Awesome Crafting

Don't you just love this:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25516801

So great and creative... maybe I can figure that out sometime. I love etsy and it's homemade goodness!

Something fun I love

Here is a link to the regal listing for free kids movies this summer:

http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx?state=CA

I usually make it to at least one showing. Last summer I went to Waterhorse, but it got too scary for my one year old. :) But, it was worth a shot. My theatre isn't a Regal, it's a Krikorian, but they have it too, for a buck. So, check your theatre, just to see.

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/oo256/cstuessy/Krikorian%20Summer%20Kids%20Series/SanClementeKSFlyer.jpg

I hope I can catch at least Kung Fu Panda, which is a favorite. My daughter loves this movie because Panda's (and puppies) are her favorite animal. I have to limit watching it because I think it's a bit violent for a not-quite 2 year old, but she has learned some pretty cute kung-fu moves. So, a theatre experience would probably be fun, especially with popcorn!

Looks like there are some good ones out this year. I liked The Tale of Desperedux, and still want to see Horton. Hmm, what else to say... oh yeah, and I know this is 'technically' for kids, but I used to go sometimes before having a child. hehe Or you can always borrow a friend's kid or relative to take on a cheap date. :) Makes some great memories with those kiddos who need a little TLC.

Mwaaahahaha

I like it.

Sketch 2 in the works

Kinda too hard to see the drawing, but that's the sun coming through some rain clouds and the little crab & sea cuke (from illustration 1, see "getting closer" below) dancing there @ the bottom. Anyway, I got to work a bit more on it... I need to develop the clouds more, in a stormy type way, accentuate the dancers & seaweed, add a little texture to the sea floor, perhaps pronounce the beginning of below-sea-level a bit more, and possibly add green/grey/& blue rain drops. -If you wanted to know... actually helps me remember too!

So far...

Earlier today.

car sketching

working on #2 sketch in car

On the way up to Thousand Oaks this past weekend, I got to work during the day! Normally I don't have the space to work on art during the day unless I want some "help" with it. :) In this case, my little helper was asleep in her carseat. hehe So, I had a good 45 min. to think and work on illustration #2. Unfortunately after the munchkin awoke I kept turning around so often (runny nose emergencies!) I wound up fairly carsick and had to shelve the art and actually stop for a soda to soothe the tummy. But, still a good time, and Darin was a great sounding board to help me over my illustrator's block.

Deal!

50 cents! i was thinking of ordering it so happy!

I just got a book at the Friends of the Library for $.50 instead of the 12 bucks or so that Amazon has it for. Very exciting. It's about bread, recommended by my sister. So far it's pretty new-age - enlightened/buddist baking, but some nice down to earth thoughts weaved in there. Of course I'm only on the intro. :)

Sunscreen Review

Grahams Natural Alternative : Sunclear spf 30+ active ingredients: 25.9% zinc, other ingredients: triglycerides, rose hip oil, grapeseed oil, sesame oil, shea butter, vegetable oil, vitamin e, vitamin a, coconut. www.itchy.net.au

My full review: we like CA baby for it's natural ingredients and zinc base, but it is rather white and thick, and tends to give a white sheen for a while. This is nice, pricey, but cheaper than CA baby since it holds more in the bottle. I'm really happy with the short list of ingredients! It's got a lot of oils and shea butter in it, so it feels/looks slightly greasy but also smooth like a nice oil rub or lotion and I feel like my skin is more moisturized for having it on. Since I have dry skin, and it looks like so far Mikayla tends toward dryness too it's not bad, this might not be good for more oily types. I don't really like it on my face though. Like most sunscreens it doesn't wash off easily, even the hands, which can be annoying, but necessary I suppose. Also, many new natural/zinc sunscreens are out there which are nano-ized zinc. Someone with a scientific background that I know has suggested that this could be dangerous in the long run (testing still not out for long term use of nano-ized zinc) as it is a hard metal absorbed into the skin ("we just don't know"). Both this lotion and CA baby are micro-ized zinc so the particles aren't as small and aren't absorbed into the skin... however, Grahams Natural particles must either be smaller or maybe due the oil it spreads farther because it's not white on the skin. We haven't been burned either, so it works well! What I missed about CA baby, and like about this is the smell- it smells very much like a sunscreen ought to- due to the coconut probably, it is beachy and sunscreeny. :) I missed that nice smell!