Month: March 2021

Happy (early) St. Patrick’s Day!

In days of old, me and my honey would be sporting green at some local pub while drinking green beer, but things look quite different after becoming a mom. As much as I love sharing those goofy memories with my now spouse, I love creating goofy new ones with my daughter. One such tradition we started over the years is setting up a leprechaun trap.

Out first leprechaun trap in 2018

I don’t know who created the first laprechaun trap craft but they are all over Pinterest and super adorable! I love the creativity it inspires in my child as she plans out latches, trap doors, and camoflauge for the perfect setup. Several years ago, our first trap was just a shoebox, but now they sell leprechaun traps with decorations included in the craft section of most stores or find a pop-out trap on the back of a box of Lucky Charms.

This year’s trap has escalated quite a bit.

This year we took the easy route and followed the instructions on the back of the Lucky Charms cereal box for the trap. I say “easy” but we did go a little extra by making the box green, added popsicle sticks for support, and then including a moat with sharks ::shrugs::. Maybe it’s a Florida thing. At the grocery store my daughter kept searching for leprechaun bait so I grabbed the only thing magical and green (Sno Balls) and called it a day. Pro-tip: microwave a Sno Ball for 10-15 seconds. Yum!

Chomp Chomp

Every year we set up our trap a little early and I will leave out proof of the leprechaun’s presence. Sometimes he leaves a surprise in the toilet, foot prints by the stove, or a treat in exchange for the one he ate in the trap. My daughter has gotten so excited to see what the leprechaun does each night, sometimes I wonder if she enjoys it more than Christmas. She definitely thinks the leprechaun (now named Lucky) is in cahoots with the Elf on the Shelf.

Leprechaun shenanigans

Along with all the fun, I wanted to incorporate something educational so we took a trip to the library to pick out some books on the history of St. Patrick’s day and borrowed a CD of beautiful Celtic music. It’s been a fun way to learn about another country and we are definitely including celtic music for a calming alternative to the radio.

What are some fun ways you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Children’s Book for Geeky Families

Surprise!! I illustrated this lovely adventure called “I’m Going to My First Comic Convention!”, and I’m finally sitting down to talk about it! 🤪

Children’s book written and illustrated by two geeky moms!

This year has been a whirlwind with work, family, and a changing world along with a pandemic! I don’t really know how we did it but I can say I’m lucky Candy Keane asked me to be her partner in this endeavor. Together we took on this challenge to write, illustrate, and publish the whole thing ourselves. There were many roadblocks and interruptions but looking at this book in my hand is a powerful feeling of accomplishment.

Like any good story, let’s start from the beginning. Candy Keane is a local mom who’s been a professional in the cosplay scene for some time. When she reached out to me, I was flattered. I call myself an artist but i always do it with an ounce of doubt because i didn’t go the traditional route. I don’t have a degree in art- just a passion that is now split many ways due to a busy life as a working mom. I actually illustrated some books years ago, before a full time job and family occupited most of my time, but this opportunity lit a fire to get back into what I love again- illustrating.

When moms are writing a book, you got to keep the kids entertained

So we met up at a bounce gym to let the kids run amuck (#momlife) while we got to planning. Candy revealed her story which follows Keelan, a little boy infatuated with the super-hero mascots for the comic convention coming to town. The big day comes and each page of the book is meant to display an exciting activity of what to expect at a convention- from buying treats in the vendor room to trying out new video game exhibits.

Sketches, inside the book, and printed copies!

We began storyboarding visuals to match the pages. The subject matter was right up our alleys and our image of how this book would come together seemed to click in place.With story and ideas in hand, I got to drawing. I was given lots of artistic license to play with perspective and composition which was fun! I also loved sneaking in my personal favorite fandoms into the book ☺️ Check our the book to see if you can spot them! I also loved adding guest appearances like professional artists from the Florida area which really made the book have this community representation and feel for our very fun, local scene.

Thank you to author and sponsor, Katie Reeds who makes a quest appearance!
https://www.katiereedauthor.com/

With a global pandemic slowing down the world over the past year, conventions almost seem like a thing of the past, but I’m looking forward to the day to safely explore a convention again with my little one. Until that day comes, check out our book to fill that con void!

Available at Amazon at tinyurl.com/firstcomiccon