Happy March 1!

Whoa! It's been a while. But today is March 1 and I'm here to remind you to change those calendar pages! I still have a few left in my shop priced to sell at half off!

Art in the wild

One of my favorite customers sent me this photo of the Sloe Gin Fizz display in her living room. She is the best!! Thanks so much, Kathleen.

Do you have a Sloe Gin Fizz print hanging in your home? I'd love to see it!!

The Sloe Gin Fizz Scoutmob Shoppe

I'm so excited to have joined forces with Atlanta-based Scoutmob's Shoppe to offer a selection of discounted Sloe Gin Fizz prints and notecards in their extremely well-curated online shop of "inspired goods by independent makers."

I have my own little Sloe Gin Fizz shoppe storefront. It includes some extra bits of info about me, my process and a little peek behind the scenes. Have a look around and don't miss some of my favorite artists on there, too: Alisa, Mike and Jessica. You may not be able to resist their charms.

Shop local: The Artisan's Bench

Whew! It's Friday afternoon and what a week. It started with a project I've been itching to tell you about and now finally can. The installation is complete of a large display of my work at my favorite hometown store: The Artisan's Bench in Brighton. 

Owner Colin Miller took over the space from his parents a couple of years ago and has been slowly transforming it from a rug gallery to a gallery focusing on Michigan-made art, objects and more. (All while continuing to stock an amazing selection of gorgeous rugs.)

Colin had this wood and metal display custom built for the shop. Though I caught quite a bit of glare in this photo, it gives you a good sense of the impact of the piece when you walk in the door—not to mention a good sense of Colin's aesthetic sensibilities. Amazing! 

Katie, a recent graduate from CCS who works with Colin, has a wonderful eye and tackled the installation once I delivered all the pieces. I could not be happier to be in such capable hands.

If you're in the area, stop in and have a look around. I have a hard time not walking out with something new every time I visit, but it's so nice to have a local spot where I can go to support other local artists. Thanks so much to Colin and Katie for including my work in the mix and doing such a phenomenal job on the display. 

Yellow Door Art Market

I'm very pleased to announce that you can now find Sloe Gin Fizz at the Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley.

I had such a fun time thrifting for and planning the space. I have lots of other little tweaks I want to make to it, so I plan on it being a constantly changing beast. Having a more permanent space also means I can offer a whole slew of framed pieces for super convenient grab-and-go gift giving. Stop by if you're in the area and let me know what you think!

Hand Lettering

I've been playing around with some hand lettering for my business name. Here's a peak on round one. More to come… have a great weekend!

Hello people of Chicago …and Montana!

As part of my goal to branch out beyond the interwebs in 2010, I'm happy to announce that my artwork will soon be available in Chicago at the Renegade Handmade store in Wicker Park and through their online store. Created as an extension of the Renegade Craft Fair, the store is a unique one-stop shop for DIY goods with an amazing selection of housewares, jewelry, posters + prints, plush items, clothing, stationery + more!

And for my Montana peeps, you can check out some of my goodies in person at Frayed Sew (isn't that the cutest name ever?!) in Helena. Frayed Sew is owned by Becky Schreiner and is devoted to handcrafted items including childrens' and adult clothing, jewelry and accessories. Come on down!

Welcome 2010!

Happy New Year, everyone! I was terrible not to tell you that I'd be away for so long, but I thought somehow I'd drop in now and again over the holidays (pure delusion, I admit). Now here it is 2010!

The boy and I have been on a wonderful whirlwind of a road trip visiting family and friends up and down the East Coast. I had plenty of time in the passenger seat to reflect on the past year and am so thankful — and in so many ways surprised — at all that has happened during that time. I wanted to start this new year right by thanking you. I truly appreciate you visiting with me now and again in 2009. Your visits have encouraged me to keep cooking, taking pictures and drawing.

I'm a list-maker by nature and by the time we landed home on our own door step this afternoon I had accumulated a large bundle of paper scraps filled with scribbles and ideas. I am geared up to suss out new adventures in the coming year and will be back Monday with some highlights from our trip and a slew of new recipes.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better in the new year and to the cozy quieter days of January and February — perfect for cooking, drawing and knitting!

Off to Chicago: Renegade Craft Fair

Detroit Urban Craft Fair, November 21, 2009

Well, I'm off for the weekend! I'll be at the Renegade Holiday Fair in Chicago this Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is the hottest show in town this weekend and takes place at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse. Over 150 indie vendors will be selling their wares and spreading cheer, so come on down!

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Weekend Sale!

To kick off the holiday shopping season, I am offering free worldwide shipping all weekend long in my Etsy shop! Beginning on Friday, November 27 through Monday, November 30, all orders will be shipped for free. Happy Holidays everyone!

Really. I haven't forgotten you.

I have been thinking about you all along. Really. I'll be in touch soon. The DIY Street Fair in Ferndale this past weekend had such a good feel: happy people, interested in art and music. Such fun. I met many wonderful people both shopping and vending. I did get a bit run down though and my body is angry with me — acting out with aches and a scratchy throat. Doesn't it understand that I have things to get done? Like catch up on the blog among other things… sigh. Soon enough. I'll be back in the kitchen with some new recipes to share and I already have a backlog of new items to post in the shop and share with you here. Stay tuned… really!

New drawings and prints

Hi all! As promised, I have not been posting as often this month while I focused on some new drawings and designs. I thought I would share three new prints I posted to the shop this past week.

The Found Chair

This drawing is actually a detail from a larger piece that I started years ago. I had rented a studio space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for about six months or so and the larger drawing was about the only thing to come out of it. That said, I absolutely love the drawing even now, years later, and have continued to work on it here and there. This is one of my favorite parts of it, so I thought I would pull it out and play with it some more.

My dearest friend

I've also been working on some drawings of my favorite things around the house. Without my coffee, mornings would be quite scary for everyone involved.

The air between us

And, last but not least, a drawing from my sketchbook that just seemed to happen.

I'm having a lot of fun trying some new things and playing around. I also have some new paper goods planned for the next week or two, so keep an eye out. Hope you're having a great summer and making the most of the sunshine. Cheers!

Summer blogging slowdown

Happy August! I can't believe it's already August — but then again, I 'm sure I say that every year. I wanted to let you know that for this month I will be posting much less frequently than my usual weekday posts. Rather than hold myself to a self-imposed daily schedule, I've made a goal of testing out a different work schedule for the month and spending less time at the computer. I just found out today that I will be a vendor at the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago in September and have a number of other shows planned for the fall. I plan to spend this month focusing on making new products, doing lots of drawing and freshening up my Etsy shop. That doesn't mean I won't be around, just less often. So happy summer everyone and we'll chat soon…

P.S. I should mentioned that I will still be tweeting. That's right, I've quietly been sucked into the world that is twitter. It's addictive. That's all I can say. @sloe_gin_fizz

I'm following the leader…

If you haven't seen this project yet, go check it out now! Such fun. It's called Follow the Leader from the Sub-studio design blog. They have provided six different "seed" drawings each with a simple line drawing and you are invited to complete the drawing and submit it to their blog. They will highlight their favorites on the blog and post all submissions. So if you're needing a little inspiration to draw from…

Cheery thankfulness and tomatoes

First, I wanted to share my first real tomato of the season. Well, actually, pictured above is the second tomato of the season. I ate the first one all on its own. I forget just how truly delicious they are. Sandwich: squishy white bread, smear of mayo, tomato, s+p. Done. The boy doesn't like tomatoes. A potential deal-breaker if he weren't so darn charming.

Next, I'm over-the-moon ecstatic that my shop was included in this week's Etsy Take Five Tuesday on decor8. I read decor8 religiously and think Holly Becker has created quite a gem of a site. I also discovered some other terrific shops in this post. I just love this blouse from me&oli.

That's all for today. I am desperately hoping to get some drawing in and am eagerly awaiting Neko Case tonight in Pontiac… Cheers!

In good company

Coco doll by Beeb

I was thrilled to find out that one of the prints I have posted in the exhibition over at Paper-N-Stitch is included in the "Friends Favs" section put together by this month's guest curator: Irene of Bloesem and Bloesem Kids. I have been following the Bloesem blogs for some time now and think that Irene has the most wonderful design sensibilities, so I am especially excited about this curator! There are quite a few gems in her selection, including the Coco doll above that I am in love with, designed by Beeb, so take a peek…

Also, a big thank you to Amy over at Aqua Velvet who wrote up this nice post about some Paper-N-Stitch folk — cheers, Amy!

The kindness of neighbors

I don't know if it is because I talk about food all of the time, or if we are just amazingly lucky, but our neighbors seem to be constantly bringing gifts of food to the boy and me. (I am quite sure it is not because we look incredibly undernourished!) Last night we received not one, but two gifts of food from two different neighbors: the gorgeous bowl of cherries and blueberries seen above and delicious homemade kibbeh. This is making me love apartment living.

I went ahead and made a purslane and cucumber salad after my post last week about the purslane. Being a succulent, the leaves are thicker than most greens giving it an incredible texture and it has a delicious, slightly peppery taste. I really enjoyed it and thought you might to:

Purslane and cucumber salad

Combine in a bowl:
3-4 c. purslane, chopped (thick stems removed and discarded)
1 medium cucumber
2 scallions
handful of dried cranberries

Dressing:
1/2 cup yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tb olive oil
Handful of mint, chopped
Pinch of ground coriander
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine ingredients for dressing, pour over salad and toss to coat.

Enjoy!

A blank canvas…

Yes, that is a wee little blank canvas. I received this package in the mail yesterday and am very excited about it. The folks over at Charmingwall Gallery have started a new project that grew out of the success of their Tiny Art shows. I first found Charmingwall through Gina Triplett's portfolio. She did their amazing splash page. I absolutely adore all of their artists. If you haven't been over there, check it out! Their new gallery, Six by Six, will feature all six-inch square canvases. You can purchase your own submission kit at their site here. The package guarantees a month-long exhibit in their NYC gallery, the canvas, materials to promote your work and even the packaging to mail it back to them!

Also, I've posted a new print to the shop. (Actually, I posted it over the weekend and it sold this morning. But has now been relisted — yippee!) Some of you may recognize it as my entry to the DWR Design the Modern Board snowboard design contest. I thought it would also make a nice print… have a look, won't you?

Eating my way through Wilmington, NC

Hello, everyone! I'm finally back at my desk. After more than a week away, I am happy and refreshed to be back to blogging and work. I got back from North Carolina on Thursday night and was anxious to jump right in, but with the holiday weekend and all, it just didn't happen. I hope everyone had a festive holiday. I know here the weather is magnificent — I hope it is where you are, too.

Wilmington and visiting my parents was wonderful. The trip revolved around good food, lots of beach time and visiting. I thought for today I would share some of the fantastic meals I had…

Within an hour of landing, I was lounging at Dockside staring at the Intracoastal Waterway about to dig into this fried flounder sandwich and cole slaw. Vacation is good!

We had what I think of as the quintessential summer meal from when I was growing up: barbecue chicken, rice and beans and salad. The best!


Of course I had to have my fill of shrimp while in town. Above is my mom's beer-marinated shrimp on the grill with local corn picked that day.

More shrimp in this fantastic salad at The Basics in Wilmington: Spinach salad with horseradish ranch dressing, pesto marinated, grilled and chilled shrimp, fried green tomatoes and bacon. Decadent!!

A corn and tomato pie. It took longer to cook than expected, so with an extended cocktail hour, my shot of the finished result is blurry to say the least — but it was delicious!!

Incredible fresh grouper salad, enjoyed dockside in Southport.


Final night's meal in Wilmington at Indochine. This Thai/Vietnamese restaurant is so fantastic — we were seated outside in our own little hut. If you are ever in Wilmington, this would be the go-to spot!!

And that's all for now from my North Carolina eating adventure. Have a great day!!

And the winner is…

Hi all! This past Sunday marked the last day to enter my 100th post SUPER-FANTASTIC giveaway. So now it's time to announce the winner… selected by using random.org, the prize of her choice from Sloe Gin Fizz goes to:

Barbaraellen Koch!!! Yippee!

Thanks so much to everyone who commented. Stay tuned for future fun times!