etsy gift guide!

i was thrilled to discover that my houndstooth journal has been included in the "writing it down" category of the etsy gift guides!  the selections for these gift guides are chosen by etsy staff....i am so honored to have been chosen for this!!  thanks so much, etsy staff!

work(s) in progress

my worktable overfloweth with supplies for lots of different projects.  busy hands keep my creative heart very happy!  now, the hard part is trying to decide what to do first....

hope you have a great weekend!

play day

my sweet friend martha invited several of us over to her studio playhouse yesterday to show us how to create some of the fabulous backgrounds that she makes!  this first one is a collage of different papers, and then layers of paint and glazes on top (my scanner is not very "orange friendly"...in person, the colors are more muted than this).

this blue background is much more simple and looks like it's waiting for some hand-lettering.  i'm thinking about using a very opaque white paint for the letters.  now, i just need a great quote...and lots of calligraphic practice time(!)...in order to finish this one.   thanks, martha, for sharing your wonderful studio with us...i had a fantastic time!!  

please be patient, black pants

i've been on this road before.  it's the one where i'm walking along, minding my own business, and then i see the sign:  caution - you are about to enter the "your favorite black pants are getting too tight and you really shouldn't be wearing them any more" zone.  and that's when i realize that i am precisely one fun-size snickers bar away from the point of no return.   oh yes, the road is all too familiar, and it's usually by the end of february that i come to grips with the fact that my ever-expanding mid-life mid-section is a definite indication that i've strayed from my original goal...the one where i pledged to eat a healthier diet, thus helping said black pants to fit properly.  so, no more chips (of the potato and chocolate variety) that somehow snuck back into my diet while i wasn't looking.  and in the meantime, i'm begging you favorite black pants, please be patient with me...and give me just a little more stretch until i can get things under control!

cutie patootie

i have always been inspired by baby stuff.  i love the calming colors, the simplicity of the artwork...and all of that soft and cuddly cuteness!  it's a little world of happy all its own.  and i was oh so happy to make this little book for sweet macaulay (my good friend martha's daughter) who's first child will be born within the next six weeks!  each page is a pocket that holds a piece of cardstock...perfect for mounting a photo, writing thoughts, or using as a scrapbook page.  and, it was made with lots of love for sweet macaulay and marc...and their little world of happy!