You Put WHAT In It?!

We're all battling some sort of stuffy nose, coughy, achy something or other combo. So I'm taking my mom's advice and sipping on her hot lemonade recipe. She wise--she's from the country.

She says " Squeeze half a lemon into a mug (though I used a whole lemon---big mug I guess), Also cut the rind into slices and add. Mash in lots of honey and/or sugar. 4 t or more. Add hot water and a pat of butter and sip. A couple of mugfuls a day for a few days.

And, yes, that IS a pat of butter. Just goes to show I was right in what I said about the Midwest. I did try it without the butter and it's just not as good. Dang you, Midwest, and your oh-so-delicious butter!

Free Downloads!

Who doesn't want some free stuff these days? So I'm offering my stationery as a printable pdf. Either click on one of the images above and save it to your computer or contact me at arianarmstrong@yahoo.com for the .pdf. Or if you like the stationery but don't want to do any of the work, you can pick a set up with cute matching envelopes in my shop.

The Orange Hat

Another new print in the shop for ya! I'm workin on some Christmas stuff this week--cards, gift tags, and the like. I'm hoping to have some free downloads for you for your holiday enjoyment : ) so stay tuned!

Umbrella print

Just added a new print to the shop. It's from my original mixed media piece -- colored pencil, watercolor, and vintage paper on reclaimed wood. Hop on over and check it out : )

Soakin It All In

Though my Cincinnati roots are strong I have to admit that fall was made for New England- the architecture, the crisp air, the fog rolling off the ocean, it just doesn't compare. And since we're moving back to Ohio this Christmas I feel an even stronger urge to soak it all in. So while Bigger and Biggest Armstrong boys were sleeping off colds, Little Armstrong boy and I headed out this morning to take in the view.

Jude's feet on our way back from the post office where we picked up these new shoes.







Jude obviously unimpressed with the historical significance of Abbot Hall.



It's crazy to think that a lot of the people buried here are dressed like pilgrims cause, well, they basically were.

Though we're moving back home, so much of this storybook town also feels like home and so many people here have become family in our 3 1/2 years here. So we fully intend to "summer" here (or "autumn" here since I love it so much). So fear not, Marblehead. (In my best "Terminator" voice) "We'll be bauuch."

Breakfast Sketching

I just wanted to grab a shot of some breakfast sketching this morning. Apparently, though, I was taking too long. That, or Jude has a narcoleptic reaction to Need To Breathe. I quickly switched over to video mode to catch Jude doing THIS. Thankfully our resident super hero emerged just in time.

Fairy Hair Pins

Hey, just wanted to show you some new products that I've been selling at the art festivals I've done recently-- these fairy hair pin sets made by this fellow etsian with my fairy illustrations. If I get a good response, I'll order another batch and offer them in the shop as well. : )

Hope you had a great Halloween! What was going to be "Batman and Robin" turned into "Batman and Little Japanese Samurai/Karate Kid/Anime boy" at the last second cause mommy couldn't find a baby Robin costume and ran out of time to make one and happened to have this pair of Japanese pajamas in the closet, an old white t-shirt and a red sharpie. So WALLA!-- there you go!


I'm getting started on some fun book projects this week so stay tuned for some sneak peeks : )