swallowfield

wishing you...

we had a nice, quiet thanksgiving weekend. i am feeling grateful for family, friends near and far, and for my cozy life.
today we went to popham beach and ran around in the cold. the light was gorgeous. i caught quite a chill, though, and have been snuggled up by the fireplace with a down comforter ever since we got home. which is a-ok with me.

thanksgiving prep

it's time to get busy in the kitchen! this year i'm cooking some favorites and one new-to-me dessert for thanksgiving.  my favorite squash dish EVER is molly's butternut squash and chickpea thing. yum. i'm also making some super tasty spiced nuts from the recipe box and a cranberry/orange/fresh ginger relish that i don't have a recipe for but it will all go into my cuisinart with a handful of pecans and be super yummy. new this year, i'll be trying pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake with caramel (that doesn't sound totally over the top or anything...) from pioneer woman, found via craftzine. my mom and my aunt are making the rest.we're mostly pretty traditional; i think some people at the table will raise an eyebrow at the chickpeas and tahini in with their squash ('whaaa? no marshmallows?') but i will say poo-poo to the doubters.

ellie is getting a tofurky, because she is a vegetarian. mostly. i like the tofurky packaging. a lot.

chase  (my self-described omnivore) made a hand print turkey at school. you might notice the black object on the right side of the turkey. that would be a gun. "my teacher SAID i could make anything i wanted for accessories, and this is one turkey that's not going down, mom." 

happy thanksgiving to those of you in the US, and to everyone else: happy weekend!

i'm still here, just quiet

hi! i'm sorry i let more than a week go by without posting. i think i've been experiencing a bit of internet malaise recently; there is just so much out there, and it's overwhelming me more than usual lately. does that ever happen to you? 

the show last weekend was terrific. (a big thank you to everyone who came and visited my booth and went home with art or cards.)  here is a peek of things:
(the magazine you see on the table is port city life, and that's a papercut i made for an article on winter festivals. i really enjoyed making it.)

it was fun to be up in downeast maine last weekend when i wasn't working at the show; it was quiet and wet and stark. i love stormy weather, mostly. i loved it last weekend.

in the days ahead i am looking forward to showering someone very dear to me with some baby love, hosting some of my family for thanksgiving next week, a flurry holiday making and baking, an ornament swap, and drawing a few custom houses for special orders. it feels busy in a good way. i am trying to keep my gift giving simple and meaningful this year, and have been having lots of talks with the kids about ways we might do this as a family.

i made these. yum.
and i think it might be almost time to get this out again. love, love.

have a nice weekend. stay warm.

:::

i made this new collage yesterday. i like it. i don't know about you, but whenever i have a lot of deadlines, i tend to wander off and do something dumb like decide to make something elaborate that has nothing to do with anything, ie this collage yesterday.

today i am back on track with the deadlines and feeling undercaffeinated but strangely hyper-efficient.  i am listening to sea wolf (my new favorite music) and getting a lot done.  have you heard any new to you good music lately?

cheers.

show news

i am still floating a bit from last week's election. it feels good. if i wasn't crowd-avoidant i'd think seriously about going to d.c. for the inauguration in january, but i think we'll plan trip during a quieter time instead.

this week i've been busy getting ready for the gifted hand show, a two day art + craft show i'm participating in over this coming weekend. it is in ellsworth (downeast maine for those of you of you reading this from afar) on friday the 14th and saturday the 15th, and features some great artists and craftspeople from all over maine; i was honored to be asked to participate.  i am especially excited to see the work of phillip frey and christina heiniger, but there are tons of great vendors, from the looks of things.  the show had a nice mention in the boston globe today. come and say hi if you're in the neighbohood!

more news soon!

cards!

happy friday!
did you know i have three new card sets for the holidays? i do! two are holiday cards and one is more of a year round hello type of card. i had fun designing them.  they're available in sets of 10. {{if you happen to be a person who wanted custom cards with your own saying inside (these are blank) - send me an email and we can chat about it.}}

tree holiday cards

snowflake holiday cards

hello from me to you cards

 

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ps: this is really, really funny.

happy day

yesterday was a great day.

aside from the obvious fantastic news of our election and the excellent + warm weather, i got to meet one of my favorite online friends for the first time. meg and i  had a lovely breakfast with stephanie, and then visited our school's book fair and took a lesiurely walk through the cemetery. it was so nice to chat in person and spend a bit of time together. i am excited to help steph and maria celebrate their book this week at rabelais, too.

i feel so happy and still extremely tired from staying up too late on tuesday night.  i have listened to this many times.  how are you feeling?

i'm hopeful.

i have butterflies in my stomach thinking about the election tomorrow. i am filled with hope. it's a word we've all heard a lot lately, but it works for me.

i spent the entire day drawing and digitally coloring this new piece today, channeling my wishes and worries through my pen and trying to keep my mind occupied. in this drawing, everyone plays nicely together and gets along. it's a hopeful place. a girl can dream.

please don't forget to vote.