What I've Been Up To

Spring Notes- Pocantico Hills, Patterns, Life in NYC

in

April was a whirlwind, and I somehow managed to get sick twice. During round two, I decided enough was enough and went to a Chinese Medicine doctor in Chinatown. I've been intrigued by TCM for a while now, but had never seen a practitioner until recently. It worked well! I’ll be visiting again soon, as I suspect I’m yang deficient….🤪

I became curious about TCM around last year and I discovered Zoey Xinyigong. She is now based in China, but I was lucky enough to catch one of her Manhattan Chinatown TCM tours. Recommend her resources on her website and Five Elements Cookbook!

Blue Hill

Took a little field trip up to Pocantico Hills recently, with a highlight being Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Everything from the passionate, knowledgeable staff to the beautifully prepared food felt deeply rooted in care. I’ve long admired the work Dan Barber has been doing around sustainability and regenerative farming, and it was a treat to see it in action.

Chagall Sketches for Union Church

While in the area, I made a stop at the Rockefeller Creative Arts Center to catch an exhibit on Marc Chagall’s stained glass windows at Union Church. Seeing these original sketches—works I’d never encountered before was quiet a treat. Unfortunately Union Church itself was closed on the day of our visit so it looks like we have a good reason to return soon.

Spring in NYC

A few things helping balancing out the chaos of life in NYC

Sailing season is officially back, and I couldn’t be happier to be out on the water again. Spring blossoms. Yoga studios. Wandering through community gardens.

Doodles and Silly Patterns

Lastly, tried Mimi Chaos How to Draw a Tree class (Trees are so hard!). I don’t love my tree, but I don’t hate it.

Going to start playing around with patterns more. Would love to make a print down the road!

Hope you dear reader are taking care! Happy May

Happy Spring!

in

Spring arrives quietly

sleepy tulips from the farmers market

Earlier this month, work sent me to SoCal for a conferences so I tried to make the most of being back in California

Hollywood!

Dipsea Steps in Mill Valley

XC at Lake Tahoe

Wishing you a lovely spring! 😊

Home in NYC

in

It’s been a cold NYC winter—embracing the snowy days while looking forward to spring. So grateful for the food and friends to make this season a little more bearable :)

(The last three photos are from Le Bernardin, a restaurant that has been on my bucket list (!!))

Doodles and drawing

Having fun with Japan doodles, and a quick little polaroid of Gromit for Making Art Every Day. Gromit was a quick jot, the lines are a bit wonky, but I just tried to capture his overall cuteness. We’ve been really into Wallace & Gromit in our household lately :)

February flew by, didn’t it? I wouldn’t say I started the year at full speed, but I don’t mind—things unfold in their own time, and there’s no need to rush the process.

Here’s to March—a fresh, new month ahead. Wishing you a beautiful bloom into spring!!

What I've Been Up To- Back Home in SF

in

Every time we return, our little tradition is to walk up Bernal Hill and greet the bay. These pictures were taken at sunrise, right before the new year. I still say it—San Francisco is the most beautiful city.

In general, everything feels a little topsy-turvy, and it’s hard not to feel helpless at times.

I really appreciate the Americans of Conscious Checklist. Their vision: a kind and thriving nation.

They offer clear, well-researched actions—this week, it’s donating to Norcal Resist and emailing senators about various concerns. You don’t have to tackle everything, but the tasks are simple and straightforward. I’ve already checked off a few myself.

And at the bottom of their page, they always share some good news, which is a welcome break from doom scrolling.

Hard to believe we’re already more than halfway through February—spring is just around the corner. :)

What I've Been Up To- Happy 2025!

in

Happy New Year to you!

  • We started off the new year with Osechi, traditional new years food in Japan. Each dish has a special meaning. My favorite is Kuri Kinton, (which is unfortunately cut off in my photo)- but its the golden candied chestnut on the far left representing wealth!

  • Made my wish/goal for the year with Daruma.

  • And spent the first day of the new year at Golden Gate Park Botanical Garden

I don’t know who to credit with : “January is just a practice month, I'm starting my year in February” but I couldn’t relate more :D

I hope you dear reader are taking care!

What I've Been Up To- Home in NYC

in

Making Art Every Day

Lisa Bardot has a fun Making Art Every Day challenge, and I joined in for Novembers prompts which were ‘The Secret Life of Objects’. Some days were definitely better than others but I’m happy I stuck it out until the end. It was really nice to slow down, and pay closer attention to some every day items that I may sometimes take for granted.

(Her December prompts are up for anyone interested in joining next month!)

No. 12 was done with a tutorial by Tatyworks.

I reckon most procreate users are familiar with Lisa Bardot, but if not you MUST check her out. I’ve recently joined the community and love her brushes and approach to inspiring creativity.

Around NYC

It’s nice to be back in NYC, back into the whirlwind.

Also enjoying all the New York foods. (To me, nothing beats Barney Greengrass in the UWS.) For fun, I made a NYC print with some favorite NYC treats.

We also caught some fun shows this month. I absolutely loved Cabaret at the Kit Kat club. I started this doodle of Emcee though I think it still needs something…

Holidays!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we can officially start off the holidays. I love stopping by Macy’s, the Rockefeller Tree and seeing Patience and Fortitude (the lions of the NYPL) ready for the holidays.

I also made this silly holiday pic with Santa at a hotdog cart. What does it mean, I don’t know but it was fun to make!

Hope you dear reader, take care and be well!