- 3 days ago
The ABCs of Grief: Coping is Here!!
There was a book I read when I was young, I don't remember the book itself or the illustrations, but I do remember how the book made me feel. The paper had this cloudy glossiness to it, almost like looking through a pillowy haze. It felt so magical to the touch and turning each page felt like a gentle hug. I was maybe 9 or so, and I wanted to turn the pages of this book over and over again, taking in the words and the pictures, but also taking in the feeling of the book itself. When I opened my copy of The ABCs of Grief: Coping, I was shot back to my 9-year-old self and this memory of reading this random book. The pages made me feel warm, cozy, and hopeful. How crazy that a small touch, a small book, a small gesture can transport us back to some forgotten memory from our childhood. I started to think of all of the little readers out there that will consume this book and quite possibly create a memory that will stick with them into adulthood. Powerful!!!
This book was, by far, my favorite to illustrate and I'm overflowing with excitement that she's out in the world. This is the last book of the series, so with the excitement comes a bit of sadness. I've been working on these books since Leonora was cozied up and kicking away in my belly. Now she's 2 and forming opinions, interests, and full sentences. These books have been with me for so long, its truly bittersweet to say goodbye, and I'm so grateful that Jessica picked me to illustrate them.
As I painted this book in particular, I listened to the Harry Potter audiobooks to really get into the zone. But I also intentionally slowed down, savoring each and every paint stroke, pencil mark, and letter that I formed. I wanted to remember it all, and feel present for the making of this book more than any of the others. Because they truly have been a gift to me! A gift of learning about grief while I was also, and still am, grieving. To give some backstory, my mom started chemotherapy while I was pregnant, she underwent a stem cell transplant during my little ones first year of life, and she went through two back-to-back emergency surgeries during Leonora's second trip around the sun. She's recovering and doing better, but I've realized that while I have found immense hope and excitement with my new chapter of life as a mom, I've also been grieving this new chapter of life as a daughter. I didn't get to have the mom I imagined having during my journey into motherhood, and while my mom is slowly but surely returning, I still yearn for her to get here quicker. And also try to accept that the mom I had before may never fully return.
Illustrating all of these books about grief came into my life when I needed them most. They were my therapy! So, I am sad to see them go, but truly grateful I was able to cross paths with them during this season of life. I imagine all of the little grievers out there that these books will be a gift to, and it makes me hopeful to be of service to them.
This third book is all about learning to cope and continue with life while still holding space for grief. Sometimes that means finding ways to escape, finding hobbies, and sometimes it's finding ways to remember, like lighting candles and letting lanterns off in the air.
I pictured my Leonora while I was sketching these illustrations. What I imagined she would become, and what I hoped she would find in life. Picturing her going hiking (if she likes it like her dad and me). I also pictured my niece, who is having a tough time at the moment, and how she copes with dancing and video games. I pictured myself and how I coped as a kid during times of grief through reading and imagination.
Do you see yourself in any of these? How did you cope as a kid, and how do you cope now?
I can't wait for little hands and minds to hold and take in this book. Jessica's words have brought such a gift to the world, and I can't wait for you to hold these books yourself!
If you would like to buy your own copy, I included a link below.
I'm so grateful for each one of you for subscribing to my little newsletter,
See you in April,
Rachel
Happy February, My Lovely Chocolate Cakes!
Que the confetti, it's Galentine's and Valentine's Season!
I've spent the last month organizing my work and goals so that I can move through 2026 with purpose and intention. I want this to be the year of less for myself, meaning I want to pare my intentions down to as few as possible so I can conquer those things with gusto! Every time I've gotten excited with a thousand ideas, I remind myself "Less" is the operative word this year.
We live in an age of MORE MORE MORE, NEW NEW NEW!! MORE work, NEW thoughts, NEW ideas, EVERY SINGLE DAY!! As an artist who likes to take her time, and likes to savor in the new work she made, this MORE vibe is EXHAUSTING!! It makes me feel like I can't keep up, and sometimes I don't want to show up because I fear the question "what's next?". It's tiring, but I'm learning that I don't always have to create something new from scratch. Instead, I can re-work what I already have. Cough Cough - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
So, when I got it in my head that I wanted to make some Valentine's cards for funsies, I decided I needed to pull from artwork I already had to save time. Then, I would add in cute sentiments with my hand-lettering to make them Valentine-y. This whole post is going to show how I forced myself to work smarter, not harder. How can I remake older work into something new?
I hunted for a few recent drawings that felt fitting. I made most of these at the end of last year (pictured above). For this post, I'm going to start by focusing on the tomato print to show you how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. And for fun, I have before-and-afters of all of the other prints below.
Okay, so I made this for my wholesale distributor for some kitchen art (she's cute, right?). But I love the sentiment "I love you from my head, tomatoes!" and I think it would fit so well with this print for Valentine's.
I started sketching out the words over the can.
Then I went in and blocked out the lettering and colored it in on my IPad.
It's cute how it is now, but I wanted to see what it would look like with a little more of a pink and red lean to it. So, I pulled it into Photoshop on my computer and fiddled with the colors and layout a bit.
This was what I came up with! So fun!
And here's a before-and-after side-by-side.
So on that note, let's see the before and afters for the other few pieces that I pulled from:
PUPPY LOVE!!!
I grabbed my Howl-o-ween pups, added lettering, and swapped out their costumes for sweaters!
SARDINES!!!
This was another print for my wholesale distributor. I added a cute phrase and edited the tone and vibrancy of the colors.
POSTAGE OF HEARTS!!!
Remember this illustration from my 2025 calendar? I removed the background and added in some cute lettering to go with the postage vibe.
ADVENTUROUS LOVE!!
I used this print from my camping collection, changing the colors a little bit and changing the sentiment.
SILLY GOOSE LOVE!!
Last but not least, the print on the left is from my silly goose collection! I changed her glasses, the verbiage, and the colors!
Okay, I'm a sucker for before-and-after side-by-sides, so putting this together was incredibly satisfying for me.
I do have these in my Etsy shop if you feel an urge to gift them to your honey, your bunny, or your bestie. I've been feeling a strong pull towards handwritten notes and postcards lately, so these truly fit the bill.
I hope you all have a beautiful February filled with love and connection!
xoxo
Rachel
Happy January, My Cozy Caterpillars! It's time to embrace the art of Dilly Dallying!!
I hope you all had an amazing and wonderful Holiday Season! Mine was filled with so much family time! We went back to Cincinnati for 2 weeks, choosing to drive home instead of flying so we could bring Frankie! I was proceeding with caution, taking on a 16-hour drive with a fresh 2-year-old, but holy moly, Leonora did amazing!! We split the drives up over two days and spent the night at dog-friendly hotels, and made sure to make pit stops at playgrounds and parks along the way. And, as a fun bonus, it worked out to spend the night at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas on our drive back to Houston (what a fun way to start 2026)! Our holidays overflowed with activities, socializing, treats, and so much more. And let me tell you, by the end of the 2 weeks we were happy but EXHAUSTED!!
So, naturally, we have officially entered my yearly Hermit season! After a truly wonderful holiday season and the hustle and bustle, I love getting cozy, quiet, and hibernation-y for January (cough cough enter "Dilly Dally"). I like to move more slowly, catch my breath, and spend time at home thinking about my hopes for the year (with doses of cleaning and organizing, of course).
I re-read my January post for 2025, and I was so delighted to realize I accomplished just about everything I wrote down! In thinking about this January post, I started listing out my favorite things of 2025, both in work and in personal life. And suddenly I realized that I needed to share it with you! It's a wonderful way to reflect on the year and relive some wonderful moments!
So without further ado, here's my Favorites of 2025!!
FAVORITE PROJECT WITH A CLIENT
Hands down, Illustrating The ABCs of Grief: Coping by Jessica Correnti! This is the third book in the series, and it brought me so much joy! I found myself painting more slowly because I wanted to savor it! The book will be out in mid to late February, and I can't wait for all of you to see it!
FAVORITE PERSONAL PROJECT
My Big Foot and Camping Collection!!! This was such an unexpected addition to the year! The idea came to me after hiking in Sedona, Arizona. A man asked if we saw Big Foot and suddenly I couldn't stop thinking about Big Foot Illustrations, which then birthed my camping collection. It took me several months to chip away at it, but I finished them up just in time for fall!
BEST SELLER IN THE ETSY SHOP
I painted this whimsical moth during the pandemic in 2020, and this past year she has been the best seller in the Etsy shop. It's so fun to see what new and old pieces will gain traction in the shop each year.
FAVORITE CRAFTING PROJECT
For Christmas, I made this ADORABLE stuffed octopus for Leonora! I purchased the pattern way back in January of last year as a winter project and never got around to making it, so for Christmas, I made it a teeny tiny hope on my to-do list. And after my mom whispered to me, "You can do it!" over the phone, I made it a priority. I used my old t-shirts that were meaningful to my life with Ricky. I should add that when I was preggo, I made a stuffed whale out of Ricky's old jeans, so now Leonora has two keepsake nautical animals.
FAVORITE RECIPE I TRIED
Rainbow Plant Life's Lentil Bolognese won my heart last year. I think I made it 3-4 different times (once for a friend). It created sooo many leftovers, AND it was insanely easy to make
FAVORITE DESSERT RECIPE
Okay, this is a tie between these cinnamon-baked apples from Autumn Elle Nutrition and these homemade fig newtons from Nadia's Healthy Kitchen. I made the fig newtons for Ricky over Father's Day weekend and the baked apples for Halloween week. Both were truly hitting all of the cozy vibes I love in a recipe!
FAVORITE TRIP
Italy & Slovenia, without a doubt!! We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and Leonora's 2nd birthday by going to Rome, Florence, and the Italian and Slovenian Alps. It was such a magical trip for our little family, filled with extreme highs and hilarious lows (we still chuckle at some of the toddler meltdowns...for example, pic in the top left: Leonora was on the verge of having a meltdown before our Collesum tour, so we were pumping her full of cookies).
FAVORITE TRADITION
Ricky's hand-drawn Birthday card! I have done this for 3 years in a row now, and it's such a fun activity. I provide you all with the digital download, so you can participate in the fun! I look forward to it every summer! So stay tuned for that!
FAVORITE MOMENT
Okay, this one is tricky, so I have multiple in no particular order. The first is eating PB&J's with Leonora in Sedona whilst on a hike. The second is watching live Jazz in New Orleans with Leonora on Ricky's lap, munching on a Po-Boy. The third is watching Leonora squeal with delight over the bunnies at the farm-stay in Slovenia. Fourthly, watching Leonora's eyes light up while exploring museums/the colosseum, eating Italian food, and swinging at playgrounds in the Italian Alps. And the final moment has to be Leonora eating ramen for the first time at a local restaurant in Houston.
FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK I READ TO LEONORA
Dandelion Magic by Darren Farrell! This is such a cute interactive book about our imagination! It's so silly and so fun to read! We received it as part of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library! (Check this out if you have little ones! You get a free book every month in the mail.)
FAVORITE ART SUPPLY/TOOL
Whilst this tool was technically purchased in 2024, I didn't start using it until this year. My iPad and pencil have become an integral part of my art-making process. My pencil isn't magnetic and is frequently floating in my bag, so I bought this cute lil' adhesive sleeve to add to the back of my iPad cover.
FAVORITE BOOK I READ
This one is tricky, because I read a lot, but I think I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue will be my winner for the year. It was a funny and cringe-y office comedy with a tad of romance and a ton of anxiety.
FAVORITE PODCAST EPISODE
Y'all know I love Armchair Expert. Off the top of my head, the Luke Combs and Adam Scott Returns episodes were winners this year. Amy Poehler's new podcast, specifically this episode with Rachel Dratch, made me laugh!
FAVORITE NEWSLETTER
Brad Montague has truly won my heart. He's an amazing illustrator who gives so much positive, joyous vibes to my inbox, not only sharing his artwork, but also his hopes for the next generation. My cup is filled after every newsletter, and I leave inspired to think differently, have compassion for others, and embrace my failures.
FAVORITE TV/MOVIE I CONSUMED
While there are sooooo many that I have shared with you over the year, I think my immediate winner is The Great British Baking Show. It always warms my heart, inspires me to bake, and brings me all the cozy vibes.
FAVORITE PROGRESS ON A PROJECT
My children's book that I wrote! OKAY, I'm ending on this one because I didn't finish illustrating it as I had hoped to in 2025, but I made massive progress on it! While I was a little discouraged realizing I wasn't going to be able to finish it in 2025, I remembered what I wrote about the book a year ago:
"It's been a pet project that has ebbed and flowed in excitement...coming in and out of focus when I was inspired or needed a break."
So naturally, this occurred towards the end of the year when other projects needed my time and attention. But here we are in 2026, and I'm already working on it!! This will be the year!!! I gotta finish and move on with my life!! I realized last year, nearing the end, that a smidgen of procrastination was at play (likely out of fear of completing the task, even though that's always been the goal). It brings up questions like "what's next?" and "what then?", but I just have to close my eyes and jump!
HOPES FOR 2026
Finish my book (Obvi!) and create a calendar for 2027! I didn't have time to do this last year, and I was so touched how many people reached out asking if I was making another one. I plan to make her a higher priority this year because she brought me so much joy. I'm going to wrap it up with something I wrote last year about New Year's Hopes and Resolutions
"I like to think of the new year as a mere continuation of the last. A way to build upon things that already exist or remove a few blocks from the pile of life to better focus on what matters. The New Year feels a little more hopeful and a little less stressful when I think of it that way."
Cheers to all of you in 2026, and here's to the sentiment "just keep going"!
xoxo
Rachel
