HELPING HANDS

Since drawing much more I've noticed that my hands need more love and attention than before. Mainly in the form of stretches and a few breaks to wiggle the fingers and do an invigorating set of jazz hands. To supplement this, I've been using a few products that have helped too.

So to all those out there who use your hands a lot…

This post is for you!

CND SolarOil

I (almost) never paint my nails. I reserve it for times when I go to a wedding or reach a very rare level of boredom. It's not that I don't like color, I just don't like how quickly polish tends to chip or how many layers are required for them to not chip as fast. Also, the general feeling of having polish on makes my nails feel heavy. Anyone out there feel me on this? I have had shellac done before too, which is fine, but not the best for the nails either, which is what leads me to this product! My mom found this after she had a shellac manicure removed and gave me a tiny bottle in my Christmas stocking. My cuticles aren't in the best shape, they get pretty dry and peel a lot. So I was really excited to try it. They call it a 'nail conditioner' which basically means that it's an oil for the hands. It smells of almonds and sinks into the skin near your nails and even on the beds of the nails too. It's probably the most noticeable after you remove polish, acrylics or shellac nails, but after a long winter day, it has made a big difference to me and my digits.

Gold Bond Intensive Healing Hand Cream

This lotion is another recommendation that I originally got from my mom! She too suffers from dry, itchy winter hands. I know lotion is a very personal preference and everyone's body chemistry reacts differently to the myriad of formulas out there. So from my experience, this lotion is thick, but sinks into the skin quickly with an almost cooling sensation. My hands feel smooth and not at all sticky. As for the scent, it is very light and citrusy. I put it on my hands every night before going to bed.

Lush soap Figs and Leaves

A lot of soaps on the market can strip natural moisture away from your hands and I'm pretty sure there isn't much of a worse feeling for the hands to experience than that. I rely on very moisturizing soaps because I usually can't be bothered with putting on lotion AFTER washing the hands. Enter this soap! I'm a huge fan of LUSH anyway, but this soap is my favorite that I've used so far. It exfoliates gently, lathers a very very very little and feels more like rubbing a lotion bar on your hands. Finally, THE SCENT! 🙌 It's deep and as you could probably guess, smells like figs, which smells earthy and bright.

Wintergreen Oil

My last favorite for the hands is wintergreen oil because it is a natural muscle relaxer. It's great for days when your hands and wrists feel tense and tired. The scent is uplifting and when you work a drop into your skin it takes the edge off of any mild pain or discomfort. I use my oil from Young Living. All of their oils are great, but this one is great for muscle pain or overuse.

YOUR STOMACH WILL THANK YOU

So it's January, guys! The time of the year when we try to connect to better habits. One habit that many of us focus on is eating smarter, myself included. This January marked the start of another round of Whole30 eating! Last year I did it with the intention of looking for a food sensitivity. This year I'm focusing on looking at what foods make me feel really great and give me the most sustainable energy. Working at home sometimes led me to snacking on some questionable things like a whole bag of popcorn chips from Trader Joe's (oops!). No surprise here, I would feel like crashing early in the afternoon. You know, that 2:30 feeling? Well I had it biiiiiig time. Part of the challenge with Whole30 is finding or creating recipes that are compliant. If you aren't familiar with Whole30, it essentially embraces a paleo diet for 30 days. Read about it! It's wonderful! And TBH, it can feel like a mental battlefield at times, but I think that makes you a stronger human 💪

Anyway! I have been trying to find different ways to get those very important probiotics in my system. Kombucha in the form of GT's Synergy, flavor: Guava Goddess is usually my standby but I wanted to try something new. When I visited the Wedge Co-Op in Minneapolis, Angelica's Garden raw kimchi caught my eye! It's locally made and the flavors seemed like they would be spicy and delicious (I was right, btw :) ) soooooo I gave it a go and made a stir fry! What I love about kimchi, cousin of sauerkraut, is that it introduces good bacteria into your system to help you digest your food more easily. This recipe is pretty simple, to follow so have fun with it! Add more veggies, different protein, use rice instead of cauliflower rice, whatever you please. No matter how you made it, your stomach will thank you, your taste buds will too!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Coconut Aminos

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tsp garlic chili sauce

2 tsp ginger powder

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tbs sesame oil

1 lb pork tenderloin, silver skin removed

2 cups spinach

1 jar kimchi

1 tbs olive oil

rice of your choosing (I used cauliflower rice)

HOW TO

Cut pork into 1 inch slices

Combine coconut aminos, vinegar, chili sauce, ginger, and sesame oil in a small bowl and cover pork

Place in refrigerator between 20 minutes and 1 hour

While pork is marinating, strain kimchi and save fluid and wash spinach

Heat wok or large skillet over medium heat with olive oil until you notice steam from the pan

Add pork and cook until the outside is browned then remove to a clean plate

Add kimchi and spinach to pan and mix in some fluid from the pork marinade and kimchi

When veggies become soft, add the pork back to the skillet and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Plate your rice and top with pork mixture

Enjoy!

YOU CALL THAT DRAWN?

I have made just over 6 months worth of cards so far! I can't believe this project is going by so quickly.

In the beginning I was so excited to start, but by the time I hit the second month I was a little overwhelmed. I was worried that I would lose the passion and be phone-ing it in before the year was up. BUT I'm very happy to tell you that my fear had no legs to stand on. I'm just as fired up as ever.

Now that I'm more than halfway done I've noticed a distinct shift in my cards. I've been drawing less.

This project is called Drawn & Delivered because when I first got started I wanted to push my simple pen to paper drawing skills and embrace my style. In the beginning that's what I did, and for some cards I still do that. However, more and more I am using my drawing skills to sketch my cards before I make them. The cards I send out are more constructed and designed rather than drawn. I am really pleased with this revelation because it means that I'm growing and trying new skills for my willing recipients and that I'm not putting unnecessary rules over this project. This sense of freedom has started to combine with my design work too. I like to take my time with different analog mediums before going digital. You learn so much as a designer just by drawing or trying a new skill.

With that, here's a collection of cards that I've made that push the term drawn a little further.

A little 'muppet' card with googly eyes and purple felt. Perfect for a toddler to laugh at. This design is so simple and so much fun!

I have been very interested in playing with color and texture, especially as a way to show energy. The concept of this card is to send a friend some extra energy.

This probably looks familiar to you, yes, it is an Adventure Time themed card! I think that show is so good. If I had kids I would for sure watch this show with them happily. I liked the idea of using Jake, the dog (side kick to twelve year old main character, Finn) as the focus. Instead of drawing, I cut construction paper out and layered it to make this card happen.

This card is a lot more conceptual than anything else I've done to this point. I loved using uncommon materials, in this case cardboard, to convey a message of positivity. This card relies on symbolism and metaphor. It's funny because it almost felt like cheating going in such an unconventional direction, but as I got going I had the biggest smile on my face. I want these cards to be fun, dang it! Especially fun for me to make. I like to think that this sense of fun is received by the recipient of the card.

DECEMBER UNIFORM

During the month of December I went to a couple holiday dinners and get togethers with friends. Nothing too fancy, but excuse enough to get dressed up. I wanted to look nicer than normal (which means giving my skinny jeans a break), but because of the cold and the occasional snow fall I wanted to make sure I would be comfortable. So this is what I came up with!

TOP
Slightly cropped, blue slouched sweater with a large knit design. I love the color of this sweater too, it's not really Christmasy but it's very wintery so it could be worn any time during the cooler months. That kind of versatility within my closet is the ultimate goal. 

ACCESSORIES
A smile? To be honest, I kept it pretty simple. I did wear some brass earrings that look a little like holly berries with red stones.

BOTTOM
I believe this kind of skirt is referred to as a 'skater skirt' you can't tell from the photo but it's made from sweatshirt material and it's ribbed. Gosh! It's such a beauty. Also, I am rocking out some festive sparkly tights, cuz…holidays ✨

HAIR
Low relaxed pony tail pulled this look together, gives it some structure, but I really wanted to still be more relaxed in general, so this hair-do was perfect. I did wear my hair down and a bit wavy on one occasion too, it looked a little more girly, at times that's a good thing.

MAKE-UP
I was really into a darker coral shade with this look or a nice matte red lip. Thanks to my birthday gift from Sephora, I was able to get a NARS lip pencil to use when I wanted to go red.

SCENT
Speaking of Sephora, I got another free gift from their rewards program and I picked the scent Indigo by Nest, which is a nice dark but floral scent, so it transitions from day to night easily. It also came in a tiny roll on bottle. It's precious!

FEET
These healed boots from my October Uniform were perfect for walking outside, adding extra height and looking fly, which is kind of why I bought them in the first place! These babes are the best for winter.

BAG
My trusty satchel was still very used, even for parties. What can I say? It's looks good with everything!

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How did you dress for the holiday season this year? Did any tips help you out or did you learn something that you'd like to try for the next party you attend? Do tell! :)

15 TO 16

2015 was a huge year for Christopher and me. It was huge for us as a couple and for me as an individual…

• we moved to Minneapolis from Michigan
• Christopher started a new job as an Interaction Designer (proud lady, right here!)
• made new friends
• visited with old friends
• traveled to Oxford and London to see family
• we dealt with death and illness within our family
• we went on the Whole30, a 30 day detox to aid in figuring out what it means to live a healthy life
• I took productivity and organization firmly into my hands by finding and using the method, GTD
• I made art and design a HUGE priority by making cards for Drawn & Delivered, commissioned Christmas cards, and branding for a political campaign and social issues through AIGA.
• through AIGA Minnesota, I got to know the design community in Minneapolis
• I have been trying to find a great fit for my career goals since the relocation, a task that has never been very clear to me
• Star Wars VII FINALLY came out!
• AND Christopher adopted a new car on the LAST day of the year!

Overall, I'd say that this past year had equal amounts of soaring highs and crushing lows. Through it all, I made it a priority to appreciate everything. Even on days when I felt the worst I would bounce back just by knowing that all of this effort will not be wasted and I am right where I need to be.

Now that 2015 is fading away, I'm looking forward to see what I can find once 2016 comes into full focus.

As of right now, I am looking forward to beginning another round of Whole30 with Christopher and some of his co-workers. We could both use some more energy and structure in the kitchen and Whole30 proved to be a great aid in both last year. Starting this month I am going to be a contributor to the North Nabe blogging platform which will allow me to work with a great group of bloggers and local businesses.

In regards to this space, I look forward to sharing things that challenges me, collaborating more and using this blog as a way to share my love for everything creative: design, food, music, dance, illustration, cards, the list could go onnnnn and onnnnn :)

Thanks for reading during 2015 and HAPPY 2016!!!!