lists

i've been sick sick sick all week long... totally out of commish (that's short for commission people). so i haven't been doing anything but watching friday night lights, and now i have a backlog of plans/ to-dos/ and ideas.....

1. i get so many ideas from cruising etsy about what i can sell in my shop. like, for example, i want to make a children's book. i came up with this little girl for my main superhero character (well not superhero in that she'll have powers, but superhero in that she'll totally be awesome and rad). lulu begonia is her name. but i haven't really figured out her game yet....


2. i need to start working on the album cover for babette's new cd. (listen to it - it's really beautiful).
3. i need to finish laura's wedding invitations....
4. i need to work up some idea's for another wedding commission (for someone i don't even know! progress, people!)
5. i want to go to ikea and get a bunch of cheapo frames so that i can do this in my apartment:



the first image is from an old design sponge sneak peak, and the second is from the selby - i especially love this interior from the selby - i want my living space to be this family oriented and cozy!
6. playing with pattern-making: if nina and i are going to get into this for real, i have to for real get into it :) here are some that i came up with a few weeks ago (before the plague hit):





7. i'm also hoping to put some paintings up on etsy.... i just have to figure out what i want to paint.... if i want to go more decorative (something that's fun and seems to do well on etsy) or something more explorative, figurative, creative (all ways for me to avoid saying artsy - worst word ever).
8. make more work for my new yorker portfolio drop-off in march.... i'm planning to do more ink+pattern and texture stuff, along the lines of this piece i did a few months ago:



9. make something for illustration friday. this week's word: flawed.
10. and of course, as always, clean the house. unnngh.

fatties

some new stuff.....

they're my funny fat bird series :) not so serious, but then, who wants to be serious all the time?

happy weekend
xx

printsource 2009

warning: i cannot seem to think of any synonyms for the words inspiring and super. my brain power is on low today... so prep yourself to hear loads of supers and inspirings.

nina and i went to printsource last week, and wowza! we came away feeling SO inspired! it was great to meet creative souls from all over the place, especially those BRAVE creative souls who were there, doing their thing without a big company backing them, just promoting their amazing work all by themselves. it was super inspiring. we got to chat for a while with jessica gonacha, an independent artist and textile designer who was so friendly and great, not to mention super talented. check out her stuff, you won't be disappointed! she's an etsy-ite, too :) i love her
just-do-it attitude, and her willingness to put herself and her work out there. inspiring!




also, jillian phillips, a lovely artist with lilla rogers (a SUPER awesome studio - check them out for other phenomenal artists), was incredibly sweet and chatty. and i'm COMPLETELY in love with her work! check it out here.



all in all, a worthwhile use of my time :) nina and i are making plans to be as bold as jessica next year, and try and get our very own booth at printsource!!

treasure hunting

the past few days i've spent hours being sucked into interweb land..... i feel like time is flying by and i'm getting nothing done, but then i remember that i need to stock up on inspiration. i'm like a squirrel right now, collecting my nuts, hahah. and then i go into a brief hibernation and when i wake up i have new ideas! wah-hoo! anyway, i spent some of my non-existent disposable income today on an amazing pendant from OlaDesign (check out her etsy shop - it's chock full of beautiful things!). i won't tell you which one cause it's a surprise present for someone special...

i've been researching my booty off, trying to figure out how i can make my own pendant necklaces, using my art. seriously, what did anyone DO before the internet? i found resources galore, and hopefully in the next few weeks you should see some original jewelry popping up in my etsy shop. and yes, i realize i'm very etsy-centric right now. i love it. so sue me.

if anyone is looking for info on making their own resin jewelry, check out this really informative e-how video by yet another etsy-ite.

ALSO, check out these awesome papers i found at the paper studio.




pretty sweet.

craft robo!!

i want one of these.
see the great etsy article about them here.

happy new year!

i can't believe it's 2009. time really does go by faster when you get old :) 2008 was a good year, all told - there were some seriously rough patches, but i feel like i got spit out the other end of it in pretty good shape. i'm in such a positive place now - it's a nice way to start a new year.

i never did go in much for new years resolutions. they always seemed to bring more negativity than anything else, because they were always about "fixing" something i didn't like about myself. they inevitably arose from some negativity i was nurturing (i'm not thin enough, i'm not disciplined enough, i'm not a good enough friend, i'm lazy, etc.), and were always way too intense and lofty to be realized in any real or lasting way, so they only brought me disappointment and some seriously mean inner dialog. so i threw the whole idea of resolutions out the window a few years ago. this year though, it seems that a different kind of resolution has snuck its way past my anti-resolution guards. it's not so much a resolution as a recognition of something that has been brewing for a while, and that the beginning of a new year is a nice way to bring it more clearly into the light. it's a pretty simple idea; i am being kind to myself. i'm forgiving myself, and more than anything, cultivating a loving attitude. and it's having huge and unexpected results. i'm happier, more relaxed, and more motivated to work my butt off. it's basically pretty rad.

so anyway, here's to a new year and a new kind of resolution. may 2009 bring you peace of mind, and may you be super duper sweet to yourself and others!

jingle bells, batman smells

So much for bi-weekly blog updates. I'm finding that the days seem to have fewer and fewer hours lately (and I'm not just talking hours of daylight)- and I think it's a good thing, because it's a result of my increased enthusiasm for, well, life in general. I have so many things that I want to do, so many projects I want to work on, stuff to create - it's exciting but it also means I'm constantly overestimating how much I can do in a day, so I'm always feeling a little behind my brain. Really, it's like a switch has been flipped, and my little brain is on overdrive! Sometimes steam comes out of my ears.
Anyway, it seems that the christmas season has been slipping by without me noticing, and all the holiday type things I wanted to do are not getting done. I'm being pretty zen about it though... I let go of the idea that I was going to be able to make and send christmas cards to everyone (sorry guys) - and I'm running out of time to decorate the apartment (although I'm having fun "researching" for inspiration - check out nest and design sponge)! Never mind all the hand-made gifts I'm planning to magically whip out of my tuchas in the next week or so. Oy! But I did manage to get some holiday-related stuff up on my etsy shop - although I haven't had any bites, and I'm thinking it might be too late at this point to hope for any! Nevertheless, this is my place to share artistic brain farts, so here are some things I'm playing with....







Also, Matt and I bought some sumi paper and are playing around with making our own wrapping paper - here's one I came up with....



If I don't post again before the new year - have a really happy holiday!!

xx