40 is still HOT!

Another 40th birthday is coming up and I've created some graphics... (can't mention the name just in case she/he stops by here!)

Yes, forty is still hot and very stylish too!

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for an afternoon of sorting Legos into bins by separate colors while listening to Queen! Gotta love that Kid!

Summertime Fun.

Summer is almost over and there is so much to do! The circus came to town and the lure of the elephants were too much to turn away from...

Then a quick trip to Los Angeles for some end of summer fun...

Wild creatures, who knew?

Rides at the end of piers...

Bright lights in a big city.

A little visit from a creature of long lost times...

Crazy creatures who will stare you down...

And look you right in the eye...

That's how the end of summer looks around here, how about yours? How do you end your summer?

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for funny kids to hang out with, fun excursions, and a brand new school year right around the corner!

Pretty AND practical!

I just can't seem to find the perfect IPhone case, one that I totally enjoy looking at and at the same time protects my phone. I bought a plain black case by Otterbox a while ago because it has a double case that is like a safe box around your phone. The guy told me it is so good you can toss your phone onto the floor and it will be fine. (I haven't tested that out but I'm deciding to trust his words without action!) 

Anyway, the black case is just too boring so I decided to customize it myself...

Then after several layers of paint and ink, this design showed up...

Then I poured a layer of resin over the painted design to protect it...

I couldn't leave my earbuds alone either so I went about customizing those too...

A few black and white beads and a whole lot of patience, I have my very own custom earbuds that do not get all tangled up anymore! Here is a great tutorial how to do this...

Now I'd say that is pretty AND practical!

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for one long walk with the Beast (Toby) and one short walk with my old gal Teva. There is nothing quite like doggie love!

Sum=action.

This has been on my mind as I watch someone close to me string a rather large web of lies. Sadly, this web is going to affect an innocent girl and cause her some embarrassment. I don't know how to shield her so I can only watch it all unfold.

On another note... a happier one, I am creating some invitations for a fundraising event. I've had quite a bit of random work fall into my lap lately and it's all super fun! These are just beginning ideas...

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for a rather large revelation I had the other day about a source of some long seeded frustration I carry around in my little bag of tricks. Suddenly, that bag is about to get a lot smaller!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

The winner for the Give-Away for the month of August is....

Jill at Things with Wings

I'll leave a comment on your blog but if you stop by here first, email me your address! : ) Thx lovely lady!
Deborah

Me so lucky!

The past few days, I've been painting a mural for a really fabulous Make-A-Wish kid! Lucky me may just get the chance to bring a smile to a great kid's face!

Day 1. Prepping...

Day 1. Prepping and blending...

Day 2. Adding some background...

Day 2. Adding ocean critters and details...

Day 2. More details...

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful to be able to paint all day long.

Happy Birthday Leo!

I made this pin today for another fellow Leo! Happy Birthday Liz! 

Happy Birthday to all my fellow Leos!

You say it's your birthday... gonna have a good time!

Happy birthday sister of mine. Not a day goes by without thoughts of you and I wish my wish would come true and you could be back here with us. I made this for you... happy birthday! The search starts today for the most awesome birthday cake ever!

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for the 42 years I was blessed to spend with my twin.

Logos, logos, logos.

There have been some revisions with the salon logo... which one do you like?

Today I finished a speech for a presentation for my Personalities class and wrote a term paper so now I don't have to do anything tomorrow except enjoy my birthday! Hooray!

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for family members who make me laugh and lemon meringue pie which I hopefully will have tomorrow!

Give Away... August is birthday month!

This post happens to be my 2,000th post! I am giving away three prints of my artwork. The artwork comes with a white mat and measures 8X10 with the actual artwork measuring 5" square. IF you'd like them, leave a message here and on Sunday the 19th (my birthday), we'll do a random drawing and send them off to the winner!

On another note...

This was inspired by a conversation I had today when someone asked me how my summer was going and then when I started to respond, they jumped in with their own story. So, I just gave the gift of listening instead of my usual response of being annoyed.

Daily Gratitude:

I am so grateful for air conditioning on hot days like today!

Spending time.

Lately, I've spent time making veggie juices...

Creating gluten and soy free foods...

and watching sunsets.

I won't mention all the other junk that's been keeping me away from my blog, it's all not worth mentioning and really not how I want to spend my time.

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for all the junk that people dump on others as there is a great lesson in it all. The lesson is to politely say, "no thank you" and walk away!

Culminating choices.

After reading for my Personality and Theories class, I was a little overly-excited about Existential therapy and created this. 

This approach rejects the view of human nature brought to light with psychoanalysis and behaviorism (think Freud.) It's basic premise is that we are not victims of circumstance because quite frankly, we are what we choose to be. There is always a choice, even in despairing times, we always have the freedom of choice. (And this theory come from a man, Victor Frankl who was in a concentration camp!)

I love this.

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for the ability to learn and stimulate my mind.

Waiting.

At our house, we have been doing a lot of waiting. This one is waiting for a tooth to come out...

This one is waiting for some food...

And this one is waiting for some attention.

I'm waiting for some cooler temps. What are you waiting for?

Daily Gratitude: I am grateful for a really great team in my master's program.

Summahtime.

It was a great day for kite flying and picnic-ing in the park! Summertime is the best! How do you fill your summer days?

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for my class on personality and theory. I'm learning so much about the human mind and it makes my heart sing.

Heart stolen.

This young man has stolen my heart.

There was a contest over at Veer to create a summer festival poster using certain elements. This is what I came up with. Check out this link... there is some really AWESOME poster art!

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for really nice friends, good food, and summer nights.

Hello friends! I've recently created a few logo ideas for a hair salon that is looking to change their entire look. Although the word Ignis is ignite in latin, the direction is to go with blues and greens, and an ocean feel for relaxation. These logos are my first submission... which do you like?

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for an evening out with friends tonight!

Time.

Sometimes I'm smart enough to follow my own advice....

A timely gift includes some sea fishing...

A timely gift includes a sunset...

and a timely gift will always include some furry love...

How do you spend your time?

Daily Gratitude: I am so grateful for time to enjoy the summer, get enough done to feel accomplished, and time to incorporate lots of rest for a healing body.