Monday Munch: Copa Vida

Today, we ran some errands over at Blick Art Materials in Pasadena. I didn't really need anything, but Kevin needed to pick up some gold ink to finish a piece he was working on for the upcoming Monkey King show at Q Pop. Coincidentally, we ran into Keiko and Malachi who were also there getting some art supplies to finish pieces for a show.

We hadn't eaten lunch yet so we decided to stop my the new cafe that opened up on the corner, Copa Vida. We've heard some great things about it from a few friends and decided to give it a try. Upon entering, I was in love with the place. It's bright and spacious, kinda the opposite of Intelligentsia. And what I really love is the great tea selection. They made extra care to cater to both tea and coffee drinkers. The teas were categorized by type: white, green, oolong, black, pu-erh, and each category had a few to choose from. Kevin got the pu-erh since not a lot of places serve it. I got the Ti Guan Yin (oolong) tea iced which is one of their daily cold brews. It's not shown because it was served in a basic plastic cup.

Naked Pu-erh

For lunch we had to go for the Croque Madame because we only know of one other place that does it. (And that's Abricott!) We got it with a kale salad. And when it came out we were totally impressed! We didn't expect it to look & taste so good. It was just the perfect combination of saucy, gooey, and crunchy! Kevin and I split this and it was the perfect portion to feed two people.

Croque Madame

Close up of a bite

So if you're ever in Old Town Pasadena looking for a quick bit to eat, stop by Copa Vida. I hear their pastries are amazing too!

Happy National Cheeseburger Day!

I stopped by DogHaus today to get a Little Mule burger and they were giving out these cute little mini cheeseburgers for free in honor of National Cheeseburger Day. They even had the folks at King's Hawaiian make custom size buns for them. I hope everyone's having a delicious day!

New Knits

I've been getting ready to stock the shop with some new knits for cooler weather. Here's a sneak peek at what's to come.

You can find them here.

Tumblr Time

I've been a little quiet on the blog lately, mostly because I've been juggling a few projects but also because I've been spending more time on Tumblr. I had neglected my tumblr for quite some time and realized that lately it's more convenient for me to post on Tumblr instead. So if you aren't already following me on Tumblr, you can find me here.

On Life, Currently.

Lately, I’ve been making an effort to draw every day. I’ve been trying to establish a good consistent work routine and also develop new work at the same time. I’ve made it a requirement that I post whatever I’ve been working on…no matter how stupid it may be.

In previous weeks, I was just Instagramming whatever I was drawing and have it post to Tumblr, but I found that a lot of those were just quick, thoughtless doodles. I’ve been trying to work on more narrative drawings and also writing about them, so my ideas are actually put to paper and not just floating around aimlessly in my head.

Sometimes I struggle to find a subject to draw, so I end up drawing dumb looking fruits or veggies. So this week, I started trying something different where I just write little stories or scenarios and then draw them. Essentially, that’s what I want to be doing anyways. I want to create visual short stories. It’s the best way to combine the two things I really love: drawing & storytelling.

Summer Treats

I've been working on some new stuff for the shop. I wanted to stay away from buttons for a while, but then I decided to just try a few out as a way of doing mini drawings. These were inspired by the summers of my childhood. 

This is the Summer Treats Set currently available in the shop and also on Etsy.

Weekly Want: May28th 01:19PM Watch

 I know, it's been a while. I almost can't even call this the 'Weekly Want' anymore. It's more like the 'Whenever I Want Want'. It's been a busy past few months. The Quiet Tiger shop has been growing and I've taken on some new freelance projects. I have also been getting a couple of wholesale orders here and there. I've barely recovered from Renegade Craft Summer, and next month I'll have to start thinking (and registering) for Holiday. I don't know where all my time has been going lately, hence this week's want is a handy (yet stylish). I've been a fan of May28th for some time. They remind me a lot of Swatch…if Swatch did more patterns. I'm currently obsessed with 80s/early 90s "sprinkle" patterns, and because this watch is just black & white it'll still go with everything!

Available from May28th for $39.99

Bok Choy Buddy

I've been getting myself into the habit of drawing more often. As a way to force myself to a lot of quick drawings, I've been drawing on index cards. Here's one of the drawings I did today of a little bok choy dude.

He's available for purchase in the shop.

New Print Available: Bear Friends Forever

Available as a 5 x 7 print in the shop.

Hello August!

I've been spending the past few days relaxing since returning from San Francisco. This was our first time doing summer shows and it's definitely a different pace compared to winter. Doing back-to-back Renegade shows was definitely tiring. But when it was all over, we treated ourselves to lots of great food. Here's a few of my favorite things consumed on my trip.

Pastrami Sandwich from Tartine

Lavender Honey + Mint Chip Ice Cream from Bi-Rite

Potato Puffs from Gregoire

Now that the summer shows are over, I have about five months to get ready for Holiday. I'm starting on some new projects this month; one of which is Discontinued Youth. I'm trying to take this time to focus more on my illustration work so I can properly launch my other shop.