Trick or Treat!

Bright orange, lots of sugar and a storm brewing outside.

Jack O' Lantern

The farmstand down the road has a wagon brimming with pumpkins. It makes me inordinately happy driving by it. Candy corn in the checkout aisle and Billie Holiday tunes are also making the week go smoothly.

And before I forget, I've been adding a few more links to the sidebar (sorry if you're following via an RSS feed). There's just so much darn good blog reading out there...

Hello Friday

Huzzah for apple cider and turning leaves! An extra blanket is hopefully stalling turning the heat on, but at least the noontime sun is delightful.

And I've dragged this out again. I started working on this quilt again nights watching television ("Top Design" is infinitely better this time around). It's been an ongoing project since high school. And let's just say, I haven't been in high school since the zenith of the Spice Girls...



So happy Fridays all around!

Maple Trees

Memes, Musings and Music

What started as a joke has now become a mission. I am stalking accordions on ebay. I'll let you know if/when I make the leap. Elsewhere:

*Remember this t-shirt? You can see it with a few other entries here if you scroll down a bit here.

*Crystal tagged me awhile ago for an "I Love Your Blog" award. If you haven't seen her blog, surf on over to see some delightful illustrations! So, seven blogs I really enjoy? It's A Whimsical Life, Eric Orchard, Gloaming Designs, Happy Doodle Land, Pookie & Fig (full disclosure, it's my sis, but a delightful read nonetheless), Searlait, Flossy-P

*Hot chocolate with cocoa powder and milk is far superior to the packet stuff. First of the season today.

*Over on the Decor8 blog there's some links to what other bloggers are listening to at the moment. Here's today's playlist for me. If you've got any recommendations yourself, fire away in the comments:

1) Hesitating Beauty - Billy Bragg
2) Crown of Love - Arcade Fire
3) Sweet Talking Woman - Electric Light Orchestra
4) Imitosis - Andrew Bird
5) Piazza, New York Catcher - Belle and Sebastian
6) This Time Tomorrow - The Kinks
7) 1, 2, 3, 4 - Feist
8) Needles and Pins - The Ramones
9) Senses Working Overtime - XTC
10) And She Was - The Talking Heads
11) Jumpin' Jive - Joe Jackson
12) Sunken Waltz - Calexico
13) Vigilante Man - Woody Guthrie
14) Feelgood by Numbers - The Go! Team
15) Take Out the Trash - They Might Be Giants
16) Conjunction Junction - Better Than Ezra
17) These Days - Nico

At this Moment

September really is the best of both worlds. Pumpkin spice lattes back at Starbucks, but it's warm enough to sit outside and enjoy them. So let's see, what else is delightful:

*The Affirmations show at Artstream is swell. If you're within driving distance, I highly recommend a visit. A terrific mix of artists and styles.

*Operation Nice - Chronicling niceness of all sorts

*"Virtual Pose" is an excellent resource for drawing kids

*Have I waxed poetic about the live concerts on NPR? I spent a really nice Saturday drawing, listening to a few while the remnants of Hanna stormed outside.

Illustration Friday - Memories

A Last Hurrah

Summer went out with a bang this weekend that included toasted marshmallows, sangria and assorted aunts, uncles and cousins. I can't quite wrap my head around the notion of fall and am fully planning to wear flip flops as long as is feasible.

Oh, and who doesn't love a yard sale:


25 cent elephant creamer. A necessity, of course.