happy halloween!

{been sitting at the red caboose and have seen lots of captain hooks today! whitefish mt kids have the best costumes!! check out some of the best on the red caboose facebook page! my favorite was the little sheep... soooo cute!!}

catch up day

here is a few days' worth of sketches!! hope you enjoy :)

{apparently i had woodland creatures on the mind lately :)}

livin' on a prayer

friends + costumes + karaoke + good food + glow sticks = BEST. PARTY. EVER.
husband and i had so much fun last night - getting dressed up, singing karaoke {oh yes, we performed 'livin' on a prayer' for everyone}, seeing everyone in costume of choice {we were graced with the presence of the beatles, the blue man group, taylor swift, audrey hepburn + fred astaire, woody + jessie, pocahontas, even a montana hunter + deer, an elephant, a robot, just to name a few :)}, and of course dancing {husband busted out some caaarrrraaaazzzzy moves, including the moonwalk}!!

who were we? take a look....

bon jovi + his devoted, adoring groupie! {my shirt said 'bon jovi forever' and yes, husband was shirtless under that leopard scarf and authentic 80's leather jacket}

i didn't want to spend a lot of money on our costumes because we'd only wear them once... {although, after last night, husband asked me multiple times if i could dress like that ALL the time} so i visited two thrift stores and found gold earrings, a black necklace, and a stonewash shirt for a grand total of $2.50!! i picked up a couple of fabric paint bottles and made my own groupie shirt then paired it with black leggings and red shoes that i already had. so, literally, my getup cost less than $5.00! husband's costume was a little more - we got the wig for $8 and the leopard scarf for $9 {which i will totally wear!!}. seriously, i feel like the less money you want to spend, the more creative you can be.

hope everyone has a fun, costume-filled weekend!

yesterday's camera

{yesterday, i got to hang out with my lovely friend, kelli trontel, who happens to be a suuuuper talented photographer...  so i was inspired to sketch a quick camera. oh and she took the photo of me below with her iphone... amazing!!}

p.s. it's supposed to snow here this week!!! eeeeeek!!! i'm so unbelievably thrilled at the prospect. :)

lion face

{or aslan :)}

gandalf the grey

{so i have to be honest, today was kind of busy so i didn't have time to sketch... so i pulled one from the archives. i sketched this several years ago and i've come across it a couple times as i've been trying to find a blank page in my sketchbook, so i thought i would share it... cheers lotr fans!}

oh, and happy monday! :)

i'm addicted

{to project runway!! i sketched this garment stand as i was watching part one of the season finale. can't wait for the next episode!!}

see you monday :)

sparrow

well, since i sketched a pirate ship, then a cannon, i have to admit that i had captain jack sparrow on my mind... ergo, the sparrow sketch. :)

have a great weekend!

cannon in pen

so this might be my last "p" related sketch {since that makes 7 total!} - a "penned" cannon. :)

a pirate ship study

i've always loved pirate ships and i'm not really sure why i chose to sketch these up - maybe it was the fact that i thought the husband said "black pearl" today... or that i've apparently had the letter "p" on my mind lately - whatever the reason, i just felt like sketching them tonight...

savvy? :)

my iphone

{i read an article about steve jobs today... sad yet inspiring. he has contributed to so many of our lives in more ways than one... so i decided to sketch one of those contributions. thanks steve.}

the pawn

{the one and only move that husband played on the chessboard today at lunch. ha}

husband came home today!

{a sketch of his plane}

layer upon layer: a painting story

i've recently been into painting with watercolor... which is funny because when i first started playing with it years ago, i made up my mind i didn't like it, i felt like i couldn't control it enough - like i could with pencils or acrylic paint. but lately i've really been taken by it. i love the color gradient and how free it all feels (ironic, right?). this is my first real, serious stab at it so i thought i would share it {and the process} with y'all.

first we have the tools.

{your basic watercolor set and my three favorite brushes of all time. i literally use them for everything! it must be a comfort thing...}

next, the bare bones.

{most of the time, i will loosely sketch out what i'm going to paint, just the bare minimum - a skeleton if you will - just to get a basic idea of where it's going to go and then start with the layering! i always start with the sky and work my way up to the front.}

then, fleshing it out.

{this is where it really starts to get fun... it actually starts to look like a painting! i just get the basic coloring and shading on there, slowly covering the blank space.}

and lastly, the final layer.

{this is my favorite part! this is where i get to go in and add lots and lots of detail shading. i could probably let myself indulge in this step for hours, but at some point i just have to tell myself to stop...
and voila! it's done!}

hope you enjoyed my short story and i really hope that it inspired you to do something that you love doing! :)

waaaaall-e.

our fresh life group leader sent out an email today with a few 'ice-breaker' questions and the first was: "what's your favorite pixar movie?" which made me think of my fave - wall-e. which then also led me to think about how much the husband and i looove that movie... he even bought me a mini wall-e that i used to keep on my desk at work!
and since i'm missing my sweet husband right now (he's traveling/working) i thought i would draw up this little guy that reminds me of him. it warms my heart just looking at the cute little robot... i think i'll watch it tonight. :)
maybe you'll join me?
goodnight!

a sketch a day...

once i say it, i have to actually do it. ok. here goes. sooooo....
i've decided i'm going to sketch something every day for a year. and post it here. everyday.
(can you hear me taking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling?)
i've just been thinking... why not? i'm in a such a unique, foreign place in my life right now that i just have to document it (other than just journaling about it). i'm not promising masterpieces people - at all - i'm simply saying i'll sketch something that stood out to me or something that i was thinking about on that specific day. i just keep thinking about how awesome it will be at the end of the year, seeing my small yet beautiful life in sketches.
just one thing a day. i think i can do it.

so, to get things started, i obviously sketched my portland mug (purchased on this trip). the last two days have been spent doing taxes in various places, and this little guy has been my buddy - faithfully holding my tea.

happy saturday!

late night snack...

aka a dessert that won't make you feel bad for eating dessert... which i've been having a lot of lately. yikes. anyways, this easy dessert will leave you feeling like you've satisfied your sweet tooth and, as a bonus, will still allow you to fit into those jeans reserved for your skinny days (don't we all have those? ha).

ingredients:
 - grapefruit
 - brown sugar
 - cinnamon

cut the grapefruit like you would if you were going to eat it plain (half then cut into it to make perfect bite-size pieces).
sprinkle the top with brown sugar and cinnamon (the amount for these is totally up to you - i chose to use about half a teaspoon of cinnamon and about half a tablespoon of brown sugar).
set in a baking dish, then broil for about 5 minutes or until it looks a little caramelized on top.
transfer to individual dishes and enjoy immediately!

bon appetit! :)

monday pick-me-up: dcfc's new music video!