Featured Again!

Monica Crowe Portraiture was featured in another Etsy Treasury. 

Can you spot my self-portrait in the mix?

Etsy Treasury feature

My little Lulu dog portrait was featured in an Etsy treasury!

Sale Has Ended

My pencil portrait sale for the month of October has officially ended. But it's never too late to purchase your custom portrait before the holiday mad dash. I have an open roster for Christmas orders, so get in on the ground floor by placing your order at mcrowearts.com.

Latte Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Edition

Making a latte at home? Don't have a fancy espresso machine? No problem! 

Just get a hand-held wand frother, like the one shown above.

I'm all pumped up about my pumpkin spice latte recipe. Oh yeah, baby. This is a good one. You're gonna love it, because it's not only just as tasty as the kind you get at Starbucks, but it's also cheaper and easy to make.

This recipe makes one mug of pumpkin spice latte. 

To make more, simple double up on the recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup milk

1 tbs. sugar

1 cup coffee (or 1 to 2 shots of espresso)

1/3 cup Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tbs. maple syrup

Canned pumpkin meat

Dollop of whipped cream

A pot (preferably with a pour spout)

Wand frother

Food thermometer

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Instructions

1. Make a cup of super dark coffee, or make 1 to 2 shots of espresso. 
2. Pour milk into a pot, and stir in the pumpkin meat, sugar and maple syrup. 
3. Heat the ingredients on the stove over medium-high heat until the milk steams and reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. 
4. Remove the pot from the stove and, tilting the pot slightly toward you, submerge the wand frother just beneath the milk's surface and activate. 
5. Froth the top layer of milk. Fill your mug slightly less than half way with coffee, add the milk, and top with a layer of froth. 
6. Scoop a dollop of whipped cream on top, and sprinkle Pumpkin Pie Spice. 

Tips!

• If making coffee, I recommend using a French press. Although it's not necessary, it makes a richer tasting coffee.
• When pouring the heated milk into your mug, use a tablespoon to hold the froth back while you pour. Then, with the spoon, scoop the froth out of the pot.

Fall Photos and A Special Offer

(In the photos: Georgetown Farmers Market; The Hideout (Austin); Opa! (Austin); Whole Foods pumpkins; home-made pumpkin spice latte; The Hideout (Austin))

It feels like fall in Austin -- well, almost. It's not quite sweater weather yet, but there is promise of such a thing to come. It's time to go to the farmers market, buy a pumpkin, carve it and make pumpkin spice lattes, all while the smell of fresh-baked bread in the air.

In honor of my favorite season, I'm having a 20% off sale on my custom pencil portraiture. If you think you might want to gift a portrait to a special person during the holidays, now is the time to take advantage, because the sale ends Oct. 31.

The Life of an Artist

As I don't have a typical profession, you might be wondering what my work days are like. I myself often wonder what other creative people's schedules are like. Scroll down to see how I go about my daily business.

7 a.m. to 8 a.m. -- Wake, eat breakfast and drink coffee while watching old TV shows on Netflix.

8 a.m. -- Go to my study and draw while drinking a second/third cup of coffee.

10 a.m. -- Walk my dogs and try in vain to prevent them from chasing squirrels.

10:30 -- Check/answer e-mails, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

11 a.m. to 12:30 -- Draw or update my Etsy page or Mcrowearts.com. Make lunch and chow down, and get right back to work drawing.

2 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. -- Another outdoor jaunt with the squirrel chasers.

2:20 to 5 or 6 p.m. -- Draw

Some days are devoted to only promotional activities, so sometimes I don't do any drawing.
It might seem like I spend a lot of time in working my study, and I do, but there is also a lot of random activity going on. Being home means I'm also constantly answering text messages and maybe a few phone calls, doing laundry, preparing lunch and putting away dishes all while giving my fur babies plenty of pats on their heads and doggy treats.

Do you work from home, too? If so, what's your schedule like?