mLee Fine Art

2010-12-27T16:55:00.001-05:00

Cleaning up my shop a bit to make room for new work in 2011.

Use the code "cya2010" in the notes to seller at checkout and receive 25% off your order. No minimum, no maximum, just please wait for a revised invoice to pay. Etsy still doesn't have a way to integrate coupons do they? Le sigh.

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Location:Etsy Sale

She's Here! And my energy is returning.

2010-12-17T08:42:00.001-05:00

On the night of Sunday the fifth of December I went into labor around bedtime. We called my Doula at 3:30am an she was here helping us through it an hour later. Firstborn daughter blee slept through it all until 6:30 when she woke up on her own, a typical time. At 7:30 things shifted into high gear fast and at 8 my husband took our car and our daughter one direction to get her to school while my doula took me the other direction towards the hospital. Hoping to meet up again before the birth.

After narrowly avoiding giving birth in my doula's van, then the hospital waiting room while a receptionist lectured me about not being pre-registered and all the paperwork on me she'd have to do as a result. My husband did make the birth with all of about five minutes to spare. Charlotte Patricia was born at 8:58 and was put to my chest to feed straight away. When she did get weighed an hour later she came in at 8lbs 2oz and 19in. Not too shabby.

Big sister is loving being a big sister and we are all doing well and settling into our new lives as a family of four. She loves to tell everyone and anyone about her baby. She gives the baby gifts of her toys.

Craving Eggs

2010-09-29T12:10:00.001-04:00

Waiting to see my midwife for twenty minutes. Stressful as I have my Chiro appointment over in Brookline in 45 minutes and don't want to be late. Don't want to rush things here either.

No 3G so I'm doing offline things to kill time. First up was my Egg for the day. My third egg. I hope my enjoyment of this project continues. This one started out pretty uninspired and bland. But I refused to quit or start over and fixed it instead. Kinda like no erasing though I did some of that through layers.

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Egg Project Start

2010-09-28T17:07:00.001-04:00

I admit to feeling a bit down in the dumps and sorry for myself lately. It hasn't been fun and it isn't something I am proud of. I'm working to change this through regular personal journaling, usual just a sentence or two.

But no drawing. No art whatsoever for many months. I've become almost phobic about it and afraid of failure so I stayed away. Miserable and missing the outlet terribly but feeling at such a loss on the rare moments I had time for creativity.

Then I looked forward to preschool starting and getting a precious six hours three times a week to myself. At least for the few months before the baby came. Sure, I had tons of more mundane tasks to get finished during those hours as well, but I figured that I could squeeze out at least a few hours a week for myself. For art. For printmaking.

Then the pain in my pelvis and lower back hit me out of nowhere. Now suddenly I have difficulty standing and walking much less the bending and strain involved in working my printing press.

I feel like an old lady. Walk like one too. It is called SPD and apparently it just happens to some women during pregnancy. Did not happen during my last pregnancy despite being 20lbs heavier.

So now I regroup and figure out what I can do. Right now that is a drawing a day project. Drawing using an egg shape daily for a month to be specific. I'm using Brushes for the iPhone and iPad. A favorite program of mine that I let fall by the wayside. Seems the program has improved since I used it last. Crisper graphics and more brush options. Yet still simple and elegant. Perfect for on the go sketching.

Here I go!

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Back from the dead?

2010-09-26T17:05:00.001-04:00

Still alive, doing alright for the most part. Just very busy trying to keep up with everything.

Alex (blee) turned three at the beginning of this month and to celebrate we drove to Ohio to see family. It was a great little vacation.

Now we are settled back home and scrambling to prepare for the arrival of little sister. Expected in early December and dammit she's not going to stick around nearly two extra week like big sister did!

Thankfully Alex is in preschool now 3x a week and that gives me a little time. Unfortunately most of that precious time ends up being used to recover from her kicking my butt every waking moment. That kid has a never ending supply of energy. We have fun though and it helps keep the pregnancy pounds off a bit. So I can have treats like this now and then.

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I Guess This Means I'm Nesting?

2010-08-13T08:55:00.002-04:00

This is the start of the stash I am building for baby Charlotte. A few cozy wraps, stuffed animals, a tiny knit hat that never really fit Alex, a nursing cover, lovey blankets and more. Not much for right now, but newborns don't really need that much.

I'm twenty three weeks as of tomorrow and finally this whole we're going to have another baby business is sinking in and feeling like it is actually going to happen.

Last Days of Summer

2010-08-11T10:34:00.001-04:00

We've been trying very hard to enjoy these final days of summer here in New England. We had two fabulous weekends in the high seventies and low eighties in a row and we spent them outdoors and by the water. The first weekend we went to Newport, RI to do the cliff walk but as soon as Alex saw the beach the walk was off the table and we were at the beach. Which would have been perfect if it hadn't been a "red tide" day with nasty algae killing some sea life (think mollusks) and just making things smell funky but not actually dangerous. My hyper-sensitive from pregnancy nose was going nuts but we still had a good time I just stayed away from the water.

Last weekend was better. We ended up in Portsmouth NH for the day and even though the cruises were all booked up we had a great time walking around and being near the ocean. Alex came back with this Viking Hat and has been wearing it nearly non stop since. The toystore it came from had some adorable dolls that my darling daughter showed pretty much no interest in, making me rather sad.

Things are well enough. We travel to the Midwest in a few weeks for her third birthday and will see a lot of family. After a couple of miserable (not to mention expensive) plane trips in a row we have decided to drive over two days.

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Silence. What I never posted.

2010-07-13T10:13:00.001-04:00

This post dates from late May. Sick with grief I was unable to proof and post it for all this time. I still can't bear to proof read it so here it is in it's raw state. I am hoping that getting this out will help with the grieving process. A month after the events in this blog happened my grandmother died and I rushed to Illinois for her funeral. We had been estranged since my mother's death and the grieving was coupled with a lot of healing as I now have more family in my life.

And I'm pregnant. A very good thing that I have been having a hard time celebrating.

Last Thursday our dear friend, neighbor and pastor died after a slightly longer two year battle with stage four colon cancer. Some people say that at least with illnesses one has time to emotionally prepare and I say bull. Even with all this time I am stunned. I am stunned that a healthy 38 year old man and father of three young boys could be stuck down by an illness like this. I am stunned that a mother could lose a child thirty years after losing her eldest in a car accident. I'm stunned that a dear friend of mine is now a widow and that there three year old may grow up to not remember his father. That this once vibrant man with an infectious laugh first faded and is now gone. I find the thought of him being out of pain finally and in heaven comforting for him but not for the family that remains.

And ultimately I am just stunned. I feel like I got punched in the gut, kicked in the teeth and then knocked around for a bit.

I've spent the past days in mostly stunned silence. Not wanting to be around people, especially others that are in the process of grieving as well. It is hard to even write this now.

Ever since the diagnosis on Easter 2008 there has been a cloud of sadness following me and many others. Every good event is tinged with this sadness from the realization that somebody loved by so many is gravely ill. The last time I spent a significant amount of time with him was in early February when they hosted a dinner party for those involved in his chemotherapy treatment. He was in pain, but I never would have guessed that the end was so near and that thing would take a rathe sudden turn the next month. By March the second round of chemotherapy was not working and there were no more options. The cancer was spreading everywhere and constantly showing up in new locations.

Then on Easter this year I saw him for what would be the final time. After that he was so frail that he mostly retreated. This was right around when we found out that I am finally pregnant again. Let me tell you how hard it is to be joyful about a new life when in your heart you doubt somebody close will be around by the time it is born. These months have been lived feeling like I had a gun pressed to my head and was just waiting for the trigger to get pulled. Kind of stressful.

But it is over now and time to mourn, pick up the pieces and most importantly take care of his wife, children and grieving parents as best we can as a community. Having lived though the pain of my mom's battle with brain cancer that she ultimately lost I deeply understand the position that the children are in. But I also have learned just how blessed I was to have my mother in my life for as long as I did.

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Baking a Cake

2010-05-04T13:26:00.002-04:00

Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Originally uploaded by mLee*

I've been inspired to start baking again. I'm off the Artisan Bread for a little while as I let my bins linger and haven't felt motivated to refresh them. Right now I have two sitting in the back of my fridge with about a loafs worth of old dough needing to be tossed. Shameful I know. Ever since I burned a batch of sprouted wheat a couple of weeks ago when I put the newly sprouted berries in the oven, set it on low and then proceeded to go to the gym for three hours. You see, in order to dry one out one must have the oven at around 125 degrees and mine only goes to about 225 so the idea is to turn it on low for five minutes and then turn it off and sit, repeating the process every hour for six or so hours. Except I didn't turn it off before I left the house. Thankfully I didn't come home to a burned down apartment only a bunch of stinky black wheat berries. And I don't respond well to personal failure.

So now I'm playing with berries. I needed a snack to bring to my woman's group tonight and I came across a lovely recipe on MinervaO Flickr stream the other day that I had been meaning to try. Hers is an adaptation of a recipe that can be found on the Smitten Kitchen blog. I made two. One to try and another to bring. Goes great with a dab of whipped cream. The tang of the buttermilk and the lemon zest really makes the cake. I mixed it all up in the Vitamix before scooping it into two pans and adding the berries. I accidentally added almond extract instead of vanilla as the packaging is nearly identical but that didn't seem to effect the yummy factor.

Poking around the Smitten Kitchen blog I found an interesting recipe that led to a bit of an epiphany . Homemade Poptarts only sounded so-so until I realized that I could fill them with Nutella. Maybe that can be my project next week.

I'm really hoping that Alex will bless me with a nap today. I'm exhausted and I have a lot of work to do. It is not like I am actually able to nap these days anyhow regardless of how tired I am. I just push through my day sleepy as can be.

Springtime in Boston

2010-04-28T10:17:00.004-04:00

The weather hasn't been the best lately, but we have managed to get out whenever the sun peeks out or at least it isn't raining. Some places in New Engkand got hail, but not us and I'm grateful for that. The flowers still seem to be thriving.

The yard at Copely Square in downtown Boston is still closed and gated off while the lawn recovers from winter. But soon there will be beautiful days for my two year old to play in the grass. It is right down the street from my gym as a bonus.

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Outdoorsy

2010-04-23T10:57:00.001-04:00

I haven't been feeling all that well lately, but that tell that to Alex who won't slow down for a moment. In ways it has been good that she won't because it forces me out of the house and in the sun. We go to the playground a lot where she runs around like the crazy kid that she is for an hour or two. Even though it does exhaust her naps are still a huge struggle these days. So I end up with a tired and cranky kid on my hand.

We've been going to the park that is closer to us partially because it requires less walking but also because I cam easily fade and be anti-social there. I'm less likely to run into somebody I know and the people that go have no interest in making small talk with me.

The kids are sweet though and Alex follows the older ones around like a puppy. She would make such a wonderful little sister. The kids play with her and generally keep an eye on her because they are older and want to act more grownup. I still have to watch her like a hawk but more to keep her from getting into things. I also have to watch the gates as kids tend to go through and leave them open. The kid seems immune to injury.

Today I am going to the other playground as we have lunch plans with a friend that lives around there. Plus I need to get my blood drawn as the lab lost mine.

Hope everybody enjoys their weekend. We want to go somewhere tomorrow but don't know where.

Babysitter has an iPad

2010-04-09T09:20:00.001-04:00

Splurged and got an babysitter so we could finally go to Ten Tables, a resturant that is considered on of Boston's best and happens to be in our hood. Oh my was it fabulous! I got ricotta pasta with miyatake mushrooms and Parmesan rRggiano as an entree and Jon got herb stuffed roasted chicken. I tried both and couldn't decide which I liked more. We both won. I think I won for dessert, at least in terms of uniqueness. He got excellent warm your soul bread pudding with house made ice cream. I got chocolate mousse that could have been pretty standard fare but they dressed it up with peanut brittle and a touch of some fancy sea salt. Made for a very complex tasting experience. It was on the verge of being too rich but so interesting I loved it.

Then we got home and the babysitter showed off her new iPad. Rut oh! Jon went into this other world while he played with it for a few minutes. Willpower needed. We'd want a 3g one anyhow so we're safe for a little while.

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Happy Easter

2010-04-05T09:56:00.001-04:00

If you celebrate it like we do I hope it was lovely. Here in Boston it truly was the perfect Spring weekend to get some good old vitamin D and let the kidlet run around. We thought after taking her to the zoo on Saturday she would be so exhausted she would nap all day. We were wrong. This kid is more endless energy than usual, and that is one reason my online activity is spotty at best. I can often catch up on reading blogs on Byline, but not commenting or blogging myself.

Oh well! Happy April!

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Why Hello There

2010-03-22T10:01:00.000-04:00

Been MIA (again) it seems. Seems that once one breaks the blogging habit it is really hard to restart it.

After the flood of last weekend, we thankfully didn't end up with a basement full of water like many here, this beautiful sunny weekend was pure joy. Friday and Saturday were the best, but Sunday was alright, especially considering it is still March.

Saturday was a trip to the zoo. Alex liked it so much that we left with a membership.

But the big thing for me is that I finished my "box". That is the box of papers and sketches for my next project. A project that I've been putting off with house stuff for months. I was on a bit of a roll until we started doing some major housework. Then all my limited free time has been sucked away by that. But I forced myself last night and got the ball rolling. I'm hoping to have something solid to show by Wednesday.

See you then!

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Karen Kunc inspired me!

2010-03-03T12:21:00.001-05:00

From afar. She gave a demo near here but of course I was unable to go. Such is life with a family with a young child I guess. I miss classes and stuff like this all the time. I had heard of her in the sense that her name seemed very familiar and I had had my work likened to hers. But I guess I never got around to investigating. Too bad for me because I can see it too and it lights a fire in me.

Built on the inspiration from a particular piece I was referred to the other day on Flickr. This one has more of "me" in it so it feels like more than a study. I did the "copy" as a way to document the inspiration for future use in my own hand. To inspire myself through making it instead of merely looking. That way the lessons will sink into my head better.

I need to print!

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Welcome March!

2010-03-01T13:25:00.005-05:00

February is finally over and I am running head first into March. While March has traditionally been my worst month emotionally for years now I think that could change this year. So here I go with some big plans, goals and dreams for the month. Here is to a fabulous month for all of us! Begone winter!

I do believe that these doodles are building up to something major. People have been saying that they remind them of my woodblock prints with the layers of colors and I am starting to see that. I can't believe it but I haven't printed in over a year. I only touched my press in 2009 when we moved my studio into the smaller room and that wasn't even me but my husband and a friend. Not only have I not been able to get much art done the last year and a half or so (hmm that lines up to when Alex became mobile) but I've been so focused on collages ever since she was born. It is really difficult to set aside a chunk of at least two hours, preferably around four, to print. But a collage lends itself so well to being worked on in stages. I even did a few of them with Alex in the Ergo or wrap on my back! That just wouldn't work with printing. Whenever I did have any longer periods of time I was way too exhausted for printing as it is quite a physically and mentally draining process for me. So much of the creative process is done at the press and I need a clear and focused mind. Factor in a dash of boredom after doing printmaking pretty much exclusively for over two years and I moved on. But I'm feeling that this year the press will be used. That I will find a balance between my sketches/ doodles, making collages and printmaking. I even have paper that I tore in either early 2009 or late 2008 ready to go for printing. Eeep!

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New Doodle

2010-02-26T13:28:00.000-05:00

This one is a weird one for me. Maybe because I did it while Alex screamed not wanting to nap but needing it. Please no judgement we never let her cry for long, especially the first 18m, and I can read her cries and body language so well at this point.

Sure enough now I'm done and so is she after only around five minutes.

I really wanted to use black and for what it's worth I think that makes the piece, especially the border. But I'd probably just give it a C+ is I had to grade it. But I don't think grading doodles is really a fair thing and something I should try to avoid. Sure some are better than others and I am kinda frustrated feeling like I can't match that one piece from early in this experiment. But I'm growing and learning regardless and at least I'm drawing. And that is better than the past two years where creativity only happened in sporatic bursts a few times a year. And then poof gone as daily life took over.

Now creativity is finally a part of daily life again and that is so exciting for me to have back. To have something that I can fit into daily life. I haven't missed a single day of drawing since I downloaded the Brushes app.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Everybody in my household except for me is struggling with a cold. I'm doing all that I can to avoid getting sick but I can't prevent physical contact with my daughter. When she wants to kiss me I smile and let her.

New Doodles working up my self esteem

2010-02-19T13:03:00.000-05:00

These two pieces were fun and interesting to make, especially the first. The black line work is actually from erasing I just filled the back layer with black. I have another in deep blackish purple but I think I prefer true stark black. More daring less safe, at least in my color loving world.

Second is lots of layers, transparencies and erasing. Fun stuff.

And honesty I am just pleased that I have kept this up over a week. Last night I really just wanted to go to bed but I did it and ended up getting into it. I'm not commuting to a year, that is too much and setting me up for failure. But I can do a month.

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Arty Hipsterish but Fun

2010-02-16T21:14:00.001-05:00

Going through and picking photos to edit to look like either Helga or Crossprocessed photos is bringing me back to better weather days. I say better because much of what we had last year was still crap, it just wasn't cold crap. Isn't that a lovely image for you? But really I'm missing spring, summer and fall. I'll take just about anything over this.

The results of these Faux Helga (a type of toy camera that has cult status) and Crossprocessed photos are kinda arty hipster loo king. But I don't care. My photo skills have always been lacking and I've never been able (or willing) to invest much in improving them.
I've also lusted for a Helga for years but new I'd probably neglect it. So this is a cheap and easy treat for me.

The first one is a fake Helga and the other is a Cross-processed one.

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Building a Habit

2010-02-15T08:37:00.002-05:00

I'm still loving my Brushes iPhone app. The only thing I would change would to add a pressure sensitivity option. But I can work around the lack of it through transparencies and layers.

I've been doing them daily just as planned and just as expected some are better than others. I feel no pressure making them, just freedom to play. And some days I really don't even want to take the five minutes but I do and it stinks but I don't care because at least I stuck with it.

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Size Eight!

2010-02-12T12:12:00.000-05:00

Health will be mine! It was until the series of illness got me in January. But I'm back in the game. And fitting into size 8 jeans for the first time in ten years. I wasted most of my twenties being unhealthy but that isn't going to happen in my thirties.

The best part is how I feel. Physically and mentally I'm doing better than ever. I'm even starting to rethink how I should deal with my bipolar.

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Why thank you App Store!

2010-02-10T21:28:00.002-05:00

iPhone doodle
Originally uploaded by mLee*

My iPhone and I are best buds, we are quite literally attached at the hip. It has been a life changing product, and I don't say that lightly. My name is Marissa and I am a bit of an AppAddict. I'm constantly looking for the ones that will somehow complete my phone and quite possibly my life.

And this Brushes one is just one of those life changing near perfect apps. I just ponied up the five bucks for it the other day and it is true love. But what makes it even better is pairing it with other well matched apps such as the accurately titled Awesome Note.

I am a bit of a computer art flunkie. It is hard to get more old school than woodblock printmaking and moving my vision into the computer has never gone well. Not that I am making any masterpieces on my phone just yet. But this is intuitive to use and I find it easy to make something quickly and it either works or it doesn't. And fixable. The layering of colors and the spontaneity of it does work with my style.

And then comes in the note program. I have used it for awhile to replace the junk native note app and I am always looking for new ways to use it. This time I added a folder specifically as an Art Sketchbook for me to post these images plus write any text along with them. Loving it! This morning I did a quick Brushes doodle and then imported it into my Awesome Note Sketch Journal and wrote about the experience.

Everything is super low resolution so nothing is going up on Etsy, Artfire or any wall. But what does that really matter. There is more to art than making a product. This forces me to focus on the process part more than I have in a long time.

Now I just need a good app for blogging from my phone!

Needs Some Work

2010-02-01T09:05:00.001-05:00

I had my new studio space set up so perfectly. It was even featured in an Etsy Storque article. But the truth is that version of my studio didn't last very long.

What happened to it? Life I guess. Between getting pre-occupied with finishing up the rest of the apartment and a sucsessive series of illness once again my studio started to function as a storage space for random junk. Something that always bugged me and I was hoping would stop after it got moved to a visible doorless room off the living room.

How am I supposed to get anything creative done in such chaos where I can't even move or find free desk space? So today i've decided to set the rest of the house aside and work on it. I must make something during my Wednesday chunk of me time and I need to prepare.

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After a Vacation I'm ready for a Staycation!

2010-01-05T10:44:00.002-05:00

Miami Zoo
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Please excuse the extended absence, as after vacation we all ended up sick. Everything started out great when the three of us went to the Miami Zoo where Alex had a blast. We got to see Avatar and Fantastic Mr. Fox and enjoyed them both. But the day after Christmas on the long drive to see my family in Sarasota Alex started showing signs of a cold.

Once we got there it was full on and led to a lot of family stress. By the time we got home I too had the cold and a week later I'm still sick. Usually I'm the one that recovers the fastest since it is hardest on the family when I'm sick. Now here I am feeling a lot better in many ways, no more awful cough and I'm not exhausted, but my congestion has gotten so much worse and traveled to my ears. I'm getting checked out for an sinus infection tomorrow. The headaches I get are enough to knock me on my butt and that makes the days caring for Alex quite difficult. Alex is still a little snotty but happy overall.

But I'm sure that once I get better things will be great for us as I have a plan of direction for this year. Last year started out bad but ended on an upswing and I'm working to continue that trend. I've apparently lost more weight than I feel I have lost as people have been commenting a lot on how much better I look. The looking better comes from inside as I feel so much better as well, and this better feeling is tied with the lifestyle changes I made in 2009. And since I made them so gradually they feel natural and ingrained in me now.

We're still trying to get pregnant and it isn't going as I hoped, but I'm not letting myself get discouraged. Every month without pregnancy is a month I can prepare my body to be more healthy for it and hopefully not get so dang sick like the last time.

5 reasons why leaving Boston is awesome!

2009-12-21T09:14:00.002-05:00

first snow
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Pros!

1) Blizzard!

2) Florida sunshine in December might not be the warmest, but the contrast to here more than makes up for that.

3) Avatar! Movies and dinner dates out! Free babysitting from family is a rare and wonderful thing.

4) Getting to leave the house without some big production. Unless going to the beach and then it is worth it.

5) Having family fawn all over Alex.

Cons!

1) Having a six am flight and having to get up by four am with a sleepy and most likely grumpy toddler.

2) Packing is never fun.

3) Cleaning the house.

4) No more green smoothies in the morning. Vitamix doesn't travel well and I don't think the stick blender will cut it.

5) Wasting my membership to the Gym. But I think there is one that I can use at my Grandmother's complex. Actually using it is another story.

As you can see the pros far out way the cons! We're not bringing the laptop and will have limited internet access, mostly from our phones. See you next year! Hope everybody has a great holiday and New Years!

And it's perfect

2009-12-07T08:21:00.002-05:00

so clean looking
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

While the entire move isn't complete by any means, my studio is all set up and ready to go. Now I just need to take care of that pesky rest of the house problem. Gotta say that I am pretty pleased with how it turned out and with myself a little bit. But most of all I feel very blessed and privileged to have such a great space. This downsizing and moving was something we always knew I would have to do as soon as I found out I was pregnant. But it was such a daunting task and I wasn't exactly thrilled to be giving up my studio. But I got over that selfishness a long time ago and have been itching to move for ages now. What stopped us was the hassle of it all. But we had an opportunity to get it started the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when Jon was home from work and Alex was at her toddler group so we started moving our furniture. But we couldn't move the 200lb press, that had to wait until he had a friend come over to help on the following Tuesday.

There is so much natural light I rarely have to turn the ceiling lamp on and I have no need for any of the clip or desk lamps like the old studio. I was able to hang my SAD light up on the wall so it can illuminate the entire room. This space was a blank slate for me to build on and I think I did the best I could with the space and without buying anything new. I made a lot of mistakes with the layout of my last studio, mistakes that I learned from.

And I finally framed and hung some of the art I have collected over the years!

Alex so wants to be in this room and that cannot be as there is way too much for her to get into. So we removed the door and put up a gate. Now I can be in there while watching her at the same time. We might hang a curtain for privacy and decor at some point in the future. I don't know how much work I will be able to get done when she is awake as she still requires a ton of my attention, but it has to be better than before.

Hopefully I will be back to making art sometime this month. There is still so much to do.

The Studio that Was

2009-12-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

Printing Corner
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Is dead and gone made into our bedroom (makeshift at this time) and I now have a space that is about one fourth the size. We finally gave Alex a proper bedroom and in order to do that I had to downgrade my studio.

And it is awesome! Instead of feeling sorry for myself like I was I actually am loving the new space! Some would call it cramped but I call it cozy. There was a lot of wasted space in my old studio so everything is fitting a lot better than I expected it would. Originally we expected to need to keep my press outside the room in the neighboring livingroom. Not so! No inches to space, but the beast fits.

Jon moved it with a guy friend last night while I was out and I am going to work to make it usable today. Starting from scratch is great because I learned what to do and what not to do when setting up my old space.

I think I'm going to need to have a studio sale soon due to this downsizing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T22:26:00.002-05:00

found hat
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Hope all my friends in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and didn't get too bruised up if you did participate in Black Friday. Other than a few choice Amazon purchases we abstained from shopping on Friday. And I won't set foot in a mall until next year.

We're really busy right now totally re-arranging the apartment, but are well. It is going well and I am feeling good about it.

Alex says hi!

growing up

2009-11-20T13:06:00.002-05:00

go outside?
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

My little baby isn't a baby anymore and she hasn't been for quite some time now. I have pictures of her from the first four or six months on the side of my studio that I don't really pay attention to. Every once in awhile I look over there and see one and am stunned. It can be hard to link the two together even though there are physical and even personality similarities. But a toddler is a little person while an infant not so much. The first year is all about them developing into a person.

She may not be a baby anymore, but she still needs me and my attention a lot. Actually in many ways she needs me more than ever before. When she was a newborn she slept a lot and that gave me time to work on art or simple housework. Or I could wrap her up on my back while she napped and work on a collage. That doesn't work anymore and it hasn't since she became mobile.

But now that I am finally learning how to schedule myself as best I can things are starting to slowly turn and I am getting bits of my own life back despite the fact that her needs are continuing to rise. It is quite empowering. Right now I am able to work on my art at a pace that I can live with. One that doesn't leave me missing it with a whiny miserable voice in the back of my mind constantly. And what a relief it is, like a weight has been lifted from my life. And now the world seems brighter and much more manageable.

I've decided that this Christmas season is a wash for me as I am too far behind in promotion, networking and more too close to Christmas. Once I admitted this to myself I felt a great relief and that gives me the ability to come up with a new plan and a new goal. And that one is for 2010. In 2009 I got my health on the right track and I am now healthier than I have been in years, 2010 is going to be about regrowing my business. It won't be the same as before I had Alex or before the crash as things are probably only going to get worse. But I'll have a plan this time!

But that doesn't mean that you can't buy from my store this holiday season!

continuing on

2009-11-12T07:08:00.002-05:00

#2 with #1 in background
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

The lettering series can officially be called a series now. The second one is up for sale on Etsy and Artfire.

I found myself dawdling with this one after I got it going two weeks ago. I guess I have commitment issues. But really, I just have so much to do it is hard to find the time when I am in the right frame of mind to work on art. The timing is often just not right.

But with Alex going to her Toddler group every Wednesday that leaves me 2 hours and I should be able to use at least an hour of that to work on art. If I am diligent about it I might even be able to get back to making a piece a week. Not quite the same as the 20+ pieces I would make every week or two back in the day, but these are collages not prints. And my life has changed since then and I accept what comes along with those changes.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this piece as there will be more following it. Keep watching!

The past made current again

2009-11-10T08:13:00.002-05:00

Night Falls on Two Trees
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

It may not be new, but this piece is still lovely to me. I've always loved how the colors gently moved into and around each other. The coolest blue I could mix combined with a bright pale orange. Finished off with dark purple. And the mysterious shapes that overlap it all. It speaks to me now because this is basically the point in autumn that we are at here in New England. There is still some beauty, but it is fading quickly as the cold airs come in. But there is still this crispness to hand onto.

It was a lovely weekend filled with as nice as the weather is going to get until well into next year. Hope all my readers, wherever you may be, had a wonderful weekend as well with gorgeous weather. And if not, here's hoping for next weekend.

Fast Friday - The Terrible Twos

2009-11-06T13:42:00.002-05:00

playing in the leaves
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

I'm being tested. Our church wide Daniel Fast* began on Monday and even though I am doing a slightly modified version that allows grains and a cup of lightly honey sweetened tea once a day it is not easy. No meat or fish, no dairy and no sweets or junk in general is my diet until the 22nd. Tacked onto that I have added a severe limit to my time spent online. In fact I have decided that the internet in its entirety is off limits on Sunday. I even set up a program to block the sites I tend to frequent.

The fast started out pretty difficult the first day or two but now I am hitting my stride with it. Even though I have every reason to go back to my comfort food of sugar. Alex is not going easy on us. Lately it feels like all I say is; "Alex stop that right now!" and that is not fun thing to say.

*pause*

Alex then knocked over my full cup of tea, spilling it all over, then she wanted to play in the puddle of tea. So I had to say "it" and back her off while I tried to sop it up as quickly as possible. Then I had to keep her entertained until the EI therapist came. Normally I participate in the therapy but I really needed to get some house stuff down so I excused myself. Then we went to the playground for two hours. Then lunch which she is currently finishing up. And hopefully a nap. Some hours later I am able to wrap this entry up.

I swear, the only thing keeping my sanity beyond God is the GTD (Getting Things Done) method of scheduling I recently implemented in my life. And just in time! Despite all the craziness I am still pretty calm, not overwhelmed and actually getting things done with renewed energy. I use a website (I upgraded to Pro) and iPhone app to keep me scheduled but a simple pocket notebook would do. But since my notebook is my iPhone I figured it was best to keep it there as the website and the phone app sync.

Here I am eating a very limited diet and much less food in general, working out daily, getting woken up in the middle of the night often, with a ton to do and a needy two year old and I am doing great!

*⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your ^c]">[c] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." ¹⁴ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. ¹⁶ So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

My Box

2009-11-05T07:26:00.002-05:00

Lettering #2 Mosaic
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

My project box that is. Through all of the not part of reality silliness in The Creative Habit I found a few gems. I finished it on my Kindle iPhone app the other day and am putting what I learned to use.

1) Start a morning ritual to get myself going in the right direction. My first thought and attempt was for this to be making green smoothies and then working out doing The Shred. But that was just too much to do every day, especially on days following a rough night with Alex. So it soon got whittled down to just the green smoothie part. Much healthier than a cup of coffee and a more long lasting energy, plus it is for the entire family. And Alex needs all the veggies I can get her to eat. Plus we are fasting for the next three weeks and coffee is out.

2) A box for my creative project(s). One box for each one to keep things focused. Right now I am using a shoe box, but when I get the chance I will probably take her advice and get the kind you can buy at Office Depot. In this box goes all the papers I have found that could possibly work for my project. Various papers including plain ones, pre-printed ones, washi and my own woodblock and gocco print scraps. Along with that I have a two tiered pencil case that keeps the small pieces so they don't get lost in the shuffle. And at the top level of that case are the ones I think I will be using. She just suggested a box, but she is a dancer not a visual artist, so I felt the need to expand to suit my needs.

3) I also have an computer based tool that I am trying out as a way to gather and organize various materials. I can save websites and images and put them into folders so they are easy to bring up whenever I need them.

Have I mentioned how much I love the Kindle app yet? Because I do, yet it actually keeps me from getting an actual Kindle rather than making me want one. I'm a minimalist when it comes to what I carry with me and having it in my phone is perfect. Now I read my physical books at home, but I always have something as backup on my phone.

Now along with a novel (The Blind Assassin for you curious types) I am reading another book to boost my productivity. This time it is a book that is practical for all people called Getting Things Done. The latter is on my Kindle app again which makes it handy for a quick read and note taking. I plan on always having one fiction and one non-fiction books going at all times. Funny how just six months ago I could barely find the attention to finish a book in six months and now I am reading books within a week tops.

Just another sign that things are improving.

Crisp Air Days

2009-11-02T19:26:00.002-05:00

Halloween Weekend
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Hope you had a great weekend. It was the perfect crisp Autumn weekend that we have grown to expect from living in New England but haven't gotten much of this year.

Alex had fun even though she didn't really know what was going on other than getting to run around a lot and have people smile at her more than usual.

It was a bittersweet time as two good friends stayed over on their way to a move to Seattle. They will be missed and I'm looking forward to visiting someday.

Onwards and Upwards!

2009-10-29T07:38:00.002-04:00

new materials
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Since I was so happy with this piece from last week I've decided that it needs to be a series. It just feels right and my energy for it is high and consistent. I haven't had that in ages, instead having short and sudden creative bursts where I make a piece in an hour and then may go as long as a few months before making another in the exact same way. The inspiration then was still real, but different and very fleeting. This feels much more purposeful and planned. Well, because it is more purposeful and planned!

Last week I downloaded The Creative Habit for the Kindle app on my iPhone and am reading it bit by bit daily. It isn't perfect, in fact some of the advice is downright laughable. Such as the one where she suggests to take a week and not talk, at all that entire week. I'm not a nun and I have obligations, as most people do, that require me to be able to communicate in more than just hand gestures and notes. Maybe some of the artists that don't have day to day jobs, or a family that needs them can do this exercise in restraint. But for the vast majority of us it is not only not practical but it is not possible. But overall it is a positive experience to read it and I am better off for it. For starters it has gotten me to rethink my day and try to get on some sort of schedule. Or at the very least get my day started with a bang instead of a groggy hour watching Curious George while downing coffee.

So I have been attempting to change my morning routine by going to bed earlier and waking up earlier and better. The attempt to wake up at 5:30am so I could use that precious time to work out before my daughter woke up did not go so well. I have pretty bad insomnia and when 5:30 came around I would be going on sometimes no more than four hours of sleep. Every time without fail I would turn my alarm off and go back to sleep. But now my husband and I have a schedule that allows me to work out in the morning and make the family a good breakfast and I don't even have to get up before seven on most mornings. Of course with a toddler, staying on a strict schedule is impossible, but for the most part it works. And that book pushed me to make this change.

This has impacted my health and ultimately my creativity. I'm not as tired any more and my head isn't so muddy. I've been working out whatever has been muddling my mind out slowly for the past few months and am really starting to see some results. I've been obsessed with Google Calendar and various scheduling apps for my iPhone, trying to find the perfect mix to keep me on task.

Newfound Hunger

2009-10-27T08:11:00.002-04:00

a great find, but I need more!
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

My collage from last week is officially finished and listed on Etsy and Art Fire. I worked hard, yet it all seemed to flow quite naturally, to balance color and form. The only snag was my own confidence making it difficult for me to commit. But after playing around with the layout of elements for the week I knew when I had the right one.

This alphabet paper I found last week has awakened a letter hungry monster in me! I have such a selection of papers to chose from that I have built up over the years that it is remarkable that I found these so quickly. But I didn't know that I had multiple colors! This opens up a lot more to me, but I still need different papers, cut outs, fonts and colors. More please! The circle series didn't feel like a series at the time, but this piece is certainly the beginning of a new series. What fun!

So for now I must settle for a virtual online shopping spree collecting various papers, stickers and what not of various fonts. I'm thinking some stencils might be nice too so I can make my own.

I can't wait for my two free hours on Wednesday! It is a pity that I won't have more to work with by then, but I have enough to get started.

Collage Crazy

2009-10-22T08:08:00.007-04:00

This past Sunday I had a very bad art making experience. It seems like I am tired all the time, even when Alex is sleeping or at her toddler group. But on Sunday after she went to bed I had energy and time. Jon was out so I had nothing to distract me. Excited I dug into my incredibly messy studio and began playing around with various papers trying to come up with a composition.

It did not go well. After a few hours in my studio I came out with nothing but frustration and feeling bad about myself. Nothing was working. The only thing positive it seemed is that I hadn't actually made anything, hadn't glued anything down. Later I realized that days like that are just as important as days of success. I knew that before, but after all this time I guess I needed to be reminded of that fact. Everything is a learning experience that I should appreciate.

Now just a few days later, on Wednesday, I had a much different experience. It started out much the same, except that I had much less time to work this time around. But I had time, desire and energy. Three precious factors that can be difficult to find at the same time. This time when I started pulling out papers and looking at them together I started finding stuff right away. I even felt confident enough to use my new(ish) sewing machine and then glue down this background.

I'm not done. Adding bits and pieces and taking pictures of the journey so I have a record of my ideas before I finish off the piece. But I am having a blast and know now that the journey is just as important as where I end up in the end.

On the left is a bit of one of my oldest print attempts sewed next to a piece of purple and white letter paper.

Unsure

2009-08-10T12:21:00.002-04:00

layout
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Being out of a near constant stream of creativity and art making has left me feeling rather insecure and slow to nail anything down or complete something. I hesitate before bringing out the glue and sealer. I hesitate before making certain cuts to paper or wood.

This is my current challenge. I have a hard time feeling that I have wasted precious and sometimes expensive materials on a failed piece. This was much easier when I was just doing straight up woodblock prints. Sure, if I messed up an actual block that stunk because I was out one block and the time I put into it. But with actually printing I was much less scared of failure because paper and ink are rather inexpensive and I knew that even if some pieces didn't turn out I could use parts of them in other things eventually. I saved failed works sometimes for years, being a packrat has really paid off because now I am going through those pieces and finding bits of beauty even in the worst of them. Even a horrible piece can have an inch of beauty.

Many of these collages are rather spontaneous and fast. I wonder if that is wrong and I should labor over the layout for many hours or if I should just go with my instincts. One thing is for sure that this is something I need to figure out so I can keep it from holding me back.

I'm excited because I just got a wonderful and rather inexpensive refurbished sewing machine off of Overstock.com. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to even get it started, but that should be solved tonight with the help of a friend. I've been wanting to add stitching elements to my work ever since I started collage making two years ago. I've done a bit of hand stitching in some pieces but I really like the look of perfect machine stitching. I'm very excited about what is to come and I hope to share it here with you soon.

2009-06-28T17:49:00.002-04:00

I wish blogger had an Iphone app. Flickr too please! I have my Facebook, Twitter, a Journal and a fantastic diet log.

I'm totally addicted to apps on my new Iphone so these are some serious holes. Oh well, at least GoogleReader has a streamlined page for the Iphone so I can keep up reading. More like catch up! I miss my blogging and blog reading days. Just time isn't what it used to be for me.

New ACEO

2009-06-22T17:19:00.002-04:00

Green Hair - ACEO
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Time to experiment with my art. The whole direction I had been going with my woodblock prints while I enjoyed it at the time just isn't working for me right now. I've been slowly touching up an unfinished carving and I am almost done. But to be honest I'm not sure what I will do with it when I am done.

I would rather push myself to make little pieces like this piece I have listed on Etsy and soon to be put on Art Fire. This is how I got started before, experimenting with smaller pieces.

I need to finish up this carving so I can clear my desk and get to work on some new small pieces. I might need a little inspirational run to the art store this week.

Heaven knows with this weather we have been having I have plenty of time to be indoors and create. That is if I weren't chasing after a stir crazy toddler all day. We had a break in the dismal weather on Saturday and enjoyed the day at a Strawberry Festival. We picked a bunch of really good strawberries and took Alex on a hayride before we had to take her home for a nap. She's been waking up early and getting exhausted early.

The rest of this week looks like rain, rain and some more rain. Bah!

A Sudden Inspiration

2009-06-01T08:14:00.002-04:00

Abstract #1
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Last Saturday I made this piece on a sudden inspiration. blee was napping, my husband was playing one of the video games I got him for his birthday and I needed something to do. So I did what normally isn't a good idea and got on the computer. Now this can lead to a lot of time wasting, but not this time. This time I saw how my Flickr art contacts were experimenting and was inspired to do the same. Rushing to my studio only to find it forever messy I grabbed some supplies and created on top of the mess instead of taking the time to clear it first. I knew that there was a good chance for the mood to leave at any moment if I took the time to clean first. I grabbed some canvas and various papers and started arranging and laying them until I came up with this.

It might not be much, but if I can do something like this at least every few weeks I am going in the right direction.

It can be found in my shop on Etsy here. I've been neglecting my Etsy shop like I have been neglecting my blog, but hopefully this is a sign of change for me.

Final Days

2009-04-22T08:48:00.002-04:00

Jungle
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Of my Buy one Get One sale. On Saturday I am having an Open House in my studio in honor of Spring cleaning and will be shutting my shop down for the day. This might be the last chance for certain pieces. This woodblock print is just one of nearly sixty pieces that I have for sale now.

We enjoyed our Easter holiday with the family, but I think in the future we are going to ask them to visit a month or two later so they can enjoy good weather. They aren't religious so I don't see what the big deal about being here on Easter is. None of them joined us at church. Which is fine, but the weather will be so much nicer in May and early June.

Jon and I are making plans of our own for a nice little trip. We are finally going to make it to NYC in mid May. We got back into contact with some old friends and they invited us to stay with them in their spacious Brooklyn apartment. It will be nice to see them and other. I hope to make it to Etsy labs once, or at least see Anda from Etsy. I'm dying to meet her daughter!

The collage a day for a week went so well that I am doing it again, but with less restrictions. I just need to do some art daily. Yesterday it was a collage, today I'm not sure. I have a woodblock drawn on and ready to carve. It is quite small, but that is a good place to start.

Hope everybody has a great Wednesday. I miss the old days of blogging and reading blogs daily. I miss everybody.

BOGO Studio Sale is Over

2009-04-05T21:42:00.002-04:00

Studio Sale Mosaic
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

From now until I decide to end it I am having a super sale in my Etsy shop. Buy anything in my shop and get another of equal or lesser value for free! (just put BOGO in the notes to seller and wait for a revised invoice)

This was inspired over the weekend spring cleaning of my studio. I reorganized my pieces and realized that even though I haven't been at my most productive I have a lot of art. Time to clear out the old to make room for the new. I'm ready to start fresh this spring and this seems like a good way to give it a kick start.

Something to Dance About

2009-04-01T07:24:00.001-04:00

dancing babies
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

After a long weather I think Spring is here to stay. And Alex is walking better every day so we will be enjoying the good weather fully.

I've been going to bed early and waking up early this week and it is really helping me out. Before I would never blog in the morning because I was virtually a zombie until 9-10am. I could barely care for her I was so tired. Right now I haven't even had any coffee or tea yet and I feel fine.

I have to do babysitting today, but hopefully after then Alex will nap and I can (re)clean my studio. I have some ACEOs to make!

Hope everybody has a great week.

We have a Deal

2009-03-23T08:18:00.001-04:00

after
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

As you readers may know I haven't had a very good year artistically speaking. I find myself wasting time more than making art whenever I have the chance. My husband Jon has joked about locking me in my studio without any books or a computer for awhile now but never seriously. I've also wanted him to find some sort of healthy activity for himself. Especially now that I am going to the gym 3-5 times a week.

So here is the deal we worked out. Twice a week he is going to lock me in my studio for a few hours. And twice a week I am going to kick him out of the house to go for a long walk. Hopefully eventually he will feel comfortable jogging. Just like hopefully someday soon I will feel comfortable making art without being forced to. Like the old days.

Maybe I will have him do what I do and strap blee on during his walks. That way he gets a nice weight bearing exercise and time with his daughter and I don't have to deal with her. Have I mentioned that she is teething her two year molars now and is a total disaster?

I already know that I want to do collage and mixed-media ATC/ ACEOs first. They were always what I did when I was in a smaller slump in the past. I have a bunch of printmaking paper torn to size, but that can wait for now. I need to experiment with very little pressure.

On the bus coming home from the gym the other day I got the idea to host a print class again. Maybe an ATC/ ACEO with collage, print and painting elements? People could make a handful and maybe trade one with the class. Keep an eye out here for more information.

Now I need to go pack up some orders and get thee to a post box. Hope you all have a fabulous week. My apologies for being so absent here and in other blogs. I've been in a very deep hole.

My year

2009-02-24T00:25:00.003-05:00

Circle Collage
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

This AM I but the finishing touches on this most trying of pieces. All the bits of paper that had refused to bend to my will did in the end in this piece that pretty much sums up my past year. Bits and pieces of a trying but passionate year all thrown together in a quilt like collage. I always wished I had the sewing abilities for quits so here I am doing my own take on them. Making this piece in the passion with a baby literally strapped to my back while I created it.

I have this block that I started over a year ago that remains unfinished and I do not know what to do with it. To be perfectly honest. It reminds me of a more innocent time in my artistic life where I shrived for simpler things. Now with this work half unfinished I don't know if I should continue with it or move on.

All I know is that I have a huge body of work from the years to draw upon.

Time for DVDs

2009-02-04T08:58:00.002-05:00

Inauguration Day
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

I've already watched the first four discs of the Monty Python box set and I have Extras Season One on the way. Maybe I will rent Rome next, I love that show and could watch it again and again.

Now is a time where little blee needs a lot of casual care from me. She is happy to play on her own a lot but I need to monitor her so she doesn't get into trouble. So out come the DVDs so I don't go crazy with boredom or spend too much time on the computer. I tried doing some collage cutting because I can do that in the living room but she is going through a grabby stage so that didn't work. I can't even drink a glass of water in front of her without her grabbing at it and screaming when I won't give it to her.

I go to the gym and put her in daycare two to three times during the week and leave her with Jon so I can go on the weekend and that gives me a much needed break.

But my art life has been suffering and I don't know what to do. By the time she goes down I am tired and grumpy and I am just feeling creatively empty. I tried getting back into sketching but I just don't know what to draw these days. Ever since I lost my daily walks things have gotten much worse for my art.

I am just lucky that I used to be super prolific because I have so much older work to keep my shops full. But having some fresh pieces would be nice.

I guess I am going to have to learn to be a stay at home mom without much of an art life for awhile. How long I don't know.

New Directions

2009-01-12T07:40:00.001-05:00

#17 - Collage Challenge
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

With everything that is going on in my life, especially having to chase after a sixteen month old, I just don't have a reliable amount of time or desire to make new artwork. Sure, it does happen every once in awhile. But not like before.

Because of this combined with some other factors I have decided to move my focus onto listing reproductions of my artwork on Etsy and Art Fire for the time being and see what happens.

This seemed like a great piece to start with since it is a work that is being published and under my agreement with the publishers I can't sell it until after the book comes out. It isn't a rule but I am going to focus mostly on works that have already sold or aren't available in their original form for some reason.

Muse on Etsy
Muse on Art Fire

Speaking of Art Fire I have decided to give it another chance, at least until March. The truth is that since the first month I haven't put much if any effort into it. Not listing and not doing any outside promotion. And with the economy being the way it is I need to do those things more than ever. So I am going to keep at it and I think you should too. I still think the site has potential.

We have a winner!

2009-01-05T08:30:00.002-05:00

beach at dusk
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

From my contest from last month. Danielle Andrews has won a mid-sized piece of her choice, an ACEO, some magnets and a pocket mirror. Value totaling over $80. Thanks for playing and keep watching for any future contests.

Sorry I haven't been around since getting back from Florida. Before Florida I got really sick. So sick in fact I was puking all night the night before our flight out. Even though I am better now I'm still recovering in a sense. Alexandra has been a huge handful lately. I am learning to accept that being a mom comes first and at least for now my artwork and everything involved with it is a distant second. But I do have hope to get some new pieces out this month. I did make a collage on new years day that I haven't scanned or photographed yet. It doesn't feel 100% done yet.

Florida was great despite having the plague. We got to spend a lot of time wandering around the beach and the weather and air were just perfect.

Wishing everybody a fantastic 2009!

Last Chance

2008-12-17T05:46:00.002-05:00

The End of the Day
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

To win this, or many other great pieces along with other goodies with a total value of $80. Come Thursday I am shutting down my Etsy and Art Fire
shops and going on vacation until past Christmas. As I right this there are only four entries in my little raffle. All you need to do is spend $20 (including shipping) or more and you are entered. I will announce the winner after we get home.

I hope everybody has a great Christmas, Hanukkah or whatever it is you do or don't celebrate. Have a great Festivas metal poles are your thing.

All three of us are sick here, especially little blee, so any prayers and well wishes for us to heal before our trip from my readers would be greatly appreciated.

sleep

2008-12-12T08:57:00.002-05:00

playing at the Aquarium
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

This little darling woke me up just before midnight with her crying. This is our first night together without daddy. He gets home on Sunday.

She wasn't hungry she was just tired and upset and falling asleep in my arms. But as soon as I put her back in her crib the crying began anew. So I did the most logical thing I could think of with my sleep clouded brain. I brought her into bed with me. It was sweet in a scary I hope she doesn't roll out of bed kind of way. But being there cuddled up next to her was very nice.

We slept there with my arm around her for about five hours. Her well me waking up every so often to check on her. Finding he sprawled on her back sleeping so soundly her pacifier fell out without being missed.

But by five she was up and hungry with a touch of energy. I needed to satisfy both of those needs before putting her back to bed at six and sleeping until eight.

So that was my night and morning. How about yours?

I'm not doing much art wise these days (again) but I am forcing myself to start keeping a sketchbook. I remember this time last year I was drawing a ton every day. Every bit of free moments I had would be used on art. What happened to me?

Goodbye

2008-12-08T14:01:00.004-05:00

with great grandma
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Jon's maternal grandmother passed away yesterday. He will be traveling to the funeral in Ohio on Thursday and be getting back Sunday. I am grateful that she was able to meet her only great-grandchild twice before she went. She was 89 years old and will be missed by us and many others. This is my first time caring for Alexandra on my own for an extended period of time. I'm very lucky to have such an involved partner.

I know I should be working my butt off on Etsy and Art Fire right now, but I'm not. Today was a busy morning and I just got home and I am spent.

Yesterday I had fun playing with monotype printmaking. Layering colored inks on a plexi plate and removing parts to form a multi colored image. I learned that I need to replace my Hansa Yellow because some air got in and ruined it and that I need some practice. But I had a good time and I learned how easy it is to cleanup these inks compared to oil which makes it much more doable during daytime naps when she could wake up at any moment. It was great to make something without regard for it being perfect or worthy of selling. I tend to get caught in that trap and I broke free of that last night. I expect to be doing more of this whenever I have the chance this week. It is nice to get a break from the normal and safe woodblock printing.

Also, in case you missed my post from the weekend I am going to repeat myself because it is important to me as I worked very hard for this.

Hi. If you were referred to Art Fire by me please send an email to Jessica Johnson and let her know. There has been some sort of bug and none of my referrals prior to today went through.

Thanks and have a great week. I'll be back tomorrow or Wednesday hopefully.

Art Fire Referral Problem

2008-12-06T19:59:00.004-05:00

Hi. If you were referred to Art Fire by me please send an email to Jessica Johnson and let her know. There has been some sort of bug and none of my referrals prior to today went through.

Thanks!

I get some free babysitting tomorrow night and am hoping to get a lot done during that time if I don't need to simply rest.

The End

2008-12-05T00:27:00.001-05:00

African Queen
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

This is the last item I will list, renew or relist on Etsy until something changes. I relisted it from the depths of expiredland mid Thursday before I found out about the new "improvements" with Etsy's search. Basically they have made it so only five pages show in search and if you use reverse search to see the least recently listed item it only draws from those five pages.

And five pages move fast on a bloated site like Etsy.

I just got two very nice sales locally on collages that just weren't moving on Etsy. I'm feeling overall hopeful about Art Fire and I am fed up. I welcome any sales and will pay my fees from them gladly. But I am done with useless listing fees. Seems like a way to force desperate sellers to renew often so they can get their work seen. Disgusting.

I welcome people to check out Art Fire and use me as a
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=sevenforlife&afuid=3212 because that is where my new work and the work that is close to expiring is going to be going.

Goodnight and good morning!

Florida here we come! (shop announcement)

2008-12-01T23:33:00.001-05:00

Jungle
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

We are going to Florida on the 18th and returning on the 29th. This means I will have to put both my Etsy and Art Fire shops into vacation mode. So please if you are interested in buying for Christmas buy by the 17th at the absolute latest. I will be closing up early that night.

We are flying into Ft. Lauderdale where the inlaws live and staying there a couple of days. Then borrowing one of their cars and a carseat and driving to Sarasota to spend some time there. On Christmas eve the inlaws will come to Sarasota and things should be interesting as they have never met my grandparents. We won't be flying during the peak travel times so I don't think it will be too horrible. This is our first time flying with blee.

My neighbor will be walking our dog Maeby for us. She has a year old daughter that just adores her. I owe her some serious babysitting time!

The Holidays Begin

2008-12-01T11:32:00.001-05:00

Winter
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

My special holiday promotion is still going on. Spend twenty dollars or more, including shipping, and I will enter you to win $80 worth of free art goodies. So far there are only three entries so your chances are pretty good. And no matter what you get something (your purchase)!

Also, if I asked you to let me refer you to Art Fire and you agreed but haven't gotten anything please check your spam folder. Also, please be sure to include mLee as your referrer. They upped the amount needed to ten and I only have three.

Thanksgiving was good. It was good to see family and to go away to Mystic on Friday and totally skip out on the Black Friday shenanigans. I even got a sale while I was gone. While I will be listing on Etsy and Art Fire more often in the next few weeks, overall compared to past years I am going to take it easy. My first batch of holiday orders goes out Wednesday. Packing up art is my least favorite thing and my studio is a disaster from the house guests.

Photos from the Mystic Aquarium. Have a great Cyber Monday and a great week. I will be back to posting regularly for at least awhile.

Like Getting Free Stuff?

2008-11-28T09:20:00.002-05:00

Dark Branches
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Then check out my contest!

Spend $20 or more (including shipping) in my shop between now and Xmas and be entered to win a prize worth $80. You pick the 8x10 print ($60 value) of your choice and I will make up the rest. Consider it a holiday present for yourself. I will choose from my sales list on the day after Christmas and draw one randomly.

This offer is good on Etsy and on Art Fire.

And remember; Register on ArtFire.com for $7 a month for life.

Help me!

2008-11-26T09:27:00.005-05:00

Help a girl out and please email me your email address so I can invite you to join Art Fire for $7 a month. If I refer seven verified accounts I get mine upgraded to free for life. If you are interested in the site please contact me with your email. It is a very promising new site and even 7$ a month is a fantastic deal. I joined Etsy when it was around the same age that ArtFire is now and I think I know a good site when I see it! Art Fire has a chance to really compete with Etsy, but only if us artists and artisans join. They are dedicated to bringing us buyers and not just leaving it up to us like Etsy does. And it could really use some more printmakers!

marissa@mleefineart.com

Free Shipping Sale!

2008-11-26T09:10:00.002-05:00

I Love You More
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Dark Leaves

I Love You More

These are just two of the most recent pieces I put up on Artfire in the past 24 hours and until Black Friday they will all have free shipping. Buy as many pieces as you want from wherever you are and I will refund you the shipping after you pay. This offer is only good in my Art Fire

shop but I can move anything from

Etsy

over if requested. I'm still in the process of filling out my Art Fire store and haven't abandoned Etsy just yet.

I'm going to try and be around listing my new pieces on Friday after Thanksgiving but we have family in town and they may want to see what New England has to offer. A month ago I would have said lots, but right now not so much.

I hope all of my readers in the US have a great Thanksgiving with family and/ or friends, and that my international readers simply have a nice Thursday.

Is anybody shopping on Black Friday? Looking for a killer deal on an HDTV maybe? My dad is going out at the crack of dawn per usual off in Chicago but I avoid shopping like the plague after Thanksgiving.

Printing Again

2008-11-20T23:19:00.001-05:00

After Dark
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Yep, today and yesterday I printed a total of two layers of color on about thirty sheets of fine Japanese paper. Hopefully this weekend I will finish them off and have some brand spanking new work to show off. Hot off the presses.

Until then I will keep my shops on Etsy as well as my new shop on Art Fire
updated with pieces from when I last printed along with renewing older listings. But I have some exciting stuff coming, I'm feeling excited about my work again for the first time since probably April or May. That is when I really lost it.

Speaking of Art Fire, it is this great up and coming site for selling that reminds me of how Etsy used to be. I signed up for it last week and think it has great potential. And the best part is that for $7 a month for life I can sell as much as I want and pay no fees! I joined Etsy in November 2005 when it was about the same age as Art Fire is now and the wow feeling I had with Etsy back then is back with Art Fire. Etsy has (mostly) been good to me and I have no plans of leaving the site anytime soon. But there are a lot of problems that I don't expect will ever get addressed so a fresh start is nice. This holiday I will be keeping a presence on both sites.

I've been better

2008-11-13T09:11:00.001-05:00

it's back!
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Ok, so my eye thankfully doesn't look like this anymore, but I am still feeling down. That the eye problem came back in the middle of me struggling with a cold while caring for a daughter and a husband with colds really got to me.

I hate making excuses but I had three blocks ready to print, paper torn and colors picked out a week ago last Thursday and I was ready to print that night. But I postponed because I meet with a group of friend's every Thursday night and that is important too. So I get sick on Friday. Then on Sunday I wake up with my eye in flames and think I have to go back to the doctor. Just looking at the picture now sends chills of memories of how much it hurt down my spine.

So, one week later here I am again with paper, blocks and ideas ready to go. I can't print during the day because I can't get a block of time secured while watching blee. But unless I have the energy to stay up late there is no printing tonight because of that meeting. And since I am still sick I don't think staying up late is advisable. But do artists always do what is advisable? I remember how spontaneous I used to be.

So I am left with Friday and the weekend. I can't waste it this time around.

But then I am depressed about my work, wondering why I should even bother creating it at this point. Thinking that it isn't valid work anymore. That I should just keep taking pictures of blee and forget about making art altogether.

I want to be making art right now while she is being good but I am filled with this fear. I think maybe I could get my inks out and do some printing and it will be okay if I have to stop, I've done it before and it didn't go too badly. Have I lost the passion?

I wish it wasn't so cold outside we could go for a walk.

Hope my readers are having a better day/ week/ month than I am. I'm going to make myself a cup of tea. Parts of my day that I have been lacking since getting sick is yoga and drinking a cup of tea in the morning. Maybe I should put new batteries in the Balance Board of the Wii and do some yoga and Hula Hoop in Wii fit. Maybe maybe maybe.

Envy Myself

2008-11-05T06:28:00.002-05:00

Envy
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Sometimes I find myself envying the old me. The me that had all the time, energy and desire to print new art for hours multiple times a week. Now everything is such a struggle it seems.

But I am working on it and more importantly I am working again. Shutting myself in my studio during naptime with nothing but an iPod, a block of wood and my carving tools. My paper is still ready to go once I get these ideas that have been in my head out onto blocks.

On top of all that I have new supplies and a instructional DVD on monotype printmaking using the inks I splurged on last year but barely used. I was getting set to play with them again when I stopped and admitted to myself that I did not know how to use these inks properly. Thankfully I don't have to take the expensive class they offer an hour away a couple times a day because I found a DVD online for $35.

Things will never be like they used to be, they will be better.

Have a great Wednesday!

First,

2008-10-30T09:26:00.003-04:00

5 minutes to deliciousness
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Let me get this out there and tell you that it took everything in my power not to make this for breakfast this morning. Instead I was good and had some steel cut oatmeal sweetened with a touch of apple cider.

5 minute Coffee Mug Chocolate Cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
pinch of baking soda
(optional but it helps)
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 2-3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! When it starts to fall stop the microwave and take it out. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

My eye got better after Friday each day better than the prior and now I have been proclaimed %100 healed. But I still need to take drops until they are gone just to be sure.

My eye wasn't doing great on Saturday, but on Sunday it was well enough that we were able to enjoy a nice walk at the Arnold Arboretum with not so little anymore blee strapped to my back. We walked around for about an hour and enjoyed the painting that the leaves presented us and then were handed some fresh cider on the way out. It was a good day.

Recipe for chili coming next week! Until then enjoy your cake.

Infected

2008-10-26T21:11:00.001-04:00

-$90
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

I will spare you the image of my eyes unless you chose to see it here. But needless to say I woke up on Friday morning with my right eye in some pretty extreme pain. It was red, watering and I couldn't look at even trace amounts of light. Of course I called the ophthalmologist but they couldn't get me in for a week, or so the receptionist said. When I saw my PCP she called and got me in that day. It was a rough Friday going all over the Boston area. Jon had to come home from work early to take me to the specialist and I couldn't wear blee when I walked to my PCP because my vision was so messed up.

But a bunch of money later and my eye is starting to not be red anymore and is feeling better. I have this temporary contact in that is acting like a bandage to help heal the wound on my cornea that needs to be removed on Tuesday. And I need to keep giving myself eye drops four times a day. I've never had pink eye before.

I just pray that this is the worst of it and that I can finally heal for good this time around. My problems started early in the summer and I got some mediocre treatment and ended up just living with the discomfort that occurred some mornings.

That is it for me for tonight. Today was actually pretty good and I will write about that this week. I will also write about the new blocks that I am carving! Woo hoo! I have paper torn and ready to go and two blocks in the works with plenty of ideas flowing.

Happy Monday!

biting my nails

2008-10-22T15:12:00.001-04:00

paper
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Wishing everybody well.

I'm nervous for a reason. I finally sent off some images of my work to a gallery in NYC that contacted me ages ago about representing me. They contacted me again today and I used my free moments to gather up ten images for them. I tried to pick a nice variety of work to showcase. Now I just need to be accepted and then see what happens after that. I've had representation that fell through at the last minute before so I am not going to get my hopes up.

Haven't been getting much work (artistic or business) done lately as everybody in this house, except for me has been sick for the past two and a half weeks. That and blee is teething something fierce. This week has been extra hard as she is teething on top of it all and needing constant attention. I spend a lot of time with her on my back. Oh and the weather is poopy.

But eventually she napped and I finished tearing paper to print. I want to do monotype printing not woodblock but I have to wait for a new debit card because I can order some supplies I need. Doh! So woodblock it is, hopefully tonight.

I'm making my chipolte kissed sweet potato chili in the slow cooker now and it smells divine. One of these days I will get the recipe up here.

Weekend Shenanigans

2008-10-13T11:38:00.002-04:00

Newport, RI
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Welcome back! Hope everybody reading had as glorious of a weekend as we did.

Friday was our 6th wedding anniversary and we went to a little Italian place in the North End of Boston, while a friend of ours watched our little one. It was fun pretending to be free adults again. My main was kind of disappointing and even had to be sent back and redone only to disappoint a little less. But it was good enough that the grilled octopus first course I had more than made up for it.

But honestly the real fun happened on Saturday when we drove to Newport, RI and walked around town and then did the Cliff Walk and looked at some mansions that had dining rooms over twice the size of our entire apartment. The gilded age indeed! Driving down there was a beautiful sight filled with trees with leaves changing every shade in the yellow, orange, red paintbox. Newport was a zoo with tourists like us, but it was worth it. After we eventually found parking we went to a local place and got some lunch. Blee has been eating more and more and growing taller and taller lately. I enjoyed my first lobster roll only to find out what it cost about $5 more than I had anticipated! At least it was good.

Then we drove to the shore, parked and did some walking. Other than blee refusing to nap because daddy was being sooooooo funny it was the perfect day. I think this is the best weather I have ever experienced in my life. I really wanted to go to the local Arboretum on Sunday, but I was just too exhausted and barely made it to church.

Take care, hope you enjoy your day. Mine got off to a rough start with blee waking us up at 4am. But things are better now.

loving my daughter

2008-10-09T09:21:00.001-04:00

my little piggy
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Today I feel like loving my daughter as much as possible. I keep taking pictures of her and holding her and just can't get enough of her today. Even with her bedhead she's just the cutest thing ever. She's probably going to need to go down for a nap soon and I am sad about it. I still have a lot of work to do around the house, which I can do then. But I really don't feel like doing much business stuff today.

Maybe after she naps as it warms up like it is supposed to we will go for a walk in my newly returned to me from the tailor (straps were 5" too long) favorite mei tai. We haven't walked around the pond in ages it seems. I could collect some rocks per my assignment for the week from "The Artist's Way".

Yesterday I finished up the third and possibly final collage from the blue series and took some nice photographs of it using various fabrics I have as backdrops. I'm pretty happy with how these turned out. These of course can be found in the mixed-media section of my Etsy shop.

Hope everybody enjoys their day, their week and their month of October. So far it is a beautiful fall this year. Apparently light therapy for SAD really does work because I'm feeling so much better.

Klimt - He's nice and all but...

2008-10-06T21:17:00.003-04:00

fabric panel
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Quoted from a co-worker of my husband after my husband showed him my work and mentioned that I was a fan of Gustav Klimt. A bit enough fan that one of my first baby carriers has a panel with fabric inspired by his work.

"I'm sure his work is nice and all, but I like your wife's work better."

While I totally do not agree with him I am completely and utterly flattered by the compliment. Gustav Klimpt was one of my favorite influences as I grew up as an artists. I loved his usage of pattern more than anything else and that is an inspiration still today. Many of these majorly Klimpt inspired pieces can be found in my shop today. Anything of my figurative work is 15% off this week of October 6th through 12th only! Just add Klimpt in your notes to seller when purchasing those works and wait for an invoice.

And one of the master's most inspiring pieces.

Quakers, Shakers and Candlestick Makers

2008-10-05T21:30:00.004-04:00

Winter in New England
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Just a quick post before I head off to bed, hopefully tucking myself in before ten tonight. I've had a touch of a cold this past week and haven't been sleeping well on top of that. I have to wear a mask when I sleep or I have eye pain and sometimes that mask comes off in my sleep and I end up with the pain again. I saw a doctor awhile back and he gave me some goop and drops and said it would be better in a week, but it wasn't. But if I wear this mask and it stays on, which it does most of the time, I don't have any problems. Something in bed just seems to irritate my right eye.

Things are pretty good here. I'm drawing and writing a lot these days. New work is being made weekly, I'm hoping to do some printing this week. Lately it has been very relaxed and simple collage work. Reading an old favorite book of mine called Wise Blood and The Screwtape Letters right now. Both dark but in very different ways. My near complete lack of reading since blee was born has been bugging me for ages now and I am finally doing something about it. And what a perfect time to grab a book and cuddle up in bed with it. Jon is a total non-fiction political/social/ economic book junkie but I think he would enjoy Wise Blood. He read The Screwtape Letters years ago. Wise Blood was one of my favorite novels when I was in high school.

Went to a Shaker village in New Hampshire on Sunday kinda spur of the moment. I needed to get out of Boston in a major way and it was too icky to go do the cliff walk in Newport, RI like we had planned. It was a quiet little trip but I think the three of us had a good time. The Shaker religious sect is a pretty interesting one. Except for their complete celibacy to the point of not even communicating with the opposite gender I can really stand behind them. It is sad that they died out, but great that there is so much that is preserved.

blee is growing tall more and more each day and eating like a little piggy. At lunch she just couldn't get enough of her baby food and the adult food that we gave her. Then on the road home she drank a full 14oz bottle of whole milk! And then for dinner she ate chicken and some blueberries. She likes fruit and meat a lot, but veggies are a struggle with her. She will do sweet potatoes and squashes and carrots if I mix them with (a lot) of applesauce but that is about it. Oh she kinda likes cucumbers.

Okay, time for bed I've rambled enough. Hope everybody had a great weekend to start off a great week. Keep warm!

Ooof!

2008-09-25T21:31:00.001-04:00

no doggie don't!
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

This was unfortunately a regular occurrence while in Ohio. We just couldn't stop this dog from running up and licking poor little blee in the face every chance she got. She got one of my friends pretty good too! It happened enough that when we got home and our dog Maeby, who couldn't be any less interested in the baby, would walk by blee would cover her face.

Here are some more photos from our Ohio trip. Blee got to pet her first horsie in Ohio and someday she may get to ride her!

I'm doing better and worse. Blee refused to nap today, so no art. But I did still manage to get some work done. Just none of the fun work. I still have a lot to do though! And I have a lot of sadness from the loss of my visiting mom. Which is bringing up the sadness from the loss of my real mother that is always just barely buried. So many nights I just want to crawl into her lap and be comforted. May blee never have to know how hard it is to be a mom without a mom, not just for my own sake but for hers as well. And if she ever has children of her own I pray that I live long enough to meet them.

The collage from Wednesday is up now and I am loving it more as time passes. It has a quite quality about it that I think really works. The mostly illegible and foreign text paired with the mysterious faces really calls to me. What didn't work about the print when it was on its own now works beautifully. Those curves have somewhere to go. And I have to say that the old mask block that it comes from is still a favorite of mine more than three years after I carved it.

Working Through Pain

2008-09-24T22:19:00.002-04:00

Lost in Translation (collage)
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

New work is coming faster these days. But I won't be online much as a result, and for a number of reasons. Not this week at least. I need some serious online detox time and today I kept them off all day until tonight because I wanted to scan this in and upload some photos. Expect this piece in my Etsy Shop soon enough once I get more pictures taken of it in the morning. Side shots and the like since it is a dimensional piece.

But I certainly kept myself busy. Today was a sad day, the last day seeing the woman who has been our visiting mother for the past seven months. She was linked up with me through this great program and has been coming over for an hour once a week for months now. But all good things must end, or so they say. And this is no exception. There are actually pretty strict rules in the program for her to now sever all ties. She can't contact me but she did give me her email address so I can write and send pictures. Also, because I started the program so late she is looking into being able to come back for a visit in the future.

I cried while she was here and then put blee on my back, put on some sunglasses and went out to meet a friend for coffee. I drowned my sorrows in a totally decadent Pumpkin Spice Latte and Chocolate Creme Cheese muffin. Eeeep! Not going to do that again. Until I do.

Got groceries, came home, put blee down for a short nap. The nap was short but I still managed to make this piece in the meantime. It consists of pages from an old french/english dictionary collaged with one of my woodblock prints onto stretched canvas.

Then I baked Sunrise Muffins. If you ask nicely maybe I will post the recipe. They are very tasty and pretty healthy too. My baking powder and soda are both expired so they didn't rise as much as they should, but they were still good. And will be better next time!

I'm sad. Looking at the pictures I took of them make me sad. But they are also precious. Blee is going to miss her. I think Maeby will too.

all work and no fun

2008-09-21T18:51:00.001-04:00

car
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Being a mom these days with a teething or sick (I can't tell which) baby and a sick husband. She hasn't been napping and we have been going on a good number of walks because there are many times when that is the only thing that makes her happy.

Thank God for good weather!

And the babywearing coat I got a month ago in preparation for wearing in the winter. Except during extreme weather I plan on getting out there with her this winter just like I got out with her this summer. But for now we are simply enjoying fall.

Been quite busy with "The Artist's Way" and with my business. I have a few tricks up my sleeve in the coming weeks. Keep updated for new work in my shop with some special new goodies shortly.

Hope everybody had a fantastic weekend. Ours could have been better, but it could have been a whole lot worse too. Right now she is napping so it is time for me to party! Or get some packages ready for shipping tomorrow. Whichever.

mmmmm Autumn

2008-09-16T22:33:00.002-04:00

Twin Goddesses in Fall
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

My favorite season is here. And to celebrate fall please feel free to take 15% off any pieces in Etsy Shop with a fall theme. If they have Fall or Autumn in the title is what I mean. Just put "fall" in the notes to seller and I will send you a revised invoice.

Monday night and Tuesday were kind of a wash for me. I planned on blogging on Monday night but I got tired. Then I slept in. Monday was spent packaging up some orders and getting them mailed while running some errands.

Today I went to Cambridge with a friend via T to go to this clothing exchange to trade in some of the clothes blee has outgrown for some gently used correctly sized clothes for fall. This along with the few basics Jon and I purchased over the weekend and the $100 Gap gift card we are waiting on should cover us for all of the fall and a good part of the winter. Especially if her growth continues to be slower like it has been.

There are a few of the outfits she has worn this past season that I can't part with just yet and have put into a box for maybe another baby girl someday.

My Visiting Mom comes for the second to last time on Wednesday and I am looking forward to seeing her, but so sad that she will be leaving our lives soon. She has been a real blessing to me and Alex during these past months. I know all good things have to come to an end, especially when they are scheduled too. But I am very sad about this.

Going to go read some of the new chapter of "The Artist's Way" and go to bed. Goodnight and good morning. Or good whenever you happen to stumble upon this posting.

Four Choices

2008-09-14T23:13:00.009-04:00

One of these pieces is already up on my Etsy Shop right now, the others are not. Yet. One will be making it up sometime on Monday, the others during the rest of the week. I need your help deciding what should go up first. Thank you.

The weekend was thankfully much less eventful than Friday. Nothing to freak out about. A replacement cape is already being made and hopefully be with us by early next week. Plenty of time for blee's Halloween costume. We never got her one last year because even though the little baby sized ladybug costume was tempting, it seemed silly to buy something that would only get used once for a picture. Making a costume out of things that will be used again suits us much better. Plus blee will make the perfect little hobbit girl! I just can't give her a ring because she is likely to swallow it and that would be bad.

Let's see. Dinner at an awesome Ethiopian restaurant with a good friend and her not new anymore boyfriend on Saturday was fun. If you haven't tried Ethiopian food and like eating with your hands you are in for a treat if you ever get the chance. I got my date mixed up and I'm meeting with two girlfriends for a girl's night dinner two Sundays from now and not tonight. Which suits me just fine because two dinners out in a row is a bit much.

We ordered new Marimekko bedding for our new bedroom. Bright and cheerful instead of dark and intense. Also no cat claw rips all over it.

Autumn is here in Boston and I am enjoying it fully. My art sales are really picking up and tomorrow I am going to be quite busy packing up orders. I'm well on my way to getting that D-SLR I have my eyes on. Provided I don't blow it on a baby carrier. I'm starting Week Four of "The Artist's Way" tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. Last week was rough. While it is encouraging that my business efforts seem to be paying off, the fact that I am still not feeling all that creative hurts.

Hope everybody reading this had a great weekend and has a great week. Time for me to brush my teeth and head to bed.

Here's a little blee video to bring a smile to your face if my words could not.

I was pissed

2008-09-13T07:49:00.001-04:00

purple
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Yesterday me and blee walked over to Brookline to meet a friend for coffee. At Starbucks, I'm sorry. I have a new unfortunate addiction to Pumpkin Spice Lattes that I must be strong against. At least it isn't the Gingerbread one because I can't possibly have any willpower against that evil drink.

I had dressed her in the cute little hobbit cape a family friend gave her for her birthday. But it got a little warm so I took it off and put it in the mesh grocery bag I had with me. I was using my new sling and I didn't have it adjusted quite right. You can tell in the picture if you notice how high up almost on my neck the shoulder is. On the way home I stopped at a bench to adjust and put the bag down. It wasn't until I was mostly home that I realized I didn't have the bag anymore. I walked as fast as I could without running with my baby in a sling. Praying the entire time. But sadly it wasn't to be because somebody had taken the bag and cape. What somebody would do with a baby sized cape is beyond me. Maybe put it on their yipee dog?

It gets worse. While I was recovering from the loss I last ditch went to the businesses in the area and asked if anything had been turned in. While I was doing that I realized my wallet was missing. After searching for it I raced home and canceled all my cards. It just wasn't a good day to me.

But then I got a website registration with a long comment. It was from the woman that found my wallet. She gave me her number to call and asked me to briefly describe it and then Jon picked it up on his way home from work.

And the cape can be remade. So really the only loss was a mesh produce bag. Which I liked a lot and they are kinda hard to find without buying them online, but I'll take it! I have my wallet back. I don't need to get a new driver's license.

I'm hoping for a good weekend. Better than Friday. The freakout really left me stressed and exhausted and pretty much useless. But today will be better. Hope it is a great day for my readers as well.

See you Monday.

Friday Feature - Une Petite Etoile (one little star)

2008-09-12T08:06:00.007-04:00

A star is what blee feels like when she wears one of our many luxurious bibs by Etsy seller Une Petite Etoile. My love for her clothing started when one of my favorite customers sent me a gift package filled with bibs and onesies back when I was pregnant. Now I have everything from blankies to diaper covers.

But now is not the time for me to shop for myself. Now I have a friend who is expecting a little girl at the end of the month and I need to find her something special so here I find myself back drolling at little frilly yet hip dresses and more bibs than I could ever need even with my messy eater. The things that keep me going back are her flawless craftsmanship combined with a beautifully seductive array of fabrics. The hard part is choosing what to get!

I'm getting a fabric covered headband for myself because I can't resist.

Finding a home

2008-09-10T21:26:00.002-04:00

Hi Daddy! I like Packos!
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Can't resist sharing this Toledo, Ohio shoutout from my daughter. My husband is from those parts and when we were in Ohio we drove up to see his grandmother and made the required Tony Packo's stop. Yum. Don't mind the sweaty head, she got a bath after the photo was taken.

~

Hmmm, second custom order almost in a row now. The last piece is the only custom piece, the other two are old favorites of mine. These prints will be heading to France soon. Sometimes I let my mind wander to all the places that my artwork has traveled and think about how even though we don't go to any of these places I have at least been able to touch them in some small way.

Check out my blog on Friday (or maybe Thursday night) for my first Friday Feature in awhile. Hopefully this will become a regular thing. This person is a favorite of mine for clothing miss Blee and I look forward to featuring her work.

Light

2008-09-09T14:25:00.002-04:00

Branching Out
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

ACEO
4x4

After two bleecentric birthday posts in a row I think it is time to get back to the original focus of this blog. The art. Something that has been neglected for months now that I am finally starting to poke back into.

Doing "The Artist's Way" is going very well. The art dates where I go out and do something by myself is by far the hardest, but probably the second most vital part of the program. The most important is the morning pages that I diligently do each morning while drinking a cup of tea. I've been getting up earlier just so I can be sure to get this, and some other art business stuff done. But it all started with doing the morning pages. Three pages about whatever written first thing in the morning. Even when I didn't complete the book in the past I did those and they helped.

This time I start each page with my list of seven things for the day. On my computer I have another list of seven business things to do. I go through and see what I completed and what I didn't from the day before. And each day I do more and more on both lists. I just hope I am not getting ahead of myself and can keep up this pace. I'm being very careful not to go too fast and burn out as I am prone to do. It is important for me to recognize my weaknesses both as an artist, a business woman, a wife, a mother and a person. Not to use those to beat myself up but to grow past them.

After every block I reach some sort of breakthrough. I wonder what it will be this time.

Please enjoy your day. I plan on enjoying mine and will keep listing new work from my last printing on Etsy.

Happy Birthday Again!

2008-09-07T19:01:00.002-04:00

Poppies in the Night
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

So, I'm back to doing the "Artist's Way" and am finishing up week two tonight. So far it is going much better than when I tried it in the past. And even then it helped me. I think I will be back in business by October. Which is pretty usual for me because looking back in my journal I've had pretty serious creative blocks the two summers prior to this one.

I'm actually feeling kind of excited because usually when I do break through a block I end up with a breakthrough in my work. And that is something that I feel my work needs right now. Something to give me the spark and the deep passion back.

~

But other than writing in my journal every morning and going for a long walk and hanging out at a cafe by myself on Friday night this past week has been pretty much a wash for me. And that is okay. Who knew that a first birthday could be so hard on the parents? Guess that is what driving to Ohio for one party and then hosting another one for friends in Boston the following weekend does. I'm exhausted but happy.

Today was the Boston party and our apartment pretty much had the maximum number of people in it that it could take without me losing it and running out screaming. It was fun. There was cake. There were brownies that had a toffee almond chocolate bar in the center.mmmmm Nothing as spectacular looking as the Pooh Bear cake from the week prior but everything was tasty and people had a good time. And she finally made a mess of herself with the cake. Somebody is getting a bath tonight! More like she should be getting hosed down.

I wore the bleeeeeee! pendant we were given. It has a sturdy chain and she is quite gentle so I am able to wear it even while wearing blee. I just hope I don't lose it because I want to put it in blee's memory box and some point. I think she would get a kick out of it when she is older.

These last two weeks have really driven home how much our daughter is loved and just how much she reflects that love back to others. We are very blessed to have her in our lives. She truly is the best thing that ever happened to me, I wouldn't change a thing about her.

Happy Birthday to Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

2008-09-02T08:35:00.003-04:00

cake!
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

The party was Sunday in Ohio, but the day is today September 2nd at 7:14pm blee turns a year old.

I'm in shock. I'm also completely exhausted from the trip and needing to do a bunch of things now that we are home.

The trip was fantastic though despite the fact that my little one is getting her first molars in. She handles teething so freaking well, like the little trooper that she is.

And I got to see family, my best friend from college and a couple of Etsy people; Stilettoheights and Gemmafactrix.

It has been a crazy wonderful year. Blee is very loved by us, her family and her extended family here in the online world. That has become very clear to us and was driven home this weekend at the party. Thank you to everybody who was there following the horrible pregnancy, anticipating this little one and just caring. I already will have so many stories to tell her when she is older about how she was our little superstar.

I'm probably missing about a million things that I could be saying right now because I am so exhausted. I am thankful for our family, our friends, her Etsy aunties and others. This kid is getting a big memory box full of handmade goodies built up for her.

May year two be even better.

A Year Goes By

2008-08-26T10:17:00.001-04:00

final snuggles with Jon
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Since our cat Burrito went into hopeless kidney failure and had to be put to sleep on a Sunday morning. She had been fighting it with our help for over two years until about a month prior when it started getting worse and we couldn't halt it anymore. One day we just knew it was time and made an appointment. We loved her very much and both sobbed when the vet told us that she had gone too far. We were proud of her for lasting so long. We kissed her goodbye and stayed with her as she fell asleep.

I remember we figured out she had passed the point on a Friday but couldn't get an appointment until Sunday. At the time I was over a week late and quite miserable, praying to go into labor every day. Suddenly that changed and I found myself praying for labor to hold off until the weekend was over. The idea of going into labor and coming back to a dead cat was horrifying.

One week later we had our daughter, while it did ease the pain of the loss we will never forget our sweet little fighter. Especially my husband as she was his cat before we married.

Tomorrow morning we are going on a (long) road trip to Ohio. I doubt I will be blogging until we get back. I will do my best to check blogs to read when I can. Maybe in the car a bit on my husband's new iPhone.

Autumn is coming

2008-08-24T22:16:00.001-04:00

Deep in Autumn
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

The weekend was pretty good here in Boston. Good weather, good moods all around for the most part, just social enough, excited about trip, lots of fun exercise. Just good. But yeah, autumn is right around the corner. It is getting darker earlier and the air is starting to change. I don't mind this as autumn is my favorite season, except for the fact that winter follows it.

I've been toying around with the idea of bringing out the book The Artist's Way again and actually completing the twelve week program. I tried it two years ago in August 2006 during one of my seemingly traditional summer creative blocks and even though I did only a small bit of it I found it helpful. But I want it all this time. Originally I was going to wait until we got back from Ohio to start it, but I have the energy and the mindset to do it now so I just went for it. Waking up a half hour early to do the prescribed "morning pages" in my journal and then I went out by myself in what the book calls an "artist date". For me it was jogging. Or attempting to jog. I'm a walker not a runner but I have been wanting to try jogging a bit for awhile now. But running is not something I can safely do while babywearing and we don't own a jogging stroller. So Sunday morning was the perfect time to try it out.

The mistake I made was bringing our lazy dog. She's a frigging greyhound that can go up to 40 miles an hour yet I had to drag her butt along. I ended up mostly speed walking and running here and there for as long as I could stand dragging her. A well behaved and trained dog she is not. Next time I will go it alone sans dog. I really should have known better since these so called dates with creative self are supposed to be solo. But I wanted to do Jon a favor and have the dog walked for him when he woke up. But I tried something different and I feel pretty good about that. Combined with the evening walk I took with Jon and the Wii Fit I just did that should negate the ice cream cone I got right?

I'm not really stressing about art too much right now. Just writing and sketching when I feel like it. Working on myself getting better before I put crushing pressure on myself and blow all my progress. Plus, I have plenty of pieces from early August that haven't even been scanned in yet. So keep looking.

My newly messy eater daughter is enjoying the final week of her first year. My cousins were in Boston moving one of them back into her college dorm so we went and saw them. It was gorgeous out so we just hung out on the lawn of the seminary. I haven't seen them since Christmas which is far too long, especially considering she goes to school about thirty minutes away and her parents and brother live less than an hour and a half away. I hope this changes because I like seeing them.

No, not yet

2008-08-21T00:56:00.001-04:00

Marissa and baby
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

It isn't her birthday yet. But the 21st was her due date! Whoops! Missed that one little girl. That is okay, you came when you were done cooking.

I have to say that despite how low I have been feeling I am super excited about blee's upcoming birthday. I just can't believe it. That is why I have this picture up late at night. Because I was lying in bed and I started thinking about how I should work on her memory box. And this picture and the 113 comments that are attached to it is something that I think belong in her growing box. It took thirteen pages to print it all out!

Next Wednesday we make the drive to Ohio. On Thursday we go to Toledo with my brother in law to see their grandmother. On Friday two friends from Boston who now live in Brooklyn will be in town and we are going to see them. My dad and sister get in on Saturday and I think we will let them get some quality time with the wee one while we go out with my best friend from college. On Sunday a bunch of people will be gathering at my brother in law's place for the party.

Monday we drive home. Tuesday is her actual birthday and it will be a quiet day with just the three of us relaxing. That following Sunday there will be a second party for Boston friends.

Whew!

I'm excited to be having family and friends together next week. Though I know I am going to be exhausted probably about halfway through. Excited about this crazy year we have had with our little princess, and excited about the next year.

Thanks for the positive thoughts my way. I'm working on it.

Experimentaion On Hold

2008-08-19T12:55:00.001-04:00

Print/ Drawing Hybrid
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Last Friday during one of my walks I picked a number of leaves to use in Monotype printing that night or over the weekend. Today those leaves sit all dried up and useless on a shelf.

I just didn't want to do it I guess. By the time I had a chance to print the inspiration and motivation was gone. I don't really know what to do at this point. Maybe I will do more things like this and alter unfinished prints by hand. What do you think? It is something that I can do a lot more casually than printing. And to be quite honest Monotype printing does not come naturally for me and makes me quite nervous. It is hard for me to relax and just go with it as I put a lot of pressure on myself to make something good right off the bat.

Maybe I am just going crazy. Things that happened over the weekend that should leave me feeling empowered and positive have the opposite effect. I just don't know what is wrong with me anymore. This has been going on for six months now. My longest depression I can remember. Probably since my senior year in college.

In brighter news we are going to Ohio to celebrate blee's birthday with family the Wednesday before Labor Day weekend. My inlaws, my dad and his crew, my best friend from college and maybe even some Etsy people will all be there. I can't believe my little girl is turning one. She is the light that I cling to these days when my art is dark and vacant. She's just great. I couldn't have asked for a more joy filled baby. I'm truly blessed to have her in my life. I don't know how I can feel so bad when I have something so wonderful. Jon is wonderful as well. Every morning he takes her with him to walk the dog and I just think it is the sweetest thing seeing him carrying her in his baby pouch sling as I sleepily open my eyes in the morning.

Anyhow, that is it for today. Maybe it is wrong for me to be so open in my blog but I just can't help it. I hope everybody reading this is having a better day than I am and has a fabulous week. Who knows, maybe mine will turn around. I'm trying.

Mixing Things IUp

2008-08-14T15:31:00.002-04:00

Poppies in the Night
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

New stuff is continuing to enter my shop a few pieces a day. Including this piece.

But I have been in an art slump every since finishing up that custom and printing new work. I've even been slow to scan in and upload many of those pieces. I decided to start journaling again and I came to a decision that it is time for me to step away from what I know and do some playing with art. For me that means monotypes of some sort. So today and tomorrow I will be brainstorming and I think collecting some leaves for stencils and on Saturday or Sunday I will lock myself in my studio and have some fun. Dammit!

It hasn't been easy because on top of everything blee isn't her normal easy going self. She's constipated and pretty darn cranky about it. Other than feed her certain fruits and give her plenty of water there isn't much I can do other than wear her a lot and ride this rough patch out. And that is exactly what I did this morning when she couldn't be soothed by any means other than putting her in our gorgeous and snuggly Zidee pod and going for a long walk with a friend. Worked like a charm, and for about an hour or two after getting home as well.

I'm planning on purging a few carriers in the near future but the Zidee isn't going anywhere. As she grows it just gets better and better. Learning how to wrap her on my back has made using the pod a snap. Here, have some cuteness and have a great weekend! Hopefully come Monday I will have some interesting work. It doesn't have to be great it just has to be free and experimental.

modeling letdown

2008-08-12T21:11:00.002-04:00

too late
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

There was a call for models at this high end sling company in NYC that I heard about over the weekend. It was for the end of August so I knew that I was entering late and my chances were slim. But it was an excuse to get nice photos taken.

Well as soon as the skies cleared for a brief moment my friend with a D-SLR camera went out with me and took some photos. Among around 300 there were about 10 or 12 good ones and this spectacular one. (I need to start saving for a D-SLR as of yesterday)

Of course as soon as we get home an email is waiting for me saying that the modeling positions are full at this time. That they would love to use my photos in their gallery and will keep me in mind for the future. But no free expensive Psling for me this month. That is okay, could it possibly get any better than this one that I already have? I like this photo a lot.

I'm still listing new art on Etsy at a somewhat sluggish pace considering how much I have to put up. The custom and another order have been mailed out and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself artistically. When in doubt cut collage paper or tear printmaking paper. Or maybe even do some carving! I have a block I need to finish. Sketching sounds good too.

Oh and did I mention that blee is finally crawling? Eep! Now the fun really begins.

Even the rain

2008-08-06T22:36:00.003-04:00

want
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

When a dreary rainy day doesn't keep me from enjoying my day that is when I know that I am doing better. Unfortunately with the sporadic storms we had to keep our walks brief but still enjoyable. And it least it wasn't hot out. And a new friend of mine, a SAHM that lives a few blocks away, came over for lunch with her sweet little boy. I have my work to keep me busy but having some sort of social activity during the day really helps me stay sane.

This is the two of us in a long woven wrap that I purchased months ago but could never get the hang of a back carry until today. I'm still no master with it but I will keep at it because it is very comfortable and I just love the material. If it doesn't work I will probably have it cut up and turned into a podagi (Korean inspired carrier). Blee looks like a total ghost baby in this picture, but she actually has a bit of color these days despite my lathering her up with sunscreen and covering her with a hat and sometimes even a parasol. But compared to me she will always be my little white girl. Especially since I have gotten quite a nice tan this summer with all the walking we've been doing.

Still scanning in and listing work from the weekend at a good pace. I also am re-organizing some files on my computer in an attempt to get organized and to get some high-res images over to the Flashbags ladies for a new line of my work. That is something on my task list for Thursday.

The weekend is coming up, not soon enough. Enjoy it.

Yay! Complete!

2008-08-03T22:20:00.002-04:00

Fall Leaves
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Monday is here and I had quite the productive weekend, well Sunday at least. I am pleased to say that I not only got the custom order I have been working on for the past month finished but I printed a bunch of other new stuff at the same time. The prints that I started last week are now done and I am working on getting them scanned in, uploaded and listed on Etsy. I've been neglecting Etsy lately but this month is going to be different, starting with new piece, and followed by many more.

I have a busy week ahead of me that will hopefully include finishing a collage, putting artwork up on Flickr and Etsy and getting back into regular blogging. But for now I am going to do some Wii Fit yoga and then go to bed.

Here are my custom pieces for the seasons spring through winter.

Waking Up

2008-07-28T10:33:00.001-04:00

Waiting for the Dusk
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

I'm a little nervous because this morning I woke up early with pretty bad eye problems. I was in quite a bit of pain for about a half hour, not that I could look at a clock to see how long I just lay in bed with my eyes closed waiting for it to pass so I could go back to sleep. This may have happened because last week in a desperate attempt to get some energy back I took that medication again. Except I did that early last week and only did it once. I should probably call my doctor and get my eyes looked at just in case if this keeps happening. It hurts a lot. I'm lucky it was better by the time Jon left for work because I would have a hard time caring for blee with this kind of pain that made it hard to see.

Some of you may remember when I kept a list of seven simple tasks to complete during my day. I got out of the habit months ago and think it would be best for me to get back into it. So here is my list for today. I have laundry done and with this blogging will be as well. If she lets me I will soon break out the Wii Fit and do some yoga. This way at the end of the day I can feel a sense of accomplishment and am properly motivated, even if I don't do everything on the list.

1) diapers
2) tidy studio
3) print
4) yoga
5) blog
6) put away clothes
7) dinner

Hope everybody had a good weekend. Ours was busy. On Saturday I started off with a dental appointment and then went to lunch with friends before heading to the MFA to see an exhibit we were given tickets to before it ended on Sunday. On Sunday we had a birthday picnic to go to and had dinner with an old friend from high school that found me via Facebook. Turns out she lives just a few minutes from our place. Funny how things work out like that.

Have a good one!

exhaustion

2008-07-24T12:51:00.001-04:00

halfway done tearing paper
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Checking in after a week long absence. I'm just having a heck of a time keeping up with blogging. Even when blee does give me time I find my energy level so low I have a hard time forming words for a post.

I think I need to get back on some sort of a schedule. Or at least have a short goal list for the day. I'm so much more productive when I do and I feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. I think I was doing seven things awhile back? Right now even when I do produce something I don't feel much satisfaction from it. It is like it doesn't count. It is hard to describe.

Yesterday I printed during a naptime. Got a lot of printing done actually, but it doesn't feel like I did because nothing got finished. It was just about building layers. Now I need to go back today or tomorrow and add two or three more. I should feel good as the prints turned out nice, but I don't. The custom order is 3/4 finished and I should feel good about that but I just feel anxious about getting it done. Is this depression? This inability to be happy.

Almost a mini-vacation

2008-07-18T08:58:00.001-04:00

First trip to the beach
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Spent yesterday at the beach in Ipswich, MA for a company picnic. Ate mussels and lobster and took a nice stroll down the sandy beach, just dipping my toes in the clear cool water.

My eyes aren't perfect, but they are doing better. As for the rest of me, well the good things about the medication are gone too and I feel it, some days more than others. I'm not sure where to go from here.

One thing that is important is to get back to work and get back to working out as well. With all the eye problems I didn't use the Wii Fit or walk much for a week. But I am back to walking and Wii Fitting most days of the week now. I waited too long to go for a walk today because now it is too hot outside to enjoy a stroll around the pond. I have to do that early! But I did Wii Fit so I got some activity in.

I have to go be a mom now. Maybe I will have some free time to catch up on blogs, make art and other things for me if she decides to nap today. She could use one already!

Have a great weekend.

Like Being Held Under Water

2008-07-15T15:24:00.002-04:00

Under Water
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

And looking up at the sky but being unable to get to it.

Depression. Something I have been struggling with pretty severely since March. My friend getting sick and other things really gave me a knock down. Enough that eventually my doctor didn't know what else to do but give me an anti-depressant. Something we don't take likely due to my condition. But we did and I felt better.

For the first week. I was back to work and not feeling tired and lethargic all the time.Energy without mania. I was a little bit thirsty and a little hungrier than normal but I was working again so it was worth it.

-Then the insomnia set in.
-Then the persistent dry mouth.
-Followed by sudden weight gain (2.5lbs in three days).
-Then my energy dropped back off.

Oh and then I started going blind waking up with massive and crippling eye pain. I would have sharp pain in my right eye and a little in my left and it would hurt to open them. Even when it subsided a bit I was left with heavy eyelids and extreme sensitivity to light. This happened on and off for a week before I finally had enough, decided it had to be a rare allergic reaction to the medication and took myself off of it.

Everything went away. I no longer worry about waking up with stabbing pain in my eyes (knock on wood), when I drink water I am refreshed and I am not overly hungry. I'm still not sleeping too well and my energy level is crap but I can see and that all that matters. Really having the eye problems freaked me out so good that I am just ecstatic not to have them anymore. On Saturday I woke up with the pain so bad it nearly ruined my workshop. It did have an impact on my productivity since I had to wear dark sunglasses most of the weekend.

I guess we will figure out where to go next when I see my doctor next week.

Play Filled Weekend

2008-07-13T19:54:00.002-04:00

Playing in the Forest
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

I did it! I took the class that I promised myself I would take this year, yet put off signing up for until the absolute very last moment. As in, minutes before the class started I signed up in person. Even though I am not completely in love with my creations from the class just yet it must have worked somehow because on both Saturday and Sunday after getting back from the class I printed at home. Something I have not been wanting to do these days. This Playing in the Forest piece is one of those post-class creations.

I hope everybody had a great weekend. Blee got a lot of daddy time, which was good for both her and me having a break was good for me.

Here is one of the pieces from my weekend workshop. Woodblock print chine colle, monotype, washi and etching all on Rives BFK. I hope everybody enjoyed their weekend like I did. There were some rough patches like my eye acting up again on Saturday but at the end of the day on Sunday I sit back feeling satisfied.

Back to the Grind

2008-07-08T21:02:00.001-04:00

moleskine sketch - 7/7/08
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Getting back in the swing of things finally after a very quite allergy filled forth of July weekend. On Saturday I scratched my right eye so bad that I ended up needing to wear sunglasses to protect my eyes from light and air. But by Monday I was thankfully better and able to care for blee just fine. I hope everybody in the States had a good holiday and everybody else had a good regular Friday.

My Wacom tablet has been out of commission for awhile after a Linux update messed it up, so I have been bringing out my original love. My Moleskine. As much as I want to get better with the tablet I just like drawing in a sketchbook with my microns so much more. This Dover book called Art Forms in Nature by Haeckel is a wonderful tool for inspiration. What these doodle forms may lead to is up in the air. Maybe something wonderful or maybe nothing at all. But drawing does lead somewhere wonderful eventually.

I really need to sign up for that Monotype printmaking class at Mass Art! It is either this weekend or next and I shouldn't let this opportunity pass me by. I'm just very distracted by other obligations right now that I worry that I won't get the most out of it that I could if I were in a different mental space. I don't want it to be a waste of time. But saying that makes me realize how silly that is and how I am just making excuses.

Time to go work on the custom order and then get to bed early hopefully. I've been very tired these days and could use a good nights sleep. Blee has been napping like a champ, over three hours today, and I really need to take better advantage of it than I have been doing.

Work!

2008-06-26T22:24:00.001-04:00

Wheat Fields
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

After a change in my medication I am starting to actually feel better and am back to working. I had these blue and white colors out for my custom order but I printed on some other papers as well including some old book pages I have been collecting over the past months. I have to be really careful when I rip the pages out of the book so as to not tear them badly, a little tearing is fine it adds charm, and then I am good to print.

I still need to write about my trip to Ohio, but that can be saved for another day.

I need to get off my butt and sign up for a monotype workshop at Mass Art in mid July! This is important to me so I shouldn't be dragging on it. Jon also suggested that I take a sewing class so I could maybe make a baby carrier for myself.

Our new sofa comes tomorrow and I need to be up for their four hour delivery window. We sawed our old sofa in half, it was the only way to get that monster out of the apartment. We switched our livingroom and bedroom so now our bedroom is right off the nursery!

Enjoy Summer!

2008-06-24T13:57:00.002-04:00

walk on
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Hope everybody is enjoying summer and doing their best to keep cool in this heat.

I am doing my best to enjoy my little vacation. It hasn't been easy to shake the dark cloud that has been following me, but things are getting better. I haven't been able to take a 100% break from art as a custom print order came in and I am working on that. But that is a good thing not a bad thing! It is a fun custom representing the four seasons, I can't wait to see it completed.

We've spent a lot of time outdoors going on walks combined with going to Cedar Point amusement park when in Ohio I have gotten a bit of a tan. I always make sure to use sunscreen with blee and put a hat on her, I even have a UV reflecting and blocking parasol for really sunny days. I'm a touch paranoid about her skin as she is so much fairer than I am. I just hope that even though she seems fair she is like my little sister and tans instead of burns. I hope the tiny bit of Indian blood she has in her protects her.

I'm enjoying babywearing more than ever and continue to lose weight. I'm hoping to fit in a single digit pair of jeans come fall, that is my big goal. Sometimes I get negative comments from strangers but mostly people smile, say something nice or make a silly joke. Just today an older man commented that I seemed to have quite a load on. I just smiled and told him that weight bearing exercise is good for me! Then I kept on with my walk.

Blee is napping and I need to get back to prepping my studio to print tonight. I would like to print now but I don't want to get ink out only to have her wake up crying in the middle of printing. I need a chunk of time and I won't have that until she goes to bed.

Gloom and Doom

2008-06-05T10:11:00.001-04:00

determined - SPT
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Has been following me around mentally. But not today. I'm not going to let my negative thoughts get the best of me today. Today is going to be different. This is the face of somebody that is determined to feel better!

I've been sketching daily using the Wacom tablet every day. My goal obsessed brain needs to turn this into some sort of goal to suck out the fun and I am fighting that urge. But I am going to do thirty of them. They don't have to be one a day every day. But I want thirty by the end of June! Some days I will need to double up because I am going to be out of town for five days this month and won't have my tablet with me, nor will I have the time regardless.

I'm trying not to get hung up on the quality of them and just enjoy the time to doodle for fun.

Have to go, the blee awakes from her slumber. Hope you enjoy your day as it has just begun for many of you. I can't believe it is only 10am here... I am trying not to see that as a bad thing and count down the hours but see it as time for me to enjoy life.

This is hard.

Sketching Spring

2008-06-02T17:41:00.001-04:00

June 2nd Sketch
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Here is a little sketch of a plant I saw during one of our walks today. Since I didn't have my camera or even my phone on me this was done from memory (I try not to pick the flowers no matter how tempting they are). Drawing from memory is a good exercise for me to get back into.

I'm on vacation but am already starting to do things like draw again that it is tempting for me to give myself goals, like do a drawing and post it every day this month. Really very tempting. Is this a bad thing? And what about the days when I am going to be out of town? Drawing is never much of an issue for me as I always have something to draw on and with on me, but photographing and uploading it to. See, this could get ugly and end up being something I feel pressured to do and then feel guilty about when eventually I do break my goal. And then I stop enjoying myself and stop drawing and my vacation is wasted because I am right back to feeling stressed out, burnt out and miserable.

I can't even give myself a break from blogging. But I am enjoying writing this blog post so whatever. If I want to draw then I will do it and maybe I will even try doing a simple sketch like this daily, but I am not going to make some set goal no matter how tempting it may be.

And happy monthday to blee, she turns nine months old at 7:14pm tonight, June 2nd. She's growing up so fast with her sitting up and trying so hard to talk and learning to stand, she is going to be a year in no time at all. Being pregnant seems like a lifetime ago and I am good with that feeling far away because it was one of the most miserable times in my life. And being a mom is the best! This period is the best so far as she is really quite easy to care for. We go on walks and enjoy them and sometimes she naps during them and sometimes she looks around and babbles. Sometimes I go to a park and sit with her on a blanket in the grass and watch her play with the grass. You really see the world in a totally different way as a parent by being around this creature where everything is a new experience.

Hello June!

2008-06-01T21:11:00.001-04:00

Mysterious Stranger
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

And goodbye. I'm going on a much needed vacation.

But don't be sad I will still be around but I just need to give myself some more time off the computer and away from the constant creative pressure that I put myself under. It can be quite overwhelming. And since we are going away to Ohio for a funeral in two weeks anyhow I figured I might as well take the whole month off.

I will try to blog once a week, keep my shop up to date and even continue to sketch. But mostly this month is about enjoying nature with my daughter, sitting down and reading (and finishing) a book for the first time since becoming a mother and playing some silly video games like Mario Kart for the Wii.

I'll be a quiet presence while I take this month to regroup and hopefully re-cooperate from a bunch of emotional setbacks. Mmmmm I can smell the flowers already.

New Prints Coming!

2008-05-23T09:26:00.001-04:00

switching gears
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

I don't have much time to post as I am meeting somebody for a walk around the pond in 40 minutes and it takes me 15 to walk down there.

Recently I got some new papers given to me to add to my beautiful stash and was cutting them up but haven't really been feeling the collage love these days. Don't worry it will come back! Then I felt the urge to carve so mid gear I stopped and switched. I usually finish what I am doing and clean up before I switch but I just had to carve. I was up early this morning and blee was being good so I finished up my carving. Now I just have some serious cleaning up to do before I can print.

Maybe today. I don't think I will have time this weekend to print as my brother in law and his girlfriend will be visiting from Ohio.

Do you know what that means?

Free babysitting? Jon and I could go see a movie or go have an adult dinner out. We haven't gone out just the two of us since blee was under a month old and his parents watched her for a couple of hours.

Man we need this BAD

Hope you have a great weekend and I hope I have a great weekend. Have some cute waves bye bye.