hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Elisha Cooper

December 10, 2015September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 14 Comments

I write and illustrate children’s books, and other books. I live in Greenwich Village with my family, though I spend a lot of time in Brooklyn, writing in cafes and drinking too much coffee. (Pictured here with my espresso machine and our lazy barista.)

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Stumptown, Hair Bender beans. My morning Cortado.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESS: 8: An Animal Alphabet (Orchard Books, 2015).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK(s): Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (Puffin, 2002), or, In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (HarperCollins, 1996).

☕☕ Visit Elisha Cooper’s Official Website

☕☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out Elisha’s Facebook Author Page for very cool behind-the-scenes tidbits about 8: An Animal Alphabet.

☕☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Elisha discusses the genesis of 8: An Animal Alphabet and shares wonderful pics and sketches at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

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Indie Artist Spotlight: Robyn Hood Black of artsyletters (+ a giveaway!)

November 17, 2015September 27, 2017 ~ jama ~ 57 Comments

Today I’m especially delighted to welcome back author, poet, artist and dear online friend Robyn Hood Black. You may remember her last visit as a Poetry Potluck guest several years ago, when she shared a spooky poem and one of her gorgeous relief prints.

That was an especially noteworthy visit, because she also brought along a batch of her favorite Jam Bars, which she aptly renamed “Oatmeal Jama Bars.” 🙂 Naturally Mr. Cornelius and I decided on the spot that they should become the “Official Alphabet Soup Cookie.”

In the years since, we’ve not only continued to marvel at Robyn’s literary achievements (her work has been published in several more anthologies, prominent haiku journals, and most recently in Lee Bennett Hopkins’s Lullaby and Kisses Sweet), but also her artistic ones.

*Vintage Illuminated Letter T Under Glass Cabochon Pendant Necklace*

If you like letters, words, books, and reading (all of us, yes?), then you’ll love Robyn’s Etsy shop artsyletters. There, she sells wonderful prints, cards, typewriter key jewelry, mixed media collages and other gift items with a cool vintage vibe.

A girl after my own heart, she has a keen eye for found objects (scrabble tiles, skeleton keys, metal letters, watch parts, text from antique books), and beautifully accentuates them with her pen-and-ink drawings, calligraphy, and relief prints.

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chalk it up to lily and val

October 14, 2014October 13, 2014 ~ jama ~ 19 Comments

#49 in an ongoing series of posts celebrating the alphabet

There’s something wonderfully nostalgic and old school about chalk art. I remember being so excited when it was my turn to erase the blackboards in grade school. Before clapping the erasers outside, replacing stubs with brand new sticks of chalk, and wiping the boards clean with a wet rag, I liked to “play teacher” with my own little scribbles and drawings.

Now I have three chalkboards in my kitchen: one for the grocery list, one displaying an inspirational quote for the week, the third to advise guests: “Feel free to wait on me.” 🙂 There’s also another chalkboard in our dining room, where I post the menu when we have company for dinner (it’s fun to “play restaurant”).

No surprise that I fell hard for Valerie McKeehan’s charming hand lettered chalk art, which she features on prints, note cards, stationery, gifts and accessories. Naturally I love her kitchen-themed designs best — tear-off placemats, illustrated recipes, menu boards, foodie sayings. Lily & Val products are quaintly whimsical with that undeniable handmade-heartmade quality I covet, and are available via LilyandVal.com or at the Lily & Val Chalk Art Boutique on Etsy.

I recently ordered some note cards which arrived lickety split — I kind of hate to part with them, but will enjoy sending them to special friends. 🙂

Enjoy this little Lily and Val sampler. How can you resist?

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victor nunes just wants to have fun

June 9, 2014October 2, 2017 ~ jama ~ 14 Comments

I think I know what Victor Nunes, a retired art director from São Paulo, Brazil, has for breakfast.

A banana, steamy cappuccino, maybe some bread and butter. But this young-at-heart visionary doesn’t just eat his breakfast, he regularly plays with his food to create delightful doodles and mini pieces of art.

Victor is a person who sees faces in everything. A vivid imagination and a finely honed sense of play seem to be his constant companions each and every day, as he sculpts lighthearted portraits and sketches whimsical scenes. Besides bits of food, he includes everyday objects (pencil shavings, thumbtacks, matchsticks, corks, Q-tips), elevating them from the seemingly mundane to redefine their roles, always inspiring us to take a good second look at whatever is within our reach.