new & noteworthy

The 100 Day Project - 100 days of Biro

Hi there. How Are you?

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the practice of making on a regular basis. There’s been lots of reasons why I haven’t been making, but I decided there was no more time for excuses, I just had to give myself a creative push. 

On January 31, I started The 100 Day Project. In this global challenge, thousands of people all around the world commit to 100 days of creating.

Despite my worries about taking this on, I decided to just get started. No judgement. No pressure. Just intuitive making. 

These 4”x4” little cuties serve as the backdrops for my ballpoint pen drawings.

These 4”x4” little cuties serve as the backdrops for my ballpoint pen drawings.

The Plan

I cut up 25 or so 4" squares of mixed media paper and got to work making marks with acrylic ink. These little cuties serve as backdrops for my ballpoint pen drawings. I'll aim for one a day for 100 days. ⁠I’ve been using Amsterdam acrylic inks by Royal Talens. It works perfectly for my purposes as it’s a little transparent and can easily be drawn on top of with my trusty ballpoint.

My initial 4 drawings for The 100 Day project.

My initial 4 drawings for The 100 Day project.

I’ve already had my ups and downs…

I’m 43 days into the challenge and I’m learning. Somedays these little drawings just pour out of me. Other days, it’s a slog and I’m ready to throw in the towel and give up. But, I haven’t. 

I’m keeping at it. I’m giving myself permission to make some bad art. I’m giving myself permission to experiment and grow with each tiny drawing.

Day 6 & 7 of my 100 Days of Biro drawings for The 100 Day Project.

Day 6 & 7 of my 100 Days of Biro drawings for The 100 Day Project.

Day 5 & 8 of The 100 Day project.

Day 5 & 8 of The 100 Day project.

See it all on the “Gram”

I’ve been documenting all of my drawings in this series on Instagram. You can see all of the pieces I’ve make so far under the #100DaysOfBiro hashtag. I share openly there about my drawing struggles and my wins.

I’m working on uploading all of my drawings here on my website as well. Stay tuned.

That’s all for now.

My goal is to get back to regular blogging. I miss it!

Ciao, Jen

* HEADS UP: As an Amazon Influencer, I earn a small commission when you purchase the supplies I've listed here with Amazon links. It's a small way to support the work I do without any cost to you. (Thank you!)

VW Bus Tea Towels are Here!

Hi there. How are you?

I’m well aware that my work appeals more to women than men. Most of my buyers are female and 85% my followers on Instagram are female. My work has a feminine look. I get it, embrace it, and design to appeal to my mostly feminine tribe. 

But, my newest product was made with a man in mind.

Meet Yoshi, our 1977 Volkswagen Westfalia Bus.

Meet Yoshi, our 1977 Volkswagen Westfalia Bus.

Meet Yoshi

Last fall, my husband bought a 1977 Volkswagen Westfalia. Lovingly referred to as “Yoshi”, Matt has been working hard all winter and spring to rebuild the engine and restore the interior. We’re looking forward hitting the road with Yoshi in just a couple of weeks for the Dead and Company show in Deer Creek. (I know, totally hippie. I’ve got my tie-die all ready!)

Matt thought that Yoshi would make a great tea towel design.

I was happy to oblige. I mean, how cute is that bus?? How could I not draw it?

My husband modeling my new VW Bus tea towel in front of the bus that inspired it.

My husband modeling my new VW Bus tea towel in front of the bus that inspired it.

Introducing my VW Bus Tea Towel!

Featuring a front, side, and rear view of Yoshi, this 100% cotton tea towel was printed in an olive green ink to match our bus. I’m totally thrilled with it! 

This is the first completely digital illustration I’ve ever made. I drew these all with my Apple Pencil* and iPad Pro* in the Procreate app. I am hooked on this powerful tool! You will be seeing more all digital illustration from me soon.

*These are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I get a small commission at no additional cost to you. It’s an easy way to support my artistic endeavors. Thanks!

The VW Bus screen printed tea towel is sure to bring some personality and charm to your kitchen.

The VW Bus screen printed tea towel is sure to bring some personality and charm to your kitchen.

Ships free in time for Dad’s Day.

The Yoshi towel would make a great Father’s Day gift for your car lovin’ or hippie dad. Grab a Dad’s Day card, wrap up his favorite booze in the towel and you’re good to go.

Heck, anyone with a love for retro, cars, van life, hippie culture would dig this towel. I’ll certainly have a couple with me when we take Yoshi camping in the coming weeks. I’ll also lay one down on the coffee table and put snacks on top of it when we entertain this weekend.

You can shop my whole collection of tea towels right HERE. They all ship FREE in the US. ($6.00 flat rate shipping for my international friends.) 


Last thing….

If you purchase a towel, I’d love to see how you use it in your home. Send me pictures!

That’s all for now.

Ciao, Jen

My First Podcast Appearance!

Hi there. How are you?

Me. I’m so excited!

My first ever appearance on a podcast is now live!

Click to hear the interview!

Click to hear the interview!

Let me tell you how this cool opportunity came to be……

Back in February, I saw that Tara McMullin, creator of the What Works Podcast was looking for guests for her upcoming “By the Numbers” series.

As Tara states,

“Numbers give us a lot of information about what’s working and what’s not in a business.

They can tell us a pretty interesting story… if we’re willing to listen to it. Numbers might not tell us everything we need to know but they certainly help us ask better questions and point to new possibilities.

Throughout May, we’ll be featuring candid conversations with small business owners who have changed course because they paid attention to the numbers—everything from profit margin to time management to website traffic from Pinterest.”

I had a story that I knew would fit this theme.

I sent her a DM and threw my hat in the ring. A few weeks later, I was in front of my computer recording an interview with Tara over Skype.

This is a big, cool deal.

Tara is a small business rock star.

I have been following and learning from Tara McMullin for years. I can’t tell you how honored (and cool) I feel to have been a guest on her stellar What Works podcast. If you’re in the small business world, and you want real, down to earth business talk, give it a listen.

Here’s the whole episode:

In this interview we discuss:

  • What happened when one of my pins was repinned over 50,000 times—and why it created a spike in traffic but not in sales.

  • How and why I regrouped and decided to make an online drawing course.

  • My very simple process for filming, producing and hosting my online course.  (Shout out to Kerstin Martin and her Squarespace Classroom for helping get this course off the ground.)

  • How my online courses have impacted my business as a whole and what’s in store for the future of my business.


Find What Works on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Go listen to my interview and let me know what you think!

Ciao, Jen