UNBREAKABLE!

Sundays are a day for art and naps! I spent the morning inking words and scanning 24 pieces of chipboard littered with lettering onto my computer so I could edit them on photoshop.

Awesome way to get texture and get away from the computer for a little bit. 

Had to make a print from Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" 

Such a hilarious show with excellent one liners. This line spoke to me. FEMALES ARE STRONG AS HELL. 

Ice cream in bed, drawing finishing touches and Netflix.

"I'm okay"

Drawing old screenshots of texts.

Good advice.

Adulthood

Later, credit card. Paid you off with my hard work and frugality. 

Dani Doodles

Momma D overnighted me some real Mexican food so I could survive in Virginia.

Brush yo shoulders off.

Marvin and Oreo turned 1 so I did some realistic cat portraits of them.

Can't say I've been feelin' very creative these past couple months, but here are some things I managed to bleed out of myself. Nothing fancy. I've been exhausted.

Day lights saving- fall back.

My friend got a tattoo of my lettering.

Need a hug.

Tattoo ideas for people.

Remember.

This isn't art, this was Fall.

A quote from the tv show, Californication.

Thanksgiving doodle.

Self portrait.

From when I was finally flying home for Christmas.

My coworker and friend made me homemade chili and macaroni (Ohio style!) just because she knows I hate cooking. So yummy and so appreciated! This is a little card I made her.

Christmas presents for my bosses.

My next door neighbor is the worst. Portrait of them in objects.

Kim Kardashian

I mentioned a couple months ago, at the height of my embroidery craze, that I was commissioned to make handkerchiefs for an old art school classmate/friend for her wedding. Totally surprised and excited and honored to be part of anyone's special day!

Quick handwriting trials to send to Sue (the bride!) to get her opinion and approval of the design. We went with the top cursive one!

A few shots of the handkerchiefs in the process of being embroidered! Although I didn't include photos of it, the dying process to get a charcoal-y gray was incredibly tedious. Gray is not an easy color to achieve because there are so many shades of it (hahahaha.) And all the dyes are either blue-black or yellow-gray. I ended up dying all the hankies 3 times, first blue-black, then yellow-gray, then in a diluted blue-black bath. It was complicated and all the hankies have a slightly different hue, but that just makes them unique! Right?! Moral of the story: send your fabrics to be professionally dyed. 

I finished the majority of the hankies (except 1.5) back at home in Tucson. When I moved, I brought them with me and after a couple months of settling in and adjusting to a completely different lifestyle (Sorry, Sue!) I finally finished the last couple hankies. 

Embroidering in bed, where else?! Golden scissors can be bought at hautepapier.com

I searched high and low for little heart charms to attach to the hankies because... you know, love and stuff, and after a handful of stores, I found these little cuties that I thought made the hankies a little more special.

 

I made a baker's dozen of these hankies (13, duh!) And I think they are so cute and funny and a perfect addition to a lovely wedding! 

(No ugly crying! So Kim K., Farrah from Teen Mom and yours truly aren't allowed to cry at these nuptials. We all look like scared raisins when we shed a tear. Ew.)

I packaged them in little organza gift bags and sent them off last weekend, along with a couple little treats!

I print these notepads (along with a lot of other things) at my job here in DC! Once I saw this was one of our new designs, I had to buy and print one for the soon-to-be Mrs.!  

(Interested? Check out hautepapier.com) 

And I also sent a couple little letterpress cards I got to print at work at our Valentine's day party! So cute!

This commission was truly so much fun! Thanks, Sue!

If you're interested in commissioning me to make something cool for you, embroidered or not! Feel free to email me and we can chat! :) 

xoxo

This City Is Going To Kill Me

I found this blog post in my drafts and I although I DO intend on elaborating on my move and all the art I have created since I left my hometown in October '14, right now, I think this post speaks for itself. 

When I decided to leave, I created 6 stickers and printed a million and stuck them up all around Tucson. It was a love letter to Tucson, and a love letter to everyone cool I left behind.

xoxo

Marvin in one of my packing boxes...

Before I left, I got to see my favorite inspiration of a musical artist, K.flay! She was so amazing live and so nice to my best friends and I.

Her dope music got me through college and continues to heal me. 

My neighbor and family friend made me this itty bitty, very yummy, going away cake. I loved it! 

How I Beat Shaq

The folder that held my resume/cover letter/etc... Everything must be gold!

I promised a lil update and now that I'm visiting Tucson for the holidays, I finally have time to catch everyone up! In October I packed up all my earthly possessions, filled a uHaul and drove across the country with my papa to start my new job as a production manager at a wholesale stationery company in DC called Haute Papier! Crazy! The whole application, skype interview, offer of job and acceptance took about a week and I moved two weeks later! It was beyond stressful, beyond emotional and beyond surreal. It still doesn't feel like I have moved, it just feels like a weird vacation where I don't know anyone for thousands of miles...

Anyways, I wanted to share how I approached getting jobs after college... It was something everyone in art school tried to scare you with, but I decided to have a little fun with it and hope someone would appreciate my work. Haute Papier was like the third place I applied to, so I honestly was very lucky to get noticed and loved! I sent a mini portfolio in a handmade box with my saguaro pattern on it, a mixtape (because it explains who I am even better) and of course my resume, cover letter, references, business cards and STICKERS!!! 

It ended up being the perfect fit and I really enjoy the sweet people I work with and being surrounded my letterpress machines and ink and pretty, pretty stationery. I'm learning a lot, I am being pushed and challenged and I am growing as an employee and manager everyday! It's all an interesting ride and every day is a challenge when you're alone in a big city, but it's a challenge I'm up for! 

(Anyone like the cool Aaron Carter reference in the title? No? Cool.)