Horse & Rider

Good Monday Morning! What have I been up to lately? How kind of you to ask!

Working out a new postcard and getting new art together to update the ol' website. The above sketch has been transformed into a lovely b&w illo that I will share soon. I really have to say that black and white illustration has a certain charm that I thoroughly enjoy. It is the shades of gray that appeal to me most, I think, because that is where I tend to bide my time. Some folks run hot and cold, and I admire their passion and conviction. It takes an awful lot to rile me up, so you'll find me at a pleasant lukewarm most days. I am feeling excited and a little scared about this next postcard because I am going to end up sharing my sense of humor. My family and friends know me too well, but what will the unsuspecting art directors think??? *gulp*

Hope that you are doing well! Have a wonderful day! Love, Nina

Spiffy

Hello, There! There has been a lot going on at my house as of late. I read a post over at Andi Butler's blog and it put a little idea in the back of my mind. A short while later, I got a catalog in the mail and saw this lovely green cabinet. It snowballed a little from there into a couple new pieces of furniture and much-needed new carpeting for our four-season porch (my "studio" is tucked away in a corner). Here are some pics for you:

The green cabinet replaced an old sideboard that I had been using to store supplies. Much more storage space. Didn't take any photos of *inside* the cabinet because I still have some organizing to do... Things are almost back to normal around here.The cabinet is almost the exact same shade of green as the wall color. Cool, huh?Here is my new little bookshelf! I parked it right behind a chair and it actually helps frame my space. Just finished reading Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm, it was spunky and charming. I loved it.The new carpet is Gordy and Gus Gus approved! They are becoming better friends every day. This is just about the cutest picture ever! I am excited to create more art in our spiffy "new" porch! Getting ready for a new postcard mailer... Thanks for reading! Happy Monday!

Ice, Ice, Baby!

A lovely Mom friend asked me if I would make a little logo for her son's hockey team. I really enjoy using a limited palette, and it was fun to drop in color in photoshop for a little change of pace... In other news, my little "studio" space is getting a wee upgrade! Will post pics as soon as all the changes take place. Hope that everything is great with you, thank you for visiting! Have a groovy weekend!!!

Toad Stool

Here is a new coloring page for the kiddies (just click and print)! I took this coloring page with me this past Saturday on an outing with The Ink Well Foundation to Children's Hospital in St. Paul. It was a real honor to be there with such amazing artists and such incredible kids! You can view some of the photos here. A very special thank you to Elizabeth Winter for asking me to be a part of such a wonderful organization! Looking forward to the next one! :)

Noteworthy

This past weekend I attended the Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians annual convention. My notes were un-conventional. Hahhahaha! Here is a sampling. I heard somewhere that doodling whilst listening to lectures helps you better remember information, though I can't recall specifically where I heard that. Hmmm.... It was a great convention, it is always so great to see great friends and learn all about internal parasites!

Floss daily people! Flossing saves lives!!!Random poetry attempt...I luv that little nematode! Seriously, parasitology is very fascinating!In Other News:I was lucky to do my very first book reading last Friday night to the cute kids at Jefferson Elementary. Boy, was I nervous... There were a handful of kids who listened to me read Cedric and the Dragon while they worked on coloring pages. It was really cute. After I finished the book, a sweet girl named Bailey gave me the page she colored. That was my very favorite part!!! They had a drawing to win a copy of the dragon book and it went to a lovely young lady named Crickett. Many, many thanks to Kelly Martin and everyone at Jefferson Elementary for inviting me to be a part of I Love To Read Month!

Deer Valentine,

Will you be mine?

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Groundhog Day

Happy Groundhog Day! So, I have been getting to know a lot of amazing and talented folks through the magic of the interwebs, and one of these people is Andi Butler (please go to her website to see her gorgeous artwork and follow her on twitter while you are at it). She mentioned that she made some Star Wars cupcakes one day and they totally blew my mind! (check them out here). Amazing, right? Being the wonderful gal that she is, she told me about this cookbook:With a kid birthday around the corner, the firefly birthday cake (page 80) was chosen as my first attempt at creating a fancy cake with chocolate decorations. This cookbook is great, easy to follow, and full of great photographs. I made the chocolate fireflies a week ahead of time:

This photo documents me attempting to be organized! hee heeYou melt candy chocolate and then pipe it onto parchment paper to create the chocolate decorations. Andi makes it look SO EASY!!! Luckily, the firefly designs I attempted were relatively simple and the chocolate reheats easily. It was tricky, but fun, and got a little easier as time wore on. After the designs are drawn out, I melted white chocolate and colored it, and filled in the firefly bodies. Oh, and I threw in a few hearts and butterflies for extra practice.They kind of look like a mess from the working side, but are awfully cool when you flip them over...A little firefly army! They are really delicious, btw!Andi told me that she usually makes the italian meringue buttercream icing, so that is what I did, too (page 37). Here is the meringue before all the butter went in... it was SO dreamy! I had to take a photo of all of the marvelous swirls. It had a sweet and delicate flavor, but wasn't TOO sweet...Here is the finished cake. Two leveled vanilla cakes with a layer of chocolate buttercream, too. I still cannot believe I made this cake. It didn't turn out as beautifully as the one in the cookbook, but that was okay with me. The kids *really* loved the fireflies the most. I just really love that I was lucky to have found a wonderful new friend who has inspired me to stretch my wings and fly a little.Thank you, Andi!