Favorite Things

Today I saw a cute post on Sincerely, Sara of a few of her favorite things from the past month. This inspired me to do my own version and make it my daily doodle.

1. Shadowhunters. After seeing the previews all holiday season long, I was convinced it was going to be completely lame....but I like to watch lame shows. After watching the 1st episode, I decided to read the first book in the series. It's not awesome, but I don't hate it, so I'll keep watching. (I also like Clary's weird red orange hair color).

This review is pretty spot on for how I feel so far and pretty funny.

2.  Warm Socks. I'm a sucker for $1 spot socks. I also can't sleep if my feet are cold.

3. David's Tea. I finally tried some of their fabulous teas + they're amazing! My favorite so far is chocolate rocket.

4. Copic Marker YouTube videos. I'm planning to go pick some copics up this weekend. (Also, how do you say copic? Like "Its LeviOsa not LeviosA"? Hermione would know.)

5. LUSH! I love Lush, my husband loves it even more. I actually filled his Christmas stocking with Lush bath bombs. After working out, a bath with a Lush bubble bar is my favorite!

6. Yoga with Adriene aka #yogacamp. If you follow me on any social media you've seen me talking about this. I actually started over with day 1 this week because I kept missing the weekends. Amelia also loves to do some "yogo" with me.

I'm hoping to continue making these fun favorite doodles each month! What a fun way to share some highlights. What did you love this month?

Podcasts

Getting quiet time or just time to myself in general is always short lived in my house, unless everyone is sleeping.

On the rare occasion I tell my husband I need a minute, grab my coffee + hop on the computer to try and get some work done, I try to get caught up on the podcasts I listen to.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• The Possibilitarian Podcast
• Common Room
• She Percolates
• Elise Gets Crafty
• Fake Goth Girls 
• Being Boss

What are your favorite podcasts? I've started Welcome to Nightvale + Serial, I just need to finish them....

A Study in Pink

This year I wanted to try a 365 day project, hoping to challenge myself and actually finish something. I'm really bad about starting things and never finishing them...almost as bad as changing the color of my hair....

My goal for myself is to keep my hair pink for an entire year! This is quite the challenge for me...

I'm also doing a sort of daily doodle where I illustrate bits of my life. I started this week, and I've been sharing over on Instagram. The only rule I made for myself is to use pink as the only color (besides black) in my doodles.

My bangs are getting so long they're in my glasses + my hands are so cold I've just been warming them on mugs of coffee + tea all day... This marker was awful for coloring in. Hoping to invest in some copics this year.

In my illustrations this week I've been using a scrapbooking artist marker, Sakura Micron {1 + 5} + a Sakura Pigma Sensei {06} in a moleskine journal. I have to rip my pages out because I'm left handed and need to turn my paper a lot so I don't smear the ink. I just realized yesterday that this moleskine has tear out pages >_<.

Today's #dailydoodle Doing yoga with a toddler. She calls it yogo. 😂 This turned out as more of a caricature, but I tried working on things I struggle with like body parts. 

I've been trying to break out of my comfort zone and work on the things I struggle with. I've never been good at drawing body parts (hello got a big fat C in figure drawing), so I've been incorporating more full body drawings. Also hands and feet are always wonky, but hopefully this daily practice will help me improve my skills + evolve my style a bit.

 Laundry day feels. That meme about it being the never ending story as an adult is so true! The threenager loves piles of laundry though.

I haven't been worrying too much about proportions or perspective, which makes it fun. Also, my style doesn't really take any rules into account. I just want to draw everyday + have fun. This weekend I'll be hitting up the craft store in search of some new pink markers + watercolors. 

What color are you loving right now? Do you think I can keep my hair pink all year?

Creative Tools

For a while now I've been wanting to branch out past watercolors and try some new things. I don't get out as much to the craft stores to browse (thanks crazy toddler), but I do watch a lot of YouTube. Here are few new tools I would like to try out this year:

Prismacolor Col-Erase pencils

Hikkei Pocket Sign Pen-Extra Fine

Liquid Watercolors

 

Copic Markers

 

Wacom Tablet

It's pretty much an epic wish list of art supplies. As an illustrator, I want to make sure I don't get stuck in a routine way of doing things. I think branching out and trying new ways of making art will help me grow as an artist.

Have you used any of these? What are your favorite creative tools?

True

Even though I'm awful at looking back + reflecting through out the year on my One Little Word, I still like to pick one. Sometimes I look back at the end of the year, and turns out that word was perfect! Maybe it just helps to set the tone for the year by letting it unconsciously float around me.

I keep visiting the word honest(y), which led me to truth/true, in my morning pages. I have a little quote and affirmations notebook I look at often to keep me grounded and here are few that have stuck with me the past few weeks:

"My creativity always leads me to truth + love."

"Originality is the process of remaining true to ourselves."

and a huge part of my truth is this-" to know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive."-Robert Lewis Stevenson

I was also thinking of a song that might embody how I'm feeling and relate to my one word. For the past few weeks I keep listening to Perfectly Perfect by Elizabeth and the Catapult from her album Taller Children. I have a feeling that Taller Children will become my album for the year.

So this year is all about truth in life-true love, true connection, true living. Looking past the facade, and just being true to myself. This year I plan to keep an eye out for the little clues that the universe drops that I'm heading in the right direction.

Do you pick a One Little Word? What's your word this year?

The Artists Way

During my break I read through The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. I have owned this book since I graduated college, inheriting it from another artist friend. I've attempted to read it on multiple occasions, but at the time it seemed too hokey.

I found it again while cleaning and started reading it over a cup of coffee. I didn't do any of the exercises, but I did write down any little snippets + quotes that spoke to me. I found myself nodding my head a lot and thinking that sounds like me.

One of the things this book recommends as a daily practice is called Morning Pages, which is basically writing 3 pages of whatever is in your head. Since I adopted this practice, even if I can't do it in the morning, it has helped me start working on art again.

I revisited some old sketches that I hated and decided I was going to paint them anyway. This has led me to actually start working on a children's book, which has always been a dream of mine. Without trying to force it, by being present and writing whatever has made space for new ideas.

In the future, I think I might re-read the book and work through some of the exercises and see what happens. Have you read The Artists Way? What were your thoughts?

Cards for Your Magical Girl Gang

I have card sets in the shop! Yay!

I featured a few here that might be cute to send to your Magical Girl Gang for Galentine's Day. (And now I want to watch Parks + Rec...).

If you don't see the quantity you need, please contact me through Etsy or helloquirkyshop [@] gmail.com and I'll see what I can do based on my current stock levels.

Oh! Don't forget the matching stickers!

Have a rad weekend! xo

Thirtysomething

I remember talking with a friend about how much we hate the phrase 'twentysomething', but now that I'm in my thirties I figure it's easier to say "thirtysomething' than remember exactly how old I am. (If you want to get technical, I just turned 33 on New Year's Eve.) I get super emo around my birthday because it's a holiday + gets forgotten in all the New Year's glam. (Also, everything closes early.)

This year was no exception and I was a super emo Debby Downer, but today I saw a post on The Pioneer Woman about her birthday. Reading her post made me decide to put my big girl panties on and be grateful for my 33 years.

Here are some of the highlights + the story of my life (the short version) so far....

Me at 6. Quirky + loving cake forever!

High school + big dreams of being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader when I grew up. (That's me, bottom left).

Then I went to college and tried new things. (I was not destined to be a rock star, but I did find my love for art.)

Graduated college with an art degree + met lots of creative people. (Thanks for being so rad Brooke!)

I met a cool guy in a band. I traveled around the country to some great tunes + with some fun people.

Married that cute guy.

We decided to have a baby! (Hi Brooke <left> + Teresa <right>)!

Now that baby is a three year old and here I am drawing Cutie Marks on little arms + legs, learning about the joys of potty training, and trying to figure out how to balance what I want to do in life with making sure my kiddo grows up to contribute more to society than letting everyone know broccoli is disgusting. >_<

As a side note about birthdays, I am making a vow to send birthday cards to people this year. Facebook be damned.

Hibernation

I live in West Texas where winters are pretty mild and summers are crazy hot. We experienced our first blizzard right before the New Year, and today is a gross frozen drizzle. Since it's been difficult to get around, we have been in hibernation.

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Even though I have plenty to do with shop updates, I've been taking it pretty easy to avoid my previous burnout. Over my break I did a LOT of knitting!

Knitting is such a stress reliever and not too hard on my hands. I was determined to make a cowl this year, and I finally figured out a pattern after watching about 5 different YouTube videos. It was nice to make gifts for my friends + focus on something completely different than painting + illustration.

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My next project is a hat. I haven't found a pattern yet, but I've been hunting down this one from Mollie Makes magazine. Or you can find me lurking on Ravelry.

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I haven't made any reading goals for 2016, but I'm always excited if I get to read one book a month. I love being a member of the NovelTea Book Club, which helps keep me motivated. This month I'm going to read Landline by Rainbow Rowell. I check in on Goodreads from time to time, (mostly to put what page I'm on since my kid likes to pull out my bookmarks).

Of course there is always coffee + Netflix binges. When I'm not watching Charlie Brown or Glitter Force with the kiddo, I've been watching the Korean drama Kimchi Family. It mostly just makes me want Korean food + all the kimchi.  >_<

What do you like to do when you are snowed in? I'd like to try some David's Tea this winter, let me know if you have any recommendations.

Challenge Accepted

Happy 2016! 

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Today, I signed up and started Lisa Congdon's Daily Drawing Challenge on Creative Bug. It's 31 days of drawing different objects using your imagination, and embracing the wonkiness + imperfections.

I've always wanted to do something like this, and work in a more/different stylized way. This will also help me push through the bad arthritis days where my hand is really shaky. I'll be posting my drawings over on Instagram.

I also signed up for Adriene's Yoga Camp. Yoga is something I've always wanted to really get in to, so here I am with a new bright green yoga mat! I really want to focus on my physical + mental health this year, and Yoga Camp seems like a great starting point.

This year I really want to challenge myself in new ways, and I can't wait to share with you the process. Hope you all had a Happy New Year! Let me know what your goals, resolutions, or focus may be for the coming year! xo