Rain, Rain, Go Away

occasionally, i like to turn my phone on silent and just sleep until my body can't take it anymore. today was definitely the day, especially with the rain...oh, the rain...where did the sun go?

such a dreary day it was

even though it was monsoonal around these parts, we weren't hindered by it. since we ended up not going to Philadelphia for the tattoo convention as planned, we went out to grab a few things.

i needed to go to an art supply store to get inspiration and supplies for the plush i'm making for Softies for Mirabel. while there, i also grabbed a few spools of ribbon and some rubber stamps for a little side project (more on that in a later post).

our next stop was to a discounted store called Ollie's. i absolutely love Ollie's for all of the books that they carry for a very low price...well...they carry a lot of other things for a very low price. anyway, i got a few children's books to add to my growing collection (a-hem, and by a few i mean nine...for only $25!). i'm a fiend for children's books. there's just something about them, the illustrations, the colors, the simplicity of it all that draws me to it.

here are some of the titles that i got...(for your curiosity)

• Squids will be Squids by Jon Scieszka ("rhymes with Fresca") & Lane Smith
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett & Ron Barrett
• Animal Grossology by Sylvia Branzei
• Gorilla! Gorilla! by Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross
• Lu and the Swamp Ghost by James Carville, Patricia C. McKissack & David Catrow (an amazing illustrator)
• Hello, Robots by Bob Staake
• Mars needs Moms! by Berkeley Breathed
• Baloney (Henry P.) by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith (the duo responsible for the Stinky Cheese Man)
• Science Verse by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith (can you tell i love their books?)

as a child, i remember my mother reading to me quite a bit, especially pictured books and cartoons (Thai and Japanese ones)...and we would color together. i guess i got it from her, cause she still loves kiddie books...and that's probably who i got the crafty genes from too! you name it, she's tried it!...and speaking of crafts, once we got home, i got started on my sketches for the plush. the first few didn't really satisfy me (or JR), so i finally came up with these...a little girl and boy lovebirds.i haven't finished it yet, but here's a sneak peak at the goods. i seriously can't wait to get them done so i can ship them off to Australia. (i'm sort of aiming for Wednesday) i hope some lucky kids really love them! i know i do already!