A Tea Leaf Blog
Woosh! And just like that, there goes the month of July. In this month's documentation snippets include— continued visit in Nebraska, traveling back to Oregon, a few trips to Sauvie Island, my first experience at a motocross event, Ecola State Park/Indian Beach (I can't get enough of that big blue ocean), and lastly Skyping with a good friend.
(See a larger version of the video here.)
Savory!
"An herb of the mint family, savory has tiny leaves which, when dried, have a warm aromatic flavor and make an excellent sauce for string beans. Savory can be used alone or with other herbs to flavor meats, chicken, eggs, salads, sauces, and meat dressings."
Savory – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info
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.
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.
The idea of colored bubbles has never come across my mind. Really. Even with this in-depth imagination I have. I found about about these miraculous suds... through Jackie of Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle. They are non-toxic, non-staining, and so unbelievably vivid. Boy, do they have hefty price on them... 15 bucks for two - 4 oz. bottles.
photo credit: Zubbles
Zubbles in action... video credit: popsci
Besides doing a significant amount of bike riding over the weekend, I also spent some time crafting up a storm. Check out these beauties, all available for purchase in my Etsy shop...
Perimeters Of The Koi Pond - earrings – Click here or photo to purchase & more info
Retold Tales That Are In Owl's Hearts - earrings – Click here or photo to purchase & more info
Little Beavers, Little Tree Stumps - earrings – Click here or photo to purchase & more info
Someday I'll Own A Seafoam Fender Stratocaster - earrings – Click here or photo to purchase & more info
My video for the month of June is complete! Woo-hoo! To fill in those that are unfamiliar, I'm documenting what I encounter each month. I've had this urge ever since I've moved to the west coast. Some of June's snippets include— downtown, work, the Burnside bridge, Indian Beach, Multanomah Falls, friends, Powell's Bookstore, the Max, and a trip to Nebraska.
(See a larger version of the video here.)
So again I've wandered away from here for quite sometime. Eep! I guess Summer and traveling will do that to you. Anywho... I would love to share a lil' sneak peek of one of my latest design/illustration projects. I have been assigned to illustrate a short story about the Tualatin River. It will be published in a future coffee table book called Our Portland Story.
Do you spot a paddle, bullfrong or Kingfisher?
I can't wait on a later date, after approval to show you the whole page.
Don't you love it when you rediscover a band? I sure do. I totally forgot about Lullaby for the Working Class and then I found a CD I own of theirs that I bought 6 years ago. Man... they created some amazing songs. I dreamt I was an astronaut safely orbiting the womb I came across my wife and baby already clinging to this singularity dear wife, please forgive me if I sometimes forget what blessings I should be rejoicing the prophet is a shipwrecked son keeps waking up here the kingdom still is a hoax gotta build your own, son I dreamt I was a firefighter but the flames were never real I dreamt I was an engineer and I designed it, dear the world's perfect treadmill I dreamt I was a hypnotist a farmer and an architect a poet and an acrobat I dreamt the flames were real the prophet is a shipwrecked son keeps waking up here the kingdom still is a hoax gotta build your own, son I dreamt I was an astronaut.
The lil' boy in the helmet makes me giggle.
Their page on Last.fm... http://www.last.fm/music/Lullaby+for+the+Working+Class
Why yes, I am still quite alive. I apologize for my absence, but these last few weeks of May have been busy for me... for sure. And... the weather here has been GORGEOUS, so it has been challenging for me to stay indoors and give attention to my blog and my art. I promise this coming week that I will be better about these two items. So for quite some time now, well, since I moved to the west coast, I've had this urge to do some film documentation of what I encounter. My plan is finally getting played out, someone has inspired me to kick it in gear. So the plan is (hopefully I can keep it up) to film five to 10 second snippets during the month and then make it into a two to five minute film at the end. So here we begin with the month of May...
I'm really into this song today. Enjoy...
Since I've heard that both my mom and my mother-in-law, have received their Mother's Day surprise packages, I can now share them with you!
Nurture thy Mind No.8 Pendant Necklace - Mother's Day - Jade
For my mother-in-law's pendant, I incorporated my favorite coastal plant to draw... jade. I also included my signature globes, orbs, honeycomb and those cute lil' spiderweb-like stitchings. The week before Mother's Day, her and I were chit-chatting on the phone. She was telling me how she is so appreciative of all the artwork I have done for her in the years past. I am so grateful to have such a supportive mother-in-law. The topic of my art was brought up because she was rearranging her sitting room. She had gathered all my artworks and decorated the room with them. So when this petite artwork showed up in her mailbox, you can imagine her reaction. And discovering that it was just not art... but also jewelry!
And get a glimpse of the back!
I incorporated a vintage map of my "born n' raised" state, Nebraska and scattered some doodles. Off to the left you can see a snippet of the term family and it's definition from an antique pocket-sized dictionary.
Nurture thy Mind No.9 Pendant Necklace - Mother's Day - Pine
For my mom's pendant, I incorporated some sort of pine that I discovered on a trail on Germantown Road. I have yet to research it! I also included orbs, honeycomb and those cute lil' spiderweb-like stitchings too. Discovering this tree connected thoughts in my head of memories playing around the pine trees that my parents have in their backyard. When they planted them I was seven years old they were probably 4 feet or so... and now having quadrupled in size, they've long outgrown my height.
And No.9's backside...
This is ultimately my favorite back that I have ever. ever. done. To go into detail about this, would be like writing a book. This portion of Omaha has a lot of history, a lot of memories for my mom as well as for me. After using a definition in my mother-in-law's pendant, I fell in love with incorporating terms. So on my mom's pendant I incorporated a snippet of the word "together" and it's definition. I finished the back by stamping my birthdate at the very top, which happens to be tomorrow or in an hour, however you look at it. I'm very content with these two pieces. It's so tranquil that, through art, you can elaborate on these memories.
Every once in awhile, I love hitting the open road with some good tunes. Saturday was one of those days. With the sun gleaming down I headed out west with no planned destination. I picked up a new pair of the biggest sunglasses I could find at Target. I'm in love with the rims, they are a transparent golden yellow. My drive met Astoria and Seaside. It was my first visit to Astoria, second to Seaside. I was amazed and nervous at how long the Astoria-Megler bridge was. I'm not sure the exact length but I've heard it is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America. As I started driving up it, it felt as if I was trudging up a roller coaster. Wild. It was good to visit Seaside again. Half remains of Sand dollars were all over the shore. It was so bizarre to see since I didn't find a single one on my last visit. I always forget how cold the coast is in comparison to Portland. It was nice to end my visit with a cup of hot clam chowder.
Happy Friday all!
Portlanders out there I hope you're out enjoying that big ball of fire in the sky! It sure has been awhile! I'm very anxious to enjoy it myself so I'm making this post very very short!
Nurture thy Mind No.7 Pendant Necklace - Cluster of Globes - purchase
I decided that I needed to make a pendant that a had a cluster of my signature drawn globes. Like I have said in the past these are symbolic for me... I'd like to think that they keep thoughts safe. It also includes a portion of an old map of an area I enjoyed bike riding with my mom when I was a child.
Have a lovely weekend all!
Take a gander of what I created this afternoon!
Nurture thy Mind No.6 Pendant Necklace - Jade - purchase
I'm falling in love with drawing spiderweb-like stitching in my latest mixed media works; and finishing them off with filling in the negative space with my favorite Prismacolor markers & pencils. In this particular piece you can find this element in the bottom left-hand corner. I like how the stitching is somewhat mechanical, like it belongs in a CAD drawing.
Last Friday, Chelsea Ann and I headed out to the winding Germantown Road. We sure had fun snapping pictures with her new Canon. You can view the snaps that I took and her very sweet post about me here!
Good morning and happy Sunday all! I don't normally post on the weekend but today is an exception. I have to share my excitement with you... I'm featured on Nfall2rt's Sunday Seller Spotlight! How cool, huh?! Link: http://nfall2rt.blogspot.com
I'm in such a good May Day mood that I'm having a sale on my necklaces... and today only! From now until midnight (PST) the Nurture thy Mind pendant necklaces will be listed as $30, instead of $40! Just in time for some of you to nab one for your mother for Mother's Day on May 10th!
Nurture thy Mind No.3 Pendant Necklace - Weeping Willow - purchase
Nurture thy Mind No.4 Pendant Necklace - Box Elder - purchase
Nurture thy Mind No.5 Pendant Necklace - Cherry Blossom - purchase
Talk about serendipity! If you read my post yesterday, I had written about Azure Ray being an inspiration to me. I had planned this topic for a week... so when I buckled down and started typing away about them, I find out that Maria Taylor was playing that evening! So how was the show last night, you ask? It was enchanting. It's been a few years since I have seen her and the band perform. Doug Fir Lounge is such a great venue, awesome acoustics. Talk about an upgrade from the Sokol Underground in Omaha! I love their lounge seating and their glowing cubed tables.
Hearing Maria's new songs live was so dreamy and blissful, I just had to pick up a copy of the new album. And check out the album art! I really think it represents Miss Taylor and the music. I love the color palette the designer chose, Seafoam green is one of my favorites. Someday when I'm able to paint my home, I'm totally going to paint a few walls this color. Martha Stewart's Signature paint color line has this color too, she calls it Vintage Map. How clever. Back to the album art, I also love the simple outline flower drawings that envelope the whole album. Oh and the notebook paper overlapped and behind the lyrics. I can't hide the fact that I'm a designer, huh?
I've been listening to her new album all morning. Silly me. My favorite songs on her new album are Time Lapse Lifeline & Cartoons and Forever Plans. They both have music videos out, that are super fun and clever... so decided to share them with you!
If I had to pick one favorite song that Maria Taylor and her band played last night, it would be No Stars. I enjoyed this song even more live than recorded. I love how the song became more and more intense as it was played. Very well done.
"And what I knew, was left behind. There were no stars, or a wish, to find. And there was nothing in my clenching fist, And I just can't wait for tomorrow, Cause I will let go- Just ask me."
Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink parted ways quite some time now. They were once known as the indie duo Azure Ray and their voices were phenomenal in unison. I sure hope the future brings them back together. My first ever Azure Ray album purchase was November. I picked it up on one of my many trips to Antiquarium Records in downtown Omaha. For those that don't know, within the past 4 or 5 years they have both gone solo. Coincidentally, this afternoon I found out that Maria is playing a show tonight right here in Portland. How funny!
You can check out their music on Last.fm. Enjoy!
One of my best friends passed this lampshade down to me. Isn't it wonderful? I just had to share it with you. I love how the embroidered leaves overlap one another. I think it works perfect in my living room... though I'm no interior decorator.
I thought I would share a random happy decorating discovery. So, months ago, while I was taking down the Christmas tree, I was brainstorming what I could do with the clear glass ornaments that I had filled with moss. I was thinking that maybe they would be cool as a necklace but a little bulky. I thought about taking the metal pieces off of them and displaying them in a decorative bowl. Then, I came across these wooden candlesticks that my mother-in-law passed down to me. I was never successful putting candles in them because all the candles I found were slightly too wide in diameter to fit. So what do I discover... if I flip the glass ornaments over they fit snug into the candlesticks. Ta da!
