A Studio Is Born

I've spent the last week cleaning up a room in the rear of our house that, until quite recently, looked a lot like this:

and this:

I guess you could've called it a "junk room."  It was foolishly packed tight with debris, clutter, filth, rubbish, litter, rubble, rummage, scrap, trash, and other various miscellany.  All of it belongs to our landlord who previously resided here.  All of it besides the kitty litter, that is, which unmistakably belongs to the two felines. 

Once I'd realized my inescapable need for an art space of my own (I've been working at the dining room table for the last 8 months), I settled on the only "available" location in our bungalow, this tiny room of doom.  My roommates and I held a house meeting to discuss the ramifications of the aforementioned clutter clearing.   I received the thumbs up and immediately got to work on making space in the basement for Roger's collections.  8,000 trips up and down the stairs later.....

empty.  

I was lucky enough to score a great deal on a large drafting table, a run of the mill office chair, and a bendy-like adjustable lamp (you know the kind).

I swept, I mopped, I sneezed, I sweat.  I cried endless tears appreciation.  This is what I came up with:

Ok, I think I've thoroughly represented my new studio and gushed proudly over my hard work.  I'm just ridiculously excited.  I can't wait to get started on my next illustrative project.  

Meanwhile, I whipped this up in the kitchen.

If I was stuck on a deserted island and I had to choose one type of food to eat for the rest of my godforsaken life, it would absolutely be upside-down cake. 

Remember this? (oh yeah)

This time around, I chose the Rhubarb Upside-down Cake from the tried and true, Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

I will be completely honest, I was debating that morning between making coffee cake and upside-down cake.  In this recipe, I've found the most delightful combination incorporating the best of both worlds.  This is baked WITH a crumb muther-effing topping! What what what?! But you're saying, "how is that even possible?!"  Well.  Check it out.  Once the timer bleeps and the cake is removed from the oven, it looks a little something like this:

Then you pull the old flippy floppy, and it smoothly slides out of the pan, sugary juices running over your thumbs.  Lick it! Don't waste a single morsel.  

I plea with you, please try this recipe.  The cake batter was so delicious, with zesty hints of orange peel, I was licking the bowl uncontrollably.  I don't usually do that.  I don't!  But hey, special occasions call for clinically insane behavior, as long as no one's watching. 

Song of the day:

Frightened Rabbit, Swim Until You Can't See Land

Cheers!

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