The Good, the Bad, the Linen-Fresh

I've made it a new weekend tradition to do a little baking on Sundays... this past weekend, I made the braided apple bread from my twelve by 2012 list. Isn't it pretty? I wish it would have tasted as good as it looked... Long story short, I baked the loaf on a pan that I had previously soaked with a dryer sheet to remove burnt-on grime.

Who knew that even after a wash or two, the pan was still saturated with the scent (and taste) of fresh linen. The bread was warm, cinnamon-y and so, so clean. Gross.

Thankfully, I've totally redeemed myself tonight with the easiest, healthiest, tastiest muffins ever. In the fifteen minutes that they've been cooling, I've already had three. Probably to cope with the fact that my identity has been stolen and some lovely Ohioan has gone on an $800 Best Buy shopping spree in my name. But that's another story for another time.

What a Monday.

West Elm Christmas!

Yesterday, West Elm sent out an email announcing their newest holiday decorations. Hooray! I look forward to their modern, clean-lined holiday collection every Christmas, and this year does not disappoint. Take a peek at a few of my favorites...

Snow Globes, $25 each

One of those snow globes should probably be sitting on my desk. Soon. I especially love the mercury glass and porcelain pieces (although nothing will ever beat the origami ornaments from last year's collection... I have the reindeer and the squirrel!)

Modern Santa serve ware, $10-39

Mercury Owls, $14-19

Half of the proceeds from these little guys go to St. Jude Children's Hospital

Modern Nutcrackers, $29-$69

The modern white and tarnished silver are so fresh compared to the over-saturated reds & greens of the season. And I'm so glad they brought back their Modern Nutcrackers - I loved them so much last year but didn't think to snatch one up when they went on sale.

And by the way, I apologize for currently being that girl that jumps to Christmas when leaves are still on the trees. I'm still totally loving Fall and I promise I won't trim the tree until after Thanksgiving.... but Christmas is my absolute favorite!

Simon and Garfunkel: Greatest Hits

Happy belated Halloween! Did you dress up this year? Chris and I went to a friend's costume party on Saturday as Simon and Garfunkel, a la their greatest hits album:

And if I do say so myself, we totally nailed it...

Amazingly enough, we had nearly everything for this costume. Both of the jackets were Chris' and I borrowed the shirt from his mom. The Garfunkel wig was the only blonde (white) afro we could find, and it was massive... we trimmed it down to about half its size. I could honestly make another wig with all the scraps we have. Totally worth it, though.

Unfortunately, hardly anyone at the party knew who Simon and Garfunkel were. What has become of my generation? When we listed off a few of their hits, someone responded, "Oh, I thought the Beatles sang that." No. The Beatles did not sing the Sound of Silence. It practically broke my heart... I bought my first Simon and Garfunkel album in seventh grade. You know the Beatles didn't sing the Sound of Silence, right? Right??

Anyway, I hope you had a great Halloween. Onward to Thanksgiving! :)

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Even though I know Halloween comes every year, I always find myself scrambling around at the last minute with my husband in search of costume ideas. Of course, we can never find exactly what we want, but somehow it always works out. Our best costume to date was made from poster board and Sharpie markers, 30 minutes before our party. 

If you're in a pinch for a Halloween costume this weekend, ModCloth has some great ideas using everyday clothing from their shop. A few of my favorites...

I love how simple and creative these are, especially Elizabeth Bennet's Regency-style dress (or perhaps that's the Austen lover in me coming out.) You may have similar pieces in your wardrobe, and the accessories can easily be made at home. Hello, cotton ball beard and construction paper arrow. Easy peasy.

Just please, please don't wear a tube dress with any form of wings. Go read Joy the Baker's hilarious post, Don't be a Sexy Panda, and remember that fishnets are not acceptable pants. It's October and it's cold out.

Now to work on my costume with Christopher, which involves a mustache, a 70s style velveteen blazer, and the sound of silence. Oh yes.

Groceries: An Illustrated List

As I listed in my Twelve by 2012 post, I'm attempting to sketch more often and (to keep myself accountable) share my illustrations here. Part of my problem with keeping a sketch journal is never knowing what exactly to sketch. To get back into the habit of drawing regularly, I've decided to illustrate my weekly grocery list. Here's last weeks:

I know it's important as an artist to keep a daily/weekly sketchbook, but it's something I have always struggled with. I had one particular professor in college who required a sketchbook journal. He would check our progress every week and a half or so, and I always ended up putting off the assignment until 2 am the night before it was due. Which kind of defeats the purpose of a daily sketchbook. Now that I'm a responsible grown-up, perhaps I'll be better at staying on task. Maybe. Hopefully.

By the way, does anyone have tips for scanning artwork? I feel like I've lost some detail with this piece. And what are your thoughts on digital coloring?