aloha

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Ack...I haven't been posting or doing a single crafty thing for the past couple weeks. Just catching up on stuff around the house and getting ready for our trip to Hawaii (just a couple days away now!). And the little one was sick, so that was a big adventure. At least it happened before our trip and not during. Now my time is all about packing and preparing for the trip. Toys, videos, snacks, beach toys, swim stuff...you get the idea. Also, trying to imagine every and any possible senario and preparing for it. Baby Tylenol, hand wipes, anti-bacterial wipes, bandaids, sunscreen, insect repellent, grown-up Tylenol...you get the idea. Eventually I'll have to just admit to myself that it's not like we're going to a remote island where we couldn't go pick something up if I forgot to bring it. Kauai has a grocery store for heaven's sake...so stop stressing. And there's the house and pets to be squared away. I always have to clean the house before we leave for a trip. I need the peace of mind that a clean house gives me while we're gone. Need to know we have a clean home to return to when that dreaded return arrives. I know, I'm crazy.

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Big question now is, what little crafty project shall I bring along? Used to be that one entire bag would be filled to the brim with multiple projects to keep me busy on the plane/train/automobile. During our last trip to Kauai I busied myself by stitching palm trees on the beach while my husband read and we downed several mai tais. But now with little baby boy I know it's foolish to bring too much. Most of our time will be spent with him. But hopefully there will be a few moments where he's either napping or otherwise occupied, so I need to figure out what it is I want to work on during those moments. Maybe I should just bring my sketch book and consider myself lucky if I have any time at all just to doodle.

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Well, time for me to put the little one down for a nap. He just fell asleep right here on the floor! Poor thing. Hopefully he'll be back at 100% by Saturday. Ah, I just imagined that feeling of driving up to the North shore on that rain slicked road...lush green hills...sun peaking out just as you reach the beach...warm air...smell of plumeria.

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Aloha!

sketching swine

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Last week I did absolutely nothing, and yet I got so much done. Make sense? What I mean is...I didn't really do anything I *wanted* to do but did nearly everything I *needed* to do. I have my long list of boring chores in my head that I've been avoiding for weeks. I finally checked off several of those menial tasks last week. Very good. But didn't do hardly anything creative. So I need to make up for lost time this week.

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Trying to get the last of my Buzzing Bog characters created. The pig is turning out to be a lot harder than any of the others. There was something that just easily flowed with the elephant, the giraffe, the cat and the rabbit. But that pig snout has me a little perplexed. It's just not flowing yet. Well, I'll keep at it. As soon as I get it, I'll know it.

here's *something* anyway

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I'm afraid the creative juices just haven't been flowing like they should. Well, yesterday was catch-up day...laundry, house cleaning, laundry, laundry, laundry. Need to get myself back in the game. Need to burn some screens of my new characters (including this little giraffe) so that I can be silkscreening by week's end. I really want fabric! *My* silkscreened fabric so we can start to make some truly unique pillows and blankets and bags and such. I just have one more little animal to perfect...the pig. I just haven't liked any of my sketches yet. In my grand scheme I pictured an elephant, a cat, a rabbit, a giraffe and a pig. The elephant and giraffe I envisioned as good schemes for boys. The cat and rabbit for girls. The pig for either. I don't want to stick entirely to the pink=girls, blue=boys color palette...but I think I will do some stuff that way because whenever I don't (thinking, oh I'm sure there are people like me out there who wouldn't dress their little girl in ALL pink & lace) I always get requests for it. People love to bath baby girls in pink. So I'll do some pink.

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booties!

I'm finally starting to photograph some of the baby clothing items my mom makes to add to our website. Mom and I work hand in hand. I do my thing, she does hers. Hers happens to be some delicate stitch work...beautiful baby booties and hats made from some alpaca wool she acquired during our trip up north to the Washington/Oregon border last fall.

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I'm trying to add things in as timely a fashion as I can. I've still got photographs of some wonderful fleece blankets (also crafted by my mom, Laurie) that I need to post to the site. These blankets are the magic blankets that are instrumental in getting my little one to sleep. We're also anxious to start silkscreening some fabric with my little "Buzzing Bog" characters. From this we hope to make quilts, valences, wall hangings, crib bumpers and what ever else strikes our fancy. So much to do...so little time!

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better pics of the flower fields

from the official "flower fields" website:
(for those still stuck in winter)

if money were no object...

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oooooo....this is soooo pretty!

(bird feeder)

spring has sprung

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the flower fields are in bloom!

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These flower fields have been here in San Diego county forever. We have these wonderful pictures of me when I was just under two years old...running through the flower fields with my parents. The fields are still there, but it's all gotten very commercial. You have to buy a ticket for the "flower fields tour". There is a shopping mall located next to it. I'm sure you could even buy a "I Was At The Flower Fields" t-shirt if you wanted. But I really want to take my son there now that he's about the age I was in those great pictures. Better go now before the onslaught of tour buses jam packs the place.

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don't you hate it when...

...you put sneakers on before your polish has completely dried?

flight

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New painting in the shop!

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I can't believe it's almost noon. I love the time change for it's brighter evenings but despise it for that lost hour.

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this, that & then some

Big Debut for the Brand Spankin' New Look

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These are the paintings I currently have available for sale. I also plan to provide them in print form very, very soon. And something else I think I'll work on - going to make some of these into coloring book sheets for The Sampler. I'd also like to start making some smaller paintings on block that I can offer for a smaller price. Now that all the web building is done, I hope to have a lot more time to create. So stay tuned.

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I feel like I haven't done much in the line of crafty handiwork this week...but I must remind myself that I've been throwing all my time into updating the website. I'm *much* happier with the look, the layout and the beginnings of what I hope will be a fun addition...The Buzzing Bog. [hopefully I've got all the kinks worked out...but I would be super appreciative if anyone finds a link that doesn't work or a graphic that doesn't load and gives me a heads up...muchas muchas gracias in advance!] I haven't quite gotten everything photographed and represented on the site yet. I've got a lot of handmade (crochetted) baby hats and booties made by my partner-in-crime (me mum) to add to the site. You'll see these in the "clothing" portion of the site. But I feel good because the backbone is there. Now maybe I can get back to painting and building (in wood, not html).

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There's been this strange phenomenon here in Southern California over the past few days...butterflies everywhere! Millions of butterflies! So fantastic! The heavy rainfall gave them lots of vegetation growth for laying eggs and...this being the first really warm week, they all hatched and started their flight north. At times while driving, the swarms would be so thick (especially at the beach) that I felt like I had to stop because I didn't want to hurt them.

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guilt free sweets

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I am sooooooo happy I got the cupcake and
lem-o-licious pie (scented!) necklaces I ordered from Pancake Meow today. I'm
wearing the cupcake now. Some might think this is crazy, but now that my diet
is in full swing, smell of delicious cupcake is very comforting. Maybe
should use this to my advantage...for every weight loss goal I reach, I shall
buy another sweet from Pancake Meow. Mmmmmm. Let's see, what's
next? I think definitely a Whipped Cream DELUXE Cupcake.

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For anyone unfamiliar with this talented gal - check out all of Leslie's scented jewelry @

Pancake Meow Journal

Pancake Meow Website

times...they are a changin'

new stuff...so...new look

instead of

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More fun, I think. And more in line with the kid element. I'm really pushing myself to do this whole update by Friday (meeting my goal of the update by the first of April...April Fools?...no, really...first of April!). I spent most of the morning bogged down in html. Speaking of fools, I'm probably a fool for not just buying some web builder software. But I must admit, I *LOVE* the sense of accomplishment I get when I get that code to work.

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Talk about beautiful...Felt Hats

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bunny kisses

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Happy Easter!
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happy easter

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I was absolutely tickled to find these ceramic egg holders this morning. I've seen Giada DeLaurentis use them on "Everyday Italian" and I've always wanted them for my kitchen. Of course it was always one of those passing thoughts...ooo, I want one...not exactly an urge that sent me out in search of one. So you can imagine the smile on my face when there it was, mixed in with all the other Easter decorations and marked 40% off. Not only did it fulfill one of my secret wishes, it was also on sale! And I'm sure it's supposed to be used for colored Easter eggs, but you can be sure I'll be using mine all year long. It will make life easier...I'm always sticking eggs in the pillar candle I keep in the kitchen or in the fruit bowl to keep them from rolling off the counter when I'm baking. No more! Now I can bake like Giada.

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I finally pulled out my Easter decorations. Last year I bought several birch branches and hot glued some porcelain roses to them to use as my Easter egg tree. And I actually ended up leaving this out all year. Even with nothing hanging on it, it looks pretty. At Christmas it I hung glass bulbs on it. Gosh, I can't believe it's already been a year since I've had it out and I didn't get tired of it. When I was putting it together I was concerned about how I would store it...but that turned out not to be a problem.

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Now it's time to bake the Easter cookies I was too tired to make last night.

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flight of the elephants

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In the process of silkscreening some flying elephants for a new little project I'm working on. Don't want to say anything because it could totally not work and then I'd be forced to keep trying if I mentioned something about it here. If it doesn't work, I don't want to be tied down to it. Mostly I'm just trying to get my silkscreening technique down. I was having so much trouble yesterday while trying to make my film for exposing the emulsion. Was using some mylar in my ink jet printer and that simply was not working. So I went out and bought transparency film for copiers, ran some copies and now I'm back in business. The transparency film for ink jets costs probably twice as much as the same thing for copiers. Forget that! What, it's like a nickel to run a copy? I suppose for convenience sake the expensive stuff might be worth it...but until I know I'm into this silkscreening thing I'll just stick to the affordable stuff.

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The house is a complete mess. I need the energy to do something about it. Laundry, litter box, floors, bathrooms, clutter, clutter, clutter. Maybe I should use the little bit I saved on purchasing the copier transparencies toward hiring a housecleaner. Wouldn't that be lovely? Well, everything else can wait - but that litter box has got to be cleaned - pronto. Oh fun.

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