New cards

I finally did it, I set some time aside yesterday evening to finish this set of nautical cards :). You can find them here.

On another note, isn't this a cute desktop! Click here to see it. I snatched it up yesterday to use as wallpaper.

An update and Vintage Thingies Thursday

It's time for Vintage Thingies Thursday! I miss participating in this fun weekly event. I decided to share something this week. Here's a cute little plate I picked up from the thrift store for $1, that's right! It has the Shabby Chic and girlie look that I love, so it was definitely a real steal!

New topic: After feeling like a 6 year old trying to sell finger woven pot holders in the front yard, circa 1990 (yes, I tried doing this once with my cousin; unfortunately, our 'store' went out of business the same day :P), I've come to realize that my Etsy store really needs a makeover. Now, I didn't open it up with hopes that I'd get a ton of business the first month, or even a ton of business ever... but it's been a few months now, and all is still quiet on the western front.

So what to do, what to do? A friend of mine has a successful Etsy store. I asked her for a few tips and she was kind enough to share some of her wisdom with me via email. Things have got to change, they really do! I admit, I've gotten lazy, I don't take nice pictures of the things I create. I am also not doing a very good job of keeping the (potential) customer satisfied. For instance, I don't think it's such a great idea to sell single illustrations anymore. That's a little boring and, let's face it, I can't offer prints at the moment. My pal's suggestion? Sell a small bundle of illustrated cards. Cards! Yes, of course! Initially, I was a bit weary of being yet another Etsy card seller, but at this point, what do I have to lose? So long as the illustrations are unlike anyone else's, I don't see why this is a bad idea. In fact, it sounds like a pretty good idea. So that's the first change I'll be making to my Etsy store in a few days. I'll probably take a few of the illustrations off of the site this weekend. Until then, I'm working on creating a small themed collection. Here are two cards from the first (you'll recognize the second illustration :):

In other news, after waiting 2 weeks for genetic test results to arrive, someone helpful and caring finally faxed them over yesterday. What test am I referring to? Well, after not feeling so hot tummy-wise (funny how it all started after ingesting gluten while out of town), I decided to go back to the doctor. Turns out I have a gene for Celiac disease! Who woulda thought? I was a bit surprised. This doesn't mean 100% that I have it at the moment, but it means there is more than a 2/3 chance I could have it/develop it later. Given my symptoms, it's possible that I have it already. This simply means I need to be more strict about the gluten issue, like no more bubble gum, no more hair products or lotions that contain gluten, no more baking for friends using 'regular' flour, that sorta thing. Not so bad, really. Of course, there are other food sensitivities to take into account, as Celiac disease can contribute to other intolerances, but it's much more manageable than one would think (it just requires some discipline on my part).

If you haven't been feeling so hot, especially if you're experiencing digestive issues, please watch this video and read this! Celiac disease is ridiculously under-diagnosed!

Illustration Friday: Poise

The Easter Bunny was last seen prancing around in a tutu, walking on eggshells, with a basket of carrots and little chick in tow.

Happy Spring!

In 2 1/2 hours Eastern Time, it'll be Spring. Happy Spring from Boston, Mass. - where you can still ice skate while flowers bloom every where else ;).

Digital Photo Collage

So...it's still really really cold outside. Despite the fact that the high is 40 today, the windchill makes it feel like it's in the 20s outside (painful!). I decided to stay indoors for a few hours, at least until it feels more like 30 something. I spent the morning playing around with the gimp, creating a digital collage. Gimp is so much fun, I love that stuff like this is free :P!

Here are some of the pictures taken beforehand and edited:

right outside of the law school...

Illustration Friday: Instinct

Learning how to fly isn't always a matter of instinct, sometimes you need a little push.

Illustration medium: pen and ink/pencil

Children's Art

The Lost Sock.

Want to know what becomes of your socks, the ones that disappear without a trace? This one's mine, I can tell by the long pointy toe ;).

Illustration Friday: Time

Even ice cream cones have their meltdowns...this is a job for Dr. Time!

Illustration medium: Colored pencil/pen and ink
Illustration style: Cartoon

The Dish Ran Away with the Spork???!!!

Preface: Along with the many other things I'd like to do in this life, illustrating a book is one of them. Now I'm trying to choose between wanting to do that and just coming up with a very small greeting card line. (This will not happen until many, many years from now. :) Anyhow, I truly wish I had more time to devote to these poor drawings, but there's bread and dough to be made (I mean that literally and figuratively); someone's gotta cook and bring home the bacon :D. Right now, that's me. So here's my little twisted fairytale comic about the inevitable, the Dish leaving the Spoon so that he can find true happiness with... a spork? Yep! This is the short story that goes with my submission for this week's difficult Illustration Friday theme: Resolve! (Colored Pencil/Pencil/Cartoon)

After years of being tormented by the well-known nursery rhyme that, for decades, paired him with the Spoon, the Dish finally realized he wasn't the Spoonman we thought he was. Despite the fact that there have been various songs depicting him as a Man of the Spoon, he really didn't care for silverware at all. Sure, Forks would literally bend over backwards for him; they'd always gaze at his 'fine china' exterior, but the Dish wanted to be appreciated for more than his looks and the name brand on his back side.

The decision was final. The Dish declared that he was done with spoons and forks; he was left cracked from the stress of failed relationships, after all! It was time to move on, even if others accused him of settling for less. The Dish fell in love with the utensil that's never seen a real dinner table! Made out of plastic and loved by many a cafeteria-eating minor, the Spork won the dish over with her simple ways. She'd had a rough life, being thrown to the bottom of backpacks and withstanding the weight of heavy books; Spork was even chewed on by anxious elementary school students during recess. The truth is, she'd never been with anyone other than sticky Fruit Cup and stinky Tupperware.

And so it goes, the Dish and the Spork were truly meant to be! To this day, neither of them look back to their former lonely days. The Dish really feels he's gotten the best of both worlds and the Spork knows that she finally has a chance to make it into the kitchen utensil drawer some day!

1 year anniversary

the hubby and me

"Seahorses are monogamous, picking one mate for life. Daily greeting rituals include the male and female coming together each morning, dancing and changing color, twirling around with linked tails, and then separating for the rest of the day."  Taken from here

Illustration Friday: Rambunctious

...and that would be a deflating balloon that the evil cupcake is holding on to, it's a bit hard to tell, I know :D.