Collab with Katchacanvas and thoughts on giving

A friend of mine from elementary school contacted me a few weeks ago and I designed a ballerina bear for her. She just opened her Etsy store, Katchacanvas (check her out!).  She sells really cool tote bags (and necklaces) and I'm flattered to see my design on one of her totes.  

Isabelle loves it too!

And it gets better! For every tote purchased, a book is donated to an elementary school in the Philippines.  I absolutely love the idea and I'm thrilled that a library is being built for the little kiddos.  There is just something so beautiful about reaching out to a child and helping them enrich their world through reading.  

And there is also something to be admired about making a difference in the world.  I've learned you don't have to to do something BIG, to make a BIG difference.  Truth is, it is probably the little things that make a BIG difference.  The small acts of kindness done with great love have the power to transform.  It could start by transforming just one person's world. Then it kind of has this infectious quality that just spreads and before you know it, the world is a different place.

The past 8 months in a nutshell

I became a mom!!! On October 29, 2012 at 9:37 pm our beautiful daughter, Isabelle Lucy was born.

And I was never the same.

It's really true, what they say - how your entire world changes once you have a kid.  My heart became and is so full, not that it was not before... But even more full.  I guess you can never have too much love.  There is always room for more.

She is almost 8 months.  She does a semi-crawl to get herself around the house.  She loves to eat.  She's very curious.  I wonder what is going through her mind most of the time.  The wonder that she has in her eyes is one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed.   

Then the smile that she gives me every morning or when I do something silly.  It is so precious.  Or when she cries for me because she wants her mommy and no one else will do.  My heart! 

Ok, didn't mean to get all mushy on you now.  But it's really hard not to.

See what I mean?

So that pretty much sums up what I've been up to the past 8 months.

And I also started drawing and re-opened the Etsy shop.  

When Isabelle is napping or not noticing my absence while she plays on her own, I am able to sneak a few moments to draw.  Sometimes Most of the time, the process is not smooth - I have to get up one minute later to make sure she is not playing with the wires from lamps and laptops and what not. Or to make sure she is not tasting the area rug tassels.  But it's all good.

I really love being a mom.  I feel truly blessed!

Shop update and photos from a lovely client :)

So you may have noticed the shop is temporarily closed.  It is under maintenance as I am hard at work behind the scenes and trying to figure out improvements in the shop.  For instance, I've decided to offer ready-to-frame art prints versus a printable art file.

I've always wanted to offer ready-to-frame art prints.  I love the idea of sending a little piece of me out into the world to its new home where it will bring smiles and happy thoughts.  I'm excitedly brainstorming ways to make the process of purchasing from my shop more personal.

I'd like to create an experience. I feel that I can connect more to my customers through a product they can see and feel versus a digital art file that they would open in their email.

I am presently researching my options and just enjoying studio time, creating, and making ideas come to life.  Although not all ideas are a success, the process is always enjoyable and valuable.

By the way, I'd liked to share some photos from a friend who recently purchased a printable from the shop.  She said it would be perfect for little Daniel Ryan's welcoming party, themed "Noah's Ark".

It's so exciting to see my little creation in a new home.  I am overjoyed that I get to create art for the little ones...Welcome to the world Daniel Ryan!!! :)