As the final hours of 2008 tick down for me on the far west coast, I want to leave you with some new paintings accompanied by the thoughts that inspired them.

I was invited to participate in this beautiful show Nahcotta has curated that features both artwork and essays. It opens this January 2nd and runs through February 1st. And as with all of the Nahcotta shows, I’m honored to be included among such great company.  I’m already so moved by the creations and the sayings that accompany them.

Below are my contributions and above is a photo of one of the paintings with the lensbaby, of course!
(The originals are 10" x 10" acrylic with mixed media on wood and they are also available as prints at the shop)

So as we head into this new year, this is a glimpse of what I Believe.

"I Believe that life is always leading you to the greater picture of who you are wanting to become"

And I Believe that becoming one with that greater picture takes recognizing every day, that in so many ways you are already there.

I know many of you are already in 2009!! So tell me, quick, what’s it like? Is it already filled with all the wonderful moments that I hope and expect it to be? And you know, I begin every year with hope and expectation for wonderful moments ahead of me and at the end of each year I realize that the year was filled with both those moments, and some that are a little bit less than wonderful ~ and then I recognize what is also the inspiration behind my beliefs in these paintings; and that is that there is always a greater picture that we hold of ourselves ~ the best of our lives and the best of ourselves ~ and I truly believe that all the moments of each year contribute to us becoming the best of ourselves and you know how we know this ~ through the willingness to grow, to ask more of ourselves, to ask for the best in our life ~  and the clarity is always there through hindsight. I’m suggesting that we find the clarity through each moment, if we can, because it brings a sense of peace with every experience. At the end of each year, at the end of each day it is our attitude about our lives that contributes to the happiness and fulfillment we experience through of all the moments that make up each year and each day.

I also believe that we are about to enter into quite a remarkable time on this planet, where more of us, within all of the moments of our days, will come to know what it is like to truly live our dreams. It will be exciting to see what’s next for all of us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you!!!
...it’s almost champagne time!!!

My final holiday photo for 2008. I couldn’t resist. Santa visiting with my clay giraffe that I made last year. I just bought this little vintage Santa at an antique store in Santa Barbara while on a mini holiday excursion, last Friday, to visit a good friend. And I also could not resist because this photo is taken with my Christmas gift from Sean ~ my new lensbaby! Inspired by Stephanie’s gorgeous photos who has mentioned that she sometimes uses a lensbaby ~ I’ve wanted one since I got my new camera last year. Well I guess my camera isn’t that new anymore, but I have enjoyed using it SO much over the past 12 months, that it still feels like new. And I especially LOVE it with the lensbaby. It creates the most wonderful effects on each picture, usually by softening the edges depending on how you angle it. All manual in its use (I have an early model, the 2.0), you never know entirely what you’ll get with each image ~ and that’s where the creative magic lies.

from our family to yours ~

we discovered a whole new tradition on Christmas Eve ~
dancing to soul 70’s music by the Christmas tree.

while Lulu lay nestled in her blanket.

hope you have a WONDERFUL holiday time!!

I’m signing off for a bit to enjoy the holiday time. I’m not sure yet when I’ll return, but I’ll see you soon.

Oh wouldn’t that be great if I could wave a magic wand and grant all of the wishes that you so graciously shared here on my blog? If I can’t maybe Lulu can :) Just an excuse to share this photo with you, and how incredibly cute she is when she is wrapped in her blanket (courtesy of Sean as he loves to tuck her in when it’s cold) She’s like a little babushka. There is a great dane under there in case you were wondering. And also if you look in the top left hand corner of the photo, you see two tiny black paws...Riley. He grants wishes too, by the way.

But really you’ve got me thinking...I think the best part of the giveaway was reading all of your wishes. And I found them so similar not only to each other but also to my own wishes. Obviously great and kind minds think alike :) or at least we all visit the same blogs!  I was so touched reading everyone’s comments, that I thought there must be a way that if we work together we can support one another in making our wishes come true...so I’m thinking about how I and the blog I have going here can be a part of that...

Thank you SO much, again, for sharing your wishes here.  And for my 4 calendar winners, Rachel, Gina, Charlotte and Kelly, I sent you all emails earlier today. Congratulations!!!!

happy winter solstice ~ I can feel myself gently slipping into the pull of holiday down time...

 
Yup, this is the surprise I promised yesterday!
We’ve got to get you off to a good start for the new year!

Christine gave away one calendar on her blog this week (comments were open for one day not through the weekend as I had thought ~ sorry for any confusion there.) So many of you really wanted one that not only am I inspired by all the giving of the season, especially in the blog world, but I thought I’d give you another chance to win not just 1 calendar but 4 of them!!!  This means that you might have a good chance at winning one if you leave a comment below.

The giveaway will be open through this Sunday, December 21 midnight PST. To enter, just leave a comment below. I will randomly choose 4 winners and get in contact with you Monday. Since this is a calendar giveaway, I’d love to hear about a wish you have for 2009. But no pressure to share, you can also just say hello! :)

What can I say other than thank you again to all of you for your support this year.

happy holidays and happy creative thursday

and it’s not too early to start wishing you a HAPPY

A little holiday vignette put together by Sean.

You see while the arctic hare’s wait to go to their new home...if they go to their new home...because now I love them even more in my own home...I displayed them on this little shelf I have hung on our dining room wall. My green, antiqued, wood shelf usually is the home to a very unique original drawing/painting by Amy Ruppel that you can see illuminated in the back. And for Christmastime, I added two of my favorite decorations, a wooden Santa Clause accompanied by his evergreen tree. Then I added some gold twinkle stars, and then the arctic hares I created earlier this month. And when I came home Sean had added this tealight and positioned them all around it. Ok, I found this sweet little vignette to be SO crazy cute I had to share it.

I’m not usually one to gush about my man on my blog. But today, I cannot resist. Because as I’m sure you may know if you are part of couple, how easy it can be to overlook all you do for each other.

Then there are days like today when gushing over your man is a must. So I want to acknowledge and thank Sean for all the extra support he has given me over the last few weeks. He’s gone above and beyond to help me, make me meals, take over my share of the houselhold "chores" (which I wish could go on forever) and even light candles for me when I come home ~ so that today when I returned from Outi’s studio, painting more cups!!! (yes! more will be coming soon...) I not only walked into the warmest, coziest house but also one featuring this kind of above and beyond "cute ambience". I mean really who could ask for more? Sometimes I wonder if Sean gets "inundated" with all the cuteness that goes on around here ~ but then when I saw this vignette above~ I knew for sure that all the smiling Sean does in response to my creations is the real deal :)
~ thank you Seanie.

(and by the way, on a side note, tomorrow I have a special surprise for you my blog visitors!!!! :))

 
3 x 3 in.

When I was explaining my painting process at the show last week, I was explaining how much I love the effect of painting white on the wood. In fact this effect was also the beginning of how my characters evolved, and why so many are white. I just really love how the white paint connects with the wood. It kind of has it’s own magic that just happens each time I paint a character in white ~ the way the wood peers through the paint to add dimension to each figure.

It’s late again on this Tuesday evening and I did manage to squeeze in a little creative time in the form of this tiny original to share with you ~ a bird angel all in white.

Also, I have to tell you that in the spirit of the season Christine is hosting all kinds of fun giveaways at her blog every day and today is she is giving away one of my calendars! I believe you can leave comments through the weekend to enter.

Enjoy the tiny bird angel ~ consider her a tiny blog angel too, one sent to watch over you. I always love the idea of a guardian angel, especially during this time of year.

(original is sold)

As I close out my Sunday, literally as it’s minutes to midnight as I write this and the rain is hitting the roof of my studio, I just wanted to pop in and say hello and see how your holiday time is going?
It’s been busy over here, not just Creative Thursday busy, but this week has been filled with a lot of especially good visits with friends, and time enjoying my city and all its festiveness. And today was no exception as we started our Sunday with breakfast with our surfing friends, at this really great little restaurant on Pico called Food (we met the owner, got the story on how the restaurant started, and loved her instantly, not to mention the food was delicious) No usual surfing ritual this morning because we are actually experiencing "wintery" weather for L.A., which is so nice, as it’s beginning to feel a little Christmasy. And you KNOW I wore my yellow rain boots (even before the rain started...any excuse to put on those boots...) The day went on to include my favorite, a Sunday nap (always the best, although today’s nap was disrupted by cat shenaningans :)) and tea by our Christmas tree and on to a holiday party at a beautiful home here in L.A. Pretty much an "it’s a wonderful life" kind of Sunday ~ which we also watched last night. That is such a good movie ~ really, truly timeless.

I also got in some cookie baking this weekend and I have to say that these walnut cookies are the BEST ~ seriously.

I hope you are getting to enjoy some holiday time too and are not caught up in any hecticness ~ but instead finding a little bit of fun and calm in your days. Every year enjoying the season in a relaxed, and fun way is my intention, and I’m happy to say ~ so far so good this year! Ok, then I’ve really got to get to sleep now as it’s another full week ahead. I hope to squeeze in a painting or two this week, so I’ll see you again soon.

I’ve added a new print to the shop today created from my tiny originals painted last week. A little festivity on a Creative Thursday!!!

Well the first day we did...by the second day you could say that we were ready to return to our bubbles of selling online.

I’ll speak for myself when I say that doing art shows/fairs like these is intense. I have the utmost respect for artists who literally travel the country attending art festivals to sell their work. The lugging and hauling, assembling, disassembling alone. Not to mention the non-stop socializing and visiting, often repeating your creative process over and over, so that all your neighboring crafters know your story and your process by heart.

And speaking of my crafting neighbors, they were the BEST! Not only did my new BFF (best friend forever for those you not familiar with the lingo) Sharon keep me laughing all day, but the other Etsy artists and their work ~ LOVE them!!! It was a pretty small group of us in one main room, as seen in the photo above, my table next to Sharon’s and her husband Spencer. After two days together, we were bonded, especially due to the shared experience of the let’s just call it interesting and extremely LOUD improvisational music that played us out on Saturday evening.

When you sell online exclusively it’s important to get out there and mix it up ~ actually talk to the people in person who are buying your art. Even though I hit social overload by the second day, I really did have a lot of fun meeting so many new people ~ not to mention that the event was held in an especially inspiring "L.A. styled" and hipster space.

As my exhaustion from this extremely busy last 8 days begins to settle, I’m particularly happy and appreciative to be back in my little online world. I like it here! And I’m just so endlessly grateful that the online world continues to support us in the way that it does.

I also wanted to say that every order that has been placed from the update until this morning, is officially on its way. Yesterday was entirely dedicated to preparing and shipping packages with Sean’s help ~ so if you recognize some new handwriting on the envelopes...it’s Sean’s ~ thank you so much Sean~ (even though he lives with me, I still find him checking in on the ol' blog from time time ~ yup, he’s a lurker :)) ...correction, he says he "comments in person". ;)

I’m going to leave you with a list of my new friends and fellow Etsyians I *heart* ~ again not only do these ladies create the most beautiful work, but they are such lovely, lovely people.

Sharon Montrose ~ you already know her :), because I’m her newest stalker fan and I mention her all the time these days on my blog. And this is just for her if she even has time to still read this blog "IT’S A RIVER OTTER!!!!!!!" (which by the way that print is particularly striking in person)

Chocolate and Steel ~ beautiful jewelry ~ hi Christine!

Brokesy the best laptop covers ever, not to mention the Yeti ornament that I brought home.

Elsita ok, this wonderful lady and her creativity ~ amazing

Modern Pop you have to check out her "little No. garden" print ~ so pretty!

Krank Press my calendar choice for this year!

Leaf People I also had to come home with one of Donna’s sweet creations

(As Spencer said about the show "$25 in...$23 out") That’s what we crafters do, support each other.

I’m off to put my disaster of a studio back together, catch up on email and enjoy more time by my Christmas tree. See you back here soon, maybe even with some new creations...oh how I miss my daily painting!

this is where I’ll be! If you can make it I hope to see you!

I’m at a loss for words for a number of reasons this morning, so I won’t try to reach for anything profound, other than to say THANK YOU ~Thank you so much for making my first official Holiday Update such a success! As of this morning there are 11 new creations remaining of the 32 that I listed. To know that you love my work as much as I love creating it ~ I am reminded that I’m doing just what I’m supposed to be doing.

happy weekend.

See you then!

A little Something special for Everyone ~ Holiday Shop Update! I’ve even managed to prepare a few tiny original paintings for you too!

I will start releasing the new work at my Etsy shop at 1 pm PST. To find out what time that is where you are, just click here.

I hope you’ll enjoy all the new creations :)

Hope everyone had a nice weekend, and holiday here in the states! This year, for the first time in a very long time, we decided not to travel for the holidays and I have to say that while we missed seeing family, we had the best Thanksgiving with friends and the long weekend felt longer, and SO much more relaxed. We even got our tree up and decorated. You can imagine if I love Christmas lights so much, how much I ADORE the Christmas tree. I want to enjoy it for as many days as I can each year (and now I am not leaving it’s side) As I type this I am sitting next to it, lit even though it is daytime :), with Christmas music on in the background. Did I mention how much I LOVE this time of year?

I’m getting ready for the BIG update this Thursday, December 4 and will let you know an official update time tomorrow, Wednesday, as I see what kind of progress I make today.

I did want to tell you that a couple of Olives and a Bunny will be in the update as well!

Also this weekend, December 6 & 7~ I am going to be live and in person with my work here in L.A. at a special show called Local World’s Fair, sponsored by Good Magazine. I will be one of several local Etsy sellers invited to participate. Should be a lot of FUN! If you are in the area I hope you can make it out.