I find it hard to resist photographing a really pretty breakfast. Two days ago, when it was four degrees outside, I decided to make breakfast bars. As it turns out, they didn't really want to stay in one piece, so I decided to crumble them up and eat them over yogurt. So, this is how I started out my first Monday of the new year. As of yet, I have no resolutions for 2010, which is unusual for me, but I think I still have a little time to figure it out.

I am doing a new project for M A K E this month, called reMAKE. The idea is to create a new interpretation of someone else's art in a completely different medium. Not necessarily an original project, but I thought it might be a fun way to start the new year. I got the idea to do reMAKE after reading up on Yinka Shonibare's work back in November.

After my breakfast this morning, I went to the art institute to seek out the work that I would choose as my inspiration. I haven't settled on one piece yet, but I'm thinking of doing a photograph by Gary Stochl. I will probably take a trip to the library to dig through some art books before I make my final decision!

sunday...

Sunday began with brunch at Feed. Last time I was there, they had sold out of the fried green tomato benedict, but this time I got one! I don't think I am doing this meal justice with my photograph, but I am doing my best to share the moment. As is becoming ritual, I tried to win a golden egg when the meal was over, but instead won a fortune telling fish - according to which, I was 'jealous' (ouch). If your curious about the science behind those little red "miracle" fish, you can check it out here.

Next on the agenda was Renegade, which was packed, but I managed to find a couple of Christmas presents. Some of my favorite vendors were Cursive Design, oneCANOEtwo, appetite, Sonnenzimmer, and Paper Stories. Spudnik Press was also there with their super enticing art candy machine. For a dollar you could get a small limited edition print from the dispenser. I first discovered this machine at the Spudnik anniversary party two nights before and found myself obsessively feeding it quarters trying to collect all six of the featured prints.

I ended my day with our annual holiday craft night at work. It's when we come together to eat, drink, and make holiday gifts. I mulled some cider and everyone brought great treats... like chocolate chai chex mix which is so delicious and tricky to say five times fast.

awe shucks...

I have to confess, every once in a while, I check my "hearts me" status on etsy... which makes me feel a little bit like a high schooler. Maybe I feel this way because I'm checking in to see how popular I am or maybe it's the term "hearts me" that does it... or maybe a little bit of both. In any case, today I received my 1,000th heart and actually took a picture of it. Yup, that's right.

Now I'm going to go hang it in my locker...

...market recap

A couple of weekends ago I had a booth at Lill's Holiday Market. Since then, I've been working on photographing and posting all of my work to my shop. I am almost done!! Here are a few photos of the market a few new items you can find in my shop.

weekend getaway...

This week I am getting ready for the fast approaching Lill Holiday Market. It's just about a week away and I have plenty left to do! Thankfully, a few of my other projects have just recently wrapped up, including the 30 day sketch and the set design for Museum. In the midst of all this, I decided to come up for a big gulp of air and headed to Denver for the weekend. A dear friend of mine recently moved there, so it was great to see her and explore a new city. We walked around town, visited some great shops (Fancy Tiger, Kozo, Heidelberg Antiques, and Gallagher Books), had a delicious brunch at Gaia, and hiked through Rocky Mountain National Park. Here are a few pictures!

to market...

If you are in Chicago on Saturday, November 14th, come see me at Lill's holiday market! I will be selling jewelry, art and vintage goods. Below is a little snippet from their blog on the story behind the market, and if you follow this link, you can get the rest of the details on where and when. Hope to see you there!

weekend blurbs...

...sitting at a library desk with a stack of good books, working on my current set design project

checked out: "Sketch Book, Conceptual drawings from the World's Most Influential Designers", by Timothy O'Donnell, "Leon Ferrai and Mira Schendel, Tangled Alphabets" and a couple others.

...a couple of finds from the Kane County flea market.  I also picked up a few prints and some really delicious apple cider donuts.

... sidewalk art that I stumbled upon on a walk

...the lesser known public park, where I worked on drawings for the 30 day sketch.

... see the finished version on MAKE.