A brand New Year, but first a look at the craziness of November and December

I love the beginning of the Year, it is a time to reflect on the things I accomplished last year and to set goals and make plans for this year. I haven't shared much this last few months as I have been deeply committed to finishing up some projects along with spending time with my family.

Last year I worked on revamping my artist look, redefining myself and my different looks as well as getting organized.  I took a few online classes, attended some seminars and that really helped me with the business side of my art, the uglier side of business that many artists, including myself try to avoid like money, expenses etc. I first took a class with Jennifer Lee called "The Right Brain Business Plan" the book is available on Amazon but its also as a online class. Great insights and help in tackling some of those business issues. Then to help conquer the "beast of STUFF", I took a great class with Alyson Stanfield on How to Organize my Art Biz, a step by step that really made my demons more manageable, like the monster piles of paperwork and piles of other things in my office that I don't know what to do with. I hope it will help to keep me better organized so I can be a better artist. The link is an affiliate link but I wouldn't recommend anything unless I truly believed in it. I am still working on completing many of the organization things I learned through out my studio, my closets etc. Its hard work but well worth the rewards. Check this out....

From this to...

THIS!

I know, impressed right!? I have more just like this but I will share later. I started this in November and worked on a new class every few days. It was great but tough during the holidays, I added some organizational apps on my phone too. Its all part of the new me! 

Before Thanksgiving arrived I made time to finish the new baby's room and mural! Barely made it since they were doing a C section the day after Thanksgiving. I did manage to find time to cook Thanksgiving dinner for 16 people and the next day welcome our newest grand baby to the family. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jennifer holding Bryce

I took some time to be with Melissa and the baby as Matt dealt with Blake being sick and then him getting sick. It was nice since I was so tired and needed the rest, holding the baby was very relaxing!

 Before the craziness of Christmas was in full swing I had a Art quilt show in Poway to attend, I had two of my art quilts accepted into this amazing show. It was a beautiful exhibit and I was able to connect with some very talented women! 

Then, in a flash it seemed like it was time for Christmas! Did it seem like that extra week we usually have between Thanksgiving and Christmas makes that much of a difference? It did this year, I couldn't believe how fast Christmas seemed to come. I managed to get a bit of baking done,snowballs and peanut brittle are a must have for when my mom arrives. Its her favorite and I love to have it ready for her, she always notices it!  I also received my Twelve Days of Christmas ornaments that hit the shelves for sale this year! I was able to get a few sets from the manufacturer and gave them to my kids for their family tree. I also got the ornament from the Riverside Art Museum that I gave them also, it was my year for ornaments.

Snowballs, a family tradition in our house!

One of my ornaments from my Twelve Days of Christmas design

My mom and sister came down from northern California to spend the holidays with everyone. It was wonderful to see them and to have a few weeks to just be with my mom! I would try to paint in the mornings but really I just spent most of my time with her, shopping, baking, visiting. She is such a blessing to our family and I love her so much! Here she is opening the gift the girls made at the ceramic shop for her and they are so excited to see her reaction.

Mom even got an iphone and finally gave up her flip phone. It is proving to be a challenge and we ended up doing lessons throughout our days together. Then my sister arrived and we all had some wonderful time together, visiting and baking and eating! After mom left to stay at my brothers, my sister and I sat outside in the sunshine one morning and I gave her an art lesson as we had our morning coffee. She loved it and took home her little masterpiece after first making it the wallpaper on her phone!

She was painting berries off of one of my trees.

Christmas Day was full of family and it was close to perfect. I managed to finish the painting for my niece and she loved it!  She is so beautiful and tall everyone thinks she should be a model and she is my moms shadow. She just sticks to her like glue!

I know you are thinking wow, how does she do it all. I am sure if you were to sit down and write down all the things you have done over the last few months you would shock yourself. You will now better understand my need to be very organized and structured. My time is so valuable and limited since I am a full time caregiver on top of it! Phew, enough already. Well with all that was going on I still found some time to work on my new website!! I am happy to see it become a  more professional looking site. After all is said and done it appears that I did manage to still have an artsy Christmas, full of blessings and creative energy. 

My new website for my patterns only is ready to launch and I will be working on my new art website soon, its all very exciting! I will be teaching more this year coming up with all new workshops and letting go of some other things as I make room for these new projects. I have been busy designing, creating and making art for some deadlines that are coming up but I can't share the details yet, its a secret!

I am so excited with all the changes and things that are happening, many blessing to all of you! I so appreciate your visits, the time you take to stop by and comment. To look at my art and read my thoughts. I hope that 2014 will be even better! More posts, more art, more insights and tutorials.
Blessings!

I was just minding my own business when....

This morning I was in one of those moods where you have so much on your mind its hard to get focused. I laid with my iPad and answered emails and thought about what I needed to buy for Thanksgiving, the food that needed to be prepared. I also thought about all the Christmas decorations that will be making there way out right after Thursday! I thought about my Christmas party and all the wonderful friends that will be coming to spend a few hours together, celebrating the season and each other before all the craziness begins. As I checked my mail and was going to start working on the portrait I got an email from my dear friend Ann Turley. She congratulated me on my quilt making the SAQA Journal! Wow, I didn't even know, I wasn't notified and it was still sitting all wrapped in plastic waiting for me to read! What an awesome surprise, thanks Ann, I don't know when I would have noticed if you hadn't emailed me! I sent that in so many months ago I had almost forgot. The little quilt was done with ties and boiling vinegar water and muslin. We had a play day where our art quilt group boiled ties. Check out the post! It was tons of fun and this little quilt was a result. It looked like houses and cars and there were big areas that looked like cracks. I called it Urban Sprawl. I grabbed my coffee, sat down and took a few minutes to enjoy the SAQA Journal this morning, have you read yours yet?

What a great way to start my day! What fun, I then went into my studio and FINISHED my commissioned portrait!! YEAH!! I am so glad it is finished early so they have time to get it framed before the holidays. The lighting isn't good for the photo but you get the picture!

Then, the fabric company called to say that they needed my next full line of fabric in two weeks!! Wow, really?! Sleep? I don't think that will be happening but I am so thankful that they decided on something they liked enough for me to develop. And then lastly, tonight, my husband came in to announce that my persimmon tree had 4 persimmons on it! I thought they had burnt in the heat in August and shriveled up and dropped off. Now with all the leaves gone the little orange ornaments show up on the sticks that are left. Such a tiny tree, only two years old, and to carry such a burden. Their limbs bent with the weight all the way out on the tips. I thought I would never get a persimmon, thinking the tree didn't like where I planted it, but look, four! Well, three because part of two are damaged but fruit anyway! Yippie, a good life day today for sure, so much to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving week! 

You can see the sunburnt area that looks bad but I have a knife!

Damaged but edible, expect some sketches soon!  I need to journal about this for sure!

New work

I am working on a new art quilt, it is by invitation only so that adds to the pressure to perform. The theme is a secret so sorry, can't share, but have been struggling with it. I usually get a theme and think about it for awhile and then "POOF" something comes to me and I start designing and construction or painting, depending on what I am doing. But this time I think and think but nothing.... until the other day. I did a self portrait two years ago I thought would work. It is more of a portrait of how I was feeling about my life. I haven't shared it outside of the group of people who were doing the challenge at that time. ( See of this happens to you) So as I am looking for this portrait, digging through tons of sketchbooks, loose paper, drawers, closets, even under beds and I can't find it! AHHH as I am skimming through one large sketch book I find this other sketch I did in a life drawing class that I have always loved, she has this eery look on her face. When I see the picture I always wonder what she might be thinking or what was going on in her life that gives her that far away look. I remember the model and she was good, but she looked nothing like this picture. So I often wonder if it was her I was drawing or was I drawing myself as I applied that charcoal to the paper. Another cool thing that happened was that it left a soft, faint impression on the opposite page of the sketchbook. A mirror image, a ghost of the original looking back at herself, even creepier!! Now I am figuring out how to translate her and my ideas to fabric. Here is my sketch.

Pool and painting, doesn't get much better than that!!

Today we were being baked alive as the sun heated us into the triple digits. Marta came over and we had lunch, swam and watched my grandkids. It was a much deserved lazy day as we drank sangria and thumbed through magazines. It was so nice to just visit and hang out with a friend. So much is going on in her life, I hope she will start to heal. The pool is staying at about 82 degrees now so its easier to get in and it still feels refreshing. Its funny how much work it is to just lay out by the pool. We have to make sure everything is shaved, pulled up, pulled in and we have to have a cute bathing suit and cover up. Waterproof makeup if you decide to wear it and a cute hat, sunscreen and a recent pedicure. Sunglasses, music, reading material and a towel all just to relax. LOL That calls for a nap! I think Marta headed home to do just that.

I did make myself pull out my much neglected paint brushes and paint and do the Wet Canvas WDE challenge. Here is the girls husband, Duane. He has a great smirk and I loved the picture. Maybe he was checking us out by the pool!! We did look pretty cute.