a new idea

Well, Merry Christmas.. I know, it's only April, but nearly May!! I have been very busy doing my new art for Lunar plus I created a new link (blog) that I can post all my new designs to my website. It's an easy plus FREE way for me to instantly update. I will still be posting here, but it will start to be more about my side art. My new blog with new designs is at

http://freshofflunardesignsdrawingboard.blogspot.com/

Plus catching up with orders, I haven't had much time for my other art. But I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and I will be jumping in full force asap.

The weather has been wonderfully luscious... the garden is calling me. I manage to pop outside a little bit, to see new plants coming into bloom. Our apricot tree and cherry tree are nearly done blooming and our apple tree is nearly ready to burst full out. It's hard not to rush to the nursery to pile up the flowers to plant, but still too early for us. We can have a hard freeze this time of year, so we have learned to be patient before we trust spring time in the Rockies.

Okay.. back to my orders.. ta for now.

Home Sweet Home

Miles and Miles... over 2000 later.. phew!!!!

It is sooooo good to be home. Lots of fun, family stuff, beach time, too much good food, not a lot of down time. Though I did manage to read Ken Follett's book "World Without End".. 1014 pages. Good read and I loved having the time to read. Life keeps me busy and I don't always have a lot of time for reading, one of my passions.

I didn't have a lot of time for art, did a little, but it was minimal. We had lots to see.. the wide open expanse of land driving through Texas. While I love the wide open feeling of space, I do miss my mountains. Padre Island was a nice beach, though incredibly windy. And I am not a big fan of wind. Was hoping to find more beach driftwood, but it was really sparse. I have several projects in mind using driftwood so will have to do some walks along our local rivers here at home.

We did see some great sand art.. This was a part of Sandfest held the weekend before we got there..so we were seeing the leftover art. All the vendors, crowds of people were gone.. so actually it was a nice time to see all the art. It was still roped off, though some had been tromped. Some really expert sculptures!

So today is unpacking, regrouping and then jumping back into work... vacations over!!!

Back to the real world. But it was fun while it lasted.

ta

Catching the Energy

This is so amazing when you see this. Mark this down, take a deep breath and just be with the beauty of the moment. When life shows you a miracle, we must pay attention and relish every drop.

We are packing for a roadtrip to Texas.. so will be blogging from the road. I love roadtrips and plan on capturing art along the way. So watch for the

rainbows and expect miracles. They do happen around us everyday.

ta...

a little bird drifted into my world

I woke up this morning on really low battery cells. I have been BUSY BUSY BUSY with orders, getting ready for a road trip to Texas, and then we had a huge party at our house last night with over 25 people! Great fun, great food, great friends ... but, PHEW I am dragging tail today.

So with the beautiful sunshine coming into my studio this morning, my music playing, the birds singing....ahhhhh. I dipped myself into my art and let the muse carry me. Found my bag of small driftwood that I brought back from Hawaii.. and started playing. And this sweet little bird was born.. I love doing driftwood art. Walking the beach, picking up something that strikes your fancy, not always knowing what it is, but recognizing you want it for something! This is the 2nd piece of art I have made from my trips to Hawaii. I have decided to make one each time I go. A remembrance piece of art from those trips. I would lovelovelove to live near the beach again. It's so soul enriching and the inspiration of the ocean touches my art sparks.

We are leaving on Thursday for a 10 to 12 day trip to Texas.. a few days near San Antonio for Dan's family renunion, then we are headed to South Padre Island for 3-4 days on the beach. YES!!!! We are taking the camper and Marley-his first road trip! I am so looking forward to some real relaxing on the beach. I also want to get a lot more dirftwood. Coming back in the camper will allow me more ROOM.. than stuffing a small stash into my suitcase when I fly. So this is a great opportunity to score some cool stuff. YIPPIEE! Plus Dan and I haven't done a road trip in several years, and we always have so much fun. It is good to spend 24-7 with your mate.. reminds you how much fun you can have with some who you love so much and is your best friend.

Also road trips are great for re-stocking the eco pond for an artist. You can really sit back and

enjoy the scenery. I always take my road art supplies with me.. sketch book, watercolors, etc

so I can do art while I am traveling. And the beach is really fun to sit and do art.

But alas, I need to attend to some must dos now..

ta

NEW INTENTIONS

Spring is beginning to burst in our mountain town. We have had some blue sky-sunny warm days that pours optimism into your bones after a long winter. But even with the hope of spring and renewal, I sometimes get plagued with fear of the impact of this rough economy. I have been bog hopping lately and decided this morning enough is enough.

So I did some journaling this morning. And once again, the inspiration and comfort of just working out my feelings in my journal has re-fortified me to put myself back in the I CAN DO THIS mode.

Owning your own business can be nerve-wracking at times. I have learned over the years to stay in the light. Avoid the dark what if's.

My belief is that if you keep a fearful watch of those dark negative what ifs, the universe will gladly bring that to you. And the same goes, if you keep a full intent vision of what you want, that same universe will comply. There is plenty to go around and I am worthy of abundance in my life. That has been my mantra for many years. When I feel like I am focusing on the empty part of the glass, I quickly remind myself to focus instead on the full part.

I did a gratitude list from a-z listing all of mine. Sounds easy but that is 26 gratitudes and I had to think a bit for some of them. But I did it and will now save it for those times I feel like I am

trekking over a barren landscape in the dark.

So turn up the music, stay in the light, focus on my goals, and roll up my sleeves. I am ready to

make it happen.... are You listening up there!?

Expect it... Know it.....

ta for now!

So like the little engine that could, I keep myself on track and chugg ahead.

In Your Dreams!

This is my new dream design for my lineup. I still have more beach designs to work on, but I also wanted to do a design about dreams. Trying to not do the traditional woman sleeping in a bed image, I decided to create her in her dreamland. She is growing as a tree, her branches reaching out to the stars dreaming of possibilities. I collaged fabric on for the ground striping it as a blanket-like look.
And to give it a nice border, more fabric. I like the finished result. Was originally going to say "See you in my dreams"
but that's so cliche so I decided to say "Meet me in my dreams".
Creating designs for Lunar is really different than doing my side art. The purpose always behind the design is to try and capture the buyers' desire. Try to tap into her personal
idea of the theme. That's incredibly hard. And more so for me, as I really don't think of myself as "ordinary" .. I play to a different accordion... so to speak! So I try to find the middle.. but still reach for the unusual. So it's complicated!

Doing my side art is freeing. I don't have to think about the audience. It's just my own creative juices coming out. Not that I try to stay too conscience when I design for Lunar.
Keeping a free spirit in that helps.
It really all boils down to I never know. I do the design, I toss it out into the world, and see
what happens. And I keep on dreaming up new ideas.
taaaa

Here I am on the beach with my hat that plainly states my most sincere desire. I adore sitting on the beach and revealing in the sound of the surf, the wind, the sun and hopefully no talking. Just being. I did this design this morning totally immersed in the feelings of the beach. And as I looked out, it was snowing. Not just a little bit, but those great big fat flakes that instantly coat everything.. brrrrrrrrr.

It's springtime in the Rockies and we are so used to some of our heaviest snow up here in the mtns this time of year. It's great for our gardens, for the upcoming spring runoff, and our earth in general. So to complain makes us feel a little guilty. But we do. It's just that when we have had lovely warm days of spring, and then the weather slams us back into winter, it's just weary. Not to mention disheartening.

But lucky me, I can go to the beach in my art! Two more designs are on the to do board for Lunar's new lineup. So more beach art for me. A good thing looking at the weather forecast!

taaaa

putting my request out into the universe

This is my new addition to my Visual Intention board. I have been wanting to write and illustrate children's books for ages now. One of the titles I want to do is called:

THE FARAWAY GRANNY

So I quickly did a storyline this morning, which now has moved it to a new level of intent. The watercolor that I did in Hawaii one morning was just playing.. but it comes from a dream that Emalie had about a red house with yellow flowers. The morning we took her in to see her mama after surgery, she had to tell Stephanie all about the red house with yellow flowers. So of course, this will be her house in my book.

I am posting this because I want to take my intent from dream to reality and this is a confirmation to myself and the universe, that I will make this dream come true.

My first step.

ta-daaaaaaa