Little brick houses for you and me.

More Christmas patterns... it takes a village I here to get everything done!

On another note:

I am so glad May is here but at the same time, I am flabbergasted one quarter of the year has passed on by without so much as a wave. I abhor being one of those people who screeches about how fast time flies but seriously, you can't even see the wings! I'm just sayin'!

How about you? Do you have enough time in the day?

Friday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a whole bunch of work right now! I like to work, not only because it keeps me out of trouble but I love what I do!

Stripes all around.

Ahhh, here we go... now these are some stripes I tell ya! I painted these two color stripes today and the taping off part took about three fourths of the time I was there... the result was worth it though!

There is a nice surprise in the bath to keep things cheery too!

How about you? Do you like to stand back and admire a hard day's work?

Thursday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for apples, yogurt and walnuts.

Blue Christmas.

Here's a little bit of Christmas in some contemporary colors . . . working on some holiday surface designs for a big licensing show next month. Wish I could make more time appear.

How about you? Do you work right up to the last minute of a deadline or are you finished well in advance?

Wednesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for an opportunity to help a dear friend hang art work throughout her house.

Pilates Smilates.

I've been working on some ideas for a logo for a pilates studio along with interior space concepts. Which logo do you like?

Fruit.

This is a VERY large painting I started about a year ago and finally heard it beckoning to be finished. Hopefully another year will not go by before this sees completion.

Salt of the Earth.

These are my finished paintings that have sat vacant upon the wall for months, just waiting for the right treatment. I like them, I love them, they are the salt of the earth, for now anyway.

1. Leaves

2. Trees

3. Seaweed

This is how they are hanging at the moment, all lined up in a row.

The process is simple: Contact paper. Sharpie marker. Exacto blade. Patience.

How about you? Do you like to explore different ways to express your thoughts and creativity?

Tuesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful to be engaged in a lot of work at the moment.

Hi ho the dairy-o a painting we will go.

Fabulous art work created by the kid... makes my heart melt. This is a self portrait made out of clay and painted with glaze.

Here's a little preview of something I've been longing to work on and finally started... I think it's going to take me a long time to finish it though and I'll need a bucket full of patience too!

Finally, finally, finally figured out a plan for my blue canvases. I drew a leaf pattern on contact paper, cut it out with an exacto blade and adhered it to the canvas. (Throwing all caution to the wind of course because I have invested layer upon layer with the blue paint and I'm not at all sure how this will turn out. An experiment...)

I painted over the blue canvas and the contact paper pattern with brown paint and glaze. Then, while the paint is still wet, I pulled off the contact stencil to reveal this... I'll take a better photo in the daylight, I think I like it! This is part of a series and I'll be making the other two tomorrow.

Thoughts in my head:

Today was a rough day emotionally. My son is a complete joy to be around and very little trouble at all. That is until the day after he turned nine. We completely missed the terrible twos and now I fear we are on our way into the nightmare nines! Hopefully a good night sleep will do the trick.

How about you? Are some years better for you than others?

Monday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful to be making progress on several work deadlines.

Nine is fine.

Happy birthday my big ol' NINE year old. You've made the past decade incredible!

Thoughts in my head:

While I was waiting outside Costco for a freshly baked pizza (the birthday boy's request) and people watching, I thought to myself, how many of these sullen looking people have lost their joy? I sat in a semi crowded area for about twenty minutes watching and looking at everyone who walked by or sat down to consume food and not one of them seemed very happy. Many were overweight, many were very tired looking and most were just there, not really present. Yes, there were families, young people and old people with a handful of smiles but even the smiles looked tired. I suppose on a Saturday evening, a few people would feel tired or beaten down by the day's chores but everyone there? Really?

I'm going to chalk up the evening to a random and strange happening but seriously, I'm going to be on the lookout for some more joy. I've been having a hard time seeing it in people's faces lately. As the world gets faster and busier, are we losing our joy? Is that the trade off? I certainly hope not.

How about you? Can you spot joy in a crowd?

Sunday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful the weekend is over. Early bedtime never looked so good!

Birthday Smirfday.

We have a birthday tomorrow but a celebration today. A celebration that involves nerf gun war, pizza, ice cream, lots of laughs and three boys NOT sleeping. Oh well, you only turn nine once in your life!

Boys will be boys!

Saturday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful I am still young enough to be a participant in a Nerf gun war at the park. Come to think of it, I'm also grateful I'm still cool enough to be a part of my son's birthday celebration with friends (even if I must pose as a target and talk guns and arsenal!)

Transition.

These words struck me as important today. Where has life taken you lately?

Friday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a long kid birthday weekend at my house.

Paint on my hands.

Today was a painting day and I had a great privilege to paint in a little girl's room. Was hoping to have photos to show but from the moment I began, things started to swirl downhill very quickly. My technique of painting one color stripes in glossy and flat paint did not work out very well. After about 5 hours of taping, climbing on ladders, brushing and rolling on paint... you could hardly see the contrast. I've done this before and had it turn out marvelous but today... um, not so much. So, after I go back and do it all over again, I just might have some nice pictures. Tonight, I only have paint on my hands.

This is a calendar that is coming out towards the end of this year of my artwork.

Here is the actual file for the card I submitted over at Hallmark yesterday. The orange "happy anniversary" will be on the inside of the card instead of the bottom front. Me likey. Orange makes me smile. What color makes you smile?

How about you? Do you ever have a nice plan and then have it backfire miserably?

Thursday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for rainy days.

Hallmark contest.

Hallmark is having an on going greeting card contest and this month the topic is "anniversary." You can find the details here. This is my very first submission for them... maybe I'll win, maybe I won't. Either way, it's the effort that counts and if I ever give someone an anniversary card, I've got one right here.

How about you? Do you enter contests with abandon?

Quote for the day:

"Whatever sorrow or difficulty the day brings. My tender command is the same. Love and laugh."

Tuesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for nice conversation, wine, laughs and tears all rolled into one evening.

Wednesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful to finally see my nieces after a long and unintentional break.

Splash, sparkle, smear.

My hand found paint and gesso again today. It was a well thought out meeting and hopefully congruous for both parties. I wonder what these will be?

This is a base coat for a painting but I rather like just as it is for some strange reason. Should I continue on and cover over it or leave it alone?

How about you? Do you always start with a plan but leave yourself open for detours?

Excellent quote for the day:

"Yesterday's failures are today's seeds that must be diligently planted to be able to abundantly harvest tomorrow's successes." - Author Unknown

Monday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a spontaneous walk and time with the Ipod.

Choosing wisely.

I have this quote on my wall. I suppose I should look up at it more often! Ha!

How about you? Do you choose carefully how to respond to your circumstances?

Sunday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful to see a dear friend's son in a Peter Pan play today.

Life and change.

Life is forever changed at my home. I am the mother of a football player. A real football player. Up until today, I was the mom who carted her child to and from practices of boys in semi football attire, pushing and shoving, running and grunting. That is until today when the first official game happened. So, I now can say we officially have a football player in the family.

They still line up to push and shove and run and grunt.

They still race across grassy fields in hopes to acquire an oval leather ball.

But now they have official uniforms and equipment that bark their name "Bulldogs."

And these "Bulldogs" have their very own cheer leading "Pups!"

Yes. Life is forever changed. Until the next sport that is.

How about you? How do you measure change in your life?

Saturday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a nice dinner tonight with lovely friends.

Window of delight.

I am not feeling very well, I believe I caught my son's cold. This cold is worth the smooch he gave me a few days ago though, especially since he is turning NINE next weekend and nine year olds wouldn't be caught dead kissing their mom in public. So I take what I can get, even when there is a cold involved.

Anyway, this was a very long and convoluted way of telling you that since I don't feel so well, my post is short. And not very creative. But I do have this lovely window shot from the Anthroplogie window from a few days ago. This is so inspiring for me, it's my favorite window by them so far.

How about you? Do nice window displays inspire you?

Friday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for the weekend to be here!

Focus...

I am still not sure exactly why I felt called to post this quote but after having a very long conversation about just this exact topic tonight I believe I might have an inkling. Sometimes we have to sit with our selves in a place we might not understand for a while, focusing not on the amount of time or the source of reason but on those around us. Basically get over yourself, get around yourself and forget about yourself for a bit and the gifts you have to offer just may show up. Yeah. That's my take anyway. What is yours?

Thursday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for lovely people in my life. Friends are the family you choose.

Fears and Desire.

I've been thinking about this concept for a while now and then it showed up in a quote this afternoon, so I had to post it. There was a time in my life, actually several, when I was driven and empowered by what I desired for my life. The things that were fearful were not even on the radar because the drive for who I should be was so strong. Things to accomplish, work to create, relationships to foster, chances to build character were so big and truly evident that fear itself seemed so small and tiny.

Then there are times in my life where I wondered where the drive and desire had gone because all that was left in it's place was fear. Fear of dying, fear of not having enough money, fear of losing people, fear of not being enough, fear, fear, fear. Ugly fear. Eventually the fear gets smaller and something once again to smirk at but the ebb and flow of these fast different worlds paralyze me when they meet. It is nice to have a reminder to give your energy to desire and not to fear. Where do you want to invest your energy? I know where I'm going to bank mine!

Wednesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a chance to grow my character a teeny tiny bit today.

Creatures great and small.

These are a few layouts I created today for a little veterinarian guide book for very small children. I haven't submitted them yet but it sure was fun using all my little animal illustrations! I hope this is one of those projects that has very few revisions...

How about you? Do you have many work projects that go smoothly?

Tuesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a glimpse of happiness on the horizon. Taking care of oneself really does make a difference in how a person feels... I think I forgot about that for a while.

Word Bird.

I like words. Especially funny ones. Funny words like quagmire, bamboozle and pickle are always a delight to use in a sentence. I was talking to another word lover today and one of my very favorite words was used ... gobsmacked! Who couldn't smile when that word tickles your ear?

Here are the definitions of these very fun sounding words:

quag·mire

1. Land with a soft muddy surface. 2. A difficult or precarious situation; a predicament.

co·nun·drum

1. A riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun. 2. A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma.

gobsmacked

Flabbergasted, astounded, shocked; also written gob-smacked.

bam·boo·zle

1. to deceive or get the better of (someone) by trickery, flattery, or the like; humbug; hoodwink (often fol. by into): They bamboozled us into joining the club. 2. to perplex; mystify.

lal·ly·gag

1. to spend time idly; loaf. 2. to indulge in kisses and caresses. 3. to practice trickery, deception, cozenage, or the like.

How about you? What are some of your favorite words?

Monday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a productive "marketing" Monday and a lovely conversation.

Illustration Friday_Linked

Linked for life.

Sunday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a nice long walk, a peaceful day and an early bedtime.

Print & Pattern oh my!

It's going to be one GOOD Saturday night! I've been wanting this book for a while and today it entered my possession because not only is it filled with fabulous artwork from amazing illustrators BUT I happen to know 3 of them!

Paint on my floor.

My oh my lovely readers, I don't know about you but today I was able to breathe a full, deep breath. In and out. Fully exhaling.

This was one very long week and I found myself forgetting to breathe. You see, my son, who is the light upon my path and the evening moon in my life, started at a new school. For some of you, maybe a lot of you, would find this to be something not to stress over but for me... well... I stressed. I worried. I filled my days with mundane tasks to distract me. Time seemed to stand still as I counted the hours from when I dropped him off and was able to pick him up. And then Friday came and went, I found I could take a deep breath and let it out.

Looking back upon the week, I should have never spent any time wasting with worry. The decision to remove my son from one school and place him at another was one that was very thought out and judiciously made with confidence. The very first day he came home quite happy, along with the four others that followed. There is a lesson for me in all this worrying and stressed out thinking, I need to just let it go.

So today, I breathed and got down on the floor and scraped off paint. Yes, dripped paint on my hardwood floors in my studio comes off fairly well with a putty knife but it's hard on the knees!

How about you? Are you able to cast your worries aside easily?

Quote for the day:

"Do not weigh yourself down with sorrows of the world. Look for the loving, the true, the brave in the many around you."

Friday's Gratitude:

I am so glad this entire week is over!

Saturday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a very lovely spring day.

Neat and orderly.

I am motivated to finish up my studio re-do as my hardwood floors are getting splattered with paint. (OK, I supposed I could paint a little bit neater and more orderly...) This photo from Martha Stewart's website of reader photos inspires me more than ever. I wish I could say this was my my studio! I'll post some before and after photos soon, in the mean time I dream of robin's egg blue and orange!

How about you? Do you have a delightful and inspiring place to work?

Thursday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a great work meeting and projects to work on! Life is good.

Peeps.

The only thing to say... Easter Peeps... half off! Whoo-hoo! Peeps are my favorite and thankfully these marshmallow treats will resurface around Halloween in the shapes of ghost and goblins.

How about you? What is your favorite Easter candy and do you buy it after the holiday is over?

Wednesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful this day is finally over. Having your kid start a new school mid year is VERY anxiety inducing and this has been one long week!

Illustration Friday_Dip

Astrid's dash through the sprinklers was about the closest thing she could get to a dip in the pool last summer.

Oh it feels good to be back at Illustration Friday again!

Tuesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for not allowing myself to feel badly in a situation that was not my fault. Progress, I'd say!

It even smells like spring.

Spring is definitely here. Although we've had some rainy days sprinkled in here and there, you can see spring in every little thing. A change of scenery is always nice.

Spring has brought along with itself some new fresh ideas and plans in the making. I am hoping to have something to show soon. Hoping to say good bye to my creative rut. I like how springtime can do that for a person! New hope.

How about you? Do you like the spring time?

Quote of the Day:

"To guarantee success, act as if it were impossible to fail." - Dorothea Brande

Monday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a successful day for my son at his new school.