Goodbye, summer break. I’ll miss you. My focus for this school year is balance. I want to continue working on my own projects and be able to spend more time with family and friends.
their process
I love when people share their process. Sometimes it’s a struggle for my kids to generate multiple, different ideas for a project and it helps when they see professionals do it too. These book cover thumbnails from some of my favorite illustrators are just as good as the final images themselves.
Josh Cochran for The Borrower
Christopher Silas Neal for May B
installations
I’m pretty sad this summer is coming to a close. For the first time in a while, things were wonderfully uneventful—no graduations, no moving trucks, no wedding planning, etc.—so the slow pace took some getting used to. As a teacher, I usually get up at 5:45, then I’ll get home between 4-5, and afterward I do some grading/planning in the evening. So, when my day isn’t crammed with things to do, I feel like I’ve been unproductive. I know, a little crazy. It took some adjusting, but I’m so grateful for the chance to travel, see family, celebrate other people’s weddings, and have some lazy days watching shows on Hulu. These past two months flew by, and this weekend will be my last “free” for a while.
Visiting Installations Antiques has been on my to-do list for some time. Located just a few blocks away in a former textile factory, it’s a hidden treasure. Before we stopped by, we had a hearty brunch next door at Krafts’men Baking. I’m pretty sure my jaw fell wide open the moment we walked into Installations. The quantity of unexpected and beautiful things just overwhelms you. We met one of the owners and her down-to-earth warmth made you feel at home, like you were a friend and not merely a customer. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the unique antiques, furniture, and trinkets they had (and staged so beautifully) in the rooms.
I left with some canning jars from Germany to store supplies, but this flat file is the first thing I’ll buy when my pockets deepen.
workspace
Thuy & her summer workspace
hidden secret
I love the Cullen Sculpture Garden. It’s kind of like a hidden secret since the area is partially enclosed by walls and sandwiched between the MFAH and Glassell—I actually discovered it by accident. Once fall/winter weather arrives, it’ll be nice to have a picnic here.
coming to a close
Summer break is quickly coming to a close for me. I officially start work in 2 weeks, but I have yet to touch a single lesson plan so anxiety is creepin’ in. I did however go up to my classroom and move all the tables and chairs back with the help of my sister. Baby steps.
Here are some pictures from the past few days: now that I have an updated website and shop, I finally took out the never been used Gocco printer from years ago and printed up some business cards on scrap watercolor test sheets, made green rice with okra and tomatoes for dinner, had lots of fun participating in the mix swap and received mine from Liza, rejoiced that I didn’t really kill the mint plant all the way, finished a necklace, and hung up my new Jillian Tamaki print as-is until I can mat it.
shuttle launch
Shuttle launches captured from the sky. Amazing.
made here – upstate
BJ showed me this beautiful video from Levi’s Made Here series featuring the duo behind Upstate. His friend Matt’s band, Hello Mtn, was used for the music.
MADE HERE – UPSTATE from Jay Carroll on Vimeo.
Good Times
For Mallory’s mix CD swap, I was paired with Liza—blogger extraordinaire behind Length x Wit and also a fellow Texan. Our assigned theme was “good times.” The below songs either lift my spirits or they kind of nostalgically point my memory toward particularly bright moments.
After the jump, the track listing.
rickshaw shop
We finally updated our neglected etsy shop. Like I mentioned before, I tend to start up a lot of projects and hoard them. Right now I have work from this summer and a little before that, but hopefully BJ will have things as well. I still feel like my work continue to evolve and change, and the shop will probably reflect that. Shoot me a message if ya’ll have any questions!