Motown Watercolor Illustration Poster

Motown was created by Berry Gordy, Jr. in 1959, Detroit, Michigan. I grew up listening to all of the Motown great performers because my Dad loved it. We had an old reel-to-reel system set up in the living room on a low coffee table. We had "a lot" of fun parties when I was younger. They would fire up the fondue pot, serve chips -n- dips in metal stacking bowls from the 60's and turned up the volume. The room swelled, glasses clinked and the sounds of Motown became a deep part of my soul. A wonderful memory that I'll always have of my Dad who has now passed on. It makes me a little sad sometimes, but mostly I'm grateful and happy to have this great music as a memory. I created this poster of his favorites and mine in his honor. The original was created in watercolor and a bit of gouache.

Performers illustrated in the poster from top left to right:

Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross

Bottom left to right:

Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin "The Queen of Soul"

The print is now available in my Etsy shop.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds Watercolor Illustration

Just in time for Spring and the arrival of the Ruby-Throated hummingbirds back from their migration journey. To me hummingbirds are one of the most amazing creatures we have on this planet. I'm always amazed at the super-sonic speed of their little wings and their intrepid force to retrieve the nectar, dive-bombing the other hummingbirds to feast. These little birds are voracious when it comes to the luscious red nectar! Oh how I love watching them, so beautiful, so tiny...

nature is brilliant!

My original piece was created in watercolor. Prints are now available in my Etsy shop.

After the Detroit Urban Craft Fair...

I had "the best time" being a vendor at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair. Around 4pm, on Saturday, I remember standing there and it was almost like everything stopped for a split second and I had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude come over me. I'm so beyond grateful for all of the hard work that Handmade Detroit puts into the show so that it was an amazing success yet again this year. I'm so grateful that all of my hard work paid off leading up to the show and that I have a husband that supports what I'm doing and a Mom who is always there by my side and is able to lend a hand whenever she can. I enjoyed chatting with all of the lovely people that attended the show and all of their amazing comments about my work. My heart is overwhelming full... and I cannot think of a better way to start the holiday season and the new year! Happy Holidays and thank you so much from the bottom of my heart to everyone! xo xo xo

Vernor Ginger Ale Watercolor Illustration Print

Vernors Ginger Ale was originally created by James Vernor, a clerk who worked at a Detroit, Michigan drugstore. James Vernor was called off to war in 1892, so he sealed up his "secret ingredients" in an oak cask, and upon his return he found out that something "deliciously different" (also the company tagline), happened in the aging process. In 1880, sales of the Vernors Ginger Ale became public in the drugstore that James Vernor opened, soon bottling and distribution began and later he opened a soda fountain.

Archival quality prints are now available in my Etsy shop of this Detroit classic soda!

cottage room makeover

We spent the past week at the cottage. My husband did some hunting and I did some illustration and together we both tackled painting a bedroom. It took about 5 days to complete the project. There's a lot of prep involved when painting old paneling -- but totally worry every minute spent. I would have taken some before photos but I didn't. I always forget to take them because I'm so excited to get into my project. Anyway, at our family cottage we have a lot of paneling. Most of the paneling is wood paneling but in the upstairs it's not a natural color and over time it has yellowed and needed a little update. It hasn't been changed since it was built in the early 70's so I think it's about time for a change, don't you?

(This dresser will be refinished soon & artwork on this wall too.)

This room is the smallest bedroom in the cottage and since we have never painted there yet I thought we should start with the smallest room to see how it would turn out. At some point the red carpeting will be replaced and I'll be working on refinishing some of the furniture in the room (hopefully this Summer) as well as adding some more art work and decorative touches.

I painted this bedside sconce black and found a small black shade to fit. It used to be brass and wood with a burlap weave looking shade in brown with gold trim.

I painted these two framed embroidery projects glossy white done by my husband's Grandma many years ago. The frames were a light gray and the update sure has freshened them up. I think they look great and almost kinda modern especially since handmade work like this is so hip again.

My Mom crochets animals so I asked her to make us a baby owl.
She surprised us with the momma and baby. I think they look so cute perched on the bed.

(New gray and white lamp from Target - match the new curtains and bedding)

(Vase & flower from IKEA)

Window Display - Dancing Eye Gallery

Girls Night Out window display at Dancing Eye Gallery!

Last weekend at Dancing Eye Gallery in Northville it was Girls Night Out downtown. They asked me if I could bring in some Barbie images for their window display - thinking that the "girls" would love the Barbie prints. Of course I said yes! Janine who works at the gallery did a great job of filling the window with tons of great gifts for the event.

Lots of other cute gifts amongst the Barbie prints!

Girls Night Out was a big success at Dancing Eye Gallery, so today I stopped in and replenished lots of Barbie prints, cards and other goodies. My Mom came along and dropped off some crochet goodies (unicorn, frogs, bumblebees, robots) too!

It's a really great shop, with Theresa (the super-fun-fantastic owner) and the gals that work there are always cheerful and ready to help you with whatever you need . I always enjoy stopping in to drop off my work -- just being there gives me a lot of inspiration. Downtown Northville makes for a great afternoon when you just want to have a day to play!

Check out that super cute Sock Monkey wine bottle bag!

shadow art fair : ypsilanti, mi : saturday, july 16th, 2011

We had a great time up at the cottage for a week but now it's time to get back to business. I'll be at The Shadow Art Fair this coming Saturday in Ypsilanti, MI.

One day = 40 artists + 9000 gallons of beer! Noon till Midnight!!

It's a 12-hour event held 2-times a year at The Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti.

dancing eye gallery - northville, mi

The days are getting warmer and sunnier and people are finally getting out and about. HOORAY, it finally feels like Spring!!!

If you're looking for something fun to do, then check out downtown Northville. It's loaded with unique shops and restaurants. So treat yourself to some lunch and shopping, and then why not walk on over to check out The Dancing Eye Gallery. If you're already familiar with the gallery then you know you'll find lots of amazing art goodies inside. If you haven't... boy, are you ready for an artistic treat! Guess what? You can now find my work there too! Last week I dropped off cards, prints and button sets. There's some seasonal cards for Easter + Mother's Day too! To stay updated with the most current news at Dancing Eye check out their facebook page too!

art -n- good eats!

Today was a great day, despite the rainy, snowy Spring weather we had today here in Michigan. First we went to drop off my work for my art show in Lake Orion at The Flint St. Gallery. While we were out there, we got a recommendation from my friend Kelli to check out Union Woodshop for lunch since we were out that way.

The restaurant has a very cool, art deco retro vibe with warm cozy, glowing lights, candles on the tables and lots of wood with kraft paper on the tables. The first thing you smell upon entering the building is wood from the wood burning oven. You're immediately in cozy heaven! I enjoyed the food presentation just as well the food itself with the serving dishes being a mix of regular white dishes and metal, half-size jelly roll pans. Very fitting I thought to the overall theme/feel of the restaurant.

We decided to do some share-sies so we could try out more of what the restaurant had to offer. We shared the special appetizer of smoked venison sausage with Bourbon, Michigan Cherry Mustard, Union Mac & Cheese, Grilled Chicken Club Samiches and for dessert the Butter Scotch Pudding.

The Venison Sausage was smoked-perfectly, and finished with a shade of spice. The sauce was slightly, spicy but, chocked full of whole, plump Michigan cherries which was was a pleasant surprise, since I thought it was going to be more of a pureed sauce. Needless to say, the sauce accompanied the sausage wonderfully. For only $4.50... it's a must try.

Okay, hands down, this is the BEST baked Mac & Cheese I have ever eaten. It's a huge portion of penne pasta with a Bechamel sauce, loaded with Vermont Sharp Cheddar, Pinconning and the most amazing Parmesan crunchy crust. I can't stress it to you enough how amazing the crust was. Perfectly, cheesy, deep-golden brown and crispy. This is a main course and if you like, you can add ham to it as well. We opted for ham-less.

This is not your normal Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich. No sir. For starters, the maple bacon is house made. Yes, I said it, house made! It has the perfect amount of maple-flavor and is thick-cut with that salty, chewy bite that every bacon lover loves. It's too bad they don't sell it by the pound, because we inquired and my husband was ready to buy some for home. The Memphis Mayo is a tomato/vinegar base and definitely adds to the overall flavor of the sandwich while not to overpower. Along with the sandwich you also get a generous portion of potato salad, this salad is not just an accompaniment or after thought as you find with most restaurant sides. It's loaded with big chunks of Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh dill, whole grain mustard, red onion and again some more of that amazing house made bacon. I detected some celery seed as well. I'd go back just for the potato salad. Yes, it's that good!

The waitress who was very on top of her game, was very helpful and courteous and recommended the Butter Scotch Pudding for dessert if we were up for it. I only had half of my half of sandwich so I could make sure I had room for dessert. So, pudding. I'm not a big pudding fan. This was creamy and dreamy and what butterscotch pudding dreams to taste like. It's topped with fresh whipped cream and house-smoked sea salt. Intrigued? So were we... but very happy with our choice. It was that perfect combination of that subtly salty-sweet we craved at the end of our meal.

The kitchen was bustling for a late lunch crowd and the dishes for the other patrons were coming out of the kitchen at a rapid-pace. Everything looked dandy! Wood-Fired pizzas, Woodsticks (which are wood-fired breadsticks with a garlic -butter cream cheese dip -- a carb-lovers dream!) Burgers, Baby Back Ribs, Cedar Planked Salmon, Smoked Ribeye, Brisket, and more... This is definitely a gem in Clarkston. Check 'em out on facebook too! There's several pics of their dishes. If you plan on heading out to a concert this Summer at DTE, I'd go out out that way early and make a pre-concert stop for lunch or dinner!

Before I head out, this one is for the ladies! If you check out the restaurant, go take a peek in the rest room near the kitchen to see the graphic, purple & gold deco wallpaper and gold-leaf ceiling. Ultra hip, stylish!

fun in the northern muskegon sun...

Friday was a GREAT day! It was about the most fun I've had all summer and I'm not kidding you either. A group of us (my husband, my dad, my uncle G, our friend Dave and his son Steve) went to Northern Muskegon on a salmon charter for fishing. The boat was 35 ft. long with a flying bridge on top. Very cool. The weather was a balmy 78 degrees, the winds however were not cooperating. The water was rough, but I loved it! The swells were at least 6-ft high during some points of our 8-hr excursion. I pretty much spent my entire time up on the bridge, because the view was fantastic.

Since my Dad's surgery from this past Christmas it's been a long recovery for him. He loves to fish though and hasn't been able to get out onto his own boat much this Summer. Even though he was really tired when it was his turn to reel in a fish he sprung into action. It was great seeing him in his element and reeling in the biggest salmon that we caught that day.

Since it was so rocky it was "really" hard to get steady photos - I was lucky to snap a few. We brought home 6 king salmon and 1 trophy-sized brown trout. Yesterday we grilled up some salmon and fried some perch that we caught a few weeks back. I put a little rub on the salmon with dill and onion powder, S&P then finished the fish with a little drizzle of some sauce at the end. The sauce was lemon juice, chopped capers, chives, S&P and olive oil. It was fantastic. Probably the best salmon I've ever had -- and I'm not kidding, because sometimes I'm not into salmon all that much, especially when it's really fishy-tasting. But this was absolutely delicious!

I also would like to mention that the homes along the water in Northern Muskegon were gorgeous. Very cute area. I can't wait to go back. It was such a fun time!

It was definitely a nice break from the norm and spending time with our family and friends.

island beauty

For over ten years now, I have been going up to Drummond Island in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for vacation with my husband, family and friends. On one of my first trips up to see the cottage I noticed a small, hand-painted sign posted on one of the trees that read "island beauty" and even now after ten years I continue to find more of that beauty on every trip. Enjoy the pics!

vacation photos : orange poppies

When we arrived to the island we were happy to see that the poppies had just begun blooming. The island flowers were about a month behind our flowers at home, so it was nice to actually see the poppies in bloom. Next to daisies I think poppies come in second as my favorite flower. 

Scout always has to get in on the action.

I love the furry looking stems.

Check out the the teeny-tiny bee in the center of the bloom.

a spring trip to the island

Another Memorial Day has come and gone, and that means another trip to Drummond Island has come and gone as well. My husband and I had a fabulous time though. Relaxing, bbqing, bird-watching, taking the dogs for a swim, walking, 4-wheeling, painting (for me) and of course no trip would be complete without a stop at the Northwood bar for my favorite popcorn and the coldest beer ever! Beer always tastes the best on the island.

I have a new obsession and I admit it. I'm addicted to watching hummingbirds. I'm so completely fascinated with the little buggers. Within about 2 hours of hanging up the feeder the dive bombers arrived. Throughout the weekend we had a total of 4 birds, 2 males and 2 females and they were non-stop at the feeder from sun up till sun down. Just absolutely amazing little creatures. I even got some sun sitting on the deck with my camera trying to get a few good shots.

The above are just a few of my favorite pics from the weekend, but if you click the link you can check out my full album on Facebook. Happy Memorial Day!

inspiration : sensory overload

For the last few days, at lunch my friend and I have been running around going to different types of arts & crafts stores, or having what we call "creative" lunches...where we sit and doodle, draw and/or discuss art projects. I'm almost on sensory overload for art supplies & creative ideas!

I'm not really into scrapbooking, but I do love their supplies. We stumbled upon a store today in Novi, on accident while searching for a bead store that sadly we never found. The store is called "Archiver's" and it's truly amazing... I think if you're creative in any way you'll find some use for this store. Lots of cool papers, Kolo albums (which i love), ribbons and random do-dads & niff-naws to choose from.