Idle Hands...

Got ten free minutes? 
Perhaps ten minutes that you really should be doing something else, but procrastination has set in full force and you have spent the morning cruising design blogs like the junkie you are (and you happen to come across this awesome tutorial on 
hand dyed curtains). AND it just so happens you have two rather long unbleached curtains begging for a bit of lipstick and rouge...well sister, I say do it!
But - what if you only can scrounge up one box of red dye, which may make your entryway look like a stone cold bludgeoning occurred recently? You improvise of course.


A peek inside my brain on any given day...


"We only have red dye"
"That will look weird"
"Should we drive to Michael's and pick up some more"?
"Don't be crazy, you have work to do"
"Well what then? Give up"?
"Think dummy"
"We have all that left over pink food colouring from Valentine's Day"
"Will food colouring dye fabric? It is obviously not the same product or the FDA wouldn't let us eat it"
"A big part of DIY is improvising, thinking fast on your feet...I believe this is genius"
"What if it doesn't work"?
"How wrong could it go"?
"Proceed"


About fifty percent of the time it goes horribly wrong. This time the crazy half of the brain was onto something and it all turned out ok. It's kind of fun and springlike.

Hurray for crazy!

xo

Fierce Love...

As many of you know, I recently styled an Easter photo shoot out here at the house for Today's Parent. After much anticipation I finally got to see the finished product and it is lovely (house looks clean...bonus). It was a great experience and I was super stoked to be a part of it. Not sure if I am ready to shuffle my kids around to photo shoots, but it was fun to do it in our own space. You can get a copy of the April issue of Today's Parent on newsstands now.
I would be remiss if I didn't point out an oversight in the credit area. It seems the amazing Fierce Bunny I gave Georgia for Christmas made her way into a shot and the artist, Sonja Ahlers, was not credited. 
I was lucky enough to come across Sonja and her booth at the One Of A Kind Show this past Christmas. A wall of delicate bunnies stood before me and I was sunk, I had to have one. Each is stitched from carefully chosen vintage sweaters, some with little adornments (feather headband - what?!) or hand dyed. Each one a peaceful, perfect delight. Her bunnies are sought after and appear in magazines and videos worldwide (most famously Bella's bedroom in Twilight).
It took forever but I finally chose one to take home. Georgia of course wanted it immediately, and I (of course) relented. With the strict rule that we admire this bunny. It is art - not something we throw into the barbie / transformer mosh pit that happens around here on a daily basis (and maybe she lives in Mama's room until you arrive at a less grubby age). 
So go check out Sonja's work (www.sonjaahlers.com). Get your own lovely Fierce Bunny (she has beautiful books as well). Her work is gorgeous and she deserves credit for it.
Thank you to Rachelle from Hawk Eyes  for bringing this oversight to my attention. You can also find Fierce Bunny at her store (at 103 Roncesvalles Ave.) in Toronto.

Our Fierce Bunny, who Georgia has named "Sparkle Diamond". 
(Sorry for that as well).

xo

Eastery DIY...

So Easter comes early this year folks; well here at the StayLucky it does anyhow. Those that know me know I am rarely (if ever) ready for an occasion this far ahead. I am a more do it all the night before cursing myself and my bad time management skills (maybe crying a little into whatever fancy craft I have decided is a must for said occasion) sort of gal. 
Well not this year! 
I would love to say I have turned over a new leaf, but that would be a super huge fib. I have however been asked to do this in a timely fashion by the lovely folks at Today's Parent.
We were super stoked to host a photo shoot for the magazine here at the house last week. The theme was Easter. So the kids got into some fancy Easter duds, invited over some friends and we decked out the place for the occasion. 
I managed to come up with not one, but two DIY's for this event - personalized, speckled Easter eggs, and a build your own nest centrepiece to put them in. Neither are hard, anyone can do them. I find the biggest challenge with DIY is the actually getting around to getting it did (if I can do it people, so can you)!


First up Speckled Eggs:


You will need:
- Eggs (dozen or so)
- Food colouring
- Vinegar
- Initial stickers
- Brown acrylic paint
- A toothbrush (preferably an old one)
- Bowls for mixing dyes and paint


Hard boil as many eggs as you need. Boiling extra is a good idea as some will always crack open, or roll off the counter in a mutinous sort of way. There are many different schools of thought on how to boil an egg (for real...who knew)? I went to Simply Recipes and followed their instructions.

Pick your desired initials and affix them to the boiled eggs. I got these lovely typewriter font stickers at Michaels.

Make sure each sticker is on good and snug or the dye will get underneath and mess with your crafty plans.

Combine 2 cups of warm water with 1tbsp of white vinegar and about 20 or so drops of your favourite food colouring into a bowl or coffee cup. Repeat steps for as many colours as you plan on using.

Place an egg in the dye. Gently roll the egg around a bit or you will end up with a whiter circle where its behind was poking out.

When eggs have reach your desired shade remove and pat dry.

Thin out some brown acrylic paint with water (not too watery). Dip an old toothbrush in and run a finger along the bristles to create a spatter effect on the eggs. I took the stickers off prior to this step, next time I would take them off last and keep the white initial underneath spatter free.

It is best to spatter at a distance keeps the drops more evenly spaced out (I got a bit close to the pink egg). Make sure you have laid down enough of a drop cloth, it can make quite a mess.

Let eggs dry and there you have it folks - lovely speckled personalized eggs perfect for your Holiday brunch. 

Next week - a DIY birds nest made out of a repurposed grapevine wreath to display all your pretty eggs in. Stay tuned, and in the meantime look for us in the next issue of Today's Parent on newsstands soon!

xo.

Mag Lov'n...

I was asked recently to be in the spring issue of M/I/S/C, a gorgeous magazine featuring art and design and filled cover to cover with inspiration. Each issue has a theme - I am in the "Insight" edition. I spend most days feeling insane rather than insightful, but I was thrilled to be asked and more than happy to take part. It also happens to coincide perfectly with my decision to rehang my shingle and go back to work as an illustrator. 

This issue will hit stands the week of March 1st - go get one or three, not (just) because you really love me, but because you really really love art. xo

"Work'n Hard"?...

Or hardly work'n? 
As much as I would like to be laying on the couch right now, (taking full advantage of everyday all day kindergarden), eating chips and perhaps drinking a shandy...I'm not.
I have recently decided to go back to work. Technically I never stopped, twelve hours after my C-section I was working hard on a job for a well known chip company. I did however slow it down eventually. 
As the kids got older the odds of making deadlines lessened considerably, my desire to care about said deadlines dwindled also. I really just wanted to hang out with my little peeps and draw when I felt like it. So I left my reps and started my own line of affordable children's art. It was awesome. I loved it. I love being my own boss. I love taking time off when I want and drawing whenever. I am a kind and understanding sort of boss. "Of course take a mental health day...take three you look frigging awful. Here's twenty bucks, go get a mani and feel better soon". 
Yep, I am ideal, except... 
Except I pay myself like a third world sweat shop worker. Next to nothing. Nada. Happy and poor, thats how this lady has been rolling for the last three years. I knew this joyride would end at some point, and it seems that end is in sight. I am almost forty, my kids are in school and I have an endless amount of things I should be saving for in the future. Retirement, college (although I do plan on at least one being gifted in some sort of scholarshippy way), therapy for my kids, etc etc etc...
All of this sounds a bit more dramatic than I mean it to be. I am happy to be able to earn a living doing something I love. I will still get to go to work in my pyjama's with uncombed hair. I take lunch when I want and pee as many times as I see fit. I don't have to suffer through "team esteem building days" or mandatory staff parties with crappy cheese plates and forced awkward conversations. 
No, I just have to draw what someone else wants me to. No biggie, and I can still create for me. I will just have to take a backseat instead of the jumpseat. 

The past two weeks have been portfolio update time...dig around and find my WOW factor, see if I can't get this chick paid. I also squeaked out a few for me...like this new pirate girl. I think she represents me over the past few years. If she had a thought bubble it would read "So long suckers". 

Back to reality...for now.

xo

Resolutions 2012: Things I Will Not Do #2

Trial and error (and error and error) this Holiday season has made one thing glaringly apparent (to me and the rest of my household)  - although a decent enough cook, I am an abysmal failure as a baker. I am baking challenged. 2012 is about coming clean, and well, I suck.
It is easy enough to make yourself look like a domestic Goddess when blogging. Everything is shiny and clean, the cookies are golden and no one cries while eating raw cookie dough when yet another batch of baking comes out flat/hard/burnt/tasteless/inedible. 
I am about six minutes away from 40 and have somehow managed to arrive at this age without any of my own tried and true "just like Grandma used to make" baking secrets. 

Oh, I can make stuff look pretty, that much I can do. I am a master of pretty deception.

A cake I made for my sister Sarah's wedding day. I sugared daisies (which FYI are NOT a tasty edible flower) and plopped them on top of a rock hard "from scratch" cake. Seriously - like potential weapon hard. I dumped enough sugar on it all to make it sparkle (when in doubt lipstick and rouge the crap out of it).

My kids first birthday cupcakes. The little marzipan birds and chocolate nests turned out, but the first batch of "from scratch" cupcakes were my usual brand of scrub sponge tough. In the end I used a boxed mix, after making 50 or so the Rachel way first.

There is nothing wrong with box mixes, or using icing from a can - except I would really like to be able to do it all myself (and well). The main problem is this: I have attention recipe disorder. I half read recipes, I try to improvise and if I realize at the last minute I am missing an ingredient I just leave it out - or clever up a substitute. A friend pointed out (when I was bemoaning my craptastic skills on Facebook) "cooking is art, baking is chemistry". 

Makes sense. Hadn't ever really thought about it that way before. I improvise when cooking all the time, and it usually works out. Baking not so much. I will leave you with a shot of just one of my many goofs this past Holiday...

Shortbread Rachel Style - (do not attempt)

Look in Joy of Cooking for a shortbread recipe.

When you can't find one that really fits the bill just decide that Scottish Shortbread will 

do.

Disregard the fact that this recipe is actually a loaf - and the suggested method of 

preparation for it is to bake the crap out of it, and then go at it with a sharp knife - an 

alarm bell should be going off in most peoples heads right now. Most people.

Proceed like you are in your right mind.

Substitute whole wheat flour for regular flour (to be fair the Joy of Cooking talked fancy and said I could). Whole wheat flour has a place, and decadent Holiday treats ain't it. 

Cut out the cookies and then BAKE THEM FOR 45 MINUTES.

Now, if you bake you know that this is ridiculous. Shortbread cookies are ready in about a quarter of that time...like - don't quote me - 10 or so minutes.

Serve them to your kids - who emphatically say "No thanks"! to a second.

Serve them to your husband who suggests they taste like "high end dog biscuits".

Suggest to your husband an alternative place to store said cookies.

Secretly serve them to your dog (whom you have witnessed, on numerous occasions,

eating her own poop). Stare in disbelief as the traitor hound sniffs your baked offerings

and walks away in a huff.

Lather, rinse, repeat. (I also tried meringues - which never, ever work, but I am nothing

if not tenacious). AND gingerbread, which my hubby said were delicious, but

I think he was nervous of me running screaming into the night leaving him to single dad

these two nutcases.

Sigh.

They look pretty don't they? All sparkly and cozy laid against a pretty vintage plate. DO NOT BELIEVE IT PEEPS! IT IS A SHAM - A LIE!

Now that I have outed myself I will further dig this hole I am in by stating, online...

Resolution #2 for 2012 

I, Rachel Riordan will stop thinking I am more clever than whomever riddled out whatever baked good I am attempting to recreate. I will just FOLLOW THE FRIGGING RECIPE. I will NOT improvise. I will accept my limitations in this area and work to improve my skills. OR after attempting to improve myself simply say screw it, accept my limitations and buy cookies at the store thusly saving myself the inevitable breakdown. Peace. xo

Resolutions 2012 - Things I will not do...#1

My two outbreak monkey's made certain we spent this Holiday season plagued with an impressive selection of sickness. As a result I spent most of December in various stages of medicated and over medicated. I also discovered that online shopping whilst in this state can result in an interesting delivery box from Amazon two weeks later. It seems the jacked on NyQuil version of me has big plans for 2012. 
The now healthy(ish) and sober(ish) me has decided to not make resolutions of things I need to do this year to improve myself. No, instead I will focus on things I should stop doing...for sanity and sometimes personal safety's sake. In the meantime I have a lot of reading to do. Waste not want not after all.

Resolution #1: I will not shop high.