another day, another happy dance

The Pass - "Treatment of the Sun" PMA Premiere from Pretty Much Amazing on Vimeo.

My friend Buchino posted this video the other week and it made me smile. I just wrapped up the majority of my summer projects and am in the homeward stretch with the final one. I've loved working on them, but I am also happy to refocus on my work for the next few months. Today was a day of making lists and goals for the next big idea. More on that soon, but for today I'm doing something that looks a little bit like this.

Favorite Things Friday!

Yay! The weekend is finally here, and it is gorgeous outside which makes for one very happy me. I have to work tomorrow, but still - just having the sun out there makes it feel not so bad. This week has been intense, working late into the night and not really getting much done.  Here are a few of my favorite things this week:

1. Magnetic Flame Decals. Oh yeah. Maybe it's because I grew up driving an El Camino with a DIY hot pink flame job (that's a story all its own), but I do love cars with flames. A new car is in our future and although we haven't decided on a model yet so many signs are pointing toward The Minivan. If we get one - mine will likely be black, and totally rock some flames.

2. Rick's Picks. Pretty much everything I've tried by this company makes me swoon. And, I love the simple packaging and the product names. The Phat Beets are to die for. 

3. The beach, and playing with my kiddo in the sand. What started out as a morning filled with whining and tantrums was completely solved by going to the beach. It was such a break to just zone out and stare at the water, and build 'sand Elmos'. One of the reasons I love where I live ? Going to the beach in less than 15 minutes.

4. Krentenbol. Afternoons at the beach always remind me of the long afternoons I've spent at the North Sea with my Dutch family - we'd usually take a picnic including sandwiches made on these delicious currant rolls. I miss them (both my family AND the rolls).  Here's a recipe for the rolls if you feel so inclined

5. These shortie cowboy boots. I know, I know. First I want a flamed minivan and now these? I'm even surprised. Oh, and they come in pink.

Happy Weekending, and thanks for reading along this week.

Illustration Friday: Caged

Here's my submission to this week's Illustration Friday Challenge : Caged. You know, when you have 10,000 things you should be doing, it is important to completely ignore them and draw.

Anyhoodles. Here you have Sandy - an pessimistic teen whose teeth just got caged in some lovely headgear. You better bet she'll be writing angry poetry about it later.

Space Girl, that's me.

Nothing arty to report or show today - I'm just in a super busy mode of trying to work at every little chance I get. Things are busy x eleventybillion, and my time management skillz are being put to the test this week. Wrapping up one poster, starting another, taking on a newsletter extreme makeover project, and trying to find time for my stuff too - all on about 12 hours of dedicated work time. There will be late nights this week - I need laughs, people. These videos popped up on faebook today and totally did the trick.

Color My World

Happy Monday all. The weather here is dumb (I'll spare you the gloomy details) and I am going in 1 million different directions. All this is adding up to me not having much to say. So instead I will show you these pretty, happy, photos of some melty crayons my kiddo and I made about a month ago. If you have a bunch of broken crayon bits around your house I encourage you to try this project. It was super fun, and the results are even more fun to play with.

Hopefully my mood will be a little more colorful tomorrow. Until then...

Favorite Things Friday!

1. Benny
This guy (my guy) deserves a post dedicated all to him. He's my best friend and partner in crime and we just celebrated 20 or 9 years together depending on how you count it. He puts up with all of my moods and whims and is my rock. He's scary smart (so smart I don't even understand much of the content on his blog), has the best laugh I know, and is pretty much perfect. I love him to pieces. Get a room, right? Ok, I think we will.

2. August to August Organizer
Well, I have no excuse now. I broke down and bought a calendar that will fit in my purse. It is the same one I have bought in years past, and while it is not perfect it is going to work, because it has to.

3. Maple Bars
Yeah, I ate one today that was as long as my forearm. It came from Top Pot, which I think makes pretty much the best Maple Bars around - but I've never really met a maple bar I didn't like.

4. A New Car
The search for a new-to-us car continues. There is a 1959 Cadillac Ambulance like this one for sale in our home town. I'm tempted, people.

5. Cornhole!
No, it is not a dirty insult you shout at someone, although the word is really fun to say. It is a game that is a cross between a bean bag toss and horseshoes. It was super fun to play and I kinda want a set up for my back yard.

6. Homemade Play Doh
This stuff is seriously saving my summer sanity. Here are 10 recipes to try yourself.

7. Green Flower Sandals
Those awesome green sandals that my cousin-in-law wore at her wedding are haunting me! They were so cute. A little online research lead me to them, but sadly they don't come in my size (11). The good news is, if you are a 6,7 or 8 they are on sale here.

the PDX afterglow

We just got back from a trip to Portland, Oregon where my husband's cousin Tia got married to Ed under a big tree in beautiful Mt. Tabor Park. We met Ed for the first time at our wedding (9 years ago today!) and I couldn't be happier for these two. They are the sweetest, most genuine people you could ever meet. 

Tia wore the coolest shoes, and the tree was hung with paper lanterns and these wonderful fabric garlands. Oh yeah, and the wedding was perfect too. The reception featured belly dancers, handmade chocolates, food from Portland's amazing food cart culture, mangoes on a stick and Cornhole. Yep - pretty amazing.

The whole weekend had such a magical feeling about it. I don't know - Portland always does that to me. Is there something in the water? Because everything, and everyone I know there is just so amazing. It just doesn't quit.

This is the tree house in my aunt's back yard. My aunt who is hilarious, intelligent and wonderful and my cousins who do things like play the bass, and electric ukulele, and make art, and my uncle who designs wineries and rides his bike everyehre. Again, amazing! In addition to all of the fun family time, I got to meet up with the folks from Portland Center Stage who are also too cool for words, and quirky, and hilarious, and wonderful. And I finally got to meet my Art Director pal Buchino, (who also happens to be one of Portland's Best Bloggers) for the first time since we started working together two years ago. It was kind of like meeting a pen pal for the first time! Just another neat person to add to my growing list of friends in PDX.

I dunno, Portland. You wooed us pretty hard again this weekend. Time will tell if we can resist the crazy spell you put on us each and every time we visit.