For baby Shandi

This is what I have been busy with lately. I am working on this little book for baby Shandi. The book will be a counting book. It will only go to 6... and these white birds will represent each number. Now... I know she is too little to count, but mainly I wanted to give her a super sweet gift that Tamara can save for her. :)

Each page will have the addition of one bird (the last page is shown) and the clouds will also move ever so slightly to the right, as if to show the passing of time. I hope it turns out. I will be sure and post some pictures when I get a little further with it. :)

project 365

project365- One photo a day for an entire year.

I seen this flickr group yesterday, and was so excited to follow along. :) I enlisted the help of shannon, and hopefully we will keep each other motivated to stick with it. It would be so neat at the end of the year to print out 365 thumbnail sized pictures representing each day of my life. Of course, I am sure I will have days where the last thing I want to do is take a picture... I guess we will see. My hopes is that by posting about here, you can help me stick with it as well! :) I plan to blog about my favorite photo/day of the week, every week... on monday. So, you should know if I am slacking.... ;)

I have been a big fan of the 365 group where you take a self portait of you for every day of the year... but there is no way I could do that. :) So, when I seen this group... it seemed perfect!

This picture is day 1 August 20th 2007.

I have been tagged....

Mary was ever so kind and tagged me to play along with the newest game.... Thanks so much Mary!! ;) I am fortunate... I only have 4 letters in my middle name! :)

Here are the rules:1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.3. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.

L- "LOVING" I like to *think* I am a loving person. :) I am a loving mother, daughter, wife, and sister.

Y- "YOUNG" Alright.... to everyone snarling at me, honestly I couldnt think of anything else to go with y!! :) While I am getting up there at 25, I suppose I am still young. :)

N- "NICE" I am a nice person. I try to think of others, and always be "nice" no matter the situation. Although I try... I regret to say I do not always suceed :)

N- "NOLEGABLE" hahahaaa.... ok this may be cheating, but I cant think of another N! :) Well, other then naughty... and I dont suppose that fits me. :) Oh- and I really am nolegable. I mean, that is a hard word to spell, and I nailed it! :)

ok, so I am off to tag these four people: Should they choose to play along, here are links to their blogs. :)

Shannon
Mom
Tara
Becky Kay

Welcome baby Shandi!

Last night I got a new niece, and became a cousin at the same time. :) It is pretty funny, because my first cousin... ended up marrying my brother in law. So I am double related! My new little niece, "Shandi" is adorable. Weighing in at 6 lbs 2 oz, and 19" long. Brandon and Tamara are living in California, so I haven't got to meet her yet. We are planning a trip that way in October, so we will have to wait to see her till then. I am sure my aunt will keep us stocked up with new recent pictures. :)

I took 2,000 digital pictures of our little girl within her first year of life. With the next one, I am sure I will double that... since I am sporting a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) instead of a little point and shoot. :) Seeing the pictures of Shandi is giving me the new baby bug...

On that note... Trin is *almost* potty trained. It is the absolute weirdest thing, I thought after we were all through with this cold flu junk, I would crack down on her... and dedicate "myself" to potty training her. Well, her second day being sick she came and told me she needed to go 6 times that day!? I felt so bad for her, but she was inisisting! :) I think because she wasnt playing like she normally does, she was alot more aware of it. PLUS, she seen the pictures of Haylie going potty on Mary's blog... and that definitly sparked a chord with her. :) So, thank you Mary!!

Well, I am still coughing and feeling lowsy. I cant believe how long this stuff hangs on.... I think I am going to crawl back into bed. It sounds really goooood. :)

Welcome to the world baby Shandi! :)

Green

{click picure to view larger}

After being cooped up inside these past few days... It felt so nice to walk out to the garden this morning. Very re-juvenating. :) The re-juvenation feeling quickly left when I realized just how much I have let things go out there! My pumpkins are completely taking over. I planted them with a trellis, like last year. They are pie pumpkins, but are getting so big! I have yet to see one break off the vine. It amazes me just how strong those vines can be. :) Last year I used panty hose and tied them up. I missed one, and was surpised to see it didnt need the support. I am most definitly going to make my fences further apart next year.

...and my tomatoes? Where do I begin, I planted them waaay to close together, they are huge, and growing really nice. But, I cant seem to find my pepper plants anymore. They were planted in the same box right along with the tomatoes. Another "no no" for next year. Oh well, I learn something new each year. Now I understand the term a "seasoned gardener" :)

I also finished an orchid illustration. Two more to go! :)

Mixed Plate feature

Hope everyone had a great weekend, AND monday. :) We have been sick these past few days, so our weekend could have certainly been a little better... but I think everyone is on the tail end of the "bug" so I am thankful for that!

I wanted to give a special thanks for Liana of Mixed Plate. She was kind enough to feature "Chocolate Chip Mint" on her blog this last Friday. I was thrilled, and definitly aprpeciated the recognition. :) Thanks Liana.

Well, being sick these past few days has given me plenty of time to sit around the house with my clipboard and paper. I have three new drawings ready to be transferred to the computer. All three of them are orchids, so I am excited to get started on them. However, being sick has caused me to become behind on a few things. So, I really doubt I will get much done today. Look here for an update tomorrow. :)

"Wishful"

I really enjoyed working on this illustration, it brought back a TON of memories from childhood. I can still remember being excited to see a dandelion waiting to be picked. Working on this reminded me of how much joy the simple pleasures of life can bring you. Toddler to adult, regardless of age. I think we just need to reminded a little more as adults. I know I do. :)

I also began work on this new series yesterday, I havent decided what to call it yet... I have my first illustration in the series just about finished though, so I better decide quick! :)

chic and classy portraits

divine classy ladies

Any suggestions?? Surely any would be better then what I just suggested! :D

I love T.J. Maxx

I love Ross and T.J. Maxx. It is almost impossible to not find at least one steal of a deal when you visit.... which actually may not be a good thing. :)

Today mom and I made our bi-weekly grocery trip to Tri-Cities. Of course, you cant drive all the way to Tri-Cities and come back with "only" groceries!

So, a quick (yeah right) trip into T.J. Maxx resulted in this purchase. I LOVE the woodgrain modern look of the frame, and loved that It had been marked down not once, but twice! :) I think it will look great in my living room, with my ever growing collection of art. When I get it up, I will be sure and post a picture. :)

Finished!

Finished! "Freedom" in 11x14
Originally uploaded by jessilynn

I *just* completed this illustration. It feels so nice to see it finished. Hopefully this should be available in my etsy store today. I still need to print it, and photograph it printed, and unfortunately... I need to wait until my lovely husband to come home. He makes for such a nice model. :)

This print will be printed on 13x19 sized glossy canon photo paper. The image itself is sized at 11x14. I do plan to offer it an 8x10. I may have that listed before the larger size. :)

Also working on the pocket mirrors!! I just finished up a photoshoot with all of them. Still need to complete the listing, but they should be available today as well! :)

"Perched Love"

I just finished this illustration, and listed it my etsy store. I am so thrilled with how it turned out. I think it just may be a new favorite. :)

Doing the background on this, was very time consuming. I used multiple layers, and finally achieved what you see. :)

Well, I have a few things to get caught up on... but I wanted to show you the end result first! :)

A new one on the works...

I have been so inspired lately to work with peacock feathers. I have absolutely no idea where the craving came from, but its no wonder why. Peacock feathers are gorgeous... well this is where my inspiration and craving led me. The curliness just seemed right, but hardly peacock-ish. Which actually turns out better for me... because I am really anxious to incorporate a few other peacock elements into a new illustration. I may try to incorporate words into the tail somehow. But, before i start on another illustration I need to finish up "Freedom" and this one. :)

I had an inquiry to include "Freedom" in a non-profit youth diary featuring art from various artists. I was flattered, and will probably accept. I will an update on that later!

Speaking of words... I think people are missing the word "love" in the bark. I cant decide if I should try to make it a little more prominent? Or if it is better to have it be somewhat hidden...

We went to the Washington coast for the weekend, had a great time. Although it was overcast the WHOLE time! I took over 200 pictures, and I am too lazy to wait for them to download to my computer. I will try and get some pictures up tomorrow. :)

Hope you had a great weekend! It was hard leaving this print unfinished, I am just itching to finish it, so you know what I am off to do. :)

"Freedom"

Just added this to my etsy store today! I loved the purple with the ttvf effect. It made it look so timeless. I have a few of these square formatted ttvf prints framed. I will try and get a good picture to list. I am sure it is hard to really picture just how it will look framed with the black border.

I have a few variations of this illustration in the works. I have spent hours over the past few days working on this illustration in an 11x14 poster size. I will go ahead and give everyone a sneek peek...

Super New- Monthly Win a Print-August

Super New!

Beginning with the month of August I will be giving away a FREE print. This month's print is "Chirp Away" 8x10 sized on canvas, a palm sized 20 page matching shopping list, and a coloring page. I will even pay your shipping. All this valued at $28.00

--Eligibility Requirements: (How to get your name in the drawing)

You must purchase any one Illustration from my store.

--How long does the drawing run for? (When do I find out if I have won!?)

The month of August's drawing begins today August 1st and will end August 31st.

--How will the winner be chosen? (Pick Me, Pick Me!)

On Friday August 31st, my husband will draw 1 name from a bowl, cup, mug etc. (will be sure and keep you posted ;)

--How will I know if I have won? (I mean, other then convoing, and e-mailing you every day for the next month)

The winner will be announced here in my blog the following saturday, and in the etsy forums under promotions and critiques section. I will also send you a conversation via etsy letting you know.

--What if I already have the print your giving away? (I really dont need two)

If you have already purchased the print that is being offered, you may switch it out for any other print in my store of equal or lesser value.

--What are my chances of winning? ( I mean honestly)

This will vary from month to month. You can always find out by looking through my sold prints on etsy. You can also increase your odds. *see below*

--Does each additional print purchase increase my odds? (hmmm?)

You bet! Your name will be put in for each print you buy. But two prints, your name goes in twice. Pretty simple eh?

--What are my odds currently?

Currently 8/23 there are 7 names in the drawing.

........................................................

I think that about sums it up, if I forgot to add something, or answer a question let me know!!

New Illustration and an update...

Here is my newest Illustration, "Bound to You." I only recently considered that this illustration could be perceived and viewed two ways. One that these two are willingly and lovingly committed and bout to each other. Or two... they are bound by obligation, and things of the past that seem to weigh them down.

When I created the illustration it was with the idea that they were lovingly bound to each other. At first I thought I should change the title to "Lovingly Bound to You" But the more I think about it, I suppose Art is in the eye of the beholder. Should I leave it "generic" in hopes that you can relate to it personally? I would love to hear your thoughts on this. :)

Now for the update... Remember my entry awhile back about our litter of kittens. The three we were GOING to give away? Well, yep you guessed it we kept him. He is growing so fast, and is very beautiful. Thought you would enjoy a newer picture of him.

birdcage

birdcage
Originally uploaded by jessilynn

I am almost done with this piece. :) The past few months I have been really inspired to sit down and draw a few birdcages. I think I enjoyed it even more then I thought I would! I have also been itching to use theses blue and red colors together. These colors were inspired by this picture taken and blogged by Holly of decor8 . Her blog, and flickr favorites, has probably been my greatest source of inspiration, as of late. :)

I hope you check back often to see the new birdcages in this series, I already have another one in the works! :)

Pirate filmstrip

Pirate filmstrip
Originally uploaded by jessilynn

The filmstrip is here! I added it to etsy last night. It is really inspiring to work with a larger format, and I am excited to add some more in this same size!

Although this would "work" in a girls' room, these pirates are giving me another reason to want a little boy... :) Which is good news for Jaydon, because here as of late.... I have been noticing several "subtle" hints.... ;)

The smells of Spring

peony
Originally uploaded by jessilynn

I cannot hardly believe I am longing for spring already. I could understand it a little better....if it were say October. But, July?

The summer is flying by (more so then usual) and I feel as though I have not done much of anything to enjoy it! I have been able to tinker around in my garden, but not as much as usual.

I hate when life gets too busy. Hopefully our rental will sale in the next couple of weeks, and we will have much more free time! We have already had a couple cash offers. It is just a matter of waiting for the best one! :)

Well, I have a few more orders to finish up and get ready before the mailman comes. Then, maybe I can squeeze in a little time to take Trinity outside, and let her enjoy a popsicle. :)

Green...

My little one is down for a nap so I went outside to get some much needed cleaning done. :) My poor little greenhouse needed is soo badly! I was able to give it a good hose down, and also stack all of my old plastic pots. The terra cotta pots also needed emptied and stacked for next spring. It seems so hard to believe, they have already served their purpose this year.

Well, I have had the sprinkler going, and thought I would take a quick break from the heat, share some pictures with you and update my blog. :) BUT, I must get some more weeding done!

Thank You!

Just wanted to give a little shout out to those who have taken the poll. :) It is much appreciated!

Today, we have just about finished up one image for projectgrabbag to transfer to totes, pillows, onesies etc. This image will have a hedgie added sometime tomorrow. He is illustrated, and waiting to be transferred to the computer!

Another addition to the fleet...

I added another trailer to the "I heart sweet home series" Its been fun, I think I may temproarily take a break from this series, and start on a collection of black and white/red modern style trailers. They are so much fun to create. :) Now that I have four completed, they should be ready tobe sent over to allisonsphotography. Look for some coasters appearing SOON! :)

After working on this one, I am as always... hungry for something sweet! I cant help but wonder why I began titling these the way I did! :)

I also added another pirate print to my Illustrated through the viewfinder series. That means I can finally print up my film strip print! :) I will post a picture as soon as I do!

super new!

I am really excited to introduce my Through the View Finder Illustrated series. I have been having SO much fun, combining my duaflex camera and illustrations. :) I have tried my hand at through the view finder photography... and not quite got the hang of it yet. So, when I see the results I got trying this out, I was THRILLED! :)

The three pictured are already in my store. BUT, I have plans for a larger size (8x16") film strip linking three or more of these illustrations together. I hope to get this listed sometime next week. :) Check back here for updates, though.

<---- if you click the picture, it will appear in a new window, but clear! :)

New poll!

blogger has now introduced a new feature... the ability to conduct a survey, how exciting! I plan to try and use this tool to help create art, a little more customized to your personal prefences. :)

I am going to start the first poll off with colors. The poll will run for 2 weeks, exactly and then I will begin a new survey. Please select the colors you decorate with most. Maybe this will inspire me to create a new piece based upon your color choices! :)

Oh- and if you dont see a color listed please drop me a comment here, I will add it ASAP. I KNOW I missed some, its still fairly early.. and I am in a bit of a hurry. :) Also, feel free to describe your choices here a little more in depth.

Pistachio Ice Cream

Yeah! A new trailer has been added to the fleet, and one more to come by monday. :) You can see it here . Pistachio Ice Cream was inspired by my wonderful husband. It amazes me, how much he can inspire me... by even saying a couple of words, or rambling some random thought. I guess we are kind of like butter and popcorn. We bring out the best in each other. :)

Tuesday night I showed him my sketch of the trailer, and asked him what came to mind. After a couple seconds of staring at the sketch... he says " I dunno... it needs a bike.. or a moped." Of course, all of a sudden I am like "why did I not think of that?" But, that thought only lasted a minute because I was so excited to get back to my drawing.... finally seeing it as it should be, with a bike!

Well, an update on my garden... Let me just say that I lasted an hour in the heat, before I had to come in... and well I kind of ended up staying in. :) BUT! I did get my shelf (filled with my craft supplies) 90% finished! So, that was good at least. This picture was taken before weeding... I promise! :)

I must admit though... I am somewhat of a scaredy cat when it comes to spiders... and in the hour I was outside, I seen 7 daddy long legged spiders in my garden! 7! eeeww... now, I know daddy long leg spiders are supposed to be good for your garden. They apparently eat all the bad bugs, and I think even black widow spiders, (or maybe my dad told me that as a kid so I wouldnt mind them so much) so you can almost think of them as super heroes for your garden. BUT, I get the heebie jeebies every time I see one!

A lesson re-learned from yesterday... mom knows best. As a kid, to give me incentive to keep my room clean, and clutter-free... she told me that a messy room gave spiders places to hide. And that I would most definitly have more spiders in my room if it were messy rather then clean. Needless to say, I had a clean room all the time. well there was an occasional spell of laziness... but never for very long!

Anyway, my point is... my garden is alot like that right now. waaay too many places for the 8 legged fiends to hide. I definitly have more incentive to keep it weeded now. The next time I go out there, I am wearing tennis shoes to protect my vulnerable feet from creepy crawling things. Oh, and did you know you can spray aerosol hair spray at a spider at stop him in his tracks? Yep, thats what I have heard... I intend to test that. Armed with tennis shoes, garden gloves, and a can of aerosol spray... they wont know what hit them! Well, I just may try that... tomorrow. :)

My plans for the day....

I have been neglecting my garden. ALOT. I have soo many weeds threatening to take over...that I am afraid this will turn into an ALL day job.

So, I am going to fill up Trinitys pool, throw on her swimming suit, head outside... and start pulling those weeds!

PROJECT ORGANIZE

Project Organize has been along time coming! I have needed to organize my little space here for quite a while. :)

This little shelf is housing the magority of my paper, craft supplies and etsy packaging. :) I am hoping that by posting these pictures... I can maybe get motivated and committed to finally organizing it! I will most definitly post new pictures once I do. You know... proof that I do follow through with what I say I will... ;)

oh yes... and complete with labels!! I love labeling things. :)

Turtle Love

Yeah! After much time spent trying to get the colors to my liking, I finally finished this... at about 1:00 AM to be exact. :) I really like how she turned out. I almost think I like it better cropped, with her face and the turtle in detail. I may end up offering this in a cropped version as well, if there appears to be some interest towards it.

The inspiration behind her was pretty non-existant. I grabbed my clipboard, laid on the floor and just started drawing... the skecth of the girl, immediately looked as though she was looking sweetly at something. It only seemed right that there be something in her hands. I tried workin with a bunny, and I just wasnt feeling it. So, came the turtle idea... and I loved how they worked out. :)

I also made cookies last night. I like my cookies soft and chewy.... and these were more like milk dunking cookies. They were just a little more cooked then I like them. But, they do turn out to be PERFECT for dunking cookies! They can soak up a ton of milk, and not crumble into your glass of milk. Although, it is always a nice surprise to see your pieces of cookies at the bottom of your milk glass! Although, now that I think about it...I am sure that probably grosses some people out. :)

As promised... the ACEOS are making their way to etsy. I will list two ACEOS a day for the next few days. There is currently one on etsy, and another to come today. :)

I would love to hear your feedback on them! If you have an idea for an ACEO, you would like to see my try... mention it! I love to be inspired by new ideas. :)

ACEOS! :)

I created my first original ACEOS today! It really was a new challenge working in such a small area... (3.5x2.5") but, was really fun! I will begin listing them tomorrow on etsy, after I can get some pictures in good lighting.

Oh, I always forget not everyone know what an Aceo is... If your one of those people, let me try and clear it up. Let me begin with a small legal disclosure:

"WARNING: collecting ACEOS can be addicting, SparksFly will not and cannot be held responsible for any injuries to your finances due to these adorable cards! This includes, (but not limited to) damage to walls, pocket books, wallets, saving accounts, or clutter issues..."

Ok, now thats out of the way.... ACEO stands for "art card, editions and originals" The only rule to an ACEO is that it be 2.5x3.5" This allows artist's to create an ACEO with just about any medium. Which makes each one truly unique! :)

What can you do with an ACEO? The sky is the limit! You can frame them, store them in photo albums, or send to friends.

Just finished this litte guy up today! I am not too sure where my inspiration for this drawing came from... However, it began with the story line that his parrot was neglected... after the poor thing has no shoulders to perch on. He has to settle for his fellow captain's head.

The direction of the drawing changed when the water was added. He instantly became overboard... and hence the title "Walk the Plank." :) I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! I am really working hard trying to get some non-pink drawings in my store. ;)

Yeah for Illustrated Art!

Its finally here! :) After MUCH hard work the past few weeks, I now have completely remodeled my etsy store! I have taken out all of my promotional goodies, (but still available to my existing clientelle) and replaced them with my Art. :) It feels so good to have a blank piece of paper in front of me, and pencil in hand. I had forgotten how relaxing drawing could be!

There has been so much change in the last few weeks it will be hard to address it all! First off, I have to give a big shout-out to projectgrabbag of etsy. I have done quie a bit of custom work for her in the past, and it was her adorable softies that inspired me to pick up drawing again. From that inspiration came "project friends." A series inlcuding pirates, soft friends, and mushrooms ( gnomes coming soon :) was born. Shannon and I began a collaboration that is still in the works. You will be able to purchase my artwork on her pillows, totes, t-shirts, and onesies. This should be available by the end of july in her etsy store.

If your wondering why the direction of my store has changed... here are some frequently thought questions that should answer that question. :)

Q) Why are you no longer offering promotional custom work, like bookmarks, business cards etc. I thought you enjoyed it?

A) I do enjoy it, but lately found I was taking on more then I could handle. Custom work is very time consuming, I also HATE being paid before I complete a job... and well custom work has to work that way! It was affecting my family time, housework and my poor garden...err weed patch.

Q) Will you be taking on anymore custom promotional work in the future?

A) Feel free to contact me if you had hearted any of my items/services in the past. I can't guarantee I will be able to help you, but it doesnt hurt to ask. If you catch me at a slow time in life, I may just very well be missing doing some design work, and be able to help you. No promises though!! :)

Q) I am an existing client, and wanting to re-order, or put in a special request for a new product. Can I still?

A) I know what its like to be a complete crazy person about having everything coordinate. If your anything like me, your hearts racing, because you think there just *may* be a chance your business cards will not match your hangtags... if you have to go somewhere else to re-order. Take a deep breath, and dont worry! I like to keep my customers 110% satisfied, and last I checked leaving someone high and dry leaves you in a far from satsified mood. Just contact me, and we can work it out. :)