When the weekend ends.

I'm not sure how my three day weekend seemed to be more of a flurry than a typical two day one, but it did. 

There was the Saturday Shaker Square farmer's market and Larchmere's street sale. I thought we might have scored a couple of herman miller chairs for the dining room but once we got closer to them I was not excited about the price considering the less than acceptable condition they were in. 

Freelance work and cleaning my desk. I can't tell you how awesome it feels to have a clean desk again. I think it's something I can only truly enjoy after it's been a complete wreck for several months.

 An overnight trip to the lake house for some time with the family. As soon as we got there a huge storm rolled in. Watching the storm from the porch there is a familiar scene. It was a quick trip, but definitely worth it. There's something I really love about waking up there and smelling the lake water and looking down the channel at the boats. It's comfortable.

And then there was some frozen yogurt with strawberries and Californication. My two new favorites. 

Sketchbook Project - Digitized.

My submission for the Sketchbook Project has finally gone through the process of being digitized. It's a little wonky in that the pages don't flow together like they should due to however they scanned/photographed it, but it's not too distracting. You can view my whole sketchbook here: I'm a Scavenger - Cheryl Andrey.

Scrap Owl.

I've been working on a shirt for a client this week that involved an owl. The little guy above was a reject since they were looking for something more wise + powerful. I liked him a lot so I spent a few minutes putting this image together with some scanned watercolor washes and a piece of paper. 

Scuba Cat strikes again.

Seven years ago I started an online art portfolio on a website called DeviantArt. For a number of years it was a really great site to share what I was working on and get feedback on it. Eventually it seemed like the more serious artists starting leaving DeviantArt and I moved on to creating my own website and blog. I've heard and seen a lot of evidence lately that "designers" - both independent and employed by Urban Outfitters - have been poaching artwork from DeviantArt and ripping it off. So tonight I deleted my stagnant portfolio and did a Google search on a few of my more popular pieces to make sure they weren't appearing elsewhere. My Scuba Cat piece has been making it's rounds on Tumblr, Polyvore, and other various sites (usually without being credited) for a few years now which is rather frustrating. But I was happy to see that no one was claiming it as their own. It was published last year in an in-flight magazine called The Holland Herald along with an article about my original inspiration for the piece, a story about a man who taught his cat to scuba dive. 

So while I didn't find any direct copies of my work, I did happen to find this, which seems to be inspired by my drawing considering how close the shapes are. I have to say, I'm pretty fond of it. 

Found on Flickr here.

Porch swinging.

There always seems to be a lot of activity on our street. Sometimes not always the best kind, but it's fun to sit on our porch swing and watch anyways. 

After it got dark last night we had six different cats visit our porch. Their heads peeking through the window to see inside the house. Our two cats getting all worked up. I've already seen one new kitten emerge from the cat lady's house next door this spring. Considering some of the activity that was happening last night, I'm sure there will be more on the way soon. I mean, I love cats, but enough is enough. 

Reason #386 I can't wait to move: the cat lady's cats. Always in our yard, always peeing on our doormat.  

Thanks eBay!

I snagged this rug on eBay a couple of weeks ago for 99 cents! (I'm pretty sure someone lost money on that deal and it wasn't me.) It came in the mail today which I was pretty excited about. Now if only we could manage to get that house that I want to put it in. Have I mentioned that the process of buying a foreclosure is incredibly frustrating?

 Anyways, if you started following my blog because you're waiting for the rope bench tutorial then I apologize because I've yet to create it. I've been on the lookout for a good piece of furniture to apply the technique to but haven't been lucky. If I don't find something within the next week or two then I will work with something I have around the house. 

A perfectly rainy wedding.

My best friend Dave and his new wife Bethany got married at a tiny airport in rural North Carolina over the weekend. We carpooled down which gave me the opportunity to reminisce with old friends about our crazy high school antics. Always a laugh. The wedding plans were slightly thwarted when rain brought their outdoor wedding inside. But like they say, rain on your wedding day is good luck, and the ceremony was really lovely either way. Especially with the pitter patter of rain outside and on the roof of the hangar. 

When the rain finished and the sun came out again Andrew and I took a walk out to see the planes. I loved their stripes and colors. I don't think I'll ever be taking a ride in one of them though. Far too small and fragile for my tastes. Aside from the fact that I am finally getting over my fear of flying in the big ones. We showered Dave and Bethany with "snow" since Bethany will be leaving her home state and they will be living in Ohio after their honeymoon. 

Mother's Day.

My mom and I. January, 1985.

Fourteen years of sketchbooks.

Starting with the spiral bound Mead sketchbooks in 6th grade and going through phases of kraft paper, antique, and handmade books. I've recently settled on Moleskines but am looking for something new. If there ever was a fire in my home I'd want to be sure to get these out. For me, they capture and evoke more memories than my journal and most photos. There is a time and place, weather, sound and emotion attached to nearly every page of them. They are my life.