Butterfly

Turtle

Duckling

This is the first piece in a series of black & white animal cutouts for children. Enjoy!

Orange & Yellow Poppy

Orange Poppies

Red Poppies III

Red Poppies II

I decided to create a series of poppy cutouts. The designs are simple and bright. I'll be posting more over the next few days. I hope you enjoy them!

Red Poppies

Q is for Quince

Flowers in a Vase

Building a Nest

P is for Pineapple

Rainbow over NYC II

Here is another piece of the New York City rainbow!

Rainbow Over NYC

Last Thursday, after an oppressively hot day, there was a brief thunderstorm. Looking out the window after, I was amazed to see a beautiful rainbow arching over New York City! I took a quick photo and then created the piece below.

Tulips at the Greenmarket

Last Thursday, I met up with my husband and we strolled through the greenmarket at 116th & Broadway. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day and I especially enjoyed the bright colors of the tulips.

This greenmarket always has lovely flowers in the spring.

Finally, Spring and My 200th Post!

I took this photo on Columbia University's campus a few days ago. The flowering tree in the forground is finally starting to bloom! Despite a chilly start, it does feel like spring is finally here!

I'm looking forward to creating some new spring-themed pieces once I've finished the alphabet series.

O is for Orange

Oranges are mainly used for juice production and most are grown in Brazil. There are numerous varieties of oranges including sweet orange, navel and valencia.

Homemade Orange Juice

1. Wash oranges, cut in half and remove seeds.
2. Squeeze orange halves into a pitcher. For more pulp, scrape in some fruit, too.

This is so refreshing to have with breakfast!

N is for Nectarine

Nectarines belong the same species as peaches. Nectarines can have white or yellow flesh inside and they bruise easily.

Nectarine Smoothie

1. Cut nectarines into chunks, peel and freeze.
2. Blend frozen nectarine chunks, milk or milk substitute and 1 Tbsp. honey.
3. Serve immediately!

Prepping Alphabet Pieces

Yesterday, I worked on prepping the next four alphabet pieces. After cutting the paper down to the right size, I painted each piece a different shade of blue.

I mixed different shades of blue to contrast with the paper I planned to use for the fruit alphabet pieces. I'm enjoying the new colors of gouache paint I bought recently. I think the colors are very intense and bright.

Stay tuned for new pieces tomorrow!

M is for Mango

Mangoes grow on trees and come in different sizes and colors (yellow, orange, red and green). Mangoes are native to India.

Mangoes with Yogurt and Honey

1. Cut mango in half, peel and cube. It can be challenging to cut a mango because it's so slippery, so exercise caution.
2. Fill a bowl with yogurt (I'd suggest plain), place mango cubes on top and drizzle with honey.

Right now, champagne mangoes are in season. They are smaller than the typical mangoes found in the grocery store. They are a pale green when unripe and then ripen into a speckled yellow. The inner fruit is golden orange and so sweet and creamy, you'll find it hard not to eat the whole mango. They're usually only in season for a short period, so if you see them at the market or grocery store, buy a few to enjoy!