ongoing renovations

Our new house was amazing but still a work in progress when we moved in. It will be a while before it's completely done, we've got bedrooms to build soon and a potential downstairs fiber studio in the (hopefully not too) distant future.

Our kitchen counters were raw wood when we moved in. We were really unhappy with all of the options out there (except concrete, but that doesn't really fit in with the retro feel of the kitchen) and were thinking we would try stretching canvas on the wood and sealing it with shellac. My only concern with that is discoloration (or actual melting) if something hot were to be placed directly on it, which of course is inevitable. But Skye happened to have some 2-inch bone colored tiles kicking around so we decided to put that by the sink and the stove with the plan to do canvas on the remaining countertop.

Skye laid the tile and Tigerlily grouted!

....................................................................................................................................................................

Some scenes from our evening stroll yesterday:

the community garden down the street

goofing around

thumbs up...all the way down the street

rockin' the place just like a man from the catskills

Yesterday afternoon Skye and I found ourselves with no kids and the offer of a ride out in the country with some friends for thrifting and maybe checking out a waterhole or two. We went down to our favorite little conclave of flea markets south of Albany and found some cool stuff and amazing buys, including these:The most perfect chair for our new place!

So what if I can't have a real card catalog, metal's where it's at!

It was getting hot so we decided to go a bit further south to a really spectacular swimming hole/series of waterfalls that we used to frequent when we lived in Saugerties. But when we got there the usual entry was plastered with posted signs and giant boulders had been plopped along the road in the only places to park. We were bummed but decided to drive up the road that runs up the mountain beside the stream with all of the waterfalls, hoping there might be somewhere else we could hike in. We didn't find a place, but we did find this:

mysterious eye on a rock outcropping along the road

And a bit further up the mountain, this:I guess I kinda miss the country...

if only they would do this all the time

After a long day of camp for Lil and walking kids and forgotten backpacks to and from camp multiple times for Lyr and me we were all pretty pooped this afternoon. This can either result in an afternoon filled with lots of complaining, fighting and crying or, on rare occasions when the stars are perfectly aligned, in a quiet spell of independent play. Thankfully the latter was the case today.

making it special

I just received the kindest feedback in my shop from the recipient of my latest book. I put a lot of time and energy into this one, an 8-page custom book with a Michigan/hockey theme. There was just something about it that was really special to me. Maybe it was thinking about the friends I have in Michigan, both old and new (I haven't forgotten you, Tracy; thanks for your help with the book!). Or maybe it was remembering spending so much time at ice rinks growing up while my brothers and father played hockey. Whatever it was it made for a pretty fantastic book, and it's a truly amazing feeling when someone expresses such appreciation for it. But of course, I have the best customers in the whole world :)

tear-jerker

HOORAY! I am once again on the interweb!

Here's a book I made for the friend of a friend as a baby shower gift. I think this may be the best book I've ever made. It's not as complicated as a lot of my recent work but I absolutely love its simplicity and the sweet story it tells.

the family name on the cover in a style emulating the baby shower invitation

My friend reported lots and lots of tears upon giving it to the mama-to-be at the shower. I'm thinking this may become a standard custom order option. What do you think?

technical difficulties

My computer is totally messing with me and refusing to communicate with the world, no one knows what's wrong with it and it may be some time before it is fixed and/or I can afford to buy another (oh, MacBook, why must you be forever beyond my grasp?). So, I regret to inform you, I may not be able to do much posting during my neighborhood computer surfing. And certainly none with pretty pictures of all of the amazing books I've been making. Obviously something has to give--I have an online business! But until I figure something out this space will be a bit quiet.

bird is the word

Australian birds, on their way to Australia!

ah, summer

I have a love/hate relationship with summer. I love the beautiful, lush colors, all of the flowers and vegetables, swimming in cold cold water, being able to be outside with so much ease. But I really, really, REALLY dislike the heat. Especially the humid heat, which is usually what we have here. But man, this summer has been so, so perfect! Sure, there was a week or so there back in June with temperatures near/exceeding 90 degrees, plus the week of rain and crazy storms (but that was kind of fun, too) but for the most part it's been in the mid-70s (even a bit warm for me, but I won't complain) and partly cloudy. Perfect.

barefoot in the park

"for you, mama"

both hands on ball...

knee up...

aaand...

...PITCH!

sundaes on sunday

Before our move we were getting a little dessert-crazy. Seriously, each evening after dinner the kids would demand dessert, and most of the time we were too tired and stressed to fight that battle. So one of the many lifestyle changes we've been implementing in our new space is limiting dessert to once a week. And what could be better than sundaes on Sunday?

I also stopped drinking soda (a habit I thought would be much harder to break, though I have been drinking a bit more coffee...) and the kids only watch "tv" (Netflix on demand--we don't actually have a tv) for 1 hour on Saturday mornings. I realize this can only last so long but it's definitely a sign of how drastically our lives have improved in our new home.

Now if I can only drag my butt out of bed before the kids get up for a solo morning walk each day....

new work

My latest book, this one in Italian and Swedish.

discovering comics

Here's a common scene around our house:
I love that she's getting so into reading and he's learning so much from her.

kids in the city

I don't know what the weather's been like where you are but around these parts it's been raining. A LOT. So when we woke up to sunshine today we decided to spend the day out in the city. We walked up to a nearby sprinkler park and visited a few playgrounds along the way. We met up with some friends, found some great treasures, and had a really awesome day.

not really a tigerlily, though she insists

sprinkler park

ready...set...GO!

picnic

goofing around with some friends

...time to go home

Hope you have some sunshine in your day!