Even though I erase most of what I type these days, I’m finding myself “here” on the blog more and more frequently. I am struggling to find my balance and a hook back into my own creative things, but I am constantly amazed at what others are doing and what rolls through my stream at Facebook. Here are some of the things that made my front-burner lately:

• One of the best “how to” sets I’ve seen on cartooning. Parts 1 and 2 are posted, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the next steps (inking and scanning). (That I stumbled over this comic while working on a heart-health project for Science Buddies is one of the reasons what I’m doing with Science Buddies is so cool!)

• This article by Anne Lamott is amazing — and really worth thinking about. (Personally, I know I am wasting far too much time playing various games at Facebook.)

• Look at this wonderful Piece O’ Cake-inspired quilt!

• Look at the stack of quilts on a chair in the cover photo for Sweetwater’s Simple Home.. Right up my alley for sketch material!

• Anyone got great chairs to photo?

• I’ve got a school cookbook project on the brain. I don’t need to borrow an egg, but I’d really like someone with font expertise and a great eye for typography! Or at least someone who is willing to sit and talk for a half hour about whether this needs to move a quarter inch to the right or the left or what if we add a box there or what happens when the content in that area is too big or simply does this look better or does that…

• I’ve had this essay from the NYT open all day but haven’t read it yet.

• I’d like to go to this “bookmaking” city event. I know far too little about letterpress to satisfy my intrinsic ‘letters’ and ‘words’ cravings.

• I really enjoyed this post from Ali Edwards.

• I watched the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (finally) the other night on Netflix. An amazing story. (And I swear the next day I head the parrots fly through. We hurried out to look but didn’t catch a glimpse. The timing seemed eerie!)

• Simple but nice effect in this Confetti Quilt.

• The back of the Dahlia Cardigan is so cool!

• And I am going to have to give these gauntlets a try — maybe holiday knitting!

• Katrina’s got some great “monthly” photo prompt sets posted. (I’m taking Katrina’s class again for a bit of a nudge.)

See? Just a hodge podge. A tip-o-the-iceberg hodge podge. No wonder I can’t focus!