Happy Monday

Just a quickie post today. I have been busy today doing chores and packing to go to Julee's tomorrow! I am so excited for another artsy play date and hope the girls enjoy seeing each other again.

Wanted to share that my art cards came in and they turned out better than I had hoped. I posted some packs in my Etsy shop along with other bits and pieces that Hannah and I have been creating in the studio. Hannah recently got her first sale and was OVER THE MOON with excitement. so cute!

See you for Work Table Wednesday!

new stuff...

The "big sale" at my printer encouraged me to turn some paintings I have been hoarding into new art cards for the Etsy shop. I could have ordered a whole slew of them but DH would probably freak out with me spending that much $$ right now since we just took it in the rear with the IRS. (gah!)
So, I limited myself to my three favorites and I hope you love them as much as I do ( or think I will once they actually get here)..

They are flats and they have printed backs too. I can't wait to send my friend notes on them!! Squeal. Isn't it nice how "little things" can make you feel so excited? Its going to be like Christmas when UPS arrives in a week or so. 

Looking at these, and working with the images to add text and crop them right, etc. makes me want to go out and play with all my scrap paper and paints. I have been deep in soldering and jewelry. I can't seem to stick with any one thing. At least its easier for me to find and put away all my stuff now that the studio is clean and relatively organized. I guess we'll see how the week progresses. It might not progress to well..

I have to report for jury duty tomorrow.

cards and more cards

Oops, I forgot to post any cards yesterday.. Here I sit, unprepared, with only scans and no quotes prepared or notes of who created which. I will have to update that part later. But I have a bit of time to kill so I am going to post a handful of cards now.

This pretty card is SO PERFECT for spring. I LOVE the colors, they are what is inspiring me now. Love the little bird perched on her arm and the happy pink background :)

Here is another "SHE" inspired card I made. I used some Heather Bailey paper for the dress and painted the background and girl per Christy's class. I added a bit of real lace and some rhinestones to bling it up a bit. Hope they made it through the mail :)

 Forced myself to use a little purple on this one. Its my least favorite color but I try to push myself out of the box periodically. I used some seam binding around the edge of the picture which was taken by my friend Kim Carney. I WISH I could find some peonies in my area. I need to plant some.. (I keep saying that.) LOL I am pleased with the texture and colors. Hope the recipient is too :)

Finally, I got this other cute London inspired card. Again, gotta look up the artist and quote but I wanted to share it today. I was fun getting all these inspiring cards in the mail. I got 2 more yesterday so I need scan those to share with you all.

Springy Pink

Look at these cute little creatures on the postcard that Jane Palmer sent me in our postcard swap. They were made by Vanessa Valencia who created this card. So cute and such happy, spring colors.
Jane chose this quote by Henry David Thoreau,

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."

A very inspiring quote indeed. Also, wanted to update that the cute card I posted below was from Marti of Artful Curiosities. She is a doll!

Anyway, this is another one I created and very different than my others. I had painted a bunch of backgrounds to use when I thought we were only going to send out 9 cards but we have a few extra people so we each had to send out 12. I was scrambling at the last minute because I don't seem to be able to manage my time very well lately. Anyway, I had started on this sweet, spring birdie one and decide to add it to my swap stash. It really reminds me of the weather we are having today. Warm, sunny and beautiful. I hope you have been having beautiful weather as well!!

cards of the day

I almost forgot to post my cards for today.. :)



I got this cute one in the swap. I can't find where I "safely" stashed said cards at the moment so I can't say who sent this one, maybe she will leave a comment. I love the little face and so wish I could draw faces like that. I need a class, any suggestions??


Anyway, Below is another card I sent out. I made the background using some techniques from Christy's class. I love her way of making all kids of texture.

I sure hope the card makes it in tact, as the little roses are dimensional, but I really like the little extra something, something they add.

cards + inspiration

I am posting more cards today, decided I wanted to share the ones I had received as well! I got this one and it scanned a bit wonky but you can get the idea. I love that it looks like its a journal page, or a few that Susie put together to make a collage. I wish I could do freer art like this, sometimes I get so pent up.

Anyway, Susie didn't provide a link so I am not sure if she has a blog or not but the quote she shared with me was:

"The capacity to CARE is the thing which gives LIFE its deepest SIGNIFICANCE." ~ Pablo Casalas 

Thank You Susie :)

And below is one of the postcards I sent out. I did all originals ( except one, because I ran out of time) and a handful were inspired by Christy's "SHE art" class I took. Like this one:

I am not sure what quote I shared on the back because I just did them and threw them out in the mailbox so I wouldn't be late. Anyway, I have a commission for a custom "SHE girl" for a friend so I am going to hit the studio and enjoy this sunshiney day. Hope you do too!

card of the day

As I mentioned previously, I have been participating in Natalea's Postcard swap. Its been so fun to receive pretty postcards in the mail from artsy friends new and old. I finally got mine off today (the deadline!) so I thought it'd be fun to share the cards here on my blog. I will post cards I have both sent and received. 


Part of the swap was that we were supposed to include an inspirational quote so it was fun sharing some of my favorite quotes. 

One I used a few times is a new favorite: 

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that. But the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." 

Mark Twain

It was shared on Facebook by my friend Holly so I jotted it down and then onto some of my cards.


Here is one I sent out today:

For this card, I used painted vintage ledger paper, layered with some tattered cotton, lace and a photograph I took in San Francisco at the zinnia garden. I will share more tomorrow :)

A Winner

Here are a couple of peeks from the boutique we had just this past weekend. My friend Kathy hosted us in her lovely home and we spent the day together laughing and nibbling treats and sharing our wares with visitors. I was very excited that my best art pal Shoshanah came and showed her new jewelry creations which are dynamite! The picture below is her table dressed in blue. Its so great to see her being able to share her artistic visions with the public in the form of finished artwork vs. vending supplies as she usually does. I am excited to do more fairs with her and to collaborate on some pieces. This little shabby table was my table for showcasing ornaments, journals and cards. I sold every last holiday card! Now I need to get back to it to be ready for the other shows we have scheduled.

In addition to these two tables Vicki and I also had our mosaic wares and they were well received. We did our biggest total sales to date and are very happy with how this endeavor is going. The mannequin shown is covered with pins that my Mom has created with various fibers, fabric, vintage buttons, jewelry, etc. They were well received and she was excited to make a little extra cash out of something that is her hobby. (sorry the pictures and formatting are all wonky, Blogger is not cooperating with Safari)

Anyway, I am enjoying doing this artist thing for real and also being available to be with my daughter and volunteer at her school, etc. I am so fortunate that I am able to do this and my husband is so supportive. Thank you honey!!

And last but not least, the randomly drawn winner of the drawing from my last giveaway post is ... Liz aka lala! So, hopefully you are reading this as I am having difficulty contacting you. If so, please email me with your address so I can send you some holiday treats! Congrats!!

Thanksgiving peeks

I love Thanksigiving. I think it is my favorite holiday. I spoke with my SIL today who is hosting this year and she has an old fashioned turkey dinner planned. Yay. The best thing about Thanksgiving is that it is in the autumn which is my favorite season ( such as it is in CA) and I always feel invigorated by the crisp air and the beautiful colors. Since I have been creating so many items for holiday boutiques, I figured it was only right to slip in a few Thanksgiving items.. here is a peek:

and she's off...

Not THAT kind of off, though come to think of it I have been feeling a bit off when it has come to getting organized for this trip. I think I have had too much going on, too many iron's in the fire. Anyway, I think I am packed and pretty much ready to go. Greg stopped off and got me a new book and magazine for the plane and I am OFF TO ARTFEST!!

I am super excited because not only because its ArtFest but Shosh & Mike are going for their first time too and it adds to the excitement.

I will check in when I get back ( its going to be nice to be computer free for 5 days.. largely because I am having a lot of neck and shoulder pain) and until then here are a few pictures of some new cards and stuff I have been making...

a horse is a horse...

loved this piece of scrap...

xoxo

Just a quick reminder that today is ther last day to drop your name in the hat fo0r my give away. Check out the post below to leave a comment and contact info. I will draw a name tomorrow. I am off to the airport!

Fly

LOVE

Happy Birthday Mr Honey

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Hubby today. We will be thinking of you and miss you!!

sometimes I use purple...

My friends know my aversion to the color purple, but sometimes I use it...

Mon Amie

card love and Help!!

Hello friends. I am so enjoying my card making jag. I made more today!! Its been great to dig into the ephemera goodies I have collected and gotten from friends and add to my stash of cards to send and give to friends and loved ones. I haven't done any Happy Birthday ones yet so I am going to try to tackle that one next.

Tonight I presented the big web project that Brian and I have been working on to our client, who happens to be the school where Hannah goes. I have really enjoyed working on the site and it was so much fun to show everyone all the work we have been doing. They loved it!! We have a few more little tweaks and twists and a bit more info to add but its largely done... you can check it out here.
I am actually seeing the light at the end of my "To Do" list as far as jobs are concerned. It feels really good and maybe I will be able to carve out some time to catch up on Bluhm Studios business here soon. I am long over due on some new business cards for myself and I need to rewrite my contract and Terms of Service and rate schedule and all that stuff that has been niggling the back of my mind.

This is the part where I need some HELP! I have a client lined up who needs a scottie dog for part of her logo. Scotties used to be EVERYWHERE but I sure am having a heck of a time finding some clip art to incorporate. If anyone has any vintage or just decent clip art that I might be able to use, I would sure appreciate a heads up!! Thank You!!