A Tea Leaf

There were so many bunnies, I wanted to take a nose-scrunchin' character home with me. This furball stuck out among them, he's a French Angora rabbit. It was as if my Ragdoll cat was transformed into a hare.

What is there not to love about an Alpaca?! Look at those ears! I got some good footage of him munchin' for my September documentary video.

So I learned that this lil' guy is a Pygmy goat. He was under 2 feet tall! I've kept my distance away from goats, due to a past incident. A traumatic incident of a goat chasing & bucking me at camp when I was 8. We'll let this one fly under the radar.

This one I couldn't resist submitting it to Cute Overload. Check out that dopey lower lip!
Okay, last one... I posted a short clip on Flickr. *Suspense*

Now I gotta do some "getting ready for this weekend's Crafty Wonderland" work this evening.

It's Friday and you know what that means... new arrivals in the ATeaLeaf Etsy shop! And I have a special surprise for you all. You can now choose the artworks you would like for your wearable. It gets a little bit sweeter too: not just one side, but two!

Standard Movement Series Pendants

Choose your favorite front and back and I will personally custom make your new necklace!

Head on over to my Etsy shop and get the ball rollin'. Hope you all have a long and lazy weekend lovelies!

Tomorrow something new will be making an appearance in the ATeaLeaf shop. Something that you personally have some say in. Do check back at 6:00am PST.

The past week I have been doing some dogsitting for a friend. Gretel & I are having all sorts of adventures including camping, car rides, and trips to the park. I've grown quite attached to her, it's going to be hard to give her back to her dad. ;)

All tuckered out from our trip to the park

Introducing my 16th piece of my series, Standard Movement.

00016 - Western White Clematic – Click here or image above to purchase a print

To begin with, the oval frame. My thoughtful Godparents found it at an antique store. They are so sweet. As many of you know, I love bubbled glass. Who doesn't? I love how it enhances my imaginative 2-D world. Next, something new this time around. I usually use vintage paper for the main background, in this case I used fresh, crisp ledger paper. I wanted this work to be much simpler than the last, so I left a lot of white space and added fewer textile pieces which represent orbs. I incorporated a white flowering plant that I discovered on a walk to Portland's striking St. Johns bridge. The plant caught my eye with it's showy seedheads.

I searched high and low. Alas I found the name of the white flowering plant, it's called Western White Clematis. I read that it is a perennial vine and a member of the Buttercup family. It also goes by names such as Virgin’s Bower, Traveler’s Joy, and Leather flower. It sounds like a terrible idea to get in contact with, its oils are extremely irritating to the skin. It can also cause internal bleeding of the digestive tract if digested in large amounts. Eek! However, Native Americans would use it for headaches and nervous disorders, in small doses, of course.

Another date to mark on your calendar...

Skating with Scissors is the first ever craft show put on by the Rose City Rollers!

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

11:00 am - 7:00 pm

Oaks Park Hangar in Sellwood (Portland) Oregon

I'll be joining other creatives and selling my art and handmade goods! Hope to see you there.

Mark your calendars for Portland's Monthly Art and Craft Extravaganza...

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

Doug Fir Lounge

830 E. Burnside, Portland, Oregon

11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Free Admission

I will be selling my art as well as my latest handmade goods...

Sequence of blankets – earrings – Click here or image above to purchase & for more info

I love to meet fresh faces, so do stop by and introduce yourself on September 13th!

Oh and check out the other vendors on the Crafty Wonderland site here!

"Growing throughout the tropics, ginger has fragrant flowers often used in native garlands. The seasoning comes from the roots called "hands" which are sun-bleached, then shipped whole, broken or ground. It is excellent in roasts, biscuits, and puddings."

Ginger – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

"The best poppy seeds are produced from the Holland variety of the familiar poppy plant. A ripe pod holds hundreds of tiny seeds. Dried, these are crunchy and nutlike in breads, salads, and bland dishes."

Poppy Seed – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

Yoshimi loves to sleep & lounge in odd positions. Thought I'd share her silliness with you. On a side note... some day she will make her way into my art. And she might be "producing some of her own art" as well.

It's Saturday and I'm still trying to get caught up with posting last weekend's creations. Whew.
May I present to you... 00015 of Standard Movement Series.

00015 of Standard Movement – 5" x 7" – purchase print

I even think it's the best piece I've made thus far.

Within this mint green frame are a variety of items, including pages from a vintage accountant workbook and pocket dictionary, an elementary report card dated 1953, a black & white class photograph. Something new this time around... I incorporated a lace tablecloth, cutting it into honeycomb shapes. I've been meaning to incorporate textiles for the longest time, and alas it finally has been done.

Within coffee rings, I drew a plant, False Lily of the Valley that I discovered while hiking near Indian Beach. Scientific name: Maianthemum dilatatum is an aggressive groundcover for moist shade, which was very apparent... I saw heart-shaped leaves & berries in the shadows everywhere on the hike. I read up a little bit on the berries... "they can be used as food, although they are not especially tasty. Other aboriginal uses of the plant include the treatment of cuts, sore eyes, internal injuries and sterility."

In a future work I would like to illustrate the blooming stage of the star shaped flowers, pictured above. The stamens remind me of snails' tentacles.

I have 00015 prints available in my Etsy shop for 16 dollars each. http://www.atealeaf.etsy.com
Each print will be signed, numbered (in a limited edition of 30), and shipped in a sturdy bendproof mailer.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend!

Blueberries. Raspberries. Marion berries. Boysenberries!

"Used for over 3,000 years, coriander, from Morocco, is sweet and tart. The dried seeds are fruit segments shown as clusters on the plant. They help flavor salads, pickles, pastry, and soups."

Coriander – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

This weekend was full of making all sorts of wonderful things, including fresh baked cookies! I seriously love cookies. To be honest... no doubt about it... I'm a cookieaholic. A few minutes after that first batch has been out of the oven... I'm biting down on that warm, mouthwatering, gooey goodness. Can we say Heaven?

I thought I would share my recipe with you. Enjoy!

Oatmeal-Butterscotch Cookies
(About 3 dozen)

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or stick margarine (softened)
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Heat oven to 375°.


2. Beat all ingredients except oats, flour, and butterscotch chips in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in oats, flour, and butterscotch chips.


3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.


4. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Check back throughout this week to see more wonderful weekend creations of mine.

Hope your week has started out swell!

The bidding opens at 11am and has three separate ending times throughout the afternoon.

"Related to the onion but more delicate in taste, chives make a favorite garnish for boiled potatoes. They are often mixed with butter and lemon juice or with cheese as a cracker spread. Their flavor helps all salads, like cottage cheese salad."

Chives – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

Three charming flicks I utterly can not wait to see. *does a little dance*

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View trailer here.

Savory!

Savory – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

Hope you have a super weekend!

Happy happy Friday all!

A few weeks back, during my trip to Nebraska I filled my sketch book's pages full of simple drawings of flavorful herbs. Well this week I yanked out the Epson scanner from it's hideout and began scanning them all in! With my all time favorite program, Illustrator... I added some color and texture. May I present you with my first piece of my herb series...

Dill - print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

I was going for a simple line drawing look and I really liked how it turned out. I did a little reading up on Dill... apparently in the Middle Ages it was used in a love potion and was believed to keep witches away. Already a future illustration idea is brewing up in my head.

I will be selling 8" x 10" prints of the original digital artwork in my Etsy shop for only $10.00! It will be signed, numbered (in a limited edition of 30), and shipped in a sturdy bendproof mailer.