Sugar Land
iPhone photography: dusted with snow
It’s like someone powdered the trees with icing sugar. Or dipped them in a bag of sugar. Or poured a bag of flour over the landscape. Or something like that… And it’s breathtakingly beautiful!
iPhone photography: frosty branches
My main focus for January is to create my first design for fabrics based on the Full Cold Moon. I’m so enthusiastic about the whole project and I’ve got such a terrific feeling about it! I’d got the fabric samples and colour chart just before Christmas and only need to transfer the design to a curtain format and adjust the colours so they work for printing on textile before I can have the first sample printed. I don’t know about “only”, but still, I’m so close to being there, and so I was very surprised to find resistance within me! What am I afraid of? The technical process that I need to learn? Getting the curtain dimensions wrong? Is it about putting this project out in the world? Is it about completion and what to do next? About the possibility of failure? Or success? I don’t know. All I know is that these ultra cute cats emerged, at this very time of the process.
Turkish Angora
They’re terribly cute, kawaii, as sweet as sugar, and really not what I consider “my style”! And yet here they are. I thought about it. Then I decided to just let them come. They’re fun and playful and perhaps they appear with ease because I have no big dreams or strong emotions attached to them?! So I’ve been making more friends for the first cat. A family. A collection of cat breeds. They could be a collection of icons or they could be a set of prints or illustrations in a children’s book. Cute as a Button. That’s it, that can be the name for this cute crew!
iPhone photography: pine tree dusted with snow
I’ve been spending more time offline, unplugged. Batching my internet activities three times a week. It’s bliss. Now if I only got round to sorting out my mailbox too!
iPhone photography: snowy trees
And I’m looking for a good recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon for my birthday dinner. I’ll be serving it either with potato puree or Potatoes Boulangères and a green salad. Not sure what the desert or starter will be yet. I’m thinking of trying Delia Smith’s recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon but I’m interested to hear if anyone has any other recommendations?
Tags: art, cats, character, cooking, creative process, creativity, cute, Cute as a Button, design, ease, fabric, focus, illustration, iPhone, snow
Yum, it does look sugary! I’m really excited about seeing your final fabric design. It will be fabulous, I’m sure. Are you using Spoonflower? Or how will it be printed?
Happy Birthday!! :)
Yes, I’m using Spoonflower! Their customer support has been very friendly and helpful. I just need to get over this resistance to finalising the design!
Oh, and thank you for the birthday greetings! xxx
Did you say birthday, Kate??!! Happy Birthday… when is your happy day??! LOVE all the sweets here today…from your magic snow-dusted world to your cute white kawaii kitty! And I am soooo excited about your new adventures with design and textiles! I think anytime we try something new, or a twist on something there are equal portions of thrill, confidence and trepidation… LOL! Cute as a Button is a great name, great place to take it from here. I can’t wait to see these curtains! Your birthday dinner sounds a great treat…very elegant, very memorable. I hope you will have a day filled with friends, food and love! Wishing you a beautiful today, my friend. ((LOVE & HUGS))
It’s on the 29th. :) Yes, it’s absolutely wonderful to work with something new! Even if it turns out to be a temporary excursion, it’s so invigorating to look at things a little differently.
Much love!
Hi! Oh, I just love the photos of the “sugar”coated trees, just lovely. I am a big fan of summertime, but photos like this make me love the beauty of winter…which when looked at in the right way can be so magical!
Looking forward to seeing you in our “together” e-course!
Faith
Hello Faith! Thanks for visiting and for your kind comment! And yes, I’m excited about the ‘together’ course too! Really enjoyed visiting your blog!
Hi Kate,
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I look forward to class with you! Wow you are one creative gal. I love your desk top icons. They are so much more visually pleasing then what comes with most programs. Every fall when I get the kids back to school supplies I show up at his office with a load of colourful,and fun office supplies from pens to sticky notes for the girls. It is just to boring otherwise. I guess it is that old right brain left brain at work. That is why I fell in love with your icons right away. Your photo’s are beautiful as well….see you in class
Carpe Diem,
Kim
Hello Kim, thanks so much for your appreciations! I’m so very glad you like my icons! The whole reason I got into designing icons is just that, how can I appreciate pens and papers, new things for a new school term, a nice environment on the table in my study, the interior decorating of a home or workplace, and work on a sterile, generic computer desktop?! I guess I think of it as interior decorating for one’s computer environment, and seeing as I spend a lot of hours here, it’s important to me. :) Can you tell I’m passionate about it? :D Many thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Nice description! And suddenly the snow didn’t seem all that bad. :)
That’s nice to hear! :)
Dear Kate, I love your photos of sugar coated trees. I also love the white snow with the orange buildings. Your kitties are really cute, and I like how you just let them emerge with “ease”… good for you! Looking forward to seeing your first textile fabric printed too, how exciting!! Have fun and enjoy the process. Delia’s recipe looks really yum! See you in class :)
Thank you, Wini, I really appreciate your support!
Oh that does all sound exciting – I am so happy for you and can’t wait to see the final results! I haven’t got another Boeuf Bourguignon recipe but do think you probably can’t go wrong with Delia – I use her beef in designer beer recipe every time I have people over in the winter and it is always exceptional (even when I play around with it!!) Good Luck with everything xxx
Thank you! How encouraging you are! :)
I looked up the designer beer beef, and it looks fabulous! These kind of stews done in beer or wine, are perfect for winter days. The only thing is really that they simmer for ages, or one could make them more often! Thanks for your input in the cooking area too!
Kate- It does look very sugary there. Great photos. Your kitties are so cute, cute as a button as you said. I am really excited to see what your print comes out like using Spoonflower. I know it will be great. As far as your resistance goes, I bet it is a bit of everything… fear of success and a fear of failure. A sign it is very near and dear to your heart. I also share a January birthday with you. Mine is the 20th. I am not a big cook so I don’t have any recipe recommendations but your dinner sounds great to me!
xo,
Dana
Hello Dana, bet you’re right, it’s a bit of everything! I hope you have a great birthday! Thanks for being so supportive!
I can hardly wait for the fabric design to be finished. Let us know so I can warm up the sewing machine right away. The sugary snow looks wonderful. It’s finally warmed up to 30 F. It was 10 F. It feels downright balmy.
So your birthday is coming up. Wow that’s fantastic. I always use this recipe here and it’s divine. You can’t beat the Barefoot Conhttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beef-bourguignon-recipe/index.htmltessa.
I love the little cat as well. You have so many great and creative things going on. Enjoy them all.
What you wrote about warming up the sewing machine was so heartwarming! It made me laugh and feel a whole lot better! Thanks!
Yes, isn’t it funny how relative things are, after a really cold spell, normal cold seems warm!
Thanks for your comment and for the recipe! xx
How so very exciting that you are neariny the final stage of your new textile design endeavour! dipping your toes into something new can be so intimmidating, I can relate to how you’re seeing it. But I have a good feeling about this.
and that newest cat is perfect! I am so loving each and every one you do.
Batching your online time is a gret idea. I think I could stand to compatmentalize my online time too. I am feeling a bit of a burnout lately.
and yay! a birthday celebration. I can’t wait to read all about it!
I’m sorry there was a technical hiccup with your comment! It’s got to do with a new spam protection plug-in for my site, I think it’s fixed now though and shouldn’t happen again!
Dear Kate, i adore that new snowy kitty friend! This one is my favorite! :) And OMG how exciting to hear about your fabric design…i adore that gorgeous Full Cold Moon design. I am sooo soo looking forward to this project! I totally understand that feeling of resistance. I guess we all feel that way when it comes to something new! But i just know that your fabric will turn out gorgeous. :) Have a lovely merry happy week and love to you!
Thank you, Jacqueline! Yes it’s very exciting!
I am so excited for your new textile venture. Dipping your toes into something new will always bering a spectrum of emotion. But I have a good feeling about this.
The new cat is adorable, and I am loving each and every one of them. Can’t wait to see them all hanging out together!
I like your idea os batching internet time. I may follow your lead here, as I am feeling a bit burnt out too.
and a birthday celebration? YAY!
Thank you! And yes, it’s weird, I have such a great feeling about it, and yet this procrastination… Oh, well, I better follow my grandmother’s advice and just “pull my socks up”, eh? :)
So far I’ve been enjoying batching my internet time, especially as I use my computer for creating things too. Now I interrupt myself less with the internet as a diversion. And it feels like I use it more for what I like, rather than as a diversion… So Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are my internet times when I catch up on my favourite blogs, respond to e-mail and comments, work on a draft for my next blog post and so on. Although I make exceptions when I feel like it, but then it feels more like making an active decision than discovering that the last hour just vanished on the internet and I don’t know where!
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the fantastic work Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
I’m so glad you enjoy my space on the web, my creative journal! Thanks so much for adding me to your reader! :)
Happy Birthday a few days late Kate! Loving the beautiful snowy photos from your corner of the globe. Hope your Boeuf Bourguignon turned out great. ~Dan
p.s. just looked back thru all the comments – and so glad i did. life just greatly improved with your grandmother’s advice to ‘pull your socks up’ – needed that one this week! : -)
Hello Daniel, many thanks for your birthday greetings! :) Yes, the Boeuf Bourguignon came out absolutely fantastically! I served it with a green salad, potato puré, bread and Brie. For desert a chocolate mousse. A wonderful day and a great dinner in the evening!
Yeah, that advice about ‘pulling your socks up’, is something I’m trying to listen to today! :D