I did this illustration for our own wedding invitation; I'm all mushy-romantic like that. :) It's framed on our dresser with this cutout from a newspaper that my best friend Kirsten gave us... I think the rest of the headline read "with soccer" and it was from the high school sports section of her local paper. Works for me!

And because I can't leave well enough alone, here's another one: I did this illustration for my sister-in-law's wedding invitation...



My friends Jon and Liz wanted an invitation that showed what a long journey it had been. This was what I painted for the outside:


And here was the inside:



(I love weddings!)

A body in motion stays in motion. In this house, you don't stop, ever. And you keep lots of lists.

It's been a really long time since I've done this, but I have my tiara on and my wand out. I'm granting wishes! Leave me a wish in the comments and I'll write back.

♥ Thanks to all who made wishes... wish time is done for now. REALLY.

The summer before my last semester of college, I had homework for my portfolio class: to create 100 sketches for proposed logos for my personal identity package. I remember being nervous that I had only done 97, but I honestly couldn't think of anything else. (Of course, once I got to class, I found that many others in the class had done about 5 ... I have always been a geek par excellence!) Anyway, once we got to the class, we all had to pin up our sketches and logos and have the rest of the class critique them. I had all these great logos, things I thought were totally sophisticated and designy looking, and instead of the cool ones, the whole class pointed to the one of this little girl with braids, riding exuberantly on an E. "That's the one," said the teacher. No, no, I protested, and tried to point to something more mysterious. "Nope." said another classmate. "The E one, that's you." I think I tried again to sway the class and was resoundingly outvoted! I'd known everyone in class for 4 years and the teacher as well, so I grudgingly figured they just might know what they were talking about. :)

I wound up winning an award for my logo package, had my resumes passed around ("We can't use you for the job, but your stuff was so great we gave it to the design company downstairs") and charmed my current employer with it - I think he may still have it on his bulletin board, after 13 years of me working there!

I made a conscious decision not to draw like that anymore, and it was really, truly, okay to say goodbye to it. I realized I didn't enjoy drawing things that were cartoonish and wanted more emotion and expression. But I still love this girl, and I love the stickers and cards I had printed back in the day - I still use them when I can (after cutting off the address, phone number, and my name, which have all changed after 14 years...)

Let me tell you some things Real Food is not.

It isn’t to be eaten with one hand while you’re driving and talking handsfree on your cell phone. It’s not something you gulp out of a styrofoam container while you run to catch the train. You don’t absently take bites out of it while watching TV, only to look down and forget where it all went or how it tasted.

Real Food could be practically anything as long as you love it, and you are aware of what you’re eating and you really, really savor it. Real Food must be made with love and eaten in good company. (Especially if that company is yourself; the next time you’re going to eat alone, put on great music, use the nice dishes, sit down and really taste what you’re eating!)

Now let me take it one step further: I think Real Food has ingredients you can understand. Things you’ve maybe eaten before; definitely things you can pronounce. For instance... what goes into french toast? Eggs, milk, bread; if you’re me, there’s vanilla and cinnamon too. No mono-deoxy-nonpronounceable anything.

I happen to be known online as the French Toast Girl because I really like french toast, but also because I have a philosophy about it, which goes like this: Life (like french toast) is made up of simple ingredients that combine to make up a marvelous concoction we often take for granted. Your life is full of wonderful flavors, and meant to be relished. And if you aren't crazy about the way your life tastes, remember: you're the one who controls how much sweetness goes on top, or if it's soggy and underdone.

Okay - so are you picturing your toast? Is it on a paper plate? Did it come from a box? Or did you make it yourself? Mine is on good dishes, with raspberries from my garden, eaten out on the porch in the early morning, with a pot of tea on the table, listening to the birds sing. You might have your whole family sitting around you, asking to pass the maple syrup. Or you might be sitting by yourself, looking out at the way the morning sunlight hits the trees, with your journal at hand in case you feel like writing something. Maybe you’re in a 5-star restaurant and a dashing young waiter has just lifted the lid off a silver serving tray and presented a platter of french toast to you, and the aroma is so good it’s knocking you off your chair. Are you with me?

If you’re thinking, “That’s lovely, but all I can picture is warmed up microwave french toast,” then my friend, here is your chance to turn things around. Try my current fave french toast recipe for oven-baked french toast. Enjoy it in peace and good company. And if you have a favorite french toast recipe, please share. I'd love to try it!

I'm so excited! I got to design the 2008 Mutts calendar! I usually don't share too much about my day job, but this is too cool to keep to myself. :)

We went to the Crayola factory this week, and darned if not too much has changed since this awesome Sesame Street clip from the 80s. I have wanted to visit the factory since then.

When they were making the crayons, the demonstrator let all the kids come up and put the wrappers on, and then asked if any parents wanted to do it. Of course I jumped right up! I said, “I thought you’d never ask!”

In my eagerness, I put my wrapper on backwards, so that you can see the stripes, but no name. The guy asked us if anyone did that, and to hold them up – I thought he was going to make us give them back! He said, "Now it’s your crayon! Name it whatever you want!" so the kids were all impressed with me that I beat the system.

♥ Squid squid squid squid squid: Season 38 of Sesame Street started last week; this bit of hilarity is from the season opener. The second I watched this, I knew it was going to be all over the internet. I just love the way Brian Williams relishes the word "squid." What a ham!

Alice In Wonderland painting for David T. This pic is older, just acrylic and coffee, now there's way more color. I will post more in-progress pics as I take 'em.


Unicorns, natch.


I think a fairy's going in this tree. Note the Henson poster to the side, waiting to get hung on the wall.


The painting for Petey with 25 more birds. I also painted him, by request, a chocolate-chip cookie; so that's up on the wall as well.

Hmmmm... I get the feeling that I like to paint trees, unicorns, and I like the color blue. :)

What are you working on now?

The time will come when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other's welcome,


and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you


all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,


the photographs, the desparate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

— Derek Walcott, from Collected Poems 1984-1984

Happy birthday to me.

This week, Paul and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. We had our first big party EVER since the kids were born, because we had more things to celebrate than we could count. My cousin Dean, who's a deacon and officiated at our wedding, gave us a special blessing - with the two of us surrounded by those who love us best. We are so blessed I don't even have words for it.

Me and Sophie in PJs, in the backyard.

This past week I started an experiment that's been so successful I'm doing it for another week (and another, and another.... ). It's rather simple: whenever I have a choice, I ask myself what the most succulent option is. Every time I can, I try to make something everyday, more magical, more artistic, more creative. I found I was getting into a bit of a rut and this has helped lots.

So, for example....

♥ Flowery sundresses win out every time over jeans shorts and a tank top.

♥ I wore my "good" jewelry even though nobody was going to see it except us.

♥ I spent a few extra minutes to do something with my hair that did not involve me pulling it quickly out of my face into a ponytail. Braids, jewelled barettes, you name it.

♥ Meals, with a little planning, have been more exciting ... penne with broccoli rabe and soy sausage; tortellini with homemade spinach pesto, black olives, and salmon; tofu, grilled veggies, and couscous. I baked two loaves of bread and the house smelled wonderful. And I had wine with dinner! We've always eaten healthy, but this week we ate dinners with more creative flair. I even packed myself nice lunches so that I could look forward to it the next day (instead of my usual scrounge around the fridge).

♥ "The fairies" left another note in the backyard for the kids.

♥ I cleaned like mad, did some redecorating, bought lots of frames and took care of some paintings that have been waiting to be hung up for years. I also got into a very "zen" mindset about mat-cutting (usually stresses the heck out of me) and cut beautiful, stress-free mats instead!

♥ I found old paintings and gave them new life - one painting that originally had two birds in a tree, got 25 more brightly-colored friends. :)

I had a few other simple guidelines:

♥ I would paint every day.
♥ I would spend some time, by myself, in nature every day.
♥ I would write in my journal, every day.


And PJs in the backyard? Always a succulent choice.

I know two fantastic, artistic Mamas - Jill and Michelle - who along with me have formed our own little Divine-Mama-Art-Society. We've made a tight circle who unfortunately don't live close to each other, but we stay in close contact through emails and Skype and the occasional package. We met on SARK's Marvelous Message board many years ago and gravitated towards each other as women who were serious about their art, and serious about being fantastic moms.


Jill's first book, Summers At Blue Lake, is coming out tomorrow. I have had the pleasure of getting to read it and I think it's just great. If you like Sue Monk Kidd, you should most definitely check this one out. There is so much fluff-lit out there, with the same recycled plot and stupid characters, that it's a relief to read something engaging and entertaining like Jill's story. You can read a book description and more here.

Help a new author out... If you know of any bookclubs, reading groups, or small bookstores you think might be interested in reading, purchasing, or doing anything else with her book, please let her know. She's available to book clubs over the phone (she'll call in), and she's doing readings and interviews at different book stores in Pennsylvania, where she lives.

I am so incredibly proud of Jill and how she's managed to write, paint (she's a fantastic artist and photographer), design, decide her job wasn't doing it for her and quit, be a wonderful mom and wife, and have two more books waiting in the wings. She and Michelle inspire the heck out of me (Michelle will be getting a post dedicated to her soon) on pretty much a daily basis. Their kids are all older than mine, and when I would be in the depths of despair, they would encourage me that things would get easier and to keep creating. Jill's book is out; Michelle just got her proofs back from the printer for her book with her illustrations... I have some catching up to do! :)

♥ ♥ ♥
ps ~ I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but I have been doing a whirlwind of a (good!) dance around here. More to come....

When you spit from the twenty-sixth floor
And if floats on the breeze to the ground
Does it fall upon hats
Or on white persian cats
Or on heads, with a pitty-pat sound?
Oh, I used to think life was a bore
But I don't feel that way any more
As count up the hits,
As I smile as I sit,
As I spit from the twenty-sixth floor.

~ Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends

My favorite poem of all time. Hands down.
Listen to the master read it (and others) himself, here (track 26).

!

The kids went to Pennsylvania this weekend to visit their cousins (2+ hours, we're going to take it in stages next time), SLEPT OVER in Jude's bed (and didn't wet anything!), went on a boat, made s'mores, ate lots of pancakes, played with lots and lots of matchbox cars, had a singalong and got a preview of songs from Uncle Marc's new-CD-in-progress, and saw waterfalls. I have high hopes that this is going to help pave the way for more traveling.

♥ Our photos here
♥ Their cousins' pics here

Remember this and this?

I'm proud to say... the kids are actually toilet-trained. Those of you who think this is no big deal have no idea what it's like to train three kids, all at the same time. It's freaking amazing.

No more diapers.
No more training pants, not even at night.
No more potties (they have to use the regular toilet because I refuse to clean them anymore). We tried to sell them off at our garage sale.

My advice for anyone embarking on this adventure...

Be really consistent; they're pretty confused about the whole thing so doing everything the same way, every time, helps get it through their heads.

Don't be afraid to put your foot down. I just said one day, "Oh, we don't wear diapers in the house during the day anymore." And they said, "Oh, okay!" and it wasn't an issue. Same as, "We're not wearing diapers at school now," and the ever-popular, "When this package of training pants* is gone, we will not buy any more. So if you don't want pee in your bed, you'll get out of it and go to the bathroom. And we'll help you."

Get a potty that is all in one piece. The ones that come apart so you can clean them? Not good. Because that means pee can get into the cracks, leak out, whatever. In addition to the FIVE potty seats we had around the house, we still have two seats that fit over the seat of the toilet (because my kids are on the small side and are still convinced they will fall in). One is one solid piece of plastic. I love it. The other has a puffy seat, handles, comes apart. It almost always has pee between the layers and I'm always cleaning it so the bathroom doesn't smell like a hamster cage; one day when Paul had the power washer out I made him hose it down because I couldn't stand it. Do yourself a favor and don't buy this.

And finally...

Be patient, and pray a lot. It is one full year since we started training with the kids; I pray it doesn't take that long for anyone else. But be patient with them, and especially boys, biologically their bladder is not as developed as girls their same age, so they may not know when it's full (which was the case in our house). Try to praise them as much as you can when they do something right, and try not to make a big deal out of the accidents. In our house, treating nighttime pees and changes of bedding like it's no big deal has really helped the kids be less tense about the whole thing.

And yes, I still want to have a Potty Party for them to celebrate.

* I know I said we wouldn't use training pants; we used them very sparingly, like at night when we were teaching them to get up and use the toilet, because they couldn't handle taking on and off diapers by themselves. I didn't like using them. :)

While I may not have tape on my specs, I am a geek from way back.

For more geeky goodness, don't miss Minimum Wage. Back in my a cappella days I remember them as being some of the nicest and funniest people we shared a stage with.

And according to this test, I am a Modern, Cool, Nerd. Like we didn't already know that.

It's been print central 'round my house. I've been scanning, comparing, and rescanning like mad. Everyone pitched in; Paul manned the printer, and I had the best little assistants you could ever hope to see who walked them over to the post office and placed them on the counter themselves (I had to lift them up, but they insisted on seeing the job through and protested when I suggested handing the packages off to me!) The first batch of orders are in the mail, and can I just say how fun it's been to see what people are choosing! The surprises are my favorites. :)

I think she's some sort of druidical acolyte who worships in an oak grove. Amazing what comes out of a little doodle...

♥ Note to i-fri-ers: this and pretty much every other piece of artwork on this site is now available as a print!

If I were a resident of Springfield... I may go back and do a little photoshopping; I need the hair to be twice as long, and bigger. :)

♥ Make your own (and post the link here to share!)
♥ See the flickr group and add your own, I was about to add mine when I spotted Ally and Tim!
♥ You can see my bro's, along with his real picture, here.

I got the loveliest email from Jo and her class about their own adventures in chalking, and she was kind enough to give me permission to share the story here. (Hi class! You guys are fantastic chalkers!) It put a huge grin on my face; I hope it does the same for you.

[Jo says.... ] I asked them what they would write if they were allowed to. Some just wanted to see their name, others wanted instructions (danger road!) but most of the girls wanted to make people smile with cool pictures and nice words.

We had a good chat about graffiti and how this version was not permanent and all the better for that.

Then they got into groups of two or three, chose a word or a phrase and set to. We decided to have a go in our 'secret garden' so that it wasn't so public as it was our first try.

The results are amazing. Some of the children started small and then discovered they had no limitations; it wasn't like using a piece of paper. we were out for a hour and everyone concentrated for the whole time...not bad for a group of seven and eight year olds.

They were so delighted with what they had done, they wanted to show everyone. The best view was from an upstairs form room but you had to get close to appreciate the detail and the joy in every inch.

Sadly the rain came a few hours later, but not before we had recorded our 'adventures in chalking'

Hope you like the results ... We are now plotting more 'Phantom chalking'

More reading I've been doing lately, in between going through my collection of old Ellery Queen novels, has been stuff like The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids. Paul picked this up from the library with Sophie in mind, but reading through it actually put some things about Angela in a different light for me. Regarding her behavioral issues, some of the points hit home -- for intstance, acting up out of boredom (which she has freely admitted to me) and her stubborn need to do things her own way, and the fact that she tries to negotiate with me about them like a little lawyer. (She's 3.) While I'm not labeling her anything, it's certainly opened our eyes to a wider scope of what we might be dealing with here.

As for Miss S., we've known since before she could talk that we were dealing with a kid that was off the charts. At her one-year checkup, she knew all her colors, body parts, and about 10 shapes. She taught herself to read at two, can write, draws constantly, can find all 50 states on a map.... we just keep trying to answer her questions and feed her thirst for knowledge, and make sure she gets outside a ton and plays away from books. (She's 4 now.) The other night at dinner we were talking about opposites with the kids. After a couple of minutes we had gotten through all the obvious ones, and I said, "Tasty.....?" Sophie thought for a minute and said, "Inedible."

And Petey.... I think Peter is biding his time. He's been working on seeing how far he can jump and pretending he's cooking the family gourmet meals; a habit that I for one want to encourage. :)

Getting ready for a garage sale this weekend, which I don't feel in the least bit prepared for. I refuse to hire a sitter to help with the kids during the sale, because there's the profits of the garage sale - I can just hand it over! :) Paul pointed out that the goal is not to make any money, but to get rid of stuff to someone who can use it, so if I look at it that way, it makes perfect sense. We have three of everything baby related (car seats of various sizes, clothing, booster seats, a highchair, toys... ) and we can certainly use the space!

Helping to take the edge off is repeated listenings of Memory Almost Full - it's in extremely heavy rotation at our house. I had written a review for my friend Craig, but the more I listen, the more songs I like and more things that grab me. The one thing I will say is that "Mr. Bellamy" is far and away the standout track. There are some posts going around online that are saying that it's about a cat in a tree, but the lyrics are clearly about a guy on a ledge and the people trying to talk him down (which Paul confirms in an interview). It makes me wish I was an animator, because it would make a marvelous video in the same style as "Free As A Bird".

♥ Hear "Mr. Bellamy" with a slide show with lyrics here
♥ See "Free as a Bird" here

The order form's up and ready for action! If you've already emailed me, I'll be writing back to you tonight about your order. (Correction, they're still being sent out.)

Most requested so far:

♥ The reading fairy (detail here, and many more fairies to be found here, btw)
♥ Edgar Allan Poe/lar Bear
♥ Balance (which I have hanging on my fridge!)

While I am still trying to go through and tag all my posts, in the meantime, if there's something you remember, go to Google and type in "french toast girl" and whatever you remember. That's what I do!

Other quick note: I've gone through my Yahoo Groups list and deleted any members whose messages have bounced or email address is out of date. If you think you might have gotten lost in the shuffle, please check (or sign up!) here to make sure you're included in news and announcements.

I have been trying to put into practice two tenets of "The Strong-Willed Child" (which mostly applies to Miss Angela). One is that I pray for the strength to be able to SHAPE her will, and not BREAK it. God gave her this amazing spirit, and entrusted me to be her mama. I want her to be the unique person she is meant to be, but not at the expense of everyone's else's sanity. I'm in charge, not a three-year-old, and she knows it, but she's the one when everyone else is playing nicely, will look around and decide things aren't quite exciting for her and need a little stirring up. (I have seen her say, sweetly, "Oh, Peter?" and when he turned to look at her, smiled while she punched him in the face.) Not that Angela is a bully, far from it. Most of the time she's quite sweet and kind-hearted. But when there's trouble, she usually is the one stirring it up, and then is difficult to stop.

While the book recommends spanking the child with a paddle, and then putting it up on display so that they will be reminded of this and that You Are Boss, I just can't do that. I am not a wuss - in fact, we are quite strict with our kids - I just grew up without being spanked and I think that's the way to go. So the other concept I've taken from this book is: I need to find some immediate consequence that bothers Angela enough to deter her from bad behavior. For Sophie, giving her a look and saying sternly, "Do you want to sit in the corner?" is enough to make her stop whatever she's doing; actually going in the corner has her in tears because she wants so badly to make us happy (this is the kind of kid I was, btw). Angela could care less! One time I completely lost it and was screaming myself red in the face at her, and she laughed. Sophie would have been sobbing. That's another point in this book I appreciated; it's not that we're bad parents, or lazy, or whatever. It's that Angela's completely different in her behavior than the other two. And we need other tactics. She's not fond of time-outs, and we do those, but we're still thinking up something else we can use as a deterrent, especially at bedtime.

As for me growing up, we had The Wooden Spoon, which Mom would sort of swat at you with but it didn't hurt because you could always run faster than she did. I remember one day rolling my eyes at her and saying, "It doesn't hurt, Mom," like, come on, you have to do better than that! And she explained about our friend's house, where the kids wait till their Dad gets home from work and he takes off his belt and whacks them with it if their Mom reports they've done something wrong. Would we rather do it that way instead? Because Mom could talk to Daddy about it and work something out if we'd prefer that. No, no, that was quite okay, we reassured her. The Spoon was just fine, and hey, did she need us to set the table or take out the garbage or something? And by the way, Mom, you're looking lovely today.

We are cleaning house with a vengeance - books, CDs, clothes, and other stuff is getting set up to be either garage sale or eBay-bound. It's cathartic; cleaning house is good for organizing your mind as well. In the midst of getting ready for the garage sale (where Paul will not be parting with any of his beloved Macs), I find myself thinking of things I can actually use.

Does anyone know where I can find....

A skort that looks like this. Sophie has a bunch from Target, handed down from a friend (as far as I know, Target's not making them anymore). They are made out of sweatshirt material, in bright colors, and look like a full skirt with a pair of shorts underneath in the same color. The link above is the closest thing I could find to what one in my size would look like, 'cept that's a skirt (no shorts). I love the wide waistband and would love it even more if it were closer to knee-length. This is my problem: I fall in love with clothes that were designed for a 4-year-old. Foo. I could sew up a skirt, but adding shorts in is I think beyond me.

Good waffle recipes or a recipe for a sandwich maker that uses dough instead of bread. I finally got my Mother's Day present, a waffle iron (which I asked for, I know, I'm so domestic) so I could make the family healthy waffles instead of the loaded-with-preservatives version that you find in the freezer section. Anyway, the model we got has a sandwich maker with it, and I see possibilities for making calzones and fruit tarts and other things I can make and batch-freeze. We easily go through 1/2 a loaf at a sitting, but if I could make dough and use that instead, I think a little would go a long way.

An 80's rainbow shirt - they were white with 3/4-length sleeves and the rainbow went from one arm across the shirt to the other arm. I can't even find a picture of one online! This is so geeky of me, but I love rainbows, in a cheesy 80's sort of way. Darnit, maybe I'll just have to make one myself.

We're officially on vacation this week, which means lots of fun day trips with the kiddos. Tuesday they saw an exhibit of Steve Gerberich's work that mixed machines and art, with buttons at kid height to push to get them going. The sculptures were full of toys and everyday objects that the kids could recognize; they loved pointing things out and seeing them move. Angela and Sophie's favorite was a machine that played music and contained the inner workings of a cuckoo clock. I really dug a sculpture where everything in it was blue - rubber ducks, hair curlers, flip flops, and the centerpiece - a child's chair in the shape of Cookie Monster. You can see a clip of an interview with him here. The sculptures look scarier than they really are - more zany than anything else. The kids also really dug that they could spot a doll of James Brown - yes, what discerning kiddos I have!

Note: as cool as this exhibit was, I was rather annoyed that the museum's website did not mention that due to construction, almost HALF the museum was closed at the time for renovation. We saw enough to interest three preschoolers, but just barely. The fact that the rock and mineral exhibit hadn't changed for 25 years (when I'd been there last, I like nostalgia), and this art exhibit, kept me quiet.

I realized I never posted final versions of that EDiM fairy reading a book - she was meant for a banner for the awesome Notes On Design blog. Here she is atop the newsletter:



And here's a closeup of the finished piece, which, by the way, you can get a print of! (Currently, I'll only be doing prints in the US, but I'm looking into overseas as well, so fear not.)

While I'm going through and trying to tag each post for ease of finding artwork so that you can search for things like "Illustration Friday" or "fairies" and making myself a form (not to mention hanging out in the hammock in my pjs), make sure you check out these goodies:

♥ It was 40 years ago today: Macca Radio is playing "Breakfast with the Beatles" showcasing Sgt. Pepper with commentary from George Martin and Paul McCartney. I loved George's book, "All You Need Is Ears" which breaks down everything you hear on the album, from the calliope music and the alarm clock to the air conditioning system in the studio. I even learned that "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields" were originally supposed to be on Sgt. Pepper but they needed to rush out a single...

♥ Memory Almost Full: Unless you have been living under a rock :) you know that Paul McCartney has a new album out, which you can listen to here! Annnnnnd, iTunes FINALLYhas Paul McCartney's entire back catalogue! (underline, bold bold bold, picture me dancing around my living room) While it seems really odd to me not to be holding an album physically in my hands, we might just go all-digital for this one. I look forward also to updating my copies of, well, everything I have vinyl for, purchased at Beatle festivals and used-record places over the years. Plus all those bonus tracks... I can finally get a clean copy of "Daytime Nighttime Suffering", at last.

I get numerous requests for prints of my artwork. I sat down and tried to decide which ones were worth printing, how many should I make, what would appeal to the most people, etc. And then we came up with this:

1. You tell me what painting you want a print of. Anything I have ever posted on this site is up for grabs.
2. I make it and send it to you.
3. Enjoy!


I'm working on coding the forms, setting up the paypal stuff, but I figured that making the announcement would inspire me to hurry it along. If you can't wait till then send me an email and we'll figure something out.

The details thus far:
* 5" x 7" print for $5
* 8" x 10" print for $10
* shipping included in the price
* printed on gorgeous glossy paper
* long-lasting inks in bright colors

It's going to just be that simple, from start to finish, because all I ever wanted to do is make art and share it.

So here goes. ♥

Well, the fishies aren't done, but you haven't seen the last of them! I'll finish the painting up and post on the progress, whenever it's completed. I've enjoyed painting each day, and even though I won't be posting a new pic every day, I'll still be creating like mad - though in June I'll be looking forward to having time to do other things, like sew, cook, and do some journal writing. Not to mention spending more time with the hubby since he's done teaching... :)

Congratulations to everyone who pledged to create every day, and to those who supported them. I would love to hear from everyone - how'd it go? Was it fun? Was it torture? Would you do it again?

See all my month's posts for May here. See the whole Flickr group here!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the NEWS!

I thought I was going to be spending the evening with masking fluid and toothpicks, blocking out the white areas so I could do the water, blah blah blah, and all of a sudden, I thought, why? So I decided to just jump in and get splashy and wet with it. Believe me, I had a lot more fun! :)

♥ May may be almost over, but make sure to tune in JUNE 1 for exciting news! ♥

When my incredibly talented friend Allyson posted this photo for her Every Day In May project, I told her I had to paint it. So Ally, this one's for you!

The sleeping fairy in our garden, a present from Snowflake. I think she has more if you'd like a fairy to take a nap in your garden too. :)

My studio is sweltering hot... will work more tomorrow. :) I just may be done with this one, but I always need some breathing space to decide for sure.

My last part of my portfolio article is up at Design Sessions! You can read the four parts here:

Showcasing your illustrations
Setting up your gallery
Finishing touches
How to get it all done

♥ ♥ ♥ RECITALS ARE OVER! ♥ ♥ ♥

On-the-go playlist for a ride to Grandma's with three preschoolers who like to sing (links to YouTube where available):

1-2-3 Sesame Street - Stevie Wonder
Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing - Stevie Wonder (I swear, the other day, Petey put his hand on my knee and said, "Don't you worry about a thing, pretty mama.")
Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day - Stevie Wonder
Falling Over You - Rockapella
We All Stand Together - Paul McCartney
Let 'Em In - Wings (this is the kids' new favorite song)
Mah Na Mah Na - Jim Henson
Here Comes the Moon - George Harrison
Flowers are Red - Harry Chapin
Jennifer Juniper - Donovan
Wynken Blynken and Nod - Donovan
The Owl and The Pussycat - Donovan
There is a Mountain - Donovan
Don't Let's Start - They Might Be Giants
C Moon - Paul McCartney

One more night of recitals... eight more days of straight painting. How are you guys doing?

I just wrote, and erased, a recap of my ride home from Grandma and Grandpa's, complete with needing to physically restrain Angela from kicking and hitting her twin repeatedly in the car, but you know what? It was enough going through it the first time.

Running on fumes today.... the background was all I could manage. Three recitals down, two more to go.

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Do yourself a favor and check out Summer Pierre's fantastic 'zine, "The Artist At Work." Not only does she completely get it, she is sending it out for FREE, just for asking. Go right now and ask her for a copy while she's still offering! I have mine!

There is definitely a feeling out there that the only real artists are the ones who quit their day jobs. I can tell you that you can be just as serious and inspired by having a day job to support that dream. Am I completely dedicated to my art? Yes. Do I enjoy having health insurance for my family? That gives me the peace of mind I need to paint. (And, in my case, my husband is self-employed and I am happy to provide the health insurance.) I have three day jobs: being a Mama, being an Art Director, and being an Illustrator. They are not mutually exclusive, but it is really nice to see another artist like Summer acknowledge that art and work can co-exist.

Just started a new one.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I was asked recently what kind of supplies I use, and so I found this list I'd done a while ago of some of my favorite things.

Watercolour sketchpad. My sketchpad of choice is the Canson All-Media Book. It's acid-free, 90 lb. cold press paper that seems to take everything I throw at it: watercolour, ink, colored pencil, pastel, you name it. Mine's 9" x 12" and has 100 pages. This book is portable and lets me feel a lot freer to be experimental since I don't feel like I'm wasting a big sheet. I actually wish these did come in a bigger size. Which leads me to...

Watercolour pocket box. This is a wonderful travel box of watercolours that you can fit in your pocket. It's the Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketcher's Pocket Box. (phew!) It has 12 half pans of paint and comes with a tiny brush. When we went to Italy, I brought these and painted all my pictures with these tiny paints. They're really marvelous.

The Watercolor Bible is something you should check out at your library for even more watercolor fun.

I also draw with mechanical pencils, gummy erasers, and paint with whatever brushes are on sale and come in a pack. I occasionally scan in art and add finishing touches in Photoshop (like that crosshatching), but I really enjoy leaving things in their natural state and staying away from the almighty Undo.

Rethought the wings. :) I get a lot of questions to answer about how I work and the materials I use; I'll do my best to write whatever I can... but now, off to bed. Tonight was the first night of five recitals, and after taking the kids out of the house for 6 hours, getting them home and off to bed, painting tonight and then knowing that I will be doing this for 4 more nights in a row after work... what was it I said? Oh yes, bed.

Detail of a new painting in progress. :)

Yesterday was the 17th anniversary of my hero Jim Henson's death.

Life's like a movie.
Write your own ending.
Keep believing.
Keep pretending.

I just may be finished with this one, I want to live with it for a few days. I added in a lot more green to the background which I think helps Petey "pop" more from the background.

Day 15! We're almost halfway done! How's everyone else doing with their creative endeavors? ♥

Was up super-early and couldn't go back to sleep, so I painted instead. Maybe I'll reward myself by going to bed early tonight! (That would be a first!) I think I've been subcousciously leaving Petey's hair for later because it's a dirty blonde - I want to make sure it's different enough than both his skin tone and the background. That'll be tonight's challenge. (That and adding blues to his skintones.)

In other news, I have a new set of articles up at Sessions.edu - about presenting your illustrations online in a portfolio. Enjoy!

The fairies left another note for the kids today. We're gathering their letters in a beautiful box Sophie made me in preschool and gave me today, painted pink and covered with gorgeous shiny (fake!) gemstones of varied shape and color. We found the note on the fairies' rock while Daddy planted the little blue hydrangea bush he gave me.

Three years ago, I had the most heartbreaking Mother's Day ever when Angela was still in the NICU and I couldn't bring her home with me. I had a one-year-old and one newborn twin at home (who was on medications and a heart and lung monitor), and was making twice-daily trips to the hospital to visit Angela until she was well enough to come home. Peter was in for one month, Angela for almost 2 and a half. I thank God every Mother's Day since that my kids are strong and well and healthy, and that we're all together. My day was probably tame by most people's standards - but as long as we're all together, it's pure heaven to me.

Happy Mother's Day, to all moms, grandmas, nanas, and to everyone trying to become one.

Peter's turn.

This is not an Every Day In May pic, but I had to post it nonetheless. :) Juicy!