lucky number

our house is gray, with black shutters and white trim ... and now a red door!

it was our first house project, and although not a big one, we're pretty excited about it.

 we love our 13.

 my favorite part is the new red reflection in the glass. oh the possibilities.

we think our red door is pretty lovable. wouldn't you agree?

before:

after:

organize, schmorganize

today, i spent the day organizing, backing up, deleting from my massive photo archives.

do any of you still print your photos, on physical paper, and put them into an album of sorts?

i do. i still feel the need to have my favorites printed out and kept safe. but, they take up space and can become overwhelming. and now that everything is so digital, it's so easy (or, is it, really?) to share and store photos in virtual places.

do any of you use flickr? does that help?

for backing up, i use an external hard drive and do it manually so i know what's going on, but it's really not in any sort of organization besides by date ... so even though i HAVE all the photos in the world, it would never entice me to go back and find something in there. EW.

so i beg of you- please tell me!- what are your favorite ways to organize and store photos?

i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving. don't forget to use the code LOVEYOUTURKEYS in my etsy shop - today is the last day!

I'm thankful for YOU (and antlers).

new reindeer inspired pieces here

when i was little i had nightmares about manly deer with deep voices and red sox hats (think: a combination of bambi's father, and THIS GUY) i love that guy, and watching just that little bit of that movie right now makes me crazy happy, so i'm not sure why he was included in the concoction of such a nightmare. antlers have always fascinated me. the house i grew up in had a lot of woods behind it, and we would frequently see deer there. last month, in the newfound rinny woods behind my own house, my good old friend kaci, (and my good new friend merri) and i, saw a huge buck dash across a cliff and into the woods. his antlers clattered with the tree branches. we were in awe. the mystique of antlers has gone from totally frightening to really inspiring. and what happens when it keeps tapping you on the shoulder ... it just happens to come out all over the place.

and i'm thankful for that.

and for blog readers like you.

you keep me motivated and inspired, whether i'm exploring a lifelong hunch or entertaining a quick feeling. you're a different and special kind of support, more than you probably know. i wish you a very happy thanksgiving weekend! so....

... start your shopping early and use this coupon code for my etsy store for 15% off! LOVEYOUTURKEYS, good now thru cyber monday.

peeks + etsy

sneak peeks of some new sketches in my book for the sketchbook project tour.

i'm trying to let it be random, along the same lines, but allowing myself to try new things, whatever comes to my mind. (collage is next!) the book needs to be postmarked by January 15th. and i still have more than half the book to fill. i WILL do it!

... and the new pieces below (and more!) are up on my etsy shop!

what do you think? the first one is a 4 x 4 inch square, i love the size. i also bought a 18 x 18 inch square of the same wood to try- big difference! the squares in the second image are 2 x 2 inches, and i can't resist those either.

{this moment}

inspired by SouleMama

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 If you're inspired to do the same, leave your link in the comments below. Also visit SouleMama and leave your link there, too. 

somebody else's sea

though i am partial to my own sea here in new england, i love to view (and smell and touch and taste and give love to) other people's seas too. celebrate how other parts of the country, or world, regard their sea, how it smells or looks different, or how it's stories are connected. 

florida was a wonderful vacation. i spent some serious time with my in-laws ("out-laws" as they like to be called) which was really nice. you never stop getting to know people. and jay and i got to hang out every single day. sounds barf-y, but it's awesome. it's fun to be able to turn around and have his attention anytime i want. unlike the rest of our everyday lives, where random thoughts don't get much any attention post-work, and hugs + kisses are saved for morning and night. yay for vacations. and yay for coming home. ( to our house! )

 

this vacation was another time for me to reflect on the social-media-less life that takes priority, and just how good it feels. social media should enhance your life, not the other way around. making a plan for internet time and sticking to it, helps. foregoing altogether is a tempting option, but for now, i think we're all still enjoying the expression, inspiration and connection. which is all is should come down to each time. if there's more than that involved, like pressure, priorities, etc., then just re-focus. it really helps to have others validate your feelings and i was relieved to find this post by one of the connections i never would have made without this blog. read more on this subject here. thank you, jacin!

more bits of tropical to come, but for now, one thought:

i was all into finding a florida farmer's market. visions of oranges and grapefruits and flowers ... only to find ... maine lobster rolls? and cider doughnuts? florida, i know new england is the coolest and all, but, i was trying to discover your own lovely quirks and you made me a fool. Oh well, we really did have a fun and relaxing time. more visuals for your eyeballs to feast upon coming soon!

in other news, my paintings made it into some pretty cool sea-painting etsy treasuries. lots of other people's seas to be admired here! and here!

and some "skinny" items here!

awesome title.

 

what do you think of this new painting?

thanks so much guys, for your nice words yesterday - it really made me feel better to get all that out, not to mention get such nice responses. it's a happy feeling to go on vacation with a little more reflection and reassurance in the back of my mind about what i'm doing and why. and not feel so alone. we're leaving tomorrow to visit jay's parents' new place in florida. since i don't yet have an iphone, i'll stock up bits of excitement in my head and share it with you when we get home.

in the meantime, here are some other happy feelings i've been meaning to share:

beach plastic

all recipes should be portrayed like this. this girl is gonna be famous. watch out.

monkey bread

fish-sicles (can you spot my sis?)

thanks again my peeps. relax, and have an inspiring week! i'll see you soon.

confessions

here are two sneak peeks at custom orders i've been working on! the top one is a long + skinny shell, for a grouping of other small shell paintings. the second is a fragmented, sparkling vision of hope for a certain special custom order. i'll show you the full piece when finished.

confessions of a bad blogger:

i've been way m.i.a with this blog lately! i apologize to my (several?) readers. i hope you are still here, whoever you are, i truly appreciate you. sometimes, i'm not even sure why i have this blog. on the other hand, it's only 8 months old, it still has growing to do. i have many stacked up images to share, ideas, and art that i want to make. inspirations. but also a lot going on, and never enough time to express, or not exactly sure how to express. trouble with being an artist is the rush of ideas, the need to express, those are curses + blessings at the same time. i feel careful with what i share, and i'm overly thoughtful, so, it takes longer than it probably should. and honestly, i'm still figuring out what this blog is about and i thought that was something i shouldn't admit to my "readers", i figured i should at least act like i totally know what i'm doing here and why. it feels better to admit.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING.

there are so many blogs out there that i love, some because they're more witty and funny than i could ever be, some because they post 3 times a day with awesome inspirational finds, some because they're pursuing something totally different than i am, but i feel a connection and it inspires me. all of those are really great and unexpected things... i'm so grateful for the handful of special relationships i've made just through having this blog... and i love to sit with coffee or tea + cheese, and delve into them (and find more!) for hours. (let's not get started on the lovely madness of pinterest!)

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THE INSPIRATION.

these days, with twitter and pinterest and facebook and blogs and instagrams and etsy ... we have so many places to put our inspirations and so many ways to share our worlds. it also means our minds can be torn in so many directions with ideas and inspirations, (and comparisons),  it can almost make you crazy. make our brains frozen in time like that "refrigerator coma" commercial. some of these social medias are genius + now necessary, some are just necessary evils. it's hard to balance when you're not naturally a social butterfly. or maybe even if you are! when we had no power for a few days last week, that pressure was lifted. i felt more connected and hands-on with my own tangible life. How to do you stay true to yourself while also sharing so many parts, in so many directions?

I'LL ALWAYS BE TRUE TO MYSELF.

beyond sharing the process of re-routing my art career, my blog, as feast-or-famine as my art, has become a place to put my photos, which can be my biggest inspiration. they include my thoughts, without words, they're visual, colorful, and are the start of my ideas. the things that are evoked in my mind from those photos may or may not be of interest to others, but having a place to put them, to categorize them, to mix + match them, capture or create feelings, keeps me moving forward. being able to share thoughts that spark my interest in the same way, is a bonus. being able to look back on the progress of my art work, is another. whether art related, or not, it's a way to explore my surroundings and those gut feelings, those fleeting moments, which flicker + bounce through life.

HOLO HOLO~ ENJOY THE JOURNEY.

{this moment}

inspired by SouleMama

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 If you're inspired to do the same, leave your link in the comments below. Also visit SouleMama and leave your link there, too.