Shifting Gears...

School has begun and this mama is getting used to a whole new kind of life. It's an adjustment... like anything else. On one hand, I'm feeling sad and longing for the old days when my daughter had a half day at pre-school. We would often have a play date right after and at a nearby park and home for lunch together... or sometimes lunch out with grandma. Mostly, I'm missing that 'just the two of us' time. It's so rare.

However, the freedom and not so much rushing around is stellar! I've found myself mentally twitching with all the options there are to make art, take a class, do yoga, garden etc. It's staggering this kind of freedom! So, there will be much more art to share here in the next few months. I'm stepping into brand new territory :)

PS
Those prints will be in the shop by the weekend. And... I'm having a 20% off sale till the end of September. Coupon code: soulemama.

The Telephone Ladie's Party

I've been finishing up some ink drawings with gouache. This one is nearly done, but it wouldn't be in character to show you an actual finished piece! It just needs a few more touches here and there.

I've been hastily knitting a few things hoping to wrap 'em up before Christmas. Luckily, they don't need to go in the mail... which gives me extra days to finish :)

The etsy shop has been absolutely dead... crickets are all you can hear over there. Don't know exactly why... is it the economy or ? Last year was pretty busy. Oh well, everyone has an 'off' time I suppose. Wish I knew how to wake things up. Have a great weekend!

A Little Announcement...

Flower Market - acrylic on canvas (??about 26 x 30? can't remember!) - a work in progress.

Well, I was trying to keep it separate... but I just can't keep the secret! As a way to get myself back into painting on a more regular basis, I opened a new etsy shop just for my paintings as well as a painting blog to document my process. Call me crazy, like I have the time to manage 3 different blogs?! We'll see how it goes... I just thought it may be a bit more organized and less distracting to have separate places for different mediums/projects.

So, this painting is featured on my painting blog, http://www.takefivepaintings.blogspot.com/. My plan is to post about once a week over there. You can visit my new painting store at http://www.take5paintings.etsy.com/. The shop is a bit empty but hopefully it will fill up slowly over time!

By the Fireside

Here's a quote by Robert Lewis Stevenson... a very poor quality photograph :( sorry.

What is it about a fire that is so inviting? We had our first fire of the season tonight and it was (is) heaven. Earlier I was practicing calligraphy and writing little quotes on colored card stock. I was thinking with a little more planning and layout I could embellish some of them with illustrations and put them in my etsy shop. Who knows if anyone would ever want one, though! It seems like calligraphy is not that popular. With etsy - you never know what may appeal to someone... it's such a great place.

I'm adding a few new ink drawings with gouache to my etsy shop tonight... check it out!

New Things in My Little Shop

Sea Lilly wool felted purse

Detail of bird diptych I

Bird with egg predella - II

Detail of bird diptych I

Flight wool felted purse

Here are some new items I've added to my ETSY shop. I have a nice sale going on there right now. My fiber art purses are on sale and there's free shipping til May 31! It has been so great to have the shop back in order after a very long spell of photography problems. (the bird diptych has not yet been added to the shop but is coming soon)

I'm also planning a woodblock print give-away in the near future, so stay tuned for that! Other than that, I have been enjoying the holiday weekend! I've planted many seeds... wildflower mix, dill, basil, chamomile, marigolds and of course tons of violas. My son's veg garden is doing well... the lettuce and onions look quite good. All the lilacs are in bloom here -Spokane is known as the 'Lilac City'- and accordingly I will be planting 2 or 3 in our side front yard for a bit more privacy!

Now, I'm off to the grocery store to buy lots of apples for the pie I'm making. We're having a BBQ at my brother's house tomorrow, Yay!