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Monday, August 30

Studio Pics...

Here is my studio.

These are my "before" pictures.


One day I'll have "after" pictures.
All cuted out.
Neatly organized.


But right now
I'm up to my eyeballs in canvas
and gel medium and paint.

I am just finishing up 29 commissioned paintings.

Here they are in the process.


There is barely room to stand.


A little more paint,
a little more paper,
a little more paint


and I'll be done...
what are you working on today?

Happy Two Years

Today was big.
Jack's 2nd birthday.
It was really low key.
And I was feeling a little sad because
I haven't even been able to even think about it until yesterday.
And I wanted to make a big deal out of it.
Make cute little invitations and decorations.
But it hasjust been a crazy.


No invitations. Just phone calls to family.
We picked up some not-super-cute-but-in-our-$10.00-budget paper goods at WalMart
(That's the "pay off the credit card so I can go part time" budget.)
Hamburgers and hotdogs
the best rice salad ever.
Red velvet cake made by Mimi.
Candles.
Icing.
Ice cream.
 Family
Food.
Love all around.
It was perfect.
And do you think this baby was disappointed
that the Happy Birthday sign didn't match the plates + napkins? 
Doubt it.

Happy birthday sweet Jack William.

Saturday, August 21

I made it.


I'm back.
And I made it.
And I'll be visiting your blogs
and spreading blog love around.


I made it through my first week
of teaching kindergarten
full time
with a two year old.
And there were a lot of tears.
I miss him.
And a lot of guilt.
I miss him.
And a lot of falling down on the couch at 8:30
But I made it.


AHA Moment for me:
August is crazy.


I know I don't need to say,
but I just feel like saying it,
so I'm going to say it:
I miss you,
my blogging friends.


I miss knowing what you're doing
and being a part of your blogging world.
and getting ideas and inspiration
and running up to my studio to create,
and then running back down stairs
to share with you.
I'll be better.
I promise.
XOXO


This is what I've been
doing in my
studio.
I'm not sold on them.
I liked them better before the text.
and before the white dots.
The text feels all squishy
and hard to read to me...
Maybe I'll add some charcoal
to darken + soften them up...


Honestly, what do you think they need?

Tuesday, August 17

Is it just me?

Is it just me,
or do you ever mistake
yourself for superwoman?

 I really do
want to do it all.
And then it all hits at once
and I realize 
I'm not super human.
I should know this by now.


I've been in poppyland in my studio.
I want to make a bunch more. 
Just as soon as I get my cape 
and my magic time making machine.

I always, always miss my blogging friends when I'm away. 
Thank you for being my blogging friend. 


Tuesday, August 3

Just what I've been waiting for ...



These arrived on my door step a few days ago.
28 beautiful Premier Gallery Profile Canvases
to make my big dreams come true.
Big news:
I received a commission of
28 original mixed media collages
from Sharp Hospital. 


They are creating a new garden at one of their sites
and they want new art work for it. 

I submitted my work back in May 
and didn't hear anything. 
When I spoke with them
a couple of weeks ago 
they ordered 28 paintings.

This means I can buy paint!
This means I can get prints of several
new paintings made for my etsy shop.
This means I can enter the Little Italy Art Walk in the spring,
which has been a dream.
This means I don't have to borrow
from  our family funds to support my art addiction habit.
This means so much.

It couldn't have come at a busier time,
but that's the way these things always go, right?

P.S. Thanks for all of the airplane advice.
Jack + I survived 10 hours of travel with new toys (thanks for the tip)
DVDs, lots of running everywhere (thank you Tyler),
 and of course, lots and lots of snacks!  

Monday, August 2

I don't know what happened...

I really didn't mean to do this.
I went to WalMart to grab a few snacks.
And I started thinking about the looming 9 hour journey
across the country with my two year old.
alone.

San Diego to Washington D.C. .
Washington D.C. to Hartford.
And I just kept tossing random 
preservative filled
empty calories
in my cart.
This is all about survival.
a mom's gotta do
what a mom's gotta do, right?
So far airplane entertainment includes...
books,
crayons,
playing cards
snacks
and a little DVD player
that my mom bought for us today.
Thank you, mom.
Come on moms, I need your help here.
Any other ideas for what to do with a toddler
on a very long airplane ride?
I'll let you know how we do...

A Great Mountain Getaway

The only thing better than going on vacation is coming home.
Okay, besides the laundry piles, unpacking, and
slipping into a minor case of back to real life depression.
Still, it's always good to come home.

We have spent the last 5 days in a cabin (read: a nice vacation rental)
in the mountains with my parents.
It was a great get away.
Great in the not-too-long,
not-too-short sense.

Great in the plenty-to-do,
but I-don't-have-to-do-it-if-I-don't-want-to sense.


Great in the don't worry, we're-2-minutes-away-from-Starbucks,
but-feel-like-we're-in-the-middle-of-nature sense.


Great in the lots-of-time-with-my-baby,
yet lots-of-other-people-on-baby-duty sense.   


Great in the we don't have the funds to go on a vacation right now,
 so we're super thankful we got to go sense.


Great in the I get to hang out with my husband + baby
for a whole ten days in a row sense.

Great in the I get to stay up until 2:00 working on my art and not feel bad because
there are lots of other people on baby duty sense.


We are relaxed and renewed.
We are thankful.


 




Easy Accordian Fold Art Journaling

We just got back from our family trip to the mountains.
And seeing as how I could not bear to part with my art supplies...
I took them with me and worked on this art journal into the wee hours of the night.


I had these left over pieces of watercolor paper,
so I folded them up + taped them together
to make an accordian journal.

I love the accordian fold.
and flaps.
and pockets.
and ribbons that wrap around.
and secret places to hide stuff.
I am into the color palette in this pattern:
red, yellow, turquoise + brown.
I can't seem to get away from it.


Love it.





I started by tearing and gluing down scraps of paper,
and finger painting over it.
Next comes the stamps, more paper, doodles, photos,
extra randomness, and a button and a string.
So here's the beginning...
and I'm off to finish this little journal.