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In this piece he is pictured as a little boy. He used to have a pet lamb, and he currently runs a cat rescue (hence all the cats) and he works at a library (that's why he's reading). He also used to have a tree house as a young boy so I added the ladder. This piece was a lot of fun to work on, loved adding all the details.
Labels: custom artwork
It's a 3 part series on fine crafts. Here's a little text from their web site: Craft in America television viewers will travel throughout the United States visiting America’s premier craft artists in their studios to witness the creation of handmade objects, and into homes, businesses and public spaces where functional art is employed and celebrated.
It says it's on at 8pm on the Craft in America web site -- but my PBS has it on at 1am-4am. Thank goodness for Tivo! Check it out, it looks good!
Labels: tv
Labels: tv
- cleaned the house, vacuumed and mopped all the floors
- went to this nursery, bought wild flowers & planted them
- watched The Last King of Scotland thanks to Netflix
- Filed 32 artworks for copyright
- worked on a custom artwork order
- did laundry
- had yummy hummus at this resturant
- packed mail/packages that need to be sent out
- had family over for Memorial Day BBQ (veggie burgers for me!)
- watched On The Lot - it's getting good!
- did yoga
- worked on questions for an interview
- email - lots of it!
- mulled over business stuff, important decisions to make!
- wore my new shirts love them!
- talked to friends
see you tomorrow!
Labels: movies, this and that
I was excited to see my friend Jennifer Perkins was on it. Yay Jen!
Speaking of Jen, she runs an indie fashion and craft show in Austin called Stitch and they are now accepting applications.
If you make crafty goodness, go ahead and apply!
Labels: this and that
Labels: pets
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PS. Anyone watching On The Lot? I am liking it!!
Labels: artwork
The total driving time was 10 hours because of making stops to pee-pee puppies, change litter, feed and water etc. But everyone made it to Chicago safely and the final critter count for this trip was 52! That's 52 little animals all going to loving new homes! yay!!! Next week she will drive to Wisconsin with more fur babies.
I called Bernie to let her know the donation amount has now passed $1,000 and she was overcome with emotion. She is so grateful to everyone for their help. Every little helps so thank you so much!
Bernie will be driving back to TN on Saturday all day then will post an update of her trip to her blog! Thank you to everyone for positing the 6 degrees badge to your blogs. It is helping so much!
Labels: shopping, this and that
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But then through our crying we both started talking about her upcoming transport and the animals that can be saved.
Next week, Bernie is going to drive 60 little lives to Chicago and Wisconsin to be adopted -- these are little puppies and kittens who were on death row and would not be alive had Bernie not pulled them from animal control. These 60 fur babies will be adopted out at no kill humane societies, when she does this, all the puppies and kittens find home within 3 days of her taking them there! There is hope along with the sadness.
But Bernie needs our help. The cost to run the transports will be around $1500. The air conditioned cargo van to rent costs $600, gas is $240 to Wisconsin and back and $180 to Chicago, she goes through approx 40lbs of Dog food A DAY and the transports take about 2 days each min. Then 20lbs of cat food a day + medical certificates and shots for all the animals. You can imagine how it adds up. She gets no monetary help from the humane societies and relies on outside donations alone.
Here's what you can do to help. Any small donation, even $5 or $10 will help. If we can get 100 people to donate $10 each that would be wonderful! If you aren't able to donate money, please consider placing this 6degrees badge (at bottom) on your blog. The more people who find out the good work Bernie does, the more people who can help. To add the badge to your blog, just click the "add to site" link at the bottom of the badge.
Click here to read more about Bernie's rescue, A Place to Bark.
Labels: pets
If you have your own crafty business check out the forum, which is a message board/community of indie business gals.
There are tons of helpful people on there talking about PR, web sites, shopping carts, and other things to make their business better.
I just spent an hour in the PR forum (my favorite topic!) reading all the messages.
I am super glad I found this group. Now to find more hours in the day to spend reading all the messages!
Labels: web site
- Cleaned the house, vacuumed and mopped all the floors
- Unpacked the suitcases still in my studio from Art & Soul
- Unpacked 60lbs of stuff I shipped home from Art & Soul
- Watched Big Night from netflix (loved it!)
- Went to the Dandelion Cafe for the first time (cute!)
- Went to The Enzian and saw The TV Set (loved it)
- Worked on custom artwork orders
- Visited the Birds of Prey Center (baby owls!!)
- Framed 7 pieces of art for a show at a NC gallery
- Worked on my new book proposal (almost done!!)
- Packed mail/packages that need to be sent out tomorrow
- Did my VA state sales taxes from Art & Soul vendor night
whew! I didn't think I did much, but I guess I did. No wonder I am tired!
Labels: movies, this and that
The first was a box of my new line of 26 cards with The Greeting Place. The line is called Sweet & Sassy. All the cards came out great, colors look wonderful! They aren't on their web site yet, but will be soon.
The second box was a kit of papers and supplies for May from Scrap in Style TV. Oh boy!! What a super cool box. It even had lime green polka dotted tape in it. I was super excited. I use scrapbook papers to "clothe" my figures in my artwork (along with fabrics sometimes) so as I am opening all the papers I am exclaiming "this will make a cute skirt" and "perfect for an apron!" It's going to be fun to play with these!
Labels: products
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This is an image I just finished up last night for a German company called Teneues. I thought it would fit the IF theme with a slight stretch (there is a sign in the window of the beauty shop). Also maybe with this quote: "Harriet, I am starting to see signs that your gardening is damaging your cuticles"
Labels: illustration friday
1) I love TV and I am not ashamed to admit it. I get so excited when others love the same shows as me.
2) I got my ears pierced when I was 11 but I never wear earrings.
3) I am a future thinker, usually living in the future instead of now. I work very hard to be present but it often doesn't work.
4) I do yoga for exercise but it doesn't relax me. I don't think I have the breathing thing down right.
5) I am very task orientated but then I can procrastinate about weird things, like opening mail, or cashing checks.
6) I don't have a sweet tooth, I like all things salty.
7) I love Harry Potter. I can not wait for the last book to come out! I plan to clear my calendar and read for two days straight.
I tag: Charlotte, Jennifer , Martha, & Karen
Labels: tags
I found Friday on a Friday morning in 1987 when I was 12, he was already about a year old. It was the first week of 7th grade and he appeared one day at the bus stop. I decided we would call him Friday until we thought of a better name - we never did. He was my first found kitty in what will probably be a long history of finding homeless cats!
I remember bringing him in the house and he freaked out, running behind all the furniture, couldn't wait to escape. So we started feeding him outside. In the winter he would venture in and sleep on my Dad's favorite leather chair for a few days then get really anxious to be let out. We tried for years to make him an indoor cat but he would have none of it! He would get really nasty if we kept him in too long! Finally when he was 16 he was ready to live inside and enjoy retirement and he spent the last remaining years enjoying lounging in the sun, my Mom and Dad at his beck and call.
As all pets are loved, they are also mile markers in our lives. Friday was there for for me through more than half my life: middle school, first boyfriends, highschool, college, my first jobs, my marriage. I miss you already big boy!
Labels: pets
After I went to the dentist, I went over to my friend Martha's to hang out and chat with her. I love seeing her, always makes me feel better! I was feeling kind of down yesterday but now I feel good again!
Martha and I checked out Infusion Tea which is a new-to-me tea place. Cute and nice atmosphere. I even liked my ice tea, I don't usually like ice tea so that is saying a lot that I liked it!
On my way home from Martha's I braved nasty traffic to stop by Sam Flax so I could pick up my favorite pens. All my pens are down to nubs so I need ones with new tips. I plan to get a lot of studio work done this week so I need fresh pens!
Labels: this and that
I am super excited to be a part of the team. It looks like it will be a lot of fun! Since I am not a scrapbooker in the traditional sense, they told me I could do my regular stuff and show some of my fun techniques to their scrapping/crafting audience. I am excited!!
What's Scrap in Style TV?
It's a web based TV show and networking community for crafters and scrapbookers, that is super stylish of course! Even if you're not a scrapbooker there is sure to be lots of crafty goodness available. Don't forget to check it out!
PS. Since I was traveling so much the last few weeks, I was out of the loop for the RAK contest so visit these other Scrap in Style design team members to sign up on their blogs:
Jody Ferlaak
Wilna Furstenberg
Lisa Garay
Gigi Kennedy
Adrienne Looman
Becky Novacek
Michelle Ramirez
Becca Sutton
Jo-Anne te Raa
Kayla Aimee Terrell
Ashley Wren
Kerry Lynn Yeary
Jeanette Herdman
Andrea Weibe
Kayla Aimee Terrel
Courtney DeLaura
Bernadette Henderson
Kelli Darr
Labels: publicity
On another animal note, my friend Bernie of A Place to Bark Animal Rescue is in dire need of our help. Click here to read more.
Labels: pets
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Here's a photo of my Mom when she was in her 20's working at the AP in Johannesburg. Do I have that right Mom?. She's sitting on Mr Universe's shoulder's! Love it!
Grrr! Again!
More and more I think I'll just switch to DHL for all my custom artwork shipping. I usually ship the smaller boxes Priority Mail but by the time in I factor in insurance and delivery confirmation DHL is cheaper and usually gets there faster, the only bad part is then you have to buy the boxes.
Labels: this and that
PS. I am actually getting work done today believe it or not -- between taking photos of Toby and my skirt. I have been writing my new book proposal. Yay!
PPS. Anyone out there watching Shear Genius??? I like it. Way better than Top Designer, not as good as Project Runway but I'll take it for now until PR comes back.
Labels: pets, project runway, tv
Here's a photo to prove it - see Dad I do have legs!
Labels: this and that
Toby wasn't happy about the vet visit at all, but we were thrilled to see his eyes are now making more tears on their own. The medicine we have been using is working! yay!
I also got Mabel checked, and she has another bladder infection. Grrr! We stay so on top of it -- testing her every couple weeks. She has been good with no infection for a long time so I guess I can't complain. I came home with antibiotics for her and hopefully that will clear things up.
I also picked up pill pockets for my Dad's cat Friday who is 21 (yes 21 years old!!!). I found Friday when I was 12 and he was already a year old, can you believe it! Friday is now having a hard time eating enough food so he been prescribed an appetite stimulant but he won't take his pill. We are going to see if pill pockets will do the trick. Mabel loves them and gobbles them right up, but then Mabel will eat anything, she is a piggy. Here's a photo of her to the left to prove what a piggy she is!
So today was all about the pets! Other than pet caring, I checked my email (almost done with it all!) and made a few phone calls and now I am sleepy again. It always takes me a few days to recover from a long teaching stint. See you tomorrow!
Labels: pets
Labels: this and that
I won't officially be teaching again until October at Art and Soul in Portland! I *might* do a September class in Miami but I can drive to that so that doesn't count. I have lots on my list to get done this summer and I want to make sure I have to get it all done and *maybe* also find time to experiment and play too!!
A few things on my list for the rest of this week is:
- find new homeowner's insurance for our house (AllState dropped all FL homes... grrr!)
- start really super duper promoting my custom artworks, I want to get to a point where I have a steady flow of custom artwork orders. At least 3 orders a week is my goal!
- Do an illustration promo and send packets off to possible companies for licensing
- Make an appt with some kind of natural healer person who can help me with my migraines. I had one every day since last Wed. ugh!
- Start on the two book proposoals I need to get done.
- Make appt for Toby to go to the vet to have his eyes checked for proper tear production
Labels: custom artwork, workshops
Tonight I got a lot of my left over supplies packed up to ship back home. I'll send them off tomorrow so I can make sure DHL actually picks them up. Then bring the rest of the stuff home in my suitcase on Tuesday.
I'm getting all ready for the finale of The Amazing Race! I think this round I want the beauty queens to win. They really grew on me this season.
Tomorrow's my last day of teaching and then packing up to come home. So I'll see you when I get back!
I just got my class roster for tonight and I am excited to see Andra is in my class. Andra babysat Stanley for us when we went to go pick him up from Atlanta. She is such a sweetie and I am sure I'll get all squealy and excited reminiscing about Stan and what a little baby he was!
Off to order more food from the hotel children's menu... tonight maybe it will be mac and cheese? I don't know!
Yesterday I had kind of a wild ride over to the hotel from the airport. I arrived in Newport News and grabbed an airport cab. It was an old and cruddy cab, but cabs always seem to be old and crappy at least all the ones I get so I wasn't worried. The guy drives for about 10 minutes and then says "I need to stop at the gas station to pick up some coolant"
So I am thinking um OK, either this guy is really going to get coolant or he's going to get duct tape and rope and I'm going to end up at the side of the road somewhere. Luckily he came out with the coolant and pours the WHOLE bottle in the engine and then throws the bottle in the front seat and starts driving again. I said to him "do you think maybe you should call me another cab?"
He says no it will be fine and drives for another 3 or 4 minutes then turns around and tells me he is taking me BACK to the airport so I can get another cab. Oh boy!!
And did I mention it's like 90 degrees out and his car has no AC.
So he takes me back and then I get out and haul my luggage into another cab and then the guy tells me "no charge ma'am"
Oh wow! OK thanks for being so generous!
It was so funny!
Well it's time for me to eat and run off to my next class. I am teaching day + night classes today and tomorrow. Saturday I will be a zombie, good thing I am not teaching that day! See you later!
Thankfully my dad shipped 2 big boxes off for me while we were in Italy. I should have 60lbs of stuff waiting for me when I get there. I am so glad I shipped so much ahead -- it has made packing today much easier. I even had room for snacks and things to stock my hotel room with to eat for lunch. I *think* there is a Target within walking distance to the hotel but I can't remember for sure. I won't have a ride until Lesley gets there on Friday night so I wanted to bring provisions just in case!
I am also bringing things with me to work on. I have the day off Saturday before vending and I thought that would be a perfect day to work on the book proposals I need to get done.
I'll be bringing my laptop so see you when I get to Virginia!