Changes

I have been quiet this past week with lots of thoughts brewing in my mind. My husband and I received news that we will be moving to North Carolina for his job. At first I was reluctant and stressed. Moving from this house will be hard for me. It is our first home together. I have painted each wall a color I love. I have nurtured each corner and created a cozy space to live and create in. I need to view this move as an adventure, a fresh start, a new beginning rather than a bad thing. I trust that this is in the plan and I can actually feel that twinge of excitement brewing in my stomach.

Other than news of a move, I have been making an effort to truly enjoy the summer by grilling chicken and ribs, going on bike rides, hanging out with my husband, and trying to figure out everything from the move to my artwork. This weekend my husband and I are going to work on some house projects so that we can get our home ready for picture-taking. We have so much to do in such a short amount of time.

I have posted some new artwork in my shop and updated my shop banner. I really like the feel of my shop now as it feels more "me" and I hope to post more items throughout the weekend and into next week.

Hope you enjoy your weekend and soak in that summer heat!

Things to come

Hello friends. I would like to tell you that I am doing a revamp of my etsy shop. Over the past year I have allowed myself to try different things in the aspect of my art-making. I have experimented with different kinds of artwork from illustrations, whimsical prints, floral designs, large works on canvas, and of course my birds. This past month I started to realize that some of the things in my etsy shop didn't feel right to my current style, I have evolved and I always want my artwork to always be a reflection of me. I want the artwork in my shop to be things that come from my heart and to be things I love. Overall I would just like a more cohesive and clean looking shop.

As far as the new things you will be seeing in my shop expect splashes of color, organic shapes, old objects, and a little nonsense. I won't be getting rid of everything in my shop. It will just feel more like me! My shop is in vacation mode right now so I will let you know as soon as it is re-opened.

Here are a few pics of some new smaller works. I hope you have a great weekend and I will be back next week ;)

Me

Peeling back

I feel like I am on the cusp of something very new. Behind the scenes in my work space I have been creating some very abstract little pieces of artwork that is much different than the stuff that is currently in my shop. I know that over time an artist's work evolves and changes so I am not that surprised. This new way of making is very uninhibited. I do not think so much about what I am doing. I just do. It all started as a way to warm up before diving into something bigger I was working on. I will soon share some of this work with you ;)

Today is supposed to be a hot one. My sunflowers just started to open yesterday. Little by little the green folds give away to the yellow petals that are trying to make their debut. It's funny how we are not so different from these flowers. Sometimes a seed is planted in our brains and behind the scenes we slowly manifest what it is that is about to be created in our lives. Slowly we peel back the layers so we can show to the world what it is that god/universe wants for us to share. Not sharing will limit us. If you don't show the world your gifts you cannot inspire others to live authentically and fully. So if you love to write, share your writing with someone. If you love to paint, make a painting for someone. If you love to cook, fill someone's belly!

That's all I have to say about that for today :)

Peace out

jumping on the bandwagon

Mr. Jones ~ now in the shop

I have resisted the twitter craze for quite a long time. My sister called me the other day and said "Why are you not on twitter yet! It would be great for your business!" I had to agree. Networking and making connections is how people thrive in the online world. Not only that, but from what I've heard a lot of people have ditched facebook and other online social networking services for Twitter because it is more fast and easy. So come along and follow me. I will follow you. We will go from there because I have no idea what happens after that!

Today is Monday. I know not everyone is excited about that but I am hopeful on this monday!

1. Today I hope to be productive in my artroom. I have another bird painting to finish and then I would like to work on getting some prints made to list in my shop.

2. Today I hope the rain goes away for a while so I can finish mowing the back yard.

3. Today I hope to take a bikeride on the amish country road.

4. Today I hope for a surprise.

5. Today I hope my house magically gets clean. Ok that's pushing it. I know.

bonus room

Here is my completed bonus room. The walls were white to begin with and there were no other accessories except for the rug. I went to TJ Max yesterday and found two pretty silver lamps marked down to $30.00 each and I also purchased the four pillows which were 20 dollars a set. It is amazing how a little color can transform an otherwise dull space. I already had the vase and the cherry blossom branches from Pier One, but they used to be sitting in a closet collecting dust. The painting is one I purchased a few years ago and had not found a good spot for it until now. I am very happy with how it turned out. The other side of the room has a weight bench and an office desk. It is kind of a multi-functional room. I would show you the other side but it is still a mess! Oh and the color is by Behr paint and is called Studio Taupe.

a modge podge of thoughts

me jumping on a park trail

Illinois landscape

I have been back from my trip for a few days now. It was nice to get out of my town and to visit other lands even if it was just Illinois. I have to say that I really enjoyed seeing the fireworks this year. I love our country and feel thankful to have been born here. Isn't it funny to think that you could have been born anywhere in the world which determines the quality of life you have, the amount of freedom you have, and much bigger things like your religion? It blows my socks off thinking about it. It makes me count my blessings and reminds me not to judge others so much since they are a product of their circumstances and environment.

I am loving the summer. My sunflowers are about to bloom, my grass is still green due to steady rain, and the fireflies amaze me. They are like little wonders of electricity. Wouldn't it be funny if we could light up in the dark. No that would be scary. I am glad only fireflies and some kinds of fish are the only things that light up.

Now that I am back I plan on catching up on some things like weeding my garden, mowing, and painting the bonus room above the garage. I never knew what a bonus room was until I moved to the south. They are popular in my neighborhood since none of the houses have basements. I hate not having a basement. It freaks me out when storms come, to the point that I wear a helmet when the tornado sirens go off. I am going to paint the bonus room a grey brown color called ashwood. It should be classy and look nice with my dark brown furniture. I can add color to the room with pillows, curtains, and lamps. That's the way I like to decorate. Alright off to take care of business.

Hope you all had a nice holiday weekend!!

Travel

I will be heading out of town for the fourth of July. I am feeling much better and am no longer contagious so it's time to get out of the house and head out on a road trip to good ole' Illinois. I will be staying at a friends parent's home where we will enjoy lounging at the pool, doing a little shopping, some hiking, and of course relaxing.

I was a little hesitant to go as sometimes I can be a home-body but then I remembered a quote I read by the lovely Sabrina Ward Harrison in her book Brave On the Rocks:

"If you don't go, you don't see."

So that gets me thinking...if I don't see then I won't know and if I don't know then I won't experience wonderful things! So that is why I said yes to going and I will always try to apply this philosophy when it comes to travel.

Thanks for all of your comments and sharing this week. I am really enjoying my blog lately. It's like a home away from home, a home that lives in a screen, full of friends and strangers who strangely like hearing about my day to day meanderings.

Be back next Monday or Tuesday!