To all mothers but especially to my mother, you’re the best! The world is a better place because of all the moms.

So here is something odd. I was sifting through a box of stuff at my studio a few weeks ago when I found a folder of drawings from when I was a kid. One of them was this drawing.

What is odd about this drawing you ask? Good question! Notice how the cat has nubs for ears (I did not normally draw cat ears this way, I have compared this drawing to others I drew around the same time), now observe the photograph below.

A white cat with no ears, or more specifically my dearly departed white cat with no ears. A cat I brought home when I was twenty. The drawing above was made thirteen years prior. Oh and my cat Pneu was not born without ears she had to have them removed due to cancer. So apparently when I was six I somehow knew I was to have a very special white cat without ears! Oh Pneu I still miss you!

Thanks are due to Loobylu for coming up with the Friday Archives.

Well, so far I’m not doing to well with this Post a Day In May thing. In my defense I did post multiple times last Friday so perhaps that makes up for it a little?

Maybe I can regain some credibility today, I have many pictures of my new dog. He will be coming home with us in June. To help with the transition I am visiting him for walks, and playing in the park and such (which I did today). I am a novice dog person and so am getting an adult, he is already mostly trained (whew). Although we will be enrolling in some classes asap. Any Portland people have recommendations for a good dog trainer/class?

I will admit I’m feeling a little guilty not going the Humane Society route, but I’m telling you in Portland for a smaller dog it is super competitive!

I’ve been stalking their website for a couple of months, and man the little dogs go mostly on the same day they arrive. I would get all attached to a certain dog only to see that she/he had been taken home already!

Anyhow I am really excited, I’ve always wanted a Scottish terrier. Plus he is really sweet, very good-natured, and already walks well on-leash, amazing!

I discovered today that he is crazy for ball chasing, this makes me so happy, I love a dog who retrieves.

Now we just have to settle on a good name!

I promise some actual Staindrop posts soon with work in progress and such, I’m not going to turn this into a pet blog (but there might be pet posts from time to time ok, ok)!

I’m not sure what has happened, but lately I’ve felt like someone pressed the fast forward button on my “experience of time setting”. The past few months seem like some kind of Springy hazy blur. I’ve been busy, but in the annoying kind of way. Which isn’t to say that there haven’t been good things going on.

We decided to get a dog (much more on that later), the nice weather has been good for walking and short sleeves, I have some commissioned pieces in the works.

I also had the good fortune to meet up with the inspiring Mimi Kirchner of Doll when she came to town last month. She is as friendly and charming as she is talented. Mimi and her son and I had a lovely long walk around Portland and chatted about a lit bit of everything. She also brought me a little bag of goodies full of beautiful pieces of wool and a tin filled with shell buttons and vintage shoe buttons (perfect for eyes!)

close up of the eyes- I mean buttons!

Card set of babies, so cute.

I will be putting those supplies to work shortly, now if only I could get the year to slow down a bit.

I think it’s safe to say that I got my seeds started a tad bit late. But honestly it was out of concern for the poor little seeds. I am so inexperienced and also worried that they will sprout, only to die an early death from my lack of knowledge, or light, or both. I took the plunge this weekend, the weather was perfect and I figured now or never.

Tender little seeds, please live!

The toilet roll starts are ready.

Planted, misted, labeled, I’ve done what I can do. Now I just have to wait for them to sprout, then the real worrying can commence!

Well here it is the last day of color week. I have so enjoyed seeing all of the lovely color photos this week! I think I’m gonna play again next week for Hula Seventy’s color week part deux.

I’m not sure what’s happened, I’m not normally a meme kinda girl. But all of a sudden I’m meme crazy!

Obviously color week this week and next. Loobylu has a new meme called The Friday Archives where you share something you made in the past. The work could be from school, college, past life, childhood etc… I think this is such a great idea. I always think it’s interesting to see how much (and how little) we change artistically. So here is my first Friday Archive post.

These drawings are in a sketchbook that was part of the coursework for a scientific illustration class I took in college. Maybe if you are good I will tell you a story next week about the awesome/crazy teacher I had for this class!

Back to the meme craziness, I think I’m also gonna join in Allsorts Post a Day In May! Kinda scary to try and post every day in a month we’ll see how it goes…

A few new items have been added to the shop. I hope to have another update ready for next week with birds in nests and hedgehogs! I will be back later today with my blue images for color week and some images for Loobylu’s The Friday Archives.

This quote cracks me up, soo not me. I choose to believe that change is possible.

The whale is one of my favorite things. She was made by the very talented Nicole Georges.

I can’t believe that tomorrow is the last day of color week. Whaaaa, I don’t want it to end!