Category Archives: Illustration

Happy Year of the Rat πŸ­πŸŽ‰

Happy New Year, friend!

Did you know 2020 is the Year of the Rat?

My dad is a “Rat” and embodies some of the zodiac’s characteristics – industrious, thrifty, and diligent.

Dad and Dave making mochi for zenzai (dad’s favorite treat) at a cafe in Kanazawa, Japan (2017)

I hope I’ve inherited some of his rat-ness so I can keep making joyful art for you and continue to grow Honeyberry Studios even more this year!

Wishing you a healthful and happy 2020 πŸ’•

xo

Wishing you peaceful holidays β„️

My sweetie Dave and I started sending custom Christmas cards to friends and family a few years ago.

It was fun, and I wanted to continue the tradition every year, but my plate was so full I let it go this year 😭

Instead, we sent cards to a handful of family and included a short updates about our 2019.

I know it’s not as fun as receiving a physical card, but I wanted to share them with you anyway πŸ₯°

***

2019 has been a big year for us. We’ve both gotten even busier, which is hard to believe sometimes.

Dave had a really full teaching schedule this year, which included adding a 2-week Permaculture design course in the Baltimore area. Turns out this was good, as one of the schools where Dave has been teaching decided not to run their program this year.

Other than that, Dave has been super busy with project management for the ecovillage we’re hoping to build. Our group has land under contract and the feasibility study has a lot of moving parts, so Dave is full steam ahead. You can learn more about the project .

Yuko’s business, Honeyberry Studios, has been steadily growing. She’s expanded her wholesale presence and is appearing at more shows. In February, she’ll be at a huge gift show in New York City, which should propel things forward even further.

Yuko’s mom also visited this year and they went to Yellowstone National Park, where they saw all the classics (geysers, bison, etc.).

Finally, this year Yuko became a board member for the Northwest Network, which is group advocating for bi, trans, lesbian, and gay survivors of intimate partner violence. This allows her to continue advocating for people whose voices are often unheard, as she’s done for a long time.

Anyway, that’s our 2019 in a nutshell. We sincerely hope that you had a pleasant 2019 and are looking forward to a productive, fulfilling 2020!

D&Y

Just because…

Hey friend,

I was gonna write aboutΒ my reflections for the past 3 years todayΒ (July 31st is my 3-year freedomΒ anniversary a.k.a. the day I quit my regularΒ job) but didn’t finish it πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈ

It’s been very hectic juggling fairs & markets every weekend, working onΒ moving my onlineΒ shop to a different platform (Shopify if you’re curious), and just managing life without a working car (it broke down, in a process of buying another car) and a helping hand of my husband (he’s been out of town for work the lastΒ 2 weeks).

So, I thought I’d just show you a happy art to make you smile 😊

Do you love llama? I thought soΒ πŸ˜Šβ€‹Β This is one of my new designs that are going to be available soon.

Hope you’re having a nice Sunday!

xo

p.s. I’ll be taking a week off for myΒ mini sabbaticalΒ this coming week. I may or may not post a new article next Sunday. If not, I’ll talk to you in a couple of weeks 😘

Personal seasons greetings

I can’t believe it’s the last day of the year… Can you??

This year, I’ve managed to send out holiday greeting cards to our family and friends.

For someone who designs greeting cards for a living, I’m terrible at sending people cards πŸ˜… so I’m glad I finally fixed that!

Inside the card, we included a summary of what we’ve done in 2017. It’s short and sweet, and I thought you might enjoy reading our little updates, too.

I enjoyed reviewing our year – if I’m not intentional about it, I’d never take the time to think about our accomplishments. It all seemed like a blur until I wrote them all down!

How has your year been? What are some of the highlights? If you have any updates, hit reply and tell me 😊

Have a happy and safe New Year! I’m so grateful for your support this year and look forward to sharing my journey with you in 2018!

xo

Yuko Miki Honeyberry Studios Headshot

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Mindfulness Art Gallery!

Hey there, friend!

Hope your December is going well!

It’s crazy this year is almost over… When this post comes out, I’m gonna be teaching my last block printing workshop of the year! Then heading out to Wisconsin in a couple of days to see my in-laws! It’s definitely feeling like the holidays now.

You may remember I created 12 new artwork for the fall/winter stationery collection, and I thought it would be fun to showcase them today πŸ™‚

I’m calling it the Mindfulness Art series because I created it to remind myself to have peace and calm in my life.

I started creating this art series after going to my second 10-day silent meditation retreat earlier this year (you can learn more about my experience here.)Β I came home super chill and centered and wanted to nurture those blissful feelings by creating theseΒ artwork.

 

youre-exactly-where-youre-supposed-to-be-8x10_1000px
You are exactly where you are supposed to be.
all-beings-be-happy-8x10_1000px
May all beings be happy, peaceful, and liberated.
appreciate-what-you-have-every-day-8x10_1000px
Appreciate what you have every day.
be-gentle-with-yourself-8x10_1000px
Be gentle with yourself.
id-rather-be-here-and-now-8x10_1000px
I’d rather be here and now.
every-day-is-a-new-beginning-8x10_1000px
Every day is a new beginning.
forgive-yourself-for-the-mistakes-youve-made-8x10_1000px
Forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made.
its-ok-if-the-only-thing-you-did-today-was-breathe-8x10_1000px
It’s OK if the only thing you did today was breathe.
there-is-enough-for-every-one-8x10_1000px
There is enough for everyone.
you-can-always-start-again-8x10_1000px
You can always start again.
live-like-you-have-everything-you-need-8x10_1000px
Live like you have everything you need.
youre-enough-8x10_1000px
You are enough.

I hope my art and the messages will help you find a little peace and positivity in your life, too! That’s what it’s all about anyway πŸ™‚

And if you’re a Seattle local, I’m showing them at Tin Umbrella Coffee in south Seattle throughout the month of December, so go check them out πŸ™‚

Meet lovely people and enjoy locally roasted coffee!
Meet lovely people and enjoy locally roasted coffee at Tin Umbrella!

p.s. These art prints will also be available on my Etsy shop as well, so check back and/or sign up for my newsletter to be notified when they become available πŸ™‚ Bonus if you tell me which ones you’d like to see as a print!

Ok, friend, I hope you have a wonderful day and a peaceful holiday season!

xo Yuko

Yuko Miki Honeyberry Studios Headshot