Sandy Steen Bartholomew's Blog, page 14
July 28, 2015
What I Did (am doing) on my Summer Vacation
I have recently become aware of a really bad habit that I have. I post the "daily" stuff to Facebook - rather than my blog! Shocking, I know. Summertime seems to start so late, and end so early. It is just flying by and if I don't take time to "blog" it, it will be .... gone.
My son, Alex, is off at Music Camp for a few weeks. This year he is a teacher! We are so proud. I was actually happy that he couldn't get a local job (since he would only have been working for a few weeks) - he was able to work on projects and spend time with his little sister. Lilah (little sister) has been doing a cool online Java programming class that uses Minecraft. She loves it, but it helps to have her brother working with her. They are both more than a little addicted to Minecraft!
So much so that, even when she doesn't have access to a computer or iPad, she is still designing. Good thing they have Etch-a-Sketches at the Foothills restaurant!
A few weeks back, Lilah and I decided it was time to FINALLY clean out the shed and turn it into the secret clubhouse it was always meant to be. I wish I had taken "Before" photos - but imagine, if you will...
We opened the shed door and millions of little bugs (Lilah called them cockroaches, but I'm sure they were not!) went scurrying into corners and under the floor. Thick cobwebs covered the old tricycle, lawnmower, pieces of broken trellis, tent, umbrella, kite... yuck! What was I thinking?! Close the door!!!
No. We dragged everything out onto the lawn, then Alex dragged it all to the corner of the street where we put a "FREE" sign on the ground. Amazingly - every bit of junk was gone within two days! (Thanks everyone!) I even watched a neighbor, who'd been walking his dog, help a guy load an old door on top of his little car and strap it down with bungees. Heartwarming.
We broomed and shop-vac-ed the ceiling and corners and floor (yuck yuck YUCK!) Then the fun began. We raided the garage for carpet pieces, unpainted furniture from my remaining stash (I KNEW there was a reason I'd been holding onto them), and Lilah took apart the broken kite and hung the streamers from the ceiling with tape.
It was festive, if not elegant.
We uncovered a few ancient mosaic stepping stones from Alex's 5th birthday (Pompeii theme. Yes, he was/is an unusual kid).
And we found some rubber stepping stones too. They made a nice front stoop. And some faded metal garden art flowers. Pretty cozy, don't you think?
Lilah took a basket filled with her Babies, some trail mix, musical instruments, crayons and notebook, and my iPad - and spent the rest of the day playing out there.
Speaking of the Babies, on another day, Amaret told Lilah it was a good day for a birthday party.
[A side note: Amaret is a MyTwinn doll so she was designed to look just like my kid. When Lilah was younger, she looked creepily similar to the doll - same hair and eye color, and Lilah had bangs too. Since Lilah's real name is "Lilah Amaret," we named her little sister "Amaret".]
Amaret has lots of cool doll clothes, but she prefers to wear Lilah's caste-offs. The biggest difference between them, other than the bangs, is Amaret LIKES to brush and braid her hair. Lilah? Not so much.
So - Amaret decided there would be a huge tea party... in my studio. And all the Babies and stuffies, including the Mythicals, would be bused (by basket) up to the party spot. The Babies took turns performing parts in "Thumbelina."
And then they required snacks. Like cheese cut into mouse and squirrel shapes...
And chocolate milk.
The party ended when Lilah got angry at the Babies for not drinking their milk... and then accusing ME of drinking some when she left the room. I mean, REALLY!?
It was a good party though and everyone slept well that night.
Speaking of bed... I wonder what Lilah would say if she knew that Minou, the cat, takes over her bed when she is away?
Minou has become great friends with Scruffy Kitty! I don't think she cares that SK is just a hand puppet.
Let's throw in something completely random, but rather pretty. This is a bee? Wasp? Big scary, flying thing that was in our kitchen! Just before I opened the screen to let it out, I noticed the cool markings on its back - they reminded me of my Bumblebat logo's face.
And lastly, I have been obsessed with clearing out houses and trying to sell some of them and the stuff in them and finding things I will need to furnish my apartment at school....
If you are looking for an amazing - HUGE - house at a ridiculously low price - to live in, turn into a restaurant or apartments, or an art center... you have been looking for my mother's house. It's right on Main Street in Warner (an adorable New England town) and next door to my BeeHive Studio - which is also for rent.
And if you have been looking for an adorable vacation cottage in New Hampshire so you can run away from home and focus on your art or your novel.... you need our cottage on Blaisdell Lake!
And did I mention I'm hoping to rent out my BeeHive studio space?
We're still holding lots of sales to clear it out. This week the sales are on Thursday and Friday from Noon till 7pm and Sunday from 11-5pm. And listing stuff on my Etsy store too.
PHEW! Inhale...exhale...
And staying up crazy late working on an idea for a Kickstarter Project. I have done so much research, even taken a class on Skillshare, and I think I have a really great idea... but I'm not sure if Kickstarter is the best way for me to raise the money I need.
I think if I were making a product, or printing an actual book, it could work well. But with the risk of not making the funding goal, the 5% Amazon takes in fees, the 3% for credit card processing... and then the rather large cost of shipping folks their rewards (at exactly the time I will be starting school). Plus, with Kickstarter, the focus is on the rewards and the intro movie - rather than on the actual idea. I think I would rather put 95% of my effort into making the IDEA the best possible, rather than making a cool campaign.
I need to do some really intense thinking, I guess, and FAST! If any of you have experience with crowd-sourced funding, I'd appreciate hearing your wisdom. If you like to support cool ideas, what do you look for? What compels you to back a project? Would you rather just click a Paypal button? Do you like to get "stuff"?
Put your opinions in the comments section below!
My son, Alex, is off at Music Camp for a few weeks. This year he is a teacher! We are so proud. I was actually happy that he couldn't get a local job (since he would only have been working for a few weeks) - he was able to work on projects and spend time with his little sister. Lilah (little sister) has been doing a cool online Java programming class that uses Minecraft. She loves it, but it helps to have her brother working with her. They are both more than a little addicted to Minecraft!
So much so that, even when she doesn't have access to a computer or iPad, she is still designing. Good thing they have Etch-a-Sketches at the Foothills restaurant!
A few weeks back, Lilah and I decided it was time to FINALLY clean out the shed and turn it into the secret clubhouse it was always meant to be. I wish I had taken "Before" photos - but imagine, if you will...
We opened the shed door and millions of little bugs (Lilah called them cockroaches, but I'm sure they were not!) went scurrying into corners and under the floor. Thick cobwebs covered the old tricycle, lawnmower, pieces of broken trellis, tent, umbrella, kite... yuck! What was I thinking?! Close the door!!!
No. We dragged everything out onto the lawn, then Alex dragged it all to the corner of the street where we put a "FREE" sign on the ground. Amazingly - every bit of junk was gone within two days! (Thanks everyone!) I even watched a neighbor, who'd been walking his dog, help a guy load an old door on top of his little car and strap it down with bungees. Heartwarming.
We broomed and shop-vac-ed the ceiling and corners and floor (yuck yuck YUCK!) Then the fun began. We raided the garage for carpet pieces, unpainted furniture from my remaining stash (I KNEW there was a reason I'd been holding onto them), and Lilah took apart the broken kite and hung the streamers from the ceiling with tape.
It was festive, if not elegant.
We uncovered a few ancient mosaic stepping stones from Alex's 5th birthday (Pompeii theme. Yes, he was/is an unusual kid).
And we found some rubber stepping stones too. They made a nice front stoop. And some faded metal garden art flowers. Pretty cozy, don't you think?
Lilah took a basket filled with her Babies, some trail mix, musical instruments, crayons and notebook, and my iPad - and spent the rest of the day playing out there.
Speaking of the Babies, on another day, Amaret told Lilah it was a good day for a birthday party.
[A side note: Amaret is a MyTwinn doll so she was designed to look just like my kid. When Lilah was younger, she looked creepily similar to the doll - same hair and eye color, and Lilah had bangs too. Since Lilah's real name is "Lilah Amaret," we named her little sister "Amaret".]
Amaret has lots of cool doll clothes, but she prefers to wear Lilah's caste-offs. The biggest difference between them, other than the bangs, is Amaret LIKES to brush and braid her hair. Lilah? Not so much.
So - Amaret decided there would be a huge tea party... in my studio. And all the Babies and stuffies, including the Mythicals, would be bused (by basket) up to the party spot. The Babies took turns performing parts in "Thumbelina."
And then they required snacks. Like cheese cut into mouse and squirrel shapes...
And chocolate milk.
The party ended when Lilah got angry at the Babies for not drinking their milk... and then accusing ME of drinking some when she left the room. I mean, REALLY!?
It was a good party though and everyone slept well that night.
Speaking of bed... I wonder what Lilah would say if she knew that Minou, the cat, takes over her bed when she is away?
Minou has become great friends with Scruffy Kitty! I don't think she cares that SK is just a hand puppet.
Let's throw in something completely random, but rather pretty. This is a bee? Wasp? Big scary, flying thing that was in our kitchen! Just before I opened the screen to let it out, I noticed the cool markings on its back - they reminded me of my Bumblebat logo's face.
And lastly, I have been obsessed with clearing out houses and trying to sell some of them and the stuff in them and finding things I will need to furnish my apartment at school....
If you are looking for an amazing - HUGE - house at a ridiculously low price - to live in, turn into a restaurant or apartments, or an art center... you have been looking for my mother's house. It's right on Main Street in Warner (an adorable New England town) and next door to my BeeHive Studio - which is also for rent.
And if you have been looking for an adorable vacation cottage in New Hampshire so you can run away from home and focus on your art or your novel.... you need our cottage on Blaisdell Lake!
And did I mention I'm hoping to rent out my BeeHive studio space?
We're still holding lots of sales to clear it out. This week the sales are on Thursday and Friday from Noon till 7pm and Sunday from 11-5pm. And listing stuff on my Etsy store too.
PHEW! Inhale...exhale...
And staying up crazy late working on an idea for a Kickstarter Project. I have done so much research, even taken a class on Skillshare, and I think I have a really great idea... but I'm not sure if Kickstarter is the best way for me to raise the money I need.
I think if I were making a product, or printing an actual book, it could work well. But with the risk of not making the funding goal, the 5% Amazon takes in fees, the 3% for credit card processing... and then the rather large cost of shipping folks their rewards (at exactly the time I will be starting school). Plus, with Kickstarter, the focus is on the rewards and the intro movie - rather than on the actual idea. I think I would rather put 95% of my effort into making the IDEA the best possible, rather than making a cool campaign.
I need to do some really intense thinking, I guess, and FAST! If any of you have experience with crowd-sourced funding, I'd appreciate hearing your wisdom. If you like to support cool ideas, what do you look for? What compels you to back a project? Would you rather just click a Paypal button? Do you like to get "stuff"?
Put your opinions in the comments section below!
July 21, 2015
Getting Toned (on Paper!)
If you follow Zentangle trends, you have been seeing a lot of posts about tangling on toned papers. Tan or gray are the most common. Sea shells, flowers... very nice. But I like to be a bit different - or weird, maybe? So I am going to share some behind the scenes pics for a large drawing I did about a year ago on Strathmore Toned Gray paper (see the end of the post for details on the paper).
My inspiration for the drawing was a stone wall pillar in the corner of my apartment. For some reason, as I was staring at the wall... I started to see creatures emerging from the rocks!
(Go ahead and try it for yourself. I'll wait...)
So I sketched the creatures in my notebook.
...and then redrew them onto the gray paper using pencil and then, a Micron pen.
Using different sizes of Microns, I added tangles to the entire background. I was thinking of deep-sea creatures, so the tangles are kind of sea-weedy and bubbly.
I added more pencil shading behind the creatures in order to push back the background and help the critters pop out a bit more.
Next - I used a white Prismacolor pencil to add some highlights on the backs, foreheads and noses...
Here's a close-up with some highlights...
I used a Prismacolor black pencil to add the darkest darks to the underbellies and crevices. And some details like eyeballs and mustaches!
And there we are.
We used to carry these Toned Papers in the store (the BeeHive). Today, I took the remaining inventory and put it on my Etsy shop (Bumblebat) The paper is available in gray or tan - and then you can choose between hardcover, or spiral-bound sketch journals. And the hardcover journals come in 8.5 x 11 or 5.5 x 8.5 inch sizes! So many choices.
The one I use in my example is the larger, hardcover, gray paper journal. The spiral bound sketchbooks are great if you want to remove pages (they have micro-perforations) to frame or to cut up for smaller artworks, or for use in classes.
And to thank you for reading all-the-way-to-the-end... here is a coupon code for my Etsy store: BLOGLOVE
Enter the coupon in the promo code box during check out, and you will get a 15% discount. It's good until the end of July, on purchases over $10.
Now go draw something!
My inspiration for the drawing was a stone wall pillar in the corner of my apartment. For some reason, as I was staring at the wall... I started to see creatures emerging from the rocks!
(Go ahead and try it for yourself. I'll wait...)
So I sketched the creatures in my notebook.
...and then redrew them onto the gray paper using pencil and then, a Micron pen.
Using different sizes of Microns, I added tangles to the entire background. I was thinking of deep-sea creatures, so the tangles are kind of sea-weedy and bubbly.
I added more pencil shading behind the creatures in order to push back the background and help the critters pop out a bit more.
Next - I used a white Prismacolor pencil to add some highlights on the backs, foreheads and noses...
Here's a close-up with some highlights...
I used a Prismacolor black pencil to add the darkest darks to the underbellies and crevices. And some details like eyeballs and mustaches!
And there we are.
We used to carry these Toned Papers in the store (the BeeHive). Today, I took the remaining inventory and put it on my Etsy shop (Bumblebat) The paper is available in gray or tan - and then you can choose between hardcover, or spiral-bound sketch journals. And the hardcover journals come in 8.5 x 11 or 5.5 x 8.5 inch sizes! So many choices.
The one I use in my example is the larger, hardcover, gray paper journal. The spiral bound sketchbooks are great if you want to remove pages (they have micro-perforations) to frame or to cut up for smaller artworks, or for use in classes.
And to thank you for reading all-the-way-to-the-end... here is a coupon code for my Etsy store: BLOGLOVE
Enter the coupon in the promo code box during check out, and you will get a 15% discount. It's good until the end of July, on purchases over $10.
Now go draw something!
July 4, 2015
Happy Fireworks Day!
Fireworks City - © Sandy Steen BartholomewSitting in the dark, on the deck, watching the sparkly sky - in between the tree branches... very pretty. It's cool the way the lightning bugs looked like they were falling off the fireworks. But I don't think I will ever really enjoy the sounds of the explosions - especially as they ricochet off the mountains. Too creepy.
If I looked West, I could see the best colors from the fireworks one town over. If I looked South, I could see flashes of light and hear more of the sizzling kind of rockets.
There are still pops and bangs echoing around - some from even farther away, some from neighbor's driveways. The raucous party sounds have died down finally.
Although I am happy to celebrate my own Independence, I miss my kids and think of the 4th as a lonely holiday. With pretty lights.
June 25, 2015
Don't blink - you'll miss it!
I've got that crazy feeling like life is on the super-speed setting! Here are just a few of the events that took place in the last few minutes..
Lilah won Math League!
My brother, Dave, the Hollywood animator, married Amy in San Francisco.
Lilah flew out there to be a flower girl. And met her new BFF - who also loves iPads and Minecraft!
Alex had tons of concerts and got lots of awards and gave a speech and then graduated from High School!
This made him very happy!
And my peonies burst out overnight.
Phew. I don't usually disappear from my blog for more than a week or two - but I honestly didn't realize so much time had past.
What am I up to?
Well, I am working on an addition to the Tangle Library APP (YEAH!). I'm also in sketch/research phase for a new Inspiration Sketchbook. I have a few other projects in various states of disrepair, but I am trying to focus on those two in particular for the summer.
I also found an apartment to live in for cartoon school and I'm starting to get crazy nervous-excited to start school this fall! And trying to raise money to do it all. I'm playing with the idea of doing a Kickstarter project... or maybe going it on my own... and still selling off lots of stuff from my studio on Etsy and
I had this crazy idea that to pay for the room and board portion of my school adventure, I would rent out my studio! (The BeeHive, the public studio, not the one in my house.) So... now... I have to empty it out!
Starting this Saturday, we'll be having Studio Clear-out Sales! Every week there will be new things added to the mix as I empty the classroom, office, and storage room. There are a lot of new art supplies and books right now. I also have shopping bags, gift boxes and all that stuff. Displays - big and small. A kiln, mosaic supplies, wood objects to paint or tangle... A huge Accucut die cutter and a gazillion dies (it cuts paper, fabric, cardboard... even thin metal).
I'll just keep adding stuff as I can drag it out. Come by and take a look or email me. Feel free to make an offer. I have less than a month and I'm happy to find new homes for these old friends.
If you are interested in renting the space or know someone who might be, talk to me! The front shop room is bright and roomy, the classroom has lots of lights and a slop-sink, and it's own exterior door, there's a big bathroom too. The office space and storage room aren't included. But you could use the store fixtures if you like.
Here is the schedule for the Studio Sales...
The BeeHive will be open:
Saturday, June 27 from 10:00am-1:00pm
Friday, July 3 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturday, July 4 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday, July 5 from Noon-5:00pm
Friday, July 10 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturday, July 11 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Friday, July 17 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturday, July 18 from 10:00am-Noon
Sunday, July 19 from Noon-5:00pm
Friday, July 24 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturday, July 25 from 10:00am-5:00pm
That's it - better be empty by the end of July! :-)
Lilah won Math League!
My brother, Dave, the Hollywood animator, married Amy in San Francisco.
Lilah flew out there to be a flower girl. And met her new BFF - who also loves iPads and Minecraft!
Alex had tons of concerts and got lots of awards and gave a speech and then graduated from High School!
This made him very happy!
And my peonies burst out overnight.
Phew. I don't usually disappear from my blog for more than a week or two - but I honestly didn't realize so much time had past.
What am I up to?
Well, I am working on an addition to the Tangle Library APP (YEAH!). I'm also in sketch/research phase for a new Inspiration Sketchbook. I have a few other projects in various states of disrepair, but I am trying to focus on those two in particular for the summer.
I also found an apartment to live in for cartoon school and I'm starting to get crazy nervous-excited to start school this fall! And trying to raise money to do it all. I'm playing with the idea of doing a Kickstarter project... or maybe going it on my own... and still selling off lots of stuff from my studio on Etsy and
I had this crazy idea that to pay for the room and board portion of my school adventure, I would rent out my studio! (The BeeHive, the public studio, not the one in my house.) So... now... I have to empty it out!
Starting this Saturday, we'll be having Studio Clear-out Sales! Every week there will be new things added to the mix as I empty the classroom, office, and storage room. There are a lot of new art supplies and books right now. I also have shopping bags, gift boxes and all that stuff. Displays - big and small. A kiln, mosaic supplies, wood objects to paint or tangle... A huge Accucut die cutter and a gazillion dies (it cuts paper, fabric, cardboard... even thin metal).
I'll just keep adding stuff as I can drag it out. Come by and take a look or email me. Feel free to make an offer. I have less than a month and I'm happy to find new homes for these old friends.
If you are interested in renting the space or know someone who might be, talk to me! The front shop room is bright and roomy, the classroom has lots of lights and a slop-sink, and it's own exterior door, there's a big bathroom too. The office space and storage room aren't included. But you could use the store fixtures if you like.
Here is the schedule for the Studio Sales...
The BeeHive will be open:
Saturday, June 27 from 10:00am-1:00pm
Friday, July 3 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturday, July 4 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday, July 5 from Noon-5:00pm
Friday, July 10 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturday, July 11 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Friday, July 17 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturday, July 18 from 10:00am-Noon
Sunday, July 19 from Noon-5:00pm
Friday, July 24 from 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturday, July 25 from 10:00am-5:00pm
That's it - better be empty by the end of July! :-)
May 16, 2015
Spring Into Warner Recap
It started off raining and dark, but dried out and brightened up. Lilah and I were really worried we wouldn't get to work on the mural, but as you can see, much painting was done!
Here are some close-ups of the murals. There are two - one is an ocean scene and the other is a forest. This time, we didn't end up with any narwhals in the treetops and tigers in the ocean. I think the colored backgrounds really helped.
Next chance I get, I'll clean up some of the lines and scribbles and fill in some missing colors, but I was really impressed with all the mermaids who appeared today!
Inside, the book sale went really well. I still have a lot of books and other supplies so maybe I'll do another bigger sale this summer.
The best part was meeting new people who had just moved to Warner and best-est, was getting to see my college friend, Andy, and his family! It's been... a really long time.
When we got tired of selling books and painting, we closed up shop and visited with the other vendors, checked out more of the yarn-bombing - these chicks had appeared on our bench overnight! - and then got some ice cream at the Velvet Moose.
In the same building as the Moose, is a new/old shop. It's old because Country Cobwebs has been around for ages and was pretty much across the street from my house. And new, because it has new owners and a new location. I hadn't had a chance to go in the new shop because I always had the kid with me. I was impressed at how much they fit into the space and how it feels a lot like the original CC. I'm not really into "country" but I have always adored the jams and sauces.
I was so happy to see some of my friends today - "Hello, Apricot Jam and where have you been Local Honey?!"
And as I was checking out I looked up and saw these adorable kitten earrings! I may have to go back for the red hightop sneaker earrings too.
If you are in the area, be sure to take a look. The owners are the sweetest people - and did I mention they are right next to the ice cream place? (Try the Sweet and Salty Caramel ice cream!)
Here are some close-ups of the murals. There are two - one is an ocean scene and the other is a forest. This time, we didn't end up with any narwhals in the treetops and tigers in the ocean. I think the colored backgrounds really helped.
Next chance I get, I'll clean up some of the lines and scribbles and fill in some missing colors, but I was really impressed with all the mermaids who appeared today!
Inside, the book sale went really well. I still have a lot of books and other supplies so maybe I'll do another bigger sale this summer.
The best part was meeting new people who had just moved to Warner and best-est, was getting to see my college friend, Andy, and his family! It's been... a really long time.
When we got tired of selling books and painting, we closed up shop and visited with the other vendors, checked out more of the yarn-bombing - these chicks had appeared on our bench overnight! - and then got some ice cream at the Velvet Moose.
In the same building as the Moose, is a new/old shop. It's old because Country Cobwebs has been around for ages and was pretty much across the street from my house. And new, because it has new owners and a new location. I hadn't had a chance to go in the new shop because I always had the kid with me. I was impressed at how much they fit into the space and how it feels a lot like the original CC. I'm not really into "country" but I have always adored the jams and sauces.
I was so happy to see some of my friends today - "Hello, Apricot Jam and where have you been Local Honey?!"
And as I was checking out I looked up and saw these adorable kitten earrings! I may have to go back for the red hightop sneaker earrings too.
If you are in the area, be sure to take a look. The owners are the sweetest people - and did I mention they are right next to the ice cream place? (Try the Sweet and Salty Caramel ice cream!)
May 15, 2015
May 16 - Book Sale and Mural at Spring Into Warner
There is nothing like a little advance notice, eh?
Tomorrow is Spring Into Warner - a celebration of the Arts in our little town. It is low-key and a lot of fun. And a little bit odd. Everyone is preparing today and the yarn-bombers have been at work...
They decorated the trees in front of my studio too!!
Lilah can tell you which of the trees have the softest yarns...and, yes, sweaters DO grow on trees!
(Treehugger!)
They're everywhere - bike racks, fence posts... there are even knitted monster feet on the town hall's railings!
There are lots of great events going on, so here are the map and schedule (click to see the details).
From around 10am-2pm...
Inside The BeeHive Studio - we will be having a HUGE BOOK SALE! There are craft books, art-biz books, journaling books, Zentangle books, garden books, cookbooks, even some great novels and art books for kids too.
Every book is 20% off. BUT - if you buy 5 or more books - you get 40% off instead. The discount applies to the NEW books as well as to the already discounted books with the yellow bookmarks in them. I know - that is kind of crazy since many of those books are already marked down to less than $10. (I sound like a used car salesman!?) "CRAZY Prices!! Come on down!" But, seriously, I just got in some new books from Quarry - and they are on sale too.
This is part of my I-need-to-raise-money-for-cartoon-school-so-I'm-selling-off-everything campaign. There are three tables full of great books, and two bookcases, too.
If it doesn't rain (please don't RAIN!) - I'll be outside with Lilah working on the mural. We painted in the backgrounds and tidied up the art, so it's ready to have more characters drawn on. With all the color, it really stands out from down the street. The Velvet Moose is a good viewing spot. Ice cream cone in hand...
If you are brave enough, please join us - we could use the help. I have paint markers so it is easy and fun. If you aren't comfortable drawing, you can always pick a character to color or add some Zentangles.
Besides, how often to do you get the chance to draw on the walls?
Tomorrow is Spring Into Warner - a celebration of the Arts in our little town. It is low-key and a lot of fun. And a little bit odd. Everyone is preparing today and the yarn-bombers have been at work...
They decorated the trees in front of my studio too!!
Lilah can tell you which of the trees have the softest yarns...and, yes, sweaters DO grow on trees!
(Treehugger!)
They're everywhere - bike racks, fence posts... there are even knitted monster feet on the town hall's railings!
There are lots of great events going on, so here are the map and schedule (click to see the details).
From around 10am-2pm...
Inside The BeeHive Studio - we will be having a HUGE BOOK SALE! There are craft books, art-biz books, journaling books, Zentangle books, garden books, cookbooks, even some great novels and art books for kids too.
Every book is 20% off. BUT - if you buy 5 or more books - you get 40% off instead. The discount applies to the NEW books as well as to the already discounted books with the yellow bookmarks in them. I know - that is kind of crazy since many of those books are already marked down to less than $10. (I sound like a used car salesman!?) "CRAZY Prices!! Come on down!" But, seriously, I just got in some new books from Quarry - and they are on sale too.
This is part of my I-need-to-raise-money-for-cartoon-school-so-I'm-selling-off-everything campaign. There are three tables full of great books, and two bookcases, too.
If it doesn't rain (please don't RAIN!) - I'll be outside with Lilah working on the mural. We painted in the backgrounds and tidied up the art, so it's ready to have more characters drawn on. With all the color, it really stands out from down the street. The Velvet Moose is a good viewing spot. Ice cream cone in hand...
If you are brave enough, please join us - we could use the help. I have paint markers so it is easy and fun. If you aren't comfortable drawing, you can always pick a character to color or add some Zentangles.
Besides, how often to do you get the chance to draw on the walls?
May 11, 2015
May 21 - Creative Business Mastery
I just found out that my interview on the Creative Business Mastery Tele-summit - will be on the third day. That's May 21st. I'll be the first "Master" of the day. I still get such a kick out of it! Me - a Master! I hope we all still feel that way after the event... I'm sure you'll let me know what you thought of the interview. (Please?)
If you missed the first post about the tele-summit, you can read it HERE.
And if you haven't had a chance to sign up yet - it's free - so go ahead - click HERE or on the image above. There are really interesting women speaking on Money, Marketing and Mindset. All good stuff.
And feel free to share it with more of your friends!
May 6, 2015
Confessions of a Creative Business Master
(That title was written with a smirk and a wink.)
Confessions... I am absolutely terrified of speaking in front of people. Any number of people. And, I am easily distracted by shiny, new ideas. I love them. I have notebooks full of them. I create logos for businesses I want to create.
And yet - I have piles of unfinished projects that just make me feel guilty when I see them and I usually hide behind the excuse of "If I only had enough time..."
Sometimes, these flaws can be put to good use. The flip side of the idea thing, is that I believe that anything is possible. I used to read magazines like Somerset Studio and Cloth Paper Scissors and notice the same artists' names popping up - and they would do round robins together - and I wanted to be part of a group like that! And I listened to podcasts, and blog interviews and then tele summits where these amazing people would talk about their lives and ideas and problems they had overcome... I wanted to be one of them too.
Guess what!?!
Turns out all my mistakes and ideas and fears - over time - fermented into something also known as "Experience". And I now qualify as one of those people I always wanted to be. How cool is that?
Minette Riordan asked me to be one of her experts on her upcoming Creative Business Mastery Telesummit - and despite my number one fear (speaking in front of people) - I said "yes".
I guess my passion to be heard, is greater than my passion to hide!
Click the image or HERE to go to the site and register. This is a FREE Telesummit with some very cool ladies including Minette - (who is also a Certified Zentangle Teacher).
You'll love the info if you have ever felt unfocused, distracted by ideas, panic-ed about income, or overwhelmed by your own passions. There will be 3 days with 16 speakers, broken into 3 topics: Money, Marketing, and Mindset.
What if you aren't Right-Brained and have no intention of listening to the interviews? That's fine too (although I have trouble believing that since you read my blog...) but be sure to click through anyway and then scroll dooooooowwwwwnnn to see my photo mixed in with all those other amazing women!!
I want to make a really big deal about this because it IS a big deal! I don't want this to be just another one of those cool things that I accomplish but allow to be lost in the sludge of other ongoing yuckiness. You know what I mean? Because THIS is where I want to put my energy and creativity. (I'm sure at least one of the speakers will cover that topic too).
I hope that you will join us online - May 19-21. I can't wait to hear all the wisdom - and great ideas - at the Tele-summit. And be sure to pass this info on to your other Right-Brain friends!
Confessions... I am absolutely terrified of speaking in front of people. Any number of people. And, I am easily distracted by shiny, new ideas. I love them. I have notebooks full of them. I create logos for businesses I want to create.
And yet - I have piles of unfinished projects that just make me feel guilty when I see them and I usually hide behind the excuse of "If I only had enough time..."
Sometimes, these flaws can be put to good use. The flip side of the idea thing, is that I believe that anything is possible. I used to read magazines like Somerset Studio and Cloth Paper Scissors and notice the same artists' names popping up - and they would do round robins together - and I wanted to be part of a group like that! And I listened to podcasts, and blog interviews and then tele summits where these amazing people would talk about their lives and ideas and problems they had overcome... I wanted to be one of them too.
Guess what!?!
Turns out all my mistakes and ideas and fears - over time - fermented into something also known as "Experience". And I now qualify as one of those people I always wanted to be. How cool is that?
Minette Riordan asked me to be one of her experts on her upcoming Creative Business Mastery Telesummit - and despite my number one fear (speaking in front of people) - I said "yes".
I guess my passion to be heard, is greater than my passion to hide!
Click the image or HERE to go to the site and register. This is a FREE Telesummit with some very cool ladies including Minette - (who is also a Certified Zentangle Teacher).
You'll love the info if you have ever felt unfocused, distracted by ideas, panic-ed about income, or overwhelmed by your own passions. There will be 3 days with 16 speakers, broken into 3 topics: Money, Marketing, and Mindset.
What if you aren't Right-Brained and have no intention of listening to the interviews? That's fine too (although I have trouble believing that since you read my blog...) but be sure to click through anyway and then scroll dooooooowwwwwnnn to see my photo mixed in with all those other amazing women!!
I want to make a really big deal about this because it IS a big deal! I don't want this to be just another one of those cool things that I accomplish but allow to be lost in the sludge of other ongoing yuckiness. You know what I mean? Because THIS is where I want to put my energy and creativity. (I'm sure at least one of the speakers will cover that topic too).
I hope that you will join us online - May 19-21. I can't wait to hear all the wisdom - and great ideas - at the Tele-summit. And be sure to pass this info on to your other Right-Brain friends!
May 3, 2015
Back at Ya, Judy
My friend Judith Moffat recently did a great blog post about how much fun she had playing with my new Inspiration Sketchbooks, The Tangles of Kells and The Tangles of Santa Fe.
Click the image to go to Judy's blog.
But what REALLY got me excited was to see her journal page with her Santa Fe-inspired mandala!
Journal page and mandala by Judith Moffat.My books are meant as "Inspiration" - something to get your motor revving and Judy took the ideas and went flying! I've posted about her mandala coloring books - HERE - and - HERE. She is a Master and I hope to have her come teach a class at the BeeHive someday. Coloring books are getting a lot of attention lately for their meditative and stress-relieving qualities... plus they are just plain fun! Judy's coloring books do all that and they also teach with interesting facts, AND they have humor and characters.
I keep looking at that journal page and hoping that she'll do another coloring book with that image - and others - I want to color them!
Click the image to go to Judy's blog.But what REALLY got me excited was to see her journal page with her Santa Fe-inspired mandala!
Journal page and mandala by Judith Moffat.My books are meant as "Inspiration" - something to get your motor revving and Judy took the ideas and went flying! I've posted about her mandala coloring books - HERE - and - HERE. She is a Master and I hope to have her come teach a class at the BeeHive someday. Coloring books are getting a lot of attention lately for their meditative and stress-relieving qualities... plus they are just plain fun! Judy's coloring books do all that and they also teach with interesting facts, AND they have humor and characters.I keep looking at that journal page and hoping that she'll do another coloring book with that image - and others - I want to color them!
May 1, 2015
Unplugged?
Well - we Unplugged in one sense of the word - or at least, we tried. We came to Ogunquit to relax a little, but we spent a bit too much time online to be truly unplugged.
Just when you think it couldn't possibly get any crazier... all the Crazy Eggs hatch!!
This is Spring Vacation week. AND it's the week to choose which college you want to attend. AND it's the week to cram before the AP Exams next week. AND scholarship applications are due. AND - that's just a few of my son's Crazy Eggs hatching...
This morning, we drove down to the Post Office and handed over Alex's college decision* and a few of the scholarship envelopes and then walked out into the Ogunquit sunshine feeling a little stunned and a bit lighter. Our first day of vacation had been spent making frantic phone calls and having intense conversations on the merits of three, somewhat randomly chosen, colleges... what financial aid really means... what huge amounts of debt can do to one's future.. and the general meaning of Life, The Universe, and Everything. Ironically, the answers to the first few questions were remarkably close the the third answer ("42"). So, after that day of stress, we were a bit at a loss of what to do today!?
Lilah suggested we go to the little toy store and get some more Minecraft figures. OK. Then we went next door to get some fabulous pieces of chocolate. OK. Yum. Then we decided to burn it all off - calories and stress - by walking the entire length of the Marginal Way. (The cliff walkway along the ocean).
The view from our lunch table.We spent a few hours in Perkin's Cove eating fried calamari and quizzing Alex on his AP Psych notecards. I know it is odd... but I get a huge kick listening to Lilah using words like "genetic" and "parasympathetic nervous system" and "amygdala"... (Lilah is 8, by the way). Even the waitress was smiling. We were all laughing pretty hard. And a few of her pronunciations had me picturing some great comic book scenes... Queen Amygdala and Darth Vader... Genie Tickling Mo Defied Organs.. (genetically modified organisms)...
And then - retracing our steps along the Marginal Way...
In the many past posts that I have written about my escapes to Ogunquit, I have often mentioned a dilapidated, gorgeous house that overlooks the ocean, that I fantasized about owning. And turning into an arts retreat center.
The view from my fantasy house. And the house.
See the pile of rocks and rubble in the photo below? :-(
I guess there will be another McMansion coming soon.
My huge house - gone!We were also shocked to see a sign forbidding piles of rocks. Seriously. Piles of Rocks. Another one of the five things I loved about the Marginal Way. Two are now gone.
I hope they don't forbid climbing on the rocks too...
Lilah on the rocks.
Gull on a rock.
The garden outside our apartment.
Our tiny neighbor.
The Beachmere Salad - yummmm!
Lobster Roll. Yum Yum YUMMMMMMM!!Tomorrow, it's back to NH and we are practicing being stressed again. But we aren't taking it seriously enough. Everything seems so much funnier. Laughing has always been the best recharge for all of us.
*Oh - and if you were curious which school Alex finally chose? He chose Vassar.
Just when you think it couldn't possibly get any crazier... all the Crazy Eggs hatch!!
This is Spring Vacation week. AND it's the week to choose which college you want to attend. AND it's the week to cram before the AP Exams next week. AND scholarship applications are due. AND - that's just a few of my son's Crazy Eggs hatching...
This morning, we drove down to the Post Office and handed over Alex's college decision* and a few of the scholarship envelopes and then walked out into the Ogunquit sunshine feeling a little stunned and a bit lighter. Our first day of vacation had been spent making frantic phone calls and having intense conversations on the merits of three, somewhat randomly chosen, colleges... what financial aid really means... what huge amounts of debt can do to one's future.. and the general meaning of Life, The Universe, and Everything. Ironically, the answers to the first few questions were remarkably close the the third answer ("42"). So, after that day of stress, we were a bit at a loss of what to do today!?
Lilah suggested we go to the little toy store and get some more Minecraft figures. OK. Then we went next door to get some fabulous pieces of chocolate. OK. Yum. Then we decided to burn it all off - calories and stress - by walking the entire length of the Marginal Way. (The cliff walkway along the ocean).
The view from our lunch table.We spent a few hours in Perkin's Cove eating fried calamari and quizzing Alex on his AP Psych notecards. I know it is odd... but I get a huge kick listening to Lilah using words like "genetic" and "parasympathetic nervous system" and "amygdala"... (Lilah is 8, by the way). Even the waitress was smiling. We were all laughing pretty hard. And a few of her pronunciations had me picturing some great comic book scenes... Queen Amygdala and Darth Vader... Genie Tickling Mo Defied Organs.. (genetically modified organisms)...And then - retracing our steps along the Marginal Way...
In the many past posts that I have written about my escapes to Ogunquit, I have often mentioned a dilapidated, gorgeous house that overlooks the ocean, that I fantasized about owning. And turning into an arts retreat center.
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The view from my fantasy house. And the house.See the pile of rocks and rubble in the photo below? :-(
I guess there will be another McMansion coming soon.
My huge house - gone!We were also shocked to see a sign forbidding piles of rocks. Seriously. Piles of Rocks. Another one of the five things I loved about the Marginal Way. Two are now gone.I hope they don't forbid climbing on the rocks too...
Lilah on the rocks.
Gull on a rock.
The garden outside our apartment.
Our tiny neighbor.
The Beachmere Salad - yummmm!
Lobster Roll. Yum Yum YUMMMMMMM!!Tomorrow, it's back to NH and we are practicing being stressed again. But we aren't taking it seriously enough. Everything seems so much funnier. Laughing has always been the best recharge for all of us.*Oh - and if you were curious which school Alex finally chose? He chose Vassar.
