Normally I paint outside because I prefer working in natural light, but it has been so hot here in southern California that I decided to bring everything inside. The Santa Ana winds, seasonal winds that blow from the east to the west, have been moving through town and it is hot, hot, hot here. I [...]

I’ll just get right to it: I’m going to have a baby.
That’s right. In about two months’ time, a mini-Mari will make her way into this world.
I didn’t want to say anything for a while; I wanted to keep this blog focused on the inspiration for my cookie designs and my occasional thoughts (really silly [...]

Just before Valentine’s Day, I mentioned that one of my goals this year is to move some of my cookie designs to other formats, like paper and fabric. This bulldog, who you might recognize from my main site’s banner, is the first attempt. He was lovingly replicated using Adobe Illustrator, a not very friendly program, [...]

When I read that one of my favorite film directors, the great Zhang Yimou was orchestrating the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, I nearly passed out. I love his work, especially his earlier films like Raise the Red Lantern and especially To Live. Zhang Yimou is also directed Hero and The House of Flying [...]

I was oh, so hoping that this week I’d bang out a few things - an article I’ve been assigned as well as a 30-minute script for a project that I’m eager to tell you about once it’s completed. But I got sidetracked mid-week, by of all things, a cookie design.
Since my designs have become [...]