iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marisa @marisamorby.com · 04/10/2026

Finishing a little book about hope and gardening that I wrote last year and just did the final illustration!

A black and white sketch of hellebores. Hellebores are beautifully simple flowers that nod when they open. This drawing has two open flowers, a bud, and a leaf.

Marisa @marisamorby.com · 04/09/2026

This is funny, because people always assume I'm originally from the east coast (I'm not), and I've never been to Maryland. I think this is mostly because I was raised by people who were much older than me (also not from Maryland though) and I picked up their pronunciations.

This is a heat map that shows where your dialect is most likely from. The east coast is red, middle america is blue and yellow. And the west coast is a mix of lighter shades of blue, yellow, and red. The text says: Redder areas talk more like you; bluer areas least. You talk most like someone from Maryland. About 55% of your answers match a typical resident.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 03/08/2026

On Saturdays, I make my coffee and then wander around the garden with my shears. I deadhead the roses, clear out old branches, and cut a couple blooms that are just opening up. These are my Eden Climbers, and last a solid week after being picked!

Three pink roses that fade to blush on the outer petals. The cut roses are sitting in a white vase on a teak table.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 19/07/2026

Spent yesterday removing a Choisya and replacing it with a more native Manzanita cultivar. Changes like this always scare me because it makes things look temporarily bare. Making changes like this has to be thought through. I liked the Choisya because it was evergreen and bloomed. But

A light green maple tree next to a Choisya and Hemlock tree. The Choisya is a green bush with white flowers.

A light green maple next to a patch of dirt with a tiny little shrub planted next to it. The tiny green shrub is a Manzanita.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 06/07/2026

Fresh roses and lavender from the garden

A white porcelain pitcher filled with peach colored roses and lavender.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 03/07/2026

Some in progress mise en place bowls. I did two on the wheel and one through hand building and I’m pretty happy with their texture out of the bisque fire.

Three small white porcelain mise en place bowls. The bowls are sitting in a wooden table top with a rolling pin and small vases in the background.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 08/06/2026

The fuchsia is really starting to come into bloom and so far I've been yelled at by a Rufous hummingbird for standing in my own garden and investigated by two Anna's hummingbirds who wanted to know what I was doing.

A huge and somewhat overgrown fuchsia bush growing over a fountain.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 05/06/2026

Today’s garden find is the Western blood-red lady beetle. I found several of them tromping along my riverbank lupine looking for aphids. One lucky bug actually caught one. These beetles are native to the region and are great for pest control since they eat aphids! I got them in the garden by

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 25/05/2026

Fresh Mt. Hood strawberries and home made Chantelle cream is one of my top favorite desserts and is so easy to make. If you’re in the Portland area, get those Hood strawberries while you can. They remain probably the best strawberries I’ve ever eaten.

A light blue bowl filled with strawberry and chantilly cream on the top. A spoon rests inside the bowl.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 25/05/2026

Really pleased with how this area of the garden is coming along. My plan is working. My plan being, stuff it full of pretty things that the bees like!

A view of a garden with square stone steps leading to a short trellis and fence. Light pink roses grow on the trellis and in between the stepping stones are small white flowers and groundcover. On the left side a wall of small orange poppies cascade down over the wall. The ground on the left has lavender about to bloom. On the right are more orange poppies and white roses.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 25/05/2026

First roses from the garden this year.

A vase with several blush and apricot colored roses.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 22/05/2026

The offending flower in question

A hot pink, huge peonies with bright yellow centers.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 10/05/2026

I’m traveling and @jason.energy just sent me pictures of my garden and I didn’t know it was possible to miss a garden until now.

A Japanese maple, Mexican Orange shrub, and Mountain Hemlock in front of a fence with a purple rhododendron in the background.

Orange-pink rosebuds with light green stems and leaves.

A white bleeding heart above purple and yellow pansies.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 10/05/2026

The last few years I've started focusing more on plants that smell good, in the hopes that we can bring back gardens that please more of our senses. hopefulnature.studio/when-our-gardens-smelled-good

A close up photo of a daphne flower cluster.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 05/05/2026

Flowers are starting to bloom in earnest now and it's reminding me of all the hard work that the bees do in the garden. And how differently the same world looks to each of us. hopefulnature.studio/how-bees-see...

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 30/04/2026

Rome remains extremely photogenic.

A light orange stucco home with a forest green door. The building is covered in red and purple bougainvillea flowers and ivy.

A traditional Italian renaissance garden with lemon trees, rosemary, and lemon verbena, set in a four grid pattern with a fountain in the shape of an eagle in the center.

A dark Terra cotta colored building built in the renaissance Italian style. The color of the building fades from a dark Terra cotta color at the top to a more faded, light color.

A stone patio with palms, olive trees, and boxwood. Patio tables are set to the left.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 29/04/2026

The beauty of handmade works can’t be replicated through digital means. Do your research and let that research guide your curiosity and imagination. From the talk Mastering the Art of Levitation by Annie Atkins (annieatkins.com)

A photo of the presentation screen at Beyond Tellerrand. This screen shows individual documents created by Annie Atkins. It includes a case file, a passport, a shipping tag, and some small roll tickets.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 29/04/2026

We all have a need, deep down, to be perceived and seen. What did you want to spend your time on as a child? As an adult, those are the things that will probably bring you the most happiness and satisfaction. From the talk Create, create, create by James Victore (jamesvictore.com/about)

James Victore standing in front of the presentation screen. On screen is a handwritten note that says "The things that made you weird as a kid make you great today. With love, Victore."

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 29/04/2026

Solar and decentralized energy is the future. As always, we can look to nature for answers to our own (created) problems. Creating beauty and wonder can be a part of how we help move this forward. From the talk Solar Futures by Marjan van Aubel. (marjanvanaubel.com)

A photo of the Beyond Tellerrand stage. Marjan stand on the right side. The presentation screen shows a rectangular structure with walls made of transparent solar paneling. In the middle is a triangular shaped installation that will ultimately be filled with plants. The building will run on solar energy and was part of an art show.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 29/04/2026

When you play, you get to move through your life with joy. Adults need to play, and we deserve joy. @html5test.com having a ton of fun playing with an oscilloscope.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 29/04/2026

My takeaways and pieces of wisdom from @beyondtellerrand.com this year.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 26/04/2026

Thank you to @israataha.bsky.social for this beautiful and delicious sugar cookie! Star baker for sure!

A rectangular sugar cookie with black frosting as the background. The top says "React Miami" in hot pink cursive lettering. The cookie is pictured in front of a bright blue and pink photo.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 20/04/2026

My orchid cabinet is running! This is a project I normally wouldn't take on because it's something that makes me so nervous, but I youtubed my way through it and am so proud of myself!

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 09/04/2026

Saw some invasive bluebells in the park yesterday and am now considering doing some guerilla weeding. We've spent hours clearing that area and replanting with native plants for wildlife and these pretty little weeds are sneaky!

Purple and white spanish bluebells growing on a hillside.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 12/03/2026

Made a little leaf dish for holding finishing salt.

A small white and green ceramic leaf dish in an organic shape. The dish holds finishing salt.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 01/03/2026

Did my first dried flower arrangement today. It’s amazing how many flowers you can get into such a tiny vase!

Dried flowers in an arrangement with lots of browns, yellows, pinks, and greens that have kind of a spray effect.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 22/02/2026

Thoroughly enjoying this issue of Orion. It's all about cryptids and is a lovely exploration of art, nature, fiction, and a little bit of mystery. This is a new to me magazine and is quickly becoming a favorite!

Photo of the Orion Magazine, Nature and Culture. Highlighted information on the cover: James Vandermeer, J. Drew Lanham Goes Birding, The Snow Leopard, Elves, Aliens & Chupabacras, Eula Biss's Garden, Japanese Marimo Algae. Winter 2025/2026. This issue is called "Cryptids: On the trail of Bigfoot and other improbable beasts."

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 22/02/2026

I bought the rest of the supplies for my orchid cabinet and am so excited to finish this project. So far all I've done is put in an old larch trunk from one of my favorite trees that got crushed in a storm a couple years back. She's gonna be the substrate for several of the orchids.

A glass cabinet with a large curved branch leaning in the center of the cabinet. There are four orchids on the bottom of the cabinet and a grow light at the top.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 14/02/2026

One of my favorite parts of walking in the woods is seeing branches like this with all types of lichen and moss on them. Did you know that lichen are used as bioindicators of urban air quality? Scientists can gauge air quality based on things like species type, coloring, and growth pattern!

A tree branch with three types of lichen and one type of moss growing on it. I'm not good at identifying these yet. One type of lichen is very thin and feathery and blue-green, the other has flattened lobes and is also blue-green, and the third is yellow-green and very small. The moss is a deep green and is growing in patches on the branch.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 30/01/2026

I feel like not enough people saw this Little Penguin. Behold. The Little Penguin. This is their actual common name and they're native to Australia and nothing has ever made me want to go to Australia more than this little guy.

My colored pencil drawing of an Australian Little Penguin. They're dark gray with a bit of blue in their feathers. They're only about 12 inches tall and weight about 3 pounds.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 29/01/2026

Catching up on Birbfest Challenge. Day 25: Common Kingfisher Day 26: Common Cuckoo Day 27: Red-bearded Bee Eater Day 28: Australian Little Penguin

Colored pencil sketch of a common kingfisher.

Colored pencil sketch of a common cuckoo.

Colored pencil sketch of a red-bearded bee eater.

Colored pencil sketch of an Australian Little Penguin.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 25/01/2026

Catching up on Birbfest challenge Day 22: Galak Cockatoo Day 23: Red-breasted Nuthatch Day 24: New Holland Honeyeater

A pencil sketch of a Galah cockatoo with a pink head and chest and grey wings.

A pencil sketch of a red-breasted nuthatch with. Reddish brown chest and a white and black striped head.

A pencil sketch of a New Holland Honeyeater that has black wings and a black tail with a swatch of bright yellow on the side of the wing and under the tail. Its belly is white with black striping.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 23/01/2026

I have to paint this one tomorrow but day 22 of Birbfest Challenge is the Galah Cockatoo. I spent awhile trying to get the perspective right so ran out of time to paint!

Pencil sketch of a Galah cockatoo. These birds are pale pink to dark pink and have a fluffy light pink crest.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 22/01/2026

Day 21 of Birbfest Challenge is the Ornate Fruit-dove. There are two sub-species, each living in different ranges. One has a magenta head and one has a yellow-green head. These birds only eat figs and live in Western New Guinea and Papua New Guinea.

Watercolor of an Ornate Fruit-dove. This one has a magenta head and yellow beak. It has white banding on the neck, followed by orange-yellow on the shoulders. It has a light green stomach and deep green wings.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 21/01/2026

I’m tired today so my Birbfest challenge sketch was really fast, but day 20 is the Dalmatian Pelican. These birds are menacing but also have cool hair!

A colored pencil sketch of a Dalmatian Pelican. They have a grey beak and bright orange pouch. They are a grayish white with lots of feathers on their head that are in a kind of cowlick formation so it looks
Like they’ve swooped their hair to the side.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 20/01/2026

Day 19 for Birbfest Challenge is the red-legged seriema.

This is a colored pencil sketch of the red-legged seriema. They have red-orange long legs, and are large like an ostrich. They have a red-orange beak and have grey-black plumes starting at the base of their beak. They are a mottled brown, grey, and tan to help them blend in to their habitat.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 19/01/2026

Day 18 of Birbfest Challenge is the Tufted Jay.

A colored pencil drawing of a Tufted Jay. They have a white chest and stomach and black wings, tail, and head. Their head has two white spots on the cheeks and above the eyes. They also have a large black crest of feathers on top of their head like a Mohawk.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 18/01/2026

Day 17 for Birbfest Challenge is the Spangled Cotinga.

A colored pencil sketch of a spangled cotinga. They are bright, iridescent blue with a magenta throat patch. They have black and blue wings and a black tail.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 17/01/2026

Day 16 for the Birbfest Challenge is the Eurasian Wigeon.

A colored pencil sketch of an Eurasian Wigeon. They have a goldish tan crest and a brown head with a green stripe behind their eye. Their bodies are a light gray with black patches on the wings.

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Marisa @marisamorby.com · 17/01/2026

Finally put together and set up my orchid cabinet! My next task is to repot them. Over a decade ago I grew orchids that were absolutely stunning, but ever since I moved to Oregon I've had trouble getting orchids to bloom. I tried avoiding grow lights for my plants but finally gave in this year.