Snow and Sundry Other Things
* Blizzards and book sketches have had me in mole mode as of late. Ergo, there's been many cups of this tea.
* I'm completely obsessed with Natural Companions, by Ken Druse. I've been using it for reference material -- it's a goldmine of botanical images.
* Anyone else watching the absolutely delightful Grantchester?
* And I'm planning a craft night, tentatively for March, at my studio. Local (i.e, Seacoast New Hampshire/Southern Maine) and interested? Drop me a line at abigail@theodesign.com and I'll keep you in the loop!
Moonglow Mystery, Redux
This past fall, I'd painted some mysterious figures on a moonlight mission. I ended up turning it into a pattern, then promptly forgot about it until I spotted a two for one deal on fat quarters on Spoonflower. Exclamation point!
A fat quarter turned out to be enough for a detachable Peter Pan collar. And now I feel like I'm ready to go out and solve a mystery or two myself. Move over, Nancy Drew.
The Elf Maiden
Winter Wear
Two Thousand and Fifteen
Happy New Year! Here's the view from the window by my drafting table this morning. That river's looking mighty cold today.
So Christmas was lovely and New Year's was great -- here's hoping yours was, as well. I visited with family, ate large quantities of baked goods and enjoyed all of the goodwill and cheer.
But now, I'm back in the studio, raring to go. I'm working on a new picture book and sketches are keeping me busy. Aside from that, I've been mulling over New Year's resolutions. So here's what I'm going to push up my sleeves and give a go:
* I'm collaborating with my sister on an online comic that we're hoping to share some time this Spring. She's writing, I'm illustrating and we're both pretty darn excited about this. More on that later.
* I want to sew and knit more of what I wear on a daily basis. A party dress with a paper wasp print? Made it. 1920's bathing suit? Done that. But the kind of shirt I'd wear 'till the cows come home? Nope. And in keeping with that goal, I've got my eye on Grainline Studio's Archer pattern and Colette Patterns jersey Moneta dress.
* Take a class or two. I've been thinking of an etching class maybe and I'm trying to find a cake baking one as well.
And besides that, there's vague plans of travel, sit-ups and 25 books that I want to read.
So here's to 2015. Insert lots of noisemaker noise-making and clinking of glasses.
Decemberings
Navigating that space between the end of one year and the beginning of the next.
2014 Books
So last January I made a couple of New Year's resolutions. I didn't come through on the jeans (to be honest, I chickened out in the face of flat felled seams and rivets). But I did manage the resolution I really wanted to stick to, reading more. So in no particular order, here's my favorites this year:
1. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, by Douglas Adams. I'm a sucker for sci-fi. I inhale mystery novels. So long story short, Dirky Gently is a detective I can get seriously get behind. Caveat: don't read this on a crowded flight like I did, because your maniacal laughing will be impossible to contain. Sorry, seat mates.
2. The Last Gentleman, by Walker Percy: Armed with a telescope and an insatiable curiosity, Will Barrett is on a hunt for life's meaning. Beautiful prose, wonderful scenes of Southern life and the most gut-wrenching final chapter I've ever read, The Last Gentleman is a keeper.
3. American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang: One of the best graphic novels I've read in a long time. I loved the blending of past and present, fact and fantasy. So very good and well worth the read, regardless of age.
4. The Greengage Summer, by Rumer Godden: A tale of five children fending for themselves in rural France, this one is brilliantly vivid with a pitch-perfect narrator.
5. Gerard Manley Hopkins: The Major Works: Hopkin's way with the English language is completely unparalleled and his later poetry is especially mesmerizing.
And here's the rest of what I read in 2014. Which begs the question: what should I read in 2015?
