Finland Folk Dancers

Finland folk dance drawing

Lately I've been intrigued of my ancestry. During my visit home to Nebraska, my grandma sent me home with some books about Finland. I've been having fun skimming the glossy pages of pictures and drawing in my sketchbook. My old high school art teacher, Ms. D would be proud of my continuous lines.

Poppy Seed gets a little face lift

Poppy Seed drawing print has a slight new look. It will be released very very soon. To pre-order a 5"x7" or 8"x10" print be sure to drop me a line.

Handmade button ring

I heart buttons. I have so many buttons, it's ridiculous. I have a vintage Pyrex bowl filled with them. Speaking of items soon to be released, I will be listing little surprises in the shop like button rings. Each ring has a antique brass band and is topped off with eye catching buttons.

Herb print framing order

I did a print & framing custom order last week. Aren't they exquisite? I love these 16" x 20" frames with their milky white mats. From left to right: Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Poppy Seed.

Breakfast for Lunch

biking on a saturdayawesome paste up on planter

My love and I took a bike ride to Mississippi Avenue for the weekend. It's one of my favorites. There are so many shops and street art.

liquid energy, coffee & tea

We were so excited to see that Cup & Saucer opened a location on Mississippi. We couldn't resist eating there for lunch. If you haven't ate there I totally recommend it!

deciding what to orderi heart coffee

Check out the delicious grub we ordered...

Garden Scramble

Garden Omelet with scone & potatoes Broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, mushroom, spinach and cheddar

Lucky Scramble

Lucky Scramble Bacon, mushroom, green onion, cheddar cheese scrambled with three eggs on top of potatoes

Lastly, here's a recent drawing I did when I was visiting Nebraska. I finally snapped a photo for you to see. Enjoy!

sketch book drawing

I cheese sandwich you

Nebraska June/July visit

I have so many things to share with you about my recent visit to my homestate, Nebraska. Being there for 2 weeks, I couldn't help taking lots of photography. I plan on dedicating a few future blog posts to the highlights. Above is a shot I snapped in rural eastern Nebraska. I do miss the drives; being out and about between Columbus, Lincoln, and Omaha. It was nice to be reacquainted with the rows and rows of corn stalks. One thing I didn't miss was the 90° - 100° humid mosquito infested summer weather.

Finished book, Moving on to next!

When I left Portland at the end of June I began reading my friend, Kim's novel suggestion... The Time Traveler's Wife. Wow, it was such a good read. It's confusing at first with all the time traveling dates. I don't think I have ever read a novel (that was not a mandatory high school or college requirement) so fast. Niffenegger's writing is to die for. I fell in love with her writing style. This is really her first book? I didn't notice. Very well done Niffenegger. Before I read this book I wasn't fond of the name Henry. Felt so old-fashioned. After reading this book, let's be honest, I have a new appreciation for it. I loved the dreamy character Henry. Who wouldn't. He's compassionate, dashing, and a time traveling adventurous stud. I don't normally read chick novels but this one went well under the radar for me. I give it 5 stars. I'm a little leary of watching the movie. It seems like when books are made into movies they are just not as good.

Love & Sex movie

Chick novels... chick flicks... I only like a handful of either of them. Maybe 3 or 4.  Love & Sex is an adorable and funny one. I watched this flick a couple times this week. One of my favorite quotes is when Adam says to Kate, "I cheese sandwich you." If you haven't watched it, the 2 were discussing, that after a while, saying "I love you" is like saying "cheese sandwich".  Saying "I love you" starts to lose it's meaning.

Handpicking La France Pears In Japan - earrings

This is off subject, but I'll give you a little heads up of what I have been crafting up these days. I crafted these... "Handpicking La France Pears In Japan" earrings. When the day comes that I get to visit Japan, I do hope to visit a pear orchard. I love how the La France Pear is uniquely spherical, like these lemon jade beads. I have listed a few pairs in the ol' Etsy shop. Click here to be directed to my shop.

Well I hope you lovelies have a great weekend. If you are in Portland... stay cool. It's going to be a warm one! It would be a good time to go to the coast.

Home Sweet Home

Ah Portland. It's so incredibly good to see you again.

Ginger Ale, please.Flying high above layers of cotton candy clouds and thinking fondly about my Nebraska trip.

My trip to Nebraska was pretty... pretty... pretty good. *throwin' in a Larry David reference.* I wish there was enough time to see everyone though. I was always on the go- riding in a car to Lincoln, Columbus, Nebraska City, and Omaha. My trip included visiting with my family, in-laws, & a few friends. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to see them. And for that matter, so thankful to be able to be a part of my best friend's special day, her wedding. Just you wait, I'll be posting pictures very soon!

Sunset at Denver AirportEnjoying the sunset, drawing in my sketchbook, and anxiously waiting for my connecting flight to PDX.

I will also be posting some snaps of my most recent doodles and sketches very soon. I've been working on two sketchbooks at the same time. Silly, I know.

Well I would love to share more about my Nebraska trip, but I've got to get going here. So much stuff to catch up on! See ya on Friday.