This weekend my efforts will be focused towards some of my characters [see below image] and how to develop them more.  It gives me great anxiety when I sit down and try to actually illustrate the stories I have in my head...and most of my characters don't ever mature into something more than just a portrait.... I know from my anxiety that this is something worth tackling and overcoming. If it's not too much to ask, I would desperately love to know which of these 6 characters speaks to you the most...I already have 2 favorites, but I am curious to hear what others think. It would mean a lot to me if you left a comment regarding this. :]
Thank you!

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Because today is Friday and soon Fall is coming, I literally see it coming down the mountain through our office windows... I thought it would be nice to share some of my chocolate chip cookies that I just made an hour ago! SO the first person to leave a comment [ hopefully regarding the above pic] will receive this batch of cookies! I am headed to the post office in a couple hours....and would like to mail these off to you. So, whomever I see to be the first, please include your email if you don't have a blog and I will be in touch here shortly for your address. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful weekend. Next week I will be adding a bunch of new items that I am sooo excited about to my shop and will be blogging about those all week. So please check back. Thank you. :)

Early mornings when no one is awake [besides the walkers/runners I see out our office window] are my very favorite. This is when I have the most energy and get the most done. I hope I still get to have these alone moments when we have a baby someday [too selfish? : / ] but having peace like this in the early morning is pretty much a blueprint for how the rest of my day will look.

Lastly, I saw Harley sleeping like this in our bedroom yesterday. It freaked me out because of the blind cord...luckily that was not wrapped around his neck..... He likes to sleep on my pillow now, and how he goes about doing so is a movie in itself. Animals have the funniest behaviors... speaking of which, have you read Animals in Translation? One of my very favorite books, and I think it's time for a reread. If you are a hardcore animal lover, this is a MUST read.... it is beyond fascinating!!!

I just saw this trailer "Searching for Sugar Man" over at Elsa Mora 

I am now DYING to see this movie! His story sounds really inspiring...and maybe a little sad? : /

His music style sounds like a mix of Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond & Bob Dylan....to me at least. 

Harley and I just got in from watering the flowers real quick. While doing so, I spotted this awesome yellow grasshopper hanging out on the Lupine! I ran inside to grab my camera and when I came out, he was still there. Hot dog! It's moments like this throughout my day that give me a flood of inspiration....don't you just love the herringbone/chevron going up it's thigh?

I bet if I asked for a show of hands who still uses a cell phone from 2009, I would be the only one with my hand raised.  The cell phone has sooo many uses now that it is almost silly not to have a more "sophisticated" one. My despise for cell phone's grew when my ex-husband just HAD to have the Motorola Razr, when it first came out. He's allllll about conspicuous consumption. And so from that day on, I never wanted a fancy phone, besides...half of the time [through my phone history] I couldn't afford one, but when I could...I was opting for the cheapest ones that served the one purpose I needed, making phone calls.

With that said, I am starting to quickly learn that having an iphone or droid would definitely help with growing my business.... I feel so weird and awkward about the whole thing and I know it stems from my "Razr" days.... but I am looking forward to 1 major thing with doing the upgrade: COUPONS!!!

Every week when I step into a Joann's to buy my muslin, what do I forget, my 50% off coupon! And the lady at the register always says..."why don't you just pull it up on your phone?" and then I show her my phone:

Yeah...PICTURES of coupons don't actually work! LOL I even purposely took these pictures on top of my glitter tissue paper to make it look somewhat more festive....convinced? ha! Oh, and the back of my phone, yeah...that fell off while my phone and other belongings were on the roof of my car and I drove really fast down a hill. It was a pretty funny sight to see a backpack, papers, make up, and phone flying through the air.... 

One last thing, once I do get this new phone, I actually plan on getting on instagram [I don't think you folks realize how much of a grandma I am!]  again,  for business purposes.  Jennifer of A Merry Mishap Convinced me of this, and after a lot of thought and seeing her instagram...I realized I need to swallow my pride, and jump on this bandwagon. 

Speaking of AMM, I sent her a package just recently, which she then instagramed.... the readers comments were so sweet and definitely helpful in my decision making process. 

Here are some of Jennifer's photos of my items, so much prettier than the one's I take! Soon I will be in need of shooting my items professionally, really looking forward to that! :)

I love that she taped my "I can tell that we are going to be friends" print 

on her little boy's  bedroom wall...so cute! 

p.s. Jennifer has her new fall collection out, lot's of pretty new items. One of my favorites are her Speckled Gray Geo's.....  They remind me of one of my very favorite nubby/oatmeal looking sweater that I wear almost every day in the fall.  Soo pretty and delicate. 

In response to Harley's letter : 

A heads up:

A couple years ago I was asked by Sycamore Street Press to be apart of their artist series.... They made a limited edition of 100 letterpress prints. I have 20 leftovers to give away for free with a purchase of any of my prints in shop. If you would like more than 1 [3 max per person] just let me know and I will include those in your order.

I don't know if you saw them last night....but I spied some little ghosts [they can fit in the palm of my hand] flying up and over our garage. It was such a sight! Luckily I was able capture a photo of them! Folks, the ghosts....they are a coming!!! :-[) 

Lastly, again I have to say thank you to those who have purchased items in my shop. I am so very grateful to keep finding people who appreciate my work, my craft, and who support independent designers like myself! Sure you can find cheaper things at Target but will they last as long, and will their items look as good in 5 years and do they have that good old fashioned hand crafted feel that a lot of us seek for? Well....anyways, you get my point. :) 

Another shop worth checking out: We Are Arrow 

Have a great weekend...see you sometime mid next week

I haven't written about our dog Harley [who was Jesse's family dog growing up that we recently inherited] ever since we got him...I think. Well today was quite the relaxing/fun/naughty day for this little gentleman.  This morning Jesse and I spotted him laying on the couch like this:

Pretty hilarious how he is holding his leg....I wish so badly that I could lay like that...

And then while I was eating my lunch at my desk, the doorbell rang [it was my little friend Ella, actually she is taller than me but younger...she is 13] and while I went to go open the door for Ella, Harley was being himself and got up on the office desk and ate the rest of my egg salad sandwich! 

Later on, I went to go check the mail and I opened our mailbox and saw this:

Our Mail Lady Lee, left two milk bones in the mailbox for Harley!!! [I already gave him one before taking this pic] I tell ya, I WISH I could open our mailbox and see a nice piece of apple pie waiting for me! Well, to say thank you, I made Harley make and write a card to Lee. This is what it looked like:

Notice how Harley used one of my "Harley" Plaid envelopes? :-[) Only appropriate of course...

And in the mailbox it waits for Lee tomorrow... We are way excited to see her reaction...Both Harley and I will be spying out from my tiny studio window! Hehehehe lol... This is how I spend my day folks helps me  from going crazy... :/

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On another fun note.... my lil friend Ella whom I mentioned above, she has been coming over a couple times a week to do "art stuff". Today I decided that from here on out we are just going to make zine after zine. This zine's theme is shoes, and we are supposed to use the painted paper I have to make all of our different shoes. Ella's has turned out just darling so far! Perhaps she'll let me buy hers off her after she's done? :-[) One can never have too many zines! 

Ella's: 

Mine: 

A couple zine's that are on my wishlist:

Sleeping on the Sleeper by Jen Collins 

It is of her illustrated day trip she took to London. Sooo inspiring! :)

Since being back on the "Etsy" scene now for the last few months [I kinda took a 2 1/2 year hiatus] I am starting to learn quickly that there are a TON of new things that gal here is not up to speed with. For instance: Treasuries... I kept getting etsy messages saying "you're in my treasury" <- and back in June I just thought..."uhhh...okay?" I feel like such an idiot, but I really didn't get it. So I finally [again, the late bloomer] asked someone who put me in their treasury, what exactly does that mean... basically, I now get it...BUT with that said, can someone please explain the "circles" to me? I really don't understand that... : / 

I appreciate so much for being chosen to be in someone's treasury, it really is such a sweet gesture. 

Today, Mouse Trap Vintage featured my cottage flower in her treasury...I wanted to share this one because the theme was so clever and beautifully curated, regardless of my item taking part. 

Plus, Mouse Trap Vintage has some nice items to boot! These awesome 1960's wool Denmark skiwear leggings... HOT DOG! I don't have $95 to spend on leggings at this time, but if I did...I would most definitely wear those ninety five times!!! <- My system for whether or not I will buy something. It has to be $1 or less each time I wear/use it, otherwise it's a no go. 

GRETCHEN, you are the winner of the $50 Shabby Apple gift card, Roxy Marj Harvest Print clutch and some other surprise goodies! :-[) FYI, I did this drawing through random.org , a lot easier than writing everyone's names out and drawing from a bowl!   Thank you every one for entering, I won't have another giveaway till October, but I promise you...they will only be getting better.
Gretchen, I will be in touch. :)

When I am in need of a break from work, going outside is usually how I recharge myself.  A beautiful long Delphinium stem had fallen over this morning...so I brought it inside and took her portrait. :)

I found this beautiful small linen buffalo check table cloth [with some minor stains] and pineapple cheese board [?] at the thrift store. Table cloth was turned into curtains for my newly renovated studio downstairs ...luckily the windows are teeny tiny and the pineapple...well, that was BEGGING for a face!
I hung it above my table to keep me company...this character needs a name, any suggestions? : /

A month ago I noticed that I was nearing my 1,000th post on my blog and thought that it would be a good opportunity for another giveaway, especially since this will be the last one for a couple months.

Up for grabs is a $50 gift card from Shabby Apple 

 and a Roxy Marj envelope clutch of your choice!

 As well as a couple other "special" surprises, but that is for the winner to find out! 

Here's what to do:  

"Like" Shabby Apple's facebook page:

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shabby-Apple/56291792791

& then tell me what Shabby Apple dress would you most likely wear...

as well as your favorite Roxy Marj clutch.

If you don't win, don't fret. 

Shabby Apple is giving 10% of a purchase for a whole month

just use this coupon code: roxymarj10off

Giveaway ends a week from today - Tuesday the 21st.

Aside from their pretty dresses, this Dorm Room Blouse is something that is eye catching. 

Don't you just love the collar and the boxy cut? ohhh I do love me some loose and boxy tops... 

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Side note: Leticia Katz who contributes to the Fashion Friday articles for Salt Lake Magazine's website, did a little story on me here. Thanks Leticia. :)