Here's my Illustration Friday submission for unbalanced. I should have drawn him or her a net...
Have a great weekend, everyone! I'm off to clean my house and prepare snacks for my birthday party tomorrow. Any ideas for go-to easy appetizers?
People either love them or hate them, but I really like the matchstick jean styles that have been popular in the past couple of years. With a pair of ballet flats, you can't help but feel sassy like Ms. Hepburn, or feel like doing an impromptu grande jete in the corridor at work.
The shoulder pads trend however, needs to stay six feet under. I already look like a linebacker as it is (in a good way, thanks to waterpolo and diving), and do not need any extra in that area.
The Northeast has been under a blanket of clouds and rains for much of the past week, and next week as well. I'm not complaining, I'm sure we need the rain... However, it has made me notice other people's colorful umbrellas. The shots of yellow, leopard prints and plaid are making me smile. Whatever happened to those umbrellas with ruffly edges? I think I need to find myself one of those! 
I must enjoy the fleeting sunshine now. So I'm off to bike home, scrounge up dessert for dinner with friends, a rudimentary button sewing lesson and holding an adorable little girl!
Here's hoping you get lots of sunshine this weekend.
Note to self: create new header for summer. That one is tired.
This illustration serves three purposes. Illustration Friday's topic this week is "craving". Something I often crave are the fried sweet treats below. Donuts!
Apparently, the first Friday of June is National Doughnut Day. I did not get a free donut, but I treated myself to one Mike purchased for me.
Lastly, this image has been sitting in my head waiting to come out. It's so festive and calorie free! Sounds good to me.
In honor of this day, these are my favorites:
Entennmann's Chocolate Crumb Donuts
Entennmann's Rich Chocolate Frosted Donuts
Glazed Donuts (especially hot from the oven)
Sugar Twisty Donuts from Publix
Chocolate with Glazed
Chocolate Frosted
Anything with sprinkles.
Have I forgotten anything? What are your favorites?
Parades bring to mind:
Loudness, shrieks of joy from teeny children, confetti, thrown candy, hysteria, fumes from flatbed trucks, crepe paper, paper mache, bales of hay, color, umbrellas, tired parents, happy children, cheers, mounted policemen, balloons, music, feathered band hats, inclement weather, music and lots of clean-up later.
I could use a parade today!
Oh, Illustration Friday, how I have abandoned you. Well, you're getting some attention this week. I won't make any empty promises to you, but enjoyed making a quick sketch for the week's topic in my new notebook.
The topic was hierarcy. I'm blaming it on the state of Alaska sized rainstorm drifting over the Northeast. Being the melodramatic person that I am, I'm acting like I've forgotten what the feel of sunshine on my face is like. (wink)
I'm such a process gal. Please indulge me as I showcase the process behind my newest and most treasured wool item.
In December, I received 2 skeins of Noro during the holiday yarn swap at Rosie's! For a few minutes, I sat there thinking, what could I possibly make with 2 skeins of mismatched Noro? Seconds later the little voice told me to purchase 4 more of the constrasting and obnoxious skeins to create the most insane legwarmers ever!"
Of course I had to sketch it out so that others could see my "vision". Ever the multi-tasker, I turned it into an Illustration Friday entry as well. (wink)
Here's my quick submission for this week's Illustration Friday theme -- "Tales and Legends". As all good stories start with,"Once upon a time..."
On a side note, I'm feeling very accomplished today. I coordinated a job at work, and as one of the riggers put it, "This is the first time I've come for one of these ATM installations and someone knew what they were doing." I was quite proud! Proudness quickly turned to surprise when I realized I was the only one "not packing", as all the cash carrying armored guards have to do. No quick movements, people.
Happy Friday!
Ah, my first Illustration Friday post of the year, for the topic, plain. Did I want to draw anything plain? Of course not. So I included the absence of plain in the rest of the drawing (wink).
And, no. It is not a wedding dress, people.
Also, damn you, lighting! I had to say it. I can't have you thinking I made the watercolors that yellow.
Now I need to start working on my prints for the Mid-Winter Gocco Swap. Do umbrellas count as mid-winter? Please remember I'm a native of South Florida...
We had a little yarn swap at Rosie's Knitting Circle on Wednesday. Serendipity led me to my new obsession; Noro Silk Garden Lite (thanks, Mindy!)
I've never used Noro, and started brainstorming with the girls on what to make. Inspiration struck in the form of legwarmers. The fact that I had a gift credit card burning a hole in my pocket speeded up the process.
I purchased four additional skeins of Noro in the highest contrasting combinations. I told the girls, "I want it to look like a rainbow threw up on these legwarmers." (Hey, it's not easy being this classy.)
I did a quick conceptual sketch to show you what I'm thinking below. I want them to be on the tighter side, but have generous ribbing on the tops and bottoms. 
I did a swatch tonight, and I'm loving this yarn. With my history of rainbow colors, how have I not used this before?!
I may wind the 6 skeins into 12 smaller skeins to enable more variety of color. Anyone have any advice? I'll be doing the legwarmers on circulars using magic loop, so am not too concerned on weaving in the ends. Speak up, my friends! I know you're not shy (wink)!
Scales for Illustration Friday's topic last week. I painted layer after layer of silver watercolor to give it a sheen.
You can't see the metallic silver in this photo, but you can definitely see it in the shot below.
Heather was visiting me and really liked it, so it's hers now!
Speaking of freebies, I'm renewing my subscription to Domino magazine. Since I get one free gift subscription when I renew, I thought one of my crafty blog friends may want it.
If you would like to enter for my gift subscription, just leave a comment guessing the date (month and day only) that I got my braces off in the 6th grade. Why that day? Only because it was one of the best days of my life!
Whomever is closest to the date will win. I'll select a winner on Monday, December 3rd.
Illustration Friday is my new favorite thing. There are such talented people on the IF Flickr pool, it is quite inspiring.
I love hats, I've always enjoyed wearing them. Some think they don't look good in hats, but I think it's just a matter of confidence. "Fake it until you make it" is my motto for hat-wearing.
I didn't have too much time, so picked five hats I thought would be fun to draw. The first is a red waterpolo goalie cap, which was my 'uniform' when I used to play, along with 2 square feet of spandex. That's probably the least flattering cap anyone could wear.
The other four obviously show my subconcious desires to wear outrageous headresses, vintage hats and be royalty, save the brown cloche. That's just cute.
Oh, and speaking of cute, I made a third pair of Saartje's Bootees for a woman at work. She pleaded and begged, and paid for the yarn. It was a treat to work with Koigu Kersti and that adorable pattern again, even at the laundromat.
Enjoy your weekend, everyone! I'm ditching Mike to go on a roadtrip with gal pals which I'll tell you about next week.
Illustration Friday's topic this week is "trick or treat". This will be my non-submission participation for "treat".
When I first had sugared cranberries, it was when I was still living in Florida. I had them at a party and had "just one more" fifty-seven times. You can't purchase superfine sugar in the South, so re-creating these was a lost dream.
Years later, I moved to Philadelphia and finally made these little jems. Everyone loves them. Especially, Aimee, who this recipe is really for! 
Remember, these are not bad for you. They contain anti-oxidants and prevent certain, er, infections. Review health benefits to cranberries here.
This recipe was from Cooking Light.
Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
2 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup superfine sugar
Yield
9 servings (1/3 cup per serving)
Directions
Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring mixture until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat. (Do not boil or the cranberries may pop when added.) Stir in cranberries; pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Marissa's note: If they do pop, it's giggle inducing, and they'll still taste good. They probably won't stay as fresh though, so it's not recommended.
Drain cranberries in a colander over a bowl, reserving steeping liquid, if desired. Place superfine sugar in a shallow dish. Add the cranberries, rolling to coat with sugar. Spread sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry.
Note: The steeping liquid clings to the berries and helps the sugar adhere. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week.
I'm trying to participate in Illustration Friday regularly. There's nothing like blogging for accountability (wink).
This week's topic was "grow". What better than one of my favorite hobbies? 
Click here to see other people's interpretation of "grow".
I actually prefer circulars to straight needles, but I think they're the archetypal knitting needles.
I love scribbling and loose pen strokes...I don't love the lighting after work though, when you're trying to take a picture!
Enjoy your Friday!
Illustration Friday's topic this week was 'open'. I'm not entering this little doodle, and took their topic to mean it was open to interpretation.
I used this week's IF to mess around with my new calligraphy nibs, patterns, lines and just let my mind wander.
Some parts of this drawing I like, such as fish scales, little ovals and the cobalt purple color. However, I'm the type to see animals and shapes in anything. I see a balloon creature, amoeba, and organ tissue and innards in this. Don't tell Freud. Can you tell I was also watching a documentary on the Big Bang Theory?
Here's hoping you all have a great weekend. I am looking forward to a roadtrip to Maine, a beautiful wedding, an Egg McMuffin from McDonalds (I only go there when it's a road trip), a rare bookstore, and experiencing fall, finally!
I'm also going to bring 5 books to read, my sketchpad, and 2 knitting projects. Did I mention I'll be back on Sunday? (wink)
This week's topic for Illustration Friday was "missing".
Lately, I've been obsessed with eggs. In a good way though. You can make any type of food, from quiches to meringues to cakes to savory crepes. They have all types of nutrients, and the shell can be eaten as it has calcium (thanks to Survivorman on the Discovery Channel).
I had a cockatiel named Peaches who laid unfertilized eggs quite frequently for a few years. She would sit on them constantly and become so hopeful. We'd have to take them away after a little bit of time. She always seemed so betrayed when she realized they were gone. I didn't want to show the poor hens, but I showed the aftermath of the missing piece.
In my quest to start drawing more, I participated in my first Illustration Friday activity. The topic was 'discovery'. This just appeared...
I've been obsessed with flying machines, kites and hot air balloons lately. Perhaps it's because I can see the Philly zoo balloon from my window at work every thirty minutes. And coincidentally, I'm finishing "Measuring the World", and one of the characters rides in the first hot air balloon flight. (Mental note: add hot air balloon ride to list of things to do once.)
I also have some ideas in my head on paper. Something involving pen and ink, watercolor and gocco. In the meantime, here's a thumbnail from my sketchbook.
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