Today is my mom's birthday!  We celebrated her birthday on Saturday, and I was so excited to finally unveil her birthday present that I've been working on for months: a portrait of her and my grandma, her mom!!

This is the last time we saw my grandma, four years ago, and we lost her shortly after.  I treasure these moments spent with the three of us together, three generations in the house my mom grew up in.

This portrait is a reminder of that special moment, of all the wonderful memories we made together, and of the strong bond and love the three of us share that will go on forever, no matter where we are.

Happy birthday, mami!  I love you and grandma so, so much!! ❤️

Progress of painting my beautiful ladies!

Cheek to cheek, my beautiful mom and grandma!

I love you both so much!

Adding the finishing touches

Framed and ready for mom :-)

So I've been playing with my food lately ... oops! Isn't that what parents tell their kids, don't play with your food? ;-) Well, that's the beauty of being an adult: I can play with my food all I want, haha!

I was craving a fruit bowl for breakfast, you know, one of those pitaya (Dragonfruit) or Acai bowls, so I set out to make one. First, I blended some blueberries ...

Next, I blended some spinach and kale together, and a little banana smoothie ...

And last but not least, I blended some Dragonfruit, which not only tastes delish, but look amazing!! It has this out-of-this-world bright fuchsia pink color that is a lot more of a feast for the eyes for me than it could ever be for my taste buds!

Needless to say, this breakfast was a lot more fun than usual!

This is my food watercolor studio, complete with an inspiration photo and 'paint' ...

First I played with my food, but then I ate it all! I hope you're proud I finished all my breakfast, mom! :-)

I am in love with this awesome bib necklace designed and modeled by Molly Carey (JCrew jewelry designer). Fantastic use of vintage pieces and a modern look! It's so beautiful, and it looks stunning on Molly! I just had to illustrate it!

In progress shots of my illustration process.

The illustration I did on the 4th of July, inspired by the patriotic spirit at the parade in the quaint city of Sierra Madre this year.

In progress shot