I'm wanting to start up this blog again, but writing about art all of the time is part of the reason i strayed away in the first place.  I don't have enough to write about in that subject to keep it going, so I'm going to focus more on my day to to day life mixed with art and design. 

So, to start things off, I'm sharing my holiday playlist for this year.  I'm guilty of listening to holiday music since baking and cooking during Thanksgiving.  This year, I've added a mix of modern indie with classic old school and soul.  Hope you enjoy it!

Tomorrow is the last day for 30% off of prints and originals with free US shipping and $5 International shipping on everything in my shop.  I don't have sales like this very often so please take advantage!  I just listed a few framed prints and wood pieces.  I'll be posting a few more tonight and tomorrow as well.  Don't miss out!

After taking most of October off, I'm back to work on some new pieces that I'll be adding to the shop this month.  Sometimes, I want to work on so many different things, that I get distracted and have no idea which one to work on first.  It can be so hard to focus when working out of your home (not to mention taking care of a 7 month old at the same time).  I definitely needed a break to reflect on what venues I really want to focus on the most.   I've also decided to offer Free Shipping on all US orders and half off International shipping for the month of November.  

This past week, my husband and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and our son turning six months old.  I can't believe how quickly time has gone.  We met 14 years ago while working at an art supply shop together.  We celebrated all week by going to different places around Atlanta.  Some we had always wanted to go to, but hadn't, others we hadn't been to in a long time.  We also had our pictures taken by Heidi from Our Labor of Love.  It was nice to have someone else take pictures for a change.  It's really hard to constantly use the self timer and run back and forth to see how the pictures are turning out.  I loved just being able to relax and let someone else take over.  I can't wait to see how the rest turned out!  

Still adding new work and relisting old favorites in the shop.  A lot of new sizing option available as well.

If you're following me on Instagram lately, you'll have noticed I've been working on some new mixed media oil paintings.  I'm really excited about this series and getting back into painting again.  Working with oils is a new experience for me as I've always worked with acrylics and watercolors.  Having the freedom to go back and work on things hours later and not have the paint be dry is totally liberating and something I need when I get interrupted a lot.  I've been working on this series incorporating vintage fabric, oil, and pencil on canvas.  I"m loving the direction that's it's going right now.  I've added a few pieces to the shop and will be adding more in the coming weeks.  I will not be offering prints of these so get them while you can!

A little late posting this, but I have my work on display, including several of my new wood pieces, at hodgepodge coffeehouse and gallery.  My work will be up Sept. 1st - Nov. 30th.  I got a little burned out after making so many at one time, but I will be revisiting this series soon to post for sale on my site.  For now they are exclusively available in Atlanta at Hodgepodge and Crafted Westside.

Been working on a series of new original pieces.  Got inspired to paint with acrylics again and painting on wood panel I have in my basement leftover from building shelves.  I love the softness of drawing with graphite on wood.  I just seems to glide on with such ease.  I'll be adding these to my local brick and mortar Atlanta shop Crafted Westside and some to my etsy shop as soon as I put backings on them.  If you'd like any to go specifically to my etsy shop, please let me know.  I'm still deciding on who's going to go where.  Close-up shots are posted in my drawings & paintings section.

I took these studio shots for an interview I did with my illustration licensing site illostock recently.  I thought I'd share the remaining shots here.

I share this studio space with my husband in our basement.  We redid it last year to change it into a family room/studio instead of just a studio that neither used very much.  Now we use it all the time.  When I was younger, I wanted my studio space to be completely separate from everything so I could escape.  Now I seem to work better while being around my family.  I used to not want to work in my studio because I wanted to spend time with my family.  Yesterday we spent the whole day taking turns working on art and taking care of our 3 month old son.  It was such a wonderful day and we both made more work than we have in awhile.  Will post pictures of some new originals I've been working on soon.  Loving the new series I've started.  You can see a preview on my instagram.

So lately, I've been trying out different printing companies for my personal prints.  I always use the same company for professional prints, but wanted something a little less expensive for my own personal prints.  There has been a huge rise in online/mobile companies to print out your photos via your phone or instagram.  I've found two that I really like for different reasons.

The first one is Artifact Uprising.  They are a little more expensive, but still less expensive than my usual printer.  They print on really high quality 120lb. superfine eggshell paper.  Black and white photos look especially good on this press printed paper.  They're also slightly larger at 6"x6".  I got a mix of fine art photographs with snapshots of my son.  I wish I had held off on the snapshots and just printed my nicer photographs.  These prints are more for framing to me and not for just printing your memories.  They look fantastic, but not the nostalgic feel of old photographs I was looking for.  Which is why I tried this next company.

Timeshel I really like Timeshel's app where you create "moments" each month and you can switch easily from 10 photos a month to 30 depending on how many awesome captures you had during that time.  These are smaller prints, which I actually like, at 3.5"x3.5".  They also print rectangle in iPhone format, 3.5"x4.67".  I like the option of getting both sizes because sometimes you just can't crop into a square and have it look right!  I love that matte finish they use and the white border as well.  They remind me of the photos my parents have from the 60's and 70's that I've always love.  They also come in a nice case for storing.  

So, I recommend using Timeshel for your everyday printing needs and Artifact Uprising for your really special prints.  I know there's even more out there and if anyone has tried those, I would love to hear your feedback on them.  If you want to try Timeshel, you can use my code to get 10 free prints: PVQCA  It's definitely worth trying and so nice to get those photos off your computer and into your hands!!

Whenever I see an open field, I am filled with joy and a strong urge to wander in it.  I recently came across these two fields while driving to a friend's house.  One was filled with Queen Anne's Lace and the other with thistle.  I was unable to stop at the time, but a few days later, I had to go back and photograph it.  I a such a sucker for them.  It was my son's first time being photographed in a field, but I have it feeling it will not be his last.  There's just something so romantic about the wide open space filled with wild growth.  You just can't plant that in your yard.  Recently, my favorite field to go to, which was part of an abandoned property that was for sale for years, sold to a developer.  It's since been demolished and is now being turned into a housing project for seniors.  It breaks my heart every time I drive past it.  I'm so glad I got to enjoy it before it was destroyed.  I took my favorite photo of my husband and I there.  It will always hold a special place in my heart.