It's mid-April when I'm writing this. I'm done with taxes and almost finished with my Adobe Illustrator class, so I've had a little bit more time to be out in the world. You'll see that I even managed a non-essential shopping trip in my highlights below! As I've mentioned before, these are not sponsored links or ads, just things I'm genuinely enjoying. Here's my latest list:
- Blue-and-White Flowered Notebooks
I bought this set of 3 lined notebooks with blue flowered covers at Home Goods to take notes in my Adobe Illustrator class. Aren't they pretty? The colors remind me of blue willow china. The website (alfabet.it) is in Italian so I can't read it, but these Save Our Bees notebooks look to be of a similar type. - Creative Strength Training
First, let me say I love the idea of a craft/art book club! It must be fun to get a lot of different artist takes on a single book, plus some motivation to try some new techniques or finish work. This artist-focused book club recently discussed Creative Strength Training by Jane Dunnewold, but what really caught my attention was Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's assertion that you can learn so much by looking at art in other fields. I think this is so true! I'll be checking out her recommended read, Landscape in Contemporary Quilts from my library and seeing what it has to teach me as a non-quilter. - Hidden Easter Eggs Art Print
This is a new design by me inspired by all the jelly beans I saw in a recent Easter candy display. Did you know that you can now buy jelly beans in a single shade like red/pink? In the olden days(!), you always got an assortment of bright colors, maybe with some dreaded licorice ones. Anyway, I'm unreasonably proud of this art print because I figured out how to make layers and texture in Adobe Illustrator! - Lost Book from the CSU Library and Brewing History
As some of you know, I used to work at this library. I'd never heard this story about this lost book before, but it's a good reminder of the power of stumbling across something wonderful, unexpected, and possible life- or career-changing while browsing in a library or bookstore. - Mini Bundt Maker
Put this mini bundt maker in the Totally Unnecessary But Fun budget category! I've only tried one recipe (banana bread) in it, but it worked like a charm! It's a nice option when you want to make a small cake, use healthier ingredients, or just not turn on the oven in the heat of summer. I bought mine at Home Goods for around $14, but they carry them at Target, Kohl's and other places. - Pandemic Novels
Are you ready to read about Covid or pandemic life in your fiction? I'm on the fence, but somehow ended up reading not one but two novels that take place during the pandemic. The first was Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult. To be honest, I almost didn't finish this one, not because she isn't a wonderful writer, but because all the descriptions of life in New York during this time felt anxiety-producing. The second one was The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. Since this is in the fantasy genre (the kaiju is a Godzilla-type creature), the pandemic background didn't feel quite as intense and the book proved a much more enjoyable read. - Wristscape
My ears always perk up when I hear a new-to-me phrase, so of course when the hosts of the podcast Happier in Hollywood mentioned wearing a wristscape--a bunch of bracelets that tell a story about your life--I took notice. The tip is near the end of the episode, but basically it's the idea of choosing bracelets that each have a special meaning and wearing them all together. Maybe one was received as a birthday gift or you bought one as a special vacation souvenir. A great conversation starter!