adventuring mothers

I love doing a show and tell of my latest art projects, and this project is a special treat!  An amazing local photographer, Carolee Beckham, contacted me about working on a baby book with her.  She shared her text and her vision with me and I knew I wanted to participate.  I spent a handful of days working on the sketches and illustrating the finals and I am so pleased with how they turned out!

I felt especially excited about this project because I often hope that - when that day comes that I am lucky enough to be a mom - I can still keep my adventurous spirit alive and share new adventures with my kids.  I like to call these illustrations the "adventuring mothers" series.  They've got a baby on their hip but they're still brave enough to fly to the moon.  Ka-pow!

Carolee went through the process of writing the text, creating the layout of the book, and printing a hard copy.  We met up yesterday for lunch and I was so excited to see my illustrations turn into a book!

Cool, right?

A special thanks to Carolee Beckham, her vision, and the fashionable Sakura Bloom slings that this project was inspired by.

>> Would you want to purchase an adventurous mother print?  If so... which one?
>> Would you want to buy a copy of "I'll Wear You to the Moon"?  Yes or no?  Maybe we should try to get it published... or sell it on blurb... or something cool like that.
>> If you are interested in purchasing the originals (11x14") email me at hueandhum at gmail.
>> Would you like it if I did a giveaway on the blog tomorrow? (Duh.)
>> Check out Carolee's blog post to see more detailed photos and read the book "Fly Me to the Moon"

Saint George

Hum and I had a great time on our vacation last weekend.  We went with all the band mates plus wives to Saint George and spent a few days doing mostly nothing... with a few extra activities.

We swam.

We went on a hike nature walk.  

(I thought it would be appropriate to go on more of a walk since we had two pregnant ladies with us.  It wasn't because I was lazy or anything... I swear.)

We caught a grumpy lizard.

And checked out some cool southern Utah landscape via my macro lens.

We spent a lot of hours on our 15 passenger van.

And... (wait for it... wait for it... )... we made memories to last a lifetime!  (Ahhhh... cheesy but true. ) 

>> I hope you all had a great weekend too!  Check back tomorrow so I can show and tell a new fun art project with you!

packing tips

Well, it's the middle of the night, I've got the Biebs turned up to 11, and I'm packing our things up because Hum and I are heading out on a trip tomorrow.  (Yipee!)  It's really hard for me to put my life on hold but I know this is a much needed trip and I will be very grateful once I'm on the road.  The Fictionist guys and the Fictionista's are going on a weekend vacation together to sunny southern Utah to enjoy the sunshine, sit by the pool, and basically - do a whole lot of nothing!  Sounds nice, right?  I'm very excited.  As I've been packing up I've been thinking it might be helpful for me to tutor you in the vaction must-have's.

Sunglasses (duh).  I got mine at Target to save a pretty penny.  The only downside?  They're always crooked.  No matter how many times I try to twist and pull them, they're just crooked.  It's kind of their thing.  And you know what?  I'm not going to fight it, I'm going to embrace it.  There could be worse titles out there than "girl with the crooked glasses".  Like for example, "girl with the crooked heart" or "girl that smells bad every day", just for starters.

Next, you have to have some ziploc bags cause you know a girl ain't gonna travel without her make-up in her convenient ziploc bag.  (expect only the best from me)

My new back pack!  I actually got it for Hum, but you know what happens when you tie the knot, don't ya?  What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours.  Hum doesn't have any interest in anything that's mine... besides my guitar... but I have taken over (literally moved them into my closet) 3 of his shirts, 1 pair of pants (see below), and I steal his pillow nightly (the thicker firm-er kind).  Okay, that's not true, I don't steal it he just sneaks it over to my side of the bed when I'm not looking because he's a very sneaky gentlemen.  

Perhaps the most essential item to pack for the trip is my favorite pair of pants.  Are they really pants you ask?  But wait, they have an elastic waist... are they pajamas?  But wait... they are denim... maybe they are jeans?  But hold on... those jeans have polka dots on them, are they lounge pants?  My friends - yes - they are all of the above.  You can wear them to the movies (I do), you can wear them to bed (I definitely have), you could try wearing them to church (I haven't, but I'm not saying I wouldn't try... well, no, I probably wouldn't), you can wear them anywhere you please.  I got these pants at H&M on sale for $10 and it was the happiest day of my life.

Lastly, don't leave town without packing a pair of moss green pants.  You know colored pants are all the rage right now and I don't actually own any, but (!) my husband does... because I buy him cool clothes (and spend waaaay more money on his clothes than mine, whatever).  One blustery morning a week or so ago I woke up and saw these green pants sitting on Hum's shelf in his closet.  I looked at them and thought, "I wonder if those will fit me", and as luck would have it, they did!  (cha ching!)  So I took them, I kept them, and I wear them often.  So, let me answer the question you have lingering in your mind, "you and Hum are the same size!?".  No my friends, Hum is much skinnier.  Bless him and his tiny butt.  Bless them both forever.

I hope you all have a great holiday weekend.  See you in a few days!

>> Here's a photo of Hum wearing those same jeans from the Rolling Stone Magazine.  We can pretend like we're in people magazine... "who wore it better!?".  I would choose Hum, and I'm pretty sure 80% would agree.
>> Don't forget to enter huehum20 to get 20% off at trucker deluxe  on all your favorite goodies
>> Remember this blog post?  Funny and still true.

old bed sheets

The other day Hum and I went on a little date night together.  We shared a Cafe Rio Salad (our go-to anti-cooking meal) and then we stopped by the thrift store around the corner for fun.  They had an excellent stash of bed sheets which I love.  Bed sheets = yards of fabric to use for... who knows what!  When I saw this pattern I thought, that sure will compliment our astro-turf colored carpet nicely!  So I bought it.

Albus supervised me cutting it.

I spent my night pinning (as in the kind where you can poke your finger, not the kind where you drool on your computer over recipes you will never make).



Our whole apartment is kind of funny and has that old grandma vibe going on.  There's cool old and there's bad old, and I'd like to think it is mostly cool old.  However, those curtains are a real kick in the pants.  They're like the terrible Christmas from 1995 that never got taken down.  I pulled them down,  bagged them up, and put them in the shed where they shoulda gone two decades ago.  Good by Christmas... bahh humbug.

I love the new curtains!  A funky, easy, cheep solution to the Christmas curtain surprise.

The next day I picked up the scraps of the fabric and thought I may as well make some matching pillow covers (domestic diva... I know).  I finagled with the design a little bit, since I don't really know what I'm doing, but I got them to work eventually.

And after a long day of finger pricking pinning, sewing, and cleaning up the tornado of fabric scraps and threads I left spread throughout the house... I took a nap on my new pillows.

The end.

swim!

How do I say this and still sound humble?...

... dang we look good.  (Did I handle that the right way?)

Hum and I have been hittin' the gym almost every day, and you know what - the hard work and patience really does pay off.  Or as Jenna of 30 Rock would say, "oh just water and portion control".

We picked up some new swimming suits from Lime Ricki this year.  I love the men's swim suits because they show off those legs!  It's hard to find short men's swim trunks, but Lime Ricki did it just right.  Hum got these, I got this top and these bottoms, and now we're ready to swim our summer away.   Or, let's be realistic, we'll probably sit in our backyard field of dandelions in our swimsuits with a squirt bottle in hand and listen to ocean noises on our boom box.  You can join us, just keep your expectations real low.

If you want to pick up a suit, don't forget to enter huehum at check out for 15% off!  

(But hurry!  The offer is only open until the end of the month!)

>> Check out other hue & hum discounts!

>> Have a lovely weekened everyone!

Portraits

I have been busy working on a lot of portraits lately.  It has been fun interacting with many of you, getting emails full of cute photos, and dressing you up in striped clothing.  

The only downside to drawing so many portraits is... I might be losing my mind.  I keep going places and seeing people and thinking, "did I draw a photo of that person?".  I think my brain is overloaded with random faces and families and I may act a little crazy for a while.  I have a really hard time remember names and faces anyway, and now I'm going to be hopeless!

I am trying to remember to take photos of the portraits.  I haven't taken photos of most of them, but you can view a handful that I finished last week:

>> view more portraits! <<

Now I'm off to the gym to pretend like I'm a really healthy person for an hour or so.  Bonus: my gym has a cinema cardio room!  Last week I was trying to exercise while watching the new Mission Impossible... oh boy.  My heart was already pounding (because I'm hard core like that), and then every time a bad guy would pop out during a suspenseful scene I felt like I was about to have a heart attack!  The last time I went to the gym I was riding a stationary bike while watching Nacho Libre and I could hardly breath because I was laughing so hard.  Laughter burns calories... right?

>> This is why I love Jack Black and Nacho Libre.  Pure genius.  

>> Again, pure genius.

>> and!!!... last one, I promise.

Hue and Hum

Wishing you a happy Tuesday.

xox,
hue and hum


>> Yes, the mini Hue wig does have my favorite swoop hair do.
>> Are you a Karmen fan?  If not you should be because she's the cutest rapper you will ever see, she keeps it clean, and she's my inspiration for that hair-do that I like to do.
>> Have you already watched this Maya Rudolph does Beyonce skit a dozen times like I have?  It's one of my favorites.

weekend update

I hope you all had a lovely weekend full of motherly love and weekend fun!  Hum and I had a semi productive (but totally unproductive?) weekend.  On Saturday Hum set up all his gear in our living room and practiced all day.  The band is going to begin recording their new album soon and he's putting in tons of hours to get ready.  

I was swept away by one of those all too familiar instances where I began my typical saturday chores... which led to cleaning my art room... which led to finding old treasures (like these dolls from the thrift store that had our same hair which I just had to buy)... which led to making mini Hue and Hum wigs - naturally.  (And just when you thought I was normal!...)  More details will be posted tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

>> We spent a lot of our weekend at the Beehive Bazaar - a HUGE thank you to everyone who came by and supported me and my little booth!  Thanks for taking something home or just saying hi.  You = awesome.  (Sorry to those of you who I missed!)
>> We also celebrated my little brothers 18th (what!?) birthday and had some quality family time too.  My little brother is a cutie.

Mother's Day

Two Mother's Days ago I made this fun gift for my mom on behalf of me and my siblings.  There are four kids in my family and we all played one primary classical instrument growing up.  My oldest brother plays the piano, my next brother plays the violin, I play the flute, and my younger brother plays the cello.  It was a really fun project to create this silhouette scene of all of the grown kids playing music together and - I think - my mom loved it.  Now she displays in in her music room where she teaches flute lessons to a studio of students.

One gift my mom gave me and my brothers was the gift of music.  She encouraged music in the home from when we were young, we got to pick an instrument to learn when we were little (I started flute when I was 5) and she paid for music lessons until we left the house.  She stuck with us during the unbearable "I hate practicing and I hate music!" moments of our teenage years, and she stuck with us through the fun times too - concerts, summer camps, and competitions.  She encouraged my brothers start rock bands and even let them move drum sets and recording equipment into the basement.  She still likes to tease them about how the kitchen cabinets got rattled loose from the walls to which they were attached leaving gaps in the caulking and the molding - yes, it was a pretty loud band.  Her favorite music to listen to is the classical radio station, Joni Mitchell, or anything recorded by her kids.  

Music has been a very important part of my life.  As a performer and an appreciator, music has enriched my spirit and soul.  I heard the quote today, "the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world" (William Rose Wallace) and I am grateful for my lovely mother and that she dedicated her life to me and my brothers in every way, but especially today that she blessed our lives with music.

Love you mom, happy mother's day!

>> Remember this painting I did about mother's a long time ago?
>> A special thank you to everyone who left me a kind note, email, or sent me virtual good vibes from my post the other day.  I truly appreciate your love.
>> I created the silhouette by doing an initial sketch then using black vellum and an exacto knife.  You should give it a try, too!
>> What ways did your mom bless your life?  Any Mother's Day thoughts you'd like to share?

waiting

I did a real good doodle yesterday.  I was thinking about mothers day just around the corner, so I doodled about that.  This mothers day is a little interesting for me.  I think it is the first mothers day I can say I might feel a little - empty.

I've been waiting for a while, waiting very patiently, to become a mother myself.  I thought it might happen a few years ago when I stopped popping pills (the hormonal kind), but (obviously) it hasn't.  I'm a very optimistic and faith-filled person so I usually just wait for things to fall in place, and honestly... they usually do... in time.

I can't say it's caused me all kinds of grief, because it hasn't.  I've seen a lot of people suffer in this way and on a scale of 1 to ultimate grief, I would say I'm a mild in-betweener.  I am one part anxious and one part scared out of my pants for it to happen.  I don't think I'm the typical baby-hungry kind of person, in fact, I'm hardly baby hungry at all.  I think I am mostly family-hungry.  I am eager to take my kids camping, to teach them how to draw, to make cookies with them late at night, and to widen the love circle I share with my sweetheart.  If I could just pop kids out at the age of 10 I think that would be most ideal.  Too bad mother nature doesn't work that way, right?  

On a whole, motherhood frightens me.  I look at babies and I don't know what to do with them, I think about the time-suck little kids can be and I say to myself "I will never survive", I watch young mothers devote everything they have to their children and I think I could never do the same.  But for some crazy reason, I still want it - and - I hope I will be okay at it.

I loved this sketch I created and it captured how I have been feeling lately. I wrote in at the bottom, "I've been waiting for you, and you've been waiting for me, too". I hope whenever I get lucky enough to experience motherhood I will be ready and I will do good job, just like that little crying ball of person (aka. baby) deserves.

Thanks for all the support about this sketch via instagram yesterday.  I will be selling prints and the original at Beehive Bazaar this weekend!  Stop by Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at the Riverwoods Mall.  I'll be in and out but my booth will be there the whole time, it won't even take a lunch break, it's that serious about art markets.

>> If you would like a print and you live out of state, just let me know!  I'd be happy to list some in my etsy store.
>> Remember my infertility paintings?  I like some of them...
>> Wisdom?  Thoughts?  Are you in limbo, too?  Enlighten me.

Doodling First Aid Kit

When I decided I wanted to start my daily doodle project I knew I needed to get the necessities ready.  The first step?  The always on hand incase the creative bug hits you first aid kit.

I pulled out some silver fabric I've had in my closet for a while.  I was at Joanne's not too long ago and they had yards of this fabric on sale and I thought, "I need that."(Those irrational "needs" hit me all the time and my overflowing closet of junk really important things is proof).  I bought all of it that day, and of course, hardly used any of it since.  The check out lady told me it was actually the fabric people used on their ironing boards, but I thought this would make the perfect pouch for my pencils.

I sewed the fabric over to make a nice loop to thread an old shoelace through.

Then I cut a hole about a half an inch in, threaded the shoelace through, and drew a rough line for measurements.

Then I made the actual measurements and sewed an L shape around the bag (without sewing over the shoelace, of course), trimmed the excess, and flipped it inside out.

Then (you know what I'm about to do) I decided it should be half gold.  And so I made that happen.

Next, I of course needed a sketchbook, so I found a cheep old thing at our local grocery store.  Sometimes I spend a pretty penny on a leather notebook and then I feel so intimidated by the cost of the notebook I feel like I can't make any mistakes on the pages!  So this time I bought something junky so I won't be afraid to mess things up a little.

I remembered this ultra classy wrapping paper I got at the Bijou Market (thanks to fifth & hazel) and I used it to cover my notebook.  I used two sheets with adhesive spray and then coated the whole notebook with a glaze.

I am totally ready to doodle... daily.

Watch out here I come.

(I like to doodle with a HB and 4B pencil, .05 and 1 artist pens, kneaded eraser, pencil sharpener, 20% cool grey and pale jade prisma color markers.)

life is to enjoy

I grew up in a family of all boys.  Me, my mom, dad, and three brothers.  My dad is a really handy kind of guy.  He knows how to fix cars and houses, how to tie knots, build fires, and survive in the wilderness.  Because he's such a handy kind-o-guy, he was the community scout master for probably half of his life.  (He gets bonus points in heaven!)  Whenever he packed up the minivan full of sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, survival gear, my brothers, roudy neighborhood boys, and a cooler full of treats to go on a scout trip, he always remembered to pack me too.  I was that little girl that tagged along on all of the scouting trips and I learned how to tie knots, build fires, and how to use "piss" as an expletive (...until my brother scolded me and told me that wasn't a "good word").   We would usually drive to Southern Utah and camp and hike around the orange and blue desert landscape.  I didn't love hiking and I'm sure I was always the slowest one in the group, but my dad would hike slow at the end of the group with me.  He would always remind me to take one step at a time and we would sing lots of songs together as we hiked and hiked and hiked.


I really loved sharing that post with you last Monday.  I think it was therapeutic to write about the feelings that had been causing me anxiety, and in doing so, I felt a lot of peace.  I've taken some time to do some self-diagnosing and that wise commenter was right in quoting, "Depression means you are living in the past. Anxiety means you are living in the future. Serenity means you are living in the present."  I think I felt so anxious because I had set lofty goals (which I believe is crucial) but I was so focused on the future I couldn't figure out how to reach those goals and I felt overwhelmed.  Which, of course, brings me back to my childhood memoir which is a lovely reminder to take one step at a time, and enjoy each day that comes your way, and (most importantly!) sing a song while doing it.


I decided to set some new obtainable and fun goals for myself.  One of which I am very excited about - I am going to start a daily doodle!  I know sketchbooks are important and I go through phases of binge sketching and phases where I don't sketch for weeks.  I am excited to be a little more diligent in my sketching and enjoy every little dumb doodle I come up with.   (Disclaimer: I can guarantee you I won't doodle ever single day, but I can guarantee I will try!)  It will be fun to enjoy such a simple task that will help me take baby steps, and I'm excited to see what these doodles can inspire in the next year.  


>> Here's my favorite doodle from this week:

>> Does anyone want to doodle with me?  I'll be instagram-ing/tweeting mine with the hashtag #dailydoodle, you should do the same!  Let's be doodle buddies!  
>> Which song should sing while I hike... I mean... doodle?  I've been enjoying the Duncan Sheik 80's Covers Album lately, maybe I'll start with his version of "Hold Me Now".
>> Have you heard of Designers.mx?  Both the playlist and the album art are "beautifully designed mixes" for creatives/music lovers.  What a cool idea!  I love this mix. 
>> Salt Lake-Provo-ish people!  The Beehive Bazaar is THIS WEEKEND in the Riverwoods.  I will be there selling cool things.  Drop by, wontcha?