young woman describes her weakness for the glowing romance of the bar at el quijote beneath the chelsea hotel in new york city - in london-based oh comely magazine. those of you in the UK can pick up issue № 4 now (stockists); i will be eagerly waiting for my copy to arrive with the post!

poppytalk

pleasant surprise: my lace is on poppytalk today! i am particularly flattered to be featured alongside finnish illustrator anna emilia laitinen (on whom i've had a secret crush for years) and UK-based clare owen (i bought that sewing machine print immediately). good morning! (actually it is a very glum, rainy morning. listening to velvet underground's "pale blue eyes.")

(art market went very well for me, i think, but i wish you were with me, b. minding the inventory felt like a chore without you.)

new business cards

once again, my new business cards (from overnight prints) arrived just in time for art market. this time i chose czech lace for the front.

helix

yesterday evening a crowd gathered in mount vernon square to watch the washington monument light up. it felt magical and wholesome; my favorite part was watching the fireworks dissolve into gold dust. i can see the monument now through my windows, glowing in the cold night air. "bright are the stars that shine; dark is the sky; i know this love of mine will never die." it's such a simple song, and after twenty-two years of listening to it, why does it still always sound so new and so poignant?

art market 2010

the annual MICA art market is coming up next week; i am participating as an alumna this year (which feels a little odd). on friday, december 10th, i will be working at the illustration table, probably all day, so if any of you are planning on coming, do stop by for a chat!

"the MICA art market is a venue for the sale of original artwork and hand-crafted wares created by students, faculty, staff, and alumni. the event fosters professional development, peer to peer networking, and provides funding for need-based student scholarships. admission to art market is free."

MICA leidy atrium, brown center. 1301 w. mount royal ave. baltimore, md 21217.