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Did You Miss Last Weeks Newsletter? Well here you GO
HOLA HOLA!!
Last week I was having a tiny bit of a meltdown because Keith and I hadn’t been that successful in meeting people who just want to hang out and have a good time. There was an ‘intensity’ at all of our conversations that I couldn’t get passed. I pretty much said, I need to take a step back and get my thoughts back under control.
Well….
Keith said there is no way we are quitting are now— this is the time to double-up and he booked us for a breakfast date with a group of immigrants AND we showed back up to the Friday night crowd.
Thank Mary for Keith!
So much better. A completely new set of faces and people who I really thought, hey, we can totally be friends. They are fun.
AND
I mentioned on my IG stories this week, the Mexican family across the alley from us saw us walking home and invited us in to share their dinner. They then told us they were going to come over to our house on Sunday to hang out with us (haha) and it was really fun!
I was forced to try and speak Spanish and just for the record, I am really terrible at it but I could, with Keith’s help get the point across.
This week was sooooo much better than the last two weeks.
I am now imagining a dinner party or two coming up in my near future which would be just like old times.
I guess I am back.
Something I have noticed since living in Mexico the very short time that I have is there is a culture of recycling/reusing items. The house we live in is filled with these kinds of items.
A broken flower pot that was then cut in half and cemented to the wall and filled with plants. The stone used to build fences has to be what is collected from the local area around us for free.
Makeshift tables made from scrap wood
Bamboo sticks create a fencing around flowerbeds
I see people drinking from empty jars that held something else previously.
And it rubs me in all the right ways.
I try and be conscious of how I can reuse materials that I find around the house. I was pretty proud of myself that I used some rusty wire I found in a coiled bunch to string across the walls of my art studio and a basket of old clothes pins to hang art.
I already love painting on old paper- something that gets thrown away all the time because people don’t have the time or inclination to sell it online (sad face) to people like me that love it.
With this little change in mindset and I am already a paper collector (or hoarder, whatever your definition of that may be) I received this mini catalog with a clothing order and decided that I couldn’t just throw it away.
The paper was too nice— (this is how you know you might have a problem.)
I didn’t know right away what I was going to do with it.
Maybe a zine?
Maybe cut it apart and create small paintings?
And then… it hit me.
Kind of a zine but make a Drink Menu for the house.
I love a drink menu and restaurants that don’t have one drive me crazy (I’m also convinced that they are losing money daily by not having one).
Since we are now going to have dinner parties (really, we are) and we have a slew of company visiting us over the next many months, wouldn’t it be fun to have a drink menu with the things I typically stock at the house.
So I am making this mini catalog on the good paper into something fun to have at parties!
First things first—— paint it white.
I collected all my favorite recipes and sketched it all in with my charcoal willow stick and got to work.
The key is many layer and just don’t stop until it feels FULL.
I am not sure if it is completely done but I think so. Here is a quick little video to show you in IRL what it looks like.
And now I am going to put this in my little of bar nook in the house. When anyone visits I can just show them the menu and they can order a drink right up.
What if you don’t drink?
Make a mocktails menu
How about the best afterschool snacks list
Favorite soups menu
Ice Cream Float menu
Fancy soda ideas
What do you think?
Maybe go look in your recycle bin and see if you can find any good paper and get to work!
Let me know if you do and for drop some more House Zine ideas below.
Until next time amigo!
For the Paint Splatters (in case you missed it)
Part 2 of Junk Drawer Botanicals is coming for you this week!! We are going to take the concept from Part 1 and just make it bigger.
What a fun idea! I love this so much. I made some Halloween signs last year in the same style you used for the outside cover. Maybe one day I'll come visit! In the meantime, I'll try a few of your cocktail recipes.
How fun! I wanna come have a drink at your bar! 🍸🍻🍹