5 x 5 in. 13 x 13 cm
You know, this one is sooo inspired by my peep toes that I love!
This lady bird is available as a print here at Etsy
(click here to buy original)

Do you know that feeling of pure joy? like "give you chills" joy? I’ve had the nicest weekend, filled with moments of pure joy.
On Friday, I was making lasagna for dinner with Steve and Nancy. I cut fresh thyme from my garden, I was dancing with Ellen...Happiness at its finest!
So, this post is for me, my reminder that I’m noticing all the moments that make life so very good, exactly as it is.

Today, I went to the farmer’s market and had to bring home some more sweetpeas. Don’t you just love the red ones?

This is a commission painting I just finished.
I was instantly taken by this little Italian Greyhound, who was so loved by his family. I had to share him with you.

Wondering where I get my inspiration for certain paintings ? Here’s a perfect example. On our recent "fun wednesday" to Seal Beach again, I had an impulse buy. I bought lady bugs.
Yes, it’s true. You can now buy lady bugs to help with your aphid/bug problem in your garden. And, well we have this beautiful little climbing rose bush with the tiniest new buds, that were covered in aphids. Those little rose buds might have never made it...but lady bugs to the resuce.

Have you ever released 1500 lady bugs at once? I highly recommend it.

By request, a little more Lulu, checking out the lady bugs before we set them free.

5 x 7 in. 13 x 18 cm
A couple of weeks ago, Holly shared an enchanting (i love the word enchanting) collection of giraffes in the design world with her post , I *heart* giraffes. I knew right away I had to give my version a whirl. So, here he is, my giraffe.
Oh, yes and that paper in the left corner. Fabulous! It is like a cut velvet fabric, but with paper. Christine found it at Target for Christmas, and she was so generous to share some of her *prized*, now *extinct* paper with me for my birthday. Thank you Christine (and happy honeymoon!), you see! I’m using it ;)
The giraffey is available as a print here at Etsy
(click here to buy original)

This is Garbo. She had a bath today, and now that I look at the photo closely... I see that it looks like she might be cursing with her middle claw there. And this makes me laugh. Because here I am cursing in my title to this podcast, listen and you’ll see why :)
Also, a quick thank you to the Adorn Magazine blog for including me in this post about Crafty podcasts. Very cool, a magazine about "the crafty girl’s guide to embellishing life", I need to check this out, along with these crafty podcasts! I loved the "love letters" reference. Thank you Kayte!

click above to listen now

click here to download MP3
Download Instructions
Mac Users option click and Windows users right click on link above to download the file.

Lulu and I with our peep toes.

Ok, I love that these open-toed shoes are called "peep toes". When did this happen? Of course, all the buzz around the peep toes, and I needed to have some myself.

Let me preface this blog entry by saying, I’ve decided to share more personal things here, mostly for me and I hope you will enjoy it as well. The reason I say mostly for me, is that (I had this light bulb moment yesterday) when I take the time to include not only paintings, but photos of moments in my life; it is me taking the time to appreciate how wonderful my day to day really is. This blog is an opportunity, not only for me to share and catalog my art, but for me to share and catalog the things I enjoy most in my life.

So, there. That said, I’m going to be having even more fun with this blog! For reasons like this - I love visiting other bloggers. I’m inspired by their day to day, not to mention the wonderful finds everyone shares online, from fashion to furnishings to art. I’ve recently been keeping up with one of my favorite artists and internet colleagues, Ashley G. I thoroughly enjoy her art and now having discovered her blog, I thoroughly enjoy it as well. A few weeks ago, she shared her search, and purchase of the famed little black dress. She discovered a very fun one at Target Online. I followed her lead (thanks Ashley! - love the dress by the way) and then discovered these fun peep toe shoes there as well. I love them so much, that as soon as they arrived in the mail, I had to put them on. I wore them all day in the house with my pajamas. Yup, they were really that comfortable. Lulu, my great dane, thought we were going for a walk. Anytime regular shoes go on, she thinks the possibility of a walk is soon to follow...
happy creative thursday!

5 x 5 in. 13 x 13 cm
*Edit April 28* This original is going to live all the way in Australia. Yes! I do ship internationally.
Now you can also buy it as a print here at Etsy.
(original is sold)

7 x 5 in. 18 x 13 cm
Here they are, all my little characters in one painting. I’ve been wanting to do this one for quite a while. It’s so fun to see them altogether.
In case you want to know their names, from left to right, Simone, Bunny, Hermalene, Bart, Petunia, Francene, Lovey, Imaginary Friend (aka Penelope), Helmut, Knut, Pearl the spider, Fern, Oscar, and Panda.
This one is for sale as a print at Etsy.
(original is sold)

4 x 4 in. 10 x 10 cm
Today is a day that I’m feeling a bit under the weather, and a day that I still find joy in my art.
The little ghostie is available as a print here at Etsy
(original is sold)

I believe what they say about the internet, "things just snowball"...and they do. Just in the last couple of weeks, all of these bloggers shared Creative Thursday with their readers. THANK YOU! And the beauty is now I know them, love their blogs and I’m sharing them with you! You see how the snowball rolls?
Here they are: Victoria at sfgirlbybay, Jena at Modish, Petra at Optimist, Irene at Bloesem, Holly at Holly’s Plate, Juliet at The Broken Plate, Smallmuse at cre8tivejuice, Sarah at For the Love of Birds, and Leah at Love it Alot .
If you are wanting some inspiration today, here you go!

6 x 6 in. 15 x 15 cm
My love for painting polar bears continues...so imagine my excitement when this week’s Illustration Friday topic was "polar". Here it is, my IF submission for "polar".
This cuteness must be shared, so you can find him for sale as a print at Etsy.
(click here to buy original)

6 x 6 in. 15 x 15 cm
(original is sold)

4 x 4 in. 10 x 10 cm
(sold)

click above to listen now

click here to download MP3
Download Instructions
Mac Users option click and Windows users right click on link above to download the file.
One of my newest friends made through the internet (and the hours spent learning to record my first bi-coastal podcast! Me in Los Angeles, and Holly in Boston).
I’m honored to share Holly’s story with you. She left the corporate world, to join the creative one and through a "little" design blog, decor8, that she started in January 2006 - it is safe to say that Holly has found her voice, one that touches 8,000 readers a day and growing.
I am endlessly thankful for the gracious support Holly has shown to me and Creative Thursday. And especially grateful to have such a wonderful new friend!
*Note* April 26 - so sorry if anyone tried to download the mp3 as there seemed to be technical difficulties with the file. It should be fixed now. Also, I completely forgot to include links as I promised. Here are links to the wonderful sites that Holly mentioned Apartment Therapy and Media Bistro .
Also, thank you for all your comments, here and at decor8 (yes, I’m embarrassed to say, I never "got" Decorate, I’ve always called it Decor-8 :) ) forgive me!

Holly over at decor8 is blogging a series of really fun posts this week, showing different reader’s Artsy Walls. I love seeing a glimpse of someone’s real home, and especially love seeing their art. As an artist, each time you sell a piece, you realize that a little part of you is going out in the world. And we often wonder where it will be living. Here are some fabulous ways of displaying art, I had no idea! especially these innovative ways of hanging prints without frames. Love it! This is (let’s just say one part of it) my Artsy Wall. My little corner of originals that I am collecting. Here are links to all the artists shown above. I know if you follow my blog, you’ll recognize most of these! What can I say, I’m a fan of my friends and their art. Christine Miller, Wendy Ryan, Cathy Nichols, Outi Harma, Amy Ruppel, Melissa Moss, and even one of mine on the easel. And of course bla bla the cat.

I went to the farmer’s market this past Sunday and had to share these sweetpeas with you. Happy Spring everyone, although with the "cold" weather here today in LA and I see around the country, I’m wondering where spring is exactly....
I might just have to stare at my sweetpeas until the sun comes back out.

8 x 6 in. 20 x 15 cm.
(original is sold)
Of course, I had to make these little cuties a print for sale at Etsy.

6 x 6 in. 15 x 15 cm.
(original is sold)
Meet wisdom the owl, and love the bird.
Also available as a print for sale at Etsy.
My power is back on today!! Oh, how I love the light.

shown above from left to right
Poem by Cathy Nichols, cocobola by Melissa Moss, sunny side up by Outi Harma
My girly pearls have all opened Etsy stores! Now you can buy prints online from each of them. How exciting is that?!

6 x 8 in. 15 x 20 cm.
Meet Violet. She is the product of instant inspiration. Of course, she is inspired by none other than Mark Ryden. I don’t think I have the patience to render images the way Mark does. Looking at his work, I wonder just how long it takes him to create such impeccably painted images. Here is my attempt at taking a little more time in painting a face, and still finishing it in a day. I’ve also been wanting to leave more of the wood exposed in my pieces. Sometimes the grain is just so beautiful. That is why I often use special gloss varnishes, so you can see some of the grain through the color backgrounds on my other paintings. Have a Happy Friday everyone, and here’s to hoping my power come backs soon...
(click here to buy original)

Karin and I in front of the floating bunny head. Notice anything different in the photos?

And my favorite, "Tree of Life", even the frame is INCREDIBLE!
It’s times like these, that I am especially happy that I live in L.A.
I can see the newest Mark Ryden paintings in person! And yes, they are amazing.
This is my first time seeing Mark Ryden originals, having only learned about him from Melissa about a year ago, and OH MY, I had no idea.
On Wednesday, my friend Karin and I went together and both left feeling like our creativity had been given a serious jump start, dreaming of where we could take our art next...also dreaming of a day when someone would love my art enough to pay $800,000 for it.
If you are in L.A., I highly recommend seeing The Tree Show, which includes paintings, sculpture, and sketches, as well as a very fun display, let’s just called it "inspiration under plexi-glass display". Mark’s work will be showing at the Michael Kohn Gallery through April 28. This is also a great article in the LA Weekly reviewing the show.
What I love in the photos above, in mine the floating bunny head has no legs and in the photo with Karin, the bunny does have legs (mine!). A little Mark Rydenish effect don’t you think?

Ok, Los Angeles had a crazy wind storm yesterday and I live in a canyon. Somehow, maybe a tree fell, I don’t know but we have been without power for going on 24 hours now. The good news is my oh so kind neighbor, Erika, 3 feet away has power! THANK YOU Erika! (the way the power company connects power to homes is not logical sometimes) We’ve been hijacking power so I can do my work and Sean can check basketball scores. What would we do without the internet? Really?
I love my work and I love the internet and here I am with extension cords so I can keep working. Today is an excellent day to appreciate the gift of electricity.

Next, we’re going to figure out what to do with the fridge...

I just found out that 80,000 people in Los Angeles are without power, and A LOT of trees fell, so send us some good electricity vibes.

*Everyone who ordered prints, I’m a printing and will be going to the post office shortly!*

4 x 4 in. 10 x 10 cm
My Easter bunny, a couple of days late. Hope everyone had a nice holiday!
(click here to buy original)

6 x 8 in. 15 x 20 cm.
(original is sold)
*Edit* April 11, these bears are available as a print for sale at Etsy.

6 x 8 in. 15 x 20 cm
Also my Illustration Friday submission this week for "green".
And, also a print for sale at Etsy, as of Sunday April 8. Enjoy! Wishing you all beautiful days!
(click here to buy)

6 x 6 in. 15 x 15 cm
*Edit* April 8, these birdies are available as a print for sale at Etsy.
(original is sold)

The love letters are back from their show in Astoria, Oregon and are available for sale here.
Shown above are "I love being a couple with you", "Quest for love" and "Wow, I’m in Love"
Each original painting is 6 x 6 in. 15 x 15 cm.

6 x 6 in. 15 x 15 cm
I’m loving the name Lola these days. I’m also on a little vacation this week, so the daily paintings may or may not be as frequent...goes to show how much I love painting....I feel inspired to paint even on vacation. Have I told you lately how much I love being creative...
*Edit April 8* Lola is a available as a print for sale at Etsy.
(sold)

4 x 4 in. 10 x 10 cm
(click here to buy)