Where has the time gone and who can I talk to about it? (Plus Illustration Friday!)

Gah! I'm afraid CPS is going to stop by and take away my child because my house is so messy! I just don't have time to pay attention to it right now. I'm not sure they'd understand my determination not to die with the epitaph, "She kept a clean house." I must admit that things are a little out of control even by my standards. I suppose this means I'd better plan a party so that I'm forced to clean!

How do you balance your life? Child, husband, art, housecleaning; that's the order of my priorities. It seems reasonable until it turns out that I never seem to have time for number four. I've heard of people doing the "15 minute" plan. ie: they set the timer for 15 minutes and just spend that long on unpleasant jobs. But what if you can't complete what there is to do in 15 minutes? How many "15 minute" time slots do you end up having to do every day? (Yes, this is actually an extended whining session thinly disguised as a cry for help.)




Speaking of Jeri Aaron (as I was last post), check out these adorable water color dresses she's made. I'm absolutely in love with them! They couldn't be any cuter.



I've pulled everything from my Etsy store for the sale this weekend. I've painted a bunch of new stuff and have one still in progress. I made a bunch of cards from prints and got some cellophane card envelopes to put them in. I've made price tags and earring tags; now I just have to attach them to everything. I'm still formulating a packaging plan. I'm still formulating a plan for my display. They are just providing a 5' x 7' space - not 10' x 10' - so I'm having to adjust my thinking to smaller quarters. My fabulous husband made me a 4 foot banner on the plotter at work (plotter is another word for super-fancy-very-expensive-huge-printer) that I will put on the front of the table. I decided to use felt on the table so I got some sticky-backed velcro (or, as they call it on HGTV, "hook & loop tape") to put on the back of the banner. Wish me luck that that will keep it attached!

Giving Credit where Credit is Due



I'm still trying to find my painting style. I've borrowed techniques and styles from Kelly Rae Roberts, Suzan Buckner, Pam Carriker, and Paulette Insall for these paintings. There's definitely something of me in there, trying to get out. I just haven't hit upon the thing that gives me that A-Ha! feeling, you know? I would also like to give credit to Kat Tarra for inspiring me to make charm bracelets again. I used to make them all the time but I underpriced them (I made the bracelet part and everything) and it started to feel like forced labor. I'm faster now, and Kat's bracelets are so cool that I thought I would try my hand at them again.



I'll be advertising!
I bought ad space at Wickedly Chic which will be displayed 2 weeks in August and 1 week in September. (If you've never stopped by this website, check it out - there are tons of cool articles and stuff. Like this one, by Andrea Chamberlin. I was totally laughing, her mom sounds hilarious!) That means, of course, that I will have to fill up my Etsy shop. No more procrastinating and chickening out! You heard it here first! I will have a full Etsy shop beginning in July!

I looked out my window the other day and this is what I saw. How sweet is that? I had to take the picture through the window because I didn't want to scare them off, so it's a little fuzzy.

Full view of Follow Your Dreams - sorry for the fuzzy pic

Illustration Friday!

Lastly, this week's Illustration Friday theme is "Fierce." (Is there a Christian Siriano fan around here?) I've submitted this detail of a painting I painted for my sister a couple of years ago after she fought off some home invaders (yes, I've never been so scared in my life as I was when I first heard about it) and scared them away. I was so proud of her bravery that I painted her a pic of a boxer.

The Boxer, detail - painted in the spring of 2003

(Btw, if anyone knows how to make it so my thumbnail on the Illustration Friday site doesn't look so terrible, please tell me! That 50x50 size is killing me and I don't know how to make it work well.)