These days I kinda just consider Halloween to be pregaming for Christmas, but that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy doing a lil somethin’ somethin’ to celebrate the holiday.
There’s almost always been a member of my extended family who has taken it upon themselves to spend months planning and prepping for a spectacular party.
October 28th, 2023
I know, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve given any attention to my little ol’ blog. The thing is, life has been anything but eventless (I did succeed in jinxing things when I said in this post that I thought life was beginning to calm down again…who could’ve predicted. I brought this upon myself, I know).
But what can I say, in the words of the majestic TSwift: I’m on some new shit / been saying “yes” instead of “no”
Has it been working out for me? Who’s to say. Some days I wake up with stomach aches, other days I feel courageous enough to do anything. But hey, can’t say I haven’t been giving life my all ✌🏼
(help)
(1, 2, 3, let’s go, bitch)
Recently I got incredibly bored with myself. You know when Bruce Springsteen said:
I check my look in the mirror / wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
That’s been the mood. So I started scrolling Pinterest and pinning all the braids and simple updos, and why did it take me so long to start learning this stuff?
Crisis averted. I did not have to cut my hair, or mistakenly bring back the bangs, I simply needed to learn to show off what I have.
She’s cute, she’s classy, and she stays put all day long 🤍
come to the beach, chill by the sea / see how your heavy life looks from the coastline ☀
The last time we drove down to the coastline was May 14th, and life was going incredibly well. We were all happy, busy, inspired, and thriving. And then June came around (no comment), July absolutely sucked, August was hell, and the beginning of September was super stressful and highly disappointing.
Before yesterday, the thought of taking a day trip down felt more like an exhausting chore than any kind of fun adventure. But now (dare I say the words, lest I jinx it?), it seems like life might actually be beginning to calm down and become a little more centered again.
(knock on wood)
And we finally made it back to our second home.
was she stalking the seagulls, or were the seagulls stalking her?
I’m in love.
His name is Edgar.
He’s now 20 days old, and though his eyes are open, there ain’t nothin’ behind ’em. He looks absolutely clueless and soulless 100% of the time, and it’s absolutely infuriating how cute he is.
Although I knew kittens grew up fast, it’s still hard to believe how quickly he’s quadrupled in size since the day of his birth. And the size of his paws?? They’re tiny, but also massive. We all think he’s going to end up being a much larger cat than his mom.
Edgar, formerly known as “One”
rainy weekend / a good book / vanilla peppermint tea / sweatpants / gloomy skies / the smell of wet leaves / lentil soup / wood smoke / neutral colors / a perfectly moody playlist / lazy self portraits
I’m an idiot.
Listen, I’ve been altering, sewing, and saving clothes for how many years now, and I only just realized that I can easily (eas·i·ly) turn an awkward sweater into an adorable cropped sweater.
Why have I not done this before?? I feel like there have been multiple cute sweaters in my past that I could have saved with this method.
Like I previously mentioned when I painted some donation pieces for Barn Sanctuary’s auction: I love donating art. If I could make a living off simply donating art, I would. The pressure of getting every detail of someone’s beloved pet is off, and I just get to loosen up and enjoy the work.
I chose to paint Colin the cow, and Kellen the goat for Woodstock Sanctuary’s Harvest Picnic Gala, and I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome ❤
click the photos to enlarge them
Looking like a baddie, but my bumper sticker gives me away 🖤
(9.5 years of driving, and what has changed?)
I spent most of Saturday at my sewing machine altering my latest thrifted finds. It’s amazing what a few darts, tucks, and carefully-placed seams can do to an outfit. Also, how did I go so long before realizing that I can alter the length and fit of any sweater!?
(more on that in a later post)
bumper sticker from SensitiveByAndi on Etsy
Some recent pet portrait work!
I’m currently working on a couple art pieces to donate to Woodstock Farm Sanctuary’s Harvest Picnic Gala. It’s always nice to take a break from dogs and cats for a minute and paint some cows and goats.
❤ to see more of my work, click here
❤ to order a portrait of your own, click here
one of my 4″ x 6″ portraits
art by jordan rae 