This is not strictly food-related, but I wanted to take an opportunity to share my new adventure with all of you! Anyone who has read this blog will know something of the challenges I have been facing with my 3-year old son, who was diagnosed with global developmental delays and an autism spectrum disorder a few months back. Part of every day since then has been spent making phone calls, researching interventions, and trying to find creative ways to work with Nolan at home, a process that led us from our home in Salem, Oregon all the way back to where I grew up in Littleton, Colorado. Nolan just started preschool this last week at an intensive special needs program that seems beautifully suited to his sensory and educational requirements—when he goes through that door, he never even looks back for his mama!

The advent of preschool, not to mention the God-sent assistance of my parents, has given me a little bit more free time with which to twiddle my thumbs, and I have been pouring it into a small business venture called Scribbles by Sparks. The initial idea sprang from my desire to find a better place for Nolan’s therapeutic scribbles at the easel than the trashcan or the basement shelf, a dilemma that any parent will understand! Thanks to the water-soluble nature of most children’s art media, I was able to devise a method of making marbled monoprints into cards and bookmarks, detailed with line drawings and sometimes calligraphy. These products are now available for sale at my business website, Etsy store, several local Denver businesses, and through custom orders sent to scribblesbysparks@gmail.com. I’ve added a short page at the top of this blog with links.

Most of my imagery is currently drawn from plants and animals, with some illustrations from classic children’s literature like nursery rhymes and fables. I have also started a food series, combining my artwork with my love of cooking, but I would love to hear any suggestions or requests my readers might have for cards they would like to see (and perhaps purchase!).