Jump for joy!

Hoorah, it's the last day of summer in this fox den! Why so happy? Baby fox goes back to school, September 1st is finally here and this blog is three years old! Lots of things to be giddy about!


I must say I am quite happy for August to be done and over with. There have been too many birthday celebrations for this little fox so with the new month comes 30 days of no sugar, 30 days of intense exercise and 30 days of refocusing so the brain fog will go away. Just in time for some catalog work to come rolling in to use all the fresh new brain cells!


Yes. Big arm pump! Welcome September!


How about you? Do you like new changes that September brings?


Tuesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for quality time with one of my nieces.

Time.

More animal alphabets...

New:

Old:

Random Musings:
I was talking with someone today about the subject of time, specifically taking time out for yourself. Feeling wiped out from too many demands and learning the art of slowing down and even saying "no" in this busy world where we are instantly gratified and offered so many different choices is an all too common occurrence.


It has always been difficult for me to say no and take time out to recharge but I think it's coming a little bit easier now. I am hoping I will be an example of how to do this for my son, maybe he is watching subconsciously.


How about you? Do you take time out to fill up your time bank? If so, how? I'm curious...


Monday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a whole slew of menial tasks to be done and gone! Just in time for some more work to come rolling in.

Decisions.

"Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean." - Christopher Reeve

How about you? Do you find yourself in the safety of the shallow end with your feet touching the floor or do you dive into the rolling sea?

Friday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for another lovely day in San Diego.

Sour lemons.

More alphabet card revisions...

New:

Old:

Random Musings:
When life hands you lemons, you are supposed to make lemonade. Right? What if making lemonade just won't do and you take the lemon and make a lemon drop martini. Are you still looking for the brighter side of things? Is your glass half full vs. half empty?


I think so. In fact, things might just look a little brighter for a while when your glass is all the way empty because you are making room for more! Whaa-ha-ha!


Thursday's Gratitude: 
I am so grateful to be seeing Eat, Pray, Love tonight with a dear friend. Oh, and maybe a lemon martini will somehow make itself known!

I bet it was easy.

The "Q" card...

Random Musings:
Today, during the heat of the day, the kid and I ran a few errands, running in and out of air conditioning. As we passed a Pilate's studio that I had created a logo and signage for, I pointed it out to the kid as we drove by very slowly. 
He looks over, looks back at me and says, "That looks so simple. I bet it was easy."
Riiiiigggghhhhht, my mind thinks, but my mouth says, "Yeah, that's a sign of a good logo where it looks clean and simple."
I think that would be 2 points for mom! Yes!


Here is the simple logo that was created with my business partner Barron...

Wednesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for more simplifying at my household. Files and files. Gone. Arm pump... yeah!

Mind your P's and Q's.

New:

Old:

One more down and ten more to go. Whoo-hoo!

Tuesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a nice swim with my nieces and son. It sure felt like summer today!

The winners...

We have a winner! Actually several winners for the Birthday Give Away... since I turned the magic number 44 a few days ago, I had to pick 4 winners! So here are the names...
1. Jane Wilson
2. Annette Rodogna 
3. Gina Marie Dunn 
4. Cathi Green
Please, oh please, send me an email with your addresses and I'll send you a print!


Random Musings:
"It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly." ~Bertrand Russell


Mondays are a day I like to keep plan-free because I am forcing training myself to be more business-like minded and tend to business type work on these days. Marketing Mondays. Yah, I still have yet to market myself but I will have to say my piles are dwindling and my files are looking good. Things are being cleared away, given homes, and recycled. I have a preoccupations for being less possession oriented.


How about you? Do you save one specific time to tackle your least favorite tasks?


Monday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a day to get things done so I can relax for the rest of the week. I am also grateful for you!

Fear...

Random Musings:
What would you do if you weren't afraid?


If I weren't afraid, I'd move to NYC for one year. Write a book and travel the world. How about you?


The Birthday Give Away ends tonight at midnight. If you haven't left a comment and would like to be entered... just leave any old comment. Before midnight that is. I'm looking forward to announcing the winner!


Saturday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for leisurely time with my best friend.


Sunday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for birthday breakfast with very dear friends.

Lizards and such...

Here are a few new alphabet cards... getting closer to the end!

Random musings:

As I was creating my "N" card with the little newt, my son yells from the living room to come quick as there is a lizard in the house! Goodness gracious... my illustration jumped right out of my computer and skedaddled on out to the living room. Thankfully, lizards don't scare me so I rescued him with a cup and a piece of paper and took him outside... far from the house. It's funny how things become more abundant when they are on our minds, maybe I should think about dollars!

How about you? Do things appear more frequently when you think about them often?

Friday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for spending the day backing up my computer! Not one of my favorite things to do but it sure puts me in a good mood when it's done!

Age is just a number.

Happy Birthday Cindy. Although you are not here to celebrate our birthdays together, you are always in my heart. Here is a cute little cake for you because I ate the big one! Happy 44.

Thursday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful that if you mention it is your birthday at a restaurant, they give you a really good table!

Letting Go.

New:

 Old:

Random Musings:
As summer is winding down, kids get a little restless as the new school year looms closer. This summer I planned things right and signed The Kid up for a surf camp at the end of August so there would be activity for distraction. Well, The Kid, although tall and large for his age, his heart is young and sweet and tends to be on the more sensitive side, has been quite firm about not wanting to go to camp because his friend couldn't make it. He didn't want to do it alone. I get it. I really do... But still.


So today, courage ran it's course and the friend also showed up, so off to surf camp he went. I decided to spy a little bit so I drove over to the beach around where I knew the kids would carry their boards. I parked down a side street right by the boardwalk, got out of my car and rounded the corner to run smack into the camp group! The Kid was towards the back and didn't see me so I ducked, quickly dashed back to the car, threw it in reverse and backed into the safety of the alley. Geez, if he would have seen me, I would never have heard the end of it! I can hear the lecture now of how embarrassing I can be. No more secret spying for me... I've got to let go!


How about you? Is letting go an easy thing for you to do?


Wednesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for simplicity, long conversations, and air conditioning!

LMNOP and such.

I realize I was getting a little behind on my alphabet cards so I revised one and created a few more. This what I came up with. Can't wait to put them all in one set!

Random Musings:
I just saw on CNN that Dr. Laura Schlessinger is retiring from radio after using some derogatory language with a caller. She's been in radio for 30 years! I don't get to listen to her very often, if at all, but I do have to say although I may not agree with everything she might say, she does have some great parenting advice. And God only knows how many morons people could use some of that! What a calamitous affair to see her go. 


Don't forget to leave any old comment to be entered into my Give Away. (what give away? see below for details!)


Tuesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for socializing with fond friends, supporting words from a kind soul and a nice cool breeze on a warm summer day.

August Birthday Give Away!

This is a print I am giving away. It is customizable in color and text. Although this is a digital print, there is a very slight grainy texture to give it a hand drawn feel. I will have some of these in my Etsy store shortly. 


If you would like this print in your home, leave a comment on my blog and tell your friends too! The Give Away ends this coming Sunday, August 22, 2010 at midnight. Random.org will be picking the winner so leave a comment! 


(The print comes unframed and is 8.5" X 11".)

Enough already.

I am enough. Three little words that have really been speaking to me lately. Three little words that I haven't EVER given much thought to. Possibly because I have always felt that no matter how much I do, it's never enough or there must always be more left to give, more to offer... and sadly, I'm not sure why but I'm pretty positive someone must have told me that. Maybe not in words but in the frown of a brow or a cold shoulder or the disappointment that sweeps over a face. However this came to be, I think it's time to say... I am enough. Right here, right now.

So, in a jewelry making class I took last night, I stamped these three little words into metal so I won't forget them.

How about you? Do you think you are enough and if so, did someone tell you that?

Sunday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a lovely brunch on the bay with my girlfriends.

Monday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for the chance to stand up for my own opinions today and have someone else's back. Man that felt good.

Enthusiasm, shmooziasm...

"Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money and power and influence. It is no more or less than faith in action." - Henry Chester

Weekends are for lemonade stands, marbleized paint in a bag and goopy gak. The lemonade stand was a success, the paint just smooshed around but the gak... ooo, slimy and cool and squishy fun! Enthusiasm at it's best.

Here are a few paintings I've been playing around with. Liking the direction, I think I seriously have a thing for red and turquoise.

How about you? What do your weekends consist of?

Saturday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a delicious dinner, bonding time with the kid, and a nice long power walk to kick my behind!

Unexpected in common hours.

This is a very large canvas I am working on. I have a plan but I think I'm getting sidetracked because I love red and turquoise together. All it needs is some black and I'll be swooning. However, that was not the original plan but I like the unexpected that has shown up.

How about you? What are your favorite color combinations?

Quote for the day:

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Next week is birthday week and I will be having another give-away so stop on by soon!

Friday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for the painting bug to have bitten, time spent with friends, and an afternoon with a delightful boy.

Figgy Love.

"The richness of life lies in memories we have forgotten." - Cesare Pavese

Cutting into some figs yesterday, I was puzzled with what to do with them. I had forgotten the last time I'd eaten figs so I just popped them into my mouth after giving them some personality. Yummy!

How about you? What do you do when faced with a culinary dilemma?

Thursday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a lazy summer day and a little bit of ice cream.

Impulsively restrained.

More alphabet card changes shown here. I am not sure where I am going with these because as I am going along, there are things that might not work so well once they are all stacked together in a big bunch. Well, we shall see, right?

I sent my original Chicken Kabobs file off very late last night. Who in their right minds sends off final files when the day is just about over and the following day is knocking on the window? Apparently I do. But today, when I reviewed the previous day's work, I realized it wasn't complete. So I changed it and here is the new and improved Best EVER Chicken Kabobs recipe. (*Note to self... no matter how good of an idea, wait until the light of day to share it!)

How about you? Do act impulsively or do you restrain yourself on a regular basis?


Wednesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for 1.) renewed friendships 2.) fantastic lunch 3.) accomplishing some work that was pushed aside and 4.) another day of life.

Chicken Kabobs are the bomb!

Another illustrated recipe for the TheyDrawandCook website... not sure when or if it will be posted but this is by far one of my favorite recipes. It makes people swoon and look at me with chef-like admiration, truly something I definitely have not earned! Ha-ha!


How about you? Do you have a recipe that makes you look professional in the kitchen?


Tuesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful to have an organized filing cabinet, no matter how dreary the task was, the result sure feels good!

Eeeeekkk!

New:

Old:

E is for early, equipoise, endocrine and of course... elephant. 


Two astonishing things I saw today:
1. I witnessed a middle aged french man escort his darling little non-English speaking mother to the doctors today and not only show support but mediate all the medical jargon for her. As they were bent over, leaning into each other while whispering their strategy, I stole a few quick glances so I could commit them to memory. Quite a sight... made me smile.


2. I came home to my front window screen ajar which indicates someone was trying to enter in unannounced. Yikes! We are on lock down now and so should you, as you never know when someone else has other plans for you!


I'm cooking up another give away so stay tuned... 


Oh, and BTW, a lovely blogger named Kamini wrote up a nice post about me! She featured me on her blog, you can check it out here. I am blushing...


Monday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for a perfect afternoon.

The winner of the calendar Give Away is...

New:

Old:

Just a little change is in order here. Once these are all done, I'll post them all together as a set. Meanwhile, thanks for walking down this path with me.

The winner for the calendar give away is:

Ned Norman! 

Hooray! Email me your physical address and I will send you my calendar! Or maybe we will just need to meet up for lunch again!

Sunday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful to start the day with clean bathrooms!

See and saw some more. C?

New:

Old:

Alphabet cards again... missed my post last night... oops! (Dinner with friends won over a night alone with my computer.)

Saturday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful to be right where I am, right at this moment, even though it's not the most comfortable mental space.

Be.

New:

Old:

More alphabet card revisions. New color palate, new subject, and a new attitude.


Friday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for lunch with a talented fellow friend.

Keeping it simple.

Dear Ikea,


Please accept my sincerest apologies for being so blunt but I have a serious love/hate relationship with you. You tease us with your glossy catalogs of inspirational organization. A walk through your store induces the mind to spin with home DIY projects that haven't even made it to the "to-do" list, and the clean lines of your Scandinavian design make my frazzled eyes yearn for the crisp, cool security of empty surface space. 


When some of your product finally does make it to my home, I unwrap and unpack layer upon layer of parts. Parts that I need to put together to somehow form a complete piece of furniture with ONE handheld screwdriver and an instruction booklet without words, just black and white renderings. Hmph.


After two smashed and swollen thumbs, one strained bicep muscle, and three long afternoons, I was able to complete one of these quick and easy assemblies. I now have a sleek cabinet to house files, electronic gadgets that need charging and storage for miscellany, and for this I am eternally grateful. For the road I traveled to get it however, I am a little miffed. There has got to be a better way. 


I am not so sure I will be returning to your store anytime in the near future. I think I need a little space between now and the future moment I forget all these hassles and am craving more organization.


Just thought you should know why you will be experiencing my absence.


Bye for now.


PS. What could possibly be in your hot dogs that would allow you to sell two of them and one drink for only TWO DOLLARS?


Quote for the day:
“The monotony and solitude of a quite life stimulates the creative mind” - Albert Einstein

Animal crackers in my soup.

New:

Old:

About a year ago, I created an alphabet set. It was not for a particular client but for me, to see if I could do it. The entire alphabet was a little challenging but overall I liked what happened. Well today, I decided to update the set and make them all animals. So this will be a process of changing what was to something better... I hope anyway. Will you join me on the journey?

Nice quote for a Thursday:

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”

Thursday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful to realize that we cannot rely only on our feelings.

Where is the love?

About two weeks ago, I ventured out with a couple of really close girlfriends for an afternoon of just plain ol' girl time. My friends wanted to get pedicures and although I don't get them very often, actually ever, I agreed because girls go get their toes done up real purdy. And I wanted to be that girl for one afternoon. So, we are at the toe spa place, all three of us in a line, melting in our massage chairs while soaking our feet, and we just start talking and catching up on the little things in our lives. Just talking girl talk.

Well, there was two elderly ladies a few chairs away from us, all dressed up in matching sweater sets and hairsprayed do's, who didn't like our chit chat very much. So much in fact, one of them let out a very loud and curt SSSHHHHHH! Not a polite little, "would you mind keeping it down a little," but a huge, giant SSSHHHHHH with venom behind it. Wow, to look at them you wouldn't think they had it in them, but they sure did. It felt like a slap in the air and the entire room was quiet. So quiet, you could hear crickets chirping. Can we say A W K W A R D!

Ha, I can laugh about it now although at the time I felt paralized in my response. But I do have to ask, where is the love? I'm not quite sure why some people have to be so darn rude. A little love goes a very long way.

How about you? Have you encountered rudeness lately?

Wednesday's Gratitude:

I am so grateful for a very large looming project to be just about finished and kicked out the door!

Illustration good enough to eat!

My friend Suzy told me the other day that she misses my daily illustrations. Come to think of it, so do I! This is a submission to the fab they draw and cook blog where you draw out recipes. I'm told it will be posted mañana (tomorrow) but here it is today! Thanks for the unknowing kick in the pants Suzy!!

This by the way is my favorite salad and is ridiculously easy to make. You can add chicken or shrimp to make it a meal. If you try it out, let me know what you think!

Tuesday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for home projects I'm going to be diving into in about 3 minutes.

Fly, fly away.

Flora, over at Happy Doodle Land blog, had a give away of this little owl print and some other super cute goodies and guess what? I WON the owlie print! Woo-hoo! She has found a happy home in a nice black frame up upon my studio wall. Thank you Flora, I LOVE it!!

These little necklaces below are the ones I made on Friday night at a little crafty party. The party was so much fun and we walked away with these little goodies. Everyone made something different but used the same tools. I love it!

How about you? Do you like to experiment with new tools to create something new?

Monday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for the opportunity to re-create my living space. (That's because Mr. Man is out of town... wha-ha-ha!)

August Give Away I.

This is my calendar that is coming out for 2011. It will be in stores in another month or so but I have one now to give away. Would you like one? If so, leave a comment from now until next Sunday (Aug. 7th) midnight PST and we will randomly draw a name for the winner.

Thanks for looking... and commenting!

44 things.

The month of August is fondly referred by me as "Birthday Month." My twin sister and I had always made a big deal about our birthdays, maybe because we had to share our day from the moment we were born or maybe we just wanted the spotlight longer but regardless, August is always a fun month around here.

It is also a good time to evaluate where this blog is going and where it has taken me because August is the birth month of this blog too. THREE years in fact! Not to be melodramatic, but this blog has been such an incredible tool for me in illustration, photography, writing, expressing feelings, sharing things about my sister's death, and mostly being a commitment to show up for every single day (well, almost everyday!) So, I'd like to celebrate this blog during the month of August with you. I will be having some give aways and hopefully better photography and certainly more illustrations. So do check back!

To start it all off though, I've decided to compile a list of 44 things I'd like to do within the coming year. (Forty four because that is how many years I've been alive and I am celebrating this!) Maybe you might want to make your own list?

1. Give something away every day.
2. Become a photographer who knows what she is doing.
3. Upgrade my Mac!
4. Have a better back up system for my new Mac.
5. Finish my book dummy and send it out.
6. Take my son to NYC.
7. Find more things that make me laugh.
8. Take more classes.
9. Have another art show.
10. Travel out of the country.
11. Finish my 5 year plan.
12. Start a 10 year plan.
13. Pray every day.
14. Make more children's art.
15. Teach art to kids.
16. Learn to stop piling and stacking in my office.
17. Clear out all my clutter.
18. Be caught up on my photo albums.
19. Read more with my son.
20. Let go of perfectionism.
21. Eat foods that nourish the body, limit bad foods.
22. Realize that I am enough... exactly where I am.
23. Allow more things to roll off my back.
24. Host a party.
25. Update Etsy shop.
26. Create an illustration every day.
27. Update my workout clothes.
28. Look for the good in every single person I encounter.
29. Visit a museum once a month.
30. Donate blood.
31. Drink 2 liters of water every day.
32. Make Christmas cards before December 1st.
33. Befriend an elderly person.
34. Walk the dog every day.
35. Remember other people's birthdays.
36. Paint something every single day.
37. Stop procrastinating.
38. Forgive. Even if I don't feel like it because the feelings will follow.
39. Return emails immediately.
40. Listen carefully and do not interrupt people.
41. Share more music with my son.
42. Learn two new card games.
43. Be a better friend.
44. Learn to love myself... faults and all.

That's my list. I think I might be able to do them all. What's on your list?

Sunday's Gratitude:
I am so grateful for new beginnings.