some feedback...

....I'm curious. The above is called "Peggy"....truly a doodle turned into art. I may have been sitting on the bus actually...can't remember for sure. Started with pencil, then pen and ink, then my magic colored pencils. I named it Peggy for a friend whom the colors reminded me of. What I'm curious about is it's popularity...she is consistently at the top of the hit list in my studio. I know why I like it but would love to hear others opinions.

Having Tea...

I love having tea...it can calm me down or wake me up! This past Saturday a friend and I stopped into our local Tea Shop, called The Tea Embassy. It's an amazing shop with all sorts of tea 'stuff' to explore.
While sitting there tasting the brew of the day, I saw that they sold a variety of cards...yes, it did dawn on me before I left to ask if they'd be interested in any cards I came up with. The owner said yes, brave soul not knowing me very well at all. I'm hoping he likes what I've come up with so far. The two shown here are just the first of several 'brewing' in my head.
Let me know what you think and do go check out their website.
www.teaembassy.com

...quick note

Before I head off to work...I've added a gadget at the bottom of this page...check it out! Some of my favorites, I'll change this up periodically...maybe theme it if time allows. Click on the thumbnails to go to each artists shop. Have a great weekend!

It's raining in Texas!

And my Primroses grew! It's been ever so dry here, depressingly dry. So everyone is thrilled with the rain. I didn't really even notice anyone stressing going into work this a.m. in the traffic that was not moving. There was this quiet calm that overtook me...everything looks so much better in the rain. Colors are richer, deeper...full of life. Spring is my all time favorite season, I love seeing the Redbuds pop open, the Bradford Pears are also coming to life along with the Wisteria trees. It's just gorgeous. So while I sat in the traffic, that was not moving....I was looking at everything turning that wonderful spring green I so love.

beginnings...

...of a new piece. It's really hard sometimes to make yourself sit down and work. After running several errands yesterday and enjoying a lunch that was lousy foodwise but great companywise. I came home to sit in my favorite chair and sketch. I'm not sure where this will take me yet but so far I'm liking it. I have a new box of watercolor pencils I'm itching to play with....

...people I find fascinating

artists I'm meeting along the way....
I feel very fortunate to have bumped into them via this amazing internet. Some have been so kind to feature my work on their blogs. One just announced that she has taken the plunge into being an artist full time. Oh how I wish I could do this also. Another just posted some wonderful links on how we could all improve our sales. One has a site totally dedicated to showcasing artists work. I hope you can take the time to visit these very talented/generous women and help me to pay back their kindnesses.
Here it is the weekend again...the weeks just fly by. Maybe with two days off, you can visit each of the links below. Have fun exploring, Kimberly

Kathleen Coy
ArtFire Artisans
Liberty Doll
Art Dolls by Nat
Jessica Doyle
Ninja Jenn

...a sheepy morning to you

Good Morning....another day in paradise. I can dream, can't I?! I'm thinking a beach, waves splashing on the sand....a good book. Of course, I'm just as happy to be off and running. I'll be delivering son and cake he baked for German class to school, then off to work.
I write stitch guides for hand painted needlepoint canvases...we are switching from hand written to computerized. Yesterday my eyes were crossed by the end of the day. I'm a Mac user, shop has all PC's....it's a whole different ballgame. Same program but nothing is where it is on mine at home! So this oldish dog, is learning some new tricks. Patience is indeed a virtue! Hope all of you have a great day in paradise too.
(Sheep is available in both ArtFire/Etsy as an ACEO, click in side windows to visit both)

....never a dull moment

This used to be my mantra but I've changed and try to take each day one moment at a time. Today was wonderful, gorgeous weather....had a dental appointment...no cavities! Stopped by my local yarn shop...which just happens to be in the same plaza as the dentist....and I bumped into two friends. What a happy coincidence. We were able to visit, which is a rare occasion for me.
I also do finishing for knitted garments...in my spare time. I was there to pick up a couple of jobs and she sweetly took me up on an offer to sell some of my cards in her shop. So it's been a great day.
On a different note... This morning in a forum someone was asking about where all her followers disappeared to and I just found out! When Blogger started this new follow/friend option...they switched everyone you follow to anonymously. For those of you who've not seen this...go to manage who you follow. Get a cuppa something because you have to do each one individually.
Anyway, just thought I'd pass that little piece of info on to those who follow me and might read this post. I didn't drop you, honest!

ArtFire Stimulus Package...

I was in the forums on ArtFire when I read about this great idea to try to stimulate the economy via our little community. I say 'little' but it is an ever increasing one. I'm not sure at this point just how many artists are participating. You can do a search for them by typing AFSP in the search window. Have some fun, go check out what's up for sale for some incredible prices. You never know what you might find! Above is my offering, four art cards for less than the price of one regularly priced card.
Use the Rapid Cart to purchase, no sign up necessary! ...or link below.
AFSP Limited Edition Art Card collection

I've started to write this post four times now. I'm realizing that the focus is just not there tonight. I somehow managed to put my back out, mind you, I was just walking! So it was a long day at work today trying to ignore it but also trying to be very careful how I moved. I think I wore myself out. So I offer a pretty cherry blossom and hope that every one is having a great week. We have flowering trees blooming here, they're all confused with the crazy weather. Maybe spring is just around the corner. Wishful day dreams.

Happy Dragon...

Ta da...in color...took me long enough. Poor guy was hanging off that precipice looking pretty pale for over a month.
Another happy note, it's raining! We just laid in bed this a.m. watching it cascade off the roof, the sound of it pounding on the rooftop was wonderful. It's stopped for the moment, hopefully it will continue for a few days as we really do need more.
Great way to start off the week, finished piece and rain!
You can purchase through my Rapid Cart to the left or by clicking the link below.
Avery's Dragon

Tassel Class...

Once upon a time, in a far away place (from Texas) I learned to make tassels. The place was Littleton, Massachusetts...the shop was called The World in Stitches. There were a lot of people that also wanted to learn this talent. So I began teaching. That was in 1990, a few years later after learning so much more than I knew in that first attempt, I wrote an instruction booklet full of all my gained knowledge, A Tassel Workshop Collection©. After self publishing, I taught all across the country from Falls Church, VA to Laguna Beach, CA. I've met so many wonderful stitcher's along the way. Below are pictures of a wonderful group of women in Georgetown, TX who also wanted to learn. They belong to The Embroiderers Guild of America and meet every month to share knowledge of their craft. The group is an extremely talented bunch and as you can see, they have a lot of fun. Even when facing a huge knot in a skein of perle coton! (I'm the silver haired one...with the black sweater!) This was how I spent my Monday night this week, I think we all had a great time.
You can see some of my painted wood tassels in my Etsy shop.
Photos by Corliss Englert

Wonderful dreary Monday!

There is a thick fog hanging over Texas today, that is promising some greatly needed rain. Yes! The weather guy was so happy he was giggling.
I'm supposed to be adding color to the dragon above today...instead I started something new, bad of me but the promise of rain and a good movie on a morning off...I couldn't help myself. So I snuggled down into my chair with a cup of tea, sketch pad, an array of pencils and a cherry blossom is blooming on my page.
My darling daughter is to be married to this great guy next spring. The chosen venue has a tree lined road leading up to it...cherry trees. So the theme seems to be heading in this direction...hence my muse for the day. This will not suit my son who's waiting for the color to 'bloom' on his dragon. Trouble is...I've forgotten what color he exactly requested. Stay tuned for an update of this edition.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well...if you're not into the big Heart Holiday...these are blank...you can use them for note cards easily. The designs were fun for me to create, hope some will find them fun to have, send or receive. They're also available as 4"x6" prints in my ArtFire studio or my Etsy shop.
To purchase click the link below:
Heart Collection 2009