January has always felt like a slow month to me, somehow sleepy and uneventful (even when I’m quite busy). It feels like a small pause after the year has ended and the new year didn’t quite kick in yet.

The holiday decorations are down, Spring still feels pretty far away, and we are waiting for more snow to hit the slopes.

This month I fully dove into a new animated episode of Yens and Spinny, pausing just for a couple of days to work on the illustration for a new tale. The new episode will be a little longer, so it’s taking up most of my free time!

However I did take several mornings off for a sketching outings, one with fellow Seattle Urban Sketchers, one with a friend at the Seattle Aquarium, and another by myself while cross-country skiing. The Aquarium was a blast! I’d been thinking about sketching at the aquarium for years, and finally did it. I enjoyed it immensely and will definitely do it again!

🛷 This Month’s Tale

A Sledding Adventure
A snowy hill. A sled. A scarf.. and a big adventure!
Read here

I’m in the process of reprinting some old postcards and I’m looking forward to see how they turn out.

I also turned the Yens and Spinny wall calendar into a Start Any Month edition.
Check it out if you are still looking for a calendar and don’t want to miss a month.
It also makes a great gift with all the holidays we have ahead of us!

I have the last 7 desk calendars on 75% sale, in case you still need a cute desk calendar 💛

And exciting news - Spinny the Plushie is on his way! I’ve been checking the tracking several times a day and just can’t wait 😅

• After the holidays Yens and Spinny carried the holiday fir tree down to the riverbank to visit Earl the Beaver. Earl promised to replant it somewhere quiet, where it might grow without being decorated ever again.

• The cold has settled in properly now. The nights grow sharp and clear, and the snow squeaks softly underfoot when Yens steps outside for firewood. Spinny finds this sound deeply suspicious.

• Icicles formed along the roof edge this week. Yens admired how they caught the light. Spinny tried to count them, but kept losing track when they sparkled.

• The windows frost over each morning now. Yens clears a small circle to look outside. Spinny makes funny paw prints.

• Snow has been falling for days without pause. The porch is half-buried, the garden entirely lost, and Spinny’s last apple is safely tucked under the porch. Spinny started digging a narrow tunnel, making a little progress every day and resting often for hot cocoa breaks.

This is a quote from “Small Gods“ by Terry Pratchett. My favorite book for now.

“The Ephebians believed that every man should have the vote (provided that he wasn’t poor, foreign, nor disqualified by reason of being mad, frivolous, or a woman). Every five years someone was elected to be Tyrant, provided he could prove that he was honest, intelligent, sensible, and trustworthy. Immediately after he was elected, of course, it was obvious to everyone that he was a criminal madman and totally out of touch with the view of the ordinary philosopher in the street looking for a towel. And then five years later they elected another one just like him, and really it was amazing how intelligent people kept on making the same mistakes.”

Spending time at the aquarium and watching the fish life changed my perspective a little. It felt good to slow down and observe a different world.

Until then, we’ll be moving slowly, watching the days stretch just a little longer, waiting for the light to return, and saving a few small stories for the weeks ahead.

Wishing you quiet winter days, warm layers, and something small to look forward to.

With warmth,

Nina

(And also Yens, and Spinny, who is currently tunneling toward an apple under several feet of snow.)