Apprentice

I just love this cover. I wish I could paint loosely and randomly like this. Maybe I can try Sarah Ahearn's tutorial and see what I can come up with.

The new issue of Somerset Apprentice is on the racks at my local B&N (and hopefully my mailbox soon) where I took the kids yesterday during our pre-school shopping adventure. I flipped though it to find that I am featured in their "From the Pros" section. Its an honor to be featured alongside other "Pros" like artists such as Pam Garrison and Julie Bergmann.

In addition there is a tutorial by one of my sweet friends Tracie Lyn Huskamp. She has us painting from nature, something I miss from her teachings at ArtFest. I might have to pull out the paints and the patience and try my hand :).

Once again Stampington has turned out a visual stunner chock full of inspiration, so pick up an issue at your favorite book seller. 

fun news

I was doing so well with the blogging and got side tracked by this and that. Its always busy around here with various things but something I DID want to share is this exciting news...

I was waiting until I received my copy but apparently there was some mix up with the mailing company so I ended up getting impatient and buying it at Barnes & Noble.

Anyway,  in case you haven't guessed yet, I am published in the current issue of the Somerset Memories. Last summer I sent in a submission from a handful of us who had taken Mary Ann Moss' Remains of the Day journal class. The article got bumped once but we got word that it was published in this issue!! To add to the excitement for my little family, my daughter has work published too!! She was just 6 when she made her book and it is SO EXCITING for us that she is featured alongside Mom and our artsy friends.

Pop around and check out the other gals' blogs too:
Susie LaFond
Maia Lepore
Syd McCutcheon
Diane Hamburg

Also, in case you are reading this through a reader or Facebook, I have been updating the look of my blog. I am so delayed in setting up my new website that I decided to pump up the blog. With all the new features available it is much easier to add lots of content so it might all live here if I can figure out how to add a portfolio. Enjoy!

tattered and worn

I am feeling tattered and broken today. Its has been four days of dealing with terrible headaches, sinus pain, migraine symptoms and feeling generally blah. I barely got to enjoy the beautiful sunshine yesterday and today the clouds are pulling back in. I hope the headaches don't pull in with them. I can't think of anything else that might be triggering them.

I have been trying to work through the pain and grab bits of time in the studio when I have been able to. I finished up my final Lollishops Design Team project which will be revealed on February 1. You can click onto the Lollishops blog for a complete list of the projects and I believe at least a couple of us will be doing a giveaway, including myself. So that till give you a little bit to look forward to.

My other busy-ness has been my ROD class with mary Ann Moss. It is an ongoing class that you can join anytime this year

and let me just say, we have been having a blast! There is SO MUCH creativity going on in there and so many good ideas and so much sharing. I am really happy that I decided to take it. I just finished up another journal for myself which I am working on but I am hesitant to share any pix here because we are planning a submission to Somerset's Art Journaling.

In other news, I have been slowly adding stuff to my Lollishop/ Etsy shop and this little journal will be added soon. There is another ROD journal there now and let me tell you how fun they are to work in. All kinds of little goodies, pockets and flaps. I just have been adding bits of things here and there in case you want to take a peek.

Happy Sunday

Its coming!!

I can hardly stand the anticipation. Every day I run out to the mailbox in hopes of finding my advance copy of this!

Jenny Doh just blogged about the release so I know that it is real and it is real and will be here soon. I just can hardly stand it!!

sneak peeks...

I just got an email from Stampington & Co. that they have posted some sneak peeks of the book I am involved in. It will be only one printing so when its gone, its gone! It will be released January 1 but you can pre-order NOW ! I am so excited to get my copy!!

me

Its coming down to the deadline for all of our writing, images, etc to be turned in to Stampington so they can finalize the book. Its been so exciting and yet so nerve wracking all at the same time. A big dilemma for me has been what picture to send it for the bio portion. I hate having my picture taken, it makes me nervous and I was not excited about the prospect of sending one to go in a book! Not having time to arrange a session with Joleen (bummer), I turned to the next best photog I know, my pal Mike from Hannah Grey. he shot these pix of me after a class at Tangerine in Dublin a bit over a week ago. It was late but my make up and hair were half way decent even though I was a nervous wreck. Gina tried to lighten the mood by bringing out props.. (we're still trying to figure why she had this giant sombrero in the back of the shop?!) which, while fun I didn't really think fit with the theme of the book. So, out of the many, many shots Mike took, I have narrowed it down to these two. (not the hat pic) I need to have my final choice in by Friday so I am turning to you for some input as to which picture I should send.

I will be sweetening the pot a little in return for this favor. For everyone who leaves a comment with their opinion on which photo to send I will enter your name into a drawing for something fun (to be determined) and draw a name from the comments on Friday evening. Good luck and thank you.

its real, its official, its a BOOK!

Oh my, its real. Its surreal..
its available to pre-order HERE!

meow

Ooops, was that the sound of a cat getting out of the bag?

Exciting news that I have been sitting on for MONTHS is finally starting to trickle out into blog land. The first peeps have popped up on Jenny Doh's blog and then we got word from our editor that its ok to share.. so TaDa!! I am going to be published IN A BOOK!

Earlier this year I was invited by my friend Marilyn Healey to participate in a round robin project with several other gals who you will recognize. Just about the time we were finishing up we were contacted by Somerset Studio for publication consideration and the next thing we knew, we found out they wanted to make a BOOK from our projects! All I can really share right now is that the working title ( I hope they come up with something else) is "Somerset in Love" and ads for it should start appearing in the October issues of their publications and it is due to be released Jan. 1 ... I better get back to my writing!

in the pages...

of some magazines...
I have probably mentioned in the past that I learned my work would be a part of a Spotlight project in the Winter issue of Somerset Gallery. Today, I got that issue in my mailbox and was delighted to see my metal page from a book collaboration with Leighanna Light.

I think its funny that they took the liberty of naming my piece "Moon Shadow", I am imaging because I used Moonshadow inks on them. The theme has nothing whatsoever to do with moons or shadows or whatever... at least it was the FRONT that got photographed.

I just got an email from Laura that the new issue of Somserset Memories (formerly Legacy) is starting to arrive in mailboxes also. I expect that soon as I have a piece of artwork from the Faux Family Album project included. I will scan it when it arrives.

This banner I made was published in Romantic Homes recently in a blogging article. Unfortunately, I am not credited in the magazine for it but at least people that know me recognize it as my work. I had a couple of congratulations before I even saw the issue at the store.

I was able to get most of my Joli Paquet orders out today. They went Priority mail so they should be arriving quickly. I look forward to hearing feedback and seeing finished versions. We have a Joli Paquet Flickr group set up so be sure to post your finished pictures of any kits there. I am going to try very hard to get the rest out tomorrow.

All in all, its been a pretty exciting mail week here so far. I have gotten back 2 orders of calling cards and one order of holiday greetings from the printer and they are looking fab!! I am so excited and can't wait for the others to arrive. I love this picture of sweet Karla and her hubby and doggie Margot. I think she will be really happy with the finish of these cards. I am so looking forward to ours arriving. Don't forget there is still time to order custom cards at my special price.
Cheers!

regrouping...

Too many ideas and not enough time. I know its a common problem for artists and parents and it is what I am suffering from now. My To Do list is a mile long and I am approaching that phase where productivity turns to paralyzation. If you are waiting for design work, I am working but a bit slower than my usual speediness. I have tried to pull back a little bit and spend some extra time with the little before she heads off to school. Wednesday we went to 6 Flags Discovery Kingdom with family and had a blast. She was very brave tackling several rides and even petting a snake. It was a wonderful and long day and yes I do have pictures to share when I get them loaded into the computer.

I have been trying to set some time aside for ME projects, the most important and exciting of which is my new website. I have been working on the details of writing all the bits and pieces that need to be written and tweaking things here and there. I have also gotten back to my scrap booking but digitally. I have been trying to capture some memories for posterity and having a lot of fun at it.

In other news, I just learned that a piece of my work will appear in a feature article in the Somerset Memories Dec/ Jan 2007 issue. I had all but forgotten the project so it was very exciting to hear from my pal Laura who arranged the project!

So now you know I am alive. I am trying to keep my head above water, beat that funk and enjoy these last weeks of summer. I hope you are too!

busyness & banners

I have made and installed a couple of new bloggy banners this past week. It was nice to take a little break from Eye Candy and stretch my creative wings in a different way. I made this fun yarn banner for Sonya at In the Skein of Things. We went through a couple of versions and then I sent her on a photo shoot to her local yarn store to get a picture of this skein.

Then, I finally convinced Sharon to update her template (like she had much choice anymore) and we put up this banner I made for her a little while back. I think its perfect for welcoming Spring...

In other news, I spent a good part of the weekend reorganizing my studio. Last week I took some measurements and studied the Ikea catalog and then Friday we went to Ikea and got two new shelf units to on top of my desks. I purged a large garbage bag of stuff yesterday and stashed things away and labeled, etc. This week I hope to begin going through the myriad drawers and purge/organize even more. I will try to get a couple of pictures tomorrow to share. I am so excited about my "new" space and can't wait to actually create some art in there. Today I packed up a buttload of orders/ swaps and then painted with the little.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We are due for lots of rain this week so I see some creative projects in my new future.

Countdown to ArtFest: 28 days!!!!

unexpected surprises...

I have been dashing madly toward the finish line.. not the finish line of Christmas but the finish line of putting Portals v 4 to bed! And tonight, I am happy to say that the issue (all 44 pages!- our fattest yet) is now safely off to the printer. Soon after I get it back I will begin the binding and mailing but I am giving myself a few days to relax and enjoy Christmas and the growing excitement of our wee one. ( so cute!)

Anyway, I have been fretting about finishing it up and thank god Joleen and I had a couple of virtual head to heads because we nearly forgot two whole articles!! LOL Yesterday, I was scurrying around, wrapping gifts and working like a maniac on my computer while the little napped when a box showed up from Amazon. I opened it anticipating some books I had ordered for gifts. I felt kind of confused because I couldn't remember ordering a couple of them but knew I had been contemplating them because they were on my wish list. Suddenly I realized that someone had sent them to me! They were from my dear old friend Rosemary! What an absolute surprise.. Thank You so much Rose!!

So here is what we got: (sorry about the Amazon tags)

Bernie's book. Just out.
I haven't even scratched the surface!!
I am so excited!

This fun book with all kinds of wee projects to accent
the dollhouse we are building. I know I need to share
some updated pix but it ain't happenin' for Xmas!!


If you aren't familiar with Charie and Lola.. ugh!
Amazing "animation" in collage style.
Not only is it cute but so beautiful and clever.
This will be a fun project book for the little who loves crafts.

Another unexpected surprise came at lunch today. I happened to look over and noticed a woman reading a copy of Somerset Studios' Gallery. I told my Mom that I wondered if she was an artist because she had the magazine. Well, my mom went up and told the woman that her daughter wass published IN that magazine and asked if she was a mixed media artist. I went and talked to her too and was excited to learn that not only is she INDEED a mixed media artist but she lives HERE and she is interested in getting together some time to share and art. I am so excited and really hope that we click and can maybe find some others and start a little art group!!

Anyway, that is my news for today. I am pooped so I am going to turn in and hopefully have soem real eye candy to share soon.

It's here!!

Yay!! My copy of Somerset Studio's Gallery arrived yesterday! I have three pieces of art in it and the spreads look great. I am so excited, this makes me want to submit more art.

(click to see bigger)

In addition to my art and that of my friends at Chubbyville, I am so pleased to see articles from online friends Diane Downs and Holly Stinnett along with art from Audrey Hernandez, Carlene Federer, Stacie Rife and Kara Klein.

woohoo

Just got some great news. I participated in a collaborative tag book several months ago. We created the project in response to Stampington's call for Bohemian Art. The book turned out beautifully but was passed for the boho issue. We learned that is was being held for a future publication and recently learned that we got a 5 page lay out in the Winter Gallery by Somerset Studio. Not only did I make the art cut but ALL THREE of my tags are pictured in the article. I haven't seen it yet but I am eagerly awaiting my copy in the mail box...