Tea Time!

Tea Time

Things are starting to settle down around here. Thatcher is about 3 1/2 months old and what a delight he is! Happy and social, he is a good eater and a great sleeper.

I keep saying we won the baby jackpot.

When I go in to get him in the morning, after he’s been soundly asleep for more than eight hours (I am amazed by this because my daughter slept so little in the beginning), he looks up at me with his big blue eyes and grins–and I swoon.

It is one of the highlights of my day.

Don’t get me wrong–it hasn’t been a cakewalk. Even babies that are easy are a lot of work. AND there is his sweet, spirited, big sister to run after–she hasn’t been sleeping nearly as well as he has. But I wouldn’t trade it…

I’m still not really working, but in between the diaper changing and the feedings, the piles of laundry, and the ever-present battle keep crayon masterpieces off of my furniture, I have been squeezing creative work in whenever I can.

I’m taking Lilla Rogers’ Assignment Bootcamp (which is a lot like her Make Art That Sells class that I took over the summer, but at a more leisurely pace). There is one assignment each month for about six months, ideal for honing my creative skills and generating new work for my portfolio.

This month, the assignment was to create a pattern for bolt fabric with a jello theme.

Jello..?? Really?

I struggled at first, until I decided that the jiggly, gelatinous dessert didn’t have to be the star. And then I was off and running…

I drew lots of fancy spoons. Which led to tea cups and tea pots. And decadent cakes. The image above was my final submission.

One of the best part about being in Lilla’s classes is the community. I have connected with artist from all over the world. Many of the participants are established illustrators who set the bar very high–making all of us better.

You can see what my classmates came up with in the public gallery (mine is on page 5, fifth row down on the right).

Who knew jello could be so much fun?