unlisted #9

Another set of items occupying my mind grapes. Previous versions: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

picnic at hanging rock | I knew I would like this movie before I even saw it. The poster! The trailer! YOU GUYS. It's on Hulu, watch it immmmmmediately if you are in the market for a moody, mysterious film full of gorgeous imagery. Inspiration for days.

sweetgreen | Let's be real: this is a salad restaurant. LOL OMG, LIKE LA LIFE, RIGHT? But seriously: this place is in walking distance from work, you can order online ahead of time, and they make a darn tootin' delicious salad. True, it's kinda spendy, but sometimes you just wanna drop too much money on food you know you can make at home.

casually gorgeous | I have never been an expert makeup applier. My guilty pleasure as of late is watching VERY COMPLICATED, VERY INVOLVED makeup tutorials on youtube. We're talking contouring, multiple eyeshadows, fake eyelashes, the whole shebang... things that I would neeeeever actually do on myself. They're weirdly soothing. Casually Gorgeous is an instagram account that focuses on simple, effective makeup tips that I feel like I really would do. It's a perfect combo!

geometric drink rocks | Surprise surprise. I like a geometric rock thing. These ones go in your whiskey or whatever - I guess I would even put them in water, because they are geometric rock things.

cleaning furball | Imagine a Roomba, but cuter? This is that thing.

Theodore Kittelsen | I don't know how I'd never heard of this Norwegian painter/illustrator before, but now I have and I'm smitten. He had an eye for the spooky and ominous, but also made some really sweet and beautiful images. And those color palettes! GUHHH. Here are some more examples of his work, because I can't help it:

via wikipedia

meet & greet

I've been trying to up my social media game recently (WOO 2015 SENTIMENTS), so I've been taking to ol' Tweety more often than normal, and I've found a lot of amazing artists to follow! A lot of them have been participating in this super cute #MeetTheArtist meme, so when my agency asked us illustrators to chime in I happily did! After all, there's nothing that makes me happier than writing things I like & dislike in list form.

Did you know that I hate dijon mustard? I know it is superior in every way to the yellow stuff but it makes my tongue feel SO WEIRD, I don't know how to describe it. I feel similarly about horseradish and have only just now started allowing wasabi near my sushi. What's really strange is that I love spicy stuff otherwise! Go figure.

And, in case you were curious, my top karaoke songs currently are:

• All or Nothing - O-Town
• Hot Child in the City - Nick Gilder
• Cowboy Casanova - Carrie Underwood

(see how I used that opportunity to make another list about myself? Tricksy hobbitses)

wants vs. needs

photo on the right by Bryan, who is pretty much the best.

Etsy and I had a little falling out for a couple of years - they didn't do anything wrong of course, but the feeling of endless amazing goods mixed amongst some (let's be honest) not so amazing goods got overwhelming. Last year though I received an Etsy gift card from my brother and sister-in-law, and thus we were reacquainted. 

...and now I am ALL IN. Every so often I'll log in and click that little heart button like a madwoman. My favorites page has grown quite a bit as a result, but since I'm currently (always) in saving $$$ mode and can't buy everything I will just post them here. It's like virtual window shopping!

p.s. Actual purchases featured above! Wedding band from Lichen & Lychee and the bowl in which we keep our shinies from Revision Design.

GEOMETRY tote & Terrestre 05 necklace from depeapa

petit cafe set | Hitonari Works & ceramic spoons | aveshamichael

 Mountain Blossom furoshiki | The Link Collective & Sniffy Soap sample | vice and velvet 

Arc Earrings | Tiny Armour & Hammered Brass Cuff | Rock Salt Vintage

pizza tank | xenotees & bye zine | Sarah McNeil 

cover to cover

At some point a couple years ago I decided to read more books. I don't exactly remember when, but I e-mailed Katie and asked her for some good ones to start with, as she is The Book Queen. She sent me an excellent list, I put it in the Notepad app on my phone (way back when it looked like this, *shudder*) and I forgot about it.

And then magically, without even realizing it, I was checking books off the list. And then I was ADDING books to the list. IT WAS A MIRACLE, Dear Reader! A book reading miracle.

So with that I give you my List of Things to Read. It is presented to you exactly as it is on my phone: definitely not in alphabetized, possibly with some misspellings, added to whenever I hear about something interesting, read in no particular order, checked off with the emoji checkmark when I am finished. It's a crazy system but it works for me.

CRAZY LIST OF BOOKS:

The Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker ✔

Seating Arrangements - Maggie Shipstead ✔

Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach ✔

The Red House - Mark Haddon*

This Bright River - Patrick Sommerville

The Leftovers - Tom Perotta ✔

Dare Me - Megan Abbott ✔

The Newlyweds - Nell Freudenberger ✔

Prospect Park - Amy Sohn ✔

Blood Bones & Butter - NF Hamilton

Swamplandia - Karen Russell 

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig

This is How You Lose Her - Junot Díaz ✔

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn ✔

Dark Places - Gillian Flynn

The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards

The Best of Everything - Rona Jaffe

Fin & Lady - Cathleen Schine

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell

Then We Came to the End - Joshua Ferris

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern ✔

From the Mouth of the Whale - Sjón

Blood Will Out - Walter Kirn

The Vactioners- Emma Straub

The Marriage Plot - Jeffery Eugenides ✔

Wild - Cheryl Strayed

The Magicians - Lev Grossman

Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel ✔ **

Wildalone - Krassi Zourkova

The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell

The Circle - Dave Eggers ✔

Southern Reach Trilogy - Jeff VanderMeer (Book 1 finished, Book 2 started)

Commencement - Jay Courtney Sullivan

The Fever - Megan Abbott

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins ***

Wolf in White Van - John Darnielle ✔

The Anatomy of Dreams - Chloe Benjamin

Delicious Foods - James Hannaham

The Country of Ice Cream Star - Sandra Newman

The Passage - Justin Cronin

The MaddAddam Trilogy - Margaret Atwood

If you'd like to start your own crazy list, might I suggest checking out NPR's Book Concierge? I got a tonnnn of additions to my list from wading through these great little widgets. Also sometimes a book gets added just because it has a cool cover. I'M NOT SORRY.

Moral of the story: GIVE ME YOUR BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS. If you can't tell I'm all over the place as far as taste goes, so I'm game for pretty much anything.

*I started reading this book over Thanksgiving two years ago, left it in a hotel room in Ohio, paid the fine at the library and never picked up another copy to finish it. The memory haunts me still.

** My most recent conquest, now I only want to read dystopian novels and think about how terrible I would be at surviving in such a world.

***Just checked my LAPL account - I'm currently 696th in line to get a copy of this bad boy, which isn't bad considering when I placed the hold the number of people waiting was seriously more than 1,000.

unlisted #8

Another set of items occupying my mind grapes - from the edible to the legible! Previous versions: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

bloodline | We were hurting pretty bad, TV-wise, after finishing House of Cards AND The Jinx in short succession. I love a good crime drama, true or fiction. After two episodes of this show I'm thinking it's exactly what I needed. Doesn't hurt that  Kyle "America's Favorite Coach/Police Offier" Chandler is in it.

korean bbq pizza | There's not a lot that can tear me away from a classic red sauce on a piece of pizza (I'm looking at you, white sauce- you have no right being on my pizza), but this recipe made me think twice. I'll admit, I was lazy and got a premade BBQ sauce from Trader Joe's, but they had this new sriracha kind and I really want to try it. Also I used premade dough too. No regrets.

myth, magic, and millennials | Usually when an article uses the word "millennial" in the headline I roll my eyes and go back to checking instagram while I drink my kale cold pressed juice. I KID I KID, but also not really. Anyway, this piece was actually really interesting and kinda hit the nail on the head for me.

good luck bar | After living within walking distance of this place for an entire year we finally made it over to Good Luck Bar to have some tasty tiki drinks. Of course, nothing holds a candle to Psycho Suzi's when it comes to tiki tastiness, but I definitely enjoyed my rum concoction.

the southern reach trilogy | I got the first book in Jeff VanderMeer's "sci fi" (if you could call it that and I still don't really know what to call it) trilogy from the library, and it so captivated me that the next day I ran out and bought the whole collected series. It helped that I'd seen the cover making the interweb rounds for quite some time and thought it was gorgeous and perfect, but really it's this weird/strange/gross/scary/beautiful story that got me so excited.

newpon | I follow two different rabbits on instagram. One of them is this fella.

current events

 

the invitation / boys at the altar

Since I still haven't used up any of the film I started in August (!!) I'm here today to update you with some phone photos and general talk.

Perhaps you've seen the invitation I worked on for their wedding, but back in August two of my best buddies Bill and Ben got married on Ben's grandparent's farm in Iowa. Friends and family gathered together to celebrate a super amazing couple, and after the I do's there was nary a dry eye in the house! I might be getting a little misty writing about it right now, that's how special these fellas are to me.

Of course then we all partied down and after the last beer was imbibed a few of us retired to tents and spent the night under the stars on the farm. It was SO MUCH FUN, is what I'm really trying to say.

 
fashion roundup! katie, me & alli


cute chance is cute

 
wedding prep buddies / tent in the morning

Other life things worth nothing

-Made my very first batch of jam, strawberry and sriracha flavored. Surprisingly good.

-If you missed out on my buddy Scout Vintage's pop up shop you should feel sad, but not for long, because you can shop online!

-I have been playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf NONSTOP. The addition of QR codes so you can share your custom fashions is such a great idea. In case you're playing, here are great roundups of mens & mostly ladies codes.

-Saw Gravity, was awed and very terrified.

-Read this article on the Twin Cities dating scene, rolled eyeballs so hard they fell out of my head

 

fair enough

After reading Annie's round up of her day at the fair (she got some DONUT BEER, so jealous) I figured I might as well do a little one of my own!

If you're not from Minnesota you, as I did when I moved here, might be scratching your head in confusion. "The state fair?" You might be asking yourself, "People go to those? Isn't it just a bunch of cows?" I mean, yes, it is a bunch of cows. BUT THERE'S MORE. Minnesota takes its fair VERY seriously - the fairgrounds are on a permanent stake of land, not a field like all the county fairs I'd been to in Michigan. There are PERMANENT buildings. There are REAL STREETS, you can see them on google maps and everything! Maybe other states do this as well, but in Michigan they don't even have a state fair anymore, so I can't exactly speak on the matter.

But really folks, the most important part of the fair is getting the weirdest food you can, drinking beer, walking around, people watching and maybe playing some arcade games. This year we went late on the very last day, so all the animals were already gone... but it was nice and cool, and the crowds were down. You could even hear the vocal stylings of Toby Keith wafting from the Grandstand.

 

waiting in line outside the grandstand for our fried olives / first beer of the day

In case you were curious, here is a list of everything I tasted on that day. If you're into healthy food you  might want to skip this portion, otherwise you may experience heart palpitations.

-cheese curds

-beer (3)

-comet corn (illustrated above, these were like.. liquid nitrogen soaked, cap'n crunch flavored nuggets)

-fried olives stuffed with cream cheese (worth the amazingly long wait)

-a piece of fried banana

-corn dog

-cronut dosant 

-minneapple pumpkin pie and cinnamon ice cream

   

clockwise: the last fried olive / alex goes for the gold / giant jenga sits alone / alli and her dosant haul

We also went down the giant slide, which was more fun than one might think.

 

inside the agriculture & horticulture building / kidway at dusk

tool time

I find it hard to believe, but it's quickly nearing a year for me as a freelancer. It seems like yesterday that I started out on my own. It hasn't been easy, but I've learned a lot along the way - and there's still so much more to learn! For instance, if anyone has any tips on how not to panic every day during a dry spell PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I think I'm finally coming out of it, but it's been a little scary these past couple months.

A year, I realize, is hardly anything in the scope of a career, but since I've made it this far I wanted to celebrate a little.... and what better way than to highlight some of my daily routine and favorite tools?

breakfast /  It's the most important meal of the day, doncha know? It's also my favorite meal, there are so many different options! Pancakes! Hashbrowns! Bacon! Fruit! Coffee! Mimosas! But of course, during the work week I try to keep it simple (and non-alcoholic!). 

This week's breakfast "jams" (haha):

-Iced coffee, made from Trader Joe's cold press concentrate. It's making my life so much easier guys.

-Yogurt! Nom nom nom.

-Toasted baguette with my secret raspberry jalapeño jam that I only ever find at Kowalskis.

pens + pencils /  Years and years of buying art supplies leads any artist to become weirdly specific about their drawing utensils. Personally I like mechanical pencils - there's something about that always sharp point that I cannot get enough of. 

other favorite drawin' tools:

-my wacom bamboo (pictured)! Works perfectly, and the tablet has a touchpad feature that you can turn on and off easily... which is nice when you accidentally leave your mouse on all the time and it runs out of batteries... not like I do that or anythingggggg

-Staedtler Mars plastic eraser, for all those mistakes 

-Pigma Graphic 1, a beautiful felt tip pen with archival ink that is perfect for consistent line quality.

-Kuretake Zig Letter Pen (pictured). Here is the thing about Japanese pens: THEY ARE AMAZING. This pen has a dreamy slightly flexible nib for varying line weight, AND you can buy different body colors and different ink refill colors! AH what a dream.

computer things /  When you don't work around other human beings it's good to have the aid of your computerized friends!

-NETFLIX. If if I don't meet a friend during the day to work at a coffee shop or to chat over lunch I will generally turn on a TV show over lunch. It's a nice mental break, and I'm able to catch up on shows that Bryan wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.... like FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. How did I live so long without this charming program in my life?! Landry (for the lols) and Riggins (for the hots) alone make it worth the watch. 

-Clocked is the result of my exhaustive pouring over every single time keeping app in the app store. This guy is simple to use, not too many bells and whistles to mess me up and pretty to boot! It even reminds me to take a breather ever once in awhile... and has made keeping track of my hours so much easier.

-Spotify! This one is a no brainer, right? I am not a CD collector by any means, so Spotify is the best way for me to keep up with new music AND satisfy my need for some good ol' bad top 40 tunez.

-89.3 The Current, aka my other way to listen to music without buying CDs. Wherever my life takes me, I will be a lifelong member of Minnesota Public Radio because of this little station. Even if you don't live in Minnesota you should give their livestream a try.. the scope of music they play might surprise you!

Do you work from home? What keeps you on task and excited every day?

summer lovin'

This post of summer photos (film & iphone-made) is brought to you by the following:

-Katie's sunglasses 

-This song, on repeat

-Fishing off the dock

-as many fancy salads as I have time for (1, 2, 3, 4!)

-multiple viewings of Dazed & Confused 

-learning how to do a french fishtail.

     

unlisted #6

Another set of items occupying my mind grapes - from the edible to the legible! Previous versions: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

this simple cake recipe | Oh, Martha. What would I do without you? This layer cake recipe was in the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living and of course I first laid eyes on it when I was stuck midway between Minneapolis and Washington DC on an airplane with no food in sight. I knew I had to make it as soon as possible, and luckily I got a chance to this weekend for Ben & Bill's birthday bbq! It was intensely easy and intensely good.

the burning house | I love a good very specific theme blog. The Burning House is exactly that: carefully laid out, reader submitted photos of what they would take with them if their house was on fire. Obviously it's mostly fantasy based, but these photos and lists still say a lot about their submitters. I especially like ones like elle townsend - they're almost portrait-like in nature without any actual images of the person's face.

janelle monáe's Q.U.E.E.N. | THIS IS MY JAM. Ms. Monáe is such a dreamy rock star and man oh man this video is filled with babes. I wouldn't mind it if every item of clothing in it could be in my closet.

prettify your power cords | I'm not always into DIYs, but this one from DesignLoveFest is simple enough and the end result is stunning. Plus... I've been looking for a reason to buy some washi tape, since all the cool kids have some already.

hallucinations by oliver sacks | My dad is an amazing genius and got me this book for Christmas, along with A Clash of Kings. It took me months and months to finish the latter but I'm finally done and just got started on Oliver Sacks' latest book last night. So far it's living up to the hype!

this gorgeous basket | Gorgeous colors and fair trade to boot? What is there not to love!

weekend update

Hey buds! My bestest pattern pal Katie has been in town since last week, so I've been pushing the ol' bloggert to the side in order to work all day and play all night. Hopefully we'll be coming atcha soon with a new pattern! In the meantime, some weekend observations with references.

-If you talk about getting ID-ed at the Mall of America one day, you'll most certainly get carded the next time you go. Really, security guard lady? Do I seriously look 16 to you?
-I am only useful at pub trivia for very random questions. Example: An 8 letter curved sword? Scimitar, duh.
-Noshed at the following places, all of them delicious: Grand Central, The Italian Pie Shoppe, Mojo Monkey, Bar Abilene, (ruby tuesdays..)
-Thanks to Harvey Danger for aiding me in my most successful karaoke performance yet

And, finally, because I can't turn down any sort of game with adorable customizable animal characters that you can buy clothes and furniture for.... I started playing LINEplay. It's fully nerdy and yes.. possibly a little furry-esque BUT ITS SO CUTE I honestly don't care.

My little rabbit/raccoon girl is up there, bein' her cute ambiguous animal self. If you're interested in playing download and use this little code to get some free gems for you and me: EW-3243-2502

TRITHART OUT!

movie magic

Specific memories of Harry Potter:

-A family friend working for the Borders (i miss you Borders!) web division got advance copies of the second book and gave us one, I felt like the coolest kid on the block.

-Reading the 6th book in an MCAD dorm room at breakneck speeds during my time as an RA for a high school art program. 

-A bunch of kids at the same program a year later reading the final book in the cafeteria, crying their eyes out.

-Since when is Neville Longbottom hot?!

Anyway, the Silver Screen Society is doing HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN this month! Bill and I got together to watch the movie and do some sketching, but it became clear the second the kids stepped into Professor Trelawney's classroom that I had to do something involving her and her magnificent collection of teapots. 

(movie enthusiasts: I know it happens a little different in the film, but let's just pretend for a second that a giant menacing mouse monster hangs above Emma Thompson's head while she has her premonition. Also Emma Thompson is the most hilarious person.)

Some details:

p.s. Maybe I'm the last one on the planet who used Google Reader, but I'm majorly bummed they're going away. Bloglovin', here I come.

unlisted #5

welcome to my semi-regular hexagonal list of things I've been thinking about/obsessing over! previous versions: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

molasses cookies | I didn't realize it, but molasses cookies are SUPER easy to make. I mean, I guess it makes sense, it's a simple cookie, but I can make these babies at the drop of a hat! What's Gaby Cooking has the perfect recipe, I've been eating one (or two or okay okay three) in the mornings with a good pot of black tea for dunking.

triforce ring from Eugene Tan | With the news that they're remaking Windwaker in HD I have been thinking a lot about the Zelda games. Zelda holds such a special place in my heart! This ring is a great little homage to the games - after all, the Triforce is a fantastic example of good simple design in video games. (related: this great article on "fake" geek girls)

upstream color | Don't you love it when you can't really tell what a movie is about from its trailer, but you can tell it's going to be interesting?! No? Just me? Either way, Upstream Color looks like a beautiful and pooosssiibly freaky movie - just watch the trailer. I know I can't wait to see it!

orchid grey's hair | Julie Sharp has perfect stunning hair that I am getting very envious of. Must not cut hair again, must not cut hair again, must dye ends soon.

help us great warrior! | The brainchild of Madéleine Flores is my kinda superhero. She loves pizza and cats and cute boys and her idea of saving the world is bringing candy to a party or kicking the bad guy in the shins. What else do you need?

super deluxe edition of rumours | HAPPY 35TH BIRTHDAY RUMOURS. How can I express how much I love you? You are such a perfect album, I listen to you all the time! And now there is a fancy rereleased version of you with live tracks and other goodies? OH MAN, what a great day.

back it up (2012 edition... part ii)

Here comes THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR!!!!!!

july // cabin time = the best time. just look at this breakfast! / started thinking positively with positive inking! / made a lot of popsicles

august // sketched my patootie off / partied with the dead at light grey /  katie visits and we begin our pin curl adventure... to be continued! /  putted our way to the top at lili putt /

september // my very first ten paces swap! / scone'd it up / finally became a responsible plant owner / started a new chapter of my life / seasonal playlist obsession begins / continued my birthday crown tradition for alex / spent the evening watching movies in on a tiny island with some dreamy boys

october // took the boy to visit the mitten for the first time, a success / my pin curl tutorial with katie is revealed... and then posted on the hairpin!! / the portfolio gets a long overdue makeover / a night at the museum with our buddies charlie & regan / gloomy doodles gloomy doodles gloomy doodles! / Grimes rocked my earbuds off / alli's annual halloween party, always a hit  

 

november // a visit from my awesome little brother / printed portfolio gets a makeover / pikaland feature puts a permanent smile on my face / pumpkinfest 2012 goes off like gangbusters / tritsgiving - so delicious, so fun

 

december // a spelling bee at the 331 /  first loaf of bread baked / a trip to the natural history museum with maria / couch-ridden with pneumonia / beat illness just in time to hop a plane and spend a glorious week in michigan for the holidays / went all out with my present wrapping / GEM PRESENTS 2012! bryan knows me too well

LAST POST OF 2012, BUDDIES! I've got a few things planned for January, including a real roundup of my Michigan trip and lots more art. Have a happy and safe New Year, internet!