Four Choices

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.

Light

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!

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.