Holiday: MN proud

 MN proud

MN Pride Standard: Fly a banner high and remind those that need to hear it that you are proud they are here and that you love them.

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ICE is still snatching people in MN and now federal charges are coming out against those that resisted ICE. Donate, volunteer, organize, love, resist the rise of hate 

Find ways to support here.

Be excellent to everyone, except ICE.

-Ceph

Holiday: Firecrackers to usher in the Year of the Horse

 Firecrackers to usher in the Year of the Horse

Firecrackers: Scare away malicious spirits and bad luck with this festive firecracker.

How to support me:

Ko-fi: Pay What You Want links 

Patreon: Shop and sustaining support 

Red Bubble: Buy a sticker or magnet

See my latest releases on Linktree

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: A condom for lovers and a bonus hat for good measure.

 A condom for lovers and a bonus hat for good measure.

Condom: Prevent the spread of infections and control when you spark new life with this one simple trick THEY don’t want you to know about…wear a condom when you have sex.

Top Hat: Looks like it’s groundhog’s day again because here is the hat I started for groundhog’s day but didn’t finish until that gopher looked out and saw his shadow.

Hopefully I can finish my lunar new year drawing on time, but don’t hold it against me if it’s a few days late.

I’ll believe the ICE draw down when I see it.

How to support me:

Ko-fi: Pay What You Want links 

Patreon: Shop and sustaining support 

Red Bubble: Buy a sticker or magnet

See my latest releases on Linktree

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: Raise a toast to fighting for a better tomorrow

 Raise a toast to fighting for a better tomorrow

New Year’s Eve Shot: A lot of really cool things happened in my life this year, and they are almost entirely overshadowed by the rise of Fascism, Racism, and violence in the US and globally. 

That shit sucks.

Celebrate tonight and come back swinging next year. We must be entirely intolerance, and overtly hostile if we must, to any intolerant ideology for peace and tolerance to win the day.

I’ll be blasting This Year by the Mountain Goats at midnight, I hope you’ll join me.

Thanks for helping me survive this year, and I know we can make it through the next one together.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: A cozy fireplace

A cozy fireplace

Fireplace: A cozy fire to relax around on a Yuletide night.

One of my favorite things to do during the winter holiday season is to throw on a Yule log or fireplace video on the TV and enjoy the fireplace vibes while not actually having a fireplace.

I also like to do a little holiday drawing, and this one was late because I’m finally in a place where I’d rather focus on enjoying the actual holiday with my loved ones than hide away and wait for the storm of Christmas to pass.

Happy winter holiday if you celebrate any of them. See you Sunday for the last new item Sunday of the year.

How to support me:

Ko-fi: Pay What You Want links 

Patreon: Shop and sustaining support 

Red Bubble: Buy a sticker or magnet

See my latest releases on Linktree

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Thankful Thursday

 

Rattle: My kid used to love these rattles and now they never get played with. Such is the irresistible march forward of time.

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A friend of mine died over the weekend and I went to their funeral yesterday. They are survived by three young kids and I am deeply saddened as the kids will have to grow up without their parent and the parent will miss all the amazing moments of watching their kids bloom into full amazing people. I’ll miss you friend, and I’m sorry for the incredible loss.

Today, on American Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my family and the immeasurable joy they have allowed me to feel. American Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday, but we can take the day to focus on what we are thankful for.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Happy Halloween!

 Happy Halloween!

Skeleton Suit: No one has to know these came from your regular clothes and not a box of costumes you only open for Halloween.

If you want to dress any of your stuff up for Halloween, you can get these as stickers at my Redbubble here.

How to support me:

Ko-fi: Donations and Digital shop

Patreon: Sustaining support and Digital shop 

Red Bubble: Buy a sticker or magnet

See my newest releases on Linktree

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Drewly: Guillotine for Bastille Day

 Guillotine for Bastille Day

Guillotine: A device to improve and standardize the practice of execution by beheading so that state-sanctioned murder might be more enlightened. 

Drewly today is a guillotine I drew on No Kings Day, which also happened to be the day Minnesota Democratic politicians were assassinated, so a political violence drawing felt wrong to publish.

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

- Frederick Douglass

There is a lot of quiet submission and eager oppression happening in the United States right now, and it is allowing a lot of injustice. In response, people are resisting with words and with blows. If you don’t like demonstrations, protests, and riots, you can either look at why the people are protesting and try to fix things, or you can suppress demonstrations and limit the ability to demonstrate.

All people deserve to have food, shelter, education, opportunity, and safe honest personal expression. If you don’t agree with that, you should find another place for item cards.

What is Drewly?

#Drewly is the month-long art challenge for July, where you don’t have to make any new art. Just post art you’ve already made and celebrate all you’ve accomplished.

Rules:

Share art you have already made.

Share as often as you want.

When you share, tag your art with #Drewly and #Drewly2025

I will be posting art every day of Drewly, so check back in tomorrow for something new.

Check out everything I’ve shared for past Drewly’s here: #Drewly #Drewly2022 #Drewly2023 #Drewly2024

Since you’re here, please consider supporting:

Make a one-time donation with Ko-Fi:  https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker

Become a sustaining supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ItemCardswithTheSpeakingSquid 

Buy a sticker: SpeakingSquid.redbubble.com

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: Trans rights are human rights

Trans rights are human rights 

Trans Pride Axe: Double-bit felling axe with the trans pride flag on the head.

The current American political climate is deeply problematic, so it is important that we stand up for the rights of people who are under attack.

Trans rights are human rights.

Protect trans kids.

Gender isn’t a binary.

If you have an issue with any of that, find a different place to be.

Since you’re here, please consider supporting trans people:

Trans Life Line, a support hotline run by and for trans people:  https://translifeline.org/donate/ 

The Trevor Project, suicide prevention and crisis support for LGBTQ+ people: https://give.thetrevorproject.org/campaign/692681/donate

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: A slightly delayed Festivus Pole

 A slightly delayed Festivus Pole

Festivus Pole: An austere aluminum pole to celebrate Festivus, as made famous by Seinfeld.

Happy winter holidays if you celebrate any.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: A proud sword

 A proud sword.

Pride Sword: A rainbow sword to celebrate Pride. 

Pride for this cis guy is about remembering to stand up for the rights and privileges of others that I often take for granted.

Happy Pride Y’all!

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: A drink for St.Patrick’s Day

 A drink for St. Patrick’s Day.

Guinness: A pint of stout emblazoned with a golden harp. 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

If you enjoy my work, please consider donating:

Make a one-time donation with Ko-Fi:  https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker

Become a sustaining supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ItemCardswithTheSpeakingSquid 

Thank you for your support.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: Make a wish this New Year’s Eve.

 Holiday: Make a wish this New Year’s Eve.

Shell Boats: My wife’s family has a tradition where each person makes a boat out of a walnut shell and a candle. You light all the boats at the same time and the person with the last boat floating gets a wish.

Happy New Year! 

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holidays: Break a leg this Christmas.

Holidays: Break a leg this Christmas.

Leg Lamp: Every person harbors safe wishes that they can share and others will support, and darker secret wishes they keep hidden from the world. This is one of those hidden secret wishes, but someone was fool enough to let it out into the world. Brace yourself for the havoc this wish will wreak on the unsuspecting and unprepared.

The infamous leg lamp from A Christmas Story. This is one of my mother’s favorite Christmas movies and I can still remember her howling with laughter when the leg lamp gets unboxed.

My household celebrates Christmas. Merry Christmas if yours does too.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Happy Halloween!

 Happy Halloween!

Have a spooktacular night! 

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Halloween: All hallows Eve Eve.

All Hallow's Eve Eve.

A lollipop of terror used by the specter of Halloween to enforce the unspoken rules of the night.

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If you haven’t seen Trick r treat and enjoy horror movies you should make it your Halloween movie watch this year. 

See you tomorrow for a spooky Halloween treat. 

Be excellent to everyone. 

-Ceph

Holiday: Be a champion for LGBTQ+ Rights

 Holiday: Be a champion for LGBTQ+ Rights

Pride Lance: Zealously defend the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals who deserve to live fully happy lives without fear or persecution.

If content supporting pride bothers you, this is not the blog for you.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: Pop a bottle to the new year.

 Pop a bottle to the new year.

Champagne: Sparkling wine from Champagne France. If it isn't from France, it isn't officially Champagne.

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2022 is in the bag and we have officially started 2023. I hope this year brings positive changes. We have had many negative notable events in the last few years, so hopefully, some better happenings turn up this year.

Have a happy new year!

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

Holiday: Candy Cane for Solstice Season

 

Candy Cane for Solstice Season

Candy Cane: Apparently, the modern candy cane comes to us by way of the sugar stick craze that had overtaken Europe in the 1600’s. A story I saw repeated, but not substantiated, was that a German choirmaster was trying to get the children in his choir to behave so he gave them sugar sticks as a bribe. The church board heard about this and said it wasn’t adhering to church values to give indulgent sweets to kids, so the choirmaster had the next batch of sugar sticks bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook as an allusion to Christ being the shepherd of his faithful flock. This change appeased the board and Christmas candy canes were born.

This wand of winter mirth improves the mood of any who takes a lick. The refreshing minty flavor also improves the breath and makes it easier to spread cheer.

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There are many holidays around the Winter Solstice. It is an important time for many people and many cultures. Wishing everyone who celebrates something in this time well.

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph

#Drewly: A festive cap

A festive cap

Festive Cap: This crimson cap is worn by the eldest of a band of redcaps that have been terrorizing the locals for longer than anyone can remember. The vile creature has its underlings sneak into homes and snatch a few children on the longest night of the year.

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Drewly is all about posting art that you have already made. Post as often or as little as you’d like. It is a “challenge” to let you celebrate what you have already done. If you post for Drewly don’t forget the tag #Drewly.

See you tomorrow for more Drewly posts. 

If you appreciate my effort, consider a donation at my ko-fi. (https://ko-fi.com/theeasyspeaker)

Be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph