Oh, hello! It’s late on a Monday and I just wanted to clear up any confusion about my weekend "tweet", that mentioned that I was "baking olives". Well, first you sculpt them, then you bake them. And they come wearing bunny ears this time of year.
I’m sorry it’s been quieter than usual at the ol' blog. It seems that my new world/obsession with
twitter has been captivating me. I’m hoping the newness of it will wear off soon, although I have to say I do like it. Not entirely sure why yet....?? So if you’ve missed me you can find me
there, except today, today, it seems I am only here at the blog. I try to keep it interesting for those of you who choose to follow/visit me at a all of my now, many online venues, goodness.
So, I have been busy creating up a storm, seeing as how I’ve become increasingly aware of just how many show(s) projects I have coming up, and obviously, that requires a certain amount of time in the studio and away from the computer (which believe me has become increasingly hard to peel me away from, also not sure why???).
A little
shop update I promised for this coming Thursday is still on. And I’ve been preparing. The stuffed olives, edition of 10, and the sculpted olives with bunny ears, editon of 4, and some new ceramics, mostly cups & mugs, and even a small series of tiny original paintings. I promise to announce a time shortly. At this point it looks like it will be later in the day (afternoonish, my time).
Hope you’ve had a good few days, and I’ll see you soon.
8 x 6 in.
This is all I want to say on this Creative Thursday.
I dedicate this to all of the creative spirits out there, everywhere.
(original {may} be available at my
show. print is available at the
shop)
I recently tweeted about making "stuffed olives". While I do like to cook and am a fan of olives of the edible kind, I didn’t really mean that I was making stuffed olives. ;)
I am however, making this kind of stuffed olive ~ a new softie creation of sweet Olive. I’ve missed my sewing machine, what can I say?
Also, I want to take a moment to handle some business. First I’m in the process of re-designing my blog, and that includes all my links to everyone being removed. I have too many people I want to follow, dont' want to leave anyone out, and it’s just getting too crowded here in my world. I want to say something, because please whatever you do, don’t take it personally. I’m sure you won’t but just incase. Also to those people that I exchanged links with, if you now need to remove me, I totally understand. And to those of you who do, have, and continue to link to me, as always thank you!
The second announcement, is that my plan is to start releasing original creations, including paintings, in limited numbers at
shop updates every month to two months. The items that are manufactured offsite will also be limited, so whatever is in my
shop now is what is and will be available. I will also be doing a spring cleaning of my Etsy shop by the end of the week, discontinuing some items and prints, so if there’s anything you’ve had your eye on, now’s the time to get it!
My next update is planned for 1 week from now, on Creative Thursday April 2nd. (The stuffed "olives" will be released then, along with more ceramic creations....) You can pretty much count on the updates to be on Creative Thursday’s, and you can always get a head’s up here at the blog and also via my email list. Otherwise, I’m also known to release "surprise" originals from time to time with an announcement ONLY here at my blog.
Can’t say it enough, but thank you for SO many things!
A commission I just finished. A bernese moutain dog and a wheaton terrier, so, so sweet. Blue, of course named for his one beautiful blue eye and one beautiful brown one.
I think
Twitter is responsible for me having shorter and shorter blog posts ;) I’m getting used to expressing myself in 140 characters or less.
maybe this is a good thing.
hope you had a good weekend, a good Monday, a good everything.
8 x 8 in.
It’s a new beginning! And hey happy spring! My gift to all of you. You can download this image for free as a desktop right
here. The print is also available at the
shop. The original will be available at my show, May 9.
here’s me wishing you a very happy weekend. xo
Once someone called my podcasts "love letters" to my audience. They are.
I’d like to add to that by saying, they begin as "love letters" to me. I tend to podcast about subjects that matter to me and inspire me ~ subjects that I too am trying to find my way with. And as I write them I often find that I am reminding myself of the same concepts I want to share with you. I’m learning right alongside you and maybe if I continue to share what I’m discovering we can all learn together.
Which is what Holly has done with her
creativity series on
decor8, of which this
podcast is a "guest" today. I am calling this episode trust (2) because I recorded an earlier podcast, as it turns out exactly one year ago today called
"trust the process". This episode has a slightly new twist on trusting the process and is also specifically answering some thought provoking questions that Holly asked me. So if you haven’t yet had the chance to listen to this today. Here it is! It’s about 12 minutes long. Enjoy! And remember to trust YOURSELF.
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.
*Edit* Friday March 20 Hi everyone ~ I’m sorry about the podcast being so fussy. It seems to be randomly working depending upon which browser you are using, how many times you refresh etc. This seems to be a typepad issue, or posting error on my part as the mp3 file plays fine. As of right now, it finally seems to be loading all the way in my Safari browser. Please keep me posted if it does or does not work for you and what browser you are using. Thanks for your patience!!
And now for something totally new, not to the creative internet world, but new to my shop. Print it yourself Stationery! Such a great idea, right? I’m noticing more and more artists are creating in this medium. I’ve recently bought some myself, and I have to say I LOVE them!
Honestly, at first it feels a bit strange just selling electronic files of your art work, but then I remembered I’ve been selling my
ebook online for the last 3 years now. There was a time when that also felt like an odd concept, and now look at the
Kindle. And the more I think about it and explore this medium the more it makes so much sense on so many levels. First it such an affordable way for all of us to have unique, fun and creative stationery products. We could collect them all, because they don’t take up too much "actual" space (I don’t know about you but I have a bin spilling over with cards) Second it’s totally eco-friendly. You print it when you need it and the best part, do I have to say, there’s no packing and shipping. Just the energy and products alone, it takes workers to get a package(s) around the world. Personally I think we are going to be seeing a lot more creating in this medium and I’m so excited to see where artists and designers will take it!
wishing you a happy creative thursday! see you back here later with a podcast ;)
{one of the items I created is this
monthly planner calendar where you fill in the days ~ and I couldn’t resist adding a little "be creative" on one of the Thursdays ;) }
9 x 12 in.
Another sneak peek of a painting for the show! I decided to take last year’s
"peep peep" a step further ;)
This one is now available as a print at the
shop.
It’s been a non-stop kind of work day over here...enough to even keep me away from twitter for the day. Goodness. But it means that I’ve got some fun things in store for you. First a podcast that will air tomorrow on
decor8 and here, and second I’ve got an entirely new "set" of creations to release. I hope you’ll love them as much as I do!
back to it! happy wednesday!!
Ok, so if you are following me on
twitter this morning then you know that I literally I just figured out how to use photobooth on my new MacBook Pro that I got at the end of last year. With that I also learned how to upload it to
twitpic. AND with that I
JUST realized I can shoot video from my computer. I knew there was a reason I hadn’t explored this sooner....it’s opening up a whole new world of possibilities, that I already don’t really have time for.
Video podcasting???????? Online webcasts/classes??????
Oh no. This is trouble....
Keep in mind. This is literally the first one of these I’ve ever done. And we didn’t really do this with the thought of sharing it with you, but I’m using this as a test to see how it plays in the blog. And because it’s so "unplanned" I sort of like it just as it is. If I do these in the future, I promise not to use my hands when I talk...I always show up on camera with the longest fingers ever! And I am notorious for waving them around when I make my points. Yup, I might have to just sit on them in the future.
happy st. patty’s day lovely people! (you know I shot this today, because I’m wearing green...!)
****TESTING. This is just a test and as of this morning I can’t get the video to play...but I had to publish this to see if it would come up. Must run out for an appointment, but I''ll be back to get this thing working****hopefully!! :) thanks in advance for your patience!
***Edit*** later this afternoon****ok, then it looks like I got it working!! Now if I can figure out how to size it in the post better. For another day. At least you can now see Sean in this one too ;)
{cell phone photo taken by Karl}
5 years. I think this makes us officially "legit" now as a couple.
Sean is the highlight of my every day(s), even if we have a fight (shhhhh....we never fight.)
love, love, love him.
Even though I spent most of my weekend with Sean and the other "most" of it creating, painting for the show along with more new fun things I will soon share...I also still managed to find time to
tweet. ;) priorities people.
I’m heading right back to creating over here, just want to say a quick hello! and announce that
Fairlight is the winner of the one and only Creative Thursday
sock monkey onesie!
hope everyone is doing great out there in the blogosphere!!!
5 x 5 in.
Because of the daily painting practice, I’m so used to sharing my work with you as soon as I create it. I’m still getting used to this new way of doing things around here, especially the part where I am trying to "save" my newest creations until my show. But here’s one I can give you a sneak peek of. Also inspired by one of my sewn creations from last year, this is Miles. By the way, for those of you who can’t attend the show, all of my paintings will be posted for viewing and purchasing online once the show opens.
hope you had a good and creative Thursday!
I’m not really great at highlighting these "hey look at me and my art" moments, but not only is it nice to be recognized, this one is also kind of a funny story.
So I randomly go to
Etsy’s home page this week and I notice some art at the top of the page and I think "Hey, look at those little characters. I really like that art! Who’s the artist?"
Then I realize that it’s my
art.
I figure this is a good sign, since I inspired myself ~ that maybe just maybe I’m on the right creative path ;)
Two years ago this past Saturday, March 7 2007, was the first day I started selling prints on Etsy. And if there’s anyone out there who’s grown their business from just one card sale to making a living with their art, then you know why this anniversary means so much.
This is also a time that I want to again, say thank you to all of you! And what better way than to give you a giftie!!! I am giving away the newest addition the Creative Thursday collection, a "sock monkeys" onesie! 100% cotton, white, short sleeve, size 18 mos. (This is also the unofficial launch of a new line I am calling Creative Thursday "baby"!!! ~ which by the way (only) 5 new onesies have just been released to the shop!)
This giveaway will continue until Sunday, March 15 at 12:00 am PST. To enter leave a comment below. Let me know what you’d like to see in the new Creative Thursday "baby" collection, like your favorite character requests perhaps? or as per usual feel free to just say hello!
thank you so much for 2 great years at Etsy!! and thank you to Etsy, too!
{Fairlight is the winner!}
Finally! ~ (I’ve been begging/bugging her for months) Outi added my all time favorite magnets to her shop!!!! Woohoo!!!! :)
(each magnet is hand painted and...I bet if you asked her, she’d be happy to make a custom one too, just for you)
{birds of a feather} 9 x 12 in.
This is an original piece that will be available at the show. Since I have a hard time keeping my creations to myself, you can purchase this one now as print at the
shop. You’d think with all the time I’ve been spending on
Twitter this week (twitter!!!! you will be the end of me!!!!!), that this painting might be inspired by "tweets". ;)
happy weekend sweets, tweets, facebook friends, am I missing anyone?
After nearly two years of neglect (I told you the "internets" can overwhelm me) I’m finally updating my flickr site with plans to keep updating it too ;) Having coffee out of my orla kiely cup right now, featured with the adorable "miss fran" ~ I’m telling you if someone doesn’t snatch her up...I’m keeping her!
{royal buffet butterfly mobile catching the sunlight in my living room}
In keeping this blog, I always try to keep a "flow" to it, almost like an ongoing story of sorts. Obviously a lot of the ongoing story is and has been "what did I create today" ~ but now with all my new found time :) ...no really...I just decided that I would start a new "regular" post titled "no rhyme or reason" where I can list, share anything I want whether it relates to the the present stream of this blog or not. Because so often I want to post about something and then spend far too much time agonizing about when, how, where. Ultimately does not get posted ~ time to put an end to that scenario.
Beginning with this post. I will not commit to exactly when this post will "air" because I’m just not great about sticking to a "regular" committed schedule, other than posting to this blog :) which I seem to commit to just fine.
For this weeks no rhyme or reason:
Economy Schmaconomy.
These are all handmade creations that I have either purchased over the last 3 months or suggested to Sean for gift ideas to me over the the holidays, my birthday, and valentine’s day. (we like buying handmade over here!)
Since handmade is my livelihood. It goes without saying that I know how important it is to support other artisans. I think that being in support of one another in whatever way is comfortable to you, either financially or spreading the word, can be our own "stimulus package".
Here are some creations I own and LOVE. (consider this some of my Etsy faves, I’ve been promising to share.)
{all photos, courtesy of the artists listed below}
{party girl} 5 x 5 in.
I started with 8 people on my daily painting list, two of which were my mom and Sean.
Now there are hundreds more than 8 of you, and this post is for you.
If you know me in person, than you know I’ve been "threatening" this for a couple of years now. :)
If you know me online or through my daily paintings email list, than you know that my daily paintings are now usually weekly paintings, because of all the projects I have going on.
I spent last year getting organized and learning how to find more balance in my life. And I did.
What I realized is that it’s not that I’m not organized, it’s not that I don’t how to find balance, it’s that I am simply trying to fit too many things into one stage of my life at any given time.
Everything has it’s season. And almost a full three years into my daily painting venture, it’s time for this season to come to a close.
Now before this is misunderstood in any way shape or form. I AM NOT stopping painting or finishing them in a day for that matter, but I AM stopping the commitment to them via daily emails and on this blog.
I ADORE painting and will probably never stop, in fact I will miss sharing them with you within minutes of creating them, but I and my business have expanded and it’s time for "us" to explore other things that will also be creatively fulfilling and fun.
The other truth is that I have my first solo show at a gallery here in Los Angeles a mere two months away, in May!!!!! I haven’t made an official announcement about this yet, but it is certainly a reason that my present painting efforts need to be directed towards that effort. I’m also looking forward to spending some time painting LARGE.
With all of that said. Let me repeat, I will still be painting. And those of you follow me here at my blog will still get first view of the ones I will be sharing publicly. I will still release them for sale but most likely at a one time update every 6 weeks or so. Some will also still be released as prints at my shop. To those of you on my daily painting email list ~ if anything painting related comes up that would interest you, I promise to keep you posted. (to those of you on my list, thank you for your support of these last few years :))
One of my many bios floating out there says "I am an entrepreneur who will never be boxed in." ~ It’s true.
And I have to admit, that while it’s a little bit scary to make this transition of leaving behind what was also the very beginning/the foundation of the Creative Thursday you all have come to know ~ it is mostly exciting! This is one of those times, where while I don’t have all the details of the next step fully filled in ~ I have a general idea and I’m open to the rest. I just know it’s time.
Like I advise so many of you, who drop me an email asking about these kinds of transitions, I simply try to follow my heart and trust that by doing so, I will always be headed in the direction that is right for me...and then I just take it from there.
A new series of tiny portraits were just released at the Enormous Tiny Art website! This time a series inspired by toys. And as you know from my mini prints post two of the toys are inspired by my own softie creations :). You can see them all in person at the Nahcotta gallery and they are also available online, right here.
I’ve been avoiding this like the plague. The invitation to join facebook has been sitting in my inbox since the new year....yesterday, I gave in.
It is SO much fun, I had no idea. I’ve already reconnected with a college friend I haven’t seen in 15 years, has it been that long???? Good Lord. Now I have a whole new thing to obsess about on the internet.
Sean has already asked me this Sunday morning if he will "now be losing me to facebook".
...maybe for a few days.
And if that’s not enough. If you don’t already know enough about me and my daily shenanigans. I’m now on
Twitter too.
(I’m not making any promises as to how long I’ll be there....as much as I love the "internets" I can easily get overwhelmed ...and going outside is probably a good idea from time to time.)
hey, happy March!!!!
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