may '25 favorites
Small things that made my May just a little bit better.
creating
Over the past thirteen years, I’ve finished 25+ art journals. These are books where I experiment, practice, and basically just mess around. The majority have never been seen, but recently I’ve started sharing my completed ones on YouTube. If you are interested, I have a few flip-through video options for you to consider. 1) my most recently finished art journal - watch here. 2) an art journal finished a few months ago - watch here. 3) art journals made from children’s board books - watch here
eating
Simply irresistible. Robert Palmer’s 1988 song by the same name comes to mind, although he, of course, is talking about a woman, and I, of course, am referencing food. But I digress. My bestie, Ina Garten, has given me yet another delicious salad to add to my summer menu. This Greek Orzo Salad is a new favorite. I made a few minor adjustments—I added the entire can of chickpeas, the whole bell pepper, and the entire red onion. I omitted the olives because they are on the do-not-prefer list for my people, but with the capers, I think you still get that salty, bitter flavor. Bon appétit!
the most wasted of all days is one without laughter
—ee cummings
reading
I wish I were unafraid to fall. I really do. Being creative in any form takes a shocking amount of fortitude and perseverance. It’s risky business making art, like a house of cards exposed to a slight breeze, I can easily topple. That’s why Create Anyway by David Limrite was such a treat, a pep talk, a rallying cheer to press on. I appreciate this type of book and reread them when I need a boost. And even when I don’t.
inspiring artist
I have enjoyed finding new-to-me artists lately. Seeking out those who are generally less well known, learning a bit about them, and then recreating one of their paintings. I made this quick, art journal painting in under an hour, inspired by Laura Alma-Tadema’s A Child Reading. She was a British artist in the late 1800’s who found success painting domestic scenes.
I want to think again of dangerous and noble things. I want to be light and frolicsome. I want to be improbable, beautiful, and afraid of nothing as though I had wings.
—Mary Oliver
following
YouTube: Willa Wanders channel is full of great tips and ideas especially for working in an art journal
Pinterest: Roxanne Evans Stout I have followed for years and love her use of found objects and grungy style
Instagram: Florence Lee paints portraits that are distinctive and interesting
enjoying
My parents owned a small marionberry farm on the outskirts of Salem, Oregon, for about 15 years. It butted up against neighboring farms as would be expected. One of those farms was Schreiner’s Iris Gardens, a family-owned flower farm that just celebrated 100 years in operation. My mom recently reminded me that each year Schreiner’s would drop off a large bucket of irises on our front porch. Such a simple yet thoughtful act of kindness. It seems their business continues to operate with this philosophy. You can watch a short video about them here.
The best portion of a good mans life; his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.
—William Wordsworth
honoring
As I told my hospitality team at church on Mother’s Day, “We all have a mother and even if that relationship is complicated, I believe we can honor them regardless by remembering that most moms did the best that they could.” I didn’t want to exclude those who have a fabulous connection with their mom, but rather to respect the fact that those relationships are complex, varied, and diverse. I applaud all mothers for the invisible load they carry in nurturing their families.
In this photo, I am being held by my 18-year-old mother. As with most things, in hindsight, I see her youth with clarity—her whole life before her yet choosing motherhood. What a gift.
Read about the history of Mother’s Day here.
blooming
After a soft rain, these peonies seem luminescent, almost too bright to bear. The stalks strain to stand upright, top-heavy and off balance. They appear to bend forward in greeting, showy and egocentric. Or maybe that’s my imagination attributing human qualities to a rambunctious flower. Whatever your thoughts, peonies are a marvel.
Watch here for tips on planting and growing peonies.
All I know is that my life is better when I assume that people are doing their best. It keeps me out of judgement and lets me focus on what is, and not what should or could be.
—Brene Brown
celebrating
My sweet grandson, Liam turned 3 this month. His excitement at his birthday party reminded me of jumping waves, each gift bringing another swell of wild anticipation. Bottomless joy. A delight to behold.
His mother, my daughter Mackenzie, had his face printed on monster truck cupcake toppers, making us all fans of the sport. And they truly were the tastiest cupcakes ever!
You can have your own photo cupcake topper made here.
rearranging
Do you ever have a sudden idea and promptly turn that idea into action? Me either. Well, most of the time I don’t. Turns out you can rearrange an entire room filled with thousands (slight exaggeration, maybe?) of art supplies in one day. The trick is to create narrow alleyways between piles to enable dumping and retrieving of items. Treacherous yet effective. In a mere 8 hours, I managed to revamp the space into an entirely new floor plan just by pushing and shoving things around the room. Miracles do happen.
I’m still adjusting to the new layout, but I’m happy I took the plunge. I’ll eventually make an updated studio tour video, but in the meantime, if you want to see what it looked like last week, watch here.
We believe in celebrations both big and small.
—Kate Spade
I’m curious, what’s on your list of favorites?
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