Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 Year End Review

My oh my. What an exceptional year it's been for Zach and I. I like doing these year end reviews as a way to see how far we've come, the blessings along the way, the challenges we faced, and the adventures we took together. I am grateful to have spent another year with this tough as nails dude and thankful to be still be laughing like dorks through it all.

grey skies, brown cows, and pink barns. I took this picture on Christmas eve, on the way to Zach's parents'.

Where making art was concerned, we've had a really BIG year with a ton of ups and downs. In August, we moved the studio from Foam City to a pretty cool location right downtown. With this new space, we were able to host several events and have a "home base" while we ran the Small Spaces: Lafayette project. And speaking of Small Spaces, it ended up being anything but small. For the project, over 35 artists were hired, 90% of them local, and nearly 80 works were put up around town. We battled the newspaper, critics, and naysayers. We took comfort in the kind words and support from those who loved the art. But most of all, we learned from every twist and turn how to make this project run a little smoother in the future.


Amidst all the highs and lows, I forgot to share that Tom Shafer wrote an awesome piece on Zach for the Lafayette Magazine that came out in the fall.


On the blog, we were able to roll out several different things this year. We upped the ante for "Recipe of the Week" by introducing "Recipe Re:Make," where we attempted to bring new flavors to old favorites. We didn't go too far with that, but it's something we look forward to continue in the new year.
Here's five of the most popular recipes from 2014:
Japanese Cotton CheesecakeThe Best Clam ChowderNyonya AcharCrab and Asparagus Risotto, and Coconut, Red Beans, and Tapioca Dessert


We also tried doing a "Five for Friday" feature, and that went well until the summer when our blog was taken over by Small Spaces-related posts. We'll bring that one back for 2015 too.
Here's five of the most popular "Five for Friday" posts from 2014:
5 Teas to tryKitschy Knick-KnacksLet's start with ... cookies!Our Garden CatTurning Cardboard into Art


Our garden. Oh, where should I even begin? For 2014, we were adventurous and started all our plants from seeds, using heating pads and lights in our poorly-insulated garage. Everything was growing lush and well until a freaky hail storm on the first day of August wiped out all our plants. We managed to salvage a few, but not enough that it mattered. We still have some cabbages, broccoli, and carrots in the garage. We'll wait see what happens with those. Click here to see our monthly garden updates for 2014.


We traveled some. There were several road trips to Chicago and Cincinnati, and a really long one to Baltimore for Zach's birthday. I spent 3 weeks in Singapore over the summer, and we were in New York twice this year (both times in the winter!). We decided that our favorite things to do while traveling are searching for good food, and seeking out some art!


Thank you for spending time on this blog. We look forward to sharing more with you in 2015!

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

the last murals for the year

the day after christmas mindy and i went to ohio to complete a couple of murals at a private residence.  we arrived early, waited for the frost to melt, then got under way.


the first was a galloping horse with a houndstooth background.




the second was a collage of several different stencils to create a downtown view of chicago.




Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Happy Holidays!

To all of you who have been reading our blog, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks.


We're going to be offline the next couple of days as we spend time with family and friends. We might post a picture or two on Instagram, so if you really want to, you can find us here, and/or here.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Be safe, be jolly!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Paper PomPom Puppy


Corrinne's daughter, Ashlynn, and I made this precious paper pompom puppy together yesterday. I had so much fun crafting with her. She is so clever, imaginative, and innovative! If you're ever suffering from a creative block and need some inspiration, may I suggest hanging out with a child for an afternoon! 

Monday, December 22, 2014

NYC Graffiti for December 2014

We saw a ton of art on the street when we were in NYC. Here's some if you'd like to see ...

cost, ethan armen, and others
invader
rae
haven't seen one of these in at least 3 years

roaches, rats, bed bugs, and pigeons
"imagination is important"
art is trash



mr. oneteas and andre
pose on lafayette st.
connor harrington on lafayette st.

tristan eaton
stikman



art is trash gone over by hek tad
nick walker 
invader 



danielle mastrion
In Brooklyn:

art is trash across the top of the building


zed1
zed1

yok
hellbent at the domino sugar plant
qrst

el sol
r robot
art is trash  
mr. oneteas
don't fret
faile
tripel
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