how do you make sense of a crazy world?

hello everyone!

My journal entry from

November 29th, 2016:

*****

I just came back from a beautiful walk.

The sun was shining and as I walked,

it started snowing at the same time.

Part of the sky was dark and cloudy,

ant the other part was blue sky.

So pretty.

The snowflakes falling

looked like little sparkles

or sprinkles in the sky.

It's moments like these

that feel blessed to me.

And i hesitate to say blessed

because it implies there is someone

or something

doing the blessing,

and that's just not what I believe.

It's just that whenever I see something like that,

or hear beautiful music -

even just a single note sometimes,

I feel like my insides turn to mush

and I am somehow weaved in

with the note or the snowflake

or the singing bird and for a moment -

we become one.

I know it sounds corny,

but whenever these moments happen for me,

everything makes sense.

It is no doubt what Eckhart Tolle calls

being in the moment.

It's not that everything makes sense, really,

but more like nothing else exists

outside of my tiny moment

with the snowflakes.

Like the rest of the world comes to a stop

and my moment happens in slow motion -

to make sure i grasp the significance.

It is during times like these

that I am grateful

for my artist heart.

*****

So it's been a rough past few months
for many of us
and as much as I am still saddened
by everything happening in the world,
specifically the hatred
I am reminded every day
that there are still small miracles
all around me and that
I am still the same person.
Only maybe more resilient now.
Maybe more determined
to speak out when it's time
for my voice to be heard.
I still love books.
I still love painting.
And writing.
I love my family
and my friends.
I love connecting with others
around the world (like you!).
These things will never change,
regardless of what is happening
around me.
I hope you are finding 
some sort of peace with it all too.
Especially my American friends.
Regardless of who you voted for,
let's face it,
there's a lot of uncertainty
for a lot of people right now.
Sometimes, having the world around us
shift in strange and unpleasant ways
makes us even more determined
to take our place in it.

On another note,
I did some cards with my acrylic paintings
and ordered them from Vistaprint
during their Black Friday sale (60% off!)
and I got them yesterday.
So exciting!

I like sending a little something extra
to those who buy from my ETSY shop,
so I'm pretty happy with these.

I'll be sending some
in Christmas cards this year as well...

I love the combination of
art and words.
Both are equally important to me.

Big love to every one of you.
xx

how rhythm makes everything good again...

In the beginning was noise.

And noise begat rhythm.

And rhythm begat everything else.

- Mickey Hart

I went for a nice walk this morning in the crisp fall air.

Sometimes, i lose my own rhythm

and before i know it,

a week has passed without morning walks

and i feel totally out of synch with everything.

Life takes over sometimes

and then it's up to each one of us

to find our own happy place again.

Nature is one of my happy places.

 Art in my blue room is another... :-)

I'm working on illustrations for a little book about Valentines.

A very young and creative relative of mine wrote a cute little story

and I'm putting together a little book for her.

(If any of my relatives are reading this,

PLEASE don't say a word. It's a surprise for her...)

I had fun doing these...
good and bad cupid. 
I'll post the little book once it's done.

forgive me if i've posted this before,
but i just love these illustrations by David Shannon.
From this book...
(its original title is probably "No David!")

i love how the illustrations tell the story.

you just know by seeing this

that it's about a little boy who gets into mischief...

this one always cracks me up...
When i grow up,
i wanna do these kinds of illustrations.
 

or this kind...

is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?

Check out the slippers...and the mouse pillow!

Such imagination.

and just by looking at this,
can't you tell she might be bossy?!
The best part of doing illustrations for a book (to me)
is reading the story the first time
and sketching out the images
that first come to mind.
Of course, rendering the illustrations is fun too...

So while i'm busy doing things for others,

and living my life,

I'm also trying to carve little bits of time

for my own book.

It's overwhelming - but exciting.

Nigel had great advice for me on one of his comments...

"stop thinking about it and just do it".

Yes Nigel. Thank you.

I can think things to death.

(have you noticed?)

I'm comforted when i see things like this.

I hardly ever feel in complete control.

(it's a good thing, right?)

Wishing you all a great weekend.

And to those who celebrate...

Happy Thanksgiving!

xox

jam packed with goodness and awesomeness

hello people!

A bit of an unplanned mess in my little CREATE every day journal.

I was actually working on something else (illustrations for my book!)
and all of a sudden, i just got the urge to scribble.

Scribbling is fun! 
If you haven't done so in a while, give it a try!

It's quick, it's liberating, it's fun, it releases energy...

it's basically sex on paper. ;-)

I'm struggling a bit with the illustrations for the book.

I can't seem to get on paper

what i see in my head.

For now, i'm writing my stories...

and trusting that eventually, it'll all come together.

I tend to be more comfortable with acrylics,

so i think i may end up doing a few more sketches with acrylics.

i really don't like the look of this watercolor,

but i thought i'd post anyway.

Yes, sadly, the teeter totter story is true.
(giggle)...

And on another note...
here's a book i love, by an artist/writer that i love - Maira Kalman.

her stories are always so poignant
and often have me laughing out loud.

Who can't relate to having irritating relatives? ;-)

I love how she writes everything free hand too...
Makes it that much more personal, i think.

From this book, THE PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY.
( i even love the title)...

And who doesn't love a good deal on such a beautiful hardcover book?

The inside flap on the book...

And here's a little gem from someone else i love.

Andy Miller.

You can find his blog here.

He is an illustrator/artist/designer/writer

and he often reminds me of WHY i still love design

after almost 25 years...

Yes, sometimes, i need a reminder.

I want to share something interesting with all of you

about yesterday's post.

I sometimes check my stats, to see how many people have visited.

I love the idea that i can post something

and it can reach someone from across the world in seconds,

and I am always touched that so many of you take the time to comment.

Especially those of you who speak a different language than english.

(yes, you Roberto - big hugs...)

Yesterday's post got more visitors than any post i've ever written.

More visitors, but less comments. (interesting, isn't it?)

It totally surprised me

that almost 200 people read this post.

I'm not sure how it happened,

and it may be a fluke, but i was shocked.

There are bloggers out there who get a thousand visitors a day,

and i'm giddy because i got 200...

Go figure.

See how easy I am to please?!

Thank you all for allowing me some space

in your generous hearts.

xox

why words matter...

hello peeps!

I'm back from a few days away 
and looking forward to getting my work done so i can get back
to some serious painting and journaling and blogging again. :-)

My weekend was not as relaxing as i was planning it would be, but still...
family time, book shopping, an outdoor concert, swimming... 
So all in all, it was good for the soul.

A few years back, a good friend of mine gave me this journal book.
Actually, I feel like a teeny bopper when i say this,
but she's my best friend... * hallo Lucille!!*

I wrote in a few of the pages, and then put the book aside.
As weeks passed (and months)... and i forgot about it!

I actually forgot that i had it. 

So now I have this beautiful, almost empty little journal
with quotes on every page to prompt me to CREATE every day. :-)

Feels like Christmas to me. 

The pages are thicker than regular paper, so it holds paint quite well.
So i'll be playing in this little journal for a while...

I've been thinking about this idea for a while now...

We all have that big ass dream in life, right?

We all have that ONE thing we wish we could do,
but somehow never find the time,

the energy,

the money,

the guts,

the *fill in the blank*

For me, it's writing a book.

I know, everyone and their dog has written a book these days it seems,
but still - it's one of my dreams.

ONE of my dreams. ;-)

I've met some pretty damn interesting people in my life,

and they've all taught me something, one way or another.

The girl above and her story are true.

The kind of book i'd love to write

is an illustrated book, with little tidbits of writing and painting

on each page.

Kinda like this one, only more well thought out. :-)

I did this last night as a sample on a small postcard size,

just to get a feel for what it could look like.

Whenever i write anything,

I always wonder whether others will find it interesting or not,

because it's about my life and those i've crossed paths with...

But then i remind myself of the books i've read,

and how i've loved so many that had nothing to do with me.

Shared stories.

That's what it's about, isn't it?

They remind me of how connected we all are,

regardless of where we live in the world.

How universal so many things are...

like love.

xox

the girl in the ocean...

hello lovely people...

eyes, eyes, and more eyes. ;-)

a few things on the go this week...

see what happens when i slow down with the blogging?

It's actually hard for me sometimes

not to post ever day. :-)

So here we go!

a painting i began recently - for a friend.

Still at the very early stages.

And this little baby i did last night.

This was so much fun to do.

I had forgotten how much i loved illustrating

I'm not sure whether the little girl is playing in the waves,

floating,

or drowning.

;-)

It's like that feeling

of just keeping our head above the water sometimes.

I bought this nice, thick, smooth white paper

supposedly for dry medium only.

yeah, whatever.

Dry, shmy.

I'll paint on toilet paper if i have to
so anything goes.
:-)

 i just knew i would add

acrylics or watercolor to this one.

i've never worked with COPIC markers, 

but i'm guessing they would've worked well

for something like this.

The paper absorbed the liquid acrylics

better than i thought it would

and it was thick enough

not to buckle the paper much at all.

a few colors and added white bubbles,

and there you have it.

i ended up doing her hair with brush markers

and i don't like it so much,

but it's done, so no regrets. 

Next time, i'll know better. 

Forgiven.

:-)

the little curious fish...

caught up in the waves of excitement. ;-)

I wanted her face a little softer than the rest

so i used colored crayons.

The coloring was so smooth on this paper...

i can't wait to do another one.

Maybe i'll do a little series?

Little girls at the beach.

By the way, i'm looking at doing a giveaway soon...

(YAY!!)

I'm not sure how it all works

to make sure it's a legitimate winner

but i'll be letting you know when it all comes together.

i may end up doing something like this illustration

The winner would get an original from moi,

hopefully to be hung on their own wall,

to make them smile when they see it,

and not sold at an auction somewhere in Minnesota

for like a gazillion dollars.

giggle.

A girl can dream, right?

Thank you all so much for visiting and commenting here...

It really makes my heart happy.

xoxo

Handmade Portraits: Sophie Blackall

I love this girl's work.

Happy Sunday, folks!

xoxo

love, socks & books

love doesn't always need to be romantic... :-)

I said i would reward myself with a book, so ta daaaaaa! 

A few books. I can rarely ever buy just one book. 

Uncle Tom's cabin is a classic i've never read - it was published in the 1850's

and written by a woman - already impressive. :-)

I can't wait to read it.

I've always loved Jewish history, so i look forward 

to reading Gertruda's Oath as well.

And of course, how could i pass this up?

First of all, it's about Einstein & children, and secondly, it's $4.99.

It was said that Einstein had a great sense of humour.

When i saw this book cover of him in his fluffy blue slippers, 

it reminded me of an interview I once saw on tv

with Alfred Hitchcock.

He was a British film director mostly known for psychological thrillers

like the Birds, Psycho, etc.

In this tv interview, I was surprised at his sense of humour.

He said he once had a dinner party at his house

and arranged so that all the food was blue! 

The bread, the turkey, the potatoes, everything was blue -

even the drinks!

And of course, Hitchcock himself pretended that everything was normal.

Such a sense of humour coming from a man who made a living

scaring people half to death. 

A great reminder that we often

take ourselves too seriously...

we should all have our own colourful dinner parties,

or own a pair of 

fluffy blue slippers. 

xoxo

happy time

Only a few days left before i mail in my SKETCHBOOK PROJECT
and lucky for me, only a few pages left. :-) 

I decided on a simple black micron pen illustration,
although i ended up adding a bit of black pencil here & there.
I'll be adding text on the right hand side of the page,
just not sure what i'll be writing yet.

This is Etta James in her younger days.
For those of you who don't know of her,
Etta was a fabulous American jazz & blues singer
who just passed away last Friday. 

If any of you don't know of her,
you must at least listen to this one song of hers called AT LAST.
mmmmmm... i hear it in my head already.  :-) 

My heart melts as soon as the song begins...

And so, i had a wonderful evening
drawing in my little blue room
and then finished off the evening
with a shower & my happy time soap. 

I'm easy to please. :-)

Wishing you all a wonderful week.
Make time for something that makes you smile.
xoxo