fresh picked whimsy

A family fave and an announcement...

I baked these Lemon Squares for my mom's birthday last week and for another "pitch-in" recently and they were a hit. 

Lemon Squares are a personal fave of mine and this particular recipe is hands down the best i've ever found.  I got it from a recipe book that we gave to K last Christmas.  It's a cookbook for teens written by teens.  K loves to bake and experiment in the kitchen. If you've got a teen with an interest in cooking, I highly recommend Teens Cook Dessert and Teens Cook (both by Megan & Jill Carle).  Yummy fun.

 

As for the announcement...I am now writing for a brand new local publication to premiere in October, called atCarmel.  It's a monthly community newsletter that started in Geist, a neighboring community.  It will have a circulation of about 20,000 and will also be available online.  There's a long story behind how I landed this new gig, but the long and short of it is that I will be writing a monthly article featuring different artists in the Carmel area.  I'm not a professional writer, by any stretch, but turns out, that's exactly what they're looking for; for the real residents of Carmel to contribute to this publication...for, by, and about the people of Carmel.  Cool.  I will also be contributing timely illustrations each month.  I'm super excited about the opportunity to meet fellow artists in my area!  If you know any artists who you think need to be spotlighted, and they live or work with their art in Carmel, let me know!  I've already got my first deadline!  Holy cow!

I love me mum...

My mom had a birthday this week.  She is an amazing cook and has an unbelievably green thumb.  Let's take a stroll through her garden, shall we?...

Cooking and gardening are her two big passions and she does them both oh-so-well.  I, unfortunately, did not inherit either of those talents.  However, I did draw from them (no pun intended) to deliver some handmade goodies for my Mom for her birthday.  I created some new illustrated recipe cards...

My mom said..."Lori, you must sell these in your Etsy store!"  And, because I'm a good girl, and always do what my mommy tells me to (wink wink), they have just been listed in the shop!  Go get 'em! 

I also made her a painting to put in her amazing garden.  It's clear coated and can be "planted" in a flower bed and leaned against a wall. 

Thus begins the big cluster of family birthdays over the next month.  I hope I can keep up with all the handmade stuff!  There's lots going on in the studio, friends.  And...I'll have a fun announcement tomorrow about a new project i'm working on.  See you then!

Yellow Monday on Tuesday

I'm late.  Lori hasn't gotten her the-kids-are-back-in-school groove back yet.  I'm still trying to find my rythmic balance between school, homework, creative life, book illustrating, housekeeping, carpooling etc...  I've been dying to do a Yellow Monday installment...it's been wayyyy too long since the last Yellow Monday and I just had to post these while it's still summer.  I ♥ yellow...

Mark gave me this purse for our anniversary in June. 

It reminds me of the beanbag chairs that my sisters and I used to have in the 70's...it's vinyl and yummy.  And...my secret shopper (my sister Kim) tipped Mark off to it after I drooled all over it in the clearance aisle in Target.  How much do we love Target?  and secret shopper sisters?  Double love!

Lemonheads in the kitchen canister...bright and cheery!

I found these nesting bowls at Old Time Pottery in Alabama.  Yellow+polka dots+stripes = love

We cheered on my favorite gearhead (my Dad) at our local Corvette Car Show a few weekends ago.  More about that in an upcoming blog post.  I spied this cutie from across the field.  If I drove a Corvette, it would be this color.  I mean, honestly, why can't they make mini vans in this color?  I was smitten after we got closer and saw the front license plate...the car and I will both be celebrating the same milestone birthday this year!

I have fallen in love with this print from FreyaArt's Etsy shop...so sweet!

Did anyone else spy these cool pepsi aluminum bottles this summer at Walmart?! 

I'm a Diet Coke girl, but I just had to buy this pepsi!  Here's a picture of them all...

 

My book....we took a break this summer from working on book #2 and we are now fully immersed in it.  I missed these little characters...Getting to the Heart of Respect is on the way!  Stay tuned for more details! xo

 The song "yellow" by Coldplay.  Loving it!  Listen and watch the video here.  Brilliantly simple and lovely video.

It's Friday...oh yeah

That's a page from my sketchbook that i doodled while watching tv last night.  How much do you love Fridays?  Me too.  It's Friday night pizza night with my grandfather and Mark's parents, too.  It's the home opener for High School football...and the weather should be gorgeous this weekend.  We have been going to the Carmel Farmer's Market every Saturday morning...

...to get the most amazing corn on the cob.  Soooo yummy. 

It's just a really nice way to start off a Saturday.  There's live music, lots of happy, relaxed people...usually run into friends there and grab breakfast there, too.  Mark likes the Breakfast Brat...Love it...

Mark and I bring coffee in our travel mugs.  G brought chocolate milk in his...thought he was big stuff with a travel coffee mug...

I adore eggplant.  My mom makes the most delish Eggplant Parmegiana for my birthday every year.  Honestly, is there a more gorgeous veggie than this?

Homegrown freshies...

And, then it will be time for our weekly visit to Lowe's and back to the house painting. 

Photos soon...we've almost got the whole lower level of brick done and then it's on to the upper wood level.  Can't wait for the big reveal!  Have a super weekend, friends!  TGIF!

A beautiful Hoosier night...

One of the drawbacks (don't get me started) to starting back to school so early is that the Indiana State Fair is just getting started when the kids go back to school.  I counted, and there are still 39 days of summer left...and my kids are in a classroom!  Well, school night or not, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather, and headed to the State Fair last night.  It's a little slice of Americana...that makes you feel proud of your state and down right neighborly.  There is so much to see, do and eat and everyone has a different agenda. 

This year, everyone's family entertainment budget is tighter; including ours.  However, we were able to enjoy the Fair even on our shoestring budget.  I'll give you my tips on how we did it. 

• First of all, last Monday, the Indy Star published a free ticket in the paper...I asked friends and family for theirs if they weren't using them. We ended up with one for each of us and a few extra, which we passed on to the car behind us on our way in. The free tix were only good Wed & Thurs, but the crowds are much lighter on weeknights and that was a big plus. I heard a rumor that The Star will be doing the same thing next week, too! Admission would have cost my family $38!
• I carried a backpack purse and brought bottled waters for us...pop/waters are $3-5 each!
• A lot of people come to the Fair for the food and although, we love it too, feeding a family of 5 at the Fair can cost a small fortune.  We ate a light dinner before we went and mostly splurged on the desserts...elephant ears, cotton candy, honey whipped vanilla ice cream...we all went home happy. 

Here are a few of our can't miss it items on our State Fair to-do list:

We love visiting all the animal barns!  I think the cows are my favorite.  There's just something about their big brown eyes...so sweet. 

I spied a heart on the side of this champion dairy cow...

Can't miss the Livestock Nursery, too...where all the expectant mama cows are in labor.  If you're lucky, you might get to see one born!  Oh, I feel your pain, Lucy!

I'm a sucker for the mamas and their babies...

I was shocked to meet this guy there...he's a z-donk...half zebra/half donkey!  Who knew?  Look, he even smiled for my picture!

We always stop in the Ag/Horticulture building to see the prize winning veggies and live honey bees.  This 401 lb. blue ribbon pumpkin was right next to the prize winning hay bales...that cracked me up...you can get a blue ribbon for a hay bale? 

The kids and I want to enter in this category next year...food art.  This year's theme was famous Hoosiers.  This one was my favorite entry...it's Orville Redenbacher!!!!  Love it!

There was a canned veggie sculpture contest and the sculptures were awesome.  My faves...

It's just wrong that the Pork Tent is right outside of the Swine building...

At the Fair, you can get just about any food, deep fried or covered in chocolate.  This year's new offering was Chocolate covered bacon.  They call it 'Pigs in the Mud'.  I didn't try it, but there was a long line of takers.  (sorry for the blurry pic...we were driving by on the tram.)

There was a lot we didn't have time to get to...the Dairy barn milkshakes, the Home & Family Arts building, the rabbits and chickens, etc...  What's your favorite thing to do, see or eat at your State Fair?  I'd love to know!

Hurry back...

The kids went back to school on Tuesday.  way....too....early!  Only 288 days left until summer break 2010...but who's counting? 

ME!

Be the rainbow!

I first heard this darling saying when my daughter posted it as her facebook status.  I read it and just loved it.  It is so fitting of her.  I searched high and low to find the author/origin, but cannot find it anywhere.  She spotted the saying in a magazine a long time ago and clipped it out to add to one of her many collages.  It inspired me to create the piece you see above. 

It is back to school time (our stormcloud) here in Indiana.  We have one week left of summer.  We are going to squeeze every juicy minute out of it (the rainbow).  So, pardon the blog if I should be absent a bit this week.  We're going to make the most of it together!