The Holidays are here!

I always say Halloween is my favorite, until Christmas arrives. Then I change my mind. Every year.

If you aren't in the mood already, here's some things to get you in the mood for winter (if you are in a colder part like we are) and the holidays, and if you create, to get you inspired if you make items for the holidays. It's my little list that helps me when I am making my greeting cards for the holidays:

Christmas cookies
Pretty lights
PRESENTS!
Buying other people presents!
Little surprises
Ornaments
Candy Canes
Cranberries!
PUMPKIN PIE PUMPKIN PIE PUMPKIN PIE
PRESENTS!
Santa Hats
Snow
Logs on the fire
Big Red Bows
Mistletoe
Scarves
Candles in the windows
Hot Chocolate
Reindeer
Bells
The smell of your neighbor's fireplace in the cold winter nighttime air!

Got any more?! I would love to hear it! I always need inspiration and love to hear what brings other people joy!

The joy of the season

They say the happiest people are those who put their relationships first and try always to be as grateful as they can for all that they have.

So many people in this world go without, and while I grump and grumble about silly things, as most of us do from time to time, I am going to try this season to begin a practice of being as grateful as I can. maybe even after the season is over, I will have established it as a habit.

I am grateful for:

My son, Jack and his beautiful, funny, energetic and loving personality
My husband, Mark who is my world, my support and my best friend
My health
My family's health
My eyes
My ears
My hands
Food in my cabinet and clothes on my back
My friends

and some other things:
Brownies
Pie
Autumn days
Miles Davis on my cd player
Hot baths
Good cheese

So tell me! What are you grateful for???? Tell the world!

OMG. Christmas is coming...

I think i am finally getting the hang of the card timing thing now...last year I missed it completely. Totally wasn't ready for the holiday season with my stuff. I think my halfway-preparedness is only due to the craft show on Dec 5th...If nothing else, it's getting my bum in gear.

I have to admit though. I usually LOATHE the day after Halloween, when everyone loads out their Holiday wares. I think it's way too early, but here I am, and I guess now I understand all the retail haste. I actually had people asking last week about holiday card sets, (which totally thrills me btw!) and if I hadn't had those inquries, I KNOW I would be veggin' out with Stephen King's latest instead of posting my stuff on Etsy. Thanks to those people too for getting my bum in gear!

And yet again, I am VOWING to do regular blog posts. Let's see what really happens with that!

What I do when Jack is asleep...

Eat Cookies.

Watch TV that doesn't contain overly exaggerated vocal intonations and extravagant use of suspension of disbelief for the sake of making the show colorful and full of unicorns.

Play Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook.

Check and re-check my Etsy sites way too often.

Scour for artistic inspiration.

And occasionally, when I am not supertired and superbraindead...


I don't know if the stars were aligned the day I did this, but I was so overjoyed and having immense fun when I was doing it...

As it turns out, I kept going and did about four of these. Some of them are in the Bumblejack shop. Some, not yet. But what began as just a little flower drawing ended up as something entirely different, with much more meaning to me than just a really good doodle...

These flowers I have been doing started as flowers and finished as portraits. I ended up doing one of my family, one of my in-laws. One for my anniversary, which is today btw, one for my son.

I think I found another fun avenue to explore...

My Word: FAITH

My ETSY friend JanetD, who has this amazing dreamblog Lilac Cafe, did a post on an artist who paints words that people need to hear on their bodies. I am not doing this artist's work any justice with my description. I ought not write posts at 10 PM when my eyelids are drooping...
In any case, Lilac Cafe posted her words, her experience. And moved, I have decided to post mine. My hope is to open my heart a little more by sharing my word with you, and in turn continue what I hope will be a chain reaction of inspiration and heart.

FAITH
It runs so deep with me. Even when I don't realize it, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. What I need to hear is FAITH. I keep wanting to see proof that my hopes, risks, and dreams will happen, that my business will flourish, that God hears me. But that's just it. The beauty in not knowing is having faith that however it turns out, whether we like it or not, things will be okay anyway.

I am just going to stop there....

What's your word?

I AM GRATEFUL FOR....

My cool neighbor who, just because, decided to share her amazing hydrangea with me! I love flowers...and I love surprises! Thanks Dolly!

One for my threadkillah's!

My version of the banana slug....
The banana slug came up in conversation with my Etsy friends, and I felt overcome with inspiration!
Not a work of art...just a doodle...

The Cafe

My Etsy friend Janet is living her dream of a brand-spankin' new cafe with cool sites, cool recipes and art for all to enjoy! So stop by, check it out, and spread the word that her place is a fun place to be....

I am going there now...come join me!

http://www.janetdavies.com/lilaccafe/

I want this...

My lovely Etsy friend kclarkphotography has some amazing stuff...if you don't believe me, visit her shop...

www.kclarkphotography.etsy.com

but in the meantime, let me tell you about my love for this particular piece.

It belongs in my house. On my wall going up the stairs actually. I have the place picked out. She doesn't know it yet, (well now she does!) but I have wanted this for some time. It will be mine. Yes. It will be mine.

I have a few more Etsy goals to meet before I can make the purchase.

When that happens, I will have my River Tay picture...Thanks for the beautiful photos Kim. You have brought the beauty of far away places to those of us that, for the time being, cannot go far away (maybe when Jack's older).

Anyway, here's the thing of beauty:

Sunday morning blueberry pancake addiction

Though it may appear as if I am struggling to beat out Martha Stewart for her position, we really only had these because we went blueberry picking a couple weeks ago, and the blueberries were about to turn...why is my text underlined??? I can't turn it off!

Anyway. here is the BEFORE pic:


Successful pancake creation, noted by the AFTER pic: (hooray for no underlining!)


And with this little breakfast event came the realization to the glaring truth surrounding pancakes and my addiction to them. If no one stops me, pancakes will happen.

I really wanted to delve into my discoveries this morning related to syrup. If you want me to elaborate, give a holler, otherwise, I am going to stop this nonsense and move on to more worldly topics, like all the cool esty stuff I found last night...more later, when the boy goes down for a nap...

Watching Ants

I am sitting here, eating ham, (at 10:30 at night, no less) thinking about my day. Searching for the theme...And you know, I just had the hardest time. Not because I was bored today or because I am feeling particularly shallow. Moreso, because I have a feeling but cannot express it well in words...

I suppose I should offer some background. We have spent the past month or so attending lots of functions, having some of our own, and just overall busy. Every weekend has been consumed by something. Except this weekend.

This weekend I was delighting at the thought of DOING NOTHING. But it was probably the most fulfilling of all my days this summer, but I couldn't figure out why.

Then it came to me. It was the mac ~n~ cheese pic (see post below) that framed it well. The little things, doing seemingly nothing that special, with my husband and boy. We hadn't done NOTHING in so long. Some of my day was a wee bit frustrating, but one particular point sticks out in my mind.

I was cleaning the "studio" this morning. In my pj's. I heard a banging on the side door coming from outside, and heard my boy yelling "Ma!" "Maaaaaaaa!"
So of course, I went. There they were. Jack and Daddy, sitting on the outside step, smiling up at me. Jack, (who is 22 months tomorrow btw) says, "Sit."

And that was the moment I realized that I can work, or do my artwork, clean the house, cook, wash, visit friends, make plans, do, do, do, but the very most memorable, meaningful, important and most cherished will be those tiny little seemingly slow and uneventful moments that make my life so rich.

My two loves of my life in one place, sitting in the sun, gazing at ants on the ground. Watching my boy devour his food with gusto and passion. Laughing and flopping around on pillows in the playroom, with nothing in our heads but that.

I am blessed. I am blessed for so many reasons, but am most happy that I was able to enjoy this day for all its littleness, seemingly unimportant importance.

Inspired

I am so humbled. I was bumming around on ETSY's forum, checking out some beautiful stuff, and promoting mine, and I came across a blog that had the nicest entry!

She posted about her awesome day, and offered a window into her philosophical interests, which really gave me some inspiration to do the same!

Here is the blog if you would like to check it out: http://tupelolondon.blogspot.com/

So I thought I would offer a photo of my son, who brings so much light to my world for so many reasons. One being his incredible love for food...

Did you get a good look at that Kraft macaroni stuck to his face?

That's my boy!

The Party

The latest just posted on Etsy this past week!


I had just gone to a party where I got the feeling that I was on parade...eek. I am more of a fan of parties where the laughter is high and the pretention is low.

Lowwww.....

This little drawing made me feel better. It made me laugh. Laughing is good. Someone should have brought some of that to the party.

Go give it some love! -----> www.bumblejack.etsy.com

The Custom Wedding Invite Project of 2009

I took this on for a friend, fully confident that I could do a good job, but I really never thought I would be so happy with the finished product, and delight in the process so much!

It got me thinking..."hmm," said I to myself.

"Dare I consider the possibilities?"

I think it might be fun to make a line of invites, and work my way into custom invitations...

All things paper... i am feeling an obsession coming on...

Flapjack Fury

I really, really do love pancakes. I was just sitting there and I was having a heck of a time trying to drum up subject matter. I was so hungry. It was like 10 AM. And there we have it...Guess what I did after?

here we go. again.

My mind is NOT linear. Things in my mind, like in my house, are in piles, thus making it REAAALLY hard to find ANYTHING!

Such was the case with my last blog. I couldn't find my password. I couldn't find my motivation. I couldn't find my goal!

So here we are. Brand-spankin' new blog. Brand-spankin' new face.

Why on EARTH am I here!?

I guess to spout off about my work and boast other people's here as well.

I had so many aspirations for the last blog but felt I didn't live up to my hopes, and so I sent it away. I needed some fresh energy for my fresher look on my work...

So go check it out.
www.bumblejack.etsy.com

Meanwhile, I will sit here and drum up more babble....and artwork..but probably mostly babble.
xoxo