what I have been up to...

I have been working at the computer so much lately that I kind of hit a wall today. I taught art this morning and after coming back and checking my emails I decided to take a break from the screen and sew. I had started this frame/ wall hanging last week but got so consumed with work that it got buried on my desk. I decided to finish up today while I was doing some other sewing projects.

It has a lot of whiter whites, layers of lace and doilies and this fabulous vintage, "stained just right" flower from an old hat. The pocket holds a picture or postcard up to about 4 x 6". I need to order some more of my wee one so I substituted this one for now.

I have really been enjoying my sewing time. I finished up my banners for our swap at ArtFiberFest last week but I haven't decided whether to share yet. I will talk to my group. They are all so cute. This week I started on another "treat" for a swap pal which I WILL share once she gets it and today I cut out everything (my least favorite part) for Hannah's Halloween costume.

And... Adair said I can finally offer up a sneak peek of all that we have been working on. Its been kind of different for me and I am loving it. We made this last night for her splash page which I "hope" will be up soon and while it has the definite feel of what I have been building, it is only a sneak peek.

"pea" update

Thanks to everyone who has sent well wishes and good vibes to us over the past few days. The little is doing better but not out of the woods yet. There have been a few long nights for me as I have gone to check on her regularly, prop her up, fill the humidifier, etc. The "croup" seems to be breaking down but moving down as well. I took her to see a pediatrician at our health plan clinic today and she said that it has moved from the throat but she can still hear some breathing difficulty and wheezing. It has not been diagnosed as asthma per se but it is being treated as such for now. She now has inhalers to use daily until it is cleared up and then the rescue inhaler to have on hand always, just like Mommy. She will be home for a least a couple more days but we are hoping she can return to school Friday. She misses her friends and teacher and miss a little peace and quiet ;) although I DO enjoy the extra snugglies that she has been doling out. I'll post another update when we pull completely out of the woods...

In other news, I have been busy on my laptop while sitting with the pea. I just completed a new banner for Heather at Pretty Petals. It was fun to work with her lovely images and use the sweet cherubs from a vintage baby book she recently acquired. In other design news, I got two sets of business cards back from the printer this week. Its so exciting to open each box, like a mini Christmas morning cracking open the flap and getting a whiff of paper and then seeing little printed treasures like these:

and these:

Finally, tomorrow is the drawing for my 515th post give away. There is still time to enter up until I draw the name. I will also share more of my Vintage Valentine Round Robin pages.

In celebration of her 500th blog post Kari aka Artsymama wanted to unveil a whole new blog look so I have been working on it and tonight was the BIG push. She wrote her 500th post as I uploaded the new blog design. Pop on over for a look see and to participate in her celebration project.

December is and has been all about catching up. I have been behind in design work due to "last minute" projects, colds, migraines and general holiday goings on. I keep checking stuff off of my To Do list but I hate feeling behind. I have decided that I will not take on any new work until I have completed what is on my list for now. I *DO* have a waiting list that I am happy to add people too but for my sanity and that of my families, no more commitments until after the New year.

Speaking of catching up, I am super proud of my buddy Joleen for catching up on so many of her UFO's. Some of them she has had lying around for a couple of years. With a big move coming up for her and her family, she has had to clean out.. well everything to pack. In working in the studio she has been using up her stashes of this and that to create all kinds of treasures for her Holiday Shop! Check out these and other fun goodies:
Finally, I have been working hard in my OWN studio to finish up various UFOs that have been littering my tables. I will be off to San Francisco in the morning for a couple of days with the little but when I get back I plan to list some treasures of my own in my Etsy shop. (I promise Holly!) So hopefully by Friday I will not only have some new *made* stuff but a few more Flea Market Friday goodies as well.

random rambling...

Despite having a day to celebrate this week it was an emotionally grueling week. What I *thought* was a friendship turned out to be something completely false and I am saddened by that. I feel dumb for not recognizing it sooner and I feel hurt. All of that was compounded by stressful stuff with the little's school board and our biggest fund-raiser of the year. My co-chair decided that she didn't want to do it anymore and stuck me holding the bag. She is finishing up with the big poinsettia sale but after that I am stuck...

Speaking of fund-raising and kids.. I stumbled across this very cool website called Artsonia. Its a Kids Art Museum so you can set up a site for your kiddles and they can have their art there. The fund-raising part comes in when folks BUY stuff with the kids art on it like a mug or cards. Their school gets 15%. I think its an awesome concept for kids to have their own online art gallery! You can bet I will be pitching this to the board!

I had hoped to have some pictures of the goodies that came in the mail to share but my hands the camera haven't managed to meet up this week. I will try very hard to get some pix tomorrow. Just because I shirked that task doesn't mean I haven't kept busy though. I have been giving my mouse a workout in Photoshop to make this banner for my friend Beth:
I have to admit that as far as banners go this one was fairly easy because of all the yummy artwork that Beth sent me to use this time. She just finished up a workshop with Lynne Perrella so I had some fun stuff to work with. I also made up this cute gift certificate for my favorite pink girl, Cerri, of Little Pink Studio. She has them in her shop, just in time for the holidays.

OH! and speaking of shops ( boy, am I just the queen of segues tonight?) Ms HollyDoodle added even more of her fabulous Joli Paquet kits to her site. Her initial offering sold out in about 20 minutes leaving many a sparkle loving, crafty gal pouting in her studio. This will be the last batch so if you missed out pop over and there and get yours while you can. I personally have 2 on the way to me and can't wait to work on them with the wee one. Look how darling they are!

And speaking of bloggy friends.. the uber talented mosaic artist Michelle Legler has christened her new Typepad blog. Go check it out.. she is giving away one of her fabulous cupcakes!

Ok, I think my rambling is over... for now. There is still time to enter my birthday give away.. look down there....

100 for 100

In celebration of the release of my new customizable holiday cards, I have decided to offer a special on note flat style. Order between now and November 15th (my birthday!) and get 100 cards WITH envelopes for just $100! (not including shipping) These are beautiful, two sided cards, fully customized with your photo and greeting. Email me for more information.

I have been spending a lot of time at the computer over the last week trying to catch up and make a little bit of money to pay vet bills. argh. Sweet doggie Ginger is probably recuperating from surgery as we speak. I need to call in about 45 minutes to see if she can come home. She had to have a tumor removed from her leg, her teeth cleaned and stuff ( eew) and her claws clipped because she is old and can't keep them worn down as much. I won't clip them anymore because I inevitably cut too deep and I can't stand the feeling that I might have hurt her. Our sweet girl is about 13 years old and thankfully the doctor says she is in great shape for such an old doggie from rough beginnings. She was abused as a pup and we adopted her as an adult. She is just the sweetest thing now. Anyway, I got a bit off topic there.

I just completed a new blog banner and business card design for the talented mosaic artist Michelle Legler. You may recognize her by her fabulous mosaic cupcakes! I had a lot of fun doing a 'mosaic' design for her since her taste is so similar to my own. She didn't have any changes to colors or designs...
Also, I got to do another calling card design. They are so fun. This one is for sweet Kim at ArtDog'sLife. I wasn't sure about the design because she was a little ambiguous in her description of what she wanted but I guess I know her well enough that she loved it. I got to use a lot of my vintage buttons and ephemera and the doggie in the locket is Kim's sweet dog Chance Marie who is the queen of their kingdom. Speaking of doggies, I better go pick up mine.

Holliday Cards

BIG NEWS!
This is something I have been working on for some time and while I am a little later than I had hoped on unveiling this project.. better late than never. I have created my own series of holiday greetings which may be customized with client images and text!

I will be offering these cards through the end of the month for ordering in time for the holidays BUT as a special offer I am offering a discount of $20 off orders placed and paid for by November 16th.

To view all of my designs and get pricing information information please visit my card gallery or email me.

In other holiday related news I just wanted to share these DELIGHTFUL angels I got on etsy from the amazing fiber artist Sara Lechner. These amazing little beauties arrived this weekend all the way from Austria. I love them and plan to keep them out all year around.

Happy Fall Ya'll

I have been BUSY.. my work queue is filled to the brim for which I am so grateful. FULL seems to describe my life as of late.. full schedule, full brain, full heart... I glad of these things for they fill my days and make me feel fortunate for all that I have. I have been busy creating artwork for the 12 Days swap I am a part of and kits for Joli Paquet.. coming up soon!! In addition I have been working on design projects for work and play. Recently, I made this cute calling card for my buddy Laura. She was super thrilled with it as a book lover and old fashioned girl. I just sent it to the printer last night and am so excited to see them in person. I also made a Christmas blog banner for her but its a little early to unveil that so I will share it later. I also made this cute little business card for Joleen to represent the non-photography side of her endeavors.

Aside from all of these projects I have been working very hard on a new venture which some of you may already be aware of if you read my friend Holly's blog. A couple of weeks ago she let the cat out of the bag by announcing that her husband and I have joined forces and started a small business DESIGNING WEBSITES for smaller scale artists, stores and all around "cool chicks". We are still nailing down the details and I am tweaking the website but we are pretty much ready to start creating websites for clients. I am so excited that this opportunity has come my way because I feel it is a great extension of Bluhm Studios and I have had people ask me in the past if I would do websites for them. I CAN do web work BUT I do not enjoy it and am a bit out of practice. I do not have the desire to spend my time writing code and debugging the problems so enter Brian who is a web designer extraordinaire. He approached me because he was in the reverse situation wanting to offer websites but not having the skills or desire to do the front end "pretties". That, as they say is a win-win situation. Keep your eyes here for an announcement of our grand opening which should be very soon.

services

fuming...

The last couple of days have shaken my confidence. I know that doing business is competitive and people are entitled to make their own choices and make up their own minds but it can still hurt when a herd of people run over to the "next new thing/ person." I was feeling pretty good about Bluhm Studios and my design business, with the launch of my website which I worked SO.HARD.ON. I felt like I had found my calling. I have struggled with this for so long, "what do I want to do with my life", "how can I contribute", "what do people want". I felt I had found my niche in specializing in blogs and collateral for small businesses. This has allowed me to be home with my daughter, our only child, while she is young and in her formative years. I have been able to contribute to our household (read = mortgage) AND do something I love.
Now I am feeling a little uneasy, It seems like there has been a surge of new people in our "community" who have decided to do blog design work and clients, present and past have run to the latest name out there. I *know* that no one owes me any loyalty (well maybe a couple of people do) but it still hurts and is a blow to my confidence.
My Mom says that in business it is important to stay mobile and be able to change direction quickly. I guess this is a point where I need to try to stay ahead of the pack and do something different. Fortunately for me, like my friend Holly says, I am blessed with my own good ideas and I DO have some "new things" in the works.
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent here. It helps to get this stuff OUT.. not good to bottle stuff up for sure. I have been back working in my studio and it feels good. I have a rather large, special project to get done so I have been using my sewing machine! here are some sneak peeks...

dum dum dum......

KARLA! Sugar Bear darling, you are a weener! I mean a winner! Karla wins the drawing for a packet of "my favorite things." Congrats Karla, send me your address and I will mail your packet right out.

Ok, in other exciting news I am very pleased to announce, after MONTHS of work and preparation that I have finally launched my WEB SITE!! Special thanks to Hope of Paper Relics for all her assistance in setting up the templates and flow of the site so I had a place to plop down my graphics. I should mention that the site is still under some construction but I feel it is complete enough to share now...

So, without further ado, may I present BLUHMSTUDIOS.COM

So, to celebrate my launch I am going to give away ANOTHER pack of "favorite goodies"... All you have to do is leave a comment and I will draw another name in a week. Good luck!! I look forward to hearing your comments on the site.
(small print: You MUST provide some way for me to contact you, so if your post does not provide a link to you, your email or blog you must leave me an email)

fighting the muse

My muse has been less than cooperative since after Art*Play. I find this to be the case after I attend a class or a retreat like ArtFest. I have been kind of stuck in a rut both "on paper" and on my computer for the last couple of weeks. I know part of this is because I feel kind of overwhelmed in my mind. My mom has been sick and not bouncing back and now they are doing all kinds of tests and scans. her first CT scan wasn't good but they sent her back for another so we are playing the "hurry up and wait" game. I hate being worried.

Anyway, I am trying to push past that stuff and force my muse to get back to work. I NEED her! I finished up this banner for new blogger Suzanne

and I trying to get back to Photoshop and design. I have been having a bit of difficulty getting going on a small handful of clients on my list.. missing pieces, unanswered questions and such so I am just buzzing right through it. LOL

So, today I felt the day just wasting away as we lazed around and did nothing productive. I guess you are entitled to that once in a while but I forced myself into the studio (aka the pit of despair) to fiddle around. I dug through my paper scrap box and challenged myself to make something and COMPLETE IT, from ONLY stuff sitting on my desk. The one concession I allowed myself was to dig out eyelets but that's pretty good. I made these 3 little ornament thingies.

It was a good challenge and fun. I am not sure what I will do with them yet but I like looking at them for now.

back to business

We're back from our Art*Play weekend and we had a lot of fun with Kelly but we are EXHAUSTED. Everyone in class made really cool projects and enjoyed themselves. I will have photos to share and a break down of what we did soon. In the meantime thanks again to our goodie bag and raffle sponsors. The participants were delighted with their prizes!

Right before I left for the weekend I finished up this banner for Priscilla at Sweet Remembrance. Its a bit different for me but it suits her.

If you are waiting to hear from me, I will be returning emails early this week and continuing on my "to do" list. My waiting time for design work is approximately 2-3 weeks at this point. I have a few projects that need to go in the mail and will tryt o get all caught up on that this week as well.

Cheers, hope you all had a great weekend.

and back to our regular programming...

Thank you to those who commented yesterday and shared your stories or your blogs. 9-11 will always be a hard day, as it should. It is most unfortunate that my daughter's wonderful pre-school teacher shares her birthday with that tragic day but we celebrated her today.

Now, we will tune back to our regular programming and some amazing eye candy from the fabulous Holly! Check out what I got in the mail today!!!

It's hard to take pix of yourself, but I don't look too terrible so you can actually see my face here.. I am queen for a day! This lovely crown is SO beautiful and full of detail.. vintage flowers, and rhinestone jewelry, lovely ribbon and crepe paper. Holly finishes everything so beautifully. Check out her site to see her lovely Halloween and Autumn crowns.

Cerri has been up to some cuteness too. She is sending us some treats for the Art*Play goodie bags. I spied them on her flickr account and was delighted to see her using the new labels that I designed for her. She makes up a cute package folks!! Check out her shop for more fun treasures. ( Thanks for letting me steal your picture Cerri)

Hmm, what else? I have been running around like crazy with details for Art*Play. We only have one or two seats left and they seem to be filling up. Today we received a BIG treat in the form of a package from Jenny & Aaron! The pair graciously donated one of their fabulous pieces of artwork as our main raffle prize. Thank You sooo much Jenny & Aaron!!

Ok, that is about it for today. I hope to have more to share tomorrow as I pack up goodie bags and things to mail.

Ooops, I forgot to mention that Delila got her new shoppe open! Go check it out!

a little raw

I am feeling a little raw today, both mentally and physically. There has been a large fire near us that is spewing smoke and ash into our air so my throat is raw and sore. It is ugly and stifling mixed with the heat we have been having.

Pre-school went well on Wednesday when I was one of the class Mom's, but today was a different story as I dropped the wee one off in tears. An hour later I got a phone call from her teacher. Fortunately it was just to let H talk to me for a minute and things were ok. To add to the anxiety I felt dropping her off and leaving, we are still struggling with potty training. We KNOW she knows how and when to use the potty but she is fighting us tooth and nail. A prerequisite for this school is she use the toilet, so the battle over wanting to wear a diaper makes getting her there even more stressful. As I walked away from her class room this morning, my heart broke. I sat in my car and cried.

I treated myself to a Starbuck's mocha and headed home to catch up on some work. I just did a new banner for Delila of Sepia Art Studio for her new shoppe, which I think is supposed to open this weekend. I got to use a piece of Delila's delightful work and then pretty much had free reign. I took a bit of a different approach to this one but I am pleased with the outcome.
Good luck in your new endeavor Delila!
I am seeing a bit of a slow down in my work flow.. finally; so I hope to get a bit more caught up on my web site which I have sorely neglected since Hope sent the templates over to my eager little self. In addition, Art*Play is quickly approaching and we are excited to meet some new people and get messy in the process. If you are interested, we still have a couple of spaces available.

OK, I am off. The wee one is home and conned me into a diaper for a nap, then tried to get up. GRRRR Does anyone have any potty training tricks up their sleeves for a hard headed small person? I am at my wits end!

Bootiful banners

I finally finished up all of Jeanne's pieces and I love them. As mush as I love doing the photo banners it is refreshing to have a client like Jeanne who gives me some creative freedom by saying "make something vintage and pretty with birds in it". OK! Done and done. I can't wait to see her cards in print. Her Etsy banner is already up but we are battling with her blog because she doesn't want to give up her 3 columned layout. If anyone is brilliant at hacking blogger.. let me know :).

Kasse of Miss Duffy's also contracted me to do a Halloween version of her holiday banner and I had to jump right on it. (I'll do yours next Laura!! I promise!) Its so cute but I am waiting for the final seal of approval before I can share it. I love the spooky goodies she is stocking in her shop! Be sure to come back and see her BOOtiful banner.

I have to go catch up on some sleep now. Its been TERRIBLEY hot the past couple of days and I have been sluggish so I need to bust butt to catch up tomorrow for the big 4th birthday party on Sunday. I started my dresses for Heather's paper dress swap so check back to see some sneak peeks of those soon too!!

G'nite

bizzy bizzy

I'm alive but bizzy as a bee. With only 5 days left til the BIG DAY.. I'm talkin' ArtFest registration.. I am STILL trying to decide whether I want to go or not. It seems like all signs are pointing to NOT going since friends that had planned to go are dropping out and we don't have enough to share a house. We had sworn NOT to stay in dorms again but the classes are calling to me so it remains to be seen if I will go....


In other news, I did a banner for Karen aka the Graphics Fairy who has a kick ass blog where she shares great vintage clipart to use in your art!! Click on over there and bookmark her so you can build up your stash of fun images!!


I have also been working with Kasse of the incredible Miss Duffy's. I designed her a new blog banner but she is on WordPress and we are struggling to get it installed. Someday it will show up, but until then, here is a sneak peek.

Art*Play is coming up in a little over 2 weeks. Where did the time go?! We are looking forward to hosting Kelly Kilmer for 2 days of fabulous workshops in addition to a mini boutique. Even if you can't join us for the workshops, if you are in the area please try to stop by for the boutique! There will be some fun things offered up. And if you are on the fence about the workshops.. we have a couple of spots left so check out the blog to see what fun things we are planning and get signed up!

Finally, I have taken a mini "me" break and made some good headway on MY new website!! I had some tedious code tweaking today and I am still writing stuff which isn't the fun part but its getting closer!! I feel like I am in a race because I participated in Totally Indie's next round of coupons and I want my site up before they go live. I just got my box of coupons today so I gotta hurry!! So until then, all I can say is....

I'm baaaaaccck

We had a nice but all too short trip to Pacific Grove for our anniversary. Once again we stayed at the famous 7 Gables Inn which is right on the coast at Lover's Point. It was super relaxing and nice to be able to complete sentences and have adult conversations. Of course we missed the little about two hours after we left but we survived.

I am back and facing a very busy couple of weeks. My FIL is here from MN and we are planning the little's 4th birthday in addition to her first day of preschool! Wait! Wasn't it just 2 month ago that I brought her home from the hospital?! I can't believe it.

As I may have mentioned before she will be going to a cooperative pre-school so that means the parents have to work. I jumped in with both feet and am on the executive board as the co-chair of fundraising along with another "Heather." Its been cool to meet some other parents but I have other "work" to do to get ready for the beginning of school as well.

I have been busy in both my studio and on my computer. My latest completed job has been this yummy banner for Karla who I designed an Etsy banner for earlier on.

I just adore Karla's mix of shabby, vintage with brighter colors and I am rally glad she let me go a bit brighter from the "pastel, light colors" she originally wanted. I think this really fits her and her work and am pleased she likes it.

I am delighted to be working with my new pal Jeanne on a new look for her blog and business. Jeanne let me start with a pretty blank slate which is kind of refreshing. We are closing in on some final decisions so I will be able to share her new goodies soon! I love them.

twinkle twinkle little star

who is the suckiest blogger of all?

Ok, maybe not THE suckiest but I kind of feel like it. I have been in a funk generally and artistically. I actually have been quite productive in my digital art jobs but hand me a bottle of glue and I blank out. I think part of it has to do with some new meds I have been prescribed for my chronic headaches and part of it is feeling kind of overwhelmed by everything that is going on... preschool starting, a birthday part to plan, work, trying to get my website up, etc. I haven't felt like I had much that was interesting to blog about...
Anyway, I am trying to snap myself out of my funk. I just finished up a set of graphics for Vicki. She was just the EASIEST client to work with. Thank You Vicki. I can't wait to see the cards when they come back from the printer.

I think in my last post I mentioned that I was doing some work for Holly of HollyDoodle Designs. I only knew Holly through Flickr and a couple of swaps but as we started corresponding to work on this project we really hit it off. She and I both have young children so we work the crazy hours of work at home Moms which often means late into the night. The other night we had a particularly funny exchange which involved political ranting, catty remarks and a marriage proposal. Anyway, I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to get to know her better and I am fully enjoying working with her on her project. Here is the banner I made for her soon to be new and improved website:

Ain't that a bunch of eye candy? Holly is so talented!

Finally for tonight, I am remiss in my tag from sweet Jeanne who awarded me the Nice Matters Award.

"This award will be awarded to those that are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!"

I guess I am supposed to pass this lovely award on to 5 other bloggers that I think are nice. I know it will be hard to choose since so many bloggers have already received it, so I may duplicate, but here goes:

My Dear Sharon, who is so sweet and ever supportive, my editor, confidant and friend (even if she is suckier than I am at blogging ... heehee)

My new friend Holly, of Holly Doodle designs, Thanks for the laughs!

My buddy Martha, who is talented and funny and sweet. I will so miss you with no ArtFest trip for either of us!

Amber! I miss our chats. We have both been so busy! Amber has been a great friend over the last few months. I am so glad we have had the opportunity to get to know each other and she is so supportive and helpful and NICE!

And finally, I know this is a repeat but Marilyn REALLY IS one of the sweetest and nicest bloggy folks I know. I hope to someday MEET her in real life. Its on my To Do list!

I could make a list as long as my arm of other nice bloggers but I don't make the rules around here. Well, actually I do but not for this post ;) Tomorrow I am going to try really really hard to take pictures of the yummy tussie mussie I received in the swap and also the crown I got in Holly's tiara swap.

We are sitting here in shock and sadness watching the news of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. As some of you know my DH, Greg, is from MN and went to college at the University of Minnesota right across this bridge. He, our family and friends have driven over this bridge many, many times so this hits pretty close home for us. Fortunately, as far as we know, no one we know was involved in this horrific accident. For this we are grateful and our hearts are filled with prayers for those touched my this tragedy.

In brighter news, I have mostly recovered from the Garlic Festival and have been back on my computer (which incidentally is magically fixed when I noticed a BULGING battery! Ack!! I replaced the battery with my extra and its working great! Apple is sending me a replacement for the bad one) working away. I just finished a new business card for Angelina over at Angelina's Cards.

and I am doing a bunch of work for Cerri of Little Pink Studio (check out her shop!!) Cerri is a dream to work for and I just finished and installed her new blog banner and I am doing some other things to coordinate but I can't share that stuff yet. I have a couple of other jobs lined up as well one of which is working with Ms Holly of HollyDoodle Designs. I love her style and am really looking forward to working with her as well.

What color is your soul painted? Grey Your soul is painted the color grey, which embodies the characteristics of elegance, humility, respect, reverence, stability, subtlety, wisdom, strong emotions, balance, and cancellation. Grey falls under the element of Water, and symbolizes the moon, tide, ebb and flow. Click Here to Take This Quiz

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