If you have purchased an Heirloom blanket for Christmas, or a birthday, or special day coming up and due to the lead time it won't arrive for that day... well I have made these images just in case you would like to print it out and use it as a card to give to your loved one... :)  just click on one of the images...it will open up in a new window, drag that image to your desktop and print out...or take to a local printer for it to be even fancier...don't forget to ask to have it printed on 100 lb. paper! 

xo Happy Holidays everyone... 

:] 

Today's painting up for grabs: "Have I done any good?"

This is one of my very very favorite young reader books. 

What is the name of this book? 

First person with the correct answer ON MY INSTAGRAM [please do not comment on here] 

wins. :] xo 

To win yesterday's painting [seen on my instagram today - "new boots" ] tell me who this is a picture of? First person with the correct answer ON MY INSTAGRAM [please don't answer here] wins. good luck! ;] 

Today's painting up for grabs!!

See the correlation? ;-[)

Joy Choi of ohjoy.com  was so sweet to use our Heirloom Bear Blanket in her recent 

video "dressing the bump" - I don't have kids, so I don't know anything about dressing a bump, but after watching her video [below] I learned a handful of things that actually got me excited for when I have a baby someday annnd now I want to make stylish maternity tops! Annnyways, I love this video, I hope you guys do to, and share it with your family and friends who are new moms to be, I've got a couple on my list...okay that's a lie, I live in UTAH people, I have about 300 on my list! ;-p 

To win this painting below, please answer these 3 questions:

+ answers can be found in Joy's video + 

1. Where are baby Coco's black floral leggings from?

2. What chocolate bar brand is Joy holding?

3. Who made the video? 

+ first person to answer all 3 correct answers on my instagram wins! 

:) xo 

Today's painting up for grabs! 

I'm liking this one a lot... I call it "Red Pines in the North Winnie Mountains"

To win today's painting over on my instagram, please answer these 3 questions:

1. What group of people do these AWESOME mittens belong too?  hint: similar to my ex-husband's last name... which I still go by legally and need to FREAKING CHANGE!! :/ sorry for the rant. 

2. Name this women's baseball team

3. What is the name of this sport?

First person to answer all 3 correctly wins...good luck!! :-[) 

Today's painting giveaway is for this lil number below! 

To win, please answer ALL the questions on my instagram @roxymarj. 

 First person with all the correct answers wins! 

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1. Who is this painting of?

2. What is the name of the birds below [they are the same species even thought they look a little different] 

3. What does the painting of the lady and the birds have in common? Hint: it has to do with home. ;-p

4. Who is the designer that created the blue flower and bird wallpaper below?

GOOOD LUCK!!! :-[)

images via thewildernessalternative.com

image via Fritz Haeg

Today kicks of day 1 of my painting a day giveaway for the month of December! If you're new to this, go check out last year's December on here and that should bring you up to speed! ;-)

Basically in a nut shell:

I paint a picture every day, I post it on instagram, and in order to win it, you have to come to my blog to find the question/s of the day. Once you have the answer, FIRST person to answer CORRECTLY on my instagram page wins the painting! You can only win once, but I do appreciate you spreading the word and letting your friends in on this fun giveaway! Last year the questions were pretty easy, hopefully this year it will take at least 2 min to find the answer! :-[) 

Good Luck, and thanks for playing!! xoxo  Roxy Marj

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PAINTING QUESTIONS [answers found in the music video below]

1. What is in the boxes?

2. What is the brand of the blue hoodie?

I've recently came upon this band Highasakite and their song "Since Last Wednesday" has been on repeat in my head. I especially love this mysterious music video... I want to know more back ground! 

picture source: highasakite.no

A lot has changed since mid summer - 

One of the main things is the decision to now keep my shop open.

Yes, I know what you may be thinking..."Is this girl nuts? One min. she is

closing the other she is opening, make up your mind woman!" 

Well, luckily for me and you and the rest of life... decisions are not concrete, because

if that were the case life would be so much harder... more heartbreaking, and probably not

worth living. Hopefully we are always growing, moving, learning, changing...and all for the better.

My reason for now keeping this business going is a lengthy one... and I would like to gather my thoughts/observations in a way that is clear and not cloudy... so that will be for another day on here soon, but till then. The quick and dirty of my reason to open. 

The past couple months things have been a lot more stress free even though Jesse and I have

dealt with some more babie issue stuff.... but things have been really good, and for whatever reason

this challenge of not being able to start a family right now has brought us closer.

Also, Jesse and I have started a daily regimen that has eased so much anxiety, has calmed

my mind/thoughts and has managed to make me feel in control of my life.  Something I plan

on sharing here in a couple days because holy cow it is making a world of difference!

Lastly, Jesse is now helping me manage my business as much as he can. Which is part of our regimen, before he would help only if I asked [which usually resulted after I was stressed out] this is not a great set up. Together we have been going over my business model and decided to tweak some things to make it way more manageable. 

We will soon move from Etsy over to Shopify, there will be less traffic for now, which is the hope, I will keep working on licensing, we will be doing wholesale among other new things. 

Lastly, both Jesse and I want to thank all of you who took the time to write sweet comments on here and instagram about me deciding to close. I read everyone's words, cried a lot over what you said.... thought more than I would have liked about my life, whether or not I tried hard enough with my business, the type of work environment I want and the people next to me in my company who are along for the ride. Life is so interesting, I learn more often than not that the gift of free agency and the opportunity to try and try again is pretty amazing. Even when Jesse and I aren't having our best day or aren't being our best selves...tomorrow is always another day to be better than your last self. 

With that, I plan to write more here soon about our regimen and how I wish it would have dawned on us sooner to implement one! 

Talk soon!

xo

Roxy Marj :)

Last week I came across this movie "Monica & David" on Netflix. I cried through the whole thing - in a nutshell, the movie is about this couple who is about to get married, you get a look into their private lives and the you get to hear the parents take on raising a child with disability. One of the most heart warming stories ever, I wish more people would produce touching stories like this one.  

Welcome to the NEW Roxy Marj studio.

My new space makes me sooo so happy and I can't believe it took me over 2 years to move down stairs and be among my other work rooms. The sewing/stock/cutting rooms. 

This room in our basement has served many purposes...guest room, tv room, stock room....and it was painted an awful pink and green...with ugly shag carpet to boot. I'm really proud of my studio because I did it all by myself. I ripped the carpet and padding out, got the shovel and went to town on the tack strips, popping those mothers off...scrapped the tacky glue off the floor with a razor, vacuumed and then painted the walls and polyeurathaned [correct sp?] the floor... I even took the weirdo creepy insulation that was in the window out, and vacuumed that as well. I think Jesse was pretty proud that I took the initiative and went full throttle Roxy Marj Town all on my own.   

Our office has been upstairs ever since we moved into our house over 2 years ago... and because it was upstairs among me and Jesse's space...I didn't feel quite right about taking over and making it all Roxy Marj-esque. But at the same time...I didn't feel totally content in our office either. Crafting and designing wasn't something that I was looking forward to do in our office.  So after talking it over we decided that we could afford to get rid of Jesse's computer [since he uses it about once a month, if that] and sell his desk... and make our office my studio workspace down stairs. 

I feel so.... cooozy you guys! Can you feel it too through the photos? Harley loves being down here, Jesse loves being down here [they're picking up the comfy vibe big time] and it really feels like i'm in my own little world now. I love coming down here and waking up every morning feels like Christmas!

I took as many detailed shots of the studio to share with anyone interested. I think this is an inspiring workspace and I hope it gives you some sort of knee jerk to go and make up your own space... 

One of the things I did differently this time around [comparing to when I lived by myself and really had my own space] was that I tried ever so hard not to cover every inch of the walls and fill my studio up with more clutter. Seriously! I went through my 100+ magazines and collected all my tares and donated those mothers to the thrift store. I feel like a designer that just shed her old skin that was cluttered with so many things....[that's a whole other blog post fyi] annnyways, I'm sitting here patting myself on the back right now... because I got rid of a ton of stuff in order to have a clean and simple studio and with warmth oozing from every corner of the room. I would say that I successfully achieved that feeling...and now I'm ready to tackle the other Roxy Marj rooms and giving them a slight face lift. 

Soo...with all that said, let me take you through my studio! 

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Some of my favorite tares on the west wall. 

I had a different quote above my work desk, but ended up painting over that and going with this one. This is something I can always work harder at. I feel like most days i'm pretty good at being positive and happy and thinking about others, but more often then I would like...I can be self centered and think about me and my feelings... I believe that if I stick with this quote's message...it will take care of a lot of other things no? :)

graphite pencils, paint brushes and some of my art/design books that I look through weekly. If you're curious to what they are, here's the run down:

"The Bauhaus Ideal Then & Now"

"Tramp Art a Folk Art Phenomenon"

"Tomboy Style: beyond the boundaries of fashion" 

"Creating With Paper" 

*that stool...yeah, that was a HIT 11 years ago from Ikea. 

One of the few things I took from my divorce... Wish they still made them.

See my little disco ball hanging in the corner? Harley looks at it often, it reminds him of his days at Studio 54... he was a wild dog back then....now he's just an old soul who loves a good toosh rub. :-p 

This is the east wall where my view is of our side yard...but I don't even see the yard itself, just the tops of trees...and I find that enchanting. 

This little lion and moon guard my window. The lion watches my back and the moon looks out the window for any possible creepers that may try and look in the window...think i'm being dramatic? This was a downside of having the office upstairs...people would look in our windows ALL THE TIME. It gave me so much anxiety being watched constantly.... ooh! no more! 

* That pinata moon was made by the talented @meethaha on instagram for a competition I had this past summer. She recently sent me all the little Roxy Marj characters she and her kids made for the competition. Isn't it the cutest thing ever? Check out her instagram, she's one talented lady!

A quote that I think i've conqured:

"A day without laughter is a day wasted" - Charlie Chaplin.... 

yeah, I laugh a lot! It's my fountain of youth! :-[)

My mobile shelf - this is the easiest thing ever.  EVER!

So we had these old doors from our basement, we took them off two of the rooms and bought some shelves at ikea, chopped them in half and screwed them to the doors... this is soo so awesome because it's mobile! And it's super hearty. If you do try this, best doing it on a heavy door. 

My friend Tisha, who also works for me helped with wrapping strips of muslin around the lights you see... underneath they are the ugly green plastic and by wrapping them in muslin it not only makes the space feel warmer but it looks more expensive. 

The rug is from Target. This was my big splurge...it was $130 and it matches the other rugs in the 2 work rooms. I am very careful with these rugs. Vacuuming straight on this rug quickly pulls up the fibers...I use my vacuum's attachment for hardwood and tile floors. This way it doesn't pull at the fibers and my rugs stay looking newer longer. Also, NO SHOES ALLOWED! ;-]

*That desk is from Ikea and I usually shy away from buying furniture from Ikea because majority of it are misses and not hits... trust me, I've purchased many furniture items from Ikea in my early to mid-twenties...best to save your money. However, I was drawn to this desk because of the fact that it hides all the fugly cords in the back AND it's super heavy. I did make a cloth coaster for my computer's bottom to rest on so to prevent any scratching while moving the computer around, this has been great. 

For the trees, I just made a couple stencils and painted those all over the wall... when I got to the edges of the wall, I cut the stencils in length and width wise so as to make the entire wall look like it was wallpapered...make sense? If not, then excuse my syntax. 

Well, that's the end of my studio tour. Harley's pooped! ha! Thanks for stopping by, if you have any questions about where I got anything or how to do something feel free to ask, I am trying to be a lot better about responding more promptly on here. :) Have a lovely weekend. xo Roxy 

A long winded explanation as to why I am closing my shop - 

I warn you, there are probably 20+ run on sentences, lots of exclamations points  

 and a paragraph or two where I get on my soapbox...proceed with caution. ;-p 

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A couple weeks back Jesse [my husband, for those of you who don't know who he is] and myself received some information from our church regarding our adoption process. Since January we had been gathering paper work, taking classes, filling out questionnaires, all for the hopes of being able to adopt. 

The last big step before putting yourself out there is to have a home inspection.  A month ago when it was finally time for our home inspection we got called into our church's family services offices and were told the sad news that they wouldn't be able to help place us with a baby due to my student debt being so high, and the debt to income ratio worried them. Needless to say, both Jesse and I were shocked, devastated and surprised. Surprised because I had been making my $1,200 + payments every month for two years straight and that didn't show for anything?

For the past 2 years we have been trying to get pregnant. Jesse is 30 and I am 33...  Many friends close to me have asked in the two years if I have seen an infertility specialist, and the answer is no...not yet, I will be now though. I'm sure many of you have thought me not going to see a specialist is the stupidest thing ever. However, if you were in my shoes maybe you would understand where I am coming from... having student debt of $204,000 [that does not included a masters] hanging over your head every day is pretty depressing.. especially since right now, all my payments do is pay off interest... even more depressing...and so... the last thing I want to do is accrue any more debt. Would you??

For me..the thought of going to a doctor and trying to figure out what is wrong with my body just brings up dollar signs. It's the fear of the unknown...BUT that unknown could be something as simple as getting on chlomid and getting pregnant swiftly... or it could be the other case and having tons of tests/procedures etc.  For this reason, that is why Jesse and I chose to look into adoption through our church. They have a flat fee of 10% of your income which caps at 10K but a minimum payment of 4k. And if you do your homework and research, you can end up getting a lot of that money back from taxes. So it was a win win situation for us... Our "plan" was to try to adopt, hopefully get placed with a baby and then save a bunch of money to look into infertility. So much for planning... you know that quote by John Lennon "life happens when your busy making plans"....well that has sure been true for us. :-p

Now, Jesse and I could easily be annoyed at my church [we are of the L.D.S. faith]  for not helping us with our situation...but the weird part about all of this is, that since getting denied this opportunity [for now] it has actually brought us even closer. :] So, Jesse decided to take a couple days off work so we could process everything together and figure out our next step towards starting a family.  

Seeing an infertility specialist is something that we are now ready to pursue - there will be a cap of how much we will spend obviously from the above mentioned... and hopefully, there's nothing wrong with me...and it will all be easily nailed.  x fingers crossed x :]

OKAY, so the reason for why I've decided to close my shop.  S T R E S S ! This is thee biggest and consistent issue I deal with. I have a retarded thyroid condition [Hashimotos] which makes it harder to get pregnant, AND i'm constantly stressed. So with having those two factors always working against me, it's no wonder that my body is having a hard time conceiving.  After the news of our adoption process being denied I just kept thinking over and over that I need to alleviate as much stress as possible.  Jesse and I then made a list of what basically brought me anxiety.  And that was simply running a business.

I am NOT a business woman. Entrepreneur, YES...but business..numbers, finances, legal stuff... it is so above and beyond me, and honestly...it's not anything that I even care or want to learn. Then there is marketing and advertising, taxes, payroll, making sure customers are happy, making sure you're not stepping on anyone's toes, managing people, managing personalities, keeping it together, trying to come up with new designs all while managing the other stuff...and this is just the tip of the ice berg. 

The last two years though I have learned a lot. When starting a business, especially if it is does well, you will learn who your true friends are, who really wants to see you succeed and who would honestly love to see you fail. That's a bold statement huh! but it is the truth... it's totally hurtful, knowing that what you're doing or creating is getting a lot of positive attention but yet so many people around you can't handle that, they look inside themselves and start to compare and feel less than...it's like  that quote "comparison is the thief of joy" and on a daily basis comparison is robbing people of feeling joy and true happiness for others successes, be it something as simple as cooking a yummy dinner, wearing a cute outfit, completing a marathon, having a nice yard, or like myself, running a successful small business. Please don't mistake what I just said for feeling sorry for myself, NOT THE CASE... I am only bringing up an issue that rarely gets addressed if at all.  Ever wonder if you're this type of person? If you're the type of person who withholds compliments or withholds inquiring because it clearly won't build you up, but instead it's going to build the other person up...and why on earth would you want to do that? Especially if that person you're withholding from receives compliments ALL THE TIME... he or she doesn't need anymore, right? hahahahaha lol wrong. It has nothing to do with the other person, it has everything to do with you, it's the truest test of what type of person you are. Are you someone who can see others succeed when you feel like nothing is happening for you..or so you think?

Yes, that was me getting on my soapbox just now, but I felt it needed to be said since for the past two years i've kept pretty quite about my observations. I've often pretended like I don't notice or it doesn't hurt my feelings...but I do notice, and I have had hurt feelings and this is something that has only added to the stress... :/

For me, closing my business means that I will be able to spend more time with those that I love, spend more time on my talents and developing new ones, as well as finally having time to pursue my dream of illustrating childrens books.  Closing my shop does not mean that I will stop designing, on the contrary! I will actually be designing more, which you will get to see through my blog if interested.  I am now pursuing companies that would be interested in licensing my designs, so perhaps in the future you will see larger brands representing some Roxy Marj designs! yay! :-[)

It is my hope that taking this new path will hopefully lead Jesse and I to starting a family much sooner, yes I will be making a lot less money but having a more peaceful/private life and laughing a hell of a lot more with those we love is priceless in my book. 

* So as a THANK YOU to all the wonderful customers and crazy amazing Roxy Marj supporters I have decided that all orders over $75 will receive a free "So Brave So Strong" tote back! From now till Dec. 31st.  Or if you would rather save your money [YEAH, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND] then you can purchase the tote for only $10. 

I will have an official goodbye/thank you blog post come December. :)

xoxo  

Roxy 

     

With Mothers Day approaching soon, I wanted to create something special to give away to you all.

I made 4 different colored 8.5 x 11" prints for anyone in need of a Mother's Day gift.  I hope they come in handy.... they are free for the taking. Feel free to share them on your blog, instagram, facebook etc.  if you do, please give credit. :) 

My inspiration for this illustration: 

I think most every woman on this planet would agree that the book and movie Little Women is indeed hands down a classic story that is loved by all!

Louisa May Alcott is someone I would have FOR SURE wanted to be friends with in the late 1800's. I think it's safe to say that she was probably a woman many people admired... and this is usually the thought that comes to mind when Mother's Day approaches. It's about honoring your moms and all the things you admire about her. To add to that, if you are someone who wasn't raised by your mom or didn't/doesn't necessarily have the best relationship with your mom, but perhaps there was another female figure in your life growing up who made a huge impact on your life [I can name 4!] then why not honor them as well.

I really love this quote by Louisa May Alcott...to me, it epitomizes what I hope to be someday as a mom, someone who is strong and brave and takes life's challenges head on while still maintaining composure and safety throughout the home. Remember Marmee [Mrs. March] and how she handled all the dramatic events of that time period with such composure and grace? What an example of the kind of mother we should all strive to be like.

Happy Mother's Day soon. xo

click on image - then click on it again with the magnifying glass, then drag to desktop  :)