Table is set, tomorrow we feast! If you listen closely you can almost hear the silver clinking together in linen closets across the country tonight as everyone prepares.
This is an illustration I created for Leontine Linens, one of my very favorite destinations for admiring monogrammed loveliness. A table set with Leontine would be indeed something to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow to you and yours!
Guess what today is? It’s time to go home for Thanksgiving day! And do you know what I’m thankful for right now?
Dogs. All dogs everywhere.
And specifically, the two little bundles of joy (or as most people who aren’t my family know them, the demons of terror) that will be waiting for me at the train station… my family’s dachshunds, Eloise and Jemima.
Going home is special for so many different reasons for everyone. And for me, my favorite moment of every trip back is letting them attack me with their body-flailing tail wags and unrestrained, ear piercing squeals of happiness to see that I have magically materialized yet again.
Safe travels to everyone who is headed over the river and through the woods this week!
ps. buy a print
It’s still almost Thanksgiving and i’m still feeling thankful.
Only now I am also feeling a little bit frazzled too because the holiday is so close that I can almost taste it.
Today I was ready to stop doing work at approximately 9:04 am. Not a good sign for how tomorrow is going to go. Or the first half of next week.
Just think how checked out i’ll be by Christmas!
Anyway, today I’m thankful for New York City.
I know there is no shortage of love letters written to this city, but that isn’t going to stop me from also writing my own…
This place has taught me so much, made me grow and change and challenge myself. it has inspired me so very much. Living here is now a part of who I am and will always be no matter where i go next. It’s an honor to have this last year in new york woven into the story of my life.
One of my favorite things about new york is the bodegas. Not just because they mean every two blocks I am confronted with another opportunity to buy fresh azaleas but because they bring us all together.
I’ve never lived anywhere else where the bodgea was as universally depended upon as it is here.
I am consistently delighted and amazed by the people i see in the one on my corner. I love watching the interactions between the discordant group of people I find each time I visit…
the police officer ordering 2 eggs on a roll and black coffee (makes me squeal with glee, internally. it’s so cliche)
… and the woman in louboutin heels with three mineature dogs trailing her and turning their heads just as she does as she inspects the calorie count on a vita coco
… and the little old lady with her classic little-old-lady-sack over her shoulder who turns to me and shrugs her shoulders and says conspiratorially, “these oranges are terrible!”
They make me so happy. I love being among them each day and feeling part of this new york community.
I had no idea when I set my sights on living here that I’d some day have such an appreciation of a corner store. I moved here with visions of runway shows dancing through my head, and now here I am and what do I love most about this city? Fashion week? No, I love chatting with homeless men in line for coffee at the bodega.
I guess that’s what makes this city so captivating. You may be initially drawn in by the glitz and the glamour but once you see past that layer, there is so much more heart and idiosyncrasy and nuance that comes with living with millions of people on a tiny island, all of us just trying to stock up for the day ahead at the corner bodega.
With thanksgiving a week away, I thought I’d illustrate things I’m grateful for.
Today, I’m grateful for the excuse to dress up. Life is made up of regular days, days when no one notices whether or not you managed to put on real pants (as in not lululemon) so a day that calls for extra sparkle is something to be cherished. I’m grateful to live a life filled with wonderful people to celebrate, giving me plenty of excuses to dress up. After all, friendships are the first ingredients in excuses to dress up.
Happy 2nd birthday to Ella Rue!
Ella Rue is darling little consignment boutique tucked away on one of my favorite tree-lined streets in Georgetown and today is the 2nd anniversary of the shop’s opening!
An old friend of mine, Krista Johnson, started plans for the store right about the time I was starting my commission business. She named the store after her two puppies Ella and Rue. And yes, that’s the three of them illustrated above. If you look at her current website – she has a new site coming soon featuring many new illustrations of mine – you’ll see one of my very first commission sketches I created for her back in 2009.
I remember our first meeting at Baked & Wired (if you are in DC, amazing cupcakes) to talk about her design, we had no idea what would come of all of this. I’m pretty proud of what both of us have accomplished in the last few years!
Krista has curated a collection of high end designer items and I’m looking forward to popping in to see what she has in store when I head home for Thanksgiving.
So happy birthday to the ER team, I hope Ella and Rue are getting extra treats today!