ABCs, promiscuous pasta, and a caviar power outage adventure

Lately, I’ve been deep in the editing trenches, fine-tuning the ABC series so it looks just as vibrant in print as it does on my painting table. Truthfully, painting is about 10% of the process. The other 90%? Editing files, prepping mockups, uploading listings, creating marketing, and keeping the shop running—still a one-woman show over here. 

This past weekend, I hit pause on studio life and escaped to the Texas Hill Country for a much-needed girls' getaway. One of the highlights? Uplift Vineyard. It was, without exaggeration, the best wine tasting experience I’ve had in Texas. We spent time with Claire, the winemaker, who’s doing magical things with those grapes. If you're planning a trip out this way, promise me you’ll add Uplift to your list. You will not regret it.

We rented a sweet little house off Main Street in Fredericksburg and spent the weekend exactly how I love to recharge—lounging with books, cooking together, and popping out for coffee, peach beer, and groceries. If you’re curious about where we went and what we ate, my sister-in-law Morgan shared a full roundup here!

Another unexpected gem to kick off the weekend: A book signing with Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen. 

When my friend bought the tickets a month ago, I had no idea who Meredith was. Wishbone Kitchen, who? Fast-forward to now, I’ve binge-watched her entire YouTube channel and was first in line at her Houston book signing. Consider me a fast-made superfan.

Inside My Studio

The ABC collection is nearly ready! I’ll be announcing the release in the next couple of weeks.

I'll send out a reminder when the new collection drops!  I spent last week taking mockup photos involving colorful blocks and pencils - so fun!

Next on my project list:

• A potential tablecloth design (finally!)
• Sister pieces to the Jungle Series featuring trucks, butterflies, and dinosaurs
• A whimsical new series inspired by Bonnie’s rendition of “Ring Around the Rosie”... likely involving pasta illustrations. It will make more sense later, promise.

What I'm Cooking

 You already know: it was a Wishbone Kitchen weekend. We cooked four recipes from her book at our house rental and every single one was a hit.

Highlights:

• Caesar dip (salad, but make it fun)
  
• Olive tapenade with blue cheese (converted an olive hater—victory)
  
• Pasta alla zozzona (perfection). Hilariously, zozzona means promiscuous/dirty in Italian - likely from the combination of all the different sauces.
  
• Olive oil cake with whipped cream + berries (thanks to my friend Mandy for baking this beauty)
  

I even kept the momentum going when I got home by making her fish tacos on Sunday. 10/10, even with my usual hesitation toward frying food.

It’s safe to say this cookbook will be on heavy rotation. Expect food stains and dog-eared pages.

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Creative Sparks

Power outages. No, really.

Our power went out Friday morning—no warning, just me mid-Zoom call and poof. Black screen. But instead of spiraling, I leaned in. That moment pushed me to check off one of my New Year’s resolutions: buy caviar (now) and host a dinner party with a tablecloth I designed (coming soon).

I grabbed the tiniest amount of caviar from a local shop and picked up some incredible French butter too. A lost workday turned into an unexpected joy—exactly the kind of detour I welcome.

What I'm Reading

Still working through First Time Caller (slow start, but I’m warming up to it) and Emily Henry’s latest, Great Big Beautiful Life—our girls’ weekend included hot tubs, comfy clothes, and everyone flipping pages together.

I’m reading both books at once like an absolute madwoman. TBD on whether that continues or I settle into just one.

What's Next

The ABC series is just around the corner, and summer travel is already on the calendar—which always leads to fresh ideas and creative pivots. I’m also toying with the idea of sewing a curtain before I tackle the tablecloth... maybe even a table runner trial?

I’m imagining something between Hamptons-chic and color explosion for the studio. Bold stripes? Florals? We’ll see where it takes me.

Thanks for being here—it means the world.
-Katie