Quill Feather Illustration Series


Twelve illustrated quill pens, each with one word.

The past year has been one of words. After moving from Portland, Oregon to Copenhagen, Denmark in 2012 I was surrounded by NEW. How do you describe what is happening? What do you say to people when they ask you inanely expected or intensely personal questions? How do you document the experiment of experiencing so many new things, you can barely keep up? Which ideas survive translation, which fail? Words can be wonderfully specific or frustratingly vague, and vice versa.

The past year was spent doing quite a bit of correspondence writing. On Facebook, in emails and postcards home (yes, the kind you send in the mail), with newfound pen pals…even sending letters in a bottle. And, writing single words accompanied by a feather.

The past year resulted in twelve illustrations of quill pens, the old fashioned way of writing your thoughts. Ink and time define what you can lay on a page, extraneous thoughts are omitted in favor of measured words, exactly the ones you want to use.

Light as a Feather

line drawing feather with various patterns inside the feather, a screen printed background and some splotchy neon green dots. Tasty.

To and Fro

Hand illustrated feather with textures and patterns on a bluish screen print background with neon magenta splotches.

It Tickles

A wavy fluttery feather with lots of fine feathering at the top. The parts are filled with textures of lines and dots and zigs and zags and circles and wholes and patterns on top of a screen print texture and hand stippled background.

Dream Maker

texture and pattern filled peacock inspired feather

Coming Around

feather-5

Heave Ho

Texture filled feather illustration.

Twist and Shout

TWIST AND SHOUT: "Turn" pattern filled feather with screen print background and watercolor dots.

Splitting Hairs

Black line drawing of a split feather filled with patterns and covered with red watercolor dots.

Crackle and Pop

A 3-part feather illustration where the feather has snapped over. Filled with textures and shown on a screen print texture background with watercolor splotches.

As A Bird

line drawn feather with patterns and textures in the feather parts, overlaid with multi-color watercolor textures

Double Edged

One short of a dozen, here is another pattern filled quill feather. The watercolor accents hover at the tip, floating upwards in hope and lightness.

And In The End…

Swirling and patterned feather with a windy shaft and six peacock eyes.

Lemonade Stand for Restaurant Day


restaurant-day-over-the-world

Four times a year Restaurant Day occurs around the world, where anybody can create a pop-up restaurant for a day. In Copenhagen usually 30 or so teams participate, resulting in a plethora of interesting food options for the day which you can find via a handy app.

In March of 2013, my Australian design friend Carli, her husband Wouter and I toured the booths of Restaurant Day Copenhagen. We drank koldskål on Queen Louises Bridge, tried champagne sorbet in a Nørrebro courtyard, and had a 3-course meal on the street near St. Hans Square accompanied by a Cuban band.

We had a fantastic time and vowed to participate with our own booth at the next Restaurant Day. Our contribution would be…A LEMONADE STAND.

Mette & Carli's Lemonade Stand - a rainbow of flavors.

The Lemon Rocket Video

Like any over-eager adult purveyors of handcrafted lemonade, we made a short video promoting our Lemonade Stand. If you’ve ever wondered how lemonade was made, this video reveals all. Thanks to the team at Jip Jip for animation and Matthew Matthew for the music clip.

Three Recipes

Carli and I perfected our homemade lemonade syrups to taste just so. We even employed the help of a small team of taste testers from Holland (Wouter & Family) to give us feedback on our initial recipes.

Each flavor was sold for 20kr (about $3.50) with an special upgrade to a “Grandpa’s Lemonade” (hint: add gin) for 40kr. We also shared the recipes with visitors so they could make their own homemade lemonade.

lemonade-stand-lavender-recipe

Lemon & Lavender
– in a saucepan: 1 part sugar + 1 part water + 1 tablespoon lavender
– simmer 5 mins and then cool
– juice 2 lemons
– drain lavender bits out, add lemon to make syrup
– mix syrup (approx a shot glass, or to taste) with a cup of bubbly water, lemon slice and ice

lemonade-stand-cucumber-mint-recipe

Cucumber & Mint
– two cucumbers: peel + chop + blend
– drain juice
– in a saucepan: 1 part sugar + 1 part water + bunch of mint
– simmer 5 min. remove mint. cool. add cucumber juice to make syrup.
– mix syrup (approx a shot glass, or to taste) with a cup of bubbly water, lemon slice and ice (garnish with mint)

lemonade-stand-strawberry-basil-recipe

Strawberry & Basil
– in a saucepan: 1 part sugar + 1 part water + bunch of basil
– simmer 5 mins and then cool
– blend 100 grams strawberries with some fresh basil
– mix liquid with strawberries to make syrup
– mix syrup (approx a shot glass, or to taste) with a cup of bubbly water, lemon slice and ice (garnish with basic and strawberry slice)

Spreading the Word

Of course we made a Facebook event to attract customers and posted vigorously about our preparations and product offerings. At one point, an attendee commented “I get the point, I’m COMING to your Lemonade Stand!”. YAY!

lemonade-stand-lavender-promo

lemonade-stand-cucumber-mint-promo

lemonade-stand-strawberry-basil-promo

We were as excited as two kids on the first day of school, and the day of reckoning was drawing nearer.

Our Lemonade Stand

Carli and Mette at their lemonade stand.
Carli and Mette at their lemonade stand.

Carli and I spent hours hand painting directional lemon signage and making Pantone perfect bunting to decorate our tent. We had everything planned to a T…except the weather. Be warned future lemonade stand entrepreneurs! If there is anything that will foil your plans on a successful business model it will be BAD WEATHER.

On the day of the big event it was windy and rainy and not at all conducive to selling lemonade. A follow up project to this one could be writing the guide “How to Sell Lemonade in Inclement Weather” with the following chapter outline:

1. Don’t
2. Weather to Attendance Ratios
3. Upping Sales with Alcohol Add-Ons
4. Wind Resistant Tent Solutions
5. Frostbite Avoidance & Ice Cube Handling
6. What to do when Drunk People Request Freebies, and When Denied, Pee in the Bushes Nearby
7. If You Survive

But, our main goal was to have fun, which we accomplished in spades. We surprised customers with our unorthodox lemonade flavors, we visited with the local Jehovah Witnesses who took shelter from the rain under our stand, and we had enough leftovers to give private lemonade tastings to friends, family and co-workers.

Next up: Restaurant Day Fall 2013 (if I can convince Carli to repeat the madness…)

Directional rocket signage.
Directional rocket signage.
Pantone perfect handmade bunting.
Pantone perfect handmade bunting.
All you need to know.
All you need to know.
Our production line.
Our production line.
The three flavors...
The three flavors…(well, four if you count the Finsbury addition.)
Cucumber & Mint, Strawberry & Basil, Lavender & Lemons.
Cucumber & Mint, Strawberry & Basil, Lavender & Lemons – with handmade bottle tags.
Customers braving the weather to try our lemonade.
Customers braving the weather to try our lemonade.

The Goodie Monster Vending Machine


The Goodie Monster is here! After a good idea, some sweat equity, and a few technical hurdles my friend Mark and I have brought into this world a new kind of vending machine. It looks a little different, and tastes different too.

Mark came to me with the idea of the Goodie Monster in the summer of 2011 and asked if I would help make it real. The goal: to put good food within people’s reach. The location: the Goldsmith Building where we both work. The details: make it the most awesome vending machine ever. I am a voracious snacker and quite interested in food (as evidenced here, here, here, here and here), so I took about 30 seconds to think about it before committing to one of the bigger side projects I’ve done.

Fuzzy type was the first inklings of our Monster-to-be.

After a failed attempt at getting onto Kickstarter, Mark took the plunge and bought a vending machine out-of-pocket. Yes, you can do that. He also researched what kind of snacks to put inside and put together an informational site that has details about each snack in the vending machine. Did you know that Luna Bars were created for women but can be equally enjoyed by self-confident men?

We have big plans for you, boring vending machine...
A selection of snacks that the Goodie Monster approves of.

My end of the deal involved giving the machine a personality, which included buying various materials at Fabric Depot, the largest fabric store in the nation. They must see a lot of strange things come and go, but even the ladies at Fabric Depot raised their eyebrows at my purchases. One check-out person saw my 5 pound box of polyfill and commented “Looks like quite the project you have going there”. You have no idea lady, that’s just for the tail of it!

Once we got started, the Goodie Monster took shape pretty quickly. He didn’t really have a lot to say, but he was very excited about snacking. In fact, all he could utter was NOM NOM NOM and point towards his mouth. Very demanding.

The Goodie Monster says it all with buttons.
He lives somewhere on the way to Snack Mecca where pears fly south for the winter.

This project was challenging in numerous ways. Mark had never owned or operated a vending machine. I had never sewn 12 yards of fake fur. My sewing machine was from the 1970’s and didn’t like working overtime. Fabric Depot was located in deep Southeast Portland next to some strip clubs. Things could have gone wrong in so many places, but we made it through fairly unscathed. Here are a few pictures showing the process from start to finish, including having our first customers arrive 30 seconds after the Goodie Monster was unveiled. The door wasn’t even closed and they were already clamoring for their Justin’s Nut Butters and Larabars.

To announce the Goodie Monster’s arrival, Mark gave each tenant of the Goldsmith Building a small Kind bar with a booklet introducing their new neighbor. Other businesses in the area got a note in the mail that came in a very hungry envelope.

Many people helped us with the Goodie Monster: Darin Richardson who painted and painted and painted, Jen Stevenson who gave us the idea for a GORP recipe card, Jelly who repeatedly yelled WOOHOO and gave constructive feedback, David who owns the Goldsmith and encouraged us to make it happen, and Greg who helped when the Goodie Monster went haywire and started spewing coins and Clif Bars unprompted. To all of you – THANKS!

And since there is nothing more satisfying than a before and after photo…

Our little corner: BEFORE
Our little corner: AFTER
Mark and I doing our best "I love what you do for me" jumps. Hurrah!

Update 11.15.2011: The Goodie Monster gets a four course review by local food writer Jen Stevenson of Under the Table with Jen. With almost 40 courses to choose from it was a tough job, but less filling than your regular Thanksgiving dinner. Read more about our snack sampling.

Update 11.23.2011: The Goodie Monster is now on Facebook! Where else is a vending machine clad in green fur supposed to find friends? We hope you like him.

Update 11.25.2011: Steve Law of the Portland Tribune has written a nice article on the Goodie Monster and vending machine policy for the Thanksgiving issue of the newspaper.

Update 11.29.2011: Portland Pulp wrote a nice blurb about our friend called “The Goodie Monster: The Future of Health Food”. Check it out here.

Update 01.01.2011: Portland’s Chinatown newspaper featured the Goodie Monster as their “employee of the month”. Pretty amazing seeing as the Goodie Monster just sits there and sells snacks with a smile.

Update 01.02.2012: The Goodie Monster gets a mention in Mix Magazine alongside another vending machine makeover case, the Soda Pagoda.

Update 01.27.2012: Making more Goodie Monsters has been accepted as a project for Kickstarter. Plans must now be formulated – stay tuned!

Update 03.31.2012: Portland Monthly Magazine wrote a short article on the Goodie Monster, saying is a vending machine “with more personality than most, or maybe any.” Why yes, it probably is.

Update 04.29.2012: The Goodie Monster Kickstarter campaign has officially started. Help us raise money to make four more Goodie Monsters, which will be the start of creating and sustaining continued growth for the Goodie Monster family. Check our our video and rewards on Kickstarter.

Update 05.01.2012: Silicon Florist blogger Rick Turoczy picks up on the Goodie Monster campaign in the article VendScreen and Goodie Monster: Could Portland be the epicenter of vending machine innovation?

Sketchbook Project 2011: Things That Stick


Late last year I signed up for The Sketchbook Project so that I would have a fun extra-curricular activity to fill my spare hours with. The project is organized by Art House Co-Op, and the basic premise is as follows:

    • you buy a blank sketchbook (anybody can participate)
    • fill up your sketchbook according to the theme you chose when purchasing
    • send the sketchbook back to Art House Co-Op
    • all the sketchbooks that are sent in are taken on a national tour, after which…
    • sketchbooks are placed in the Brooklyn Art Library where they can be checked out

As these things usually go, my spare hours dwindled and I was soon left with a looming deadline to fill an entire sketchbook in 2 weeks. From the 20 or so pre-set themes, I had chosen “adhere to me”. So I titled my sketchbook “Things That Stick” and got to work.

Sometimes you just feel like a Label Maker Head.
Only a $5 ticket to get from Anthropologie to some foreboding mountains? Sign me up!
It's the in-betweens that are a stickler.
Grandma, get your gun!
Kind of Tetris-y, but that's not the song *I'm* thinking about.
Peanut butter Rorschach test. Mmmm, sticky.
It's true, I hate this page and almost covered it up, but then I didn't.
Ratty was followed by Ralph, Rufus, Rocky, and Rascal.
There are few things better than leftover campfire smell.
Boys and girls: wooden eyes and a fiery tongue.
Getting closer to that one song.
The guiltiest mosquito I ever did see.
I'm more of a mint person, but this will do.
Let's make this the new Rick Roll.
I knew that cop had somewhere to be.
I think this applies to everybody's experience of Junior High.
Well, duh.
I had to put my hand in traction after this page, and drink a tonic.
You know how it feels.
Thanks for reading "Things That Stick"!

After working so ardently on my sketchbook I was a little sad to see it go, but it was also a bit of a relief. I showed it to a few people who I thought would enjoy it before putting it in the mail, never to be seen again. It was a good exercise in doing something for the experience rather than the results.

Behind The Scenes & Making Of

Since I had procrastinated, the first order of business was to halve the number of pages in my Moleskin from 80 to 40 by doing a fake french-fold by double stick taping every other page together. After getting some basic pagination down, I had figured out that each left facing page would be found images from catalogs, stockbooks, etc., and the right facing pages would be accompanying text.

Tiny thumbnail pagination - good for helping keep all your thoughts in order.

Since I only had one sketchbook and therefore zero room for error, I sketched out most things before drawing or tracing it directly into the sketchbook. Some of the pages I like best (Grandma’s Gun, Boys & Girls, Dreams, A Good Book) were created on the fly with maybe just an outline of something that I then filled in without a plan. The sticky shadow page was inspired by a stint I spent filing at a previous job. After about 3 weeks, I felt like my own head had turned into the very same label maker I was using so diligently to organize an entire room’s worth of documents. I started drawing this poster in memory of what I called File-a-palooza, but never finished it. Here are few more in-progress sketches:

Most of the stock books I had were from Veer or House Industries circa 2003. I used my Whale of a Punch to punch out circles from various pages. The cover circles are from a hand holding a diamond ring, and the back side of the sheet gave me the little pink house on the Dreams page.

Punch, punch, punch.

If you’re interested in checking out the sketchbook project, the tour dates are listed on their website.

The Adventures of Me and My Pioneer Rabbit


My pioneer rabbit guards our catch of cod while I take a swim.
…sitting on the dock of the bay.
My pioneer rabbit flies a kite with a key while I watch from a safe distance.
…testing some theories.
My pioneer rabbit parachutes out of my plane with our loot.
…making a million dollar getaway.
My pioneer rabbit and I in a barrel, barreling toward the threshold of Niagara falls.
…practicing our Houdini moves.
My pioneer rabbit and I furiously working a hand car.
…on the lam from the chain gang.
My pioneer rabbit and I sit stealthily behind some foliage while on safari.
…on wild safari.
My pioneer rabbit and I watching the boob tube on a mustard yellow couch.
…watching some white noise.
My pioneer rabbit was not on board with testing out some water skis.
…stretching the limitations of water skis.
My pioneer rabbit and I decide that camels are onto something. "Stay here, trusty rabbit, I'm going to get help."
…on a dusty trail to nowhere.
After traversing the bone dry plains of the desert, me and my rabbit took plotted our next adventure in more hydrated climes. Our crew assembled and gear prepared, we were in search of hidden treasure, but even I was surprised by my rabbit's underwater prowess.
...searching for sunken treasure.
When the space program ran out of Russian dogs to send into orbit, they called upon my pioneer rabbit to explore the reaches of deep space. We knew his twitchy nose and nimble hop would be put to the test when our mission to gather moon rocks was revealed, but it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up..
...gathering moon rocks.
Ever since we'd taken the helm from the last Dread Pirate Rabbit, my pioneer bunny and I had been living large. Swashbuckling, saving princesses, shouting "Shiver me timbers!" from the fore mast. Ahh, life on the high seas.
...marauding on the high seas.
Due to a run in with some flocked moose, my pioneer rabbit and I were a bit lat on the game for Christmas present buying. As you can see, we barely made it out of the shopping melee alive.
...surviving last minute holiday shopping.
We hadn't planned on doing anything big for New Year's, but my rabbit wanted to go out. As the evening progressed, however, it was clear that my rabbit's plans had take a turn for the worse. Some would say he was drowning his sorrows in drink...in reality he was just drowning.
...ringing in the New Year.
With such a high propensity for thrill-seeking adventure, it wasn't long before my rabbit had concocted a plan to rival our Houdini "barrel in a rushing river" triumph. This time, he planned to traverse the buildings of New York via tightrope. The police had alternative thoughts about this dream.
...completing feats of tightrope drama.
After all that we had been through, I thought it was be nice to plan a nice relaxing get-a-way for my rabbit and I. What better than the northern and most remote state of the US, where we could cuddle in an igloo and drink cocoa. We even got to see the northern lights, a sign to behold!
...watching the northern lights.
After watching Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, my rabbit got a feather up his butt and decided to go roque. Yes, he wanted to heist some local jewels, and darned if he didn't have a plan. If somebody ever tells you a rabbit can't rappel upside down through laser beams of museum security...well, I will vouch that they can.
...pulling off a heist.
After touring the livestock showings and the rodeo, my rabbit and I decided it was time for more lighthearted competition - the County Fair carnival games! Somehow my rabbit got roped into the sharp shooter game, but not in the way he would have liked. As burley rednecks lined up for a shot, we feared this county fair might be his last.
...at the county fair.
Our adventures have taken us to faraway lands and delicate situations, so my rabbit and I thought we should relax with an old-fashioned road trip. Instead of the class route 66, we chose to burn rubber on Oregon's highway 97. Unfortunately, our adventuring skills didn't make up for missing the sign that read "No Gas for 345 miles". Yep, our roadtrip was now reliant on our thumbs, of which my rabbit had none.
...thumbing a ride on Highway 97.
After entering the derby, it was quickly decided that my rabbit would be the driver. After all, the pinewood derby car was bit small for me. So we set about making the fastest racing machine we could, and no expense was spared: custom rims, jaunty racing scarf, glossy enamel paint job...
...going to the derby car races.
My pioneer rabbit was finally exacting revenge on the previous ills I had committed toward him. An idyllic trip to the seashore quickly turned sinister after I realized that burying me in the sand wasn't such an innocent activity. As the waves lapped closer, my pleas didn't seem to faze him. My rabbit had a heart of stone.
...at the seashore.
Leave it to my pioneer rabbit to accidentally reenact Don Quixote during our scenic tour of Holland's historic windmills. While I didn't find it very amusing, the tour bus we were traveling with sure got their money's worth.
...combating wind power.
Even though he was planning on being stowed in the overhead bin and required nothing more than a small cupful of water and some pre-packaged carrots, my rabbit had to get his own passport. Boy, did the government lady look at us strangely when I told her to put down Briar Patch as country of origin.
...traveling with passports.
Me and my pioneer rabbit like a good getaway to the quiet of the woods. I warned my small friend that his marshmallow whittling skills seemed to be overly optimistic. Suddenly, the peaceful crackling of the campfire was amplified by a million little rabbit ear hairs.
...catching marshmallows on fire.
Grandma Rabbit had asked for new family portraits, so me and my pioneer rabbit were off to the photographers for some official portraits. Between the nose-twitching, ear-flopping and multiple-book chair-height adjustments, I didn't think we would ever get the right shot!
...getting official photographs taken.
My pioneer rabbit and I thought that a nice romantic hot air balloon trip would put some of our past harrowing adventures behind us. But as these things go, the idyllic countryside wasn't so enjoyable when viewed from the taut vantage of an errant tether.
...hot air ballooning.
Traveling abroad for adventure is fun and all, but a trip to the Wild West is something you can only do in the good ol' US of A. The rodeo was calling and my rabbit answered by entering into the bronc riding contest. You should have seen the look on that rodeo clown's face when he saw my Leporidae flying through the air at him.
...rodeo style.
After our last adventure my rabbit and I were in need of some recuperation, specifically in the mental arena. The head doctor's office was seven different shades of beige, the water a perfect 72 degrees, and the fainting couch oh-so-comfortable. After an hour of whisker twitching, we were ready to go again.
...at the head doctor.
It's no secret that the Pacific Northwest breeds a special sort of winter gloom. The rain comes in many forms and fashions including big drops, small drops, wetter than usual drops, sideways drops, stinging drops, and drench-fest drops. The weather could be summed up as "bleh". Until you lose your umbrella, and then the weather is "BLERG!".
...on just another rainy day.
My rabbit had underwater experience from our trials at finding sunken treasure, but climbing a fish ladder turned out to be a whole other story. Fish of all sizes and dispositions swimming upstream while being counted and measured by professional and unprofessional humans alike. At least there were no bears waiting for dinner at the top of the ladder...
...traversing the fish ladder.
Pioneer Rabbit stands at attention for Dannebrog, the oldest flag in existence.
...going abroad.
You never know when a door will open in front of you, or in this case, a hole in the ground. My rabbit looked around him, at the rainbow and the clouds, at the green grass and the flowers, at the clear bright sky, and then he took a leap and went down the rabbit hole.
...jumping down the rabbit hole.
Usually we were the ones caught under the searchlight, but this time, we were the ones doing the searching. The shipping logs from the fjord house had shown an unmarked Polish ship heading towards the harbor. So we set out in the dark of night to investigate, and weren't disappointed in the nefarious activities that were ****SHHHKKKK****###!!!!!!****KKKKKSHHHH****OVER OUT.
...helicoptering reconnaissance.
Alone on a rocky perch overlooking the high seas, my rabbit was deep into a Paul Simon impersonation phase. After reciting I Am A Rock, I Am An Island over and over again, it had come to this. Also, can you find the weather-related inaccuracy in this image?
...reenacting melancholic Paul Simon songs.
My pioneer rabbit had been pondering his roots lately, and like any good forefather decided to write his ideas down on paper to guide his one-rabbit nation. A lack of opposable thumbs and his desire for clarity resulted in a one word Declaration of Independence: PURSUIT. The document struck a chord, and was later exhibited in great halls such as the Modern Museum of Art, the National History Museum, and at the Black Rabbit Coffee Shop.
...declaring independence.
You would THINK that after so many mishaps UNDERWATER that my pioneer rabbit would be a little more cautions. But when the neighborhood plastic flamingos invited him over for a pool party, he fell for it hook, line and sinker. It was only after the neighbors called that I was able to go fish him out from a very ill-fated game of Marco Polo. Rabbit, will you ever learn?
...playing Marco Polo.
After watching Charles and Ray Eames short movie Factors of 10, my pioneer rabbit wanted to see the actual scale of the universe for himself. No small task, but my little bunny has powers of determination not found in many man or beast. All he said when he returned was "You won't believe the view from up there!".
...admiring the view from outer space.
Every once in a while it's nice to take a low-key adventure. No trips to the moon, no marauding pirate ships, no wild safari close calls. Just a nice ride in a safe sidecar to see the sights. The thing is, nobody tells you that scarf length is a key factor in disaster when operating open-air vehicles. Yes, foiled by a scarf. You'd think we were amateurs.
...being sidecar sidekicks.
It started out innocent enough - a quest to correspond with the unknown, an empty wine bottle, and...my pioneer rabbit inadvertently getting propped into the glass vial instead of the message we can composed. I suppose I'm glad I really corked that bottle good, but I sure hope he doesn't get seasick.
...messaging via bottle.
Apparently being accepted into the Danish Army is harder than it looks, even though the country is the size of a golf course and there is no draft. So my pioneer rabbit did the only thing he could, when he felt the call to guard the Queen's castle - became a fuzzy Danish Army Hat, the next best thing to actually being a soldier.
...infiltrating the Royal Danish army.
The oldest amusement park in the world, Tivoli Gardens, has it's charm and glamour. But when a high-flying ride to see the cityscape take a turn for the worse, my rabbit discovers the downside to not meeting the height requirement for "those rides". That will teach him to sneak in under my trench coat.
...amusement park casualties.
This has got to be one of my pioneer rabbit's more hair brained ideas. I told him "we're not auditioning for 'Jackass'" but he paid me no heed. So at dusk we drove out to the fields to find ourselves some cows and do ourselves some tipping.
...cow tipping.
My pioneer rabbit and I don't usually get very biblical, but after feasting so much over the holidays we decided to reenact the original feast: the last supper. Strangely enough, none of our dinner guests showed up, so it was a sad affair made brighter only by the uneaten mandarin oranges we had bought for the occasion. Better luck next time, rabbit.
...party crashing the last supper.
Many before us had tried. Many before us had failed. And in between there were certainly no shortage of glorious victories and tragic defeats between parents and children, young couples, and me and my pioneer rabbit. But in the end, we survived our trip to IKEA, richer several pieces of self-assemble furniture and a kilo of tea lights later.
...navigating IKEA.
Everything in Paris was pointy. The Eiffel Tower, the perfectly manicured trees, the baguettes, the Frenchie's sense of humor. But due to a previous issue with scaling tall buildings and tightropes, my rabbit had a restraining order on Paris' most famous spire and we were forced to gaze at it from afar.
...tourists in Paris.
After seeing one too many Siegfried and Roy reruns, my pioneer rabbit couldn't resist the smell of popcorn, peanuts and elephants anymore. We joined the circus and he quickly became a star of the show due to his small and flexible nature, excelling on both tightrope, acrobatics, sitting in the lion's mouth, and riding on top of other animals.
...performing in the circus.
I was surprised it had never come up before, but one weekend my Pioneer Rabbit declared he was off to a retreat. A bunny love retreat. I guffawed and told him not to get lost in the 1970's. As you can see, he made the most of his weekend doing what bunnies do best: love.
…making bunny love.
Another late night at the cemetery, another chance for the night to go completely awry. Suddenly, my pioneer rabbit was overcome by a blood sucking thirst and I was helpless against his Leporidae incisors as he leapt towards my jugular. Perhaps it was a latent memory of having watched Monty Python's crazed murdering bunny skit; perhaps it was a culmination hearing "how many eggs have you laid this year" at Easter; whatever it was, there was no getting out of this one.
…vampire disaster.
Crossing things off his bucket list at a breakneck speed, my pioneer rabbit was hellbent on getting some adrenalin via bungee jumping. No matter that his weight was FAR LESS than the average jumper, he used the extra spring to his full advantage and made a loop dee loop which had bystanders gasping in awe.
…bungee jumping up, down and all around.
Instead of being the subject of an adventure, me and my pioneer rabbit decided for once to be bystanders and take a trip out to extra terrestrial territory to spot some flying disks and foreign visitors. As luck would have it, our role as bystanders was short lived...
…sighting UFO.
Known for their spry flexible bodies and unique jumping nature, me and my pioneer rabbit decided that the balance beam was the best Olympic event to try our hand at. I mean, if they had offered carrot eating as an event that would clearly have been a close contender. Hopefully the judges don't deduct points for floppy ears.
…triple flipping on beam.
On our tropical ventures me and my pioneer rabbit came across the amazing size of a volcano spewing molten lava every which way, with a river of hot flowing rocks right before our feet. Or perhaps it was carrot juice, from a carrot juice mountain? Wishful thinking rabbit, that's how we get into trouble...
…chasing lava.
After days in the blistering sun and chilly nights curled up next to a parched cow skull, me and my pioneer rabbit could go no further. I left him at the waterhole and made off for what I hoped was the nearest town to get help.
…high desert survivors?
After so many scrapes and near misses, my pioneer rabbit decided to take a cue from the street artist Banksy and go a little more incognito - including always having some paint around to paint a getaway tunnel. Not a bad idea, rabbit!
…street artists.
It's surprising it took my pioneer rabbit to experience this adventure - in hindsight it should have been the first. However it's never too late to be sorely tempted...by chocolate, milkshakes, sleeping in, exotic vacations, or the original sin.
…sorely tempted.
It had been a long journey, but my rabbit had finally arrived after a transformative trip. I t was good to have him back, safe and cosy at home, thanks to a lift by his white winged friend.
…experiencing a rebirth.
As we boarded the jetliner headed west, me and my pioneer rabbit knew that we were embarking on another adventure that would be both wonderful and unpredictable. What lay in wait for us on the other side of the globe? Visions of burritos and sushi rolls danced in our eyes, but not everything is as easy as a trip to the nearest dinner locale. Only time would tell what riches our endeavors would bring us.
…on a transatlantic return.
One of the dangers, probably in the top five of dangerous things that can happen to you, when living in Denmark is being served a bowl of candy. Dangerous you ask? How so? While the candy bowl SHOULD be a place of joy and comfort, in Denmark it is a hidden trap for strong licorice. Licorice so strong that your entire throat constricts and your airway becomes compromised, all while the native laugh at your distress. It's a truly life-threatening experience.
…and the surprise licorice attack.
Not every adventure my pioneer rabbit embarks on is noteworthy, fantastic, daring, remarkable, or enlightening. Sometimes he just gets caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, and repercussions be darned. So that's why you might not have read about his latest brush with adventure, taking a turn in the tumbler.
…taking a turn in the tumbler.
After being attacked by surprise licorice, me and my pioneer rabbit decided to make our own surprise show in the grand American tradition of magic tricks. A stage, a hat, and a rabbit - what more could you need to wow audiences near and far? Pull the red curtain aside and be prepare to be amazed!
…turning magic tricks
Due to the secret nature of the secret nature of the annual rabbit convention, I offer no flowery details of morning buffets or team building faux pas. But as you can see, there were two flags, a rabbit hole, and rabbits as far as the eye can see.
…at the annual convention.
Stuck on euphenisms, my rabbit was particularly enamored with the digitally description for vomit, puke, barf, upchuck, spew - otherwise known as the technicolor yodel. Hurling rainbows from his gullet seemed much more palatable, and when you're feeling ill a little bit of magic rainbow visualization never hurt.
…and the technicolor yodel.
The lingering strains of the intro song for Lassie were still ringing in my ears when my rabbit happened into an eery mirror of Timmy falling into the well. Feeling desperately inadequate with his nose twitching skills and feet thumping signals, he waited with increasing anxiousness at the side of the well. What if nobody came to the rescue, and why oh why can't rabbits bark?
…finding Timmy.
We weren't sure if the tiger was real, but under the blistering sun on the endless waves of a winding novella, the twitching tail and purring growl seemed to be more than just a mirage. How, how to test if this was real or a figment of our imaginations?
…on a boat with a tiger.
During a hike in the jungle my rabbit unfortunately found himself caught in the middle of a Shel Silverstein poem with markedly less prose to ameliorate the situation. Oh gawd, it's up to my paw! Oh swelly, it's up to my belly! Oh dear, it's up to my ears…somehow didn't ring as well as the original.
…being eaten by a boa constrictor.
My pioneer rabbit and I looking for adventure.
…off to find our next adventure.

My Outfits Tell Stories Too


To me, most everything has a story behind it. Perhaps following in the footsteps of my father, the unofficial one-man census bureau for Madras, Oregon, I feel the need to trace the history of objects, however inane or trivial they might be. Seriously, you should see my button collection!

Frequently, people will comment on my outfits…common, everyday observations like “Hey, I like your jacket” or “Cute skirt!”, which are probably just acknowledgements rather than conversation starters. I respond with mores breaking tales of where I got the jacket, how much it cost, why I think it’s the best deal ever, which other piece of clothing it goes with in my closet, and how I had to fix this one button which was probably the reason it was on sale in the first place.

Here I will tell those stories visually rather than verbally. Maybe I’ll stop scaring people with my outfit outbursts, maybe I won’t. But I’m curious what tales my outfits will tell in this new format…

Outfit No. 1

Outfit No. 1: baggy levi jeans from Danmark, a brown long sleeve hoodie and brown Dr. Martins

Outfit No 2.

Outfit No 2: hand-me-down holey abercrombie jeans, MP3 Threadless shirt, black hoodie and pumas.

Outfit No 3.

Outfit No. 3: a fuzzy cream turtleneck, patterned high-waisted skirt from my friend Jen/Anthropologie, black tights, black Spiral Camper boots, and a silver bag from my Danish Grandma.

Outfit No. 4

Outfit No. 4: a striped shirt from modcloth.com, a mustard peacoat from the junior's section, REI socks I wish I had more of, fairly tight jeans, my Frye boots and a giant Vestal watch that wins every watch-off it ever encounters.

Outfit No. 5

A real Thursday kind of outfit: my

Outfit No. 6

Outfit No. 6: QXWVWZY scrabble shirt (the worst hand ever), gray wide-leg trousers from anthropologie, cream zip-up from H&M Alborg, monkey socks and requisite converse-like shoes.

Outfit No. 7

Outfit No. 7: Hey Sailor shirt that makes me want to shout AHOY, excessively grommeted belt that allows A LOT of leeway for loosening and tightening, a jean skirt with only $4.99 worth of fabric, leg warmers with snaps, tough J. Angelina boots with straps & buckles, incognito disguise: mustache on a hand on a stick

Outfit No. 8

Outfit No. 8: striped crew shirt and gray wide-leg trousers from Anthropologie, "forget me knot" ring that helps me remember important things, flattened silver Thor's hammer that reminds me of an anchor, my friend Lark and my Danish graduation, and my Jack Purcells that supposedly have siped soles, but I'll believe it when I'm not thrown overboard from a bucking clipper on the high seas.

Outfit No. 9

Outfit No. 9: an overwhelmingly hearty shirt dress that makes people smile, jeans with a faulty button, Dr. Martens, this time with sock liners to prevent chafing, a jean Levi's purse with a horse button my account manager, Heather, gave me.

Outfit No. 10

ailbird and emerald green dress from Anthropologie makes me feel like skipping; knitted shrug and black tights; ballet flats I have in 3 colors; silver hue pendent from my Danish graduation; a cool-factor reducing burrito.

Outfit No. 11

Outfit No. 11: tank over tank combo with questionable graphics; fake Dr. Martens from 1995 shoe outlet mall; 10 lbs ago pants that are too lazy to stay up on their own; pant saving belt

Outfit No. 12

Outfit No. 12: a hoodie with built-in headphones; army green bubble skirt that is probably out of style, but it makes me feel like part of a court so I'll keep it; another hand-me-down shirt from my sister-it's so emo I only wear it under other things; long live my campers boots; vestal watch

Outfit No. 13

Outfit No. 13: Fake-plaid Fox hoodie that has a tiny extra pocket that I keep my pocket ninja in; my first threadless s-shirt. possibly still the coolest. CTRL+Z; my deliciously baggy levi's I bought in DK. I've been told I could fit three hipsters inside these pants. I tend to agree (Hipster #1: 20/20 cool factor)(Hipster #2: Look ma! No gears!)(Hipster #3: of course, converse)

Outfit No. 14

Outfit No. 14: Another modcloth.com shirt with a very pleasing plaid pattern, reminds me of my childhood summers in Grass Valley playing in the hay barn and catching pollywogs in the cow trough; ivory heart necklace from my MorMor in Danmark - she got it while on safari; a plain tank top; Thuper Slim $13.99 almost jeggings, but not; Fossil watch is a super hungry battery hog; Frye books are the perfect mouse grey color but don't squeak that much.

Outfit No. 15

Outfit No. 15: a down vest in June? Depressing. But really, I need to talk about my friend Mark. We've been exchanging a drawstring santa head bag between ourselves for the past few years in a vicious cycle of one-upmanship. Neither of us WANT it, neither of us are willing to let go. It had been awhile since I had last seen Mark when I put my vest on only to find that he had stuffed santa's head into a pocket. The image of Mark gleefully hiding his gift 6 months prior enraged me, and my bellow belied this...MAAAAAAAAARRRRK!!!!! I'll get you one of these days, just you wait.

Outfit No. 16

Outfit No 16: a striped Polo shirt and white cord jacket 3 or 33 seasons past its prime. Also, a pair of 2001 Levi's bought for $7.99 at Ross. Yes, Ross. The back pockets are disproportionately large...the only reason I can think of is that cell phones were a lot bigger back then. Oversized belt loops help sturdy belts hold up technology laden pants. Diagrammatic Evidence: cell phone circa 2010, cell phone circa 2001, and Ralph your average size house rat. Mystery solved.

Outfit No. 17

Outfit No 17: A quiet kind of outfit I imagine a modern day Laura Ingalls Wilder would wear: prairie dress with brown leggings, gray Frye boots and a cream knit shrug.

Outfit No. 18

Outfit No. 18: Threadless "Vikea" how to build a viking ship shirt. I'm only half-viking but once I rode on an authentic viking ship leaving for a Danish bachelor party, complete with a pig in a spit. / I just gave my Campers a polish. Not a hot dog, mind you. / Jean skirt of a decent length. Very hard to find.* / Green cord jacket from my friend Laura. She likes green, so I have a lot of green things. Hand-me-downs are so free. / *PS. I found a melted chocolate dollar in my pocket from Umpqua Bank, which I rediscovered remnants of every time I put my hand in my pocket (about 17 times, if you're curious).

Outfit No. 19

Outfit No. 19: Plaid dress from the junior's section so it's a bit short and somehow I ripped it up the back but the plaid pattern hides my patch job. / $13.99 jeans that I wear under all my shirtdresses. $ well spent.* / Another greenish (teal) hand-me-down from Laura. / FRYE BOOTS. DROOL. / *the pockets are sewn shut. oh well

Outfit No. 20

Today's outfit might as well have a giant Anthropologie sign blinking and flashing like all get out, so here it is: -Today's Outfit- Sponsored by (you know it) ANTHROPOLOGIE & Stuff™ / red buttons + red pants / my socks don't match the outfit but nobody's going to see them, right?

Outfit No. 21

Outfit No. 21: Standard Issue tank top. / $1 Goodwill belt, still going strong. / $9.99 capri pants from AE sales rack. Clothes for preteens are cheaper, usually. / SVEA sweatshirt from my sister; it got shrunk in the wash so I got it! / Jack Purcell's; one for each foot. / I recommend sunglasses since this is the first time my limbs have seen sun since 2009 #pasty #glowing #white.

Outfit No. 22

Outfit No. 22: Um, a shirt my sister bought for me at Forever 21. I'm still in my twenties at least, and more importantly this tank top is great at hiding spare tires. / $4.99 jean skirt. I relive my deals every time I wear them :). / Standard Issue black tights. / Black ballet flats with no arch support. / Vestal watch. / Giant horseshoe necklace.

Outfit No. 23

Outfit No. 23: Standard Issue tank top. / A very airy skirt perfect for acclimating to new summer temperatures. / Flats, sooo comfortable but the logo is worn off so I don't know the name in order to BUY MORE! / Movie tix. / Leg warmers, strictly for warmth, or so I thought...I brought them to the movie theater because the AC is always off the hook, but on the way Jen and I bought baguette sandwiches to smuggle in. My purse wasn't big enough, but guess what fits PERFECTLY into my leg warmers? MY LUNCH!!! (after I ate my sandwich I put them on my legs)

Outfit No. 24

Outfit No. 24: A cute checkered and ruffled black and gray top my sister gave me (as a present, not a hand-me-down!). / A new pair of jeans! 'Boyfriend cut' Levi's. They even remembered to distress one back pocket so it looks like "my boyfriend" carried his wallet there. / White leather bracelet with silver brads. / My new travel purse with 7 pockets. Seven is the exact amount of pockets I was in the market for = organized. / Skinny belt. / Leather flats.

Outfit No. 25

Outfit No. 25: Grey silk dress-so light and airy! / Super flat hair (my sister did it). / Cream Blackstone boots on super sale. The man in the pew in front of me really liked them. / In this outfit I: went to a Catholic wedding in a pretty church, but didn't eat the crackers, fed some cows pears from a tree and let them lick my hand a little, and watched the bride and groom dance to the song Scatman.

Outfit No. 26

Outfit No. 26: Standard Issue tank top. / Reef flip flops, remnants from my California years. / Sale rack skirt from Anthropologie has a nice boat scene with hidden side effects. Namely, I got the song "Sail Away" by Enya stuck in my head...ALL DAY LONG. And now you will, too. Enjoy!!! {Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away…Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away…Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away…} (I think you get the picture)

Outfit No. 27

Outfit No. 27: SUMMER TIME AND THE LIVING IS EASY. Gray shirt. / Cut-off jean shorts from 1997. / Patchwork bikini with factor 45+ sunblock and a floppy hat. / Olukai sandals, the most comfortable sandals ever (and I designed the logo on it). / Summer reading: O. Henry Prize Stories.

Outfit No. 28

Outfit No. 28: How to eat a 5-course meal, comfortably: cream billowy dress with saddle straps. / A horseshoe necklace. / Fry boots. / Pig toes, calf tongue with poached egg, tenderloin with potatoes, a cheese platter, and white mousse dessert.

Outfit No. 29

Outfit No. 29: Modcloth should be giving me a cut for this. Uber comfortable plaid dress from, yep, Modcloth. / I got a haircut today, and wore a scissor necklace from, yep, Modcloth. / The necklace really works!

Outfit No. 30

Outfit No. 30: I wore the exact same outfit two days in a row. / Day #1: encountered 4 people. / Day #2: encountered 289 people (give or take). / Fashion Cost Per Encounter: 49 cents. / ModCloth dress, gray jeggings, red flats.

Outfit No. 31

Outfit No. 31: One black turtleneck. One black tank top. One mascara mustache (black). One bad french accent {Oui, Oui}. One pair black skinny pants. One pair black socks. One pair black shoes. One piece cardboard with toast shape cut out. October 31st, 2010.

Outfit No. 32

Outfit No. 32: Went to a concert by Belle & Sebastian and when Stuart Murdoch sang it made me so happy I wiggled in my seat. / Abercrombie & Fitch knit dress. I think they make the bulk of their cash from selling tank tops and undershirts because the majority of their clothes are too sheer or low cut to wear by itself. / Standard issue tank top underneath dress. / Not sure where I got these tights from. I wonder if I should be worried about this? / YES! added another pair of REI socks to the arsenal. / J. Angelina boots on super sale! Straps and buckles make me feel pretty tough.

Outfit No. 33

Outfit No. 33: Flowy top from Modcloth should have its own Facebook fan page. An older gentleman remarked "Woah, you'll make some many very happy" and then said my top was diaphanous. Nice vocabulary, old man. / Knit sweater bought at Forever 21 when I was still very near the age 21. It had a defect so I got a discount! / Same old skinny jeans from Ross for $13.99. / Will I ever get tired of my Frye boots? No. Never. / di•aph•a•nous - adjective (esp. of fabric) light, delicate, translucent

Outfit No. 34

Outfit No. 34: The most exciting part of today was eating lunch at Clyde Common with Google Beta. / Top from Anthropologie; my friend Laura has the same one. / High waisted "college" skirt from ModCloth. / Reasons I hardly ever wear tights: 1. control top severely inhibits dessert consumption, 2. snag too easily, 3. attached feet make my feet cold (leggings: 0, tights -3). / Dogs of the world socks, worn under tights to keep my feet warm. / My first pair of tall boots, acquired in 2004 from Kenneth Cole. The highest heel I'll ever wear (5'9" guys avoid 5'10" girls, usually).

Outfit No. 35

Outfit No. 35: Standard Issue thermal shirt. / Went to lunch with Olga & Artem in this hat. Pretty sure I'm part of the Russian mafia now. / Black hoodie. / Tried and true bootcut Levi's. One knee is overly worn out from a stint of sorting & filing papers, bended on one knee, because there were so many pieces to organize that I had to spread everything out on the floor. I call it File-a-Palooza 2008. / Long johns go under jeans (brrr, it's cold out). / New Camper sneakers

Outfit No. 36

Outfit No. 36: Mm Hmm, Uh Huh, Mm Hmm - dress from ModCloth that both my studiomate and friends two jack russels liked. Score. / It's true, I like free clothes (thanks Laura). / Watch from my aunt Lotte. Very refined. / Good ol' leggings. / Campers. / Socks (getting into the xmas spirit secretly).

Outfit No. 37

Outfit No. 37: I think it's a knit sweater. / Thermal from Target for $12.99. / Free tan cords. / Fuzzy hat and neck warmer my mom made. My husband says the tendril-y blue yarn reminds him of aliens, so he can't stand when I wear it. However i get comments on this hat from everybody, even bums, so I'm sticking with it! I even let my friend Lloyd use it when his neck got cold. / Gray sneakers with buckles.

Outfit No. 38

Outfit No. 38: This is what happens when working on my sketchbook project...Purple thermal and two bobby pins. / Loooong tank top. / A fuzzy blanket for lower body warmth, and checkered baby blanket for upper body warmth. / Long johns from my sister; VERY ill fitting, but warm. / Scrubs from an ex-boyfriend's mom. / Bath sandals from 1994...worn with...SOCKS! / Monkey socks. / Requisite sketching booking supplies: super 77 spraymount, UHU gluestick, exacto, micron pens.

Outfit No. 39

Outfit No. 39: 75% Danish (25% more Danish than the body it's on). Dig1 t-shirt my friend Shellie gave me; it was free so it's kind of Danish by default. / A hoodie I bought from my cousin Mille for 30 kroner (kroner are pretty cool). / Gray leather high-tops have a secret side zipper which makes then ideal airplane travel shoes. / Cuffed twisty-legged drop-crotched G-STAR jeans bought in Arhus, DK.

Outfit No. 40

Outfit No. 40: Plain white T - $6.99. / Blue fleece hoodie...10 years old but still fleecy enough to attract lots of dog hair (guess which hand held THE FURMINATOR). / My belt matches my socks. How often can you say that? / Cuffed gray skinny jeans, to show off socks. Why? I don't know as I never left the house (notice no shoes). / Yep. Toe socks. Striped toe socks. / Brushed my dog Lucy with the amazing dog brush...THE FURMINATOR. About 5 million hairs from her tail alone!

Outfit No. 41

Outfit No. 41: PLAIN JANE. Black cashmere sweater from the GAP; hand-me-down from my sister. Pretty darn plain. / Jeans. Plain. / Plain black belt. / Gray fleece scarf. For my neck. Plain. / I guess my socks are the most exciting part.../ Plain black Camper sneakers.

Outfit No. 42

Outfit No. 42: Puffy vest from the junior's section with a green & white chevron (has a faux fur fringe). / Ax - I held it with my mouth so there is a slight residue of saliva on it. / Army green volcom shirt; a hand-me-down from my sister (that explains the 3 stitched holes). / FREE Levi's Demi Curve jeans. A friend gave them to me in return for some "research". / Dr. Martens!

Outfit No. 43

Outfit No. 43: I can finally wear this shirt I got in 2001 because normal-rise jeans are back on the market! Long shirt underneath for warmth and added midriff protection. / Shiny black uber-grommetted belt from the same era as my revitalized t-shirt; ensuring extra additional midriff protection. / Army green felt/wool jacket from H&M. / NORMAL-rise gray skinny jeans. / Took my campers for a nice lunchtime walk that was enjoyed by all. / I went to a lecture where the audience did an activity where everyone writes down something they are thinking about on cards, the cards are shuffled and redistributed, and people take turns reading the anonymous card they're holding. I read "This soup is meh...". Nobody read my card (which read "compromise (?)"). I guess that's appropriate.

Outfit No. 44

Outfit No. 44: Chambray shirt-dress from H&M with forest green knitted tights...with attached feet. / Sock liners for superior wicking. / I could walk all day in my Campers...and I DO! / I went to a design social called dMob put on by AIGA with my friend Mel. A drunk man stumbled into her and she spilled red wine all over my new dress and her white shirt. But the barkeep told us to splash white wine over the stains and it would counteract it...and it worked! So in the end everything was AOK. (I also washed the dress with hydrogen peroxide and detergent, which sealed the deal: my dress lives another day!)

Outfit No. 45

Outfit No. 45: A DAY AT THE RACES. A plain white T with gray skinny jeans and red suspenders. / I borrowed the suspenders from my friend Aaron, and boy did they do their job! He told me that men walk taller when wearing suspenders, and now I understand why. / Race day hat (black) with matching yellow band. / Race day checkered socks. / Black leather racing flats. / I named my Derby Car DANISH DYNAMITE because it was red and white. My pioneer rabbit wore a jaunty yellow racing scarf...and even had a headshot to hand out. He's so vain.

Outfit No. 46

Outfit No. 46: "L" is for lederhosen, which I did not wear, but was definitely the most interesting outfit at the party I attended. I did dance with the lederhosen-wearer, which is enough for his outfit to trump mine. / A felt hat with appropriately rustic woven twine band. / Red & white checkered shirt. / Leather knee-length lederhosen. / Some tall woolen socks. / Brown suede shoes.

Outfit No. 47

Outfit No. 47: Blue and white striped sailor shirt from H&M Århus. AHOY! / Gray skinny jeans. / White leather sailing flats. / Watch I inherited from my American Grandma. Now I have a VERY distinct tan line of this, even including the knob. / My aunt gave me this really cute owl pendant. / Do you know where it is very difficult to play a game of pick-up-sticks? ON A BOAT!

Outfit No. 48

Outfit No. 48: Q: How many times will people ask "Are those horses on your tights?" A: A LOT / Drapey black babydoll dress with pockets. / Gray tights with horses (yes, horses!). / Giant Vestal watch. / Giant horseshoe necklace. / Black shrug. / I

Outfit No. 49

Outfit No. 49: A bright yellow knee-lenght dress from ModCloth. The fabric is very crepe-paper-like. / Gray tights with peacock feathers printed on the calf in orange, red, turquoise and yellow. / Leather flats. / Every time I wear this somebody says WOW.

Outfit No. 50

Outfit No. 50: Super simple, nothing special. Well, I guess it is outfit drawing No. 50! / Super soft & fitted mustard yellow tank from Magasin Århus. / High-waisted pinstriped skirt from Denmark. The tag is sewn on the outside, so it must be fancy (tag reads: Mads Nørgaard, Copenhagen). / Giant horseshoe necklace. / White flats.

Outfit No. 51

Outfit No. 51: Much like the Yeti, one element of my outfit drawings has been absent for the past 50 illustrations. The under pinnings of my garment layers are now on display to let you rest assured: THEY EXIST! Stripes, hearts, and butterflies, nothing too exciting but as my mother once told me, you can always wear two pair if you are really cold.

Outfit No. 52

Outfit No. 52: Went to see Roller Derby in DGI Byen. Multnomah 1893 shirt - almost tough enough to wear to a Roller Derby event. / Twirly short jean skirt my friend Jen gave me. / Tights. / Messy pigtails. / Nobody could see them but I wore my racer socks. / I forgot to draw my shoes.

Outfit No. 53

Outfit No. 53: How to Partake and Survive a Danish Easter Feast. / Gray flannel-like "eat a lot" dress from mod cloth.com with at least seven inches of stretch. / Tank top to smooth out effects of burgeoning belly. / Good thing I didn't wear a belt. / Regular jeans after 3 wears gain 1 pant size = Lucky Me! / I wish to God these were compression socks to pump extra blood to my stomach region, but alas, they are not. / BREAKFAST, two bowls strawberry yogurt with muesli, LUNCH/BRUNCH, 2 white bread rolls with cheese, 1 white bread roll with jam, 1 liverpaste + ryebread sandwich, 2 makeral + ryebread sandwhiches, 1 pickled herring + ryebread sandwhich, 2 hardboiled eggs, 1 normal portion scrambled eggs with salt and pepper, 1 strip bacon, 2 pieces wienerbrød (flat sweet pastry), 1 cup tea, 2 shots carrot juice, SNACK, 1 white bread roll with brie, 1 cup hot chocolate, 2 cups tea, 3 pieces wienerbrød (flat sweet pastry), about 17 sour cream and onion potato chips, DINNER, salad, corn and peas, 1 chicken breast, 1 pork cutlet with bacon wrapped around it, 3 pieces garlic bread, 1 hotdog with ketchup, 7 potato fritters, DESSERT, one giant soft serve ice cream cone in a waffle with chocolate shell, one piece tiramisu, 2 cups tea, 3 chili almonds.

Outfit No. 54

Outfit No. 54: A black and cream dress I bought in Barcelona. The dressing room was really dark so I didn't notice exactly how see through it was. HENCE -> a black tank top underneath. / Shrug: layering required due to schizophrenic weather. / Ivory heart necklace. / Watch for telling time. / Black tights go with everything. / Black leather purse from my sister & tickets to Frederiksborg Slot (I'm considering putting an offer down on it, lowball of course) - both birthday presents. / My new Camper sandals that I

Outfit No. 55

Outfit No. 54: A Modern Fishing Trip - ate sushi on a sailboat (that's how I roll). / Preppy cardigan over a matching navy preppy tank top hand-me-down from my sister cirka 1994, good condition. / Plaid on plaid on plaid high-waisted preppy boat skirt. / Classic white boat flats.

Outfit No. 56

Outfit No. 56: Engaged in "Five-Star Relax Time". / Impulse buy teal hoodie from H&M has a unibomber hood, good for looking intimidating. / My friend Arlie's sunglasses only add to my uni-bomb look. / Free scarf from a clothing swap. / Free shirt from Johnny Cupcakes says "Make Cupcakes Not War". / Knee high socks for semi-cold days. / Gray slim fit jeans. / Second hand store belt for $1. / New Camper high-tops in cream leather with yellow soles.

Outfit No. 57

Outfit No. 57: Cobalt blue Volcom shirt dress is almost like wearing pajamas during the way (so comfy). / Long-sleeve white undershirt. / black tights, a cold weather staple. / Fuzzy gray over-the-knee socks make me feel like skipping. / CAMPERS

Outfit No. 58

Outfit No. 58: Definitely constitutes 5-STAR relax time. / Army green tank top. VERY COMFY. / Black sweatpants. TOTALLY UNTIED. / WARM FUZZY temperature control. / FUN rainbow socks can be worn high or low, depending on mood. / Technology #1, technology #2, and technology #3.

Outfit No. 59

Outfit No. 59: Maroon knit sweater dress from H&M, fits just about everything. Lots of æbleskiver + lingonberry. Standard issue black tights follow Danish fashion norms. Matching maroon knit pattern socks that are very unstretchy after a mysterious trip in the washing machine. A very European dotted black & white scarf, for use indoors or out. No shoes, must have stayed inside all day.

Outfit No. 60

Outfit No. 60: "Spring is in the Air" - White peasant top (very airy) from H&M. / Extra extra roomy gray skinny jeans from H&M. / Intricately woven infinity scarf was an X-mas present from my gay brothers-in-law and can only be described as 'chaotic hippie chic'. From H&M. / REI socks still going strong. Outback boots by Frye.

Outfit No. 61

Outfit No. 61: Super soft, long chambray cowboy shirt, only two buttons in use. / Long black tank. / Black tights…only…* / Knitted slipper socks in black & white from Føtex. / Silver chain necklace, very refined…makes up for only wearing tights? / *Ate a lot of cake.

Outfit No. 62

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Outfit No. 63

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Outfit No. 64

Outfit No. 64: OUTFIT EFFICIENCY "The 60 Second Solution" - Scarf A: fuzzy white & blue, Scarf B: hippy plum + woven accents; ALWAYS: puffy black vest; ROTATING: various colored thermals from Target; EITHER/OR: bootcut or skinny jeans; SOCKS; ZIP FOR SPEED: grey leather ASK brand sneakers look buckled but really zip up.

Outfit No. 65

Outfit No. 65 - It's Simple, It's Summer: Very lightweight paisley yoked top from anthropology. / DYI cut off shorts that used to be pants. / Best flip flops ever, going on 10 years (totally have tan lines).

Like a Glove: A Love Story


Some ideas take a while to surface, time to percolate, breath and take the shape of what they are meant to be. A few years ago I hosted a Julefrokost and made some fun invites – a knitted nordic advent-calendar-inspired card with little flaps that open to show party details like 1) how much pickled herring would be consumed, 2) what time to show up promptly by, and 3) a partial menu printed in both English and Danish.

Julefrokost party invitation with knitted nordic design. Invite has four advent calendar style door flaps that open to reveal party information.
Julefrokost is hard to pronounce for Americans, so my friends called it Joogala Froogala.

Some time passed, and I added a title to the idea when I was inspired by someone and sent them a book of words and pictures. More time went by, and the moose wouldn’t leave me alone. I thought: they need to be Bigger! Grander! Fuzzier!

Most things start out simple and kind of ugly, like this. Usually they get better. These sketches gave me enough of an idea of what the thing should look like to fire up Illustrator.

So I started working on the most complicated illustrator file I’ve ever made and nearly succumbed to carpal tunnel syndrome. My hours of toil wouldn’t be for naught as I planned to share the story of smitten moose, fuzzy creatures and a house in the woods. Stories are for sharing, right? Friends, people I admired or who inspired me, clients, agencies, people I’d like to work with – the list was all encompassing. I even sent one to Conan O’Brien. I hope he got it.

A large part of this project was finding a vendor to produce the poster. Flocking seems to be a very niche market, and my goal of producing it in the U.S. was a long shot. After Googling for weeks, following endless phone leads from local screen printers, and being told that China was the place to go for this kind of thing, I found the American Flocking Association. Flocking has many purposes: lettering on t-shirts, lining telescopes, glove boxes and jewelry cases, and looking like fake snow on fake Christmas trees. All of the companies who flock these items were mighty confused when I called and asked if they could just flock a piece of paper.

Finally, I found Great Lakes Flocking, who was not only in the US of A, but also had a very nice employee WITH MY SAME LAST NAME that helped me on each step of my flocking adventure. After a few weeks of production, a giant pallet arrived at my studio. “Like a Glove: A Love Story” had finally arrived!

I think the third time was the charm on this idea, and I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. If you ask very nicely, I will send you a copy.

My pioneer rabbit, lurking in the background. Sneaky fellow.
What it's all about.

How to be an Ironic Hipster and Ironic at the Same Time


If I’ve learned anything from watching Bones, it’s that the best anthropologists go under cover when studying their subjects. Well, that might be the only thing I’ve learned from watching Bones, but I’ll take what I can get. So when my friend Michael put together a “Keep Portland Beard” art show at the Tribute Gallery, my curious side got the better of me and I decided to investigate.

All the beardiest folk in Portland would be at the show, so I concocted the perfect get-up to blend in. I field tested this accoutrement at the show, which was a slice of Michael’s online journal of beard-related ephemera and reviews.

Mustache on a stick.
I present you the mustache on a hand on a stick or "stick of irony".
A finger mustache on a cut-out paper hand.
The real deal in action.

Once I got there, however, I learned that sporting facial hair is less about actually growing the follicles and more about the attitude (and math can prove it). I had no attitude, and my inflated feeling of hipness quickly wore off until I fled the scene to re-watch “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Musical” in an effort to rebalance the scales of normality. Nothing puts a bearded hipster in perspective like a group of singing and dancing vampire killers.

We can sing! We can dance! And we are definitely not cool!

Aside from Michael’s exuberant acceptance of my masquerade, my faux ‘stache was met with hip indifference and a few furrowed brows. Maybe Portland isn’t the place to make a statement with a mustache-on-a-finger-on-a-stick, but I have a feeling this thing will really take off in Idaho.

How to be an Ironic Hipster and Ironic at the same time. Diagrammed. Put a mustache on a finger. Just add a stick. The apex of cool at your fingertips. Go forth and be hip!
Go forth and be hip, Idahoans!

Update: After a request from Australia to use the mustache-on-a-hand-on-a-stick at a hipster party, I made a template which you can download here.

The Early Years: A Retrospective Told in Buttons and Pins


Like most kids I collected various things throughout my childhood, including stuffed animals, horse figurines, knives with antler handles, stamps, and a button collection. Most of my collections were given away or sold at garage sales over the years as they lost meaning or garnered scorn for their age inappropriateness (although I still keep my prize horses boxed up in the basement). Somehow, my button collection escaped the purging episodes of my mother, myself, and the multiple moves I went through.

So when my buttons resurfaced recently, I wondered…would they reveal anything about my childhood that I had forgotten? Would they say anything about my current state, 20 years later? Given the current button craze, how would my buttons stack up? Was it time to finally purge my button collection, two decades too late?

Kermit the Frog, I Partied at Pietro's, Oh Happy Day, I Got My Shot, Bee Happy, a bear with balloons, a monkey with a green bowtie, a blue ice cream cone, a pink T-Rex, a pinker brontosaurus, a unicorn with a "G" on it, Boss Snoopy
I believe I gathered these buttons of my own volition.

I compiled my favorite buttons (namely, the ones I actually remember) into a mini-autobiography. Come on, nobody else was going to write it, so I took matters into my own hands. Turns out, most people like it when you hand them an autobiography instead of a business card.
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