Birthday Birthday Birthday

I made it through, I survived my 30th year.  There were ups (quitting my job and becoming self-employed, graduating business class, successfully making a rad wedding cake for my cousin, and a decent amount of travel-adventuring) and downs (life altering bicycle accident, the passing of my very dear grandfather, my best friend moving to Scotland, etc).  But that's to be expected of any year, and the downs have sure made me appreciate the ups.  And although I'm less than thrilled to be 31, I'm pretty excited to grab the reigns of next year and gallop away with gusto.  I have plans and projects turning the gears in my brain and I couldn't be more excited to get cracking.

This year to celebrate my birthday, I wanted to make something special.  It may not have been the most practical dessert to try to tote around on a hot summer's day, but I threw logic in the trash a long time ago.

Lemon Curd Marbled Cheesecake

Cheesecake, people.  Somehow, at some point it sparked my interest. Then, once I started thinking about it and how long it had been since I'd last made one, I became obsessed.  I HAD TO HAVE IT.  I didn't care that it was delicate.  I didn't care that I wouldn't be able to cart it around on my bicycle.  And I didn't care if I was going to be forced to eat the entire thing alone in my kitchen.   Irrational as it was, I needed to make it.  It was MY birthday, was it not?

I settled on this recipe because it combined two of my favorite things, lemon curd (oh my god) and cream cheese.  For a novice baker, this recipe might seem intimidating.  But don't stress yourself out, the instructions are simple, and there isn't a lot of multi-tasking to confuse you.  Just take it one step at a time, and you'll be fine.  And the results?  A rich and tangy dessert with the creamiest texture.  It will send you to the moon.  I'm not kidding.  Straight to the moon.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it work as a birthday cake.  I couldn't work out the logistics in the end.  So I ate a cookie with a candle instead.  

The next morning we topped the cheesecake with berries and carted the it to a housewarming party where it was devoured with fervor by all the appreciative attendees.  I was able to savor my one slice, which is all you can really take without going into a sugar induced coma (not the worst way to die).

But beyond all the birthday stuff, here's the latest from the studio:

Inspired by a weekend long rafting trip I take every 4th of July through the desert of Central Oregon.  I wanted to try something slightly different this time and focus on filling the entire page with colorful washes.  I feel like I did a nice job capturing the relaxed nature of the trip, floating through the sun soaked landscape.  I'm hoping to continue onward with this technique and see where it takes me.

If you're interested, you can buy a print in my etsy shop. The print comes out beautifully, you won't be disappointed. 

AND this little devil is available on Society6

As a part of a side project I've been working on that's not quite finished, I came up with this little illustration.  Turns out to be pretty popular, so I've made some postcards, which you can find here.

I took the liberty of ordering these from a printshop.  It's the first time I haven't printed something on my own at home.  But seeing as how I received an order for 100, I thought I'd leave the work up to someone else, for once.  I'm really glad I did.  They did a super job and I'm really pleased with the outcome.  

Don't forget about this option!

Before I check out of here, I want to let you in on a little secret.  I'm incredibly proud to share this with you.  Some long-time friends of mine are in a band called Blind Pilot, and they're about to release their 2nd album.  It's been a long time coming...but it's WELL worth the wait.  Here's a bit of a sneak preview:

Blind Pilot: We Are The Tide - Album Preview 2 from Blind Pilot on Vimeo.

The album goes on sale September 13th, but you can pre-order it here with tons of other goodies!  I strongly suggest you do.  I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to listen to the album in it's entirety, and I know you're going to LOVE IT.  So go forth and purchase!
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