Happy birthday to...

..my mumsy! I couldn't ask for a better friend, confidant, and mother. She has always been the most important person in my life, and will always be. <3

We both love Les Miserables, so I made her a Valjean & Javert-themed card, using watercolor and micron pens. :)

Argh! I am so lame.

Rain will make the flowers...

...grow.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! I spent the day celebrating Ivy's birthday, trick or treating with my cousins, and [poorly] dressed as Eponine. ;)

Ketchup, Catchup!

So much has happened in the past couple months! I've gotten a job at Towson, started an internship at Anthropologie, and moved into my first apartment!

I'm so excited! It's a tiny, would-be cramped, oh-so cute studio and perfect for just me (and my kitty when he moves in ;)

I'm still working on making it extra super comfycozy.

Anthropologie!

By popular demand from my supervisor at Anthro, Alex! Some of my photography, artwork, and other crafts I've done in the past couple years:

Funny faces.

My 8 year old cousin Amy is the best at making funny faces.

Ever since she was a baby, she's been such a clown!

Now she's all grown up and still loves being silly.

She never fails to make anyone laugh!

She's the best, and I'm so lucky to have her in my life. <3

Fireworks

are so pretty.

The last picture reminds me of stars (Javert would approve).

A Sketch About a Sketch.

A sketch is like one of many fibers in that fancy dress you wore out to dinner last week. It's that little bubble of creativity not quite large enough to pop; the tiny glow of a lightbulb that hasn't gone off yet. It's the little ­­­thing that most writers often talk about "floating around in their head"- so yeah, they weren't kidding.

A sketch is an idea that could exist [flimsily] on its own- leaving the reader to interpret the rest of the scenario. Like a page torn out from a mystery novel, that you find on the floor of the library. Or it could be that one ugly bead you tie the string on when you make a bracelet to keep the other beads from slipping off- something small that helps you create something bigger.

I used to throw away my sketches. I thought they were useless, dead-end ideas. It's only recently that I've realized they're special in their own way. They may not be complete, but they do tell a story. They tell you [almost] everything you need to know about the 'what.' It's your job to figure out 'why.'