Seattle Days Drifting Away

It is a little known fact that nestled up along the region of America
nom'ed 'The Greater Northwest' lies an enchanted "Emerald City".

Two weeks ago I spent a blithe four days cozied up with The Benevolent Queen of all Bethtopia. There was dark chocolate to eat, animals to pet, REVENGE to watch and oceanfront strolling to be had for all. I finally crossed Puget Sound, a place I had never seen but have long loved. (Thank You Cynthia Voight

Beth and I spent the first two days of my indulgent Washington adventure with our asses stapled to her cozy little couch and the next two eating every cheese product we could find at the Pike Place Market.

It was wonderful. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been allowed such complete luxury. 

We ate out. We stayed in. We talked until our faces turned blue from forgetting to breathe.

We channeled magic and danced in the firelight cast by a glade of lanterns unlike anything I have ever seen.

Once Molly finally deigned to be my friend the couch got even cozier. I totally appreciate her willingness to extend her paw in friendship, even when it was scary to let some one new and unknown in to her doggy heart.

I had the chance to finally meet the famous Flossy. She is even better than previously anticipated. Man that girl can stink-eye. The Kahuku girl in me was impressed. Please, note this picture is taken on a completely different night, although I'm not sure if I had moved from the couch since the above photo was taken.

Oh wait, I take that back. This photo was taken after our divine dinner that we made from scratch. The domestic culinary goddess' that we are created something entirely new, 'Scrambled Eggs and Green Salad'. We ate fresh tomatoes from the garden and reveled in our brilliance. Everything I ate in Washington was a delight to the pallet.
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I got to see Seattle all proper like too. Beth is a Pike Place market superstar (a boy even hollered her name as we forced down fresh peaches from his cart after eating our weight in lunch-like things). Is it any wonder what with licensing designs like these?!

This first leg of my gargantuan trip of wonder, relaxation and spiritual happiness was exactly what the doctor ordered -- maybe for all of us. It was such loveliness to just be.  Beth and I are kindred.  I always believe that when you're lucky enough to find the people you just click with you need to force them to spend all day with you for days on end.

This trip was bliss. Special thanks to every member of this little family for making my Washington dreamz come true. Mad props to husband-guy too for letting me come and kidnap his wifey for days and days. That man is so too cool for school (in the best ways).

On my last day in Seattle, i turned a corner and there it was....

and keeping with the theme of my wildly indulgent and lengthy sabbatical...
that wish was a wish that came true too....

I Spy Inspiration

New York City almost breaks my neck with all the double takes I do in a day. I notice minutia. It makes me happy to see things that other people don't see. As a kid I raised "I Spy" to a profession, my poor parents almost crashed cars while I screamed things like "look at that laundry! It's an upside down rainbow!!!" or "That dog looks like he's wearing glasses!" It's funny how much this honed skill is vital in my artsy life now. Once in a blue moon I stumble on someone who is the same way.

The Mad Hatter is like this. We walk and one of us says "Look at that building, isn't it weird how the marble fades from gray to white and then back to gray?" The other will follow with something like "Yeah, but look how those pigeons next to the parking lot. They're forming a musical triangle. I think they're about to go West Side Story on us."

I stop at a park and ink a suspenseful moment, a gang of black and brown birds face off against a troupe of white and gray pigeons, a blade held in an angry beak, eyes furrowed. A stranger comes up and says "Are those the Sharks and the Jets?!" He barters me into giving him the sketch in exchange for credit at his Radio Shack franchise. I don't mind because let's be honest, the sketch took five minutes and they looked more like 'The Outsiders' anyway.

So what do we learn? Being observant and using what you see to inspire your art will get you stuff.

Today I'm starting a little game at She Sure is Sketchy, called 'I Spy Inspiration,'
where you can get stuff by making art inspired by one of the photos in this post

These are some of the things that inspired me this week during my New York jaunts.

Who Can Win? YOU!
What Can You Win?! This:

It's an 'I Spy Inspiration Kit'
How Do I Play?
1. Use one or all of the photos in this post to inspire your art. Is your art baking or painting or crafting? Whatever your poison, let the details you spy in the photos inspire you.

2. Come back and leave me a comment with a link to your I Spy Inspiration blog post. so I can see what you were inspired to do. You can embed the photos on your blog from my I Spy Inspiration Flikr Stream if you want.

3.You'll be entered in the drawing when you leave a link leading me to your I Spy Inspiration blog post, sharing what you were inspired to create this week.

4. The Blog Follower Advantage: All of my blog followers are automatically entered in the random drawing I'll do when we pick a winner. Every follower I have by next Wednesday when I Spy Inspiration ends will be entered then too. So if you've always followed my blog you'll be entered twice.

When? We'll draw a winner here at She Sure is Sketchy on Wednesday the 18th of November. So make sure you leave your comment and link back by the evening of the 17th if you want to ensure your participation.

I'm a bit nervous about this new venture into blog candy so help me out and do some great art so we get some fun participation going!

listening to right this second: "bang bang bang" -- tracy chapman